It was the dead of night, when an anxious barking suddenly filled the
estate of the Merchants of the Crown, alerting the members that
something was awry. The iron dogs standing guard within the Citadel of
Prosperity were in place as always, but something had clearly upset
them...

Moments later all of Sapience heard the booming voice of Gontathis, a
master thief whose usual base of operations lies somewhere in the
vicinity of the Monastery of Shala'Jen. Loudly advertising to all who
could hear, the bandit shouted that he had recently "acquired" two
mythical relics and, for the right price, was willing to part with them.

After relentless haggling, the two artefacts found themselves in the
hands of Carmain Fol'ia, High Lord of the Maldaathi. Unassuming and
common, the bone and stick held much more power within them than could
be seen at first glance. With these tools the knight was able to summon
forth a terrifying oak tree and a bone golem which, at his sole command,
began a devastating rampage over the lands.

As Carmain did his worst, sheltered by the wild defenses of the tree,
the Merchants of the Crown remained intent on reclaiming their precious
relics. Desperate for information, they implored Eloeth, Mistress of the
Elements, for assistance. Reluctant to divulge the relics' secrets but
understanding of the dire situation, the tutor produced a small whistle,
which she entrusted to Kitarel Ar'kena, the House's Overseer of
Prosperity. Accompanied by fellow merchants Camande Stormwind and
Sarieno Kindfire, Kitarel set forth toward the towering tree, ready to
do whatever was needed to regain the House's stolen property.

The trio met little resistance from Carmain, who quickly fled upon their
arrival. As Kitarel blew the whistle and waited patiently, an eager,
familiar barking was heard from the direction of Hashan. Soft at first,
the barking grew louder as the dogs neared the merchants, until they
finally pounced into the room, their metallic noses twitching curiously.
The iron canines set to work and, despite the power unleashed by the two
relics, unearthed the stick and bone from where they had been buried by
the malicious knight. Both tree and golem were reclaimed by the earth in
moments, the artefacts returned to their rightful owners, and a
catastrophic power leashed... for now.

Penned by My hand on the 15th of Glacian, in the year 554 AF.