"No, this can't be right," said the Seeker as she shook her head and gestured sharply. "The Champions came to Huttsgalor to spread subversion against the Chantry." She glared at Varric. "But you claim this wasn't the case. The Champions just happened to have dealings with the Qunari, joined forces with a known raider, a blood mage, a rebel Warden… and for what? Coin?"

Varric leaned back. "Maybe it's not as simple as you imagine, Seeker."

"Simple?" The Seeker's eyes narrowed. "Do I need to remind you what your friends did?" She stepped forward. "Do I need to tell you how many lives have been lost? How many more will be lost?" She clenched her fists. "You cannot sit there and tell me they're innocent."

"I don't know if innocent is the right word, exactly…"

The Seeker cut Varric off. "They must have known. Somehow, the Champions knew what was down there. That's why they wanted to join your expedition."

The dwarf shook his head. "No. None of us knew. If we had…" Sorrow came over the dwarf's features. "…well, neither Dak nor Leyla would have stepped foot into that blighted hole."

She folded her arms. "Is that so? Then tell me your version of what happened on this expedition."

He leaned forward again. "Well, we entered the Deep Roads as planned, but we didn't get very far…"

They had been walking for what felt like days, but it was hard to tell since they were underground. Suddenly, one of the scouts came running back. "There's been a collapse—the way forward is blocked."

Bartrand's face was furious. "What? Is there some way around?"

The scout shook his head. "Not that I've been able to find. The side passages are too dangerous."

"Useless." Bartrand's response to that news was to punch the scout in the face. "What am I paying you blighters for?" He gestured angrily. "Set camp."

Noticing Bartrand's dissatisfied face, Dak, Leyla and Varric approached him.

"Problems, Brother?" Varric asked.

Bartrand kicked at a rock. "Sodding Deep Roads. Who knows how long it'll take to clear the path?"

"Shall we not try to find a way round instead? Seems like the logical choice."

"You think I'm an idiot, Varric?" Bartrand roared, his face red with anger. "The scouts say the side passages are too dangerous."

Dak just shook his head. "See? This is why you bring someone like me along."

Varric smirked. "We'll take a look. If we come running back, screaming, you'll know staying put was the right decision."

"Fine. Fine." Bartrand waved his hands. "Find a way around. Just do it quickly."

Dak and Leyla went to collect everyone else when Bodhan rushed up to them, looking rather frantic. "Uh… I hate to add to your burdens, my friends, but I fear I must." Bodhan's face looked fearful. "I fear my boy, Sandal, wandered off. He's somewhere in those side passages right now. I beg you, keep an eye out for him. He just… doesn't understand danger like he should."

Leyla nodded. "We need to search the side passages. We'll bring him back; we can."

Bodhan looked relieved. "Poor Sandal. I can't believe he's done this."

"Let's move quickly, then."

"This is why I left the Wardens," Anders muttered as they walked towards the side passage. "I hate the blighted Deep Roads."

Anders' warning that darkspawn were approaching was almost a trifle unnecessary. He, Leyla and Merrill sent out fireballs, taking out as many darkspawn as they could before the blighted beasts reached the warriors. They'd gone through three groups of spawn and a group of giant spiders when Varric suddenly started shaking his head.

"Well, I'll be a nug's uncle," he said. "Isn't that Bodahn's boy?"

The blond-haired dwarf was standing in a group of dead darkspawn, scratching his ass as he looked out over some ruins. He turned at the sound of Varric's voice. "Hello."

Dak laughed. "It is. The great warrior stands victorious."

"Are you injured?" Leyla asked, walking towards Sandal. The boy appeared to be uninjured. He then looked at the darkspawn corpses around him. "How did you do this!"

"Boom." Sandal held out a rune.

Leyla blinked and took it. He glanced to his right, where the troll was frozen in place. "And how did you do that?"

"Not enchantment," said Sandal. He walked past them, heading back towards the camp.

Varric just shook his head. "Smart boy." He shrugged. "Come on. We still need to find a way past that collapse."

Dak and Leyla proved to be rather skilful when directing commands. Luckily, they had Anders with them, who had the most experience dealing with darkspawn; he hated being down in the Deep Roads.

Varric certainly could relate; there again, he complained about pretty much everything. However, the swarm of darkspawn appeared to be never-ending. If that wasn't bad enough, they also encountered several small male dragons.

"Ah, here we go." Varric glanced down the corridor. "This goes right where we want it to." He glanced at the others. Let's go back and tell Bartrand. He'll be so pleased."

The first sight of the thaig took their breath away. Leyla felt a bit dizzy, just trying to follow some of the geometry.

"Holy shit," Varric said. The man did have a way with words.

"Is this what you were expecting?" Leyla asked Bartrand.

The dwarf shook his head."I thought… an abandoned thaig, something old, but… what is this"

"How do you even know it was here?"

"Old scavenger tales. After the Third Blight. A week below the surface, they said, but nobody believed them."

"Looks like they were right," said Varric in awe.

"Make camp here! We need to look around," Bartrand ordered.

Bartrand then began to study the thaig with a complexed face. "I don't get it. Nothing in this thaig makes sense."

"Why's that?" Dak asked.

"We're well below the Deep Roads. Whatever dwarves lived here, they came long before the First Blight. But without the statues of the Paragons? I don't recognise these markings on the wall or anything in the rubble."

Dak shrugged. "Who knows how all these ruins are? Maybe your people were different back then."

Bartrand quickly turned on him. "I know enough about our history to know we haven't changed much. Dwarves have been mired in tradition for many ages." He then looked at one of the columns. "These dwarves might have been unique. If so, I hope they kept their valuables close at hand."

Dak and Leyla went to check in on Sandal. Bodhan was effusive in his gratitude despite their repeatedly assuring him that no thanks were necessary.

They then checked up on Varric, who was looking for the nearest passages.

"Hmm…" Varric looked around. "Whatever's through there, it seems still intact. Think we'll find anything?"

"Bartrand is far more enthralled with this place than you are," Leyla noticed.

Varric shrugged. "Unlike him, I wasn't born in Orzammar. I wouldn't even be down here if there wasn't profit in it." He sighed. "This entire place gives me the chills. Let's hope it's worth it."

"Whatever we find, it might not be pleasant," said Dak.

Varric nodded in agreement. "Hmph. I suppose we'll need to go down there to find out?"

They had to clear out a few demons and a golem before they could actually make their way into the thaig. The first room contained some kind of altar or table in the middle, up on an elevated platform. Something on top was glowing.

Varric stared as they approached. "You see what I'm seeing?"

Leyla could almost feel the energy radiating from the thing. She looked at it through the veil of magic and saw it shimmer in response. "Is that… lyrium?"

Anders nodded. "It's definitely magic. And not the good kind."

"Doesn't look like any kind of lyrium I've ever seen," Varric said.

It was certainly unusual, the first being that it was fearsome red rather than a soft blue. It had some sort of ringlet at the top, and below was some sort of twisted dagger, though it was more of a twisted statue. However, the most concerning thing was that it was giving off this hunger.

Varric glanced back over his shoulder and saw Bartrand wandering in. "Look at this, Bartrand. An idol made out of pure lyrium, I think. Could be worth a fortune."

Bartrand let out a low whistle. "You could be right. Excellent find."

Leyla picked up the idol and felt a strange presence within it. Maybe it was just because she was a mage, but the idol felt… off.

"Not bad," said Varric as Leyla handed him the idol. "We'll take a look around, see if there's anything further in."

Varric then tossed it to Bartrand, who gave it a hungry look. "You do that."

Something in Bartrand's voice made Dak turn towards him. He saw the door starting to close. "The door!"

It shut before they could reach it. Dak began looking around but saw no way to open it from their side. Varric hit the door. "Bartrand," Varric yelled. "It's shut behind you."

"You always did notice everything, Varric." They heard Bartrand's voice shout back.

"Are you joking? You're going to screw over your own brother for a lousy idol?" Varric kicked the door.

"It's not just the idol. The location of this thaig alone is worth a fortune, and I'm not splitting that four ways." Bartrand's voice sounded smug. "Sorry, Brother."

"Bartrand. Bartrand." Varric continued shouting until Dak pulled him away from the door. "I swear, I will find that son of a bitch—sorry, Mother—and I will kill him." He sighed. "Let's hope there's a way out of here."

They did manage to find another way out of the chamber, but now they were completely off the beaten track. That wasn't bad enough. They now also have content with demons, among everything else. Fortunately, they had Anders providing healing spells, but Dak and Fenris had to protect both Leyla and Merrill as they cast their spells.

Dak was deeply concerned about Varric, who seemed to be prioritising losing the place. In a strange way, he was grateful for that, which seemed to vent his anger.

They had nearly dispatched another group of shades when a voice interrupted them. "Enough!"

The voice was deep, oddly resonant, and echoed through the chamber. In response to the sound, the shades immediately flowed backwards, ceasing hostilities. They turned to where rocks were slowly coming together to create a form. The effect was… disconcerting, to say the least. It spoke again as it took a step towards them. "You have proven your mettle. I would not see these creatures harmed without need."

Dak narrowed his eyes. "I'd say being attacked on sight gives us plenty of need."

"They will not assault you further, not without my permission."

"What are these things? They seem like rock wraiths, but…" Varric shook his head.

"They hunger," the stone creature responded. "The profane have lingered in this place for ages beyond memory, feeding on the magic stones until the need is all they know."

"The lyrium?" Leyla's eyes widened. "That's what sustains them?"

"I am not as they are. I am…" The creature shifted slightly. "A visitor."

"It seems mostly interested in their hunger," Anders said. "It's a demon, come to feed."

"I would not see my feast end." The balls of light that served as the being's eyes narrowed slightly and apparently focused on them. "I sense your desire. You seek to leave this place, but you will need my aid to do so."

"Don't do it," Anders warned. "Demons will trip you up every time."

"What are our options?" Varric asked.

"We're not dealing with a demon," said Dak defiantly.

"Most unwise," the demon said as it and the shades moved in to attack.

They were soon attacked by demons and shades, but thankfully, they were able to hold their own and vanquish them. Leyla had no idea how they became so powerful; she assumed it had something to do with the lyrium in the thaig.

"What is this place?" Leyla asked as the architecture around them changed somewhat.

"This is the vault," Varric replied. "The dwarves would have brought their…" He trailed off as the sound of stone scraping came from behind them.

Slowly, they turned around. Stones were tumbling into a pile of their own accord. A moment later, the stone began to rise, becoming a much larger version of the profane they'd fought earlier, except it was glowing red.

"Oh," said Varric. "That can't be good."

Several of the smaller versions began to move towards them as the larger one suddenly gave off a wave of energy. They instantly all ducked for cover as the energy that it was unleashing seemed to burn like fire. As soon as the wave of energy passed, Leyla called up lightning, trying to pin the profane in place for the warriors before focusing his attention on the massive creature.

She was nearly exhausted before she saw a waver in the thing's magic. She called up almost all the energy she had left, then hit it. The creature exploded, and only the barrier Anders threw up kept her from getting hit by bits of rock. Merrill then quickly handed her a mana potion to restore her energy.

"The rock wraiths are supposed to be dwarven legends." Varric was shaking his head. "They're not even supposed to be real."

"Looked pretty real to me," said Dak, flexing his arms.

"I suppose it doesn't matter." Varric's voice became excited. "Look at what it was guarding."

They turned around the corner and found a massive pile of gold and jewels. It was clear that it was a dwarven of some unknown origin; it had to be worth a fortune.

"Let's see if there's something that can help us get out of here," said Leyla, who began to search through the treasure. She found the key quickly and then, with Varric's help, began picking out the best pieces, loading each of them up with as much as they could carry safely.

"Glad we finally got something for our troubles," said Dak.

Leyla nodded. "Then let's get out of here."

They hadn't gone far when Varric smiled.

"Hmm… I'd say this is our way back," he said.

Leyla had to agree. The architecture around them was starting to look… well, as normal as the Deep Roads could look, anyway. "How long to get back?"

"If we're unlucky, maybe a week."

"And if we're lucky?"

"We stumble over Bartrand's corpse on the way."

They found the dead dragon right where they'd left it.

"This part of the Deep Roads looks familiar," Dak noted.

"We're back where we started, and in only five days. Not bad, eh?"

"Who goes there?" said a voice.

They quickly spun around and encountered a group of people in silver armour. Dak then noticed the emblem on their chests, recognising it as the symbol of the Grey Wardens.

"Grey Wardens?" Dak blinked.

"Explained how we haven't encountered any darkspawn recently," said Leyla.

Their leader, who had a thick black moustache, walked up. "I am Stroud, Senior Warden of the Grey Wardens. Now, care to explain what you're doing all the way down here?"

"We were part of an expedition; we're just trying to make our way out," said Dak.

Stroud looked at them curiously, then noticed Anders. "Anders?

"Hello, Stroud, I heard that Grey Wardens were in the vicinity, but I didn't expect to run into them," said Anders.

"You knew they were here?" Leyla questioned.

"The map I gave you I actually stole from a Grey Warden," Anders admitted. "I wasn't certain whether they were looking for me or not. The maps were planning their own expedition into the Deep Roads."

"So we can add theft to your crimes," said Stroud.

"What crimes is he talking about?" Dak asked.

"Anders killed one of his fellow Wardens; that is a crime that we take very seriously," said Stroud.

"You're neglecting the fact that he was a templar spy, and he attacked me first," Anders pointed out.

"We only have your word on that. If it were up to me, I would arrest you on the spot, but we have our own mission here and do not have the manpower to take you in. So for now, you're free to go, but you may not be so lucky the next time we meet Anders."

He then turned his eyes to Dak and Leyla. "I would suggest that you leave the deep roads to ask Grey Wardens in the future. If you carry on down this route, you should be able to reach the outside in no time."

They then watched the Grey Wardens move out, though every one of them gave Anders a cold look.

"Friendly bunch," said Varric.

Fenris looked at Anders questionably. "You failed to mention that you murdered one of your own."

Anders narrowed his eyes. "Look, like I said, he lunged at me. I had no choice but to defend myself."

"But why did he attack you?"

"Well, he might have discovered that I had merged with a spirit of Justice," said Anders awkwardly. "It was then that I discovered that he joined the Grey Wardens solely to keep an eye on me. I tried to explain this to the Warden-Commander, and while he believed me, there was not much he could do."

"You mean Ragnar?" said Merrill.

Anders looked at her, surprised. "You know him?"

"He was part of my clan; we were relieved to hear that he was alive and well."

"Either way, while he did believe my explanation, there was still the fact that I had become an abomination, something the Grey wardens weren't happy about. Commander Ragnar told me that I was no longer a Grey Warden. That, of course, meant that I was now free to be hunted by the Chantry and the Templars. So, I quickly left Midgard and made my way to Huttsgalor. I think you know the rest."

"Certainly quite the story, Blondie," said Varric.

"So, does this change anything between us?" Anders asked, looking at Dak and Leyla.

Dak found it difficult to trust Anders from now on, but now certainly wasn't the perfect time to discuss such matters.

"We can discuss this one was safely out of the Deep Roads," said Dak.

"I agree," said Varric. "After everything we've been through, I never want to make my way back down here again. Come on, we still have a long way to go."

"Home, sweet home," Varric said when they reached the gates of Huttsgalor. "Finally. I wonder if Bartrand came back to the city. You think I'd be that lucky?"

"If you find him, let us know; we got some payback," said Dak.

"You'll be the first to know," Varric promised.

"Despite the betrayal and the constant danger, I'd say that our little adventure was a big success," said Leyla.

"I should have seen Bartrand's betrayal coming," said Varric, punching the wall as they entered the city. "I'll find that maggot if it's the last thing I do."

"We'd better head home; Mother must be frantic with worry," said Leyla.

"We have a lot to tell her," said Dak.

"And you can tell that you're now wealthy," said Varric.

They all split up and went their separate ways, with Dak and Leyla making their way home. When they opened the door, Mother practically rushed over and wrapped her arms around them.

"Oh, my babies! You made it home!" she said with tears in her eyes.

"We're fine, Mother," said Leyla.

"Though if you don't let go, we'll suffocate," Dak joked.

Their mother laughed as she released them. "Now tell us what happened."

Dak and Leyla then went to the table, and Mother sat opposite them with Duggard by her side.