I'm still considering my thoughts about the evil path, but I just want to point out that:
Talking to Minthara with Sazza does not automatically trigger the grove raid. There are three possibilities:
1. You can end up attacking Minthara. This does not trigger the raid. 2. You can agree to help Minthara, whether or not you're being sincere. This does trigger the raid. 3. You can tell Minthara that you're not ready yet and have things to do first. This does not trigger the raid.
So, two out of three options resulting from the conversation with Minthara do not actually trigger the raid on the grove.
