It seemed unusually busy in Sahart's that day, and Nirah, the hostess at
Sahart's, was too flustered from the rush of patrons to realise the
cause at first. When she discovered that the restaurant was
short-staffed due to the absence of Irilan, she and others began
searching for the missing waitress. Hours passed, and their concern
grew. Other Shallamese eventually joined in the search: Runei, Lyndee,
Aista, and others. Alma's attempts to communicate with Irilan
telepathically were rebuffed by the maiden's drugged state, but soon
enough, Irilan's dire predicament came to light.

The City of Light rose to the challenge, and wave after wave of
Shallamese stormed the stronghold of Evil to rescue the girl. Though her
location in the brothel had been pinpointed, a way into the locked room
needed to be found. A valiant priestess of the Sentaari named Opalene
finally devised a way through, and she served as the focal point for a
magi portal through which Shallamese poured through into the room. They
were met sword to sword, spell to spell, by Mhaldor there. That bloody
battle ended with Mhaldor as victor, Shallam's troops slain before they
could free Irilan from her shackles. Not before Opalene achieved one
more victory, however: smiting down the foul Jirken.

The wearied Shallamese forces regrouped to strategise while in the City
of Evil, the exultant Mhaldorians stood guard over Irilan, subjecting
her to further terrible lessons in cruelty and suffering. Ulrike, Ayana,
Riley, and Daitya were amongst those leading the maiden's guard. Having
seen that they could not hope to rescue Irilan by brute force, Shallam's
warriors made subtler rescue attempts. Most notably, Altarius, Vizier of
Shallam, tried time and time again through the next few days to rescue
Irilan, undeterred by the deaths he suffered.

Yet another of Shallam's Viziers and also the wife of Altarius, Lyndee
Veritus, decided to attempt diplomacy. Gaining a promise of diplomatic
immunity from Mhaldor, she entered the enemy city to negotiate for
Irilan's release. Mhaldor demanded that Shallam acquiesce to a war under
formal terms, terms which Lyndee neither found satisfactory nor, as she
told them, possessed the authority to sanction.

Unbeknownst to Lyndee, while she drew Mhaldor's attention away from
Irilan, her husband was making another desperate stab at rescuing the
kidnapped maiden. In the very midst of Lyndee's negotiations, Altarius
breached Irilan's guards and safely transported the girl home to
Shallam! His triumph turned bittersweet, however: the enraged
Mhaldorians, assuming Lyndee had entered negotiations under false
pretences to act as a distraction, slew his wife on the spot.

Exhausted, her mind nearly destroyed, her body broken, Irilan was
secreted away to a priestess for healing. Though rescued in body, the
question remains whether she can be saved in spirit, as some scars run
deeper than flesh.

Penned by my hand on the 3rd of Valnuary, in the year 419 AF.