GAME MASTER’S KIT, REVISED

The lands of Thedas await you! The Game Master’s Kit, Revised is a key accessory for your campaign in the
world of the Dragon Age RPG. It features a three-panel hardback screen that puts all the essential game
info right in front of the Game Master, and 4 quick reference cards that put the stunts and actions at your
player’s fingertips. A combat tracker, which can be written on with wet or dry erase markers, is also
included, along with a brand new 36-page adventure that takes your PCs into the dangers realm of the
Deep Roads. The Game Master’s Kit, Revised is the perfect complement to the Dragon Age Core Rulebook and
will help you run your game with style!

Adventure Design & Writing: Dave Brookshaw Development: Jack Norris Editing: Evan Sass
Art Direction and Graphic Design: Hal Mangold Cover Art: Casper Konefel Screen Art: Matt Rhodes
Cartography: Andy Law and Tyler Lee Interior Art: Mirco Paganessi and Andrey Vasilchenko
Publisher: Chris Pramas
Green Ronin Staff: Joe Carriker, Steve Kenson, Jon Leitheusser, Nicole Lindroos,
Hal Mangold, Jack Norris, Chris Pramas, Donna Prior, Evan Sass, Marc Schmalz,
Owen K.C. Stephens, Dylan Templar, and Barry Wilson.

Special thanks to Chris Bain, David Gaider, Ben Gelinas, Matthew Goldman, Cameron Harris,
Mary Kirby, Mike Laidlaw, Cori May, and the team at BioWare.
Dragon Age Game Master’s Kit, Revised is © 2016 Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reference to other
copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material.
© 2016 Electronic Arts Inc. EA and EA logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. BioWare, BioWare logo, and Dragon Age are trademarks
of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Green Ronin, Adventure Game Engine, and their associated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing.

GRR2810 • $24.95
Green Ronin Publishing
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Seattle, WA 98118 Printed in China.
www.greenronin.com ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-69-4
 adventure
M
any forgotten secrets lie in the deep places of the
world, hidden and discarded in the abandoned
chambers and passageways of a dwarven empire,
ignored by the dark things that stalk the ruins.
Legends are told in Orzammar and Ferelden of those who cross
into the uncharted regions seeking the truth, coming back with
proof of their ancestry or a long-lost artifact.
And if the truth isn’t what you wanted, who is to know if you
lie? And what harm can it do?
Buried Pasts is an adventure for four to five characters
of level 7, although it can be scaled to allow for a different
number of characters and higher levels if necessary. The
adventure assumes that no Player Characters are dwarves
from Orzammar, but it can be adapted to work with them
if there are any among the heroes. It also assumes that the
Player Characters have some reason to be traveling along the
Imperial Highway off the northwest edge of Lake Calenhad.
Adventure Summary
The PCs have camped on the highway just after dusk when
a group of wounded refugees stumbles upon them. Some-
thing has been attacking villages in the foothills of the Frost-
back Mountains, and the refugees are fleeing to the aid of the
nearest bann. However, the majority of warriors in the vicinity
have been called away to combat pirates on the coast, neces-
sitating the bann to hire the PCs to determine the attackers’
2 Buried Pasts
Buried Pasts
nature, numbers, and origin while the bann raises help from
his superiors. He also warns the PCs that the Avvar may try
to take advantage of their cousins having lost settlements.
Hiking up into the hills, the PCs quickly gather evidence and
determine that the Avvar have themselves been attacked and
are mustering for war.
The attackers are darkspawn, predominantly genlocks, who
have managed to come up to the surface world from a opening
in the ground. Faced with the distrust between the Avvar and
Ferelden forces, and the delay in either side getting there,
the PCs are left to go in themselves. Entering the rift leads
the PCs into the Deep Roads, where they encounter dwarves
from a besieged thaig they claim was sealed off and forgotten
for generations. Most of their territory has been overrun by
darkspawn, and the dwarves were pushed back and forced to
barricade themselves. This allowed the darkspawn to move
past them to the surface. The Avvar have inflicted enough
casualties on the genlocks that the darkspawn have tempo-
rarily retreated into their nest, offering a tight window of
opportunity to act. The dwarves will try to seal the nest and
then make their own escape to Orzammar through the Deep
Roads, but they will need the PCs’ help to do so.
However, the dwarves are lying.
The Dwarves’ Deception
At several points in Buried Pasts, the PCs have the opportu-
nity to discover this vital piece of information—the dwarves
Rewards
are not the last remnant of a once-proud thaig long cut off
from Orzammar as they claim, but have been in the area less
than four months. They have never controlled any ground
beyond their barricaded position, in which they were trapped
by the unexpected horde of genlocks they uncovered when
they opened the thaig doors.
The dwarves all claim membership of castes, but have no true
right to them; they are Surface Caste dwarves, the children
and descendants of those that left Orzammar for a life in
Ferelden and elsewhere and who lost their places in dwarven
society as a result. Without castes to inherit, they cannot be
citizens. Following their dream of returning to the Stone and
taking up a life they never experienced, these second-and-
more generation surface dwarves have decided to commit
genealogical fraud; by excavating their way into the Deep
Roads and finding a deserted thaig to claim, they can then
make their way to Orzammar through the underground and
be welcomed as long-lost cousins, with the names they’ve
stolen from the thaig’s tombs entered into the Memories as Deep in the Dark
their own.
Unfortunately, the thaig was not as empty as the dwarves The majority of Buried Pasts takes place in the underground
had hoped. Awakened by the disturbance of their nest, the spaces of the Deep Roads, where most PCs will have not
genlocks are swarming out in numbers the dwarves’ few ventured before. For those who have spent their entire life
fighters cannot handle. The PCs are their salvation, repre- being able to see the horizon, the cramped, confusing condi-
senting a chance to save the innocent surface villages from tions underground can be difficult to adjust to. The human
being slaughtered by the genlocks the dwarves unwittingly and elven sense of direction is easy to lose underground,
released, and a hope of surviving long enough to make it to sound travels further as it echoes off the walls, the environ-
long-dreamt-of Orzammar. But will the PCs allow the decep- ment can be shockingly cold in one space and blisteringly hot
tion to go ahead once they discover it? And how will they in the next, and the cramped conditions impede the styles of
react to the revelation that the many deaths above ground are fighting surface-dwellers will be used to. The following tips
their new allies’ fault? for description can help a GM get the alien nature of adven-
turing underground across. GMs aren’t required to use all or
any of these optional rules, but they will help give PCs the
A Labyrinth of Choices feeling they are operating deep underground far away from
the battlefields and locales familiar to many of them.
The PCs don’t arrive in a static situation. The dwarves are
keenly aware that they will be killed if they stay where they Light and Shadow
are when the darkspawn return, and are already making plans
when the PCs find the opening. There are several missions to
be carried out—the route to Orzammar must be found, the Above ground it is never completely dark, even on a clouded
darkspawn must be sealed back into the thaig, and the rift moonless night. Underground, in uninhabited areas of the
to the surface must be closed. There aren’t enough dwarven Deep Roads, the only light in the pitch darkness is that which
warriors to undertake them all, especially as the first group the heroes bring with them and the glow of lyrium veins. The
sent to scout for passage toto Orzammar hasn’t returned. slightest obstruction creates a long shadow such that even
with light characters are unlikely to be able to see everything
All Dragon Age RPG adventures feature choices for the PCs. within the reach of their light source. As characters move
In Buried Pasts, those choices take the form of leaving it through the environment, every one of those shadows will
up to the players which missions their characters take part move in keeping, further hindering characters watching for
in, and in which order. The darkspawn are ever advancing, creatures in the dark.
the surface villages and holds defenseless, and the dwarves
desperate. How do the PCs prioritize their tasks when those The deep shadows give surface dwellers (those without an
undertaken last may be unachievable? How does the revela- Orzammar origin) a –2 penalty on all Perception (Seeing)
tion of the dwarves’ true background change their plan? tests.

The final stages of the adventure are very different depending

on what choices the PCs have previously made. Do they
demand to escape to the surface themselves? Have they
successfully delayed the darkspawn by closing the nest? A
variety of alternate closing scenes are presented, covering
options from fleeing to the surface, to desperately allying
with the Avvar against the darkspawn at the heroes’ backs,
to leading the dwarves on the long underground march to
Orzammar.
Sound and Silence
Although the solid rock stops sound traveling to completely
sealed areas, anything louder than a whisper will echo much
further than it would above ground along the passageways
and chambers of the Deep Roads. The effect is especially
pronounced on the roads themselves, as the dwarves built
their underground passageways long and straight with

Buried
RewardsPasts 3

Dwarven Player Characters
The adventure assumes the PCs are primarily surface-
dwellers, but only this first part outright requires them
to spend any time there. Altering Buried Pasts to func-
tion with a group of Orzammar dwarves as Player Char-
acters would be an interesting challenge for a GM; as
a guideline, perhaps the Avvar call for aid against the
darkspawn attacks reaches as far as Gherlen’s Pass
and Orzammar, and the PCs are sent through the Deep
Roads to try to find the source. Scenes would be a mix of
those from part 1 adapted to the below-ground environ-
ment and then the scenes from Part 3 running roughly
in reverse as the PCs encounter Borrun’s scouting party
first. The reveal of the Surface Caste deception will be
especially tense if the PCs are of Orzammar origin.
If any PCs are Surface Caste dwarves themselves, the
adventure becomes much more personal—those that
weren’t personally exiled and wouldn’t be known to
the city are targeted by the dwarves for recruitment
into their plans if they show signs of being amenable to
it, while those who would blow the dwarves’ cover by
their presence are advised to leave before any exodus to
the city. Of course, turning in so many attempts to steal
honorable names might be a factor in having a single
exile forgiven and allowed back.
vaulted ceilings to greatly enhance the distance at which
sounds can be heard. The constant echoing combined with
the dwarven love of deep wind instruments and song gives
inhabited thaigs a background hum of sound that dwarven
poets have compared to the Stone. Orzammar itself is never
silent, and the impact of moving into the stillness of aban-
doned Roads beyond the city’s control is greatly upsetting
to dwarves who have lived with the comforting sense of
community the background noise provides.
Characters attempting stealth must take extra care to avoid
making any noise due to echoes, and Dexterity (Stealth)
tests are made at a –2 penalty. All Perception (Hearing) tests
made in areas of dwarven architecture have a +2 bonus.
Any parties with dwarves in them may find the dwarves’
natural stone sense a help or a frustration. Dwarves who
spend most of their life underground will find the sense still
sharp and comforting. By feeling the stone, navigation is
easier. However, the sense fades the longer dwarves remain
on the surface and when in the darkest parts of the Deep
Roads it can be a vague distraction as the sense is dulled and
irritating, though not completely without use.
Heat and Fuel
The majority of Deep Roads and thaigs are built about two
to four miles beneath sea level, although in the Frostbacks
that means they’re actually much deeper beneath the surface.
Dwarven mining galleries normally stretch up rather than
down, tunneling up into the mountain regions of Ferelden
and Orlais from beneath, while the thaigs themselves burrow
downward toward pockets of lava that have moved up from
the mantle. Most older thaigs (including Orzammar) have
4 Buried Pasts
open regions of molten rock near their center that are used
for heat, while more modern thaigs (ironically those more
likely to be abandoned thanks to the darkspawn pushing the
dwarven empire back on itself) used steam heating. Inhabited
regions between thaigs are heated and lit by oil lamps using
the fat from nugs and brontos.
Away from lava or artificial heating, the Deep Roads are
bitterly cold. The lack of weather is a mercy, but travelers
that go too long without a source of heat will begin to feel the
effects. As their lanterns are likely the source of their heat as
well as light, travelers must take extra care with the amount of
fuel they have; the dwarven empire once maintained frequent
waystations along the Roads for resupply, but running out of
lamp oil in the modern Deep Roads can be a death sentence.
If characters have gone without heat for several hours, at the
GM’s discretion, they may suffer a –2 penalty to all tests.
Fighting at Close Quarters
The dwarves of Orzammar equip their rank-and-file soldiers
with shields, maces, and crossbows, perfect for the cramped
conditions they are expected to fight in. Skirmishing is a thing of
the surface battlefield, except in the largest caverns. The dwarves
train their warriors to block passageways with shieldwalls and
corral disorganized opposition into killing grounds.
Height is the main restriction. The dwarves built the main
tunnels of the Deep Roads with lofty ceiling clearance, and
thaigs are usually organized facing into large caverns to
give a sense of space, but private houses and other areas not
intended for heavy traffic can be uncomfortably cramped to a
human. The lack of space can get in the way of swinging the
larger weapons humans may be used to.
When in cramped conditions, the Skirmish Stunt may not
be used to bypass a defensive wall of opponents, though it
remains useful for pushing those opponents backward or
retreating out of combat. The use of weapons requiring a lot
of swinging room is difficult: Melee attacks using two-handed
weapons are made at a –2 penalty if there isn’t room.
Escort Missions and
Squad-Scale Combat
Usually, the heroes of the Dragon Age RPG fight alone against
their adversaries, with each enemy having a separate set of
statistics and place on the initiative order, but there are situa-
tions where this is not always the best option. For truly large-
scale battles, there are the Mass Battle rules. But sometimes an
approach somewhere between the two is called for, particu-
larly when PCs are called upon to escort or assist a modest
number of NPCs such as a squad of troops or a band of refu-
gees. In these situations, it’s usually best to describe the effect
of NPCs battling the background, but to not bother resolving
every attack mechanically.
However, sometimes it is desirable to determine the effects
of a group of NPC allies battling NPC adversaries. In these
cases, it’s recommended the GM only resolve a few attacks
between NPCs and allow these results to represent a larger
conflict. When enough total damage is done by these attacks
Rewards
to kill an opponent, they are slain in the melee between the
two groups. As the PCs defeat their own foes, those attacking
NPCs may move to engage them or flee, depending on how
the fight is going overall.
Example: The PCs are escorting a dozen injured dwarven
warriors when they are ambushed by two dozen darkspawn.
The PCs end up engaging half the enemy as the other dozen
push past them to assault the dwarves. Not wanting to resolve
two dozen attacks that don’t involve the PCs, the GM instead
rolls for two attacks from the dwarves on the darkspawn and
two attacks from the genlocks on the dwarves. Once enough
total damage to kill an opponent is done against a side, one
of them drops.
This method gives the PCs time to deal with a reasonable
number of enemies that are part of a larger force, while still
having consequences for taking too long or making mistakes
in battle that could cost their allies’ lives. Note that this
method is meant to help GMs and players when managing
larger combats that are still too small to warrant the Mass
Battle rules. If this method doesn’t work for your group, feel
free to ignore it and run combats however works best for you.
signs of the slabs having been replaced in spots, and the tree
line has been cut back from the road’s edge. The PCs are
camped in this gap.
There are five refugees and one dog in all, survivors of an
attack on the village of Cedd’s Fall. Udela is the least injured
with only superficial scrapes and bruises, and she can recount
their tale while the others are tended to.
Cedd’s Fall is a farming village, up in the hills near the edge
of Avvar territory. In the pre-dawn hours last night, the village
was attacked by… something. Udela can only describe the
attackers as being shorter than the villagers, dressed in patch-
work metal armor and wielding cruel bladed weapons. The
outer buildings of the village were set on fire as a prelude to
the attack, and in the confusion she didn’t get a very good look
at whatever they were. These five are those who managed to
flee their homes before the attackers came in after them; the
assailants were going from home to home, smashing their way
in and gutting the people hiding inside. Finan, the man with
the head wound, tried to go back to save more but took a blow
to the head. One of the village dogs dragged him to safety.

PART 1
First Aid
PCs will likely attempt first aid on the injured villagers—the
The Mist-Covered entire group has already taken a breather, so cannot regain

Mountains
The adventure begins with the PCs traveling the Imperial
Highway between Lake Calenhad Docks and Gherlen’s Pass
in early autumn. As dusk approaches and they begin looking
for a place to camp, they stumble upon the refugees who
spark their involvement in the adventure, and eventually
their descent into the Deep Roads.

SCENE 1

A Chance Encounter
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCs are traveling the Imperial Highway when they
stumble upon refugees fleeing an attack on their village.

Making your way South along the Imperial Highway, you

have reached the 40-mile marker from Calenhad Docks before
deciding to camp for the night. A thick mist is rolling in from
nearby Lake Calenhad, but your fire is warming and the food
welcome. About three hours after sunset, you are alerted to the
sound of breaking undergrowth from the nearby woods. As
you get to your feet and ready your weapons, figures appear
out of the now-thick mist. The closest stumbles into camp,
close enough to the fire to get a proper look. He is human; a
commoner, judging by his clothes, he is bleeding from a black
and partially-scabbed wound on his forehead that mats his
hair and stains his shirt. His eyes are desperate.

The Imperial Highway winds around Western Ferelden,

through the lowest region of the Hinterlands. The road is
ancient, but in this section at least it is well kept—there are

Buried
RewardsPasts 5
 any more Health that way. However, they didn’t have any
proper bandages so haven’t attempted a heal action, and they
haven’t rested yet either, leaving both of those options open.
FINAN
Finan is in his early twenties, a farm laborer on Lars’ farm.
Seen as having too much bravado by his neighbors and as
a bad role-model for village children that look up to his
boisterous ways, he has led a solitary life on the outskirts of
Cedd’s Fall working for Lars and Rheda. Finan was one of
the few villagers awake and seeing to his daily duties when
the village was attacked; he rescued Rheda and Lars from the
farmhouse and tried to head further into the village to save
more, but was struck by a darkspawn on the head and would
have been killed if his hound, Brun, hadn’t dragged him out.
The wound has scabbed over, matting his hair to his forehead,
and needs to be cleaned before being properly treated. It’s
harder than normal to tell with his head wound, but Finan is
a good-looking young man—another reason he’s so popular
despite his general lack of sense.
Brun, a Mabari/Wofun crossbreed, still sits by his master’s
feet, growling at anyone who seems to be threatening Finan.
The dog’s Wofun heritage makes him smaller than a pedigree
Mabari, and more prone to taking independent action.
Finan has only 23 out of 35 maximum Health remaining.
FINAN
Attributes (Focuses)
Communication (Animal Handling) 2, Constitution 1,
Cunning –1, Dexterity (Crafting) 1, Magic 0, Perception 1,
Strength 1, Willpower (Courage) 2
Headstrong, handsome, but humbled village tough.
LARS
The goat farm in Cedd’s Fall has been in Lars’ family for
generations, since the village was founded in the last Age.
Lars and his wife Rheda have no children of their own and
have reached middle age, so agreed to take Finan on as a
laborer in the hope of teaching him responsibility enough to
pass the holding on to him. Finan repaid them a hundredfold
when he saw the attack on the village and woke the couple
in enough time for them to escape. While Finan was uncon-
scious, however, a lone attacker found their hiding place on
the outskirts of the village, and Lars nearly lost his leg fighting
the monster off. His leg is badly mauled and broken, though
the bleeding has been stopped, and he has made it this far by
making a crude crutch from tree branches.
Lars has 12 out of a maximum 45 Health remaining. He is the
most injured villager.
LARS
Attributes (Focuses)
Communication (Animal Handling) 2, Constitution 1,
Cunning (Natural Lore) 1, Dexterity (Crafting) 2, Magic
–2, Perception 1, Strength (Driving) 2, Willpower 1
Aging workhorse of a farmer.
6 Buried Pasts
RHEDA
Rheda is eight years younger than her husband, having
married him when she was the village beauty and he a strong
farmhand looking to inherit his father’s land. The marriage
has remained loving despite their lack of children, and it was
Rheda’s idea to take Finan in.
During the attack, Rheda and Lars were woken early by
Finan, and the couple hid on the outskirts of Cedd’s Fall. She
suffered a broken arm when a single attacker found her and
her husband, and got the best look at one of the monsters out
of any of the villagers. It was her idea to head to Castle Selwyn
for aid, and she is suffering from exhaustion after having kept
everyone’s spirits up for their day-long march.
Rheda has 37 out of 42 Health remaining. She is the least
injured villager.
RHEDA
Attributes (Focuses)
Communication (Animal Handling) 1, Constitution 1,
Cunning (Brewing, Herb Lore) 2, Dexterity (Crafting) 0,
Magic 0, Perception 1, Strength 1, Willpower (Morale) 2
Aging beauty, farmwife and mother figure to Finan.
UDELA
Udela was never happy staying in one place too long; in her
mid-twenties, she grew up with a wanderlust uncommon for
her surroundings and once schooling finished soon found
herself driving the carts of produce to market at neighboring
villages. She found she had a knack for haggling and trading,
especially in the wool the village produced, and has dreams of
joining the Traders’ Crafthouse and leaving her life in the hills
behind.
Unfortunately, she was home when the attack took place.
Surviving by hiding herself and her grandfather Wurt in a
storage shed, she witnessed her parents’ deaths at the hands
of the attackers. As the refugee who has actually been to
Castle Selwyn before for the market, she has proved invalu-
able in navigating their route down out of the hills. She has
no large injuries beyond sprains, bruises, and sheer exhaus-
tion.
Udela has 33 out of 44 Health remaining.
UDELA
Attributes (Focuses)
Communication (Bargaining) 2, Constitution 1, Cunning
(Evaluation, Natural Lore) 2, Dexterity 1, Magic 0,
Perception 1, Strength (Driving) 1, Willpower 2
Wool trader and aspiring crafter.
WURT
Wurt is a retired farmer and a respected elder of Cedd’s Fall,
who fills his days with small work of carpentry, watching
over the young while their parents are in the pasture and
offering advice when needed. He has been a widower for five
years, supported by his children and granddaughter Udela.
Rewards
Udela saved him from the attackers when she was woken by
their neighbors’ screams; whatever the assailants were, they
killed his children and appear to have not realized there were
four people living in the house.
The loss of his family and his home of sixty years has nearly
broken Wurt’s mind; he has retreated into himself and does
not speak. A successful TN 15 Communication (Persuasion)
test can persuade him that the situation is not truly hopeless
and bring him around.
Wurt has 24 of 35 Health remaining
WURT
Attributes (Focuses)
Communication (Animal Lore) 1, Constitution 0, Cunning
(Natural Lore) 3, Dexterity (Crafting) 1, Magic –1,
Perception 0, Strength 0, Willpower 1
Distraught village elder.
The Nature of the Beast
The refugees are all clear on one thing; the attackers did not
seem human. Finan is unconscious or confused and Wurt
and Udela did not get a good look, but Lars and Rheda
certainly did. They describe the creatures (and they were
creatures, not men) as being short, like dwarves, but jaun-
diced in skin color and with fangs for teeth. PCs that have
encountered them before will immediately recognize the
description of genlock darkspawn. The refugees for their
part suspect the creatures are darkspawn, but have no idea
of the types of monsters that make up the forces of the Arch-
demons. Still, if the refugees are asked for their opinion, at
least one of them will offer this assessment, even if they’re
unable to tell genlocks from hurlocks, shrieks, and other
types of darkspawn.
Flight to Castle Selwyn
The villagers came down from the hills in search of Bann
Selwyn, the local noble, whose holdings are about ten miles
from the PCs campsite. Udela is adamant that they must reach
the shelter of the bann and raise help for the village, but Lars
and Finan are in no shape to travel another three to five hours
on foot in the dark and the mist.
If the PCs don’t offer it themselves, Rheda (or Wurt if he can
be brought out of his catatonia) asks for their help reaching
the bann. The village is the bann’s responsibility and he’ll
surely be able to offer a reward for a few hours’ assistance.
The question then becomes one of how to reach the bann
quickly and safely. The mist is thickening and heading off into
the night might not be the wisest option. Udela wants to leave
immediately, but as any PC who makes a successful TN 13
Perception (Empathy) test realizes, she is reacting more from
the terror of seeing her parents killed that morning than out
of any rational assessment of their chances. Persuading her
that the journey will be easier in the morning requires a TN 15
Communication (Persuasion) test, lowered to TN 9 if the PCs
have horses available to carry anyone who will still have diffi-
culty walking.
Buried
RewardsPasts
SCENE 2
A Keep With No Guards
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
Having arrived at the local bann’s castle to find its
garrison sorely depleted, the PCs are commissioned to
track the attackers.
With a sense of relief, you reach the spur road from the
highway that leads down to Castle Selwyn. After a short
journey down the slope toward Lake Calenhad you arrive at
your destination. The villagers give thanks to the Maker and
His Prophet for their deliverance.
The castle is both new and old. An ancient keep built on a
rocky island just offshore, it was sacked by the Orlesians when
they invaded and left a ruin until recent years, when Bann
Selwyn took it as his own and began rebuilding. The work is
still in progress, and the patchwork of ancient masonry with
modern timber construction just now being filled in and rein-
forced with stone reminds you how new this town is.
The town itself is built along the shore of the lake, protected
from the landward side by a wooden palisade and a gatehouse
that, like the castle, is half wooden and half stone. The market-
place is central, merging with the jetties on the lakeside, and if
the PCs have arrived during the day it is in full operation.
The PCs probably won’t linger in the town beyond speaking
to the bann at the castle. The goods for sale in the market are
wools and crops from the hill villages supplemented by the
catch of fishing boats based in the town. There’s a weekly
ferry to Lake Calenhad Docks on the far side of the lake, but
it isn’t due to sail for another three days. The inn, The King’s
Victory, is relatively large for a town this size, having done
double-duty as lodgings for the workers rebuilding the forti-
fications until the castle itself could house them.
As any perceptive PC will note, however, on making a
successful TN 11 Perception (Seeing) test, there may be a
problem with asking for the bann’s help; the guards on the
outer gatehouse of the town and those manning the castle’s
battlements are all either very young or very old, and their
equipment seems of low quality. If any experienced soldiers
were based here, there is no sign of them now.
Bann Selwyn
The characters and their charges will be allowed into the
castle for an audience with the bann as soon as they inform a
guard why they are there.
The hall is in the same state of semi-repair as the rest of the
building. No lofty throne room, this is the office of a lowly
regional governor, dominated by a large oak table and
furnished with functional benches and chairs. Even the bann’s
own seat is only distinguished by his coat of arms hanging on
the wall behind it, and rather than a tapestry or engraving, it
is his actual shield and sword serving as the decoration.
The bann joins the PCs after enough time for them to look
around. He is a thin man of middle years with the look of one
7

About Avvar
The customs of the Avvar clans are examined in detail
in Where Eagles Dare, the second adventure in Blood
In Ferelden.
Briefly, Avvar organize themselves into clans, each of
which is based out of and named for a “hold,” a forti-
fied hillfort in which the entire clan lives. Kothag’s
name translates as “Kothag, son of Daeorn of the clan
of Sunhold.” Women use “An” instead of “Ar” and
list their mothers’ name. Traditional Avvar marriage
involves ritualized kidnap of the spouse-to-be (often
with both families’ consent) from the hold of their birth
to that of their mate. Unlike their Alamarri cousins (the
ancestors of modern Ferelden’s population), the Avvar
never recognized the Prophet or the Maker and hold to
their traditional gods, of which the gods of the moun-
tains and winter and the goddess of the skies (who is
also their death god) are the strongest. Most outsiders
assume Avvar shamans are simple wise men and women
who interpret omens as being the will of the gods, but
as a society without the Chantry the Avvar are also a
society without a Circle; most clan shamans, for all their
religious duties, are actually powerful mages.
Avvar have the same relationship to birds of prey that
Alamarri have to wolves; where the warriors of Ferelden
use dogs as companions and shock troops, the Avvar
train falcons and eagles as scouts. In addition, each hold
has a “hold-beast,” an animal they believe is tied to the
prosperity of the hold. The Avvar leave gifts of food
for their hold-beasts but not enough so that the beast
won’t hunt or scavenge. Hold-beasts are not pets; they
are treated as honored kin to the Avvar and allowed to
act as they will. The Avvar believe if their hold-beast is
happy and healthy, the hold will be blessed with good
luck fortune. If the hold-beast sickens or dies, this is seen
as a dire omen.
who doesn’t get enough sleep. He is, however, appreciative of
what they have done.
“Thank the Maker for you all. If you hadn’t been on the
Highway when these poor people crossed it, we might not
have heard about Cedd’s Fall before it was too late. You’ll be
paid for today, I promise, but the news… The news means I
have need of your services.”
The problem is that the garrison of Castle Selwyn is sorely
below strength, run by a militia of volunteers, retired and
nearly retired warriors, and those youths who could be
persuaded to hold a pike in exchange for a few dozen
coppers. Any troops of quality were reassigned to Highever
in the summer to guard against the threat of piracy from the
Free Marches. Selwyn sorely protested at the time, fearing an
incursion from the Avvar, but was overruled by his superiors.
BANN SELWYN
Selwyn spent his early career as a landless knight fighting the
Avvar further south, and since his promotion to bann there
8 Buried Pasts
have been tensions between the villages in his territory and
the nearby Avvar holds. Selwyn blames the Avvar for this,
claiming that the barbarians are incapable of negotiating
border changes in good faith and invent claims to ground
when it suits them. If the PCs check his stories with people
in town or the refugees, a successful TN 13 Communication
(Investigation) test reveals the problems to be not entirely
the Avvars’ fault; Selwyn ordered a river dammed cutting
water from one hold, and refused the Avvar permission to
conduct rituals on a particular ridge that he claimed was
within his side of the hills. Selwyn jumps to the immediate
conclusion that the attackers of Cedd’s Fall were Avvar, and
that any contradictory story the refugees tell is the result of
their trauma and confusion.
BANN SELWYN
Attributes (Focuses)
Communication (Leadership) 2, Constitution 3, Cunning
(Heraldry) 1, Dexterity (Riding) 3, Magic 0, Perception 2,
Strength (Heavy Blades) 2, Willpower 2
Concerned landholder and veteran of border
skirmishes with the Avvar.
A Commission
As part of his certainty, though, Selwyn is quick to act. While
the refugees are welcome in the castle town and will be cared
for, he wants to hire the PCs to head up to the village and
track the attackers back to their origin, then determine the
numbers and strength of the enemy before dealing with them
themselves or returning back to him to report if the odds are
overwhelming. In the meantime, Selwyn will dispatch riders
to Redcliffe to the south and Highever to the north, pleading
for troops to help repel the incursion. He is confident that one
of the arls will respond, most likely both.
The PCs are welcome to resupply from the castle armory,
and receive a badge noting them to be on the bann’s busi-
ness in case rangers or sheriffs stop them up in the hills. The
payment he offers is roughly the average reward the PCs
in the campaign are accustomed to receiving for modestly
dangerous work, though he will increase it by up t0 an addi-
tional twenty-five percent without haggling if the PCs press—
he wants to get things moving and resolved quickly.
Appropriate Response
If the PCs have not already learned that the attacks were
by darkspawn, then on their way to resupply (or simply to
eat) they witness Rheda angrily confront the bann, pointing
out that she knows Avvar and she knows what attacked her
and her husband. PCs with a military background might
realize with a TN 9 Cunning (Military Lore) test that the
forces necessary to repel a border raid of Avvar (no matter
how bloody) are nowhere near enough to repel a large force
of genlocks; if the bann undersells the peril to his superiors,
the arls’ response will be insufficient. On the other hand, as a
successful TN 13 Perception (Empathy) test reveals, he fears
crying “darkspawn” and being proven wrong, losing him
what little authority and respect he has.
Rewards
Respect My Authority
Selwyn is only a bann, and by this stage in their careers PCs
may have made a name for themselves as famous adven-
turers. Selwyn is more likely to take the word of a noted slayer
of darkspawn that the attackers were genlocks than that of an
unknown Freeholder, and vastly more likely to believe a Grey
Warden. The GM should take the PCs’ fame in handling such
matters into account if the heroes try to persuade him he is
being clouded by prejudice. He will immediately bow to the
authority of a Grey Warden on the matter, though he’ll note
that, as he has no troops for them to draft, the fundamental
plan must remain the same.
SCENE 3
Scenes of Destruction
EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
The PCs investigate the ruined village for what it can
tell them about the attackers, and find tracks leading
into Avvar territory.
Two days later, you reach Cedd’s Fall, after a long but
uneventful journey through the peaceful forested foothills. If
there weren’t still a flock of carrion birds over the village, you
could be forgiven for thinking no attack had taken place.
Until you arrive and see the devastation.
Houses and fields burned. Bodies lying half-scavenged in
the street, the rags indicating they were dressed for sleeping
when death came to Cedd’s Fall. Herding-hounds lie dead
where they attempted to protect their masters. The footprints
of crude boots are stamped all over the dirt of the village
square.
Where do you begin?
The Village
Cedd’s Fall is a three-street village nestled into a slight
cleft on a hillside, a bubbling, tumbling stream providing
water and driving the village mill at the center point. The
hill to one side of the village is forested in pine, while the
exposed southern and western sides of the village look out
over the bleak hills rising and forming the Frostbacks in the
distance. The freeholders who lived here were goat-and-
swine-herders, as the vegetation was unsuitable for cattle,
and beyond a few carefully-irrigated fields of grain and the
vegetable gardens beside every dwelling it would be diffi-
cult to grow crops this high up. The large goat herds would
graze on the open hillside while the village pigs would
forage in the woods.
PCs with looting on their mind face a lot of work for little
gain; the village was not rich, and the houses and corpses
will offer up only a few silver at best. The richest pickings
can be had at Wurt and Udena’s house if they can identify it
from what those refugees said; almost half a gold in silver and
copper coins is stashed in a bag beneath Udena’s bed.
Piecing together what happened and retracing the route the
genlocks took in and out takes an advanced TN 13 Percep-
Buried
RewardsPasts
Not the First Time in the Mountains
If the players have played Where Eagles Dare with one
or more of the same PCs that are being played in Buried
Pasts, then they have a much easier time in these encoun-
ters. Giving their names makes Kothag frown in half-
remembrance, and dropping the name of Redhold makes
him realize where he’s heard of them. They are famous
among the clans for defeating the siege of Redhold in that
earlier adventure, and he will not have to be persuaded
to escort them to his father, instead suggesting it himself.
Even if you haven’t run that specific adventure, the
PCs could have similar exploits in their past careers. If
they have a history of helping the Avvar out, especially
against darkspawn, now is the time to mention it.
tion (Tracking) test with a Success Threshold of 15, with
each roll representing an hours’ work. The genlocks came
over the pasture side of the hill, passing Rheda and Lars’
farm on the outskirts of the village (Finan rescued his
employers, taking them to the treeline) before hitting the
main part of the village. Livestock, hounds, and villagers
were chased down and hacked apart by axes, the bodies left
where they fell. There is no sign that the darkspawn took
anything, and aside from a few barely perceptible stains
(noticed with a successful TN 17 Perception (Tracking) test)
where someone fought back to the point of spilling tainted
blood, the genlocks do not appear to have taken any losses.
They charged off the way they came, moving at speed to the
southwest.
The Trail
Once the PCs have the trail, it is not hard to follow. The
genlocks made no attempt to cover their tracks to or from
Cedd’s Fall; only the bleak, scrubby landscape of open hill-
sides impedes tracking, and once the trail reaches the north
side of the next slope and enters a forest again the spongier
ground surface offers a wide, well-defined trail of dark-
spawn boot prints.
The Plunge Pool and the Ravine
At the forested base of a hill four miles farther on, water
running down a sharp ravine breaks into a waterfall before
forming a plunge pool. Here, next to the water with ample
shade from the sun provided by the 30-foot cliffs and the
dense trees, the genlocks appear to have rested. Pieces of
broken equipment, refuse and the carcasses of animals litter
the ground, and the bark of the trees is oozing an unhealthy-
looking dark sap where the taint began to take hold.
A successful TN 13 Perception (Tracking) test reveals
displaced stones and signs that the darkspawn climbed up
the cliff and then followed the ravine; following them will
require an advanced TN 10 Strength (Climbing) test with a
Success Threshold of 10 to climb up the side of the waterfall.
PCs that make a successful TN 11 Perception (Seeing) test
note that the next hill to the West has a cluster of small rect-
9
 KOTHAG AR DAEORN O SUNHOLD Suddenly, there is the crack of a twig underfoot, and the sound
Abilities (Focuses) of a startled bird taking flight. Fur-clad figures move themselves
into your line of sight, bows strung and ready to use but—care-
2 Communication (Animal Training)
fully—not yet notched. The leader, a tall, dark-haired human
3 Constitution (Stamina) wearing leather and fur armor heavily decorated with strings of
1 Cunning (Herb Lore) talons and teeth as kill-trophies, regards you balefully.
“You trespass on our clan’s land, and you are armed. Who
4 Dexterity (Bows, Light Blades)
are you and what business do you have with us?”
–1 Magic
3 Perception (Tracking, Seeing) The speaking Avvar warrior is Kothag Ar Daeorn O Sunhold,
the middle son of the local clan chieftain and a famed hunter
2 Strength (Might)
among his people. Kothag has come down to the border with
2 Willpower Ferelden to search for the origin of the darkspawn that just
the day before attacked Sunhold, the hillfort-home of the
Speed Health Defense Armor Rating
clan further up in the hills. He and his scouts had located the
14 67 14 3 genlocks’ resting place before spotting the PCs.
Weapon Attack Roll Damage Kothag is in no mood to suffer interlopers after having lost two
cousins to the attack, but his scouts are very carefully keeping
Longbow +6 1d6+6
their weapons held out, ready, but not attacking, which Avvar-
Short Sword +6 1d6+4 conversant PCs or those who succeed at a TN 14 Cunning
Thrown Knife +6 1d6+2 (Cultural Lore) test will realize is the clans’ equivalent of a
flag of truce. That the village on the Ferelden side has also been
Dagger +6 1d6+3
attacked comes as no surprise to him. It makes sense that if
Special Qualities the hold barely beat the darkspawn off then the soft lowland
villagers would have been slaughtered. If the PCs express that
Favored Stunts: Pierce Armor (1 SP), Rapid Reload, and
they are also here to fight darkspawn, he can be persuaded to
Seize the Initiative (2 SP).
escort them back up to the hold with a successful TN 10 Commu-
Class Powers (Rogue 5): Backstab, Rogue’s Armor, Stunt nication (Persuasion) test. If the PCs try to force their way past
Bonus, and Bluff. his men, however, he will warn them once and then—if they
Talents: Archery Style (Novice) and Scouting (Journeyman). continue to attempt to strongarm him—he’ll order an attack.
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, Light Blades, and Staves. He will accept surrenders and allow any retreat, however any
subsequent attempts to persuade him to bring them up into
Equipment: Kill-token-strung leather armor, fur cloak,
Avvar lands will then be at TN 18.
longbow, quiver of arrows, concealed throwing knives,
shortsword, and belt-sheathed dagger.
Kothag’s Retinue
Grim Avvar hunter.
Kothag is accompanied by his scouts, Gwion Ar Faern O
angular platforms on stilts built in a spiral pattern on a bluff. Sunhold, Hadrim Ar Ghoan O Sunhold, Idra An Moire O
PCs with an origin that comes into contact with the Avvar Sunhold, and Talys Ar Faern O Sunhold. Idra is a woman;
or who succeed on a TN 17 Cunning (Cultural Lore) test Gwion, Hadrim, and Talys are men.
recognize them as “air burial” platforms; the Avvar leave the
corpses of their dead out to be eaten by carrion birds, and by Use the Avvar Hunter statistics on page 273 of the Dragon Age
placing the platforms in specific sites the Avvar clan respon- RPG Core Rulebook for the members of Kothag’s band.
sible is staking a claim to that land by leaving their ancestors
SCENE 5
there. The PCs are now in Avvar territory.
Whether the PCs head toward the platforms or follow the
darkspawn trail up the ravine, they are now being watched The Broken Hold
by an Avvar scouting party hidden ahead of their route, who
show themselves before the PCs reach another destination. ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER

The PCs arrive at Sunhold in the aftermath of a dark-

SCENE 4
spawn attack and are faced with the hostility of a
wounded people toward outsiders.
Frayed Tempers After a few hours’ more journey, first up the loose stones
ROLEPLAYING / COMBAT ENCOUNTER of the ravine and then along the banks of the stream before
crossing to the next hill, the Avvar hillfort of Sunhold comes
The PCs are challenged by an Avvar scouting party; into view. A rough oval surrounded by a high stone wall, you
trying to find the darkspawn themselves after their can make out the roofs of the higher buildings.
hold has been attacked, the Avvar are in no mood for And you can see the damage.
outsider interference.

10 Buried Pasts
Rewards
The outer wall of Sunhold has been breached in three places,
two of them severe, and the smoke drifting across the hill-
side to the PCs from the hold has an unpleasant, greasy taste,
as though of burning fat. Avvar clanspeople are already at
work filling in the gaps in the wall with timber, while off
to one side out of the hold proper there is a ragged heap of
corpses.
If Kothag is escorting the PCs, he points to the corpse-pile
and simply says “darkspawn.” If he is well-disposed toward
them, through their fame or a particularly good Dragon Die
on the test to persuade him to take them this far, he notes
what some of the buildings in the hold are—their shrine,
the falconry, his father’s house—and cautions them to keep
their weapons visible while he makes the necessary intro-
ductions.
If the PCs fought Kothag and killed him, the reception here
will be initially as untrusting as he was. Should the Avvar
discover what happened to their scouts, they will attack. The
hold contains just over eighty Avvar of fighting age led by
shamans and high-level warriors. A PC group can bypass the
hold entirely and pick up the darkspawn trail again with a
combination of a successful TN 19 Dexterity (Stealth) test
to slip past the hold and a TN 15 Cunning (Navigation) test
to guess where the darkspawn trail will go next to meet back
up with it.
Assuming Kothag is escorting them, the PCs are taken under
guard into the hold. Inside, it’s a shambles. Some buildings
have been burned, and the Avvar are clearing the streets of
rubble. Some kind of religious ceremony is taking place near
the shrine, as the bodies of the Avvar dead are prepared for
air burial by the shamans. The PCs are carefully steered away
from the ceremony, Kothag explaining that some things are
not for outsiders’ eyes.
Everyone is staring at them. The tension is palpable. The Avvar
defenses held, but only just, and they lost enough warriors that THANE DAEORN AR ANORN O SUNHOLD
they’re uncertain of victory a second time. The pride of the
hold has been wounded, and it is ready to lash out. Attributes (Focuses)
When they meet with Thane Daeorn, he is surveying the Communication (Leadership) 3, Constitution 3 (Stamina),
breached wall section with the hold’s chief shaman, an elderly Cunning (Military Lore) 3, Dexterity (Bows) 2, Magic 0,
woman named Morrai. Perception 3 (Empathy), Strength (Axes) 3, Willpower 2

As the PCs approach, Morrai stops talking. She is clearly
concerned about something, but the thane is focused on the
newcomers. He welcomes them, noting that he’s already sent
word to several allied holds asking for warriors.
“Are you the sole lowlander response, then, or a vanguard?”
Military Matters
If asked about the reinforcements he has sent for, Daeorn
grows calculating and careful in his speech, promising that
the land will be pacified and the darkspawn, whichever rock
they crawled from under, will be sent running back for the
shadows. A successful TN 11 Perception (Empathy) or TN 9
Cunning (Military Lore) test reveals he intends to not just
pacify the Avvar side of the border. Asking him outright
results in a smile and a cheerful admission that it seems, at
present, that the genlocks came from the Ferelden side of
the border and that Bann Selwyn is incapable of protecting
Canny Avvar clan-leader and strategist.
MORRAI
Attributes (Focuses)
Communication 1 (Animal Handling), Constitution 1,
Cunning (Herb Lore, Poison Lore, Healing) 4, Dexterity
(Crafting) 2, Magic 3 (Primal, Spirit), Perception 2,
Strength 0, Willpower 3 (Self-Discipline)
Avvar shaman and omen-mistress.
against such incursions. Daeorn is only too happy to assist
him in this matter.
Suggesting that Selwyn’s troops will do the job just as well
does not make the thane happy. He points out that the dark-
spawn could return at any day and that the Avvar troops have
considerably less distance to travel to get here. A successful
TN 15 Perception (Empathy) or TN 11 Cunning (Military
Lore) test will reveal that he has no wish to engage in a battle

Buried
RewardsPasts 11
 with trained lowland knights and men at arms. Daeorn is
willing to push this tragedy for an advantage and his honor
demands the Avvar take revenge for the attack, but he has
grown used to the status quo, especially as it is one that leaves
him the military power in the area.
The Darkspawn
If the PCs ask about the darkspawn, the thane and his shaman
move the meeting to the pile of enemy corpses so that the
PCs can examine them themselves. Most are genlocks and
hurlocks, with larger alphas of each species that can be noticed
in the heap by a successful TN 11 Perception (Searching)
test, with a handful of heavily-armored hurlocks scattered
among them. The wall breaches were the work of hurlocks
wielding great hammers in two cases, but the breach Daeorn
was surveying was caused by an ogre, a giant warrior-beast
the size of three men.
There are no genlock or hurlock emissaries, and none were
seen during the battle. A Grey Warden PC will know what
that means but if no Wardens are present the shaman can
supply the answer: “No mages among them means they are
not under the command of greater forces. This is not a Blight;
this is something else.”
Tainted Blood
Asking about the casualties Sunhold took leads to the thane
initially becoming evasive; a successful TN 13 Perception
(Empathy) test shows this as trying to make his forces seem
more fearsome to the potential invaders the PCs represent.
They lost a lot of warriors, though, enough for revenge to be
called for by honor. If the thane is not seen to be doing some-
thing, he will lose a great deal of respect from his people.
The subject of casualties raised, Morrai brings up the matter
of the walking wounded, those warriors who took injuries
but were not killed. The thane waves it off as a good story for
those men and women to tell, but Morrai is concerned that
some of the warriors (seven in total) have become infected by
the blood of the enemy. It is possible that they may survive,
but it is equally possible that they become ghouls if the taint
takes root in their minds.
Morrai wants the infected put under constant guard at least,
and given a quick death at the first sign of corruption. The
thane, though, is adamant that he needs every warrior he can
get. Intervening on either side requires a successful advanced
TN 15 Communication (Persuasion) test with a Success
Threshold of 8, but has consequences. Daeorn clearly isn’t
happy at the PCs telling him what to do in his own hold if
they side with Morrai.
Negotiations
At the end of the audience, a scout arrives to speak to the
thane. The darkspawn that survived their attack on Sunhold
retreated and tracking them has revealed the location of the
nest. The genlocks descended into a great pit two miles over
the Ferelden side of the border, and vanished into a cave
entrance.
12
This leaves the thane with a problem. The darkspawn will
recover their numbers and come back—it’s what darkspawn
do—but the lair is in Ferelden and Selwyn’s troops will start
a fight if he crosses to secure it. However, he must be seen to
be doing something.
He proposes that as the PCs are here to deal with the threat
and it is in their territory, Kothag will go with them to the
opening and remain outside while they go down to find out
what is causing the darkspawn to attack and put a stop it.
They have until the Avvar forces arrive to do so, at which
point he’ll cross the border.
If they sided with Daeorn or kept out of the discussion
of those possibly tainted, the thane can be persuaded to
offer help or increase the size of the scouting party with a
successful TN 17 Communication (Persuasion) test; the TN
is so high because he really does need all his forces at the
hold if the PCs fail. If he’s still friendly to the PCs and the
conversation has gone well so far, the most he will be able to
do is put another scout in Kothag’s place and send Korthag
down into the cave with the PCs in order to increase their
numbers.
Locking up the possibly-tainted Avvar will mean that Daeorn
has no troops to spare and the PCs will be on their own. Killing
them means that Daeorn is open about ordering Kothag to
give up on them at the first sign of darkspawn.
Negotiations concluded, the PCs and Korthag make their way
back to Ferelden, in search of the darkspawn pit.
SCENE 6
The Wounded Stone
EXPLORATION / COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The PCs track the darkspawn back to their source; an
opening in the ground exposing the Deep Roads to the
surface.
Even higher in the hills, with the forest long since left behind,
you find it. A great pit mars the Eastern slope of a valley,
sheltered from sight by larger hills to either side. A pile of
displaced stone, soil, and rubble lies in a cleft lower down the
slope, but the pit is too deep for a mere landslide to be respon-
sible as if something forced the ground out of place, opening
the bare rock up. As you approach, you can hear the guttural
voices of darkspawn from inside.
There are signs of the darkspawn everywhere—discarded
refuse, tracks, and broken weapons. No plants are growing in
the bare soil of the pit, as the taint has withered them. .
The cave itself is narrow and dark, barely visible behind a
large boulder. It is also guarded by two genlocks and one
hurlock standing next to the entrance, one looking out across
the landscape toward Lake Calenhad, squinting into the
sunlight, and the other two grunting, cackling, and cuffing
at one another.
Darkspawn are poor sentries, and it is possible that the PCs
get the drop on them; the encounter should begin with an
opposed test for surprise, with the genlocks making a Percep-
tion (Sight) test vs. the PCs’ Dexterity (Stealth). Failure
Buried Pasts
Rewards
indicates that the genlocks haven’t noticed the intruders, and
will miss the first round of combat.
Statistics for genlocks and hurlocks can be found on pages 284
and 285 of the Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook.
Darkspawn Sentries
Once the darkspawn are dealt with, the site is easier to examine
(make the surprise tests again for every test the players make
without removing the sentries, giving a cumulative +2 bonus
each time). A TN 13 Perception (Tracking) test confirms that
this is the entry and exit point of the genlocks into the hills,
both where they came from before attacking Cedd’s Fall and
where they fled back to after their rampage was halted by
the Avvar. A successful TN 13 Cunning (Natural Lore) test
notes that it is unlikely the pit opened through natural forces.
A successful TN 15 Cunning (Engineering) test reveals the
heap of earth down-slope would indicate something pushed
out of the ground but it is also conceivable that the pile is the
remains of something excavating its way in and discarding
the spoil.
If the Avvar are posting a guard on the entrance, they take up
position and advise the PCs to get going.
The Waiting Game
So what happens if the PCs don’t go inside and instead camp
out on the hill?
After a few hours, Gotra’s patrol reaches the surface. (The
PCs would otherwise meet them in Part 2, Scene 1.) They
don’t come out (not wanting to lose their still-tenuous
connections to the Stone), but PCs keeping watch may spot
them with a TN 13 Perception (Seeing) test. If the dwarves
can see signs of battle, they call out in case there are friendly
forces within earshot. If that doesn’t draw the PCs in but
they continue to stick around, the darkspawn will eventually
overrun the dwarven positions below ground and attack the
surface again. Skip to Part 6, Scene 2, which describes The
Battle of the Rift.
Resolution and
Troubleshooting
The PCS have many opportunities during this part of the
adventure to make allies or enemies among the Avvar based
on how they conduct themselves. The Avvar will likely admire
the PCs’ ability as capable fighters no matter what they do,
but how they interact socially with the tribespeople could
influence future adventures. Any feuds, personal animosity,
romantic opportunities, and other situations between PCs
and important Avvar that develop will likely be placed aside
temporarily due to the dangers the darkspawn present to
everyone, but they won’t go away entirely.
This adventure also provides some keen insights into Avvar
culture and customs. If the PCs absorb this knowledge, they
could find it is not only useful when dealing with the Avvar
in this adventure, but it also might make them valuable emis-
saries when dealing with Avvar in the future. The PCs might
Buried
RewardsPasts
not desire to become diplomats and envoys to the tribes, of
course, but this could lead to interesting future adventures
where an influential Fereldan noble or other luminary desires
their assistance and is determined to have it.
The same goes for Bann Selwyn. He needs the PCs’ assistance
and so he’s willing to put up with some attitude or mild disre-
spect from the heroes, but he won’t forget it if they behave
badly around him and his people. The reverse is also true.
Heroes who acquit themselves well with the bann and are
able to help resolve the dangers present in this adventure
could gain a future ally or patron.
PART 2
Under the
Stone Sky
Descending into the Deep Roads, the PCs meet the dwarves
of Chanra Thaig and learn the full scale of the darkspawn
threat while deciding what to do about it.
There are four major dwarven NPCs who the PCs will interact
with the most, and several named minor NPCs.
Major NPCs
These four characters are the ringleaders of the expedition.
They were the instigators of the entire plan and the NPCs the
PCs will interact with the most over the course of the adven-
ture.
CHANRA
Chanra should have been a noble. That singular injustice has
driven her throughout her long life. Victims of Orzammar
politics, Chanra’s grandparents were exiled from the city to
the surface world, taking her infant mother with them. Chan-
ra’s earliest memories are of her aged grandmother bitterly
recounting her sorry tale. The grandfather did not last long
away from the Stone, adding to her woes. Chanra’s mother
was taught how to read and write Dwarvish early, and the
family’s known dislike for most surface dwarves (who to
Grandam were not like them—they, after all, were innocent)
led to employment with humans who dealt with the surface
caste and wanted to be able to read their partners’ script.
Once her Grandmother and shortly after Mother died, Chan-
ra’s sole influence was her more practical father, an ex-Mining
Caste member who lost the Stone when he was forced up to
the surface by an accident.
Now approaching old age herself, Chanra has spent her adult
life as an advocate for her people, turning from her mother’s
trade to fostering agreements with the human crafters who
deal with the surface caste. She retains a sense of her own
superiority as a noble, though, and this leads her to act the
matriarch. The combination of her knowledge, intellect, enti-
tlement, and the story from her father of ways in and out of
the Deep Roads other than Orzammar led, along with her
husband’s daredevil nature and love of exploration, to the
plan underway in Buried Pasts.
13
 BORRUN
Younger than his wife by nearly fifteen years, Borrun is hand-
some, charismatic, and powerful. His beard neatly cut and
his yellow-brown hair worn braided like a Proving Ground
champion, he seemed from childhood to be a throwback
to the days when the dwarven empire believed it could
accomplish anything. Most of the dwarves taking part in the
deception have been helped by Borrun in their pasts. With
him leading them, the thought of camping out secretly in
the hills and excavating their way back into their homeland
was not so daunting. They look upon him as a hero—all
their hopes personified. Even trapped by darkspawn and the
original goal of living in the thaig replaced by evacuating to
Orzammar and risking detection, as long as Borrun lives they
feel as though they can accomplish it.
GOTRA
The great-grandson of a Warrior Caste dwarf who refused
to abandon his charge despite that dwarf venturing above
ground, Gotra has spent his life living up to his ancestor as
a caravan guard, bodyguard, and volunteer in town mili-
tias. As such, he is one of the few members of the thaig who
fought darkspawn in his surface life and was recruited by
Chanra and Borrun on the strength of that experience. As
CHANRA
Abilities (Focuses)
4 Communication (Deception, Etiquette, Persuasion)
3 Constitution (Stamina)
3 Cunning (Crafting, Cultural Lore, Healing,
Historical Lore, Research)
2 Dexterity (Lock Picking)
–2 Magic
3 Perception (Searching)
2 Strength
3 Willpower (Faith)
Speed Health Defense Armor Rating
10 70 12 5
Weapon Attack Roll Damage
Dagger +2 1d6+3
Crossbow +2 2d6+4
Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Skirmish, Rapid Reload and Pierce Armor.
Class Powers (Rogue 6): Backstab, Rogue’s Armor, Stunt
Bonus and Bluff
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Chirurgy (Journeyman),
Lore (Journeyman) and Thievery (Novice).
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, Light Blades and Staves.
Equipment: Drakeskin heavy leather armor, dagger,
crossbow, healer’s kit, red steel chain of office, backpack
with supplies, and bedroll.
Dwarven noble-in-exile, leader, and politician.
14
the head of the Guard sub-caste of warriors, Gotra manages
the defenses of the dwarven hideout, patrolling the tunnels
on the outskirts of the thaig. He is aware that everyone looks
to him for signs of how the siege is going, and based on his
experiences on the surface tries his hardest to appear calm,
cheerful, and talkative. If Gotra can spare the time to find
out about the lower castes’ lives and have a joke with his
men and women, the theory goes, then things can’t be as
dark as they seem.
VORTAK
If Chanra should have been a noble, Gotra a respected house
guardsman, and Borrun a champion of the Proving Ground,
then Vortak represents the greatest loss to Orzammar due to
the prohibition against the surface: Vortak should be a Paragon.
The son of an Artisan Caste mason who was tempted to
Orlais with the promise of working for the royal family,
BORRUN
Abilities (Focuses)
3 Communication (Leadership, Deception)
3 Constitution (Stamina)
3 Cunning (Engineering, Cartography,
Military Lore)
2 Dexterity (Brawling)
–2 Magic
2 Perception (Hearing)
4 Strength (Axes, Bludgeons)
3 Willpower (Courage, Morale)
Speed Health Defense Armor Rating
11 80 15 (13 w/o shield) 8
Weapon Attack Roll Damage
Crossbow +3 2d6+3
Red-Steel Mace* +6 2d6+5
* Also grants the Single Weapon Style (Journeyman) Talent
and Weapon Focus (Bludgeons) to users.
Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1 SP), Knock Prone,
Dual Strike (3 SP), and Seize the Initiative.
Class Powers (Warrior 6): Stunt Bonus and Champion
Specialization.
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Armor Training (Novice),
Champion (Novice), and Weapon and Shield Style (Jour-
neyman).
Weapon Groups: Bludgeons, Brawling, Bows, and Heavy
Blades.
Equipment: Personalized veridium heavy chainmail with a
house crest that has been removed and replaced by Chan-
ra’s, red-steel mace, mining equipment, lantern, backpack
with supplies, and bedroll.
Chanra’s husband and co-conspirator,
cave explorer, daredevil, and warrior.
Buried Pasts
Rewards
Vortak learned his father’s talent for religious art and married
it to a savant-like understanding of architecture. Vortak was
the last master builder of the great chantry in Val Foret—the
newest chantry in the known world, and an architectural
marvel. Rather than take up the commission offered to him in
Val Royeaux, crafting upgrades to the Seat of the Maker itself,
though, the genius dwarf vanished. That was five years ago.
Vortak was undergoing a crisis of faith, sparked by the comple-
tion ceremony of his masterpiece. He wanted to believe in
the Maker, but simply didn’t. He traveled to Orzammar but
failed to gain admittance, and took up with a group of surface
dwarves that still venerated the Stone. That led him to Chanra.
In person, the Master of Val Foret is thin, gangly, and
awkward-looking, being nearly four inches taller than most
dwarves, with skin pockmarked from a childhood disease.
He fidgets constantly when not working, fingers twitching
unless holding a chisel and hammer. Chanra’s plan was an
acceptable compromise to Vortak, who was persuaded into
it by Borrun’s sheer self-belief. Vortak wanted to go to some-
where the Deep Roads did not exist and build a new thaig all
their own rather than reinhabit one lost to time. Depending on
how Buried Pasts goes and if he survives, he may be forced
down that route after all.
GOTRA Caste dwarves cut off from their supplies and reinforcement
Abilities (Focuses)
2 Communication (Leadership)
2 Constitution (Stamina)
1 Cunning (Engineering, Military Lore)
3 Dexterity (Brawling)
–2 Magic
2 Perception (Hearing)
3 Strength (Might, Bludgeons)
3 Willpower (Morale)
Speed Health Defense Armor Rating
11 67 15 (13 w/o shield) 5
Weapon Attack Roll Damage
Crossbow +3 2d6+3
Viridium mace* +6 2d6+5
* Also grants Single Weapon Style (novice) talent to user.
Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1 SP), Knock Prone,
Dual Strike (3 SP), and Seize the Initiative.
Class Powers (Warrior 5): Stunt Bonus.
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Armor Training (Novice),
and Weapon and Shield Style (Journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Bludgeons, Brawling, Bows, and Heavy
Blades.
Equipment: Chainmail armor self-modified with captain’s
markings, veridium mace, medium shield, and a back-
slung crossbow.
Captain of the thaig guard,
talkative raiser of spirits.
Buried
RewardsPasts
Vortak’s fame is another clue—if a rather obscure one—to
the dwarves’ nature. An especially devoted member of the
Chantry, or a hero who hails from Orlais, may have heard of
him with a successful TN 19 Cunning (Religious Lore) test.
For characters from Val Foret itself, the TN is lowered to 13.
Minor NPCs
DWARVEN WARRIORS
The named combat-capable dwarves in the adventure are
Hadd and Jona who accompany Gotra in Part 2, and Morna,
Asha, Lonas, and Jakin, who make up Borrun’s team in Part
3. Any who survive will be present in Parts 5, 6, and 7. As
surface dwarves, they are technically not Warrior Caste, they
are still trained and disciplined fighters conducting themselves
according to the tales and stories of the Warriors of Orzammar.
A successful TN 14 Cunning (Cultural Lore) test will tell the
PCs that something is odd about the makeup of the warrior
squads they see during the adventure. Their gear is func-
tional, but lacks the artistry and attention to long- term care
common in dwarven communities. They are also use rations
and other equipment more haphazardly than many Warrior
VORTAK
Abilities (Focuses)
3 Communication (Leadership, Investigation)
2 Constitution (Stamina)
5 Cunning (Engineering, Cartography, Cultural
Lore, Religious Lore, Natural Lore)
3 Dexterity (Crafting, Brawling)
–1 Magic
3 Perception (Seeing)
3 Strength (Might, Axes)
2 Willpower (Courage)
Speed Health Defense Armor Rating
11 70 15 4
Weapon Attack Roll Damage
Pickaxe +5 2d6+5
Special Qualities
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1 SP), Disarm, Pierce
Armor, Dual Strike (3 SP), and Lightning Attack.
Class Powers (Warrior 5): Stunt Bonus.
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Armor Training (Novice),
and Single Weapon Style (Journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Bludgeons, Brawling, Bows, and Heavy
Blades.
Equipment: Heavy leather armor with metal helmet,
pickaxe, mining equipment, surveying tools, and lantern.
Chief Artisan of the thaig, stonemason,
and co-conspirator.
15
 Dwarven Magic Resistance
None of the dwarf NPCs in Buried Pasts possess the Magic Resistance talent, which is a major clue to any mages among
the PCs that they are actually dealing with surface dwarves. The dwarven resistance to magic is the result of prolonged
low-level exposure to lyrium in the Deep Roads and is also the reason Orzammar dwarves can handle lyrium in relative
safety in amounts that would drive a human mad.

would. This implies the dwarves are thinking of short-term
survival, not long-term.
Hadd and her sister Jona have been associates of Gotra’s for
years (Gotra was once engaged to marry the girls’ aunt) and
have followed him to the thaig where they go on patrol and
help defend the nascent thaig. Hadd is married to a Smith
Caste dwarf in the thaig named Woldun, while Jona is unmar-
ried but carries a torch for Vortak the Artisan. The sisters are
dark-haired. Hadd is taller and older, while Jona is slimmer
(for a dwarf) and younger.
Borrun’s hand-picked squad of warriors regard themselves
as the elite forces of the thaig. They are the personal troops
of the thaig’s champion, after all, and attempt a more disci-
plined drill than others. The two men and two women imitate
Borrun’s hairstyle and bear his crest on their armor. Others
whisper that the four were picked by Borrun because they
fawned over him the most. Morna and Asha are female,
DWARVEN WARRIORS
Abilities (Focuses)
2 Communication (Leadership)
2 Constitution (Stamina)
1 Cunning (Engineering, Military Lore)
3 Dexterity (Brawling)
–2 Magic
Lonas and Jakin are male. Jakin is red-haired, the others
yellow. None of the squad are married, except to the idea of
following Borrun’s example of heroism.
DWARVEN MINERS
The named dwarven miners and artisans in the adventure
are Hengist, Wistan, Rhin, Jass, Alfwin, Arcus, and Ysall,
a hand-picked group of volunteers who perform the vital
roles of halting the darkspawn advance by demolishing
tunnels in Part 4 and, in most endings, Part 6. A dwarven
DWARVEN MINERS
Abilities (Focuses)
2 Communication
2 Constitution (Stamina)
2 Cunning (Engineering, Natural Lore)
3 Dexterity (Crafting, Brawling)
–2 Magic
2 Perception (Hearing)
3 Strength (Might, Axes)
2 Willpower (Faith)
Speed Health Defense Armor Rating
11 60 15 4

2 Perception (Hearing) Weapon Attack Roll Damage

3 Strength (Might, Bludgeons) Pickaxe +5 2d6+5
3 Willpower (Morale) Special Qualities
Speed Health Defense Armor Rating Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1 SP), Disarm, Pierce
11 67 15 (13 w/o shield) 5 Armor, Dual Strike (3 SP), and Lightning Attack.
Class Powers (Warrior 4): Stunt Bonus.
Weapon Attack Roll Damage
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Armor Training (Novice),
Crossbow +3 2d6+3 and Single Weapon Style (Journeyman).
Mace +5 2d6+5 Weapon Groups: Bludgeons, Brawling, Bows, and Heavy
Blades.
Special Qualities
Equipment: Heavy leather armor with metal helmet,
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1 SP), Knock Prone, pickaxe, mining equipment, and lantern.
Dual Strike (3 SP), and Seize the Initiative.
Class Powers (Warrior 5): Stunt Bonus. Mining and Artisan Caste dwarves
found throughout Buried Pasts.
Talents: Archery Style (Novice), Armor Training (Novice),
and Weapon and Shield Style (Journeyman). DWARVEN SERVANTS
Weapon Groups: Bludgeons, Brawling, Bows, and Heavy
Blades. Attributes (Focuses)
Equipment: Plain chainmail armor, mace, medium shield, Communication (Negotiation) 2, Constitution 1 (Stamina),
and a back-slung crossbow. Cunning (Evaluation, Healing) 3, Dexterity 2, Magic –2,
Perception 2 (Hearing), Strength 1, Willpower 2
Warrior Caste dwarves found
throughout Buried Pasts. Servant Caste noncombatant dwarves.

16 Buried Pasts
Rewards
pickaxe can be deadly when applied at full strength to flesh,
but these are not trained soldiers—their drill is lacking, and
in a fight they concentrate on defending themselves until
they can return to their assigned tasks.

DWARVEN SERVANTS
As the number of warriors and miners runs low, the dwarves
are forced to be flexible in their use of castes to fill roles,
leading to some Servant Caste dwarves turning up where
they might not be expected. Many of the servants have
become quite adept at first aid since the siege began, and
there are dozens with the Chirurgy talent at Journeyman or
Novice level.
The named Servant Caste dwarves in the adventure are
Boun and his sister Ferla. Ferla spends her days cooking at
the fires built in the heart of the dwarven refuge, handing
out nug and spider meat to the refugees, while Boun was
selected to be an equipment-carrier, medic (he possesses the
Chirurgy (Novice) talent), and lantern-bearer for Gotra’s
patrol. Boun regards this as a great honor despite his
nervousness at going into battle. The pair are barely out of
adolescence and followed Chanra into the plan despite their
parentage making them servants. As Ferla defiantly puts it,
without the plan she wouldn’t even be a cook within her
own culture.

SCENE 1

A Call for Aid

ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER

The PCs meet the last scouting party of Chanra thaig,

and the dwarves ask for their assistance.
You make your way into the dark, and quickly realize that
this is no cave; it’s a passageway. Bare rock gives way to
ancient flagstones beneath your feet and the walls become
smooth and straight. The tunnel bores deep into the hill,
turning left and right gently, and the sounds of the outside
world slowly fade.
Then you hear it, up ahead—the distinct sound of battle.
Metal striking metal. The screamed roars of darkspawn and
the bass shouts of something else.
The sounds end suddenly with a gurgled scream from a
genlock, echoing down the tunnel. The sound was that of
three genlocks meeting a group of dwarves. Sent out after the
majority of genlocks retreated back to their nest following the
Avvar repelling them, the dwarves have been trying to find
out where the darkspawn were going for the last week.
Any initial confrontation caused by the shock of running into
non-genlocks will vanish as soon as the dwarves realize the
PCs aren’t darkspawn or ghouls. They introduce themselves
and offer to swap stories.
The dwarven group is made up of Gotra, leading two
warriors named Hadd and Jona accompanied by Boun
carrying their gear. Gotra and Hadd are in the lead, with
their crossbows slung over their backs so that they can use
their shields to link together and block the passageway.
Both of their maces are dripping with genlock blood, which
they are being careful to not get on themselves. Jona has no
helmet, having lost it to an earlier fight. As such, she’s slung
her shield over her back and is using her crossbow to cover
the passageway.
The fourth dwarf is a barely adult male named Boun, armed
only with a short sword and dressed in chainmail slightly too
big for him. He’s laden down with a backpack of supplies—
spare bolts for the warriors’ bows, bedrolls, and fuel, and he
holds the dwarves’ oil lamp on the end of a pole.
As the PCs approach, the dwarves break formation and relax
their guard. Boun moves forward to clean the tainted blood
off the warriors’ weapons with a cloth he carefully folds and
puts away in an oiled pouch.
The dwarves are very pleased to see the PCs. Their enthu-
siasm is sobered once they learn of Cedd’s Fall and Sunhold,
but they see the arrival of the surface dwellers as an oppor-
tunity that cannot be missed. The darkspawn have relin-
quished their hold over the passageways if only tempo-
rarily, and that means the dwarves have a chance. Having
accomplished their mission, the dwarves say that they are
now returning to the thaig, and ask the PCs if they will come
along; the Avvar may just have bought the dwarves enough
time to save both themselves and the surface villages, but
they won’t be able to do it alone. Besides, the nobles will
want to meet the surfacers.

Buried
RewardsPasts 17
 Questions and Answers
Gotra does most of the talking (a successful TN 11 Perception
(Empathy) test indicates that the other dwarves are used to
this—he’s just naturally chatty), doing his best to keep every-
one’s spirits up and explaining the situation belowground to
the PCs.
“How many of you are there?”
You see here one-fifth the remaining warriors of the thaig,
and I wish I were joking. Less than two score warriors to
protect just under a hundred commoners and nobles. We’ve
had to draft some servants like the lad here to help out.
“What are these tunnels?”
Mineworks, most likely, too close to the surface so the
darkspawn could burrow out. Maybe a concealed entrance
from before our war with the darkspawn that wasn’t blocked
as well as it should have been. No one’s properly explored
them in years.
“How do we get to the thaig?”
This tunnel leads to a series of galleries. Think of them
as interconnecting wide flights of stairs linked together and
occasionally switching direction. We head down these for a
few hours and we’ll be on the outskirts of the thaig.
“How did the darkspawn have you pinned down?”
Those things have taken the thaig proper—the cavern that
you might recognize as a town—and spread out throughout
the outskirts, pushing us back into one of the old commerce
chambers. We’ve been besieged in a warehouse while they cut
us off from any tunnel that led away from the thaig, but now
that the outskirts are clear we can move around again. Find
out how they got in, where they’ve been going, like up to the
surface, and try to scout a route away from this damned place.
“Where would you go?”
Orzammar. Kingdom of our kind. Somewhere south of the
thaig there’s a stretch of the Deep Roads built by our people
before our war with the darkspawn, linking the thaig to all the
other dwarf settlements in Thedas. If our scouts can find it, and
ancestors willing we have enough time before the darkspawn
return, we can evacuate.
“Not to the surface?”
We’re not meant to live away from the Stone. Don’t worry;
I’m sure we can get you out. And do a better job of blocking
the way to the surface while we’re at it. Vortak will know.
He’s our expert.
SCENE 2
The Perilous Stair
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
On their way to the still-occupied part of the thaig, the
PCs descend through ancient galleries now inhabited
by deepstalkers.
Walking for what seems an eternity, led by the bobbing
of Boun’s lamp, you eventually reach a widening of the
18
passageway. The walls are now too far apart to touch with
outstretched arms, and the ceiling has become lofty. The
echoes of your footsteps grow louder, but at least the smoke
from the oil lamp has somewhere else to go.
“Galleries,” whispers Jona. “Be careful on the stairs.”
When the PCs reach the stairs themselves, they can immedi-
ately see the reason for her warning. Built for dwarves, the
steps are too wide and shallow to be entirely comfortable
for human use. They stretch down for more than forty yards
before ending in another gallery, which wraps around itself in
a crescent (or like a giant landing in a human house) before
beginning the next descent. Each gallery is punctuated by
tunnel mouths, leading off into distant mineworkings.
On the seventh gallery, the carved stonework of the wall is
corroded, crumbled, and pock-marked with holes of dark
shadow like wormholes in an apple. The stairs are cracked
and broken in places, and the PCs must take extra care.
There is a hiss like a snake, the sound of something wet whip-
ping through the air, and a cry of pain and alarm from Boun.
The young dwarf falls, rolling down the stair. His pack splits
in an explosion of sound as equipment clatters down around
him. But more importantly, there is the sound of breaking
glass as the lamp goes out.
The PCs and their allies are being ambushed by deepstalkers,
the lamprey-mouthed, bipedal, venom-spitting creatures that
infest sections of the Deep Roads like these.
A Dozen Deepstalkers
Statistics for deepstalkers can be found on page 309 of the
Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook. These deepstalkers have an
additional special quality, Lurk.
Lurk: In a region riddled with their burrows, with a
special Skirmish stunt for 2 SP, a deepstalker can dart
into the small cavities to escape combat, making its way
around to reemerge from an unexpected direction. The
creature leaves combat and as long as it stays away for at
least two rounds can return, making a new surprise test
upon returning, at a –2 penalty if the target saw it vanish
into the hole.
There are 12 of these creatures attacking. Two of them are biting
at Boun on the next gallery down (Boun was paralyzed by
the initial spray), while the others divide themselves equally
against the dwarves and PCs.
The terrain, the dark, and the sound all conspire to impede
the fight; for human or larger characters on the stairs, stunts
requiring movement are impossible and each round of combat
requires a successful TN 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) test to
stay stable and still fight. Failure to pass the test makes move-
ment a major action in the combat turn for that character. The
dwarves and deepstalkers are not impeded by the stairs, but
the echoes and darkness put the dwarves and PCs at a –3
penalty to their attack rolls until more light can be found.
Once the deepstalkers are defeated, and a fresh lamp put on
(if the PCs don’t have one, rags wound around the pole from
Boun’s broken one dipped in the oil-fuel and lit will serve) the
journey can continue.
Buried Pasts
Rewards
 chambers for food. The warehouse complex is only reach-
SCENE 3
able by the main portal, which as the PCs have seen is heavily
guarded by the remaining warriors.
At Chanra Thaig
The Dwarves
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER

The PCs reach the inhabited section of the thaig and,
meeting the dwarves, have several opportunities to
help their hosts.
Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, your allies grow
tense. The march through the tunnels becomes faster and
quieter, moving with speed through areas until recently held
by the darkspawn.
You have stopped descending, bar any gentle inclines you
haven’t noticed, and the network of passageways is becoming
increasingly complex. On occasion, the dwarves have to
stop in order to remember the correct route, or to divert you
around areas slick with the black oil-like dirt darkspawn seem
to create by their extended presence.
At long last, you approach a heavy metal door built into
an impressive stone archway. One of the dwarven warriors
bangs on the door in a code, and there is the sound of a barri-
cade being pulled away before the door scrapes open.
The dwarves are clearly surprised to see the PCs—whispers
are echoing around the main chamber—but Chanra herself
gives the warriors who escorted the PCs in a chance to
explain their presence before starting in on questioning the
surface dwellers herself. The bloody reason that the dwarves
have had an unexpected respite from their long siege appears
to age her ten years when she is told, and she expresses her
sorrow that her people’s fortune was unknowingly paid for
by the villagers’ pain.
“But there is opportunity here. We finally have the ability to
do something about our foes.”
She introduces you to a tall, gangling, beardless male
dwarf whose constantly moving fingers are turning a small
nugget of iron over and over with nervous energy. “This is
Vortak, our best artisan and stoneworker. If anyone can seal
the creatures into their pit, it’s him. For now, please, rest.
You must be tired after the journey.”

The PCs have arrived at Chanra Thaig’s outer defenses.

Through the door is a wide tunnel marked with several barri-
cades and defensive positions constructed out of rubble and
supply crates, occupied by dwarven warriors sitting with
their weapons in hand, ready for an attack at any second.
Once past the line, the PCs emerge onto the main floor of a large
chamber, rectangular and three-leveled, with heavy columns
supporting the high ceiling and two balconies—one over the
other—running around the entire circumference. The ground
floor has what appear to be animal pens at the rear. Equipment
for lifting very heavy objects—great hooked chains running
through pulleys built into the ceiling, with vast stone counter-
weights embedded in the floor—completes the impression that
this was once a warehouse of some kind. Now it is a shantytown.
Dozens of dwarves sit, walk, and lie around makeshift
accommodations built from scrap materials. Bonfires built
inside steel drums provide warmth and heat for the dwarves
huddled around them, cooking deepstalkers, what looks
like the legs of giant spiders, and small rodent-like animals
on spits. By the animal pens, a trough of water must still be
connected to a fresh water supply, judging by the line waiting
patiently with receptacles.
A dwarven matriarch approaches the PCs. She is gray-haired
but unbowed, wearing a simple, much-repaired dress with
a red steel shoulder chain as the only sign of her authority.
She introduces herself as “Chanra,” and welcomes them to
her house.

The Thaig
The still-inhabited region of Chanra Thaig is, as the dwarves
confirm to a PC that asks, indeed a former warehouse, built
to unload cargo from the great beasts of burden the dwarves
call brontos after their journeys from other thaigs. They have
fuel, water, and domesticated spiders and nugs in deeper

Buried
RewardsPasts 19
 The PCs now have the opportunity to look around the thaig.
If Boun survived the inward journey, he introduces them to
his sister Ferla at the cooking fires and gets them some food.
The Missions
Once everyone is introduced, and the PCs have had a chance
to rest, Chanra, Vortak, and Gotra approach the PCs while
any other dwarves they were talking to take the hint and
quietly back away. Chanra wants their input into their discus-
sion, and their aid in accomplishing a series of tasks.
After you have had chance to rest, Chanra, Vortak, and Gotra
approach. All other nearby thaig dwellers quietly find some-
where else to be. Chanra addresses you:
“We can’t survive here forever. That much is certain, but
the Avvar may have bought us enough time to see this job
done. We need to accomplish three things: The darkspawn
must be sealed into their nest, the entrance to the surface
must be closed and we… We dwarves must make the journey
to Orzammar.”
Gotra lays it out for you, drawing a diagram of the thaig
and its surroundings in the dust.
“When the siege first lifted, our best scouts set off south
through the outskirts, hoping to find an open route to the
Deep Roads that we can use to evacuate. We haven’t heard
from them since. We need someone to go after them, to help
them if they still live, and finish the job if they don’t, then
return at all speed.”
Vortak disagrees.
20
“Our priority must be to seal the darkspawn away. Now,
I can lead a team of miners and artisans to find a point we can
cause a cave-in they won’t be able to dig through, but we’ll
need protection; someone to escort us into the heart of the
thaig until we can find a suitable spot.”
Chanra reveals that her husband Borrun is the leader of
the missing scouting party, and asks how certain Vortak is
of sealing the darkspawn away. The answer is not very—it
could be impossible, in fact, or only delay them a short while,
but he won’t know without doing it. Gotra would rather find
an escape route before putting the delaying tactic into place,
and notes that Borrun is in danger now. Chanra, though, is
trying her best to stay objective. Borrun is highly skilled, and
she believes that he will return. If Vortak’s mission must take
priority, then so be it.
If the PCs raise the idea of closing the entrance to the surface
instead, Chanra shakes her head. It would only be possible
to do that after first carrying out Vortak’s plan, because the
dwarves would otherwise be building a wall while on the
same side of it as their enemies and without an escape route
on that side they’d be entombing themselves between two
cave-ins. She promises that if the route to Orzammar is found
and the darkspawn have been shut away even if only tempo-
rarily, the thaig will close the way to the hills before leaving
for the city. The notion of the dwarves going above ground is
flatly rejected by all three NPCs. A successful TN 13 Percep-
tion (Empathy) test reveals that the rejection is born of some-
thing other than the dwarven prohibition against leaving the
Stone.
Buried Pasts
Rewards

Chanra says, “We don’t have enough warriors to accomplish
these tasks and still defend our civilians. Borrun and his team
are the last of our trained scouts. We know you did not come
here to save dwarves, but will you help us? We have some
wealth left in gold and red steel—no use to us here, or on the
march. It’s yours.”
If the PCs refuse, then they are free to leave the way they
came, unescorted. After an advanced TN 15 Perception
(Tracking) test with a success threshold of 25, with each
failed roll triggering an encounter with genlocks or deep-
stalkers, they make it out—but with the dwarves killed by
the resurgent darkspawn behind them, the peace of fresh
air is short lived. Skip ahead to the Part 6, Scene 2, “Battle
Against the Darkspawn.”
If they agree to help, the dwarf leaders leave it up to the party
which mission they will do first: Go in search of Borrun, or try
to block the darkspawn in? If the PCs ask for compensation,
the dwarves can provide a few mastercrafted weapons that
they found in the thaig—two viridium daggers, a viridium
mace, and a red steel longsword—along with 9 gold in ancient
dwarven coins.
Revelation
At this point there haven’t been too many clues for PCs that
the dwarves are casteless surfacers who have only been there
for a few months. There was the inconclusive evidence of
the discarded earth at the opening, but anything else would
require a deep knowledge of dwarven society to pick up. A
TN 13 Cunning (Cultural Lore) test, if successful, reveals
that the dwarves don’t normally live together and cross caste
roles as much as these have been, but that might be down to
their isolated society. An exceptional result on this roll makes
clear that they have no Shapers. If confronted, Chanra says
that they all died in the initial assault, which is an opportu-
nity for an opposed Perception (Empathy) test vs. her Commu-
nication (Deception), as this is a rare case of her having to
make a bald-faced lie to the PCs.
More unusual is the complete lack of the elderly and children.
Everyone present is in the full throes of adulthood. Elderly
dwarves are rarer than might be supposed thanks to the
endless war, but if the thaig had survived for this long they
would have had pregnancies.
After one or both of the missions, however, the PCs may
grow suspicious and demand the truth. When faced by a
direct confrontation in this manner, Chanra confesses and
takes all the guilt of the plot onto herself. If there are still
tasks to be done, she points out that any justice will have
to wait; the PCs may judge her if they see fit, but doing
so prematurely will doom everyone. For more details see
Confession in Part 6.
Paths
Parts 3 and 4 can be undertaken in either order, depending on which mission the PCs choose to give priority to. Whichever
mission comes second will be more difficult and, ultimately, the choice will affect which outcomes are possible for the
adventure in Part 5, but other than the arguments laid forth by the dwarf NPCs the players have no way of knowing what
the consequences might be. All will become clear to them as they progress through the adventure.
Buried
RewardsPasts
What the PCs ultimately choose to do once both initial
missions are complete is the subject of Part 6: Closing the
Stable Door.
Resolution and
Troubleshooting
How the PCs resolve and approach the challenges in this part
of the adventure will have a major effect on how things resolve
in Part 3. Also, if the dwarves’ secret has been revealed by
keen deduction and roleplaying, the PCs will need to address
how they feel about being deceived by a bunch of surface
dwarves. They might not care, or be sympathetic to their
allies, but this also could be the beginning of a rift that causes
the Player Characters to seek to unload the dwarves and
their problems at the earliest opportunity. This still requires
them to resolve the current problems and get out of the Deep
Roads, but it will set a very different tone for the end of the
adventure and further adventures than aiding the dwarves
more enthusiastically.
PART 3
Finding a
Way Through
Having chosen to chase Borrun, the PCs are equipped with
lanterns and informed of the trail markings the scout intended
to use, then put onto the right path by Gotra. They will locate
the scouts, but whether Borrun is still alive depends on if this
section is being done before or after Part 4; if they delayed,
then Chanra’s husband has paid the price for the dwarves’
dream of life underground.
As they ready their gear, and the barricades are lifted,
Gotra explains the route Borrun intended to take. The main
Deep Roads, he says, are like surface highways, leading
in as straight a manner as possible between major cities
beneath the earth. Linking them to individual thaigs are
smaller spur roads connecting to the thaig outskirts. During
the war, most roads were sealed off by collapsing junction
points, but the roads themselves are still open and navi-
gable if a way around the blockages can be found. That is
what Borrun and his team were trying to do.
The route south from the thaig to the main road was blocked
off, but Borrun thought he could get to it by going through
a set of caves further around the outskirts, which Gotra can
lead the PCs to. Once they make it to the spur, they should
follow it south for several miles to the junction with the main
road.
21

SCENE 1
The Lost Roads
EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
The PCs set off through the twisting passages and
collapsed areas of the road, following the trail marks
of the lost dwarven scouts.
Gotra looks around at you all, and hands one of you a piece of
leather with a rune burned into it.
“This is a dwarven trail marking. Borrun should have
marked the directions he took with it. There ought to be a
supply station halfway down the spur road, too, that you can
use as an indicator of how far you’ve gone. We don’t know if
the spur’s been blocked at the far end, either. Follow Borrun’s
signs, and Stone willing, you’ll find him.”
Finding their way into the passageway heading out of the
thaig is a three-stage process. First, the PCs and Gotra must
make their way quickly and quietly to the cave entrance,
then the PCs must work their way through looking out for
trail signs and avoiding a cave-in before finally reaching the
particular stretch of Deep Roads and picking up the pace.
The Outskirts
If Part 3 is being attempted before Part 4, then the majority of
darkspawn have not yet been sealed away and the dwarves
aren’t certain that the way through the outskirts is clear. Gotra
warns the PCs to move quickly and quietly under dimmed
light to avoid giving their presence away, then sets off through
the outer tunnels and service passageways of the thaig. This
encounter isn’t meant to be a fight, but you may want to call
for Dexterity (Stealth) tests anyway to heighten tension. If
this is the second mission the PCs are undertaking, then the
journey is quicker and surer, and no rolls are necessary.
These parts of the thaig were used for storage and industry and
are colder and less artistic than the living spaces would be. In
some cases they were access tunnels built and used before the
thaig’s excavation was complete. What decorations exist are
utilitarian: dwarven text carved into pillars to give directions.
Suspicious characters might notice with a TN 17 Perception
(Empathy) test that although Gotra knows exactly where he’s
going, that knowledge seems to be theoretical. He’s certain
of his directions, but he’s glancing around like someone
witnessing an area for the first time, not someone used to an
area.
The Caves
Once they reach the cave entrance (Gotra points out the trail
rune Borrun marked it with, to make doubly sure the PCs
know what they’re looking for), Gotra bids them good luck
and returns to the thaig while they carry on.
The caves appear to have been worn into the rock by slow
water erosion, and are slippery with moisture in places. As
natural spaces, the passages have not been worked into pass-
22
able heights or widths, and the PCs will frequently find them-
selves having to squeeze sideways or crawl through gaps.
In places, there are signs of wildlife; as the PCs enter one
chamber there is a skittering noise as a clutch of large (dog-
sized) spiders retreat from the PCs’ light.
Following the trail marks through the cave system is an
advanced TN 10 Perception (Searching) test with a Success
Threshold of 20. Failing a roll indicates the PCs have gone
wrong temporarily; if the Dragon Die is a 4, 5 or 6 on the
failed roll, the PCs have put themselves in danger of a rockfall
by moving into an unstable area; this is a hazard doing 3d6
damage to everyone present that leaves the victims prone.
The damage is halved with a successful TN 15 Dexterity
(Acrobatics) test.
Once the success threshold is reached, the PCs emerge from a
crack in the wall of the Deep Roads. The caved-in area is just
to their right, while the road stretches into echoing darkness
to their left.
The Deep Roads
Until now, you have been in the old outer regions of the thaig
and long-forgotten mines. Now, entering the Deep Roads,
you are struck by the grandeur of the dwarven empire. Fully
thirty feet wide and almost as high, vaulted ceiling supported
by pillars marked with the images of long-dead Paragons, the
Deep Roads stretch as far as you can see.
The going is much easier now the PCs are on a proper trans-
port route—the wide, even paving of the Deep Roads is much
easier to jog along than a cramped access tunnel. Every so
often there is a crack or an opening to a cave system, but the
PCs aren’t here to explore. The GM should emphasize how
well the Deep Roads carry sound, though, and require TN 15
Dexterity (Stealth) tests of anyone trying to move quietly.
SCENE 2
Way Station
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The PCs approach an ancient waystation and risk being
ambushed by the darkspawn using it as a nest.
After a few hours of travel you appear to be approaching some-
thing. The Deep Roads’ walls recede and the ceiling goes up,
opening into a larger chamber before contracting down again
as the path continues. The widened area was clearly once used
for pulling wagons up out of the way of passersby, and there
are the remains of one there; the bones of the bronto that drew
it, and any cargo it might have carried, are long since gone.
Dwarven symbols are cut into the lintels above three sets
of doors, while a long, wide window without glass looks out
onto the road from the next level up.
As a PC that reads dwarven script can tell, the three symbols
denote the levels of caste, from right to left lower, upper and
noble. The upper and noble class areas are on the ground
floor, while the lower caste door leads straight to a stairwell
up to their area which takes up the entire upper floor; the
Buried Pasts
Rewards
majority of travelers would have been of the merchant caste
when the waystation was built.
As the PCs approach the waystation, though, the GM should
make TN 13 Perception (Seeing) tests on their behalf. Success
means the PC sees the darkspawn hiding in the “window”
and watching them.
If the PCs get within ten feet of the waystation or spot the
darkspawn, the darkspawn spring their ambush. If they
avoid the station entirely, the darkspawn instead set up a
roadblock of furniture from the waystation across the Deep
Road ready for when the PCs come back, effectively adding a
new encounter after the next one.
Lower Caste Area
Built for the servants, merchants and miners, this area of the
waystation would have seen the most use. Accessed by stairs
leading down to the Deep Roads, a large common room
stretches the length of the waystation marked with low tables
and benches, while hatchways in the rear wall lead to a kitchen
and a series of storerooms. A back stairway from the kitchen
allowed the waystation’s staff to serve any upper caste guests.
The far wall of the common room from the stair is marked with
a map of the Deep Roads in the vicinity, looking like an abstract
collection of lines and runes marking thaigs. A PC that can
read dwarven script and succeed at a TN 13 Cunning (Cartog-
raphy) test can identify Chanra Thaig. The difficulty lies in that
the thaig is marked on the map as “Haran Thaig” and the test
determines that the PC is sure that they haven’t made a mistake.
The storerooms behind the common room contain centu-
ries-old rations (long since turned to dust) and spare lamps
Buried
RewardsPasts
and casks of oil. Finding any equipment that is still useable
requires a TN 13 Perception (Searching) test.
If the PCs are attempting this part of the adventure before
Sealing Evil (Part 4), then the darkspawn ambush forces
consist of six genlocks and a genlock alpha. If this part of the
adventure is being played second, then the ambush is made
up of four genlocks and three genlock alphas.
Statistics for genlocks and genlock alphas can be found on
page 284 of the Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook. In addition to
the normal weapons listed for them, both the normal genlocks
and the alpha are armed with crossbows.
Weapon Attack Roll Damage
Crossbow 0 (2d6+3)/2 *
* Untrained, so damage is halved.
The genlocks have heard the PCs approach along the Deep
Roads and set up a hurried ambush, using the crossbows
they discovered in the waystation’s weapons store. They wait
until the PCs reach close range of their vantage point in the
window, then fire their crossbows before dropping out of the
window into melee.
Upper Caste Area
Built for the warriors, smiths, and artisans, this area is a
smaller version of the common room above, with individual
chairs instead of benches and more detailed decorations
carved into the stone. The storerooms behind the area consist
of sleeping quarters for the waystation staff and an emer-
gency weapons store, which the darkspawn have broken into
23
 and taken all the crossbows and bolts. Ten maces, ten hand
axes and five small shields are all that’s left.
Noble Area
The smallest chamber of the waystation is decorated with
elaborate carvings, long-since peeled flakes indicating that
the walls were even painted. There are only six chairs around
a low table, and a chain that connects to a bell in the lower
caste area above. There are no stores behind the room, only
the stairs up to the kitchen.
If this part of the adventure is being undertaken second,
following Part 4, then the Noble area is also occupied by two
shrieks. These darkspawn are lying in wait to rush out at
anyone the genlocks above shoot at.
Statistics for shrieks can be found on page 288 of the Dragon
Age RPG Core Rulebook.
SCENE 3
Borrun’s Wall
EXPLORATION / ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCs find Borrun and the dwarven scouts. The
dwarves have found a possible way through to the
road to Orzammar, but at a high cost. The PCs must
persuade them to return to the thaig.
After a few more miles, the road up ahead is blocked by rubble
from a cave-in. Fortunately, Borrun has left you another trail
sign. It seems the scout headed west through a cave opening
marring the side of the road, looking for a way past the blockage.
Like the ones the PCs went through at the other end of the
road, these are not proper dwarven passageways, but natural
caves. Navigating is easy; the trailmarkings are relatively
fresh, and finding the way through is a simple TN 11 Percep-
tion (Searching) test. Failure indicates that the PCs have
gone off-course and suffer a single 2d6 damage hazard from
wandering into a pocket of noxious fumes emanating from
a crack in the ground before finding their way back onto the
track.
Test resolved, the PCs find Borrun’s scouting party. What
state they’re in depends on if this mission is performed before
or after Part 4: Sealing Evil.
If this is the
first mission the PCs attempt
As you move through the caves, you hear a sound, like metal
striking stone over and over again. Following the echoes
through the last few passageways, you overhear snatches of
conversation in dwarven, and your spirits lift. At long last,
you emerge into a cave which is not a cave. The back wall and
part of the floor are of dwarven design—this must once have
been part of a structure before the cave-in closed the road. Five
dwarves drop their pick axes with a clatter and reach for their
weapons before they realize that you are not darkspawn.
24
The leader, a stern-looking dwarf of advancing middle age
with blond hair and a neatly shaved beard, calls for the
surfacers to explain their presence. This is Borrun, Warrior
Caste dwarven champion and scout. See Part 2 for his history
and statistics.
Borrun’s Warriors are Morna, Asha, Lonas and Jakin. Use the
statistics for dwarven warriors given in Part 2 for all four.
Morna and Asha are female, Lonas and Jakin are male. Jakin
is red-haired, the others yellow, and all wear their hair in
an imitation of Borrun’s hairstyle and bear his crest on their
armor.
Upon learning why they’re there, Borrun grows excited. The
wall at the rear of the cave, he believes, is that of an old side
chamber left behind after the road’s construction. If they can
break through it, then they’ll be able to open a service hatch
and climb out onto the main road to Orzammar. Hence the
pick-axes.
He refuses to leave until his mission is accomplished, pointing
out that until they know for a fact that escape this way is
possible, his wife and all the people counting on her will not
be able to evacuate the thaig. Persuading him otherwise is an
opposed Communication (Persuasion) test vs. his Willpower
(Self-Discipline).
If this is the
second mission the PCs attempt
As you move through the caves, you hear a strange chanting
sound, low and murmured as though not intended for anyone’s
ears. Following the echoes through the last few passageways, you
overhear snatches of conversation in dwarven. At long last, you
emerge into a cave which is not a cave. The back wall and part
of the floor are of dwarven design—this must once have been
part of a structure before the cave-in closed the road. The bodies
of genlocks have been pushed to one side, but the floor is still
slick with the mix of their blood and that of the dwarves. Three
dwarves, splashed with blood, heft their weapons before they
realize that you are not darkspawn. Two more dwarves, skin
gray from loss of blood, lie dead propped against the side wall.
The PCs are too late. Borrun has been killed by a darkspawn
attack, and Jakin died trying to defend him. Morna, Asha, and
Lonas were debating what to do when the PCs arrived. Morna
insists that they continue with the mission, Lonas wants to
just check what’s behind this one wall and then give up and
return to the thaig, and Asha wants to bury their comrades.
Once the PCs are up to speed with what’s happened, the
argument resumes with Morna telling Asha that their friends
are at least now with the Stone, and that she should try to take
comfort from that.
A PC succeeding on a TN 15 Cunning (Culture Lore) test (11
if an Orzammar dwarf is making the attempt) will pick up
on the edge in that statement that Borrun was declared to be
“with the Stone” even absent the proper rituals. This is a hint
that these dwarves aren’t what they seem, as few dwarves
who were raised underground would make such an error. If
questioned, Morna will apologize and cite stress and fatigue
as the reason for her mistake—she will then cover by saying
she meant their friends can be given the proper rituals and
burial later.
Buried Pasts
Rewards
The Road to Orzammar
Breaking through the wall takes an advanced TN 20 Strength
(Axes) test with a success threshold of 10, and every character
taking part adds their success Dragon Die to the threshold.
The dwarves have enough pick-axes for everyone, having
brought spare.
When the wall is breached it collapses, revealing the much
larger, smoother slabs of finished construction a few yards
further back. A TN 11 Cunning (Engineering) test helps a
character realize that these slabs are the side wall of a Deep
Road. They’re inside a wall cavity created when the road was
being constructed. The water drainage for the road is acces-
sible as a depression in the floor that becomes a crawlspace
just big enough for a human on hands and knees as it passes
under the road. A TN 15 Strength (Might) test allows a char-
acter to lift a drain grate from below, and one by one the char-
acters can climb up into the Deep Roads.
The road stretches in both directions, the cave-in only
covering the third way to the thaig. The dwarves have their
route to Orzammar, and the PCs and their allies can return to
the thaig. If Borrun and Jakin died, they are buried in cairns
made from the rubble of Borrun’s Wall.
SCENE 4
Turning the Tables
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
On their way back to Chanra Thaig, the PCs and their
allies hear a group of darkspawn approaching and have
the chance to set an ambush of their own.
Buried
RewardsPasts
You are making good progress on the return journey to the
thaig, the spirits of the dwarves buoyed by the success of the
mission, despite the losses they have suffered. Asha in partic-
ular seems to have had a weight lifted from her shoulders, as
though hope now exists.
You’re now two-thirds of the way back to the caves leading
to the thaig, when you hear something up ahead; the grunts
and growls of darkspawn, engaged in some kind of argument.
The darkspawn do not appear to have realized you’re here yet,
but are heading this way.
The PCs and their allies have the chance to set up an ambush
for the darkspawn patrol now heading toward them. The
patrol consists of five genlocks led by two genlock alphas (use
the statistics from Scene 2 except that the darkspawn have no
crossbows).
There are several pillars behind which characters can hide.
Every loud action the heroes take in preparing an ambush
(setting traps, stowing their gear safely, hiding injured group
members) allows one of the genlocks to make a Percep-
tion (Hearing) test opposed by the character’s Dexterity
(Stealth). If successful, the darkspawn realize that someone
is present and surprise is lost.
Resolution and
Troubleshooting
At the end of this part of adventure the PCs should have a
fairly decent handle on the current threat the darkspawn
present. They also should know what must be done to seal off
infested areas of the Deep Roads, protecting both the dwarves
and those on the surface from darkspawn incursions. As
25
 mentioned in Part 3, the order of the missions and how they
performed in this part of the adventure have major repercus-
sions for how things progress later on. Some of the dwarves
the PCs have come to know and have strong positive or nega-
tive feelings about may be dead. Also, the PCs may have more
clues the dwarves aren’t all that they seem.
There’s not a lot of time to tarry during this part of the adven-
ture, but the PCs may start to develop personal relationships
with various dwarves at this point. This may lead to them
eventually learning the dwarves’ secret.
PART 4
Sealing Evil
Having chosen to enter the main part of the thaig, the PCs
must lead a team of dwarven miners through the outskirts
of Chanra thaig searching for the entrance the darkspawn
use, then follow it until those miners believe they can safely
collapse the system and defend them while they do so.
Assuming they can defend the miners, the cave-in can be
caused, but if they delayed handling this in favor of finding
Borrun and his scouts, the darkspawn have already made
progress on digging alternative routes; the cave-in will not
hold them for very long, and escape to the surface may not be
possible after all.
SCENE 1
Toward the Nest
ROLEPLAYING / EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
The PCs and their allies attempt to find a way into the
darkspawn nest.
As Gotra sees to the barricades, Vortak addresses you. “We
still don’t know exactly how the darkspawn get into and out
of the central thaig. The main entranceway is blocked up
past the gatehouse ever since we dropped the roof in when
we escaped back here to the refuge, but they still come from
somewhere in that direction—I suspect they’ve got another
way into the gatehouse that bypasses the main tunnel. We
need to head East through the outskirts to the main door
and fight our way into the gatehouse, then search for their
route.”
Vortak marshals the Mining and Artisan Caste dwarves who
have volunteered to go with the PCs. With pride, the artisan
introduces Hengist, Wistan, Rhin, Jass, Alfwin, Arcus, and
Ysall. Their faces peer up at the heroes from under their
over-large helmets. Ysall is the sole woman and both she and
Alfwin are artisans. The rest are miners. After the characters
have a chance to get to know their charges and issue any
orders about what to do in a fight, the barricades are lifted
and they can set off.
Vortak will approach whichever PC he believes to be the
combat leader and ask for a quiet word. Glancing back
to make sure his people can’t hear him, he outlines his
concern.
26
“Listen, ser. These dwarves are volunteers, because we’re
all in desperate straits and working to do something is better
than waiting for die. The Stone made us to work it, after all.
They’re brave, but they’re not soldiers, understand? We’ll try
our best in a fight, but if you can keep the darkspawn off my
crew while they work, we’ll all be safer.”
Vortak indicates the way to the thaig gatehouse to whichever
character is taking the lead, and expresses his belief that the
darkspawn will have posted guards. Anyone splitting off to
scout for genlock patrols must make a TN 11 Cunning (Navi-
gation) test to correctly recall the route, but for now the
outskirts are still quiet.
SCENE 2
The Broken Door
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The PCs and their allies reach the original entrance to
the thaig and must defeat the genlocks on guard to gain
entrance, but the way is blocked—the darkspawn must
be using another way in.
You are traveling down a thin service tunnel in single file,
approaching an intersection, when Vortak signals a halt.
“This next tunnel is the main route in, a short stretch of
Deep Roads and then the courtyard in front of the main doors
to the thaig. There will be guards.”
The courtyard is a wide chamber, large enough for several
dozen people, and the far wall is heavily decorated in statues
of ancestors and dwarven iconography. A huge pair of metal
doors would complete the imposing entranceway to the thaig
itself, but one of the doors has fallen off the hinges and rests at
an angle. There are no visible windows or viewing slits on the
wall, but the doorway is guarded by six genlocks. Statistics
for genlocks can be found on page 284 of the Dragon Age RPG
Core Rulebook.
A character can sneak forward to get a good look at the enemy
with a successful opposed Dexterity (Stealth) test vs. the
genlocks’ Perception (Hearing). Roll only once for all the
genlocks, either they hear and sound an alert or they are all
unaware.
SCENE 3
The Artisan’s Well
EXPLORATION / COMBAT ENCOUNTER
Discovering that the darkspawn have been using the
old water supply for the thaig as a route in and out, the
PCs and their allies must climb down the public well
and make their way through the flooded water chan-
nels, searching for a place they can seal the tunnel.
The dwarves following behind, you slip past the thick metal
doors and into the gatehouse. After a short passageway, the
tunnel opens up into another cavern-like courtyard with sub-
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 buildings excavated into the walls. The floor is slick with dark-
spawn slime, and the faint echoes of their guttural speech drift
all around you.

The Gatehouse
The route straight ahead is blocked—a vast expanse of gray
stone has slid from the ceiling to cover any mirror to the doors
the PCs passed. An elaborate well marks the center of the
left-hand side of the courtyard, while the right-hand side is
marked by a statue of the thaig’s founding Paragon.
A successful TN 9 Cunning (Engineering) test will prompt a
character to realize that the landslide blocking the way deeper
into the thaig is centuries old at least—it would be impossible
for Vortak to have done it.
The characters have about ten minutes or one very loud noise
before their presence is noticed and they are attacked by ten
genlocks and a genlock alpha, emerging from the open door-
ways around the courtyard. Fortunately, the genlocks take a
while to react. Three arrive at first, then four two full turns
later and the last three and the alpha three full turns after that.
Realizing the route the genlocks have been taking takes a TN
11 Perception (Seeing) test or a TN 13 Perception (Smelling)
test. The filth darkspawn create by their presence is especially
slick and putrid around the well, as though the floor has repeat-
edly been wet recently. Further investigation reveals that the
darkspawn have replaced the well bucket with several chains
as a makeshift ladder. Vortak thinks for a few seconds and then
nods, saying that the thaig’s water supply must run all the way
to the central cavern. The good news is that the cistern should
be easy to collapse if they find a weak point inside. The bad
news is that they’re going to have to swim.
Climbing down without making a noise to alert the genlocks
requires a successful TN 15 Dexterity (Stealth) test for every
character climbing down the chains. Failure indicates that the
character slips and falls into the waist-deep water and silt. If
this happens, the genlocks attack if they make a successful
TN 11 Perception (Hearing) test.

The Murk
This is not a sewer, contrary to what the characters smell.
The water pipe they stand in was intended to carry drinking
water channeled from an underground river into the thaig,
which only after use was allowed to enter the sewer system
and carry back to the river.
The pipe is fifteen feet in radius, the floor as curved as the ceiling
and walls, and the bottom five feet are filled with a mixture of
silt, darkspawn slime, and freezing cold water. Dwarves must
walk as close to the edge as possible to keep their heads above
water, while taller characters have a slightly more comfortable
time of it except in the dead center of the pipe.
If the genlocks in the courtyard were alerted but the characters
managed to get everyone into the pipe regardless, then soon
after the PCs get in the genlocks begin sliding down the chains
and splashing into the water. All non-movement actions in the
water are at a –4 penalty, and movement actions are limited to
three feet of wading unless a character gives up and swims,

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 making a TN 13 Constitution (Swimming) test to move up to
their Constitution times ten in feet as a major action.
If this part of the adventure is taking place after Part 3, then
along with the possible genlock attack from the rear, a group
of four genlock alphas comes swimming along the pipe from
ahead of the group after the characters have waded or swum
a hundred yards.
As the PCs approach the end of the tunnel, they become
aware that they are moving against a current, and then hear
a waterfall up ahead. The pipe ends in a rushing curtain of
water, flowing in a waterfall from somewhere above the
thaig. Pushing through the freezing water, they find the
footing mercifully solid as they enter a wide brick pool, the
water only a foot and a half deep, with an uncomfortably
low ceiling of rough, unworked stone supported by five thick
pillars.
SCENE 4
The Roots of the Thaig
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
Deep below the thaig, at the edge of the water system,
the PCs must defend their allies long enough for them to
destroy key support pillars and seal the darkspawn in.
At the edge of the pool, you can see light—the mass of rock
above you ends before the pool does—and steps indicate the
way into the thaig. Vortak points at the pillars, then at the
rock above your heads.
“One of the support spires of the thaig. Natural from the
cavern it’s built in. We hack through these, and a castle’s worth
of stone lands right where we’re standing seconds later.”
28
The Lay of the Land
If PCs venture to the edge of the pool, they see they are in
what looks like a crescent-shaped trough of water feeding
low-cut channels in the floor, half-encircling a great pillar of
stone stretching hundreds of feet up to the cavern ceiling. The
pool and support pillars seem well concealed by the artistry
of the dwarves that built it. The waterfall can be seen running
down a spiral channel carved into the stone pillar.
The thaig, after everything the PCs have been through, looks
like a human village writ short, with houses, municipal build-
ings, and even a town square. It is eerily dark and cold, though,
and the sound of darkspawn can be heard echoing all around.
If this part of the adventure is being played after Part 3, then
the PCs also see something worrying. The darkspawn have
constructed scaffolding leading to a giant carved dwarven
face, high up on the cavern wall, and even as they watch a
group of genlocks crawl into the mouth and vanish. If they
pass a TN 13 Cunning (Engineering) test or ask Vortak what it
is, they realize that it’s the air supply for the thaig. Depending
on how well the darkspawn have already explored it could
take mere days or even hours to get past any blockage the
group put in place now.
Complication
Just as the dwarves are preparing to begin work, everyone
hears screams from up in the thaig. Dwarven voices, some
begging for mercy, others angrily denouncing the darkspawn
and threatening to go down fighting. If anyone is on watch,
they see a group of genlock alphas and hurlocks have pinned
down and are surrounding a group of fifteen dwarves down
one of the thaig’s streets.
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The miners recognize the dwarves as warriors and servants
who were presumed killed in the outskirts two weeks ago. If
the PCs look like they’re about to try a rescue, Vortak tearfully
and angrily reminds them that they’re supposed to be guarding
the miners, and that they need to cause the collapse now.
Anyone attempting the rescue faces rough odds. Guarding
the prisoners are five genlocks, two hurlocks, and worst of all
an ogre is nearby at the entrance to what used to be the Noble
Caste building at the far end of the thaig.
Statistics for genlocks, hurlocks and ogres can be found on
pages 284, 285 and 287 of the Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook,
respectively
Unless executing with alarming stealth and speed, any rescue
effort also tips off the entire thaig of darkspawn that the group
is present, and begins the battle prematurely.
Bringing the House Down
If the PCs leave the cornered dwarves to their fate, then their
companions can begin work on breaking through the pillars.
Treat each as a “creature” with no defense and 150 Health.
Each turn after the first the dwarves work risks alerting the
darkspawn, but the dying screams of the trapped dwarves
being butchered and fighting to their last makes this unlikely.
To reflect this, make a TN 15 Perception (Hearing) test for a
genlock alpha during each turn of demolition. On a success,
the genlock alpha sounds the alarm.
Once the alarm has been sounded, the darkspawn begin
attacking the miners’ position in several waves. Roll 1d6+4
each time a wave arrives. The result is the number of turns in
which the next wave will arrive. If this part of the adventure
is being played after Part 3, roll 1d6+2 for each wave instead.
• Wave 1: Five genlocks
• Wave 2: Three hurlocks, and two hurlocks.
• Wave 3: One hurlocks, three genlocks and a genlock alphas
• Wave 4: Two hurlocks, two genlocks, and a genlock alpha.
• Subsequent Waves: All subsequent waves are composed
the same as Wave 4.
If the characters manage to rescue the pinned-down dwarves
and run back to the battle, assume that there are five combat-
capable dwarves among the prisoners. Use the stats for a
dwarven warrior, but arm them with weapons taken from
fallen darkspawn. The other ten are noncombatants and die
if attacked.
The doors leading to the Noble Caste chambers are guarded
by the ogre and are barred from the other side. If questioned
later, the prisoners believe that whatever fell being creates
darkspawn was somewhere inside, but they never saw any
sign of it in the open thaig.
Once the final pillar has been broken, the rock spire makes
a terrible cracking noise. Five turns later, it collapses and
instantly kills anything still standing in the pool. Anyone still
in the thaig is lost, trapped with an army of darkspawn if they
escaped being crushed by falling rock.
Victory won, perhaps at great cost, the characters can make
the return journey to Chanra Thaig. Remember that if the
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characters were successfully stealthy on entry, there are still
darkspawn out in the gatehouse who may hear the group’s
escape.
Resolution and
Troubleshooting
If the PCs save the dwarves, they are great heroes who have
earned the respect and loyalty of the whole group by doing
something no one thought possible. If they don’t, they are
still seen as great allies—none blame them for failing to free
prisoners in the face of overwhelming odds. Unless they have
treated the dwarves exceptionally poorly, they have gained
friends with their actions.
Unless the PCs simply don’t care or have already figured it
out, the GM should take time during this part of the adven-
ture to give additional clues that the dwarves are hiding
something. Prisoners might say they wished they’d stayed
on the surface or a dwarf might express some obvious igno-
rance at the way dwarf culture works. These clues, and
perhaps some appropriate Cunning (Cultural Lore) tests,
will reveal the deception and reinforce the fact that the
dwarves really do need the PCs’ help to survive the Deep
Roads.
PART 5
The Debate
With the outcome of both missions known, the PCs and their
allies must decide what to do next.
Weary from your endeavors, you make it back at last to the
warehouse refuge of the dwarves. You arrive to find the place
a hive of activity, in stark contrast to the quiet resignation of
the people you first encountered. The dwarves are packing up
to leave.
Gotra approaches, concerned.
“How did it go?”
With all the surviving dwarves assembled together with
the PCs, this encounter allows the characters to react to the
outcome of the missions, take stock of their remaining options
and then decide on what to do. It also makes the perfect place
for a PC who has realized what the dwarves did to make any
private or public accusations.
If the players took on Part 3 before Part 4 then the way to
Orzammar is open and the dwarves have their hero back
to lead them to it, but the darkspawn could be on their way
any minute and speed is of the essence. Borrun is of the
opinion that the thaig needs to evacuate along the Deep
Roads as soon as possible. Chanra notes that she promised
they would save the surface villages by sealing the entrance,
but Vortak is concerned about time. With so many mine
passages, he believes the best way to seal off the surface exit
is by completely undermining the hill, setting fire to support
beams on several levels beneath it. That can be done, but not
under pressure of combat, so the majority will have to stay
29
 on the thaig level at the base of the stairs and hold off the
darkspawn until the job is complete. He doesn’t know how
long the PCs would have to get out, but he’s adamant that the
dwarves would have to stay; otherwise the darkspawn will
break out onto the surface.
If the players handled Part 4 before Part 3 then the darkspawn
are locked up, perhaps for weeks or even months, except any
that were already in the outskirts when the column collapsed.
Unfortunately, Borrun is dead, and Chanra has not handled
her husband’s death well, so the dwarves are indecisive
about the best course of action. Vortak believes he can cause
the exit to implode as in the alternate scenario, but without
the pressure of the darkspawn, he’s confident that it can be
done allowing everyone who wants to leave for the surface
out safely.
There are three likely complications:
• First, Borrun may have died on the return journey in
Part 3 even if that mission was undertaken first. In this
case, Chanra is too distracted to think properly and
Gotra has had to take the lead. He implores the PCs
to stay and help make certain the surface is sealed off,
promising on his blood to see them safely to the surface
at Orzammar.
• Second, Vortak may have died, so the dwarves don’t see
a way to collapse the surface exit. It’s simply impossible
to do in a way which the darkspawn won’t burrow past
in a week or so. If Borrun is still alive, he recommends
that the dwarves flee to Orzammar while the PCs try
to get the Avvar and Ferelden forces to work together
aboveground.
• Third, The PCs may have realized that the dwarves
broke through from the surface and opened the thaig.
The Confession
When directly accused, the dwarves (either Chanra or Gotra
if she is grieving) openly admit it. Their initial hope was to
find a thaig to live in for at least a generation before heading
to Orzammar, but going to the city now will have to do. The
spokesperson deeply regrets the loss of human life, but the
darkspawn killed those people, not the dwarves, and they
have lost just as many people fighting them. If the PCs haven’t
figured everything out, then a distraught dwarf may bemoan
the folly of their deception and plan, but avoid this option if
possible—it’s better if the PCs figure things out on their own
with the clues provided.
The dwarves admit they are breaking Orzammar’s laws, but
do surface dweller PCs care about that? The dwarves offer
testimonials of their lives, decry the unjust prohibition against
surfacers, and attempt to play on the PCs’ sense of equality.
Of course the Avvar cry for blood, but blood has been spilled.
The bann who hired the PCs wants the situation resolved, but
sealing the entrance will surely resolve it. Ultimately, there
is no higher authority that demands one action or the other.
Instead it is up the PCs to decide how to handle the dwarves’
situation.
The question is what to do about all this, and there are no
easy answers. Forcing the entire dwarf community back
up to the surface is incompatible with closing the entrance
30
and fighting darkspawn, as closing the mines properly can
only be done from the inside. If that plan has already been
given up on the dwarves don’t want to head up anyway.
They resist, up to using violence against the PCs if necessary,
unless the PCs can persuade them that making the trip to
Orzammar would be impossible. Of the ringleaders, some
may be dead already, but if it means that the surfacers will
let Gotra and maybe Vortak lead the exodus to Orzammar, a
grieving Chanra will allow herself to be taken to the surface
as a scapegoat. If Borrun lives, however, the threat that the
dwarves might not be able to hold off the darkspawn long
enough to close the route to the hills is very real, and the
champion lays it out flat. They can decide what to do when
everyone is marching to Orzammar, or the PCs can leave for
the surface and the dwarves won’t waste any time trying to
shut the door behind them; the PCs and Avvar can deal with
the darkspawn.
A Job Half Done
If the characters figure out the dwarves’ plot, or at least gather
enough evidence that something is wrong and confront the
dwarves about it after only one mission, they might decide to
leave for the surface with only one of Parts 3 or 4 completed.
This will likely lead to the darkspawn breaking free and
heading for the surface. They will overrun the dwarves if the
heroes left them underground. If the characters didn’t leave
for their own concerns immediately, they may be caught up in
the resulting battle; see Part 6, Scene 2 for ideas.
Decision Time
In the end, there are several possible sequences of scenes to
make up the conclusion of the adventure, depending on the
choices the characters have made and how this scene played
out.
There are four key factors to look at. Are the PCs going to stay
below ground or head to the surface? Are the dwarves staying
below ground or heading to the surface? Will an attempt be
made to close the surface entrance? And, are the darkspawn
sealed temporarily or on their way to the surface?
AN IMMINENT THREAT
The selfish option on the part of both the PCs and the
dwarves is to cut their losses and run, either for the surface or
for Orzammar, abandoning the surface villages to their fate.
The dwarves can only be convinced to go to the surface on a
successful opposed Communication (Persuasion) test vs. the
Willpower (Courage) of all living ringleaders. If the surface is
chosen, then use Part 6, Scene 1 to show the PCs arriving back
above ground. If they then try to rally the Avvar to fight the
darkspawn that are following close behind, use Part 6, Scene
2 for the battle. Running for Orzammar is handled by Part
7, though the PCs may hear of genlocks taking over the hill
region of the entrance once they finally reach the surface.
Sealing the entrance will require buying some time for the
miners, but the PCs need to decide if they themselves will head
to the surface or stay to back the dwarves up in the battle. Part
6, Scene 3 handles the below-ground battle against the dark-
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spawn if they elect to stay, and as they are then trapped in the
Deep Roads, the PCs have no choice but to head to Orzammar
with the dwarves in Part 7. Leaving for the surface when the
darkspawn are already advancing leads to Part 6, Scene 1, but
the hill fails to collapse as the dwarves are overrun without
the PCs’ assistance. It then falls to the PCs and Avvar to finish
the job above ground in Part 6, Scene 2.
A DELAYED THREAT
Are the darkspawn sealed away, albeit temporarily? Well,
then without the immediate threat of battle, it is possible to
have everyone reach the surface and still collapse the mines
behind them, leading to Part 6, Scene 1. It’s likely that the
PCs won’t be able to persuade the dwarves against heading to
Orzammar, in which case they can head to the surface them-
selves using Part 6, Scene 1 (this time the hill collapses). Alter-
natively, they could stay with the dwarves through their long
march through the Deep Roads into part 7.
Resolution and
Troubleshooting
This part of the adventure is all about decisions and role-
playing. How the PCs react and what they decide are key, and
their actions both determine how the adventure will end and
have long-term effects later. If they help the dwarves reach
Orzammar they may find they have allies there in the future.
Or if the dwarves’ deception is revealed to the dwarven
kingdom, the PCs may find themselves hated and despised
there even if they don’t stay there for any period of time
themselves. Pushing the dwarves back to the surface feels like
giving up to some, but it will also save the remaining survi-
vors at the risk of increasing tensions with the Avvar who
may blame them for stirring up the darkspawn.
PART 6
Closing the
Stable Door
In this part, the galleries of mines the heroes entered the Deep
Roads through are addressed. If the PCs leave for the surface,
this marks the end of the adventure.
Closing the surface entrance involves setting fire to support
beams on several levels beneath the entrance itself, allowing
the hill to collapse in on itself in a spectacular display.
SCENE 1
Amends
ROLEPLAY ENCOUNTER
The PCs reach the surface and encounter the newly-
readied Avvar. The hillfolk are demanding to know
who is responsible for the death of their kinsmen.
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After the long journey back up the stairs and through the
mines, you emerge into the fresh air of the hillside. It’s night-
time, just before dawn, and the sky is turning red in the East.
The group are immediately hailed by an Avvar who has been
waiting for them; if Kothag was left on guard, it will be him,
but if not Daeorn will have sent another of his warriors in the
meantime.
The Avvar have been busy while the characters have been
below ground; reinforcements from Treehold and Bearhold
have arrived, and Daeorn wants the PCs back at Sunhold to
tell their story as soon as possible.
If the PCs avoided Sunhold entirely on the way in, then the
warrior is one of a group of seven Avvar hunters (see Dragon
Age RPG Core Rulebook, p. 273). Let them tell the characters
that three clans of warriors are mustering two miles away at
the hold, ready to attack the darkspawn if they come.
At this point, if the hill is going to collapse thanks to the
surface being sealed, it does so now. Note that if the dark-
spawn were not sealed away successfully and the PCs left
the dwarves below ground to do the sealing in the face of an
imminent attack, the hill does not collapse as the dwarves were
overrun by the darkspawn and slaughtered in the absence of
the characters’ aid. If it does so, however, the ground shakes
as the shape of the land deforms, the hill losing several dozen
yards in height as layer after layer of internal passages are
squashed flat. Anyone standing is knocked flat, and anyone
still inside the tunnels is killed instantly. Avvar shout prayers
to the mountain for mercy, and the shaking finally stops just
as the sun rises above the horizon. The sound of the collapse
can be heard for miles.
Sunhold
Returning to Sunhold, the characters will note the signs of
a military build-up. The area outside the walls is now filled
with tents, carefully separated into two groups as Daeorn and
his fellow thanes keep their warriors apart for the time being.
Daeorn meets them inside the hold, on the steps to his house
toward the rear of the fortifications.
“We have a custom here in the hills. The repayment of loss.
Tell me, lowlander. Have our losses been avenged?”
Allow the PCs to tell as much of their story as they wish;
the thane may make Communication (Investigation) tests
opposed by their Communication (Deception) if they tell
deliberate falsehoods or leave out significant facts such as the
dwarves’ true origin if the PCs know it.
If the dwarves are all still below ground and the hill is sealed,
then Daeorn considers for a while and declares the matter
closed as the dwarves have given their lives, from his point
of view, to repay their debt whether they knew it or not. The
group is free to leave, with his thanks and reward, although he
asks them to give Bann Selwyn a message of peace from him
rather than have politics bring the region to such a brink again.
If the PCs brought some or all of the dwarves with them and
the hill has been sealed, then Daeorn demands they make
reparations for the loss of his warriors (and, when he’s in
31
 full flow of speech, for the loss of the lowlander villagers).
A period of enforced servitude, working to rebuild what
they caused to be destroyed, appeals to the thane’s sense of
justice. The characters may try to intervene for or against the
dwarves, but (especially if Borrun has been killed) Chanra in
particular accepts her fate as being fair.
If the hill was not sealed, however, then the darkspawn are
on their way. Daeorn addressed the crowd, and informs them
that there will be a battle.
“We will drive the creatures back again, and make certain of
the job this time”
If the dwarves left with the characters and the hill is not
sealed, then Daeorn informs them that there is no time to sit
in judgment over them. The dwarves will be expected to help
fight, and to seal the passages under supervision once the
darkspawn have been killed.
If there is to be a battle, move on to Part 6, Scene 2. If not,
then the PCs may return to Bann Selwyn with news of their
adventures. For them, Buried Pasts is complete.
SCENE 2
The Battle of the Rift
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The darkspawn are coming up from their lair. The PCs
and any remaining allies must surround the opening
and fight them in the open air.
The afternoon sun has chased away the mist, but at this alti-
tude the air is still bitterly cold. The massed forces of your
allies stand ready, talking among themselves in low tones as
they wait for the inevitable.
After what seems an age, a single genlock emerges from
the cave, squinting into the sunshine. It collapses, gurgling,
as an arrow lodges in its throat.
The cry goes up, weapons are hefted.
There are more where it came from.
The Battle of the Rift pitches the PCs, 280 Avvar, and up to 20
dwarves against 360 darkspawn; far too large an encounter
to handle using the normal Dragon Age RPG combat rules.
Instead, conduct this battle using the mass battle rules present
in the Dragon Age Core Rulebook. One of the PCs or an impor-
tant NPC should serve as a commander for this battle and
other PCs should have ample opportunity for heroism during
this fight.
As the PCs have experience with the darkspawn and have
obviously acquitted themselves well enough to survive the
Deep Roads, the Avvar are more than willing to make one of
them commander for this battle. They will do this even if the
PCs’ relationship with the Avvar is largely negative as an act
of expediency, but in that case they will tersely inform the PCs
this does little to change other grudges or animosity—though
ample heroism in the battle to come may change these atti-
tudes.
The PCs likely would appreciate more forces than they have,
but there simply isn’t time to assemble them. What few men
32
Bann Selwyn could provide won’t make it in time and all
other help is too far away. The PCs will need to make do with
the Avvar, a handful of dwarves, and their own abilities.
Avvar Forces
The Avvar are not culturally inclined toward mass units,
prizing the small skirmisher unit and individual hero, and the
three allied holds have assembled their troops accordingly. A
group of mighty clan champions, shield bearers, and battle
capable shamans has banded together to form a core central
unit of 30 lightly armored but highly skilled infantry with
mages to support them. The remaining skirmishers are split
into two loosely-organized units of a hundred Avvar each.
Daeorn commands one skirmisher unit, and Kothag the other,
and command of the central unit is given to whichever PC or
NPC is chosen as commander.
The Avvar have other tricks up their sleeve. The hillfolk are
excellent archers, and have assembled fifty longbow-armed
men and women ready to rain down arrows on the enemy.
There are ample spots in the nearby hills to place these troops,
though their ultimate use is up to the commander.
In addition to these troops the falconers, equivalent to the
kennel-masters of Ferelden, are ready to assist should anyone
think of a use for their hawks, but are wary of unhooding
their charges for fear the birds will ingest darkspawn blood
and become poisoned. Still, PCs might think to use them as
messengers or scouts. However, they don’t count as a unit
in this battle; they are mentioned as a potential asset to help
enable PC creativity and increase ease of communication.
Lastly, if the dwarves came to the surface in numbers, the
remaining twenty dwarven warriors (including all the named
dwarf warriors who survive) form a shield wall next to the
Avvar champions, protecting the archers.
The PCs are free to choose their own deployment. They might
decide to stand with an NPC they wish to protect, join the
Avvar champions and dwarves in the front line, or split up
and join whichever unit fits their individual skills.
The Darkspawn
The genlock that was shot was one of several scouts sent
ahead of the main force now marching up through the mines.
Its death was witnessed by other genlocks which have now
reported back, and the darkspawn are aware that a consid-
erable force is waiting for them. Were it a straight fight, the
darkspawn would win through sheer numbers, but the fact
that they are forced to introduce their forces in single file
through the cave entrance means the Avvar will never actu-
ally have to fight all of them at once. The darkspawn strategy
is fittingly brutal and simple. If the defensive line is right
next to the cave entrance, then their forces will be effectively
queuing up to fight the same humans over and over again,
with the occasional darkspawn slipping past to then engage
the greater human army and be killed. If, however, they can
push the defenders back down the hill away from the cave
then they can get genlocks out faster. The larger the beach-
head they control, the more pressure they can put on the
Avvar surrounding them until their superior numbers tip the
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battle in their favor. How they plan to break the Avvar lines
and accomplish this feat is the subject of the first of two crisis
points during the battle.
Stage 1: Opening Moves)
CRISIS POINT: OGRE!
To break through the lines, the alphas have goaded up an ogre
from the depths of the thaig and have whipped it into a blood
frenzy before sending it out ahead. If the PCs don’t stop the
ogre, it will push the Avvar back just enough to allow a mass
of genlocks to push out onto the field.
The PCs must battle a Heroic ogre from the Dragon Age Core
Rulebook. In addition to the usual effects of winning a crisis
point during a battle, if the PCs lose or must retreat then the
darkspawn gain a tactical advantage which gives them a +1 in
all future battle related tests. If the PCs kill the ogre their side
gains that same advantage for the rest of the battle.
Stage 2: Main Engagement)
CRISIS POINT: SAVE THE AVVAR
During the battle, Daeorn and his unit are in danger of being
overrun by a superior force of darkspawn. If the PCs can save
him, they can gain a serious advantage. If they fail, Daeorn
will be struck down by the enemy.
Buried
RewardsPasts
The Battle ofthe Rift
The following forces are set to clash in the Battle of the
Rift.
AVVAR FORCES
Commander: PC or chosen NPCs, use the Communica-
tion (Leadership) and Cunning (Military Lore) of the
commander for this battle.
Number of Troops: 280
Primary Troop Types: Avvar Skirmisher
Stage 1 Specialists: Avvar Skirmishers
Stage 2 Specialists: Avvar Champions
Stage 3 Specialists: None
Additional Forces: In addition any surviving dwarves
form their own unit. The exact size of this unit depends
on how many of are left, but it may be as many as 20. If
there are fewer than 10 dwarves remaining before this
battle, simply add their number to the Avvar Cham-
pions unit instead—they will bolster this unit instead of
fighting alone in such small numbers.
DARKSPAWN FORCES
Commander: Half-Face. An elite hurlock alpha who
has Communication 4 (Leadership) and Cunning 3 (no
Military Lore focus). His name comes from half his face
being burned away by some old injury.
Number of Troops: 360
Primary Troop Types: Genlocks
Stage 1 Specialists: Shrieks
Stage 2 Specialists: Hurlock Shock Troops
Stage 3 Specialists: None
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 The PCs must battle a force of two hurlock alphas and six
genlocks. If the battle takes more than five turns, an addi-
tional alpha and two genlocks join the fray in an attempt to
kill Daeorn and destabilize the Avvar forces.
Resolution
The outcome of the battle rests on how long the front-line
troops can hold and how effectively the PCs utilize both their
own abilities and command the assembled forces.
Aftermath
Even if all goes well, the Avvar likely have taken significant
losses. Daeorn may be dead, in which case Kothag (his elder
brother also having died in the fighting) is quickly named
thane. If the dwarves came up to the surface and Vortak
survives, then the Mining Caste set about collapsing the
tunnels while under the watchful guard of Avvar warriors.
If the dwarves are not present or Vortak died, then the tunnel
will remain open but guarded by Avvar until Bann Selwyn’s
troops finally arrive; after that, it’s Ferelden’s problem.
The bodies of the darkspawn are dumped into the tunnels
and either burned or left to be destroyed when the hill
collapses. So much tainted blood has been spilt that the thane
declares the hill anathema. Under this declaration, no Avvar
will set foot on it again, which gives the bann the solid border
he always wanted. The Avvar retreat to Sunhold to perform
a mass air burial of their dead. If the dwarves took part in
the battle, the thane considers their debt paid. Vortak, if he
survives, announces his intention to build a new settlement
in the Free Marches, far from any Deep Roads.
The PCs may return to Castle Selwyn, concluding the adven-
ture.
SCENE 3
Hold the Line
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The PCs have decided not to abandon their dwarven
allies, and together they must hold off the darkspawn
advance long enough for the miners to seal them below
ground.
The darkspawn are on their way, and you have decided to make
certain they are not released onto the surface. The miners are
hard at work in the mines, setting fires and preparing to bring
the hill down.
Where the tunnel leading to the stairs meets the outskirts
of the thaig is a junction-way, the wide cargo-tunnel of the
outskirts meeting an ornate archway marking the way to
the mines. More importantly, any darkspawn coming from
the direction of the gatehouse must pass this way before they
reach the refuge and—beyond that—the road to Orzammar.
You have your place to stand.
The noncombatant dwarves are taking the refuge apart,
assessing what can be carried immediately and what can be
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used as barricade material, while the combatants that aren’t
involved with collapsing the mines are building a makeshift
wall of stone, junk, and the remains of the barricades that
were protecting the refuge. If they survived so far, Chanra is
leading the noncombatants in their efforts and, once they’re
done, out to the caves leading to the Deep Roads south that
was successfully scouted. Vortak is leading the miners while
Gotra is right at the front of the wall construction. If Borrun
survived he is here, preparing to face the darkspawn with
the PCs.
The darkspawn haven’t gathered an army yet—they’re still
scouting the new ways out of the thaig as new darkspawn
arrive in the outskirts in small groups. That may save the
heroes if they can hold off successive waves of darkspawn
long enough for the mines to be destroyed. They could then
retreat south, picking up the noncombatants and running for
the Deep Roads before the darkspawn find a way through.
The physical defenses are as important as the warriors
present. There are enough materials being abandoned by the
evacuation to build a barricade across the entire tunnel, and
even to make it a good one given enough time.
The forces at the junction consist of the PCs and the remaining
dwarven warriors (Borrun, Gotra, and the named five minor
NPC warriors from earlier in the adventure, plus fifteen
more, minus any casualties that have already been taken), to
begin with. They also have four noncombatant servant caste
members trained in treating wounds and standing by with
supplies to do so (treat as having the Chirurgy talent at (Jour-
neyman) level).
Everyone building the barricade, setting traps, or other-
wise trying to make it difficult for the darkspawn to reach
the defenders can contribute to an advanced TN 15 Cunning
(Engineering) test, which unlike a normal advanced test has
no Success Threshold. Instead, the GM should keep a running
total of the dragon dice from contributors—this then becomes
the success threshold for the darkspawn’s collective advanced
Strength (Might) tests to break through the barriers. Any
darkspawn may roll in their test as a major action during
combat, while the dwarven characters and PCs may each roll
once per half hour out of combat, representing repairing the
defenses.
While the barricade stands, the defenders have the benefit of
heavy cover (–3 to darkspawn attacks) and darkspawn cannot
use the Skirmish stunt.
The Darkspawn Attack!
The waves of repair time and attackers proceeds like this:
Gap: 2 hours (4 repair rolls to initially make the barricade)
Wave 1: Eight genlocks and two genlock alphas
Gap: ½ hour (1 repair roll)
Wave 2: Seven hurlocks and one hurlock alpha
Gap: ¼ hour (no roll, though the repairs are assumed to
continue)
Wave 3: Twelve genlocks, four hurlocks, and three genlock
alphas
Gap: ¼ hour (1 repair roll)
Buried Pasts
Rewards
Reinforcements: The first two groups of dwarven miners
arrive and add to the heroes’ forces: add ten more
dwarves to their side, using the statistics for Miners
rather than Warriors.
Wave 4: An ogre, ten genlocks, and a genlock alpha
Gap: ½ hour (1 repair roll)
Reinforcements: The third group of miners arrive back (add
another five miners to the heroes’ forces)
Wave 5: Twenty genlocks and four genlock alphas
Gap: ½ hour (1 repair roll)
Wave 6: An ogre, fifteen genlocks, ten hurlocks, two genlock
alphas, and a hurlock alpha
After the last wave of darkspawn is defeated, Vortak and
the final group of miners arrive. Vortak lights the fuses and
everyone runs south to the cave leading to the Deep Roads
where they are met by the noncombatant dwarves. The sound
of the mines collapsing bellows throughout the deep, and the
ground shakes violently. When it stops, the dwarves make
their way through to the Deep Roads while a rear guard of
miners damages the caves to prevent darkspawn following
them.
The PCs are now trapped underground. Move on to Part 7.
Resolution and
Troubleshooting
Given the number of branching paths at this point in the
adventure, the PCs will only experience some of the scenes
and encounters in this part of the adventure. The final part of
the adventure may be completely avoided by many parties,
in fact.
The final parts of this adventure can be resolved quickly or
augmented with various random encounters and opportuni-
ties for roleplaying. The key here is for GMs to feel out their
group. If the PCs are ready to be done with the whole affair
then it’s best to wrap it up and move on to new adventures.
If they are greatly enjoying interacting with the dwarves,
Avvar, and other NPCs then feel free to expand this adven-
ture further.
PART 7
Exodus to
Orzammar
The heroes and their dwarven allies now face a long, uncer-
tain journey through the Deep Roads to the fabled dwarf
kingdom of Orzammar. This part of the adventure is left
deliberately vague, even sketchy, to allow the GM to expand
or contract it as they see fit. Buried Pasts is technically
over (and XP for the adventure should be awarded now),
but it has finished in such a way as to dictate the PCs’ next
move; Orzammar is some 50 miles from Sunhold as the
eagle flies, but the roads do not take the shortest possible
route, winding as the rock required and outright stopping in
Buried
RewardsPasts
places where barriers may or may not have held since earlier
Blights. All told, the PCs are looking at an eighty-mile hike
accompanying around a hundred dwarves in various states
of distress.
And once they get there, they have to decide what to tell the
authorities about their allies.
The following encounter ideas are not an exhaustive list.
Whole adventures can be set in the journey to Orzammar.
SCENE 1
Confession
ROLEPLAYING / EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
The dwarven column makes ready to leave for the long
road to Orzammar, and must make decisions about
what to take. Chanra’s deception is revealed if it has
not already been.
If the PCs still haven’t figured it out by now, it should be
obvious that the dwarves are not who they claimed to be. The
mood is one of determination among the convoy, but there
isn’t any sadness about the thaig, not what would be expected
for dwarves forced to abandon their homes.
Feeling guilty for trapping the PCs with them on false
pretenses, Chanra confesses who the dwarves are and why
they came to the Deep Roads. If Borrun died, she’ll do this
after the column passes his cairn. If they already knew, then
she will express her renewed sorrow for dragging so many
people—the PCs, the Avvar, the villagers—into pain for the
sake of her people.
SCENE 2
The Long March
EXPLORATION / COMBAT ENCOUNTER
While making their way through the Deep Roads
towards Orzammar, the PCs and their allies face a
number of encounters with the native creatures and
natural hazards of the deep places.
You pass the broken remains of Borrun’s Wall and, one by
one, crawl through the drain to emerge on the Deep Roads.
The evacuees form up in a double line, carrying their few
possessions between them.
Everyone is tired to their bones, but the consensus is to
keep moving and put at least another five miles in before
resting. Warriors must be placed along, ahead, and behind
the column. When resting, watches will have to be taken. The
hundred or so of you are all alone down here, and you must
take care.
Allow the PCs to organize the evacuees’ marching order as they
think best, with even seasoned dwarven warriors nodding and
agreeing to every suggestion. A TN 9 Perception (Empathy) test
reveals that the dwarves are too tired to disagree in some cases
but in most have honestly just decided to trust the PCs with
their lives, for doing that has got them this far.
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 Chasm
The column reaches a great chasm splitting the road in
two, and must work out a way to cross it without plunging
hundreds of feet into darkness.
Spider Nest
Much of the roads that once connected the dwarven empire are
now the domain of giant cave spiders that scavenge for food.
While passing through the rare rest stop, which may contain
long-abandoned sleeping quarters or even the remains of a
pub, the evacuees take the chance to replenish their food and
drink supplies. Those doing the searching, though, find webs
and giant spiders lurking in the darkness. (See Giant Spider
on p. 281 of the Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook.)
Lyrium
While traversing a set of wide caverns in order to make it
around a cave-in on the road, the dwarven miners point out
silvery threads of ore running through the walls; lyrium, the
wealth of Orzammar and a priceless substance for mages.
Some of the artisans and miners (Vortak especially) want to
take samples to show to the Orzammar dwarves, on the basis
that revealing a lyrium site might go some way to smoothing
their entry. Mostly, though, it’s a ploy for Vortak’s ambition.
Lyrium is very difficult to mine as it is toxic to those without
resistance to magic, and as surface dwarves the evacuees
haven’t had time to build up their resistance to the effects
yet. Retrieving it could poison those doing so, sending their
emotions wild until they flee the column in a fit of paranoia
and must be brought back.
SCENE 3
The Legion of the Dead
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCs and their allies arrive at the border of Orzam-
mar’s territory, a military outpost of the famed Legion
of the Dead. The PCs must decide whether to reveal
Chanra’s lies to the soldiers.
About a mile from Orzammar, the column begin to be able
to hear the city, the sounds of thousands of dwarves echoing
through the Deep Roads toward them, and spirits lift as
each dwarf in turn realizes that the journey is over and that
they survived. Finally, the column is challenged by a road-
block—almost a battlement—built blocking the Road ahead.
The roadblock is one of Orzammar’s outer defenses, staffed
by the Legion of the Dead. The dwarves and PCs are now,
finally, safe.
If the PCs are going to turn the dwarves in and reveal their
secret to Orzammar’s rulers there are several chances to do
so before, with thanks but with the firm sense that they are
uninvited guests, the PCs are encouraged to bid the dwarves
of “Chanra Thaig” goodbye and are then hurried through the
city to the great gate to the surface.
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SCENE 4
Gherlen’s Pass
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCs leave Orzammar via the main gate in Gherlen’s
Pass, and see the conditions of the Surface Dwarves for
themselves.
The PCs are out, back in the light of day among the surface
caste shantytown in Gherlen’s Pass. If they want to discover
what happened with Sunhold or Bann Selwyn, they will have
to ride around the Imperial Highway once again. This adven-
ture, though, is now over.
Aftermath
Regardless of the exact path they took, the adventure ends.
The PCs receive their payment from Bann Selwyn plus a
bonus if it is clear they went above and beyond the call to
resolve things. Note that the PCs almost certainly did so in
various ways, but they will only receive additional rewards if
these efforts are well known or obvious. Fortunately Selwyn
is inclined to take the PCs at their word as long as their claims
are not too outrageous, so an additional reward in the form
of a fifty percent bonus to their original payment is relatively
easy to secure.
If the PCs turned the dwarves over to the authorities in
Orzammar they receive a nice reward and a polite shove out
the door. They won’t gain any real allies from this action; the
whole thing is somewhat embarrassing as the Orzammar
authorities realize they likely would have accepted the surface
dwarves and their deception without the PCs’ help. This
approach gains the party some gold, but also burns nearly all
goodwill they might have with the surface dwarves. Worse, if
word gets around they may find other surface dwarves now
behave more negatively toward them in the future. On the
other hand, if they keep the dwarves’ secret they can count
on their support in the future. What that support is worth
depends on how successful the dwarves are in the future, but
it could be considerable.
Honorifics and other accolades are a bit trickier to easily define
for this adventure. It’s possible a PC could gain a reputation
for being a great slayer of darkspawn, friend to the Avvar, or
savior of the dwarves. You should tailor any such honorifics to
match the exact deeds of a particular PC. As with all cases of
reputation, what the PCs are credited with doing means more
than their actual actions. It’s possible they could save the day
and no one knows, or they could be seen as stalwart defenders
of humans and dwarves against the darkspawn hordes.
Other rewards are possible during and after this adventure as
well. Dwarven artifacts or weapons found along the way are
the most likely. These should be carefully selected by the GM.
At the very least characters should be able to acquire some
small trinkets they might sell for some extra silver. Master-
work weapons and other more valuable treasures are harder
to come by, but they make plausible and potent rewards for
the PCs if desired.
Buried Pasts
Rewards