Some weeks after Mythal's visit, they finally had some information about Corypheus.
“We have some news about where Corypheus has gone,” Leliana said, as they were all gathered in the war room. So many people had come to join the Alliance that their war room meetings were becoming extremely crowded. “If we know that, we can do what Mythal suggested.”
“Good,” Arethin nodded. “What is it?”
Leliana hesitated for a moment. “Aenoar,” she told her at last. “He's gone to Aeonar.”
“What?” Cassandra exclaimed. “What possible purpose--”
“The Veil is thin there,” Leliana said. “Demons and spirits stalk the halls. If he can reach the Fade, go to the Black City--”
“It would be there,” Cassandra said, a look of dawning horror crossing her face. “If he cannot succeed here, he will succeed there.”
“What is Aeonar?” Arethin asked, pulling up a map.
Leliana pointed to a spot far to the north,
“A prison,” she explained. “For Templars and Sisters who have broken the laws of the Chantry.”
Fiona scowled.
“And mages?” Arethin asked.
“Some mages would be sent there,” Leliana said.
“Maleficarum and blood mages who were not dead or Tranquil,” Cassandra said. “But not many.”
“No,” Vivienne agreed. “I believe that would have been too dangerous to do.”
“Lambert sent people to investigate Aeonar after the battle in Val Royeaux,” Leliana said, her brow furrowed. “But he found nothing.”
Fiona sat up straighter. “That makes no sense,” she said.
“Nothing?” Arethin asked. “What do you mean?”
“The fortress was deserted,” Cassandra explained. “It is possible that Corypheus had been there before, and recruited mages and Templars from its ranks.”
“Aeonar was a Tevinter fortress at first,” Leliana said. “It is quite possible that he knew about it beforehand.”
“And if he can't go back to Haven—or come here--”
“Precisely. A place familiar to him where the Veil would be thin.”
“Then we have to go there,” Arethin said.
“If we are to attack Corypheus himself, we must have a plan,” Cassandra said.
“How will we kill that dragon?” Arethin asked. “We tried before--”
“I have never been given towards shapeshifting,” Abelas said. “However, I might give one who is the knowledge to use dragon's wings.”
Morrigan looked up. “Shapeshifting is a skill of mine,” she said.
Abelas curled his lip, brow furrowed. “You are the lady Mythal's daughter,” he said. “So it is only...acceptable.”
Morrigan gave a chilly smirk. “My sire was an elf, if that pleases you.”
Abelas' face grew more sour. “It does not, but that is of little consequence.”
The closest eluvian to Aeonar was a full week away, and there was only the one. The majority of the eluvians were in the south and in Ferelden, so they simply had to make do with this one.
In order to attack the fortress, the Alliance needed to muster up a great many of their forces, recalling them from the Wilds and sending them north. This would take some time, but fortunately, Corypheus was more handicapped than they were, as he had no eluvian access.
Empress Giuseppina sent Orlesian troops, Queen Aeducan sent her people, and King Alistair sent Fereldens. Vivienne and Fiona's mages were both a part of the effort, as well as just about everyone else that the Alliance could throw at the problem.
The fortress was surrounded by Corypheus' people, the scattered remains of Templars and Venatori.
The dragon immediately moved to attack them first, bringing with it that disgusting spell of rot and death. However, they had something that Corypheus had not anticipated:
Morrigan flew in dragon shape overhead, to collide with the thing. Abelas had been successful in teaching her dragon shape, as she was the only shapeshifter experienced enough to pull off such a feat.
Surana, who came with them in spite of the danger of Corypheus affecting her Tainted blood, watched the two dragons battle with a nervous expression on her face.
The prison loomed over them all, gargantuan and sick-feeling. It was so large that it blocked out the view of the moons in the sky, and doubtless cast a massive shadow when it was daylight.
Arethin shuddered as they walked inside.
Aeonar was enormous. It was a sprawling labyrinthine nightmare where the Fade pressed through.
Cole appeared at Arethin's elbow. “It's loud,” he whispered.
“It...is,” Arethin admitted.
It wasn't actually loud, not in a way that carried sound. But the press of souls upon the Veil sounded like a heartbeat thrumming in her ears, shaking her bones. Beyond the walls of Aeonar, they could see lights, where there were clearly people occupying it.
“There are many spirits and demons in this place,” Cassandra said softly. “It was used by the Tevinters as ground for...experimentation.”
“Experimentation?”
“Toying with magic. They damaged the Fade in a way that little else could, or so I understand it.”
They continued forward, through the many twisting corridors and winding rooms. The sound of battle continued, and Arethin was never more grateful for the army that stood at her back. There were few Venatori left to deal with. They battled through the fortress, but it seemed that Corypheus' forces had been thinned out from the fight in the Wilds, and they had little trouble making their way deep inside.
However, there was one obstacle that had been unexpected. They came to a room where a lone mage had felled all the soldiers before her. She caught sight of them and scowled.
“You,” the woman snarled, her eyes landing on Arethin. “Thief—you will ruin all!”
Arethin held out her hand. “Maybe,” she said. “And mayhaps I shall fix it.”
The woman circled them, twirling her staff in one hand. Her eyes flicked to Dorian. “You—traitor,” she snarled. “Alexius asked you to be a part of us, but you refused him.”
“Oh, yes, how could I refuse an offer such as this?” Dorian rolled his eyes. “A cult that worships a Blighted man and enjoys hanging about in ruined fortresses.”
“He will be a new god,” the woman spat. “A direction for this rudderless world.”
“Do you two know each other?” Arethin asked.
Dorian shook his head. The woman laughed.
“Of course you don't know me,” she said. “How could a member of House Pavus see a Liberati mage?”
“Liberati?” Dorian's face fell. “Then you, of all people, should know why Corypheus can't be allowed to do this!”
“Why? So someone else can have power instead?” she shook her head. “So the world will fall into chaos, and mages will be trampled like they have been in the south, or by the Qunari? Never.”
“We don't want to do that,” Dorian insisted.
The woman tossed her head. “Aye? Then what would you have instead—have us under the bootheel of those elves?”
“Enough,” Arethin said. “We have not the time for this.”
“I fear you are right,” Dorian said sadly. He raised his staff, and the woman was surrounded by a magical field that prevented her escape. She threw herself against the barrier, but to her shock, she couldn't pass it.
She stared at Dorian, wild-eyed.
He smiled. “I learned a trick or two when I was in Alexius' company,” he informed her. “Lavellan, we should move on.”
They came to a chamber where the ceiling had been blasted off at some point, and the sounds of fighting became much clearer. It seemed that the closer they came to Corypheus, the more Venatori there were.
Morrigan and the other dragon tumbled through the sky overhead, slashing at each other with vicious strikes.
Arethin glanced up with a grimace, and then horror when the other dragon savagely tore through one of Morrigan's wings.
Morrigan plummeted from the sky, and Surana let out a stricken cry. Morrigan landed hard on the ground, and Surana bolted towards Morrigan's body, while Arethin and the others went to Corypheus' dragon.
Morrigan had left her own mark on the dragon. It was not flying right, one of its wings at an odd angle.
Arrows struck the dragon, and several spells.
“Aim for its wing!” Arethin pointed to the damaged wing, and more spells were hurled at it.
The dragon fell at last, crashing to the ground. For one moment, Arethin held out hope that the dragon was dead, and they had killed it.
Then it twitched.
“Oh, no,” Arethin breathed.
The dragon got to its feet, its wings broken but it was still clearly going strong. They advanced on the thing, very carefully, and it spat fire sporadically. Only some of the mages could get anywhere near it, and arrows glanced off its hide.
However, spells that used enough force could pierce the thing's thick skin, and the mages advanced, backed up with some potions thrown by the various rogues that were assisting.
Fortunately, as it had no assistance from Corypheus and was already injured from the fall, the dragon was able to be deafeted. Finally, the dragon lay dead.
“Morrigan?” Arethin called, and spotted Kitranna helping a very human Morrigan on the other side of the battlefield.
Morrigan pressed a hand to her side with a wince.
“How are you doing?” Arethin asked.
“I am alive,” Morrigan croaked. “Hurry, now—he is casting his spell, and he will not stop for anything.”
“Where is he? Did you see him?”
Morrigan pointed to a set of stairs on the opposite side of the chamber, and Arethin and the others rushed over.
Up the stairs they went, to a massive tower that loomed over the rest of the prison. The Veil was thin and weak, everything feeling wobbly and unreal.
At the top of the tower they found Corypheus.
With a wave of his hand, he flung them back, but Arethin clung to the railing at the top of the stairs.
“I will not allow you to ruin this again, pretender!” Corypheus snarled.
Corypheus held up the orb. The light from the orb grew brighter as Corypheus did whatever he was attempting to do, and Arethin cursed as she felt everything slide around them. Several malformed Rifts opened and closed, spitting out the odd demon before slamming shut again. Almost everyone was thrown back or forced back, but Arethin managed to hang onto a stone outcropping.
The Veil was rupturing, the very air around them feeling sick and wounded. Arethin grabbed at the Veil with the mark, tried to pull it this way and that, manipulate it around the orb. She had to get to the thing to do this right, or so Mythal had said.
She dragged herself closer to Corypheus, using the stone of the tower as leverage. Behind her, Cassandra and Solas did the same thing.
Corypheus hissed to see them doing so.
“No,” he growled. “This will not be denied me!”
He raised his hand, the orb crackling with light.
Solas reached out a hand, and grabbed Arethin's wrist.
“Don't--”
The world went white.