"History of the Sentinels, by Tearstorm Le'Yuet"

"History of the Sentinels, by Tearstorm Le'Yuet", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 1)

                HISTORY OF THE SENTINELS
                           ~
                  By Tearstorm Le'Yuet
           (With additions from Core Windsong)
                           ~
             Firstly composed in the year 376
         After the Fall of the Seleucarian Empire

                           ~
         Page 2 - The Founding and the years in Shallam
         Page 3 - Wars and Loyalties
         Page 4 - Into the Darkness
         Page 5 - Finally Home
         Page 6 - Days of Thunder
You read what is written on a rich journal of forest green:
"History of the Sentinels, by Tearstorm Le'Yuet", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 2)

THE FOUNDING AND THE YEARS IN SHALLAM

The Sentinels formed in the middle of Ero, 202 years after the fall of
the Seleucarian Empire. In the years prior to this, there had been a
growing feeling among some of the Druids that the Druid Guild was too
pacifistic. Many of these were the better fighters among the druids, and
they felt they needed a guild where they would be able to use militant
force in a higher degree than what was possible among the Druids. There
had been several wars between Shallam and Ashtan in this period, and
this group of militant druids felt their guild didn't do as much for the
good of Nature as they could have. At the same time there were Paladins
that liked idea of being able to use force to defend the forest, instead
of defending the Church and the city of Shallam.

Speaking of Shallam, it is probably wise to take a small detour to learn
why the Guildhall was first built in Shallam, basing the Sentinels as a
Shallamite guild in their first years. In those days, only two cities
existed in Achaea - Ashtan and Shallam. Those who enjoyed conflict and
those who called themselves "Evil", like the Infernals or the
Occultists, sought home in Ashtan, while those in service of Nature -
the Druids - and the "Good" side lived either in the wilderness or in
the city of Shallam. Most Druids found the evil actions of Ashtanite
citizens to be harmful for Nature, although Necromancers were unable to
exterminate in those days. It is widely believed that the new guild
would be orientated towards cooperation and a family-like atmosphere,
which brought the decision to find a new home in Shallam. Citizenship
with Shallam was not a requirement, though.

The Guildhall was thus constructed on an island in Shallam, with the
Earthmother, Lady Gaia, serving as the guild's first Patron. Zandramas,
a Druid, assisted the Sentinels in the process of designing and building
it. It took a bit of time until the Guildhall was finished, though. The
new Sentinels also kept the three Druidic guild skills - Metamorphosis,
Groves and Concoctions. The founder, Treant, had been a leader of
opinion in the Druidic group that included those who would take a more
aggressive stance against those who actively sought to exploit or
otherwise harm Nature.

In the first months of the guild's existence, the newcomers were
slightly insecure about how the guild should develop its philosophy -
and which path the Sentinels should follow. Although the Sentinels had
practically split off from the Druids, the two guilds were on good terms
- after all, they served the same goal: the preservation of Nature's
bounty and welfare. Treant's own connection to different powerful Druids
and Paladins gave the Sentinels a flying start when it came to relations
with the others. Still, some old scrolls speak of Sentinels who did not
exactly worship the Druids. They were perceived as too pacifistic,
perhaps even pushy and old, and the arguments would very much be like
the arguments of a young man having a fight with his father.

The guild's leadership also quickly tried to form bonds with other
organisations, or mostly with other guild. The first official treaty was
formed between the Sentinels and the Serpentlords in Mayan. The
Sentinels managed to persuade the Serpents to remove all wormholes from
the forests. The goal was to enable the Sentinels and Druids to control
who entered the forests, their natural home. The treaty also included a
pact of non-aggression, which was put to the test only a few months
later.

Back in the year 203, one year after the guild's founding, Achaean
guilds only had one single Secretary to assist the Guildmaster in his
leadership role. Naiad was the first Secretary that the Guildmaster
Treant selected. In the same year, Treant decided that another important
change should take place - that of the guild's Patron. The Earthmother,
who was also Patron of the Druids, was replaced by Lord Hermes, the
Messenger. Hermes was the God of Rogues and Gamblers, with little ties
to Nature. Instead, He represented a change in the guild, the will to be
significantly different from the Druids, their attitudes and
preferences.

In these years, there were practically no rules or suggestions on prices
for concoctions. Druids and Sentinels who sold herbs, salves and elixirs
could freely choose a price, and there was discontent over this within
the Sentinels. Guildmaster Treant decided that it was time to end this
and announced that no Sentinels would be allowed to sell concoctions for
less than 75% of the price that Siranae, a Sentinel, took in her shop.
This was the first time that Sentinels were actually required to follow
some sort of ruling on concoctions.

Years of quiescence and peace followed, only disturbed by slight
problems with Occultists and Serpents who attempted to either rob or
attack Sentinels. These problems were mostly dealt with quite easily by
the guild's leadership. However, the philosophical debates continued
over the path of the guild and its attitude. About a decade later, in
the year 215 AF, Naiad opened a sort of referendum, asking the Sentinels
how they felt about the way things had run lately, and how many would
feel that they could be Guildmaster if the position became free. Nobody
put her or his name forward on this occasion, but the course of the
referendum showed that there were Sentinels who were both ambitious and
discontent with the current situation in the leadership of the
Sentinels.

The situation became more dramatic after what seemed to have been
another period of quiescence. In the year 221 AF, Treant finally decided
and declared that he would leave the Sentinels, realising that it was no
longer the guild that he founded. He is quoted "I realised that this is
no longer the guild I founded. It has changed... you have changed... and
perhaps, I have changed, but I no longer belong here." In the few years
prior to this, and even more in the years that followed, there was a
lasting debate about the direction of the guild. Much to the amusement
of this writer, that even included the first Sentinels asking that they
should be able to patronise forestal animals.

Debates also included the general direction of the guild and its
position towards alignment to either Good or Evil. Although the
Sentinels had citizens from both cities and also a good number of
cityless folks, the Guildhall remained in Shallam. Some Sentinels saw
this as an opportunity to aide the Holy Church in its fight against
Evil, while others demanded that the guild should remain neutral and
non-aligned to Shallam, as its original purpose - the defense of Nature
- was not necessarily bound to the victory of Good over Evil.

Finally, the election was overdue. Naiad and Blackleaf were among the
contestants who struggled for power over Achaea's newest guild, and in
this election, Blackleaf prevailed and became the second Guildmaster of
the Sentinels in the year 222 AF. Some of the older Sentinels were
displeased with the election of a rather young Sentinel with little
experience in leadership, and so, Gretyl contested his position again.
According to Sentinels who were part of the guild in those days,
Blackleaf's personal popularity made him stay in office, despite a
series of several challenged through his time. This was the first
challenge, and Blackleaf retained his Guildmaster position.

It took approximately two years until the Guildhall received a
significant addition - the arrival of the Wilderness Guide, Vixen. A
Tsol'aa from the Aalen, Vixen had been sent by the Earthmother to
educate Sentinels in the way of Nature, and thus, every Sentinel could
now learn her or his skills from her. The Patron of the Sentinels, Lord
Hermes, had not been seen for a good amount of time, and as a result,
Blackleaf decided that a new voice in the Garden should be selected. He
appointed the Skylord, Vastar, as the third Patron of the Sentinels.
You read what is written on a rich journal of forest green:
"History of the Sentinels, by Tearstorm Le'Yuet", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 3)

WARS AND LOYALTIES

Through the early years of the third century, Shallam and Ashtan had
been on the verge of war. Ashtan demanded that the church should remove
shrines from huge parts of Sapience, the church and Shallam declined to
do as demanded. There had been a few skirmishes over this, but there was
an ever-growing fear that there would be a war on the horizon. The
Sentinels were, after all, still based in Shallam, and as late as in the
year 223 AF, Blackleaf reaffirmed the guild's allegiance to Shallam.

This connection to one of the two sides began to become a real burden to
the guild. Many of the members were not Shallamese, and some were even
from Ashtan. Many Sentinels feared that a war could lead to a severe
division of the guild. Some even left the guild over this conflict.
Problems began to flare up even more severely when Midnight, an
Ashtanite Sentinel, was frequently being attacked by citizens of
Shallam. Due to the Guildhall standing in Shallam and many Sentinels
being of Shallamite citizenship, she was frequently slain without any
Sentinel helping. Discussions became heated as several Sentinels
announce that for them, guild affiliation comes before city affiliation.
As a result of the disputes, Midnight and a Guild Secretary, Naiad, left
the guild. Based on massive political pressure from the Druids and
Sentinels, the Church and its patron, Aurora, constricted animal
sacrifices, which were quite common in the Church in those days.
Galdrion Longshanks was elected as one of the guild's new Secretaries,
following in Naiad's footsteps. He was accompanied to that position by
Darragon. So passed the years 226 and 227 AF.

However, the Shrine Wars that were frequently becoming more influential
onto the world also had its effect onto the Sentinels, who still had
citizens in Ashtan and Shallam. Citizens of the two cities battled each
other frequently, and the Sentinels were often amidst those conflicts.
This, naturally, drove the guild into an internal conflict over their
loyalty to each other, and over the loyalty to Shallam. While this
conflict had often erupted in the past, some Sentinels were considering
to move the Guildhall away from Shallam.

Problems between Shallam and the Sentinels somewhat escalated in the
course of time. The Sultan of Shallam, Isildur, addressed a letter to
the Sentinels, in which he warned them not to undermine and work against
the city of Shallam, as the guild was sworn to protect it by the city
and the guild charter. The guild was rather disturbed by this approach,
and plans were being made to move the Guildhall out of the city of
Shallam. The Sentinels voted to leave Shallam - but nobody knew where
the path should lead. It quickly became apparent that Ashtan was just as
impossible as Shallam. It was suggested that the Guildhall should be
moved into the forests, but others argued that it would be most
difficult to defend there without city guards or the support of other
fighters.

The same also applied to villages like Thera or Tasur'ke, and finally,
the guild decided that Hashan could be an option. The city that called
itself "Crown of the Ithmia" had just been founded a few years ago, in
221 AF, and was not involved in any political conflict with Shallam or
Ashtan. A meeting of Blackleaf with the Gods brought news of the
possibility to move the Guildhall if the guild was willing to raise
500.000 gold sovereigns. Many Sentinels began to dream of a life that
would have been free of city politics, free of Good and Evil, free of
typical politicking between city-states.

Shortly after, in the year 228 AF, Hashan began to rapidly expand its
borders. Clearcutting parts of the Northern Ithmia, the Hashanite
workmen also eliminated several groves of Sentinels, bringing the guild
up against its original expansion plans. The forestal family answered
with the Council of Oakstone, an assembly of forestals, united in voice
and strength. Oakstone's original purpose was to stop the Hashanite
expansion and provide a stronger voice in the Garden for the forestal
guilds, but quickly became an important political factor for the whole
forestal family. Lady Gaia and Lord Lupus acted as Co-Patrons. However,
there were several Sentinels and Druids in Hashan's government who
attempted to justify the expansion of Hashan into a city on par with
Ashtan and Shallam. Gaia, outraged at the betrayal of the forests by
Firefox and others, declared Firefox an enemy of the forests. She called
on Lupus, Wild God of the Beasts for aid, and he unleashed a plague of
werewolves to terrorize Hashan. Twilight and Hashan quickly pacified
Lupus and the expansion went on as planned.

These events shocked the Sentinels, who had originally planned to move
the Guildhall to Hashan. In the year 231 AF, Blackleaf decided to
postpone the move as apparently, no good alternatives to Shallam were
standing out and were bringing any form of improvement. This sort of
stalemate led to the proposal of an own forestal city, but the Gods
vetoed this idea, as They felt that there were not enough citizens to
support a fourth city on the grounds of Sapience.

Three years later, Shallam and Ashtan were once again on the brink of an
erupting war after the Occultists declared war on the Holy Church.
Shortly after, the two cities join in the war on the respective sides in
the year 234 AF. Blackleaf clearly felt that the guild was required to
take a united stand and to speak with one voice. Thus, he and Lord
Vastar, the Patron, opened a referendum to find out what the guild
thought about this. A clear majority voted for neutrality in the
upcoming war - and so, Blackleaf decided that it was now time to leave
Shallam. He is quoted: "We will do better neutral in the forest than
dragged into a war over issues that really do not concern us. This war
is pointless, and has no end. Now, many of you are involved in one side
or the other...I ask you to stop. I DO expect that those that want to
help Ashtan in this war will please refrain...because this causes the
opportunity of in-guild fighting, which I will not allow."

On the 10th of Valnuary, in the year 234 AF, Blackleaf publicly
announced that the guild would be neutral, and that they left Shallam
immediately.
You read what is written on a rich journal of forest green:
"History of the Sentinels, by Tearstorm Le'Yuet", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 4)

INTO THE DARKNESS

This new situation of a homeless guild seemed to touch even the Gods,
for there was a significant change in policy in regards to the
Guildhall. The Logos had once announced that the Sentinels could not
take their Guildhall with them - but now, He declared it possible.
During the year 235 AF, the guild discussed their options, and finally
concluded that Hashan was the best solution for the moment. Hashan had
by then mostly finished its Canon, a city-wide charter for guilds and
citizens, and the Sentinels reacted with special regulations. Sentinels
with a low guildrank were required to be citizens of Hashan, and only
those with a high rank in the guild could be citizens of other cities.

These new requirements were not welcome in the guild. Many felt that
they left the ball and chain of Shallam to get a new one in Hashan. A
good number of Sentinels also left the guild, not willing to align
themselves with the "City of Darkness" as they called it due to Lord
Twilight's patronage. Before the move was initiated, the Sentinels and
Druids formed a treaty that became the foundation for relations between
the two guilds. This treaty is even now, 140 years later, in effect. The
wording of the treaty: "In the respect that each guild will honour and
work with the other, shall come to the aid of one another in such times
as any outside aggressor shall fight against one or the other, shall not
permit aggressive acts between members of either guild, so do the
Sentinels and Druids thus pledge."

One year after the move, in the year 239 AF, Glade Ceadanach contested
Blackleaf for the Guildmaster position due to the fact that there were
many discontent voices which do not wish to ally themselves with Hashan.
Discussions became rather heated over typical Sentinel matters, such as
freedom and the voicing of opinions. Blackleaf remained victorious,
though.

In the year 240 AF, Hashan formally published a complete Canon of its
laws for all to see, composed mainly be Elentari, the Seneschal of
Hashan. The corpses of birds and other creatures were found throughout
the realms with their hearts ripped out, marking the beginning of
Death's Heart. Just a year later, the first Charter of Oakstone was
completed, with overharvesting laws in effect. Pinth was appointed as
the first Rotating Secretary, with a two-year term before he was
replaced. Blackleaf took a vacation, leaving Perseon to run things.
Incidentally, he won a contestation in his absence.

Death's Heart had a massive influence onto the relations between the
Sentinels and their new home city, Hashan. As many Sentinels and Druids,
along with members of the Church and Shallam, battled Twilight's Order
and their sympathisants, conflicts were preassigned and bound to happen.
Another referendum was held, this time clearly voting to leave Hashan
again. Death's Heart took its toll as the wars between the two sides
reached terrible dimensions. Many Druids and Sentinels actively battled
Twilight and His Order, slaying many a Hashanite on the way.

In the year 242 AF, Death's Heart ended with the dismantling of the
Heart. Sentinels and their allies received congratulations for the work
they did, but the conflicts with Hashan naturally were still ongoing and
the fissures were even deeper after the war had ended. Galdrion
contested and defeated Blackleaf for the position of Guildmaster, and
Lord Twilight announced that Hashan had revoked the Sentinel Guild
Charter, removing the guild's official headquarter from Hashan.
Technically, this meant that the guild was no longer headquartered in
Hashan, but the guildhall remained (and still stands to this day), and
Vixen continued to instruct Sentinels there for several years. Galdrion
and Perseon attempted to collect opinions about the future course of the
Sentinels, with limited success. The guild was mainly unsure and seeking
for a course, although not a single one stood out to lead by opinion.

Four years later, the guild was still in a certain state of disarray.
Galdrion, the Guildmaster, was nowhere to be seen and nobody knew of his
whereabouts either, and he was thus contested for Guildmaster. Perseon
was elected as the new head of the Sentinels and soon thereafter began
to encourage Sentinels to write about their guild, to contribute to its
legacy and to help to find a suitable course for the guild. Discussions
about a relocation of the guild become common once again, as the guild
now stands without a home - once again. A few months after the election,
the Earthmother expressed Her wish to guide the Sentinels as their
patron, and the members of the guild had a lively discourse about this
matter, finally deciding that they would keep Vastar as their patron.
The Earthmother's offer was rejected, but many Sentinels still expressed
their affiliation to Gaia and Her causes.

As a result of the leave from Hashan, and also as a result from internal
developments and personal matters, the conflicts between members of the
Sentinels and the Kharon became more heated. Guildmaster Perseon
Longshanks declared that no Sentinel would be allowed to stand a citizen
of Hashan. The Sentinels also imposed a herb ban onto the Kharon, whose
members continually launched attacks upon Sentinels, regardless of city
affiliation. This situation and status lasted for a good number of
years, until Lord Vastar disappeared from the mortal plane, leaving the
Sentinels without a voice in the Garden. Once again, a lively discussion
erupted between the Sentinels about who should follow in His immortal
footsteps. Lord Lupus and Lady Tarah were named as possible alternatives
to the favourite of many, the Earthmother Gaia. After Perseon appointed
Her as the new Patron, he lead the assembled Sentinels to Her temple in
the Western Ithmia. As the march ended, Vixen took up her new place at
the Shrine of Death, on the eastern side of Her temple, where she once
again offered to teach the Sentinels. Gaia adressed the Sentinels,
ending with "Walk in the forests with my blessings Sentinels, we are
united again." The Sentinels finally had a new "Guildhall", this time
amidst the forest itself.

Naturally, the Sentinels were more than glad to finally have found a new
home, especially since it was in the Temple of Gaia, the Earthmother -
which, after all, was holy ground. However, they did not have much time
to revel in their new surroundings, as danger was already on the brink
of the horizon again. In the year 259 AF, Dalamar, a feared thug and
Occultist, exterminated more than thirty groves and forestal locations
in various forests around Achaea, although the Black Forest once again
carried the heaviest load. The Sentinels publicly declared war on
Dalamar, who now stood as an enemy of the forests, of the Sentinels and
of the city of Shallam. Dalamar was frequently being hunted by good
numbers of Sentinels, but often managed to use his necromantic powers to
blackwind and disappear from the spot. His patron, Sartan, offered a
"deal" to forestals - they should allow Him to place an altar in the
forests with an annual mortal sacrifice, in turn for summoning beasts to
continuously hunt Dalamar. The offer was declined, naturally, and the
hunt continued for a good while, until Dalamar was slain often enough
for his insolence.

In the course of the hunt on Dalamar, it became apparent that the Lady
Gaia had disappeared from the realm. Due to the absence of the
Earthmother, and the need to have an active Patron, Perseon welcomed
Lady Tarah to the guild in the year 260 AF. Only two years later, Lady
Tarah regretfully announced that She would be entering into a deep
slumber. This was met with regret by many Sentinels, who had hoped for
some consistency in the Patronage of the guild. Best wishes accompanied
the Goddess of Compassion and Harmony into Her slumber, and many guild
members were somewhat disappointed over the fact that no patron seemed
to be theirs for a longer amount of time. In the same year, the
Sentinels pledged their support in the defense of Thera against
domination by Ashtan, as many members of the guild fear for the safety
of the Black Forest, which stretched out to the south of Thera. As a
result of the massive interference of the Sentinels, Ashtan retracted
its plans for domination of Thera, much to the dismay of the city's
leadership.

The year 266 AF marked the appearance of mysterious new "Landmarks". The
Landmarks and their changing aspects were immediately recognized as
having metaphysical import, and the essence using guilds and their
allies took opposing sides in their approaches to the maintenance of the
Landmarks and the sites and structures, engendering fresh and bloody new
conflicts in Sapience between Good and Evil. Covenant suggested that
Sentinels defending the Gaian Tree in Landmarking was part of the
guild's purpose in the general defense of nature. Perseon later declared
defilement of the tree to be punishable by outguilding, and strongly
recommended all assisted in protecting and sanctifying the Tree. That
was one of his last deeds as Guildmaster, though, as he announced that
he would be stepping down from his position. Covenant was elected
guildmaster in the election and appointed Lord Caspian as Patron to take
over from the slumbering Tarah. This was met with a sad and a laughing
eye, although most understand the need for an active voice in the Garden
for the Sentinels. The Festivals of the Sun were taking place again,
this time under the guidance of Oswald Snowmantle.
You read what is written on a rich journal of forest green:
"History of the Sentinels, by Tearstorm Le'Yuet", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 5)

FINALLY HOME

In the year 271 AF, Vixen, the guild's tutor, fell sick to a mysterious
illness. Immediately, Sentinels set out to search for a cure, although
they could not find much in the beginning. With the help of forestal
spirits, they found out that they needed to channel their grove energy
to cure Vixen. In a herculean effort to save her, Caled, Kolieer, Aslan
and Ishiva sacrificed their groves for the procedure. Although Vixen was
saved, all Sentinels lost their Groves ability. The Sentinels were
grief-stricken as the forest, so long both their charge and their
sustainer, no longer communicated with them on any level. Luckily, the
guild was shortly thereafter bequeathed with the Woodlore skill,
allowing them new abilities to defend Nature.

But that was not the only new arrival! The Dryad Queen, Titania,
directed the Sentinels to a strange location amidst the Eastern Ithmia,
where Elias, the Gatekeeper, stood. Up in the trees, the Sentinels found
a long-lost village, only inhabited by a few merchants, dryads and other
forestfolk. They were allowed to move their Guildhall to Eleusis, and
so, the Sentinels had finally found a home amidst the forest which was
suitable for their very own needs.

During the year 272 AF, which passed one year later, hostilities between
Ashtan and the Sentinels grew to new heights after numerous thefts and
exterminations by prominent Infernals and Occultists with Ashtanite
citizenship. A herb ban was enacted against Ashtan as a wartime embargo.
The guildhall in Eleusis was invaded and Vixen murdered several times.
As a result, the Sentinels began to organise guards, placed throughout
the Guildhall, to stop the Ashtanite invasions. The herb ban expanded
soon thereafter to prohibit sales to any non-guild members, with the
exception of Druids and anyone actively assisting the guild. Caelan
challenged Covenant as Guildmaster, but lost in the year 273 AF. The
guild settled for more conflict as Ashtan threatened to exterminate in
the forests again with both the Infernals and the Occultists at hand.

Years of strife and conflict followed, as the ban was in place,
instigating more hostilities between Ashtan and the Sentinels. In the
year 277 AF, Andelas, an prominent thug and Infernal of Ashtan, began to
slaughter Sentinel Secretaries, announcing that he would only stop after
being unenemied to the guild. Massive exterminations by Andelas took
place, further fueling trouble between Ashtan/Sartan and the guild.


After Caled contested Covenant unsuccessfully, the guild remained in an
alert condition. The philosophy of the "Pack" was strongly emphasized as
the Sentinels remembered their role as defenders of Nature. Plans to
install a sort of "government" for Eleusis were being furthered as the
Sentinels built a driving force in the process. A council of seven was
formed to assist in defending the home village of the Sentinels, with
members from both Sentinels, Druids and Oakstone taking an active role
in it. From this, the government of Eleusis should later emerge. On a
related note, rogues from both forestal guilds united in the "Garden of
the Lost" under the guidance of a former Sentinel, Leben, thus suspected
to be working around the guild's herb ban to supply Ashtan with herbs
and concoctions. The Sentinels and Shallam formed a treaty, providing
monetarial and other support to each other.

Amidst these years of war, in the year 279 AF, Lady Gaia awakened after
Her long slumber. Sentinels and Druids alike rejoiced at the return of
the Earthmother. Sartan, God of Evil, performed an act of extermination
within the sacred confines of the Temple of Gaia. In retaliation, He was
enemied to the Forest. His minions, The Order of Evil, began to decimate
and burn the forests of Sapience, with the Sentinels and Druids reacting
by banning the sale or gift of all herbs, ointments, and elixirs to all
Sapience. The forests were shrouded in shadow through the ritual of
Darkenwood, an attempt by the guildmistress of the Druids and the head
of Twilight's order to unite against the forces of Evil. Gaia returned
to Her temple to find Her dryads slaughtered, their bodies piked, and
Her grove exterminated by Sartan. The ritual of cleansing was brought
about to lift the darkness from the forests, resulting in the birth of
the Darkenwood. Sartan offered to cease all hostilities upon the
sacrifice of five forestals. Rogue forestals - mostly Druids - were
letting themselves be slaughtered, much to the anger and dismay of the
Sentinels, who had been willing to fight for their ideals. Sartan was
appeased, agreed to meet Gaia's terms, and thus, the war ended. However,
the herb ban on Ashtan remained intact, as the Sentinels wished to make
their opinion known.

And it was for a reason. In an attempt to once again have their enemy
status removed, Andelas and Xerimor began to exterminate massively
again. The Sentinels kept their ban up, including the city of Ashtan in
it. Ashtanite Sentinels were disgusted by the actions of their fellow
citizens, and although they were put under massive pressure, refused to
act against the guild's ban.

In the year 290 AF, Covenant, the Guildmaster, was elected as a Vizier
in Shallam. The Sentinels remained neutral in the upcoming war between
Hashan and Shallam, despite Covenant taking a leading role in this
conflict. Forest defenses experienced a significant upgrade, much to the
liking of the Pack, as Ashtanite Infernals and Occultists continued to
exterminate forestal rooms. The Druids and Sentinels marched united
against these exterminations, and with the help of Oakstone, all the
damage could be repaired.

To aid the guild in furthering its causes, the Sentinels installed an
Apprentice Program in the year 292 AF to educate the young in the ways
of the guild. This was met with great approval, as several of the young
Sentinels wished to be able to help more in the ongoing conflicts
between the Necromancers and the forestal family. After thorough
internal discussion and a general consensus, though, the herb ban on
Ashtan was lifted again in the year 293 AF. Ashtan agreed to punish
exterminators, and the Sentinels were somewhat appeased by this new
approach. Valrorn, a Hashanite Sentinel, reported Hashanite plans to
kill Covenant - as a Shallamite Vizier - to the Guildmaster. Upon
gaining knowledge of this, he was being kicked from the city and
repeatedly hunted, thus changing relations with Hashan for the worse.

Soon thereafter, an intensive discussion around the fate of the
Darkenwood began. Some Sentinels, led in opinion by Merlin, wished to
acknowledge the sovereignty of Twilight over the tainted forest, while
others, mostly current leaders of the guild, refused to let Twilight do
what He wishes with it. A consensus could not be found, and in the end,
it was decided that the Darkenwood should be falling under Oakstone's
jurisdiction. This topic should remain a heated and much-discussed one
over the years, with many aspects to be regarded.
more

After Omny, an Ashtanite Occultist, massively stole from Sentinels and
received thorough support from the city of Ashtan, the ban was
reinstated in the year 298 AF, as Sentinels had become targets of theft
with no attempt on the city's behalf to protect them, even when
conducting business within the city limits. Ashtanite Infernals and
Occultists immediately threatened to open up a spree of exterminations
again, but the Sentinels remained firm in their stance. After several
philosophical disputes, Merlin decided to challenge Covenant as
Guildmaster, but lost. A new continuity seemed to prevail in the
Sentinels, with Covenant holding the reigns for a long time now. The
newly formed Jesters were given the ability to disarm and dismantle
Sentinel traps, initially leading to an agreement - Jesters vowed to not
dismantle traps that do not hit them.

In the year 302 AF, Sartan was defeated by the Alliance of Gods,
imprisoned beneath a mountain off the west coast of Sapience, and thus
finally ending the shrine wars. The Infernals, a long-standing enemy of
the Sentinels, were dismantled as the conflict between Ashtan's former
Patron, Sartan, and the citizens flared up heavily. The Infernals'
Guildhall, the Iron Citadel, was brought to the ground and the
Infernals' guild tutor was openly slaughtered by Ashtanite citizens.
Sartan's followers began to sacrifice themselves for their master. As a
result of these suicides, a red fog began to seep from the island onto
mainland Sapience, killing all plantlife in its path. The fog was driven
back to the island, with the side effect of Sartan's power consolidating
and his return to the realms. Most anti-Sentinels migrated to
newly-formed city of Mhaldor, and the herb ban against Ashtan was lifted
once more. A year later, a series of celebrations accompanied the
Sentinels' 100-year-anniversary.

But not all was good in these years, despite the anniversary. A traitor
was found in the Sentinels - Atlas had harvested several valerian plants
to zero and then planted one single leaf to cover it up. As this became
known, Atlas was ejected from and enemied to the Sentinels, the Druids
and Oakstone. And one year later, in the year 305 AF, the Earthmother
ceased to exist. Gaia had long not been seen, and finally, Her essence
was spread among the forests of Achaea. Amidst the turmoil, nine spirits
appeared, taking their places in the forests of Sapience. The forests
were weakened by this, naturally, and many attempts to restore its
health were undergone. Shazara and Tallyn represented the Sentinels in a
ritual to restore the health of the forest. As a result of the ritual,
the Lady Demeter, a former Celani of Gaia, became Goddess of Groves and
the Wildwood. She now walked the realm, once again bringing a forestal
voice to the Garden in the year 315 AF.

The Lady Demeter was welcomed as the new guild Patron only one year
later, and Covenant celebrated fifty years as Guildmaster of the
Sentinels. The Forestwalking program was added to the guild, educating
the young ones to be versed in geography of our home, the forests. Every
new applicant now had to pass the Forestwalking to become a full
Sentinel and be paroled. Many older Sentinels took the opportunity to
also take part in the Forestwalking and were announced as "Uber
Forestwalkers", thus showing their knowledge of the world we live in.
Campfire Circles invited young and old to sit and hear about the tales
of the past, as well as to discuss about the future.
You read what is written on a rich journal of forest green:
"History of the Sentinels, by Tearstorm Le'Yuet", By Lady Greyda Corten (Page 6)

DAYS OF THUNDER

The year 324 AF marked a significant change to the Sentinels and their
home village, Eleusis. The village received city status and a formal
government with ministries. Covenant was the first leader of the village
with the title "Speaker". The ruling council consisted of five
forestals, including Elsp, Covenant and Tearstorm for the Sentinels.
Lady Demeter acted as the Divine Patron. Sentinels rejoiced as they now
had a "real" home village which they could join, although Sentinels
remain free to be a citizen of any city but that of Mhaldor. Guards of
the village are being hired, and the Sentinels greatly enjoy the
protection of Treekin warriors, Tsol'aa archers and dryad enchantresses.

When protecting Caelan, a guild enemy, who killed another Sentinel
(Landon) in his shop in Shallam, from being persecuted by Covenant, the
city of Shallam vowed to protect Caelan from harm. Therefore, the
Sentinels enacted their first-ever concoctions ban onto the city of
Shallam in the year 326 AF. Sentinels also refrained from taking part in
Landmarking at this year's Ethian's Crossing, causing diplomatic
irritations with the Shallamites who had always been able to rely on
their Sentinel allies. The ban remains in place for several years.

Shortly later, the Sylvans arrived in Eleusis, and the Sentinels
welcomed them by paying for the costs to provide their Guildhall with
totems. The first meeting of the three guild leaders took place in the
year of the Sylvans' founding, 329 AF, at the Council Chambers of
Eleusis. Two years later, Oakstone imposed an herb ban against Mhaldor
for harbouring exterminators, mainly due to the refusal of the Tyrannus,
Kaelin, to actively persecute exterminators. The three forestal guilds
as well as the forestal village of Eleusis followed Oakstone's example
and installed bans upon Mhaldor. This was met with extreme hostility on
Mhaldor's side and the threat to begin enormous exterminations once
again. Several rogue forestals joined the city of Mhaldor to support the
citizens with the much needed concoctions. In this course, Oakstone and
the forestal guilds - including the Sentinels - enemied those who
counteract against the herb ban. The enemy status with Oakstone lead to
extreme irritations, and lastly, the Logos decreed that Oakstone had no
right to enemy for the action against a herb ban. Oakstone was forced to
unenemy those who deliver herbs and elixirs to Mhaldorians, although the
Sentinels and the other forestal guilds maintained their ban.

Mhaldor and Oakstone formed a treaty two years later, and the herb ban
was lifted, with Mhaldor agreeing to stand by its policy of punishing
exterminators with outcitizening and enemy status. After Indrani
expressed Her support to Mhaldor in the current conflict, the Sentinels
banned membership in Her Order alongside membership in the Order of
Sartan. After numerous exterminations, Mhaldor's treaty with Oakstone
was repealed in the year 348. A herb ban was once again imposed by the
guild. Forestals showed their strength by reacting swiftly and strongly
in response to exterminations. On an unrelated note - Aecius challenged
Covenant as Guildmaster of the Sentinels, yet Covenant retained his
position.

In the year 354, Lady Demeter entered a deep slumber, and Lord Neraeos
was chosen to replace Her as Guild Patron. Once again, the God of the
Sea oversaw the Sentinels, blessing the guild with His patronage. And it
was much needed, too, as the following events should show. Bandits
appeared in Eleusis and several cities of the realm. The Sentinels tried
to gather information and finally, the riddle was solved when Shandala
Blackthorne revealed that she was behind all of it. Her son, Grenden,
was in tears at the betrayal of his mother and asked to be allowed to
live in Eleusis - a request that was granted. The guild remained ever
vigilant and alert after the incidents, safeguarding Eleusis as their
home.

After 100 years as Guildmaster, Covenant retired in the year 366 AF, and
Landon was elected as the new leader, triumphing over Caz, Shazara and
Logistics who had also applied for the position. As one of the first
guilds of Achaea, the Sentinels received an heraldic Coat of Arms,
designed by Kolieer - Vert, on a chevron Or, a wolf courant contourny
Sable. The modern translation of this beautiful design is: 'A black wolf
running facing right on a gold chevron, on a green background.' The
Guildhall received a significant expansion with a completely new wing,
deep under the earth. As one of his first acts, Landon decreed that the
Sentinels would lift their herb ban on Mhaldor, although there was much
discussion and dispute over the matter, with many controversial opinions
being voiced.

During those days, Twilight was suspected to actively recruit from the
guild, with several young members apparently having joined His Order.
This was seen as an attempt of Twilight to regain influence and power in
the forestal community. Seeing how the history of Twilight with the
forestal family had always proved detrimental to the welfare of Nature,
the ban was being considered, yet not installed. Landon, as the new
Guildmaster, abolished the decades-old ban on Gleam, a dangerous drug,
as he stated that every Sentinel should be able to decide on that on her
or his own. This, once again, was being discussed very controversially.
After an unexplained and lengthy absence, Landon was replaced as
Guildmaster, with Caz winning the election in the year 373 AF. The ban
on Gleam was immediately re-installed. Also, the ban on Twilight's Order
was finalised. As a result of this, some of the Darkwalker Sentinels
decided to leave the guild, including Enoc and Tyrea. Others remained
loyal to the guild, choosing the guild over their patron.

In the year 374 AF, more and more forestals fell prey to thieves of
different origin. The three forestal guilds and the forestal village of
Eleusis decided on an agreement which automatically lead to enemy status
with all four organisation when somebody stole from a member of one of
them. This new treaty was met with great relief, as it now made it more
difficult for the thieves of Achaea to continue their careers.