The Deep Roads

[igetthatalot]

Varric does not like being underground.

He's said this before, plenty of times. It's a known fact. He hasn't mentioned it since five minutes after they stepped into the Deep Roads (how Blondie managed to secure those Gray Warden maps of the entrance he doesn't know, but he's grateful). It would be bad form, considering how much of this expedition was his idea in the first place.

But, Maker, it's been four days now- he thinks- and they're still picking their way downwards with no sign of treasure anywhere to distract him from the knowledge of just how much stone is positioned directly over his head. This... this is not his idea of a good thing.

They'd better find the good stuff soon. This is getting way too old for his liking.

Comments

[birdofkirkwall]

At her side, Merril makes a faint, distressed noise, and Hawke places a soothing hand on her arm.

"We will," she says, voice calm amid Bartrand's screaming orders to make camp. "Come on and help me set up."

Faintly, she wonders how long she'll be able to restrain herself from punching in the dwarf's face.

[igetthatalot]

"You know what I'm thinking?" says Varric. "I'm thinking that once we've set ourselves up, we should take a little time to get away from my brother and see whether things are really as bad as the scout says. If we come running back screaming, he'll know staying put was the right decision."

[birdofkirkwall]

"That sounds like a marvelous plan," Hawke agrees. "Take a break, get some food and water, then do what we do best.

No offense, but I don't know how much longer I can stay around your brother before I want to throw him off one of the ledges."

[da2_npcs]

"Or set him on fire," Merril notes in a tight tone of voice.

She blinks as the others turn to look at her.

"Um...I mean..."

[igetthatalot]

"Daisy's got a point. It gets chilly down here," Varric says. "I think-"

Then he stops, because whatever he thinks, there's the sudden sound of footfalls.

[birdofkirkwall]

Hawke recognizes the dwarf as one of a father-son duo that she met shortly after they begun this expedition and he's wringing his hands worriedly as he approaches.

"Excuse me, Messirs, I couldn't help but overhear that you're going to be leaving camp. I- my son's wandered off, you see? He doesn't realize how dangerous it is down here. Please, Messirs, if you could just-"

Hawke raises a hand to prevent him from babbling on.

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye out for your boy while we're out there. If we see him, we'll send him back to camp."

[igetthatalot]

"Oh, thank you, Messirs- poor Sandal, I can't believe he's done this..."

Varric watches the other dwarf go off to fret somewhere Bartrand won't give him a hard time. Turning to Hawke he says, "Let's move quickly, then. He's not getting any less lost, and the passages aren't getting any easier."

[birdofkirkwall]

"You have a point," says Hawke. She takes a quick swig of water before passing the canteen over to Isabela, then stands, brushing dirt off of her pants. "There's no telling how far he's gotten by now."

[igetthatalot]

The path the scouts took to get to the blockage is twisted and complicated, and in places it's lit by what looks like bubbling channels of lava. (Or something, anyway. When there's enough lyrium in the native rock, you get all kinds of interesting effects in the vicinity.) A side tunnel offers passage to a larger, more open space. It's just big enough for Varric to let out a sigh of relief before the horrible gurgling scream of something neither human nor dwarven rents the air.

"Darkspawn," says Varric, who's already got Bianca ready. "Well, it was going to happen eventually."

[birdofkirkwall]

Hawke grimaces and brings out her blades, Isabela mirroring her actions.

"I got my fill of dealing with Darkspawn a good while ago. I suppose it's inevitable, given our location."

[igetthatalot]

Indeed it was. Both here, and in the half-collapsed and utterly ruined tunnels and chambers ahead.

Except for the parts where there aren't so many darkspawn as there are spiders larger than Merrill.

But mostly there are darkspawn, at least until Hawke and company have finished with them.

[birdofkirkwall]

They're a fair sized bigger than the monster spiders they've been encountering in the various bandit caves they've found themselves in over the past year or so.

It's a good thing none of them are really afraid of spiders, aside from the general 'ah, it's trying to eat me' shtick that is.

That said, it still gives them pause when one drops from the ceiling that all three of them could stick leads on and ride at the same time.

"...Ugh."

[igetthatalot]

"Ugh," agrees Varric.

"Bloody hell," agrees Isabela.

Merrill would agree, but she's busy making the monstrous spider burst into flame. It's good to have a mage on hand.

[birdofkirkwall]

"Good girl, Merrill," Hawke answers, grimacing as she spider shrieks in the way they do and curls up almost sadly. "Hit it with another, just in case."

[da2_npcs]

"Can't talk," says Merrill tersely. "Casting."

Maker's breath, that's a lot of fire.

[birdofkirkwall]

It really, really is.

Hawke spares a glance behind them, to makes sure they're not being snuck up on, before she returns her attention back to the burning spider.

She can't help but watch on in awe until.

"Merrill? Sweetheart, I think it's long dead, now."

[da2_npcs]

"You can never be too sure," says Merrill. Varric just shakes his head.

"Come on, you three. Much as I'd love to warm my hands by the light of a roasting spider, there's probably darkspawn up ahead."

[birdofkirkwall]

Hawke just shakes her head fondly at Merrill, and leads the group away.

"Off to kill more darkspawn, then. It's probably for the best, because I'm fairly certain that spider is not supposed to smell appetizing."

Of course, they do run into more darkspawn, which is sort of a given at this point given that they're on their home turf, and mid-battle, Hawke gets a strange sort of glee in punting a skinnier looking fellow off of the cliff-side.

[igetthatalot]

The caverns here aren't lit by bubbling lava, but by glowing blue veins of lyrium. Its low blue glare is as steady as sunlight as they approach a narrow passage that opens out into a far larger pillared gallery- one that happens to be strewn with darkspawn corpses that they didn't make.

Varric's eyes travel up from the dead horrors to a single standing figure.

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

[birdofkirkwall]

"Fairly sure it is," Hawke says, picking her way down the steps amid the darkspawn corpses. "That is, unless there's another dwa-"

She was focused on the darkspawn before, but the wall on her right ends, the area opening up to reveal a frozen ogre in mid roar.

For one, horrifying handful of moments, she's back in Ferelden, and all she can hear is Carver screaming. A very undignified yelp is all she can manage, and she skitters backwards into Isabela.

[da2_npcs]

Isabela's caught many a sailor when he was off his balance before; she catches Hawke reflexively. "Steady, now," she murmurs. "It's not going to hurt anyone."

The sound catches the pale-haired dwarf's attention. Sandal turns to the newcomers, smiles brightly, and says, "Hallo!"

[birdofkirkwall]

Hawke's hand wraps around Isabela's briefly and squeezes she sucks in a shaky breath before exhaling a steadier one.

Mentally shaking herself of the memory, Hawke releases the pirate's hand and steps forward, crouching down to Sandall's level.

"Well isn't this something. How did you manage to kill all of them?"

[igetthatalot]

For a moment, it almost seems as if he's not going to speak. Bodahn did warn them that young Sandal wasn't entirely right in the head- lyrium-addled as a child, or something.

But then he nods solemnly and holds out a round grey stone engraved with a peculiarly glimmering dwarven rune on it. "Boom," he says.

[birdofkirkwall]

Hawke nods at the explanation, taking the offered stone gently and looking down at it.

It's simple enough, it seems.

"Good job," she praises, then, looks towards the frozen ogre. "What about that?"

There's another long set of beats, where it doesn't seem like the boy it going to answer. When he does, though, it's just as enigmatic as 'boom'.

"Not enchantment."

[igetthatalot]

"Smart boy," Varric murmurs, and Sandal smiles happily. "Listen, Sandal, your father asked us to find you. Can you wait right here until we come back, so we can take you to your father?"

To Hawke and Merrill- mostly- he adds, "We can't keep him with us, and I'm not about to send him back on his own. Seems like he'll be all right here, though."