The ranger kneeled to tighten his bootlace. The constant rain was making him nervous and interfering with his vision. The reports of drow patrols were something to take heed of, however. He had to stay sharp. He was pacing around the hillside and graveyard, confident in knowing that others were covering the forest. Finally he spotted something that froze the blood in his veins; a black stream was pouring down the Winding Road. As he narrowed his eyes, he saw what it was: Armed drow, galloping for the Salandran grounds like a horde of hungry wolves. He turned on his heels and darted off towards the woods. On his way, he shouted alert to the watchmen of Eilistraee’s shrine, and ran to find the others as fast as he could.


The marauders drew their blades and struck against the Salandran gates like a tidal wave. They flung open, and drow blades cut down the first guards. A supply caravan from Kohlingen was being unloaded, when this happened. The Kohlingen troopers took up arms and rushed to the gates, as the sound of alarm rung in the air. Templars stumbled out of their quarters and the clergy began casting protective blessings. They were unprepared and unorganized, however, and were soon defeated and pushed back before the fury of the drow. The dark fiends spread into Salandra’s sacred halls, defiling her altars, ruining her statues and pillaging what they found.


In the meanwhile, word had reached Eilistraee’s shrine and the rangers of the woods. It took not a quarter of an hour to assemble a strikeforce and run for the nearby temple. As they arrived, there weas nothing in sight but corpses, wounded and a few templars trying to organize the defences again. The reinforcements entered the Salandran grounds, looking around carefully. It was not long until the drow, intoxicated with victory, burst out of the buildings. The sound of singing bowstrings filled the mountainsides as dozens of arrows flew towards the hearts of darkness. Chaos erupted, screams and clang of metal soon silenced the harmonous music of the bows. For a moment, it seemed as if the drow’s rage would strike down even this new resistance, but the tide turned. The few drow left were simply too unorganized against a the joined army of Salandrans, Eilistraeens and woodland folk. Their fate was sealed when dragons flew down from the sky to strike at the attackers. A handful of heroes had heard the alert and now joined the battle. One sorcerer single-handedly took care of half a dozen drow, and the dragons weren’t much behind. Scattered and completely defeated, the drow fled in all possible directions, a few daredevils trying to retreat with a fight.


Sun set over the red grass of Salandra’s grounds, and the priests and priestesses begun their long work, healing the wounded and burying the dead. Eilistraeens had vanished back into their homes when the last Llothite was killed, but the rangers kept patrolling the mountainside and woods through the night. Word reached Winya Ravana and Kohlingen: Drow had attacked Salandra’s temple, and caused quite some damage. Three priestesses were missing and the dark elves had threathened to return. The elves would make wider and more frequent patrols in the coming days and Kohlingen prepared to send whatever help the Salandrans would need. They had faced some losses, yet the drow were beaten even worse. There was no major rebuilding to be done, though the loss of lives weighed on the hearts of the good folk.



Back in Ultrinnan, the raiders gathered in Lloth’s temple. The three victims were bound to the altar, and prayers were chanted. There was something tense about their boasting, however. Most realized that they were humiliated, despite getting what they came for. A spider lazily strode across the room, lured by the fresh blood of sacrfices. As the priestess offered a Salandran’s heart to the spider, it hungrily attacked her hand, eating three fingers. Ashamed, she retreated in pain and made way for Ilharess Do’Veldran to perform the final sacrifice. The temple filled with tension as she began her offering. The spider dagger ripped the chest of the Salandran, as the cries “Lloth tlu malla” echoed in the cold hall. There was nothing but a chill and a silence. Everyone realized the state of matters. Lloth did not respond.

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"Anyone.... here?" Wiggan peeked her head through the door of the Salandran temple. Light from the setting sun peeked over the hill from the west, streaming across the creamy tile floor. The drawn out squeak of the door echoed through the marble interior of the temple sanctuary. Th

"Come in, Wiggan. Of course we are here, and busy as usual. Most of the priestesses are with the sick and wounded over in the recovery ward at the moment. What can I do for you?" The priestess flattened her crimson robe with a stroke of her hand and paced her steps deliberately toward the door. Wiggan entered, and greeted her with the clasp of one open and outstretched hand.

"Ulyssa, how good to see you. Are you well? It's been some days since the drow attacked. I'm..... so sorry..... for your loss." Wiggan's face and eyes, wide above her narrow shoulders, reflected the sincere compassion in her heart as she struggled to contain her tears even already now rushing up. The two friends walked into the temple from the narthex, taking a seat at one of the back pews to talk. The two conversed for nearly an hour, going over some of the details of the tragedy, reviewing some possible strategies for rebuttal in each of their minds in the days following the horrific event.


"We have the rangers to thank, most of all, for their alertness and protection." Wiggan looked pensively at Ulyssa. "You may not know that we've been working on building trust between the Shrine and those of Oakmist Vale and the Grove for many years. " Ulyssa nodded her head in agreement, and raised an eyebrow at the mention of relations. "Alitha and I are very close, Ulyssa. Perhaps in some ways I consider her a sister, though we don't get to talk as much as I would like. The current situation makes me a bit uncomfortable, to be honest."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because we are relying on the graces of the Grove far too much for our defenses."

"Oh we can take care of ourselves quite well, I assure you," Ulyssa replied quickly. She shifted uncomfortably, perhaps not wanting to remember the recent attack and the fate of the missing priestesses. Wiggan thoughtfully considered the near rout of the reinforcements that came to take back the temple. She merely nodded her head.

"It's not that we each cannot take care of ourselves," she went on to explain, "but more that together we are stronger. And I do think that at the core of our being, we, the Salandran assembly, and even those of the Grove do share some core beliefs we can agree upon."

"What are you asking? Our dogma is quite simple. We heal and provide aid to all who come. Unless they're undead."

"And that is at the very heart of our intent as well, Ulyssa. Neither do we turn anyone away, unless they seek to do us violence. And healing isn't always about the mending of flesh and bone, is it?"

"I suppose." Ulyssa nodded. "Our biggest concern is the undead."

"Ulyssa, I would never expect any of you here to want to become entangled in the affairs of our Lady of the Dance, just as much as we do not wish to be caught up in the troublesome vines of the Grove. We each do want to maintain our separateness. Yet together, we represent a larger defense. If we are more publicly united against these threats, these forces that disrupt our day to day lives will turn away."

"So, what do you suggest?" Ulyssa's eyes blinked slowly, mildly curious.

"Well, we would provide regular defense and patrols alongside the rangers of the Grove, and we would hope that you might spare a priestess to help with the healing needs in the Shrine. As for the Grove, I can't really speak for them but I think Alitha might listen," Wiggan explained.

"Our priestesses are spread very thin. We're worried most about the undead." Ulyssa countered.

"Exactly, and that is also a concern of the Grove I assure you, and also of those of us who serve the Dark Maiden. Perhaps if we work together more, we can then focus on the mutual concern that matters most to us at present."

"Hmmmm.... I'll have to ask our Templar Mother."

"Would you? Oh that would be wonderful!" Wiggan stood up, and clasped Ulyssa's hands.

"So you are going to let me get back to work now?" Ulyssa smiled. Together the two walked off, and talking all the way, Wiggan lingered and walked with Ulyssa to the recovery wing, visiting the sick and injured. For hours the two worked together, healing and tending to those in need before after some time Wiggan left for the Shrine.

// Thanks Tormak for playing Ulyssa!

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I'm Shatuga. I used to play here and I love you all very very much!