"Depends if you want them to like you."

"They don't like their founder? Really?"

"I'm not saying they'd declare enmity, but they do associate your name with the reason they can't just smite people."

"Did they not mostly join the group voluntarily?"

"More so than most diabolists. Still, the group they joined is a bit different from the one you founded. It comes of dealing with the darker things sometimes."

"Right but I mean, why would they resent being part of a group they chose to join?"

"My guess is people who chafe under the rules invite others like them. Everyone accepted the tradeoff, but the name Sadde represents the part they see as the drawback. Maybe it would be otherwise if the cabal instead of the seal were named after you."

"Mm. Well, the seal is the important thing. So you think the best idea is infiltrating them from below?"

"Or just arriving as a friendly stranger. It doesn't have to be vertical at all."

"What's the angle there, then? I do actually want to aim them in such a way that sheer momentum will keep them good, do you believe that's easier from the outside?"

"I suspect it is. They have members, but are short on allies as diabolists often are. Your voice would almost stand out more as the one person willing to side with them. If you're independent they can't outvote you and should be smart enough not to ignore you."

"Ah. I suppose that makes sense." She sighs. "Well. I'll work with what I have."

"I think you can manage it. Straightening out diabolists is not an easy task, but their oath means the deck is as stacked in your favor as it can be."

"Is there anything you could equip me with, to help with that? Objectively speaking they probably know more diabolism than I do, by now."

"Are you planning to convince them by force? That will take a lot of equipping."

"No, but if I had resources they actually do not that would help me buy their trust."

"Something at least potentially transferrable, then. Information may be the best, so there is no need to spend it. The other obvious choice is to introduce you to an Other and suggest that it cooperate with you when summoned, but that carries significant risks.

Much of the more advanced diabolism is about cataloguing and dealing with specific demons, which is unlikely to be relevant here. Might I suggest illusions? It's not one of the fields I have sent them information on, and I suspect you would remain better than them at it even if you do."

"I do so love illusions. Why do you expect I'd be better?"

"Your use of glamour. If nothing else, it suggests that you are familiar enough with illusions not to accidentally emphasize the weak points or anything obvious like that, and that you have a power source with an affinity for illusion."

"Yeah, sounds about right."

She retrieves a book from a nearby shelf. Almost all the books near it have ordinary mundane titles. "The basic idea is convincing the world that what you want seen is what is there, and using some magic or other to shortcut it. There are volumes worth of how, of course."

"Oooh," she says, making grabby hands.

Rose frowns at the gesture while handing the book over. "Many practitioners frown on those without a single specialty. There are at least as many bad reasons for this as good, but should it come up you might wish to avoid giving a complete catalogue of what you can do."

She takes it. "That's fair. Illusion does fit my style more than diabolism, it just happens that diabolism looks like the highest-leverage avenue for large-scale good."

"It is the highest leverage for a lot of things. Good is not high on the list, but nor is it categorically off it."