Interlude 24: Rediscovering Records of the Rock Wraiths
Warden Hallak Grimwale
In the Deep Roads, far below the surface, even farther than the depths which darkspawn seem to inhabit, there are queer creatures seemingly made of rock and malice. They appear to congregate around areas with high concentrations of lyrium. It is unclear if they are actual stone that has gained animation as a result of the lyrium or if they are beings that already had existence and were attracted to the lyrium.
The lore of the dwarves have developed a superstition about these beings, concerned that the wraiths are actually souls of dwarves that have been returned to the stone but have regained consciousness, though their dwarven forms have gone. Some stories have claimed that these dwarven souls serve as guardians for the secrets of the ancient dwarves. Other stories have asserted that these are dwarves that have been cursed for tainting the stone with evil and they are doomed to wander the halls of their Ancestors, searching for absolution or revenge.
Curiously, darkspawn shun areas inhabited with these wraiths, the reasons for this are unclear. In a certain sense, these wraiths have preserved and protected long forgotten thaigs better than the living dwarves have been able to manage of the more recent ones.
A Warden expedition in caverns deep beneath the Anderfels uncovered an unusual thaig. It was reported that they came across just such a creature. In their zeal to make contact, mistakenly assuming it to be a forgotten golem that had lost its control rod, they approached the creature. The wraith made no indication of trying to communicate, but instead attacked the party, killing two of the Wardens before the others fell back.
Fearing that the creature would create more havoc if allowed to wander the roads indefinitely, the remaining wardens triggered a cave in, blocking the only known entrance to the thaig. It had been believed that they would be able to return later with a larger force, clear the rubble and find a way to expel the wraith, but the Third Blight came, interrupting any plans to revisit the ancient thaig and further study the wraith.
The maps and reports created during the expedition were only recently found in a forgotten corner of the scriptorium in the Warden Archives, but the current High Commander sees no purpose in pursuing further study of the rock wraiths. They are oddities and our true concern lie with the darkspawn.
I have questioned sharing these findings with the Dwarven communities in Orzammar or Kal-Sharok, but have had my entreaties rebuffed, being told, "To do so is to extend Warden intelligence to the political machinations of the Dwarven Assembly. It is necessary, for the protection of all, that the Wardens maintain neutrality and avoid any direct action that might hinder or encourage the political movements of any nation."
So the records shall be returned once again to the forgotten scriptorium, until another like me should uncover it years from now. Perhaps by then the skeptical nature of my Order will be abandoned and the Wardens will embrace open cooperation with all the nations of Thedas.