The GrandTemple tries to cover their tracks and keep their own people in line. Since VasTana warned the sisters of HouseNemalzhi she is murdered as punishment. VasTana is tougher than anticipated however and makes her escape to the HouseOfWar before she persihes. Zarhrae is aletered as is Zhe'raen. The latter brings Ahriman along as the three men assemble only to find that VasTana just passed away.
Zarhrae is most upset with the loss of his dearest sister and Zhe'raen] commands Ahriman to use arcane means to find the guilty part. Ahriman withdraws to a quite chamber and returns with information: The highest Priestesses of the GrandTemple gave the order and a lesser Priestess did the crime.
Meanwhile MatronQuavyl and WeaponsmasterIoria has arrived to the HouseOfWar. MatronQuavyl is understandably upset and cites traditional right to war against all who attack a house. Zhe'raen assures her that there is a plan to go forth already in the making. HouseXyrl puts their finest forces at the disposal of HouseNemalzhi.
Ahriman seals off the entire GrandTemple using mighty spells as soon as all the attacking forces have entered the temple grounds. It is a matter of do or die now.
After some initial disorganized battling the besieged Priestesses find themselves barricaded in the main hall of worship. Zhe'raen prepares for a final assault to break the opposing forces.
Meanwhile Lyme and Nirl encounter another pocket of resistance: A large band of novices have entrenched themselves in a lecturing-hall and has managed to beat off attacks using only books and writing-materials, much to the shame of the soldiers of HouseNemalzhi.
The attack on the Great Hall is executed and the fighting becomes brutal in the extreme as the priestesses and soldiers of the attacking houses charge and countercharge. GhulDril snekas off to the side to attempt to outflank the enemy while Zhe'raen simply goes forth. He notices PriestessZolthra about to be sacrificed by her own. Deciding to rescue his lady friend Zhe'raen makes a reckless charge and an attack by another Priestess almost costs the daring Weaponsmaster his life but he manages to slay her and, injured he reaches Zolthra and sweeps her away from sacrificial death even as GhulDril battles another Priestess in an even struggle behind, on and in front of the altar.
Suddenly WeaponsmasterXarnael, in the shape of a horrid Drider appears, crawling down a wall. Wading into battle with murderous glee Xarnael soon gives the remaining Priestesses no choice but to surrender.
It is decided that the highest-ranking priestesses are to be sent to Lolth to face her judgement. So, using sacrificial knives, the victorious forces set about to send them on their way.
When a lull in the process appears, a messenger reports in that Lyme is still not in charge of the situation and arriving there they find Lyme and his soldiers fairly demoralized and that Nirl has decided to infiltrate and capture the leader of the novice girls, a rather hotheaded young lady by the name of Zha'nel.
When the girls in the lecturing-hall find out that the commander opposing them is Zhe'raen it is made clear that many of them find him quite...interesting and where Zhe'raen has gone to battle with all manners of mighty foes he now dreads facing the attention of ten score of fangirls.
GhulDril infiltrates to try and rescue/aid Nirl who seems quite evenly matched by Zha'nel in their struggle. Other girls cheer their leader on but merciless taunting from GhulDril soon allows for Nirl to break away and make a run for escape (after stuffing the outraged Zha'nel headfirst into a wastepaper basket.) but alas is captured and taken hostage by a swarm of girls.
Negotiations begin.
Eventually it is agreed upon that Nirl is to be set free in return for free passage outside for the novices. It is also decided that the novices shall witness the remainder of the sacrificing of Priestesses. During this, many girls express their revulsion of the Drider as well as being upset that the job is being done mostly by male soldiers. Zha'nel and Nirl] keep up a whispering squabble as to wether it was cheating or not when Nirl stuffed her into the wastepaper-basket.
Soon afterwards, Ahriman removes the barriers and everyone is free to go out in the city again and as a vast crowd has assembled to try and find out what is going on with the cordoned-off temple both attackers and novices make their best effort to march out, looking good.
MatronNemalzhi is briefed on the outcome and within days an assembly of most of the female nobles in the city is declared to clear the situation up. MatronNemalzhi brings Zhaunil along, her being the most politically astute of the daughters of HouseNemalzhi. The debate goes on as to wether HouseXyrl and HouseNemalzhi had the right to attack the GrandTemple but enough agree that they had the right to ensure that the two houses will be allowed to live. For now. MatronGlavil declares that from now on all Matrons and Houses are only to answer to themselves and Lolth and for once noone in the CouncilOfEight do not disagree in the least.
The issue regarding what is to become of the temple is brought up and Zhaunil makes an impassioned speech in favor of keeping the GrandTemple as the core of the citys religious structure since the commoners must not be denied communion with Lolth and even though nobles can train their Priestesses at home, the commoners must have a a place for schooling as well. A careless comment from the Matron of the citys 18th House that implies that this would essentially make the temple no better than, say, the HouseOfWar gets Zhaunil and the Matron into fisticuffs and only after some time are they separated. As things turn out, the temple is left pretty much to its own devices and will have to recouperate as best as it can by its own power. PriestessZolthra is left in charge for the simple reason that noone else has seniority.
Later on the city calms down as each House looks to its position and tries to work out plans for the future in a city where they answer only to themselves. There is an increase in streetcrime since the GrandTemple no longer sends out patrols.
Zhaunil and Zhe'raen visit HouseHasdrubel. Each BreedingMistress debate their respective plans and the progress of a common project. Zhe'raen manages to find some time to talk in private with MatronGlavil, but is frustrated when he realizes that HouseHasdrubel will not ever relinguish power nor allow for any changes in the social structure of the City causing such a change. And furthermore, the fact that MatronGlavil is the only being keeping her Orcs in check everyone else want to keep her alive. After a while, it is discovered that a were-tigress has escaped from her pen and Zhaunil withdraws, not afraid but conrened about the potential danger of the situation. Zhe'raen stays and helps MatronGlavil bring the powerful Orc-tigress hybrid back to its pen. After a final attempt to try and convince MatronGlavil that she should encourage greater social dynamics in the city is met with little understanding, Zhe'raen leaves for home alongside his sister.
Later that week Zhe'raen finds himself formally challenged by Zha'nel who claims that HouseNemalzhi has insulted her by allowing Nirl to defeat her and letting GhulDril mock the assembled novices. She has chosen her brother, WeaponsmasterMorghedil as her champion. Much to the surprise of Morghedil he is quite easily defeated by Zhe'raen who has become increasingly faster over the last years. Faster than is quite natural actually. Yet, WeaponsmasterMorghedil takes this in good cheer and simply asks for a rematch wich Zhe'raen readily agrees to. Zha'nel is upset beyond words to see her champion defeated and her honor thus soiled and it is only after a while that she pulls herself together enough to scold WeaponsmasterMorghedil for failing her, much to the glee of Zhe'raen who overhears it at quite a distance away.