Dragon Age: Revengeance

ACT II

Chapter 18

"No, absolutely not," said Fiona, putting her foot down as the Astera sailed into Denerim's harbour. Solona whined.

"Oh, come on! This could be your last chance to tell Alistair the truth! He deserves to know you're his mother."

Fiona regarded her as if she had lost her mind. "Perhaps you are unaware, but the last time I saw him it wasn't exactly on the best of terms."

"What, that whole Tevinter thing with Alexius? That wasn't your fault, the Venatori used blood magic on you!"

She sighed, her shoulders sagging. "I cannot prove that, I have only my suspicions. Regardless, Alistair and Anora despise me for what happened, it would only endanger our mission here if I were to go with you to see them." She put a reassuring hand on Solona's shoulder. "I shall remain here and continue to assist Avernus with his research on a cure."

Solona watched her head below decks, a knot of frustration growing inside of her. She and Alistair had been friends once – she liked to think they still were – and it was killing her to know the truth yet be unable to tell him. Catching sight of Andraste towards the prow of the ship, Solona wandered over to her.

"So how does it feel to be back home?" she asked, joining the prophet in gazing at the grand capital of Ferelden. Andraste shook her head.

"A thousand years have passed since my time, can I even call this place my home any more?"

"Well everyone still thinks of it as your home. They even have a big rock in the Palace District – they call it the Birth Rock, because of course they do – and people from all over come to see it, touch it, pray at it."

Andraste hung her head and grimaced as if in pain. "Yes, pray ... I have read this Chant of Light. It's..."

"Crap?"

"I was going to say a chorus of lies, but yes, that works too. An entire religion based around me, and no one has any idea that it was actually spawned by the very being they despise above all others."

Solona winced. "Yeah, it's pretty rough. Why do you think Dumat did it? Started the whole 'Maker' thing, I mean?"

She scoffed with disdain. "That's easy. He wants to rule Thedas as the one true god. He doesn't want to share power or worship, be it with his siblings or the elven Creators. So he denounces them all as false gods, and restyles himself as the supreme god-king of everything. His pride and ego are without equal. Urthemiel says that he sought the destruction of the Orlesian Chantry because it strayed from his intended goals, that the Imperial Chantry better aligns with his wishes."

The Warden frowned and rubbed the side of her head in confusion. "That makes me wonder about Razikale. Do you think she knows the truth about Dumat?"

"Urthemiel doesn't believe so. He only realised it himself due to the time he spent with Morrigan. Razikale has not been awake for very long."

Solona thought about how common that was becoming. Solas, Corypheus, and now Razikale and Andraste herself, after a fashion. "I just wonder how she'd react to the news that the Maker is really Dumat," she said, "And that he wants to be rid of her so he can rule alone. Something tells me she wouldn't be too thrilled to hear that."

Andraste snorted. "I'll be certain to inform her if I ever meet her, though I sincerely doubt she would believe it."

As the Astera began to dock, Solona retrieved a hooded Samite cloak and presented it to Andraste. "Here," she said, "You better put this on. Unless you want to be mobbed in the streets by every passerby. We should probably call you something else as well. How does Augusta sound?"

She laughed bitterly as she donned the cloak. "At least then I won't have to listen to people say 'Augusta's tits!' every time they curse."

There was a commotion on the docks. A large squad of Grey Wardens were assembled there, led by Loghain. He and two other Wardens boarded the Astera as soon as the gangplank was down. Feeling a touch uneasy, Solona half-heartedly saluted him as he approached. "Permission to come aboard, I guess?"

He regarded her elven features with something approaching contempt, but Solona didn't take it personally, as he just had that sort of face.

"This is not a good look on you," he said. She chuckled.

"Yes, well fortunately it wasn't my stunning good looks that saved Ferelden from the Blight. What are you doing here, Loghain? I thought you were stationed in Orlais."

"It gives me no pleasure to do this," he said grimly, "Warden Commander Amell; by the authority of Weisshaupt, I regret that I must place you under arrest, and take you before the First Warden."

She started to laugh, but stopped when she realised he was being serious. "Are you daft? Not happening."

"Commander-"

"I didn't come all the way to Denerim just to turn around and set sail for Weisshaupt!"

"The First Warden is here," said Loghain, "In Denerim. I am to escort you to him personally."

She blinked, momentarily stunned by the news. "What, really? Huh. Well ... all right then."

Andraste took a step towards them. "Amell?"

Solona half-turned and gestured for her to stop. "It's okay, Augusta, I'll be fine. The First Warden probably just wants to punch me in the face to get even with me. I'll meet you at the Royal Palace later." She turned back to Loghain. "Point the way." She waved to Andraste and a shocked Leonie as the Wardens escorted her off the Astera.

The Hero of Ferelden was taken to Fort Drakon. Curiously, the fort was completely devoid of Ferelden soldiers. Instead, it was garrisoned entirely by Grey Wardens. Solona could only assume that Alistair had temporarily allowed the First Warden to do this as a concession for his (Alistair's) having abandoned the order during the last Blight. The fact that the First Warden had left Weisshaupt at all, and journeyed all the way to Denerim, was practically unheard of, an oddity that she remarked upon to Loghain.

"It is certainly unusual," Loghain admitted as they made their way past the first checkpoint. "Be on your guard, Commander; something strange is afoot within the Wardens."

"What, again?" she said, remembering the recent troubles the order had with Corypheus.

They were stopped at the final guard checkpoint by High Constable Sadri, an elderly and distinguished Warden officer and second-in-command of the entire order.

"Thank you, Warden Lieutenant Loghain, that will be all," he said. Loghain frowned.

"Sir, perhaps it would be best if I-"

"Lieutenant, I am not in the habit of repeating myself," Sadri interrupted sternly, "You are dismissed. I shall escort the prisoner to the First Warden myself."

Loghain clenched his jaw, clearly unhappy. "As you command."

Solona watched him depart. "Always a pleasure, Loghain!" she called after him. She turned to Sadri and gestured over her shoulder. "He's just upset because I look like an elf now. Not a big fan of elves, Loghain."

"How Loghain feels about anything is irrelevant," said Constable Sadri. He gestured to the Grey Warden guards manning the checkpoint. Two of them secured her arms, whilst a third fastened a Qunari anti-magic collar around her neck.

"Hey, what gives?" Solona yanked her arms free and tugged at the collar. "Since when do the Grey Wardens treat its mages like Saarebas?"

He didn't answer, instead turning and marching onwards. With the guards blocking the way back, Solona had no choice but to follow the High Constable upstairs to the temporary office of the First Warden. There, the First Warden was in the process of interrogating two bound elven prisoners. When he saw that Solona had arrived, he brought his interrogation to a close and cut their throats right in front of her, their blood seeping across the floor towards her feet. The First Warden then moved to stand behind his desk, reciting a canticle from the Chant of Light as he examined his bloodstained dagger with interest.

"Those who oppose Thee
Shall know the wrath of heaven.
Field and forest shall burn,
The seas shall rise and devour them,
The wind shall tear their nations
From the face of the earth.
Lightning shall rain down from the sky,
They shall cry out to their false gods,
And find silence..."

The First Warden was older than Sadri, but did not remotely look it. With long, glossy black hair, dark grey eyes, and not even the hint of wrinkles marring his features, he clearly had some means of staving off the ravages of time. He gestured casually at the dead elves before her.

"Agents of Fen'Harel. Here in Denerim for the same reason as yourself, no doubt."

"W-What?" Solona mumbled, growing increasingly shaken by everything that was happening. The First Warden regarded the High Constable.

"Thank you, Sadri, that will be all."

He departed with a salute and bow, leaving her alone with the First Warden. Solona struggled to make sense of everything, her normal confidence and humour set aside for the moment.

"What are you doing here? Since when does the First Warden leave Weisshaupt?"

Instead of answering, he smiled and cupped a hand to his ear. "Do you hear that?"

Bewildered, Solona wrinkled her nose at the sticky blood pooling around her feet. "What? No, I don't hear anything."

"Oh, but do try, my dear; it is such a beautiful song."

She backed up to the office door and tried to open it without turning away from him. Unfortunately Sadri had locked it when he left. "It sounds to me like you're hearing your Calling," she said.

He lowered his hand. "Alas, no. That would require me to have undergone the Joining at some stage."

Solona stared at him, aghast. Had he just said what she thought he'd said? The First Warden turned the pages of a book that lay open upon his desk, and traced his finger over the text contained within.

"Did you know that Fort Drakon – as with Aeonar and Ostagar – marks the location of a prison containing one of the Tevinter Old Gods? In this case, far below this particular tower lies my brother, Lusacan."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Dumat," she whispered. He grinned and looked up at her.

"Actually, I go by a different name now," he said. "You may call me ... The Maker."

She almost choked. "I can think of a few better names. What in the Void are you doing leading the Grey Wardens?!"

He extended his hands. "What better way to bring about the destruction of the False Gods?" He then pointed at her and wagged a disapproving finger. "You however have been causing no end of trouble. First you stole my ritual and used it to save my little brother, Urthemiel. Now I hear you have employed time magic to summon Andraste into the present day. How terribly inconvenient."

Solona tried to hurl a lightning bolt at his smug face, but the collar fastened around her neck completely drained her mana, making it impossible for her to cast any magic. She growled in frustration. "Do you seriously think you can fool the entire world? Sooner or later the truth will come out!"

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that, which is why I have planned accordingly. As the Order of Fiery Promise foretold, I shall destroy this world using the darkspawn, and then simply ... start over. A brave new world, with no pesky history to contradict my divine edicts." He hurled his bloodstained dagger in her direction, burying it in the office door a mere inch from her face. Certain he now had her full attention, Dumat pointed at her. "Take heart! Today you shall witness the twilight of Thedas. The gates of the Black City shall be thrown open, and a darkspawn horror the likes of which cannot be imagined shall be unleashed upon creation. Whilst it would be prudent to kill you now, I can hardly deprive you of the opportunity to witness my moment of triumph. Especially since it is so close at hand."

Sadri unlocked and opened the office door. Since Solona was leaning against it, she fell flat on her backside. Dumat gestured for him to take her away.

"Lock our esteemed guest up in one of the dungeons, then send someone to clean up this mess. I mustn't allow my sister to get blood on her shoes, I'd never hear the end of it."