Now that the darkspawn were cut off from beneath Vigil's Keep and Caelyra's noble activities were over and done with, for now, the group decided to go through the woods and find the spot the hunters had marked on their map. The spot where an alleged darkspawn hole was.
When they got to the location on the map, Caelyra was stunned. This wasn't a mere hole — it was an entire section of the deep roads, visible and easily accessible from the surface.
There was definitely going to be darkspawn around here.
After climbing down onto the road and dispatching of a large group of deepstalkers daring to brace the light of the outside world, Caelyra found a bag. Inside was a lucky charm and the contents looked as though they belonged to the hunters who had told them of this place.
She'd endeavour to return it to them.
Heading for the darker areas of the tunnels that presumably led further underground, Caelyra heard a scuffle and several darkspawn grunts. Peering around the corner, she witnessed as a dwarf wearing the Legion of the Dead armour struggled against a group of darkspawn that were trying to drag her away.
The dwarf managed to break free and leapt upright to attack. Caelyra and her group rushed in to help the dwarf, and within moments the group of darkspawn lay dead upon the tunnel floor.
Caelyra asked who the dwarf was and what she was doing there.
Her name was Sigrun and apparently she and her group of other Legion soldiers were investigating a possible darkspawn breeding ground, when the darkspawn attacked. They seemed smarter than before and outwitted the dwarves with ease. Soon all the male dwarves lay dead, and the females were being taken away. Presumably to become broodmothers. She shuddered. Caelyra shuddered too, she still remembered encountering the other broodmother several months ago.
Caelyra was concerned about the darkspawn seeming smarter than usual. It wasn't good, at all. It all had to be connected with the other smart darkspawn such as the talking ones, the Architect, the ones who had fooled the elf into thinking humans had attacked her sister.
She told the dwarf that they would accompany her into the tunnels and try to rescue any Legion members who were yet alive.
They descended down into the deeper tunnels where the old city of Kal'Hirol once stood proud and now lay in ruins. Apparently it had once been a place of learning for the smiths, and now it was a place of breeding for the darkspawn.
They came across a fallen dwarf, on the brink of death. He warned them of the breeding grounds and said they must be destroyed, and then mentioned to looked out for the Children — an abomination even amongst darkspawn.
The dwarf died, Sigrun said her goodbyes, and then they continued onward through the ruins, killing all the darkspawn that got in their way.
They eventually came across an old thaig of some kind. Apparently this is where the Legion had made it before, but then, thinking these were ordinary darkspawn, they waltzed straight through the front door and got murdered by the very devices that had been created to kill darkspawn. The creatures were using their own traps and weapons against them.
Sigrun suggested there may be a side entrance hidden somewhere and they should look for it.
Investigating the wall, Caelyra soon found a hidden switch and tugged at it, transforming a wall into a door. Anders giggled to himself. He was reminded of the time he had convinced the templars that there were secret tunnels in the mage tower. They had spent weeks looking for them.
Caelyra shook her head, amused, and they continued onward, looking for a way into the thaig.
Further into the old city thaig they came under attack from more darkspawn, but then they found ghosts of the past. The city was full of ghostly apparitions, reliving a great moment from their past.
Apparently, centuries and centuries ago, the darkspawn had taken several thaigs and were on the way to this one. People evacuated for Orzammar, but one lone warrior remained and encouraged the casteless to fight alongside him, to slow the darkspawn and allow others time to escape.
It always unnerved Caelyra when she came across these ghostly images. The veil was thin here and anything could happen. It was dangerous enough with the darkspawn about.
Suddenly a group of darkspawn attacked them, with one yelling at the others to attack the intruders and ignore the shadows.
Yet another intelligent, talking darkspawn. No broodmothers though; none net, anyway.
In the next chamber the sounds of fighting echoed out to them. Caelyra and her group hurried to see if perhaps there were Legion members still alive, but the fighting was darkspawn versus other darkspawn.
An intelligent one yelled to the others to press the attack, and that something called 'the Lost' was his. Caelyra didn't know what it was, but she didn't want any darkspawn getting anything! They followed after them.
They fought through more and more darkspawn fighting one another and killed them all. While darkspawn fighting darkspawn was a welcome change, they were in her way.
They wandered into an area that looked as though it had once been the greatest forge in the city. There was a golem there that repaired their equipment for them and also a bucket of purest lyrium.
Anders stood over the lyrium and whistled. Perhaps he'd become a lyrium smuggler! Once again he asked her just what she would do if she didn't have any Grey Warden things to do and she still didn't really know. She said something silly like hosting an orgy party, clapped him on the back, and they continued onwards throughout the city ruins.
Further along the path, they came across some darkspawn seeming to guard a man in a cage. They killed the darkspawn then questioned the man. What was he doing here? Apparently he had overheard the hunters talking about this place and decided to come down to treasure hunt... only the darkspawn caught him, and caged him.
Caelyra had never heard of that before. The man looked healthy enough and unplagued from the darkspawn and so she allowed him his freedom.
The next chamber looked overrun with strange-looking egg sacs.
As Caelyra and her group walked past, the sacs burst open and a strange new darkspawn leapt out at them. The Children, Caelyra assumed.
They were an annoying creation that would leap upon her in the midst of battle and try to eat her alive while she was unable to do anything. But with the help of her group they were defeated and they continued through down the next hallway.
The hallway led to a great chamber. Inside the chamber were two talking darkspawn arguing with one another, one held tight by a massive golem of fire while the other one yelled angrily. It yelled that the Architect would not have him and that all of the Architects allies would die. They would protect the Mother against the Architect at all costs!
When it saw Caelyra and her group in the doorway, it became incensed. It considered them allies of the Architect and it and the fiery golem attacked.
They focussed the talking darkspawn first as it seemed he was an emissary — a darkspawn mage — and they didn't need enemy magic being flung at them, then tore apart the fire golem.
With those two beings defeated, they raced into the next room and were attacked by hundreds of tentacles. In Caelyra's experience, tentacles meant broodmothers. She shuddered, sliced down all of the slimy tentacles, and burst into the next chamber.
Down in the depths of a gaping hole, four broodmothers sat together, birthing darkspawn after darkspawn. Above the hole, where Caelyra and her group were, tentacles after tentacles came out of the ground and attacked them.
While her group dealt with the tentacles, Caelyra raced for several chains around the area. They were connected to a large dwarven lightsource in the ceiling that looked four times the size of any broodmother. If that fell into the hole, hopefully all the broodmothers would be destroyed.
The plan worked. The broodmothers were destroyed.
Sigrun was pleased. Although the last of her comrades yet alive, she had fulfilled what they had come out to do: destroy the breeding grounds of the broodmothers.
Caelyra asked her what she was going to do now and suggested she might like to become a Warden. They needed more Wardens after all the others seemed to have been killed by the Architect, and she would still be doing what she did best: killing darkspawn. Sigrun was happy with the idea and agreed.
With this area sorted and secure and a new Warden Recruit to join her back in the Keep, Caelyra and her people set forth back to Vigil's Keep.
Until next time! ⚔️🐲
All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, 