Dragon Age: Origins DLC content that can be completed after the first journey through Lothering. The story follows the player and company being given a control rod to work a golem that can be found in the darkspawn infested village of Honnleath.
Sulcher's Pass
After the initial journey through Lothering, a travel location on the map known as Sulcher's Pass will open up to the player if the Stone Prisoner DLC is installed. Sulcher's Pass being far to the west serving as the Frostback Mountain gateway between the kingdoms of Ferelden and Orlais. Upon arriving at Sulcher's Pass, the player and company come across a Ferelden merchant escaping from the Blight named Felix de Grosbois. Felix remains stuck for the time being due to the mule that was carrying his supplies having run off. The player asks if he needs help fetching the mule, which Felix assures the player that he already has someone else doing that job. However, he informs the player of something else he could use some help with.
Felix explains of how he purchased an artifact only for it to turn out that he has no use for it. The artifact being a control rod for a golem that can be found in Honnleath; a remote village in the southwest of Ferelden that's been overrun by darkspawn. Given that the player's group looks like a party of adventurers that can fight darkspawn, Felix offers to give them the control rod under the belief that them having a golem at their side will help accomplish their goals. He also mentions that the command phrase to work the control rod is to say "dulef gar." The player accepts the control rod, and then heads off to Honnleath with their companions.
The Golem in Honnleath
The player and company arrive at the southwestern Ferelden village of Honnleath. Just like Felix warned, the village is now overrun by darkspawn, which the player's group fights through in order to reach the golem. Eventually, they come across the golem in the middle of the village. Almost as if it's an outside statue for the villagers or tourists to look at. Upon closer inspection, the player and company can see that the golem is dwarven made. The player then holds up the control rod towards the golem while saying the "dulef gar" command phrase, but for some reason, the control rod isn't working.
The player's group explores around Honnleath, such as investigating the home of a deceased mage named Wilhelm Sulzbacher that's now infested by darkspawn. They fight through the darkspawn infested basement cellar of Wilhelm's home, and eventually come across a magical barrier that's protecting a few of Honnleath's surviving villagers. The villagers behind the barrier ask if rescue has finally arrived, which the player informs them that they were just here for the golem. One of the villagers gets the gist of what's going on that the player and company must have the control rod to work Shale, which is what the golem is named. Said villager that mentioned Shale turns out to be the mage holding up the barrier, who drops it to speak privately with the player. Given that the player's group removed the darkspawn within the cellar, the other villagers use the opening to escape from Honnleath.
Matthias, Amalia and Kitty
Alone, the villager mage reveals to the player that he's Wilhelm's son, Matthias, and that his mother sold the control rod away after the golem killed his father years ago. Wanting nothing to do with the golem that killed Wilhelm, Matthias is fine with the player taking the golem away. However, the player reveals that the control rod's not working for some reason, which catches Matthias' attention. Matthias then asks for help as it turns out his daughter, Amalia, is still lost somewhere within the part of the cellar that acts as Wilhelm's laboratory. He warns the player that the laboratory has defenses set up, yet Matthias remains confused as to how Amalia got by them. The player agrees to help, and heads deeper into the cellar towards Wilhelm's laboratory.
Journeying down to the laboratory, the player's group fights through a couple wraiths, which shows that Wilhelm's laboratory has a demonic presence. They eventually arrive at the lab containing a floor puzzle along with the missing daughter, who's accompanied by a small orange kitten that the daughter named "Kitty." The player informs Amalia that her father is worried about her, but the daughter assures them that she's fine, and that they should leave if they're not going to play with her and Kitty. Amalia then explains that she can't leave as Kitty would be lonely, which the cat's eyes then start to glow purple. Kitty speaks calling Amalia kind for not leaving and making it lonely. Thus, revealing that the cat is actually a shapeshifted desire demon that's influencing Amalia to stay.
The player warns Amalia to get away from the cat, but it has no effect as the desire demon taunts them that the girl is friends with it. Thus, Amalia won't leave with complete strangers. The player makes it clear that they're not leaving without Amalia, which the desire demon offers a deal. The deal being that to avoid a confrontation, they allow the desire demon to escape the laboratory that it's trapped within by possessing Amalia, and then return to the girl's father. The player isn't convinced how possession does Amalia any good, which the desire demon explains that it just wants to see the world from Amalia's eyes rather than actually harm the girl in any way.
A choice is made regarding the desire demon. Some choices allow the desire demon to get to live free out in the world by either possessing Amalia or Matthias. Attacking the desire demon right away would result in Amalia's death. The choice that kills the desire demon while Amalia and Matthias remain safe is to complete the lab's floor puzzle to drop the barrier that's keeping the desire demon trapped within the lab. This provides a moment where the desire demon believing to have been freed can be caught off-guard for Amalia to run free while the player's group attacks and kills the desire demon. Whatever choice is made, the player and company then returns to Matthias, who thanks them for their efforts in potentially rescuing his daughter. Knowing that the player's group was probably given the wrong command phrase, Matthias provides for them the true words to activate the golem as "dulen harn." Matthias and his daughter, if she's still alive, then depart as the player's group makes their way back out of the cellar.
Recruiting Shale
Back outside, the player and company return to the golem known as Shale that's residing in the middle of Honnleath village. The player holds up the control rod to Shale while stating the "dulen harn" command phrase, which this time around, the golem awakens and starts moving. Turning out to be a golem that can speak, Shale states that it knew that a day would come that someone would finally bring the control rod. Shale explains how it was actually conscious the entire time that it remained stuck in place, and that for the past 30 years, it had to watch the Honnleath villagers scurry around it. However, it also doesn't deny that it kind of came to enjoy the company of the villagers, and wonders if they're okay given the recent darkspawn attack on Honnleath. The player asks if Shale has a true name, which it explains that people originally just saw it as a golem, and ordered the golem through the control rod to perform certain tasks. However, Shale notes that something feels off compared to when it was just a golem that followed the rod's orders.
The golem asks the player to give it and order, which the player tells Shale to move. However, the golem doesn't move as commanded, which leaves Shale wondering if the control rod is now broken as it no longer feels the compulsion to follow the rod's orders. The player asks what Shale will do from now on, which the golem realizes that it now has free will. However, Shale has no idea what to do given that it's been stuck as a statue for 30 years. The player informs Shale that it killed its original master years ago, which it's implied that the golem probably got sick of Wilhelm trying to give it orders. The golem asks why the player's group chose to awaken it, which the player explains that they're on a quest to end the threat of the darkspawn. Thus, Shale realizes that it has two choices to either follow the player's group, or go off and do its own thing. The player offers for the golem to follow along, which Shale accepts. After properly introducing themselves to each other, the player's group with Shale as a new companion finally depart from Honnleath.
