Easter Egg: Dragon Age Origins & Inquisition.

The Brass Scale Consortium, the largest building in Whitkeep, stood out among the squat buildings. Its gleaming towers capped with iron jutted up from its fortified hall of red brick. The surly guard at the gate glared their group down, and Nyx noticed merchants being allowed to enter freely - if their attire was anything to go by.

Tav walked up to the gate unperturbed and announced, "We're here to meet with Lady Dagna. We have an appointment." She held up a paper, and after a quick inspection, the guard nodded them through with a stern, 'Mind yourselves in there.'

Similar to the rest of Whitkeep, the Consortium was luxurious, both in size and decoration. The interior was polished white, including the marbled tiled floor, carved pillars and high ceiling - all gilded in brass accents. People were gathered in groups around grand desks standing on plush carpets in saturated colours, talking loudly and waving their arms. Others sat in chairs organised into neat rows and were called to the inquiries desk one at a time. A stream of people climbed up and down the wide staircase to the upper floors, and more waded through the doors on either side.

They followed Tav up the stairs, and Nyx was elbowed by a merchant engrossed in his papers. "Oi!", he cried. "Watch where you're going!" Carrying on without sparing her another look.

Jerk.

Nyx sidestepped another pair of merchants squabbling over a warehouse contract. One said, "The new dock should be built here, giving larger ships the best access." The other disagreed. "We don't have the funds for that, a smaller one..." Their voices faded while Nyx danced between the flow of bodies, finding her companions doing much the same. Except for Karlach, Halsin and Lae'zel; people simply made way for them.

Benefits of stature... and a Githyanki glower. Nyx moved to walk behind them until their group reached their destination. At the closed office, Tav produced her appointment slip and they were ushered in by another guard.

They were met with a keen gaze over a set of spectacles. Dagna, a gold dwarf, sat at a large polished desk carved with care to highlight the dark wood grain. She made eye contact with each of them and greeted in a light tone, "I've not enough seats for all of you. You're welcome to stand or wait outside."

Out of habit, Tav and Gale took the seats at Dagna's desk while the rest of them dispersed throughout the room, some leaning against the walls or looking out the windows.

Before Tav could explain their presence, Dagna held up her hand and said, "I know who you are and who sent you. I have assurances of both competence and discretion."

Unsure of whether that was a confirmation or a question, Nyx nodded along with the rest's grunts of agreement.

Hazel eyes shown in delight and she dug through her desk drawers, producing a familiar metal object.

Tav sat upright. "Infernal iron?"

Dagna tapped it with her quill, and its dull ring didn't echo. "Confiscated during an raid on an illegal shipment. Unmarked. I want concrete evidence of their origin."

Karlach huffed and crossed her arms, a severe frown creasing her brow. "We already know it's Gor-"

Dagna raised her hand again. "I have my suspicions too, however I cannot work on suspicions alone. I need proof, and the more we gather along with our mutual friends; the better positioned we are to dethrone our highest-ranking smuggler. He has established a troubling shadow network, let's call them the 'Black Hand'. And they're increasingly throttling our own ability to trade. We will not be bullied on our own turf."

Tav asked, "What do you need us to do?"

She pushed up her spectacles with her index finger, noted the determined expressions and a sly smile spread on her lips. "Our mutual friends did say I would like you."

---

"Ugh, just when I thought we were done trudging through the woods." Astarion ducked beneath a low-hanging branch.

Nyx grinned and said, "I for one, could do with a little more greenery."

Halsin took an exaggerated breath. "Indeed, the freshness of the forest is a welcome reprieve from the city."

They trudged a winding trail behind Dagna's scout until they reached the mouth of a cave. Ducking behind the bushes, they studied it for a while.

"Right," said the scout and turned to Tav. "They're likely still sleeping off a late night boozing after moving cargo. You should be able to enter and investigate without too much interference. My job is done." He wished them good luck and parted.

Tav turned to her companions and confirmed, "You're familiar with the drill. We move quickly, stay of out sight, find any dirt on Gortash and his minions, grab the proof and then meetup at the rendezvous. If we get made; we just high tail it outta there, yes?"

As though summoned, Norchapel's temples simultaneously chimed the 9th hour of the morning. They were to regroup mid-afternoon and, with silent footsteps, they slipped into the cave.

Each scouting team had their own crudely drawn map, copied from Dagna's layout of the abandoned mine. The teams were assigned a section to investigate, designated by corridors that branched off from the main passage. Sturdy roof supports lined the walls of the main passage; the new occupants had spent good coin renovating it. Their group continued at a fast pace, covering ground quickly - the sounds of their breath louder than their footsteps. Soon torchlight provided the only illumination. Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Wyll broke away first, ducking into a corridor. The rest of them passed several more passages branching off from the main one, but these eventually led to dead-ends. Nyx double-checked her map and counted the passages on her left. Once they reached their designated corridor, she and Astarion darted into its darkness. Later, Tav and Gale would follow their designated passage, and the last assigned passage to investigate was for Halsin and Karlach.

Nyx counted passages again, taking a winding road to their destination. The dark tunnel opened into a wide cavern. Similarly, this part of the shallow surface mine had seen both recent activity and had its infrastructure upgraded. The forgotten remnants of rotten wood and unrepairable mine-cart railway were abandoned in a heap, whereas large cranes stood next to new railways with sturdy carts waiting to be filled and offloaded. On the level below, crates lined the area in a grid pattern, stacked five high. Astarion snuck toward the nearest crane, and Nyx followed. He paused and pointed at something on the ground. Nyx squinted. There was a black line on the ground - Is that dust?

Astarion whispered to her, "Smokepowder."

Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline, and she moved to the ledge next to the crane. The trail led down a descending pathway that skirted the cavern wall and crisscrossed between the crates below - ending at some suspicious-looking barrels.

She breathed in disbelief, "They have the whole place set to blow?"

"Seems our esteemed Archduke doesn't want people snooping around. Shall we find out what he's hiding?"

Her grin matched his, and they opted for the quick way down using the crane's cables.

They promptly inspected the crates. Unfortunately, these too were unmarked. Nyx wrapped her legs in magic and jumped to the top of a line of crates, Astarion selecting the one across from her. Armed with the 'Crate prier' Dagna had given each of them, Nyx slipped its blunt blade underneath the crate lid and turned its dial. It made a series of ticking noises and slowly cranked the lid open. She did the same to the other corners, finally lifting the lid off and setting it aside. The smell of sulphur greeted her along with the dull shine of Infernal iron.

Not unexpected.

She closed the crate with another gnomish tool known as the 'Seam restorer', sealing the lid and leaving it the way she found it. A few more rounds of inspecting crates yielded nothing except more Infernal iron.

Graces, is he preparing an army of Steel Watchers?

Apprehension gripped her stomach at the thought. They found nothing worthwhile, not even a crumb of evidence. Thus, they continued to the next storage section.

This housed crates stamped with an upside down symbol of a flying snake eating a coin. Nyx muttered under her breath, "We got you, asshole."

Now we need to link him to the Zhentarim directly.

She spotted a desk nestled between the crates and rifled through it while Astarion continued to inspect the crates. Pulling out the chair, she took a seat and leafed through the papers. Correspondence for cargo drop-offs, but they didn't disclose the contents and were signed off with the initials G, V, SL and Z. Nyx clicked her tongue and sat back with a huff, blowing a stay piece of hair from her face. Initials would not cut it, but she pocketed them in any case.

Was it too much to ask for a letter in which Gortash admits his involvement with the Zhents and a list of illegal activities fully signed in his official capacity?

Astarion leapt from a nearby crate stack to the ground and sauntered over. He was pocketing things too, although it didn't look like evidence.

She ventured, "Any dirt?"

"Other than that on my gear, no. I did find some additional compensation for my efforts though."

Nyx snorted and rose, leading them to the next corridor and another section to investigate. The scouts had not made it this far into the hideout, thus Nyx took it upon herself to update the map further.

The stroll along the corridor was uneventful and, mercifully, didn't have any branching passageways. A bout of distant coughing made them halt. They plastered themselves against the wall, sharing a wide-eyed glance from the shadows. Nothing else happened for several heartbeats, and Nyx blew out a sigh of relief. Astarion took the lead, sticking to the shadows. Nyx fully expected to stumble upon the Zhent's sleeping quarters, but the corridor opened onto an area filled with large cages.

All empty?

An uneasy pit formed in her stomach as they crept forward. Voices became discernable, and Nyx peered around an empty cage covered with a large sheet of fabric. She sucked in a sharp breath and gaped.

There were five occupied cages with at least a dozen people inside collectively.

Slaves? Nyx's eyesight took a moment to adjust to the illumination. No, captives. She squinted; the captives' faces and hands weren't that of labourers, but rather people accustomed to comfortable living. Under the dirt and smears, their clothes confirmed the assessment. A single guard sat on a stool to one side of the cages, leaning against a crate and snoring away. Feint whistling flitted into the chamber, and encroaching torchlight splashed against the rear passageway. The owner revealed himself. A man of huge stature patrolled into the middle of the cages. He took one look at his sleeping compatriot, sneered, harked and spat near his boots. Then a leer split his face as he drew closer to the cages and the captives whimpered. He surveyed each of the cages, deprived delight in his expression at their reactions. After spitting on the ground one last time, he ambled back down the rear passage.

Nyx turned to Astarion. He gave a long-suffering sigh, and asked in a hushed voice, "I can't convince you to let Dagna send someone to save them instead?"

"Who's to say they'll still be here?" The look she gave him warranted no argument.

He said displeased, "Fine, fine. How are we going to do this?"

They backtracked to the previous chamber and discussed options. Astarion couldn't reach the others for help as they were out of tadpole range, and they couldn't remember the passages the others were assigned to. Not that it mattered, time was against them. Thus, they debated how to go about releasing the captives themselves.

Fortunately, they were aligned on the general strategy - the first step of which involved dispersing the lines of smokepowder. Not all of it, just those that could pose a problem during their hasty departure. Nyx quickly scuffed up the last bit with her boot at the ramp near the crane. Her gaze fell to the barrels below, and with Astarion's help they wrestled those closest to the escape route into positions where they would cause less trouble. It was neither practical, nor did they have the time to subvert any more of the setup. Returning to the captives, they watched the hulking guard for a few patrolling rounds, and confirmed their plan using thieves' cant. The brute left and Astarion crept into the light, Nyx hot on his heels.

In clear line of sight, Nyx made a point of getting the captives' attention. She waved in animated arcs; most of the captives' expressions went wide-eyed, and they made small gasps. With a finger to her lips, she implored them to keep quiet and mouthed, "We are here to help."

Astarion reached the closest cage and set to picking the lock, while Nyx oiled the cage hinges - much like Florrick's jailbreak routine. There was a single occupant inside, a teenage girl wringing her skirts between her hands.

The lock clicked, and they opened the gate, but the girl recoiled from them. Nyx swapped places with Astarion, and she beckoned for the girl to take her hand. "We're going to get you out." The brute's whistling drifted from the passageway again, snapping the girl out of her hesitation, and she grasped Nyx's hand.

They hurried away, Nyx mouthing to the other that they'll be back. Astarion ducked between the cages, and Nyx continued to lead the girl to the back of the chamber. There was an open but covered cage. At first, the girl didn't want to go inside, and Nyx said, "We need to take care of the guard and get the others out. You'll be safe here, I'm not going to lock you up or leave you behind. Yes?"

"Fuck it, Jarrid!" There was a dull thud. "Where's the girl?!", the brute's voice boomed across the chamber.

Nyx cringed, and she gestured for the girl to get into the cage again. Large teary eyes stared at her for a moment followed by a nod. The girl climbed into the cage and Nyx covered the gate with the tarp, catching a glimpse of a trembling lip as the girl pulled her knees towards her chest.

The brute asked, "Did you let her out? No, you're just useless. Fucking amateur... Used a hairpin or somethin'."

Jarrid's slurred a delayed reply in the negative.

"Then get off your fucking lazy ass and get her back!" His chastising turned into satisfaction. "When you find her bring her to me and I'll search her properly this time."

Nyx joined Astarion while they hunted their prey in the dark.

Jarrid yawned and called, "Come out, come out wherever you are. I don't like hide-and-seek."

Nyx peeked around a cage, Jarrid shuffled down the path between them, and she swept her whiskers in his direction. Familiar movements stalked behind Jarrid, and Nyx leapt silently to the cage above. He passed beneath her. Astarion struck from the shadows, driving both his daggers into Jarrid's chest. Nyx coordinated at the same time and flung her knives from above, severing his carotid artery. Jarrid was paralyzed with shock and surprise, clutching at his neck, blood gushing down his tunic. He gurgled and slumped to the floor. Astarion scurried to intercept Jarrid's rolling torch and caught it inches from a smokepowder trail. Nyx promptly doused it with water. The chamber fell dark and deathly quiet.

Brute bellowed, "Jarrid, what the fuck? Did you fall asleep again?"

When Jarrid didn't reply, the ring of a sword being unsheathed cut the air.

Nyx and Astarion tracked Brute as he inched his way forward, his head on a swivel, eyes darting between the cages and shadows. Their quarry, a head taller than the cages, meant that Astarion and Nyx swapped places. She ducked between the covered cages, staying out of direct torchlight, passing Brute by. Astarion sidestepped an illuminated area, jumped to the cage closest to Brute and bared down on him from above, blades flashing.

Brute cried out and veered around. Astarion had already disengaged his initial strike and aimed the next at his opponents' ankles, but slashed at his shins instead and dodged a kick. Nyx took the opportunity to carve jagged lines into Brute's back, and he swung at her wildly, roaring with rage. Astarion had made it onto the top of the cage again, lunged and dug his daggers into the base of Brute's neck. The hulking man choked and stumbled away, making a weak attempt in Nyx's direction. Her knives joined Astarion's daggers, and Brute collapsed onto his knees, his blade clattering to the ground. Torch still in hand, he motioned for the smokepowder and Nyx intercepted with her magic. They wrestled briefly, however, his strength was draining away as his blood dripped onto the ground. He coughed, slowly sinking forward until his chest met the floor. Nyx took the torch from him and then met Astarion's gaze; his pupils were blown. She left Brute for Astarion to despatch and returned to the captives.

---

Eleven people in total, Nyx and Astarion urged them along as quickly as possible. Poorly fed and short on sleep meant their progress was slower than Nyx preferred. She marched them along the marked crates, taking the torch and the lead, Astarion bringing up the rear. Just as they reached the corridor to the next section, voices echoed from behind, and Nyx spotted torchlight from the far side of the chamber.

Shit!

"Run, we need to run!" Nyx called to the captives. Cries and wails replied as the escapees picked up their pace. Nyx burst through the corridor into the last storage area, pointing the captives toward the ramp. A woman carrying her child fumbled over her skirts and fell. Nyx wrapped her limbs in magic and heaved the sprawled boy onto her hip. Wild eyes met hers, and he clung to her. He was likely no older than four or five years. The teenage girl ran past them, tears streaming down her face. Nyx heaved the mother to her feet.

Astarion's voice shouted from the corridor. "Go! GO!"

There were people still running from the corridor. The mother yelled for Nyx to take her child and run. A passerby grabbed the woman by the arm and pulled her along, but her limp impeded them both. Nyx whipped around when another person cried out ahead of them. The teenage girl, too, had fallen in her haste. With magic propelling her, Nyx scooped up the girl in passing, practically dragging her to the ramp. Upon reaching it, she swerved around, and three Zhents barrelled into the chamber. Astarion ran past her, pushing some of the captives up the incline. Not everyone had made it to the ramp yet. The Zhents were arguing. One pointed to the corridor from whence they came, and the others darted down it. Nyx locked eyes with the last Zhent holding a torch, and a sardonic smile split his face while realisation dawned on hers. He vanished into the corridor.

Graces, no!

That single torch was cast from the corridor in an arc toward one of the smokepowder barrels at the back of the chamber.

Frantic, Nyx crowded the children behind her against the wall. Facing the chamber, she planted her feet while the deafening sound and blinding light of the multiple explosions engulfed her senses in a slow, terrifying wave. Extending her arms to either side; force magic erupted from her outstretched hands. Its roar and power shielded the length of the ramp, seething outwards to meet the churning explosion head on. The impact knocked her back into the wall, but a challenge tore from her own throat against the pressure and heat. She willed more power into the shield, leaning forward to regain her stance, and the black pit stirred.

You will not have them!

The power from the portal answered her desperate call for more, and she let it bear the full brunt of the onslaught. Chaos magic snaked across her arms and raced over her shield, reinforcing it like a living web, dismantling the remaining impact and heat. Translucent tendrils lashed out against the flames. It felt like an eternity that Nyx wrested against the explosion, yet the magic from the portal pulsed in a steady stream, demons wailing within the barrier.

Heat, fire and pressure snuffed at once, and Nyx fell onto her knees.

---

Her ears were ringing, and her vision blurred. She heaved for air, fighting against the aftereffects of the explosion and her power. Her lungs and throat raw, her mind sizzling. The blemish on her neck stung like shards of ice, and a familiar chill swept over her mind. Without a second thought, she grabbed onto it and cast it like a net over the portal, settling its power and its remaining demons. Pain lanced through her body, knocking the breath from her lungs. She gritted her teeth, her limbs drawing into her body and then heaved again when the pain finally released her.

H-how? How am I not cascading? Why?

Her mind was molasses. She choked on the smell of burnt flesh and sulphur. The ringing in her ears turned to screams, snapping her eyes upwards to witness someone engulfed in flames. Staggering to her feet, Nyx ran to the man. But he had collapsed by the time she reached him, and she snuffed the flames with another burst of force magic. He took a rasping breath and stilled. Nyx knelt beside him and checked for breath. There was none. She steeled herself, pressing her fingers to his charred skin, searching for a pulse. There was none.

Setting her mouth in a grim line, Nyx rose and was met with a scorched, smouldering scene before her. She stole a tentative glance over her shoulder and swallowed the knot in her throat.

The ramp remained untouched, and wide-eyed stares and gapes of disbelief greeted her. Five captives had made it along with her and Astarion.

Thank the graces.

--- --- ---

Astarion rushed to Nyx's side and asked in an exasperated high pitch, "Wretched Hells and Gods above! Are you alright!?"

A disconcerting blank expression replied, as though she did not register his presence. The claw of tension in his stomach threatened to gut him. He cleared his throat of the smoke. "Nyx, my love?"

She blinked him into focus and gave a curt nod. "I, I think so... I feel-." She swooned, and Astarion caught her under her arms, gently lowering her to the ground.

Not sure what to do, he fussed over her. "What do you need? Potions, your staff?"

Her brows knit in confusion. "Um, I don't - odd, isn't it?"

"Hells, your hands!"

Nyx held up her blistering hands. "Oh - that ought to hurt, shouldn't it?"

Sitting down next to her, he cupped her face waiting for her eyes to focus on him. "What do I need to do about your hands?"

Slurring slightly she managed, "Potion directly on burns, then bandage. Dip bandages too."

He rummaged through his pack, gathering bandages and potions. His medical skills were far from Nyx's, and even farther from Shadowheart's.

But a potion and a bandage? Should be easy enough.

Nyx watched him through a haze. He soaked her hands and arms with the potion, its effect stopping the blistering. Gathering another, he wetted the bandages. His handiwork left much to be desired; it looked nothing like a healer's, but all he needed was to cover her burns so that she could get a potion in herself. He didn't want a repeat session of potion drowning incident.

The blister were already healing. Satisfied, he cupped her hands together and carefully cradled them around a potion. A relieved sigh escaped him when she drank the potion without further instruction from him. He sat back for a moment, staring at the destruction. Charred remains of crates jutted out from the floor, glowing pieces of infernal iron lay scattered between, and smoke swirled against the ceiling. He narrowed his gaze. The corridor at the back had collapsed during the explosion. The tension in his stomach abated. At least there won't be any more pursuers from that direction.

They could still head us off at the entrance.

"Nyx, my sweet. Are you ready to move again?"

Her vision had cleared, and colour returned to her face. She gazed at the incline and gave a curt nod. He helped her up and waited impatiently while she checked the freed captives for injuries. With a sneer, he convinced her not to carry the child and instead 'volunteered' one of the others to do so. Agreeing that minor cuts, bruises and burns could wait, Astarion hurried them out of the mine.

---

If he had a beating heart, it would have lurched out of his mouth after Wyll's face suddenly appeared at the mine's exit.

"Hells, could you not do that! Why are you loitering in front of the exit anyway?"

Taken aback, Wyll held up placating hands. "Pardon, me. We thought it best to wait here after the blast and quake instead of meeting at the rendevo-" His last words trailed off and his mouth fell open when the soot covered captives shuffled from the passageway blinking at the sunlight. To his credit, his bafflement didn't last long after taking in the state of the escapees. He snapped into action, calling for Shadowheart to assist with healing, herding the captives to a sheltered area away from the mine and assigning Lae'zel to sentry duty.

Astarion sought Nyx and found her a stone's throw away from the captives, pulling her staff from her pack.

She gave him a weak smile. "I think I'll take that meditation now."

A smirk quirked at the corner of his mouth.

At least she sounds like herself again.

He settled in the sunniest spot next to her, intent on basking. Her steady breath, the rustle of leaves overhead, and chirping birds were soothing.

I could do with a bottle of wine myself after that ... that ... Shit show.

--- --- ---

Tav burst from the mine, almost running into Wyll. Gale, Karlach and Halsin came to a heaving halt behind her.

Wyll waved them down. "Easy. Everything is under control."

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Tav clutched at her stomach. "Nine Hells, what happened?"

"Nyx and Astarion found people kidnapped by the Zhents and set them free. The Zhents blew up a section of the mine to prevent them escaping."

"Silvanus!"

Karlach rolled her shoulders. "Fuckers are short screws by the cart load."

A severe frown creased Gale's brow, and he looked back at the mine. "They could've brought the whole place down."

Tav gasped, bewilderment seizing her anew and she wrung her hands. "Is everyone alright?"

Wyll's reply was cautious. "Those who made it out. The blast killed half of the kidnapped." Tav's stomach dropped, and Wyll added, "Astarion said that the rest of them only made it out because Nyx warded off the explosion somehow."

Gale repeated, "Somehow?"

Tav said, "We'll figure that out later." She took a deep breath. "Let's get everybody to a safe place, figure out who and why the Zhents kidnapped these people and report to Dagna."

After gentle probing questions, the captives explained that were kidnapped family members from prominent merchant houses. Abducted by the Zhents to ensure compliance for extortion and 'favours' without interference. Once injuries were mended, Tav ushered them out of the forest. Her attention prickled and her gaze fell over Whitkeep; acutely aware and concerned about who might be watching, she opted to take the kidnapped to Norchapel's largest temple instead of the Brass Consortium. The priests took them in without question or fuss, agreeing to look after them until Dagna came calling.

If Gortash and the Zhents have become so brazen, we'll need to get ahead of the situation and mobilise before they can.

---

Dagna shot out of her chair at the news, slamming her fists into the desk, making it creak. "We may be in the Gate. We may play quick and dirty for profit. But we don't stoop to this! What was the Council of Four thinking?! Delusional or just as corrupt as he is!" She leaned over the desk, red in the face, and spat, "Tell me you have proof and I'll nail him to the Keeps' prison floor with my own hammer."

Tav was accompanied by Wyll this time, sitting across from Dagna, and produced everything they were able to find. Dagna snatched up the bundle of papers, sifting through them determined.

It drew a long sigh from Tav, and she said, "Regretfully, none of it links directly to the Black Hand or its leader. Encrypted."

Dagna glared at the papers and set them down, pressing her lips together. The sun shifted across the floor, their disappointment palatable. Dagna sorted through the papers more carefully and nodded to herself. "Leave these with me. I'll have my people look into it. I want to sniff out a trail. And the moment he makes a mistake, I want to know about it." She adjusted her spectacles. "I'll see to the families as well." Her expression snapped into a sly smile. She made eye contact with each of them and said, "We'll meet the Oasis later, and I'll be sure to have some juicy gossip by then."

Their grins matched hers, and Tav beamed, "Looking forward to it."

Your move, Gortash.

This was supposed to be a goofing around chapter. The Zhents are completely cray-cray and blew up my plans as well. But you know what? It was exactly the kind of shake up this chapter needed and opened great narrative opportunity ;)