"I'm not sure they will assign him without any knowledge of why even if I relax my security precaution. I am not really the sort of person who gets assigned diplomatic missions away from the fort that insofar as I'm aware I was running acceptably."

It seems quite possible, then, if the rumors about the Select's homeland are true, that there is nothing they can do to save his counterpart. Will the Select even permit himself to be angry with his goddess, if the 'honor' bestowed upon him by her most powerful paladin causes his counterpart to be tortured to death?

"Shall I continue with my discussion of the countries that may be of relevance to you?"

"Please."

Count Arendae continues his explanation! Ustalav's undead-hunters are sufficiently mercenary that it may be possible to arrange a trade with them if he happens to find himself with some spare time after they take Drezen, though their expertise is not particularly in demon-hunting. Supposedly one of Ustalav's graveknights served for a time at Crusader's Fort, but he can't say he recommends attempting to recruit more of the undead. One of the governor of Gralton's advisors visited Kenabres two years ago and had quite a lovely evening with him; if she's still in her position, she may be willing to do him a favor. The people of Osirion are largely sensible enough to spend their money on things they actually want, rather than donating it to far-off foreigners, and to hear his cousin tell it their Abadarans are no more generous with the terms of their loans than the main church. Every few years someone in Mendev has the bright idea of sending a delegation to recruit Qadiran Sarenrites, only for the Qadirans to be utterly appalled when they discover that in Mendev there are women serving shoulder-to-shoulder with the men. It is wealthy, though, and could be a fruitful source of funding if he can figure out how to navigate their impenetrable patronage networks. There would be an outside chance of securing Rahadoumi assistance even for such a pious country as Mendev if the Knight-Commander of the crusade was not an Iomedaean cleric, but as it is it's probably a lost cause. The fragmented kingdoms of the northwest are said to prize poetic talent as greatly as martial skill, and if he hopes to find volunteers among them he would be wise to send a poet. Katapesh is unlikely to be directly helpful, but they're extorting this other nobleman in Nerosyan, which would be easy to use against him...

He can continue in this vein for quite a while.

"I'm really going to have to ask someone who knows what they're doing about whether it's permissible to use anything describable as 'blackmail'."

Surely the rules on coercion can't be very strict, given the sorts of thing his cousin gets away with, but he supposes they might be strict only when inconvenient for him.

"Very well." He thinks for a moment. "To hear its people talk about it, Andoran's subjects love stories of redemption, of Evildoers renouncing their wicked ways and pledging themselves to the Good gods." (His tone is faintly disgusted.) "If you do not intend to conceal your background, it may be worthwhile for you to make a personal visit to appeal to them, though I doubt you will have time until after we have taken Drezen."

"My story is terrible, though. It involves no exercise of conscience or manifestation of personal virtue."

"I suspect that is not insurmountable with the right presentation, though perhaps you will want to discuss it with your liaison to the foreign churches; I am told he is Andoren, and a Shelynite to boot. Perhaps you will need to frame your conversion as an act of mercy on the part of Iomedae, who generously permitted even such a terrible Evildoer as yourself to pursue Goodness in her service." (The note of faint disgust in his voice has been replaced with unveiled contempt.)

"I'll see what he says, I suppose. - the whole northern border was low on healing to begin with and it did not improve when we were all dropped, you understand, and the wizards weren't turning Nethysian and so on fast enough, I don't think I made or broke the border holding but a few lives and a few frostbitten extremities I expect I did."

"If Iomedae deigned to exert herself simply to save a few lives, the situation in Mendev would look rather different."

"I think I was inexpensive. For a third circle. - is there some specific thing you think She ought to be doing, here, it looks like She's empowering even more paladins than She can really be confident of -"

Her cleric could have not ordered his family to lie down and die.

He absolutely cannot say that.

"Why, I say her choices are unimpeachable. Who could question the virtue of Prelate Shappok, or deny that those of us not blessed by your goddess are heinous reprobates compared to him? Who could watch his relentless crusade against the scourge of Desna and deny that Iomedae's priorities are greatest among gods and mortals? Who does not long in their heart to give up all but the most minimal pleasures in life in the hopes that by our efforts we might spare her the cost of empowering a single additional cleric?"

"I was actually thinking of the fellow who fell just the other day for abusing a prisoner but Prelate Shappok is certainly also a study in tradeoffs. Do you want Her to empower more people, considering how you appear to feel about the ones She has already?"

He waves a hand. "Yes, yes, she'll strip a man's powers if he spends too much time whoring and elevate the Prelate to the position of her most powerful spellcaster in Kenabres. If she wanted to send ten thousand of her empowered to hold back the demons I would have no objection. Instead we are supposed to count ourselves lucky if she sends a fraction of that number, and be grateful with them for deigning to lecture us on our failure to live up to their exacting standards."

"I suspect the Prelate Fell some years back, Atoned, and has only narrowly avoided Falling again. I'm not sure She... has... ten thousand... and if She does they're certainly divided among multiple tasks, this one of the obvious four... who exactly has been lecturing you? The Prelate? I can't really see Select Stasia doing it."

"Oh, it depends. Sometimes the Prelate, sometimes the late Select Heinrich, sometimes any passing paladin who happens to take issue with my lifestyle..."

"I can see how that would be wearing. I have also experienced paladins radiating contempt at me in the past and it is not their most charming behavior. I will say that I have not been commanded to act likewise and so it seems likely that they are doing it on their own initiative or learning it from other equally charming role models. The Acts do not say 'remember to lecture every Evil person you meet, for it haveth a high return on investment'."

That startles a laugh out of him. "But don't I know," he says, putting on an affect of Select Heinrich's voice, "if only I gave up everything enjoyable in life to spend my days freezing in a Worldwound outpost, just think how much I could do for Mendev!"

Blai never met Heinrich, more's the pity. "I could attempt to spin some argument about the improvement to your presumable tax base if the line is pushed in but I think its improvised nature would show. Perhaps if you kill enough demons you'll get Endure Elements for your trouble, at least. Maybe whatever you are can do Magnificent Mansions eventually."

"Alas, I fear that if I manifested Endure Elements it would only strengthen my cousin's resolve to see that I never again have the opportunity to spend a spell slot for my own purposes."

"I suspect I will appreciate your sense of what things are and are not appealing about Worldwound service to people with more discerning taste than I have, for recruitment purposes among people who cannot simply be conscripted."

"I suppose if I find anything to appreciate about it I will inform you."

"Thank you."

The Count has more commentary on a few of the people particularly important to Nerosyan's politics, but eventually he tells Blai in a tone of feigned regret that he has a private appointment scheduled with one of the lovely ladies in the house and dismisses him for the evening.

The walk back to the Defender's Heart is dark, and the streets are largely deserted. Still, when he's about half a mile from the Defender's Heart, he catches sight of a figure trying to move stealthily through the streets, wearing a dark hooded cloak and carrying a suspiciously scythe-shaped bundle wrapped in a blanket.