The Shaman subpath has always been known for great path cohesion and loyalty. So it is an shocking occurance when someone -- especially a Guide, someone known and trusted by all -- goes bad. Unlike the person in Curse of the Nameless One, the traitor did not sell us out as such. But, long after being pardoned by Elder Wildhair for attempting to oust her from the Eldership, she harbored simmering resentment. When she was to be demoted as a Guide because of inactivity, she bided her time, then afflicted the Elder with the Shaman's Curse, in defiance of all path rules and traditions, and had the further gall to claim that JaydePhoenix, the founding Elder, approved.

Structurally, this poem is a bit more formal than some of mine. I used an ABAB rhyme scheme instead of my usual ABCB. I wanted to evoke the image of voices chanting in the dark, to the beat of drums. To that end I used an unusual metric pattern. Note how the stress falls on the second syllable in the A lines and the first in the B lines. That gives an unusual, almost syncopted, rhythm to it. All my poems are meant to be read out loud, but this one even more than most.