...one druid to find them, one druid to bring them all...

Word came to me on the wind that things were afoot in Ilshenar. I admit that I have no love for that land, for my experiences there have been painful, to say the least. However, when I hear of an upset to the evil that seems to control most of the land I'm inclined to check it out.

I was not disappointed. When I arrived at the Justice shrine in Ilshenar, I was not greeted by the typical mass of reapers and imps, but a small army of ki-rin!

There, leading -- or perhaps just supporting -- the swarm of golden creatures was Bria of the Twilight Fellowship. "We've taken the whole of the north valley!" she exclaimed as I rode up. Indeed, there were bodies throughout the valley, and none seemed to be ki-rin.

Bria informed me that the army belonged to Lord Oaks, and that he had donated his forces to the druid's cause. From what I could gather, it was a long trek for the army of good, though I myself do not know where the ki-rin, or Lord Oaks, can usually be found.

Riding through the valley, I felt safe for the first time in Ilshenar. The ki-rin had spread out across the whole valley, watching for any new incursions of evil. Even the paragon creatures that appeared were no match for the ki-rin.

Further north of the shrine, the docks where the gypsies reside (a source of constant water elemental attacks) were being well defended.

The conviction of the ki-rin was absolute, for they did not care at all about the treasures to be found on the corpses of their enemies. I took this as a sign that Lord Oaks wished to help bolster my guild by allowing me to take the gold for its coffers.

Later on, an elf archer came by to see what was going on. The elves can often be hard to read, but I think she was impressed with the efforts.

After a while, I travelled back to the guild house, purse-strings near bursting with gold. Others appeared to also take donations, and I heard that a few found chests of treasure on some of the paragon creatures.

Over time, some ki-rin had fallen, while the evil spawn seemed to be never-ending. Indeed, as I returned this morning, the valley seemed to be once again infested with trees filled with hatred for man- and elfkind.

Even though the valley has fallen back to the forces of evil, it is comforting and motivating that the work of a single druid can do so much. If one woman can do this, what could two people do? A large guild?

A whole army of Britannians?

-- Crwth