Linn gathered up her bag as the group readied themselves to cross the lake. Morrigan and Rabbit had stayed behind to guard the people in the castle from the demon, while Alistair, Leliana, Sten, and Linn had set off for the Circle Tower. A circle of salt around the castle would hopefully stop the demon from sending out more undead to attack the town, and a line of salt across the doorway would hopefully protect the people left in the castle from the demon.
Linn checked around for the others. Alistair and Leliana were still gathering their gear. Sten… Linn looked for him in confusion. How could she lose someone that big? Linn quickly walked toward the main road and saw Sten crouched down. As she neared him, she noticed the horns. Sten had told her that most qunari had horns, and in front of Sten, there were the corpses of what must have been qunari warriors.
"Do you need some help?" Linn asked, and Sten turned to her in confusion. "Where I'm from we normally burn the bodies of our fallen… so they don't get back up."
Sten turned back to the warriors and said with a curt nod, "That would be a good idea."
Linn quickly walked forward and focused her powers. The bodies soon became blurred in a sea of flames.
"I'm sorry," Linn murmured. "I don't have anything to keep the ashes."
"We don't abide by such customs," Sten replied curtly. "My people believe that our spirits are not tied to our vessels… but to our tools that define our purpose."
"Oh… Were you looking for something?" Linn asked as she remembered that she had found the qunari in a cage with nothing but rags. Any items of importance must have been stripped from him or lost prior.
Sten stiffened before he let out a small sigh of reluctance. "My sword. I came to your lands with seven of the Beresaad, my brothers, to seek answers about the Blight. We made our way across the Fereldan countryside without incident, seeing nothing of the threat we were sent to observe. Until the night we camped by Lake Calahad."
Sten paused as though the memories were painful. He had answered her questions about his people, but this was different. Linn stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
"They came from everywhere: the earth beneath our feet, the air above us, our own shadows harbored the darkspawn. I saw the last of the creatures cut down, too late. I fell."
"So… did any of the others survive?"
"No or so I was told. I don't know how long I lay on the battlefield among the dead nor do I know now how the farmers found me.I only know that when I woke, I was no longer among my brothers. And my sword was now gone from my hand."
"So you think you dropped it somewhere?"
"Perhaps," Sten admitted as he looked around the area. "I searched for it. And when that failed, I asked my rescuers what had become of it."
"And they didn't know?"
"They said they found me with nothing."
Sten's story clicked into place, and she remembered what the Chantry lady had told her in Lothering. "So… you killed them… Did you think that they were lying to you?"
"No, they had no reason to lie to me. I panicked. Unthinking, I struck them down."
"So that's why you were in that cage. You were punishing yourself?"
"Yes. I cannot justify what I have done. My honor is forfeit," Sten's voice now carried more emotion than she'd ever heard from him. "That sword was made for my hand alone. I have carried it from the day I was set into the Beresaad. I was to die wielding it for my people. Even if I could cross Fereldan and Tevinter unarmed and alone to bring my report to the Arishok, I would be slain on sight by the Antaam. They would know me as soulless, a deserter. No soldier would cast aside his blade while he drew breath."
"So that's why you said that you couldn't go back," Linn replied as Sten looked away from her. "Then I guess we'll just have to find it then."
Sten looked back at her with surprise and suspicion. "It could be anywhere by now."
"And if you haven't noticed, our route takes us kind of everywhere, doesn't it? We can start at Lake Calahad and go from there."
Sten bowed his head slightly and said, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me just yet… We've still got a lot of work to do." Linn gestured towards the tower in the distance. "But let's take a quick look around the lake before we go to the tower. Maybe we can find something."
Linn led Sten back to the others, and they made their way to the lake with Linn checking their surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. Alistair and Leliana went inside the tavern to ask if anyone had seen any other Qunari near the lake while Sten and Linn walked the water's edge. Suddenly, Sten blocked Linn from moving forward. There was a rustling coming from the nearby tall grass.
"Who's there?" Linn asked while gripping her staff.
A man came out of the grass, clearly terrified by the two of them. Linn caught a glimpse of the body of a fallen Qunari warrior and glared at the man. Under Sten and Linn's stares, the man quickly broke under the pressure. He admitted to checking the bodies for valuables but said that there had been someone there before him: a red-haired man named Faryn. Apparently, there was an open market near Orzammar, where Faryn often sold his goods. The scavenger quickly ran away after Linn dismissed him, and Linn turned to Sten.
"I told you that we'd be able to find something!" Linn said with a grin. "And we can look into it when we head to Orzammar."
Sten nodded with a stern look, but Linn saw the hint of a small smile before he turned away. Alistair and Leliana called out to them as they walked closer. No living Qunari had been sighted. With the amount of bodies Linn had seen at the shoreline, Linn wasn't surprised.
"To the tower then, I guess," Alistair said and walked toward the lone templar standing on the docks.
According to the templar, people weren't allowed at the tower right now, but after Linn announced that they were Grey Wardens and Greagoir would need to see them, the templar reluctantly agreed to take them to the tower. As the soldier rowed them to the tower's docks, Linn felt a growing sense of unease. She concentrated on the tower, probing it to sense magic. She quickly pulled back at what she found. Demonic energy radiated from the tower.
"That's not good," Linn whispered to herself as she climbed onto the dock.
"What's wrong?" Alistair asked as he looked from her to the tower.
"Demons… I can feel their magic. It's just like Redcliffe."
"Do you think Loghain has anything to do with this? The timing… It's just a little strange that everything seems to be going downhill at once."
"Who knows… We need to get moving."
Linn quickly walked to the front doors and opened them to see templars scrambling. Panic was in the very air as Linn approached the Knight-Commander.
"The doors are barred," Alistair murmured as he quickly dodged out of the way of a running templar. "Are they keeping people out? Or in?"
"What's going on here?" Linn asked Greagoir, who barely seemed to notice her presence.
"I don't have time to entertain visitors," the Knight-Commander began when he recognized her. "Well, look who's back. A proper Grey Warden now, are we? Glad you're not dead."
"Oh? How nice and welcoming. I assume the barred doors are a new decoration?"
The Knight-Commander gave her an irritated glare before he replied, "We're dealing with a situation that doesn't involve you, Grey Warden."
"It does when you have my fellow mages trapped with demons!" Linn snapped back. "I can feel them on the other side of that door. Just admit that you need help."
Greagoir let out a long, tired sigh and admitted, "Then I shall speak plainly. The tower is no longer under our control. Abominations and demons stalk the tower's halls. We were too complacent. First Jowan, now this. Don't think I've forgotten your role in Jowan's escape."
She argued back, "I did exactly as ordered, Ser."
"I suppose I cannot fault you for that… though Irving could have done more to prevent what happened. It set a dangerous precedent. I should have been more vigilant… and urged Irving to be more wary. I can only hope that someday Jowan gets what he deserves. But right now I have other pressing concerns."
"Are… are they all abominations?" Leliana asked hesitantly from behind Sten.
"They may as well be," Greagoir answered tiredly. "What does it matter? They took us by surprise. We were prepared for one of two abominations, not the horde that fell upon us."
"And Cullen?" Linn asked in almost a whisper.
Greagoir's eyes softened for a moment before he said. "He was still inside."
"Then what are you going to do?! You shut in mages and templars! Are you just waiting for everyone to die?"
"I have sent word to Denerim," Greagoir admitted. "Calling for reinforcements and the Right of Annulment. I cannot risk the lives of any more of my men."
Alistair spoke up hesitantly, "The mages are probably already dead. Any abom-"
"You don't know that!" Linn argued. "And if the great Knight-Commander is too afraid to send in his men, then send me in and I'll do what you won't. I'll save any mages I find, and I'll kill these abominations. Just lock the doors behind me."
"I assure you, an abomination is a force to be reckoned with, and you will find more than one," Greagoir warned her.
"I was only at the Tower for a few months," Linn reminded him. "I know that Irving told you that I was trained in magic before the tower, but I never told anyone how I was trained. My family hunts demons and things in the night that would make your skin crawl. 'Saving people. Hunting things. The family business.' And I'm good at it. The only reason I came to the tower was to see if there was magic I didn't know how to use… I've fought demons since I was 14 years old. I'm the best hope you have, so let me go in there and do what needs to be done."
The Knight-Commander looked at the barricaded doors before he reluctantly replied, "If you succeed, I would owe you much, enough that I would pledge my templars to your cause. Without word from Denerim, I must determine our course. Surely destroying darkspawn is a worthy goal."
"So we're in agreement, then?"
"It appears so. A word of caution… once you cross the threshold, there is no turning back. The great doors must remain barred. I will open them for no one until I have proof that it is safe. I will only believe it is over if the first enchanter stands before me and tells me it is so. If Irving has fallen… then the Circle is lost and must be destroyed. May Andraste lend you her courage, whatever you decide."
"I don't need a goddess' courage. I have my own. Open the damn doors," Linn ordered and walked to the doors.
She barely took notice of whether the others followed her or not as she quickly made her way inside. The feel of demonic magic hung in the air. Bodies of both mages and templars were strewn across the floor; Linn clutched her staff and proceeded down the hallway. After taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
A rage demon attacked the mages inside, but before it could get close, the mages used ice magic to freeze it before hitting it with lightning. The demon disappeared into the air. The mages turned to watch the group enter the room.
"You?" one of the mages said in disbelief. Linn recognized her as one of the senior mages in the Circle. Wynne looked haggard but still strong as she took a step toward Linn. "You've returned to the tower? Why did the templars let you through? Are you here to warn us?"
"I convinced Greagoir to let us inside. He's sent for the Right of Annulment, but I convinced him to give me a little time."
Wynne sighed, and her shoulders sagged. "They sent for it, then. I feared they might have. What else could they do? So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond hope. He probably assumes we are all dead."
"He does," Linn admitted. "And that's why we need to prove him wrong. He says the only way he'll let us back out is if we get First Enchanter Irving. I just need you to take down the barrier for a moment, so I can save the day."
Wynne gave her a small smile and said, "Your confidence is refreshing, though you should make sure it does not blind you to your weakness."
"Yes… I think a moment to gather ourselves might be for the best," Alistair spoke up only to earn a glare from Linn. "I'm just saying… You're not looking like yourself."
"Maybe because demons are swarming the tower, and my only friend in the world is trapped inside… But I'm sure taking a few deep breaths will even everything out."
Alistair apologized in a small voice, but Linn could barely hear him over the blood pounding in her veins.
"Allow me to come with you," Wynne offered, and the other mages started to protest. "The others need your protection more. I will be all right. Stay here with them… Keep them safe and calm."
Linn looked at the young mages and felt some of her rage cool.
"Alistair… maybe you should stay here," Linn said, and Alistair stared at her with the saddest puppy eyes she'd ever seen. "Once the barrier comes down, they may need more than magic."
"I'll stay," Leliana volunteered, and Alistair looked relieved. "Alistair will be better at fighting the templars than I would be. You have as long as I have arrows."
"Thank you," Linn replied with a smile at Leliana before she turned back to Wynne.
"If you are ready, let us go end this," Wynne said and walked over to the barrier. She looked at it for a moment more before turning to Linn. "Here we are. I am somewhat amazed at myself for having kept it in place this long."
"You did what was necessary… And I'm glad that you guys made it."
"It made me weary at times, but I had to stay strong, to keep us safe," Wynne said tiredly as though she was preparing herself for the barrier to come down.
Linn looked at her nervously for a moment before she asked, "What about the mages in solitary confinement?"
Wynne raised an eyebrow and asked, "You mean a specific mage? One that goes by the name of 'Anders'?" Linn just stared at the woman in shock, but Wynne gave her a small smile. "Irving knew about your… 'correspondence' with Anders. He had hoped that you would be able to convince the young mage to stay… After I returned, Greagoir informed me that Anders escaped not long after you left for Ostegar. Your friend is safer than we are."
Linn nodded and looked at the barrier. "That's good, I suppose. Now what should I look out for?"
"Be prepared for anything. I do not know what manner of beasts lurk beyond this barrier."
"Wonderful," Linn muttered as the barrier fell.
Dark magic leaked into the room, and Linn gripped her staff before leading the way forward.