Love and Lyrium

Undead and Avvar

Crestwood was only four days ride from Skyhold, and Evelyn was actually glad to be getting out and doing something besides listening to her own thoughts. She would have been even more glad if it hadn't been raining. In spite of the weather, Harding was her usual self. "Good to see you safe, Inquisitor. We've got trouble ahead."

"If you're on edge, I should alert the entire Inquisition," Evelyn smirked, crossing her arms.

"Or increase my hazard pay," the dwarf shrugged. "That's an option."

"Are things that bad?" Harding turned and beckoned Evelyn to follow. Then she pointed out toward the lake. Burning below the surface there was evidence that a rift had opened somewhere below inside the lake. "Oh," Evelyn sighed, understanding Harding's concerns.

"Crestwood was the site of a flood ten years ago during the Blight. It's not the only rift in the area, but after it appeared, corpses started walking out of the lake. You'll have to fight through them to get to the cave where Ser Hawke's Grey Warden friend is hiding."

"More walking corpses..." Evelyn shrugged. "At least they won't be a surprise."

"I nearly stepped on one in the grass the other night... before it started moaning," Harding said with a shudder. "Maybe someone in Crestwood could tell you how to get to the rift in the lake. Maker knows they'll want help. Good luck. And please be safe."

Evelyn took one last look at the lake as she shrugged off Harding's words. 'Please be safe'. Had he thought that when she'd left this time? She led her small group toward the village and thought out loud as she went. "There must be some other way to get to the rift in the lake."

"Swimming?" Bull suggested, likely seriously.

"It sounds different. The water changes the song," Cole mused. She had brought him with her both to give him a break from the infirmary and because his presence was strangely calming. She had seen him wielding his blades and he would make an excellent alternate for Varric and his crossbow.

Crestwood's mayor reluctantly informed them that the dam controls that might help them drain the lake had been destroyed by Darkspawn during the blight. When she'd insisted on helping anyway, he said there was a stronghold not far off that bandits had taken over. If she could get through there she could access the dam controls. The stronghold was impressive and Bull pointed out that Crestwood could be of strategic value to the Inquisition. Better them than the bandits. Evelyn sent a raven and Leliana had people swarming the place within days, effectively giving over Caer Bronach to the Inquisition. Once their people were settled, Evelyn took her party out and they found the damn controls. They seemed surprisingly intact. "The mayor said these controls were destroyed. Who repaired them?"

"The mayor. His shame had this shape," Cole said.

Something more was going on. With the lake drained, they found their way to Old Crestwood and closed a smaller rift along the way. The rift was still below them and they discovered the entrance to some old caves. The path was easy to follow and they found disturbing evidence that there had been people living down there when the flood came.

The rift was huge and Evelyn felt a pressing weight lift after she finally closed it. Back on the surface, the rain had stopped and Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief that was short lived. When they returned to the village the mayor had vanished and had left a confession that he had flooded Old Crestwood to stop the Blight from spreading. Another job for Cullen. Find him and bring him in so she could judge him.

She had been less than pleased when Josephine had announced that they were having an honest to goodness throne brought in and placed in the main hall at Skyhold so she could sit in it and judge their enemies. Her first victim was to be Alexius and she was still mulling over what she was going to do with him when the time came.