This post is a short note to Galdrion and Claryssa to help you both understand what has been set in motion. Representatives from Oakstone and Hashan were standing around the table in an official capacity when our Archons and guild leaders drafted that ultimatum. Delphi reminded us that the Oakstone has its own treaty regarding shrines, and we did not ask to interfere with it. All we asked for was permission to enforce it (defile the shrines that should come and punish the carpenters). This he gave us permission to do. Basicly, a shrine one room east of the hiway may as well be on the hiway. It is just as deadly. We asked him to be there...we invited him. The people of this city who are opting for a better shrine policy, are in no way trying to create discord with the forest dwellers. Quite the opposite.
The same is true for the City of Hashan. We do not speak for Hashan. Hashan was reprented and helped write the ultimatum.
The point is, that even though the last treaty exclusively gave consecions to the church and none to Ashtan (except the right to defile shrines freely - which we have been denied) the church has NOT been able to honour it. Yes, I hear people saying "its a matter of interpretting FREE TO DEFILE". Well let me put it this way... if Free to Defile means you get ambushed by a group of zealots, then why bother putting it in a treaty? That consideration has been ours for centuries. Obviously, Free to Defile means what it says. We can walk up the middle of the street with a bucket of puss, in broad daylight and smile kindly to the locals as we go about our daily chores. The church never understood that they LOST the last war. We are here to remind them of that.
I am known to be quite anti church. The conditions layed out in the ultimatum were not as harsh as I had suggested. Our city fathers are most generous that way. But any way you look at it, we are not denying the right to worsip, as much as I had pressed for it. The church can put a shrine in every room of every building, rampart, sewer, or outhouse. We dont care. The palace of the emperor alone will surely hold 50 of the blasted devices. It is not our concern. Just keep them away from us.
As for the forest... I do my part to save the trees. I kill all the squirrels I can. Pesky bastards. Just color me green.
-the Sinistar

Penned by my hand on the 4th of Miraman, in the year 234 AF.