The jagged rock cliffs are dotted with caves and it is here that your attention is drawn. At the mouth of one cave, a child's doll sits at an odd angle, forgotten. Somewhere in this cavern, a little girl is lost and alone. It is up to you to find her and bring her back before beasts or bad luck end her life.
Three adventurers stand ready, the warrior Darn of Kirkwall, Marilyn of Denerim, and her beloved Ser Kyle. They entered the cave warily, with Darn in the lead. "Do you hear something?" Mari asked quietly, looking around. The two warriors shook their heads, focused on the small pool of light shed by their torches. Marilyn looked around nervously, certain something shared the darkness with them. After a few moments, she spotted webbing high up on the cave walls. "Spiders," she whispered.
Left to right: Darn, Mari, Kyle.
"Should we get a closer look?" asked Darn, gazing up at the webs. "Eck, no! What if we just set them on fire?" Mari replied. Kyle grips his hilt, ready for an attack. Giant spiders love the taste of elves and with two of them in the cave; it was only a matter of time before they attack. Darn considered Marilyn's idea – setting the webs on fire could kill a lot of the monsters but, no. "That would drive the spiders to us, I think," he told her. "I'd say the spiders would run from the flames," the perky rogue answered. "He might be right," Kyle told her; "I say we just kill any spiders we come across." She nodded and they continued on.
Before they got much farther, they were attacked. A monstrous spider, fangs dripping with venom, flung itself at the lightly armored Mari. "No!" Kyle shouted, putting himself between the lady and the beast. Darn turned to help the two out, but another giant spider chose that moment to attack him. It jumped down onto his back, clawing at his armor. While Kyle held one spider's attention, Marilyn circled around it, twin daggers held lightly in her hands. In one swift movement, she stabbed the beast's tender underbelly, gashing it, and rolling away before it could react. The spider spun to face her, but it wasn't fast enough. Kyle put his sword through its head and the creature died with an anguished squeal.
Meanwhile, Darn struggled with the spider on his back. He couldn't reach it with his icy blade and it couldn't pierce his armor. Whether through luck or brilliance, the elven warrior managed to slam it into the cavern wall, crushing the spider between rock and steel. It let go of him then, and he turned to face it. His first blow froze two of its legs as the spider rushed him. They shattered beneath its weight, and the spider skidded inelegantly to a stop in front of him. Darn took advantage of its pain and confusion, hacking the beast open. The spider twitched and spasmed, reaching even in death for its prey, and then died.
"Are you alright?" Kyle asked Mari. She looked down at her gore splattered armor and shrugged. "I'm fine, but when we get home I am taking a bath. A long, hot bath." The warrior grinned, blushing fiercely before he looked away. Darn gave an awkward cough, "Let's move on." The three continued down the dark passage. Their battle with the spiders scared the beasts off for now, but how long before they attacked again? They needed to find little Grace and get out fast.
The path ended in a large chamber lined with broken crates. Marilyn took one look at the shattered containers and nearly shouted, "Treasure!" The warriors gaped at the excited elf. "These crates scream 'trap'" Darn told her. "Are you sure? I think they scream 'Touch me! Open me! Take all the riches I keep out of me,'" Mari answered tartly. Kyle looked around suspiciously. No sign of the girl, no sign of spiders; something was wrong. Before he could say a word, a giant rat came bounding in from the other side of the cavern. The warrior skewered the rat easily as several more ran into the cavern. Darn and Mari kicked at them, but it was obvious they would soon be overwhelmed.
"Maybe we could set some of these crates on fire?" Darn suggested, smooshing a rat with his shield as he spoke. "Now it's the right time to use fire?" Mari asked. The warrior had no time to reply. He and Kyle had all they could handle keeping the rats away from the rogue. Marilyn realized the rats were just trying to escape, running past the three and only attacking when they couldn't get away. "Quick, up here," she called, scrambling up a pile of broken crates.
The warriors followed her up the pile, and watched as the rats scurried past in a sea of gray fur and gleaming teeth. They were obviously running from something, but what? At the far end of the passage lay a wide tunnel sloping down; the rats had come from there. Darn and Kyle jumped off the pile of crates and headed for the tunnel mouth to investigate. The only other opening was a small, steel door to the left, still closed. Neither of the warriors had moved very far when the cavern they were in began to tremble. Something very large was moving in the darkness, getting closer to the adventurers.
"This way!" Marilyn shouted, picking the lock on the steel door easily. The path inside was dusty, but blessedly free of webbing and rats. They ran down the passage as fast as they could go. They stopped to catch their breath. "Did anyone shut the door," Kyle asked. "Not me," said Darn. "I got it," Mari replied. They could still hear the monstrous creature moving around above them. The cave shuddered and trembled with its motion, but finally the sounds faded.
The three looked around at their new surroundings, wondering where they'd ended up. It was a narrow passage, made almost claustrophobic by the crates along the walls. Unlike the rest of the cave so far, this path was obviously manmade, with smooth walls and a patterned floor. Marilyn had eyes only for the treasure lining the walls. The crates bore an ornate seal on the sides, possibly Orlesian. "Finally," Mari said, rubbing her hands with glee. She began prying open crate after crate, but everything inside was too old and decayed to use. Ancient suits of armor, old swords and daggers . . . and not a single piece worth taking; still, Mari salvaged what she could. "It figures," the elf sighed with disgust. She still checked every one along their path until they came to a split. One passage led up, dimly lit by something ahead. The other path led down, damp and muddy.
For Marilyn, it was an easy decision. Up first, and hope the little girl and the treasure were some place well lit and dry. If not . . . well, there was always time for the other path. "Right, please," the rogue told them. "Then right it will be," Kyle answered, leading the way. He walked forward carefully with his sword drawn. "Watch it Mari. Anything could be down here," he said softly. The path led them up into a well lit room. Hanging above the chamber on an elegant chain was an odd, tear drop shaped stone, glowing brightly. The room held a large comfortable chair and desk, a huge four poster bed, and an antique chest. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. It was obvious no one had been here in a very long time.
The trio moved carefully, wary of traps and beasties, but the room was every bit as empty as it seemed. Although the chest was tempting, Mari went to the desk first with Kyle following behind. Darn had little interest in the treasures this room might hold, and stood guard at the door. There were several papers on the desk, some so old they turned to dust at Marilyn's gentle touch. One was still in its envelope, sealed with a lump of red wax. The name on it caught her eye – Mac Tir. "Look! Do you think this is from the Orlesian War?" she asked excitedly. "Maybe," Kyle replied.
There were a few other missives on the desk, another marked Mac Tir that spoke of stolen Orlesian shipments and payment. That sounded promising. "What is it," Kyle asked, noting the look on Mari's face. It meant something very good, or something very bad. She grinned wickedly, "Nothing to worry about dear." With that, she walked over to the chest.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Darn asked suddenly. "No one's using it," Marilyn replied. "There might be something useful in there," Kyle added. Darn was thinking of the little lost girl, worried the time they spent here could be the difference between life and death, but Kyle was right. The chest might have something they needed, and the child had been lost for several days. What was another hour? He tried not to think about it.
The chest was very old, covered in dust, and beneath that etched with a thousand tiny shapes. The lock on it was almost delicate; an ornate, metal clasp with its clever mechanisms hidden beneath stylized carvings. Marilyn grinned. This would be a challenge. The elf pulled out her lock picks and knelt by the chest, leaning forward, barely daring to breathe. The pick touched the box, and she was nearly knocked back as a bolt of electricity shot through her. Singed and smoking, she sat back on her heels and contemplated the ensorcelled chest.
Darn walked over and looked at the thing curiously. "You probably shouldn't touch it again," he commented. "Those marks look a lot like the magical glyphs Idris uses. If you touch it, you might be paralyzed or worse." "So it's the markings that did that?" Mari asked, gesturing to them. Darn nodded. His knowledge of magic was limited, but he'd seen Idris cast enough times to know what it looked like. If they had a mage here, this chest could probably be easily opened. Without one, this could be painful. "Maybe you should leave it alone," Kyle told her. He looked so worried, that Marilyn had to smile at him. That jolt hadn't hurt all that much, and there just had to be a way around this. She jumped up and ran down the hall, grabbing a board from one of the crates and dragging it back.
"What's that for?" Kyle asked. "You'll see," the rogue told him mysteriously. Mari burned the end of the board, sharpening and hardening the broken end. Once she was satisfied, she walked back over to the stubborn chest and carefully touched the end of the board to it. Nothing happened. The elf carefully used the board to scratch out the glyphs, covering what wasn't scratched out in a thick coating of soot. Hopefully that would be enough.
With a deep breath, Marilyn reached forward and touched the chest. For just a moment it felt as if the air thickened, and then – nothing. She immediately set to work on the tiny lock. Minutes ticked by with Darn and Kyle watching anxiously. Marilyn began to sweat; one wrong move and the mechanism would break. Finally she felt the pick catch, and with a quick twist of her fingers, the latch came loose and the lock fell to the floor. The treasure inside was worth the effort.
The first thing she pulled from the chest was a set of silverite plate, still gleaming. She handed it to Kyle with a grin. "Now you'll really be a knight in shining armor," Mari told him. Next came a large steel shield with a snarling mabari face etched and painted onto it. "Darn, would you like this?" He looked at it for a moment and then shook his head, "No, I prefer to keep mine." His shield wasn't much to look at, etched and scored from countless fights, but it reminded him of his father and his heritage.
Turning to Kyle, she asked, "Do you want it, sweetheart? Look, it has a mabari on it!" He took the shield and slung it on his back. At the very least they could sell it. Beneath the armor and shield sat a small coin pouch with some silver, a red and black dagger with Mari quickly pocketed, and a tiny velvet pouch. It was so small she almost missed it. "If you won't take the shield, take the silver. I think we got the best part of this deal," she told him. After some cajoling, Darn accepted the silver pieces. While Kyle put on his new armor, the rogue carefully prized open the envelope, pulling the parchment from it as delicately as she could. With the light of the odd stone, she was able to make out what it said.
We must distract Maric with tactics and battle. He is entirely too upset about the regrettable incident with Katriel. At least we need not worry about the meddlesome elf any longer. With her dead, he can focus on Rowan and his duty. Make sure you keep his old equipment safe. One day he may have need of it but right now it only reminds him of her.
-Loghain
Marilyn's eyes widened as she read and re-read the contents of the note. Could it really be from the Hero of River Dane? It sounded like it. She thought about telling Kyle and Darn, but would they even believe her? Marilyn folded the letter and put it in her pouch carefully.
"What is it," Kyle asked, buckling his straps. "Let's just say your armor, love, is definitely worthy of a king," she replied with a giggle. Then she opened the little velvet pouch; it held a little, silver locket. Inside it held a detailed miniature of a beautiful elven woman. Long, golden hair curled over her shoulders, green eyes that almost seemed to sparkle. Mari shut the locket and looked at the back; it was marked with a stylized letter 'K.' Could this be Katriel, from the letter? The regrettable and damnable elf? She put the locket away with the letter, determined to look into it later.
Kyle reached for the glowing stone, pulling it free from the chain. "It could be useful," he said with a smile. Finally, the three headed back to the muddy path, trudging down into the bowels of the cavern. The smell down here was awful, like rot and decay. Worse, at the bottom of the path lay another webbed chamber. Bits of dead animals and other things lay snared in the web, half eaten. Kyle and Darn went first, stepping carefully. Just into the chamber, a soft sound carried to the trio. Someone nearby was crying.
"Hello?" Mari called softly. "Is someone out there?" called a sad little voice. "Is that you, Grace?" the rogue asked, trying to find where the voice was coming from. "Mhmmm. Are the monsters gone?" the girl answered. "If by monsters you mean the rats and spiders, then yes. I think they're gone," Darn told her reassuringly. "Nuhuh. Not them," the girl answered cryptically. Marilyn found the door the girl was behind, locked of course. "How did you get stuck back there?" she asked as she worked her magic on the lock. "I ran in here to get away from the m-monsters and I g-got stuck," the little girl told her. In a few minutes they had it open.
Grace was a tiny, shemlen girl covered in dirt and scrapes, her little dress torn and muddy. She looked around the cave, gaze lingering on the knightly Kyle and brave looking Darn. "You chased the monsters away?" she asked. "Yes," Kyle told her with a smile. In a flash, Grace ran over to him and hugged his leg, finding some safety in his armored presence. "Just in case, we should get out of here as fast as we can," Marilyn said nervously. Kyle picked Grace up and slid her around to his back. She clung tightly to him, burying her face in the gap between his armor and neck.
Just then, the cave trembled a bit, and something moved in the darkness ahead of them. Before they could react, a huge spider trundled into view, blocking the way out. "What is this? Delicious elves waiting for me in my web?" the beast hissed. Eight glaring eyes swept over the trio hungrily. "Shapeshifter," Darn spat, readying his blade. Marilyn looked at Kyle, "Get the girl out. We'll take care of the spider!" With that she rolled in front of it, just out of reach. The monstrous thing lunged forward, causing the cavern to shake. "Come and get me!" the rogue laughed, dodging it easily. The spider hissed again, and swept a clawed leg at the agile elf. It nearly caught her with it, limb passing just over her flaming red hair.
Darn jumped in and slashed at the beast, but got too close. Venom boiled from its fangs, dripping down his armor. While the beast was distracted, Kyle darted past, running up the passage with Grace in tow. Despite his reluctance to leave his love with the spider, they had to get Grace out of danger. He vowed to come back as soon as he could. Kyle cast one final glance at Mari before disappearing into the darkness.
The spider was so intent on devouring Darn that Marilyn was able to vault atop it, jabbing her daggers into its hairy, putrid flesh. Blood and bits of gore sprayed the determined rogue, but she wouldn't let that distract her. Once atop the beast, she aimed for its beady eyes, stabbing at them viciously. Below, the beast released Darn, shoving him back as it sought to rid itself of this latest annoyance. "Tasty morsels fight savagely! You will not escape. I will devour your flesh little ones," the beast screamed as it rolled to dislodge Mari. She fell to the floor, nearly crushed by its weight.
When the spider came back around, it pinned the rogue with its fangs, piercing Marilyn's shoulder. She screamed in pain and slashed at the spider, severing the fang that impaled her. Darn rushed forward again, icy blade leveled at the beast. He drove it home again and again, but the spider barely seemed to notice his attacks. It was too intent on the injured rogue, too hungry to care. "I have you now," it howled, pursuing her across the cavern.
Kyle left Grace outside the cave with a stern warning not to go anywhere. The child looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. She had quite enough of monsters and caves for one day, thank you very much. With that, the warrior dashed back into the cavern, running as fast as he could back to his love. He could hear Marilyn scream, and Darn shout. They were still alive, he thought.
Darn managed to cut off another leg; the first cut froze it and the second shattered the limb. The spider stumbled forward, awkward with its wounds. Marilyn tried to stay ahead of it, but the poison was taking effect, slowing her limbs. Pain radiated from the wound, and the rogue knew it was only a matter of time before the poison brought her down. Her vision began to fade, and the fight sounded far away. She nearly fell as she ran for the passage, the way out her only hope. Kyle saw her stumble as he skidded down the path, sword drawn.
"Mari!" he shouted, fear and worry writ large in his face. He caught her, settling the rogue gently against the wall. Though he wanted nothing more than to make sure she was alright, there was still a monster to finish. With an angry shout, he charged the giant spider. Darn had the beast's attention now and was desperately hacking at it as it advanced. Kyle leapt up onto its back and brought his sword down, piercing the creature's torso. It screamed in pain, thrashing as he twisted the blade, shoving it even deeper. Darn darted forward and swung his blade into a wide arc, slashing the beast open along its side. The wounds were more than the spider could take, and though it thrashed and howled at first, soon it lay still.
Darn glared at the horrid beast, exhausted from his fight, and wounded. Kyle ran to Marilyn's side, finally able to check on her. Her breathing was shallow, skin pale and hot. "Do you have an injury kit or a potion?" he called to Darn. The elf nodded and began searching his pack. He had a paste of elfroot that might work to draw out the poison. Kyle took the salve and rubbed it onto Mari's wound, praying under his breath that this would work. It didn't take long for her color to return, skin cooling as the medicine took effect. She opened her eyes to see Kyle hovering anxiously. "You're alright!" he shouted, pulling her into a tight hug. Darn looked away, giving the two their moment.
As the three limped to the cave entrance, they heard the chittering and scratching of a thousand spiders converging on the corpse they left behind. At least they wouldn't have to worry about being attacked as they left. Grace was waiting outside, staring at the cave with a mixture of hope and fear. When she saw the heroes, she squealed and ran to them, flinging herself at Kyle and Marilyn first and then hugging Darn. He swept her up onto his shoulders with a smile. "We should get you home, little one," he said. She giggled, kicking her heels against his shoulders, "Home, noble steed!" Weary but pleased, they took the child home to joyful parents.
Darn and the Grace, the girl they need to rescue, going home. Art by Pham Ngoc Trinh
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