The cult knew something was amiss. Ever since<em>that woman</em>came into their midst, their leader had been acting ever stranger by the day. The present mages sensed something amiss and eventually reasoned that the man's will was no longer his own. They could see it in his eyes and hear it in his reverent words for their guest. He was deeply entranced and those that spent the most time in her presence began to act strangely. Envy...spying...plotting. The lust she inspired was completely unnatural, even with her comely looks.<br/><br/>And then there was the fact that she arrived just after their leader claimed an artifact that would prove instrumental in their rise back to power. Thwarted as they were many times in the past by dragons and their progeny, this had to be such a case now. They had to stop what they<em>knew</em>must be one of the dragons or their allies from further asserting her sway over the Shattered Breath and they had to do it before she could claim what she undoubtedly sought. Today was supposed to be the day that a glorious trap would catch her. Though the grunts knew not why they were ordered to close the palisades and take positions, the leaders understood what had to be done.<br/><br/>That woman would be captured or destroyed and if their leader was completely under her influence then he would die, too. The arrival of two dragonspawn was unexpected but it only gave further support to their suspicions. So deep was the dragons' drive to claim the relic that a green and silver -two types that should have been murdering each other- worked together in a surprise assault! That woman had to know. She must have plucked the plans for the ambush from a traitor within their ranks.<br/><br/>They were unexpectedly powerful. Years of training did little to stop them. The Shattered Breath was weak! They relied too much on relics when they should have been seeking the lost training regimens of the lost leaders of times passed. The last true leader left in the keep, a wizened wizard, gazed upon the door to the charmed clergy's room with a heavy scowl. This battle was lost, the keep's lord pathetic and lost to lust for a reviling creature. For such failure they all deserved death. The wizard relayed one last command... for the small group of soldiers at his side to break down that bedroom door and kill the infiltrator.<br/><br/>He knew they would fall. Maybe now the other splinters of the Shattered Breath would listen to his wisdom. His men were surprised when his arcane gestures and words resulted in him disappearing from their midst. He had news to report to the other branch leaders and a new mantle to take...whether through persuasion or through force. The dragons' victory would only strengthen the Shattered Breath by weeding out the weak and foolish...