The Priestess of Huldah kneels next to the cot of the old woman, chanting a simple, mournful prayer in a clear, high voice. The poison is effective, but it is taking its time, and the Priestess is in a hurry. The Priestess has worked in this hospice alongside the old woman, a devotee of Eylhaar, for over a year. But now the time is ripe, and the old woman would only get in the way and nullify all of her carefully laid plans.
Still, one must keep up appearances. The Priestess clasps the old woman's hand, feeling her pulse weaken, willing the old crone to die already.
The woman's eyes are open, but sightless, her mouth slightly agape. Drool glistens at the corner of the old woman's mouth, but the priestess carefully daubs it away before its pale violet hue can betray the unnatural nature of this death.
Finally, the last threads of the old crone's life begin to unravel. The woman's grip tightens painfully, as if she could pull the Priestess of Huldah down into death with her, then relaxes for good. The Priestess stops her meaningless chant, the need for pretense now being passed. The end of the chant allows a reverent hush to descend over the hospice, as every fool in the room stares at her in wonderment. It has begun.
Now the Priestess of Huldah is free to act upon her vision, her gift to the world from her god.
Long have the people of the five provinces ignored and spurned Huldah, opting instead to revere weak, soft-hearted aspects. Worst of all, the people do not even respect Huldah, something the Priestess has long vowed to change.
When she stumbled upon the shadow cache, the Priestess knew what she must do. She would use the disease she discovered latent there to siphon off vast quantities of spirit from the complacent dupes of the five provinces. Using that same energy, she would fuel the shadow creatures, prompting more and more of the fools to seek out the protection of the disease. Once infected, their spirit would be hers to do with as she wishes.
And her work has always been to do Huldah's will.
Tentative Merchant List
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A Bird in the Hand
A Cultured Attire
A Game of Chicken
A Quick Bite
A Second Round
Abandoned Dragon
Accents for the Arachnophile
Ahreusse's Atelier
Alimia's Ocarinas
All Aquiver
Amulets by Liathe
Amylia's Attic
Armadillo Crush
Asketi's Stop
Barbarian Paradise
Basimah's
Beastly Behavior
Behind the Mask
Bizarre Bazaar
Blood and Gourd
Blythe Spirits
Boggle Blast
Bones
Clear Visions
Cloaks and Cloak Pins
Cloudwalker's Smoke Shop
Courtly Styles Annex
Cowsmoopolitan
Crafty Cloaks
Cuddly Creations
Cute as a Button
Dark Dalliance
Dark Defenders
Dark Delights
Dark Symphony
Darsam's Drifters
Death from Above (game)
Diamond Deities
Disenchantments
Dry Bones
Empty Settings
Eternal Moments
Everything in Moderation
Exaltation Tintinnabulum
Excess Baggage
Fabric Fantasies
Farmer in the Dell
Fine Leathers by Sirit
Fires of Autumn
Flower Power
Force of Habit
Frisky Portraits
Funny Bones
Give 'em the Boot
Grieving Grave
Heavenly Entrances
Hide and Silk
Hollow Bellies
House of Bling
Huffenclaw's Decadent Delights
Ilithian Heritage
I'll Eat My Hat
In The Hollow
Jhanine Dering Cloaks
Jhiskar's Provisions
Just a Slice
Just Desserts
Krobble's Karavan
Lavender and Lace
Leftovers
Liquid Assets
Masquer Aid
Misenseor Goods
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Mod Mentality
Mordim's Fun House
Musical Chairs of Doom
Natural Selections
Nectar of the Wisp
Nidia's Nightmares
NightMare
Obscure Memories
Obscured Visions
On the Mend
Once Possessed
One Man's Trash
Packrat's Paradise
Peaceful Intentions
Photash School of Butlery
Pi'botuk Pel'arsharra
PrEcIouS DeLigHtS
Puffindor's Tantalizing Taffy
Q'tahhl's Place
Quest Kits
Quiver In Fear
Ravetherin's Fabulous Fruits
Ready to Ware
Reinventing the Wheel
Relief in the Dark
Riding The Range
Rissan Roulette
Rizadi's Outfitters
Rugged Appeal
Saintly Skylights
Scarlett's Web Race
Schlorp's Brain Freeze
See the Light
Shenneshwi's Stockpile
Shimmers of Silver
Shugar's Cookie Emporium
Sindah's Silk Sensations
Sleepwalkers
Smokes 'n' Spirits
Snacky Happiness
Snookie's Divine Spoons
Sollegarz's Leather Works
Soulful Trinkets
Spikan's Sporrans
Spiraling Out of Control
Suite of Sweets
Tastelessly Tacky
The Archivist
The Cutting Edge, By Ventidius
The Eclectic Eccentric
The Empathic Touch
The Eye of Power
The Garden
The Mind of Sdai
Thee Mottl'd Teoy Shoppe
Thick as Thieves
This 'N' That
Tokens of the 13
Tookes' Nook
Top Notch
Town and Country
Treasures of the Spirit
Tweets
Under Lock and Key
Uwresari's Exotic Wonders
Visions of Holiness
Walk on the Wild Side
Walk This Way
Wicked Windows
Witch Stitch is Which
Witchery
Ye of Little Faith
Your Inner Animal
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