Deep Roads

## Intro

caption
The Deep Roads are a grand network of enormous underground tunnels that once belonged to the dwarven empire, spanning the length and breadth of Thedas. These subterranean highways were works of unparalleled artisan achievement, with centuries of planning and engineering demonstrated in the geometry of their walls. Statues of the Paragons watch over passing travelers, and channels carry a flow of magma that keep the Deep Roads lit and warm. During the First Blight, the dwarves were forced to close the entrances to the Deep Roads, abandoning them to the darkspawn. The entrances still exist, but are all sealed by octagonal steel doors decorated with geometric patterns. As of King Bhelen Aeducan's reign more and more of these entrances have been unsealed and trade to the surface and other parts of the Roads began once more. There is still a lot of work ahead but Kal-Sharok has been rediscovered and Kal'Hirol is once again populated, being restored and is thriving.

## Ruling Dynasty & Government/Ruling Model

### Orzammar

The royal house of Orzammar is currently the Aeducans, who have held this prominent role for centuries by some records. With nine kings raised from their number, and notable heroes such as Paragon Aeuducan himself, their power and position within dwarven society is all but assured.

The current king of Orzammar is Bhelen Aeducan, a radical reforming, harsh dictator and progressive leader who turned dwarven society up-side-down upon his ascension. After years of suffering their contention he dissolved the centuries-old Assembly of nobles, weakening their influence, and would go on even to abolish the caste system, to a degree. He allowed Casteless to find a true place in Orzammar and to take up arms for the dwarven people. In short, everyone should be equal under the king.

### Kal'Hirol

Since its reclamation Kal'Hirol has become something of a sub-state of Orzammar, and thus follows the decrees of King Bhelen, through his allies in the houses of Helmi and Kader who are a part of the Kal'Hirol Congress. The Congress run the city in the King's absence but it is the Aeducan's laws which must be abided by. The King sent two of his most loyal houses to rebuild the thaig - Kader because of their roots in Kal'Hirol and ingenuity in smithing and Helmi because of their wealth, respect and power in all thaigs. Also, getting Helmi out of Orzammar and giving them a purpose and title elsewhere meant Bhelan had less enemies in the capital

### Kal-Sharok

Unlike Orzammar, Kal-Sharok no longer has a king. They had an Assembly once, but which has since been renamed as the Council. The Council, in essence, is what the Assembly of Orzammar would be in if it had not just represented the noble caste. Each "sector" of the city elects its own council member to represent them in discussing matters that affect the entire city. The position of king was also reinvented, now known as the Viceroy, the head of the Council, though the position is mostly formal. In practice, Kal-Sharok is headed by the powerful House Sharok, with the woman Ernsta Kal-Sharok serving as the current Bund-Gathol, the supreme general of the city.

### Nobility

#### Orzammar Noble Houses

* *Aeducan:* Current royal family
* *Bemot:* Loyal to Aeducan, presides over the Warriors of Orzammar.
* *Branka:* Destroyed during a Deep Roads expedition
* *Caridin:* Lost
* *Ortan:* Lost for centuries, though a single descendent, Orta, was reestablished during the Fifth Blight
* *Dace:* Rivals to Aeducan and Helmi, supporters of the surface dwarves and connections to them.
* *Ferald:* Dissolved by the Assembly
* *Gavorn:* Minor noble house who lost everything when the castes were abolished. Little wealth, no influence.
* *Harrowmont:* Exiled upon Bhelen's ascension as king
* *Helmi:* Currently the most powerful house in Kal'Hirol
* *Ivo:* Staunch allies of Aeducan, aided Bhelan in his coup to become King.
* *Tethras:* Exiled
* *Meino:* Advocates of trade with Kal-Sharok.
* *Vollney:* Allies of Aeducan, a minor noble house.

#### Kal'Hirol Houses

* *Davi:* Neutral
* *Hirol:* Those that returned from Kal-Sharok, they are few in number and returned in 9:52 DA
* *Kader:'* Originates in Kal'Hirol and is on the verge of supplanting Helmi as its leading house once more
* *Turak:* Supports Helmi
* *Vomark:* Supports Kader

#### Kal-Sharok Houses

* *Amgarrak:* Grand Forge and golems
* *Barosh:* Livestock and light glyphs
* *Darmallon:* Smiths and artisans
* *Gundaar:* Farms, food, geothermal technology
* *Heidrun:* Water, clocks, Central Spire
* *Hirol:* Smithing, defences, golem & glyph technology
* *Hormak:* Sewer system, lava pits and streams
* *Kobaliman:* Tailoring, commerce, Bronto Express
* *Ortan:* Golem technology, creation and maintenance of Fel-Sals
* *Revann:* Shapers, language, ancient culture
* *Rousten:* Deep mining, lyrium, ingenious technology
* *Sharok:* The house from which all Viceroy's come from. The former royal house.
* *Valdasine:* Enchantments, fantastic weapons, allegiance with the Legion
* *Varen:* Mining, building, high speed rail
* *Zygmunt:* Internal mines and dwarf labour, building and maintenance of structures

## Politics

The Assembly, The Council of Kal-Sharok and the King's Council of Kal'Hirol are the stages for politics in the Deep Roads. In recent years in Orzammar the seat for Deshyrs in the Assembly have been spread amongst all dwarven sections of society, not just reserved for the nobility. Bhelen is, essentially, a dictator, for though the Assembly may debate it is the King who has the final say. Thus, the politics of Orzammar revolves around pleasing Bhelen and making rivals appear unwise or incompetent. In Kal-Sharok politics is far simpler and always has been. Each sector of the city is important and the dwarves vote for their representative, thus the members of the Council must appeal to the dwarven citizens, not the Queen or their fellow Council members. Kal'Hirol have no leader present, the council is in constant contact with Bhelen, though House Helmi and House Kader often battle for dominance, desiring the position of Steward to be created then granted to their house.

## Connections with other countries

### The Tevinter Imperium

An alliance between the Dwarven Empire and the Tevinter Imperium is over 2,000 years old. Throughout the Imperium the advantages of this alliance can be seen in Tevinter Arenas and the golems - the Juggernauts - which defend Minrathous. Lyrium is the main motivation for this alliance, but the dwarves have come to the aid of the Imperium during war as well. There are dwarven embassies in every major city in Tevinter as well as there being a dwarven branch of government in Tevinter. The Dwarven embassies in Minrathous, Neromenian, and Qarinus are entirely underground and are considered by dwarves to reside within the Stone. Some dwarves serving in Tevinter embassies never leave these underground fortresses. No dwarves are known to be kept as slaves in the Imperium, presumably due to their fundamental importance to the Imperium in providing lyrium.

#### Ambassadoria

Ambassadoria is the dwarven body of representatives elected by the dwarves to advise the Archon and the Magisterium and to manage trade between the two former empires. In essence this organization functions more like a lobby group and less like a parliament.

### Orlais

Orzammar has a good relationship with Orlais as they provide them with lyrium and minerals. Lyrium is especially important as it is used by Circle mages as a mana replenishment resource of their more complex spells and consumed by the Chantry's templars. They also provide smithing, creating exceptional weapons and armour for the likes of the Chevaliers.

## Connections with Factions/Organised groups

### The Avvar

Despite their close alliance with Tevinter the dwarves secretly traded with The Avvar when Amaranthine was held by the mountain folk. The Imperium at that time was trying to conquer Ferelden and the dwarves helped the Avvar beneath Amaranthine. This closeness to the Avvar has continued and the Avvar of Stonehold have dwarven smiths amongst them and some dwarves who call themselves Avvar. There is close trade between Orzammar and the northern Avvar Holds as well as a deep respect on either side.

### Grey Wardens

Grey Wardens and the dwarven people have always had a kinship through their shared battle against the darkspawn. Dwarves are consequently viewed as excellent recruits to the Order due to their experience against the darkspawn. It is also known that dwarven Grey Wardens lifted the hundred day siege of Orzammar. However, as there are fewer dwarves due to low birth rates, there are also fewer dwarven Wardens. Grey Wardens are also the only surface organization to care about the endless war the dwarves wage against the darkspawn in the Deep Roads. When the time of a Grey Warden's Calling draws near, a Warden honors a longstanding agreement between the Wardens and the dwarves and serves a year fighting darkspawn in the Deep Roads at the side of the dwarves. When the advance of the taint is unbearable, the Warden is celebrated by the dwarves (similar to the "funeral" the Legion are given) and then enters the Deep Roads for their Calling. The dwarves respect the Grey Wardens for their sacrifices.

## Culture

Among Orzammar dwarves, single-mindedness is both a signature of strength and weakness - though in Kal-Sharok it is only a strength. Their ability to dedicate themselves to a cause has allowed them to survive in conditions that would kill any other race and has given rise to a level of technology that far surpasses anything else in Thedas. In Kal-Sharok this is even more apparent, for their technology is more evolved than that of Orzammar to the point where Orzammar are trying to trade for it. Examples of dwarven ingenuity include dwarven clockwork, mechanical weaponry, and steam power.

### The Shaperate

The order of the Shapers is dedicated to preserving the history and knowledge of the dwarves. There are three kinds of Shapers. The most prominent is the Shaperate of Memory. Its main purpose is to record and keep the essential records known as the Memories. There is also the Shaperate of Stone. which keeps mundane records of work and marriage, and the Shaperate of Golems, which is largely defunct except in Kal-Sharok.

Shapers are encouraged to travel the Deep Roads and seek out long-buried historical truths, making the job far more dangerous than that of the average librarian or bookkeeper. The Shaper must step away from the familiar to seek out revelations from the frontier of from buried secrets of paths abandoned. "The Shaper must first walk away if he is to return."

### Language

Orzammar and Kal-Sharok share the same base language, but the latter has a regional dialect that draws more on an older manner of speech, less influenced by the surface. In fact, Kal-Sharok has far more words in Dwarva than their Orzammar cousins, something they are keen to point out, often using them to shame their fellow "uneducated" dwarves.

### Art

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Dwarven artisans are a part of the smiths guild and they are renowned throughout Thedas. Their work is used in both stonemasonry and for purely decorative effect. Their style is usually carving, but some painters and potters have come from the ranks of dwarven artisans. The style between the Deep Roads artisans and Topsider artisans differs but many of the same techniques are used having been handed down through the generations.

### Fashion

Dwarven fashion skirts the line between decorative and practical. In the Deep Roads, there are few plants that can be made into sewing materials. Any more refined fabrics have to be imported from the surface, creating an interesting problem. The dwarven society despises those who leave the embrace of the Stone to live under the open sky, despite the importance of trade to the economy.

A safer bet - both for one's security and political importance - is armour. In the dangerous world of the Deep Roads and even more dangerous realm of dwarven politics, many choose to wear heavy plate. As they are masters of smithing and craft, it's no surprise that their work is often beautiful and ornamented with gems that are excavated in the Deep Roads. When it comes to decoration and aesthetics, the dwarven people are fond of geometric, ordered shapes and warm colours.

## Military

### The Legion of the Dead

The Legion of the Dead is a famous dwarven military unit that is both celebrated and shunned. Many convicted criminals join the Legion rather than face exile. Dwarves who were casteless would also join hoping that it would impart some respectability to their family names. Once in the Legion all records of a dwarf's past crimes are erased. The members descend into the Deep Roads to battle darkspawn together until death. When they join Legion dwarves are given a ritual akin to a funeral. Indeed, members are treated by dwarven society as if they are dead. They are assumed to spend their remaining days living up to their promise. There is no retirement from the Legion, only an honourable death in the Deep Roads. It isn't unheard of for a noble to willingly join the Legion but it is exceptionally rare.

### Casteless and Surfacer to Soldiers

King Bhelen, in 9:30 DA when he took the throne, decreed that the castes were no more. The casteless and surface dwarves were welcome to join his army which he used to take back the Deep Roads. It is a massive undertaking and he needs every dwarf who is willing to do this. Relying on Orlais and Ferelden for supplies, mostly in trade, but some of it is given by the benevolent (Ferelden) monarch, Bhelen needs these supplies to feed his army and retake the Roads and thaigs.

## Religion

### The Stone

The dwarves do not believe in a supreme being or pantheon of gods. They instead practice a form of living ancestor worship by way of naming Paragons, while also maintaining a close connection to "the Stone" that surrounds them. Most dwarves live their whole lives in the Stone. They forge their home in her. They are protected by her. They claim to actually come from her, even calling themselves the Stone's children. When the dwarves die, they say they return to the Stone. While those above ground may burn their dead or send them out to sea, deceased dwarves are buried. Paragons and nobility are typically interred within ornate crypts, while the remains of common dwarves are encased within stone cairns. Failing that, they are buried in the dirt, though this is never ideal. A dwarf who has achieved much - a great warrior, renowned craftsman, or especially a Paragon - is said to strengthen the Stone, while those who have shamed their clans are said to weaken her. A casteless or disgraced dwarf may be outright rejected by her.

Any dead dwarf returned to the Stone is said to become a guiding spirit who cares for his descendants for eternity. However, the Stone is said to reject the worst transgressors. Their spirits are left to wander remote caverns as rock wraiths. These creatures appear often in dwarven children's stories where they abduct lost miners and cause cave-ins, scaring young dwarves into good behaviour.

## Views on Magic

Magic had no place in the dwarven society - until recently. The dwarves, being the only species unable to cast spells, have lived complete lives without the problems and benefits of magic for ages. Their encounters with mages and magic usually fell within one of those three categories: Grey Warden mages, apostates fleeing persecution, and officials from Tevinter Imperium making deals with the Ambassadoria.

The creation of the Orzammar Chantry and the Circle of Magi changed everything. While these several decades of its existence aren't enough for many of the long-lived dwarves to make up their minds, there are still enough opinions to cause trouble. The smith caste sees the enchanting and crafting done by the Formari as competition. The Shaperate sees it as an extension of the Chantry: a surfacer heresy that is a rot in the healthy dwarven society. Only a few people realize the potential.

## Economics

Trade with the surface is essential to the wealth of the dwarven thaigs and food products are a part of that. Indeed, without the lifeline of trade, including food, into the city, survival in these cities (specifically in Orzammar) would be very difficult. Surface food products are necessarily in high demand in Orzammar due to the few choices of food produced by the city itself and the exotic novelty of foreign produce. Due to their great expense typically only nobles or the very influential are able to purchase these goods. Notable surface delicacies are plum jam and caviar. Surface goods in Orzammar include liquor too, such as honey mead, served in Tapster's Tavern, traded from a surface family who ships it every month. In Kal-Sharok, however, they grow much of their own food, any surfacer goods tend to spoil because of how deep the city is and the time it takes to transport them there. Other goods like technology and that which they mine are often traded with topsider merchants.

## Geography

Numerous thaigs once existed, built under every major mountain range and connected by the Deep Roads. Only Orzammar and Kal-Sharok survived ages of Blights.

### Orzammar

This thaig rests in the Frostback Mountains and it is a huge, underground metropolis of more than one hundred thousand dwarves. The thaig's layout is determined by its strict (former) caste system. The king's palace and the Assembly Halls sit highest in a tier known as the Diamond Quarter - which is also home to the Shaperate. A complicated system of stairs and passages cut down from the Diamond Quarter, through the noble areas, to the Commons, and finally to the slums of Dust Town. The Merchant Guild (formally "Caste") has the most influence in the Commons, where the many works of Orzammar's craftsmen are bought and sold. Connected are the Proving Grounds, an ancient venue for the public settling of dwarven disputes. The Commons is also where visitors to Orzammar spend most of their time, it being the thaig's centre for trade. Below the Proving Grounds is the broken down Dust Town. It is a haven for crime, organised and otherwise. Orzammar's guards cannot be bothered to patrol its streets. Many in Dust Town turn to drink, specifically the toxic lichen ale so common in the quarter. Finally is the wall around Dust Town and the huts and caves on the other side. The wall is called "The Fence" and it is where many of the poorest families live.

### Kal Sharok

Nestled beneath the Hunterhorn Mountains the kingdom of Kal-Sharok was once the capital of the dwarven empire. Its close proximity to the Tevinter capital of Minrathous led to a strong bond with the Imperium, contributing to the military and infrastructure of the burgeoning human nation. As humanity's influence spread and the Imperium weakened, the dwarven capital was moved to the southern thaig of Orzammar. This was the first of many blows to the dwarves of Kal-Sharok. When the Blight struck they were among the hardest hit. A robust people, they survived only to be eventually abandoned by Orzammar, whose leaders saw it in their best interests to abandon Kal-Sharok, calling it self preservation. Early in the Dragon Age the thaig was rediscovered. Residents of the former capital had subsisted for ages in complete isolation. Relations have been tense between the two thaigs. Generations of isolation mean that these dwarves do not share cultural influences with Orzammar since they did not have extended interactions with the surface.

### Forgotten Thaigs

Dozens of thaigs were destroyed during the Blights. In the ages since, much of the history that survived in the other thaigs has been lost. Some thaigs, like Kal'Barosh and Varen, are barely remembered - even their locations are unknown. Others, like Ortan and Cadash, have been uncovered and explored. The roots of many dwarves in Orzammar can be traced back to houses in lost thaigs. For these houses, and the Shaperate that struggles to keep their records, it is considered a great discovery to learn the names and fate of a thaig's lost people.

### Flora and Fauna

The Deep Roads are home to a complex and endemic ecosystem that contains many plants and animals never seen on the surface. While humans would think them to be a barren and desolate place, the dwarves have managed to live a complete life in it.

Due to the lack of the sun that makes photosynthesis impossible, there is a complete lack of green plants in the Deep Roads. Its flora is composed mainly of fungi that are given the broad name of Deep Mushrooms. Most of the time, dwarven merchants have the casteless gather the fungi, as the task is thankless and dangerous due to the everlasting presence of the darkspawn, but in Orzammar, enterprising farmers grow them, as they are an important part of dwarven diet. While they're essential to them, the surfacers also prize them, as many of the Deep Mushrooms have restorative properties or can be turned into potent poisons. The most common varieties are Blightcap, Ghoul's Mushroom and Brimstone Mushroom, that carry the darkspawn taint. Their main purpose is obvious, but with proper preparation by a skilled cook, the dwarves use them as seasoning in their dishes because of unique scent and flavour.

While mushrooms are the unquestionable cornerstone of dwarven diet, they are not the only plants growing in the Deep Roads. Moss and lichen can also be found in many caverns, used by the dwarves to make bread or alcohol.

The Deep Roads are crawling with darkspawn. Because of this, many animals and creatures are affected with the taint. It is a constant danger any hunter for wild game must take under consideration. There are many insects, such as the cave beetles, living in the caverns. The most important animals - both to the life of the dwarves and the Deep Roads' ecosystem include many species of spiders, nugs, and endemic to the underground, deepstalkers and bronto. Apart from animals, an unlucky traveller can also encounter rock wraiths, glowing slime and the darkspawn.

The Deepstalkers, called 'tezpadam' by the dwarves, are large predatory lizards, whose hunting strategies indicate high level of intelligence. They hunt in packs, frequently led by matriarchs. They hunt by burrowing underground and surrounding their prey before attacking. Another strategy they commonly employ is using camouflage, as their gray scales make them very similar to the rocky surroundings. They only attack when they have major numerical advantage, and when fighting multiple enemies, aim to separate them. Their main weapons are sharp claws and lamprey-like maws full of teeth, albeit some species have develop glands full of venom they can spit at their foes. They can be domesticated, though they do not play any important role in any dwarven society yet.

The most commonly known animal inhabiting the Deep Roads is a nug. It's a small, pink creature the surfacers have been known to describe as a cross between a pig and a rabbit. They are completely docile omnivores that can be prepared in a variety of dishes. While this is their main role to the dwarven people, some are also kept as pets.

An old dwarven saying goes 'There's only two things a noble will step aside for: a Paragon and an angry bronto'. It speaks volumes about those huge beasts. Wild packs roam the Deep Roads, but they also have a place in the dwarven society. The Shaperate has been breeding them both as a food source and as mounts. While their speed is only worth mentioning if they're charging, their stamina and balance makes them valuable. They mostly acquire nutrients from water, fungi and sometimes even raw stone, leading the dwarves to call them 'rock-lickers'. This unique diet may be either a hint at evolutionary kinship with the nugs, which are also omnivores capable of acquiring sustenance from the most unlikely sources, or just a requirement for survival in the harsh world of Deep Roads.

In the dwarven legends there is a mention of dwarves so corrupted that the Stone rejected them, dooming them to live a cursed undying life. Whether there's any truth to those myths is unknown, but the existence of the rock wraiths - or, as some call them, the profane - is a fact. They are nourished by lyrium, but that also makes them susceptible to demonic possession.

Glowing slime is a predatory, blue-green creature that can be found in the underground tunnels. It is a danger to many miner caste dwarves that have fallen into a trap, following its light. They are believed to leech lyrium off the stone, which gives it the colour and resistance to attacks both physical and magical. it detects the heat of living bodies and attacks by enveloping the victim and secreting acid that dissolve it.

### Regional Race Characteristics

"Complexion:" Light complexion for Deep Roads dwarves, anything from light to very tanned for Surface Dwarves
"Common eye colors:" Shades of brown, hazel and blue are common but grey and green are usually only seen amongst Surface Dwarves - with a few exceptions amongst Orzammar dwarves (who are closer to the surface).
"Common hair colors:" Shades of brown, red and black, and blond (amongst surface dwarves only). Lyrium effects hair colour by draining the colour from it, thus younger dwarves can be known to have white hair.
"General Description:" Dwarves are short, stocky people on average but there are leaner and smaller dwarves too. Typically they have round facial features with thick nasal bones and a square jawline. Their height doesn't exceed 5’2’’ whilst the average is 3'6"- 4'6". One of the most notable traits is their lyrium resistance which results in, amongst other things, a high resistance to magic.

## History

Before the Blights, there were dozens of thaigs, each with a healthy number of inhabitants. Though each thaig enjoyed autonomy, the race was largely united and kept a proper capital, first in Kal-Sharok, and later in Orzammar. Their world was all but destroyed by the First Blight. The darkspawn attacked the dwarves first, using the Deep Roads to systematically sack dozens of thaigs. As the thaigs fell the darkspawn spread underneath Thedas and eventually reached all ends of the continent. Several dwarven kingdoms were destroyed completely. However, the four largest - Orzammar, Kal-Sharok, Hormak and Gundaar - survived by working together and sealing off key roads.

After more than a hundred years, the Grey Wardens slayed the archdemon that spurred the Blight and drove the remaining darkspawn back underground. For surfacers, the generations-long battle was over, but the Blight continued for the dwarves. In -15 Ancient, the dwarves of Orzammar sealed the last of the Deep Road leading to their kingdom. The old capital of Kal-Sharok was assumed lost, along with Hormak and Gundaar.

### Brief Timeline

* -4600 Ancient - The elves of the great elven kingdom of Elvhenan are believed to first make contact with the dwarves, 1,500 years before the arrival of humans in Thedas

* -1200 Ancient - An alliance is forged between the dwarves and Tevinter Imperium which still lasts up to the present day.

* -1170 Ancient - Garal moved his kingdom to Orzammar to preside more directly over the commercial aspects of dwarven life, mining and crafting, as Orzammar was the ancestral seat of the Miner and Smith castes and because of the turmoil in the Imperium following the death of the Archon Darinius. Stonehammer took up leadership of Orzammar after Garal's passing, expanding and improving the city, and creating the Hall of Heroes and altering the Provings to allow for massive tournaments.

* -395 Ancient - The First Blight begins and devastates the Dwarven kingdoms.

* -195 Ancient - As communication is cut off and passages sealed each kingdom selected their own king, though maintained allegiance to the high king of Orzammar.

* -45 Ancient - High King Threestone ordered the sealing of the Deep Roads leading to the remaining three kingdoms. Within a decade the kingdoms of Gundaar and Hormak had fallen.

* -15 Ancient - The last of the Deep Roads are sealed cutting off Kal-Sharok which is believed lost The kingdom of Orzammar had become the only bastion of dwarven culture in Thedas, the last outpost of the race.

* 9:12 Dragon - It is discovered that the kingdom of Kal-Sharok had in fact survived. However the relations between the two kingdoms are strained because Orzammar demands Kal-Sharok's allegiance and because it was abandoned by Orzammar a millennium ago.

* 9:13 Dragon - Bownammar is lost to the darkspawn.

* 9:31 Dragon - the dwarves of Orzammar assist Ferelden in defeating the Fifth Blight.

* + The Primeval Thaig was rediscovered beneath the Free Marches by Hawke and Varric’s expedition.

* + A dwarven army led by House Helmi cleared the great thaig of Kal'Hirol and the Deep Roads connecting it to Orzammar from darkspawn, reclaiming it once again.

* + Bhelen Aeducan returns to take his place as King of Orzammar. The Orzammar Circle is established.

* + Amgarrak Thaig is overrun by Harvesters. The Warden-Commander of Ferelden slays the first Harvester and destroys the Golem research.

* 9:51 Dragon - Wardens arrive in Kal-Sharok. Ernsta does a deal with them, agreeing to aid against the Darkspawn in exchange for aid in retaking thaigs.
	+ Gyrion arrives at Kal-Sharok, with Warden reinforcements.
	+ The Builder is tracked to the lost city of Infernum, where the final encounter between darkspawn and Wardens takes place. The Builder is killed by Lerun, but the Wardens Nymiria and Kanilthas are lost to the destruction of Infernum.