The Inconvenience Removal Agency decides to travel to the Taesi Forest to find some Green Bilurium for Archmage Khelem. In their hopes to cut the path short, they visit the Taesi Embassy in Zeantis to maybe organize some means of quicker transportation. Minister Nesianril Shisa greets the group upon arrival, telling them that a few elven rangers just left to return home after helping the Zeantis forces against the threats in the northern regions of the empire. Shisa exposes that the small piece of Bilurium that Khelem gave the group was originally hers, stolen by Khelem years ago. He doesn't know she knows and intends to keep it that way so she can torment him with surprise visits and uncomfortable conversations about her missed "family heirloom".
Catching up with the rangers, one of which is Asha, the female ranger that the group already encountered at the entrance of the Grave of Horas, they leave for the border of the Taesi Forest together where druids will pick them up via transportation magic. The returning rangers consist of Auriella, a green haired elf that speaks incredibly slow, Tansea, a homeless looking fellow that appears to be very interested in smoking different herbs, Amabalis, a heavily scarred elf that lost an arm and his tongue in a fight against some Basiliks north of Zeantis - and Asha. Remembering the squishy prison pearls that the group recovered from the Grave of Horas, they think one of them might house the missing members of Asha's original ranger group, but in the end, all of them were empty.
On their way over the Schlangendarm, a narrow mountain pass that divides the ocean from the Ruojing Desert, the travellers talk about elven culture, druidism and the two Titans that rule the Druid Valley: Badjir and Khroma. A few days pass and the group arrive at the Taesi Forest, where they are picked up by Venra Moonsong, Archdruid of the circle of dreams and one of the oldest and wisest of druids to have ever lived. Asha is left behind, though as she is being picked up later to be transported elsewhere.
Traveling trough a big tree, they land in Fala Taesi, the southern ward city of the wood elven nation. They spend a night there, talking some more, eating bone bread and learning from Alas Olaran - the now leader of the settlement - that Abraxas was here a week ago to push the elves into choosing a side in the coming war. Which they then did (by choosing the human empire) - but not because Abraxas told them to! The group also receives a letter from Abraxas that he left there for them to find that contain a warning not to tell the Lorekeeper about the Memorandum - and also the usual harassment and mind-games. Venra notices that various arcane eyes are scrying on the group, but there is nothing she can do about it.
On the next day, Ajhed, one of the students of Venra leads the group to the eastern mountain range and opens up a passage to the Shifting Canyon, a magical pathway to the Druid Valley that is intended to be a test for rooting out unworthy visitors. Entering the canyon, the IRA still intends to seek out Badjir, the moving mountain, which grows the Green Bilurium. They promised the druids to return the harvested mineral back to the Taesi Conclave and not let it fall into the hands of a greedy arcanist.
Traversing the canyon takes long, the shifting passages force the group to dead ends, turn around, or squeeze through narrow paths. The static lighting and absence of day and night makes it hard to track how much time has passed. Some of the highlights of the canyon include a monkey (later named "Boom") that blows himself up with sticks of dynamite, a frozen cave that brings some to the edge of exhaustion, a sleet storm and an encounter with strange fey creatures ("Korred") that imprisoned a young-ish looking half-elf girl.
The rebellious half-elf Sona that the IRA rescued from her hairy captors deceives the kind-hearted heroes when she reveals her true form while only Florian is awake on his night watch. Drawing him out of the camp and making him close his eyes gives her the opportunity to shift back into her real form undetected, a Hag that Flo and Jeff already encountered as Sonya the Gravesister from the Cursed Forest month ago. With her enormous strong arms, she starts to hug Flo to crush him, while she monologues about how she blames the two humans that her sisters were killed and she had to seek refuge in the canyon. Flo is able to magically step out of the hug barely breathing, sending his owl to wake the others.
A combat breaks out as more of the small hairy fey creatures form near the alerted campers all while Flo stumbles back to his companions. The Korred are defeated quickly, but the Hag escapes in a cloud of fog - or so she thought. The suspicious Drem Greenglen organizes a search for the witch as he doesn't believe she is gone far. Hiding in a small alcove, the group is able to pin her into a tight spot, not even giving her much opportunity to fight back. When the hag falls dead, Gawrth is quick to pick up her bag of assorted mushrooms, eating one after another without feeling much of an effect.
A "nights" rest is had in the ever dusky canyon healing the exhausted travellers. Following a path ahead, the group encounters a big grumpy tree that wants to be left alone - and a lava fault blocking their way that most avoid with a clever Spiderclimb. Gawrth mixes up some mutagens to gain the ability to fly, also finding out that the open ceiling of the canyon appears to be a magical illusion that does not allow exiting.
Upon reaching another chamber where a strong looking warrior meditates on top of a platform, Gawrth engages in a conversation. Arnold, Champion of Satonir the Warbringer, greets the arrivals and politely asks for a sparring match. All except for Drem join the fray and while Arnold is quick to overthrow any flanking advantage of the usual melee strategy, the group is able to withstand his divine weapon strikes and gain victory. The defeated warrior thanks the combatants and grants them a favour in the form of a Horn that once blown will summon the champion to fulfil a single (reasonable) request.