<strong>Eshalu - in the twisted garden</strong><br/><br/>It was when the pristine forest to which Eshalu was just beginning to become accustomed gave way to the sinister array of plants that she realised just how deep the island's corruption went. The growths before her were ancient, but seemingly devised by either vengeful spirits or sorcery for their noxious qualities. She had seen poisonous plants before, but not midnight-violet flowers overflowing in thick toxin, the smell redolent of something locked deep in the earth without air for too long. Nor had she expected the spear-tip like brambles, the coiling ropes of barbed vines, the razor-sharp leaves from which she imagined her sisters who followed the Way of the Bow could fashion excellent arrowheads. The half-demolished pile of rocks - of the type humans seemed to enjoy erecting for no other reason than to mark their territory - seemed flimsy by comparison. Here nature at its most atavistic and vengeful, but its imperative for survival had been warped by something deeply malevolent, had reclaimed full control.<br/><br/>"No, we should...see," Eshalu peered at the savage vegetation from under the hood of her cloak. Using the wide, triangular tip of her spear, she prodded a particularly thick, thorny trunk. "I could never have imagined thorns so large. Even deep in the dark karst where<em>hweilj</em>flowers cast the ghost-lights, never have I seen plants like these."<br/><br/>Eshalu paused, carefully scanning her surroundings to make sure she knew which way the trail was likely to bend and, most importantly, where they stood relative to potential vantage or ambush points. A dangerous thought was occurring to her. If this garden was tended by dryads, they would almost certainly embody the hatred of the island itself. And she had little desire to see the spirits who hid under this wicked vegetation. "Beware - this place may...be watched over by something."