Of course there fucking is.

They're going to interrupt, of course.

A naked man with tell-tale grayish marks of darkspawn corruption is stretched on a rack. A guard is poking at him with a glowing hot iron rod. Behind the guard, there is another man in a cell. He looks more alert than the last one they encountered.

Their arrival startles the guard into looking up, swinging the poker to point at them.

"Who're y-" he takes a step backward, closer to the cell. The man contained therein takes advantage of the distraction to reach through the bars, grab the guard's head with both hands, and give it a sharp twist widdershins. The guard collapses to the floor, and the man busies himself grabbing the keys off his belt and unlocking the door.

"Hello," says Elissa to the man in the cell. (Meanwhile, unprompted, Metella frees the man on the rack and Clare heals him as much as she is able.)

The man formerly on the rack moans incoherently.

"My thanks for the timely intervention. I gather you are no friend to Howe." He's out of his cell by now, and going through a nearby chest for his things. "I am Warden Riordan."

"Elissa Cousland, acting Warden-Commander of Ferelden. Pleased to meet you. Do you need healing?"

"I will survive. Cousland... one of Duncan's last recruits, yes. It is good that you are alive. We had feared the worst when Loghain closed the borders. We must talk more, but here is not the place. Do you have somewhere to stay in the city?" He pulls some papers and a key out of the chest, and nods in satisfaction.

"The Redcliffe estate."

"Good. I must go and check on the Warden Vault. I will meet you at the estate once you have finished your business here."

"Sounds like a plan. See you then."

She glances over at the ghoul. "I don't suppose you can do me a favour and bring him along? We're studying the effects of the blight and we might be able to help him, but I can't spare anybody to escort him back to the estate right now."

"He is far gone. It would be kinder to kill him."

"Could be, but he'd still be more use to the world at the Redcliffe estate than in Rendon Howe's dungeon."

"I assume you have your reasons. Very well, I will take him."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

And onward.

This place is kind of extensive.

There's a pair of guards outside the door at the end of this hallway. They haven't noticed the group yet.

The group is very methodical. No prisoners are going to be overlooked today.

...

Elissa looks at Clare.

Clare shakes her head. She can't produce a sleep spell in anything like a reasonable amount of time, not under these conditions.

All right then. Stalas, you're up.

He correctly interprets her glance, and steps out of hiding to walk right up to the guards.

One of them bangs twice on the door before joining his partner in drawing weapons and pointing them menacingly.

"Well that's not very friendly of you."

"Y'not supposed to be down 'ere. Who are you?"

"Who, me? Oh, nobody important."

Two bangs further on the door, then they attack.

And then they die. That's always his least favourite part.

It's a part he's efficient at, at least.

Whoever's inside probably knows he's coming, now.