"Well, you know, I came all this way thinking it was obligatory, but it turns out there's probably plenty like me to fill all the seats. A bit late to go home about it now, though. So I suppose I am. What's there to talk about?"

"I've heard a few different explanations of the exact purpose of the convention.  But one thing they agree on is that the Queen is looking for some type of advice or counsel or common custom of the delegates to be enshrined in law through a constitution.  I have some thought about what terms would be fitting with this and good to include in the constitution, and I think the faithful of many Lawful and Good Gods will agree with me and have suggestions on my thoughts, so I've been seeking other convention delegates out.  Both to share my ideas and to get their own thoughts on them."

"Well, Erastil doesn't give me such detailed opinions as all that, so I can't tell you so much what He thinks, let alone give you His suggestions. I can give you mine, if I find I have any."

"Sounds reasonable."  she'll wait a bit longer before giving her gift, maybe until after they're almost done talking so it doesn't seem like a bribe... but if a lack of holy text comes up, she will give it then.

"My basic idea is that the government should provide some financial support to faiths and institution for providing religious education.  This benefits society as a whole by ensuring an educated population, as schools as already do, with the added value that it will help to undo the twisted teaching of Asmodeus and introduce better teaching of more Lawful and Good Gods, which the current schools do not do.  I personally would like funding to take on more students and to ensure I can teach and strengthen my existing students as best I can."

She'll pause there to see if he has any questions or comments before she elaborates further.

"I don't care for schools. Maybe they're better if they're not how they've been in some way but I can't say I've seen it done well."

Okay, just like one of the scenarios they gamed, she can do this.

"I... have very mixed feelings on the way I was taught growing up." leave an opening for questions and then turn it back to him.

"What if you took on some of the city kids to live out in the country for a month or so once a year?  At a time or times of year when you're not too busy, but not too idle?  They get a sample of another way of living, you pass on what wisdom you can concisely, they pick up some skills learned by living and not just from books, you pass on what sense you have Erastil.  The government pays you for feeding them, and a bit for your trouble, and maybe checks you're at least trying to teach them a bit and not just work them.  And they do that for clerics of Erastil across the country.  I figure each of the churches have their own way of teaching and learning, so how does something like that sound for Erastil's church?"

"I don't like any of that. What would I want with some city child getting in my business so that a government man can come by and get into it too and see I'm managing my affairs how he likes? I don't care to sell him the excuse. I could see it if I knew the youngster, maybe, or if my grandson made a friend or somesuch, but no big complicated nonsense of fellows who don't know each other."

She pauses for minute, both thinking it over and to show she is considering his words.

"That makes sense I suppose." It sounds more neutral than good, but perhaps this man is lawful neutral and not particularly fervent about following his God or spreading his teaching?

"Is there anything you have to teach other country kids from the villages around you?  Are such kids still too much strangers?"

"Oh, we meet those on occasion, but I don't fancy myself a teacher."

"Would you travel a bit further or meet them a bit more often for a bit of coin?  Maybe it's a small thing, but every little bit to set the path of this country right and undo the work of Asmodeus matters."  Thea has rehearsed that last line a few times, but she truly means it.

"I'd talk to my wife if the coin was worth my being away more. She has the number sense."

Thea smiles at that

"And it's good sense to know someone you can trust with good number sense!  The exact amount probably won't come up in the convention, the impression I've gotten is that it is more of the general principles than the exact letter of the law.  Hopefully if the constitution includes a term or section, along the lines of, for example, 'The Queen shall provide support to lawful churches and good churches for the benefit of the nation as her wisdom guides her', someone would figure out a sensible way to apply that to Erastil's church, but I can understand pessimism given what the Queen has to build on and work with."

"Well, I can't say such a term would be particularly beneficial to you and yours, but I hope you see the general idea of it.  If you want, I can briefly explain some thoughts on what the other God's churches might prefer about such a term, but I haven't talked with most of them yet.  Besides that... I think I've said my piece and have only one other thing."

"What's the other thing?"

She reaches to pull her bag off her shoulder.

"After the Four Day War, I searched for Holy Texts on Irori, and found some on other Gods in the process.  Among what I found, was a worn and slightly burnt copy of Parables of Erastil.  I had my students transcribe a copy, which I would like to give to you if you don't have a copy of Erastil's Holy Text yet.  If you do, we could find another priest or at least faithful of Erastil to give it to?  Also, I've gathered that the exact contents of Parables of Erastil vary from copy to copy, with people adding in parables and fables and stories based on local customs and traditions, so this one might be unique in it's main text.  And it is definitely unique overall, my students came up with a parable of their own to add to the back of it."

"I reckon you could drop it off at the temple, it's got loads of fellows like me only from other countries here to help us along. Or I'll bring it for you if that's out of your way. But I can't read none too well myself."

"That sounds like a good place for it.  I did have a small offer to go with it... I considered the possibility you might not read well, so I thought, each day, I could send one of my students to you at the temple to read a chapter to you that day?  You're generally making your way back to the temple each day around the same time, they could arrive shortly after?  And in return, you could share your thoughts on it or a related story you have... or any story you like if the first two options don't work?  Irori teaches that one should consider many sources of wisdom.  Oh, and I meant for the bag to go with it, but if you're leaving the book at the temple, I guess you don't need to worry about it getting wet, so you can just keep the bag." 

And this will get him more used to teaching strangers, and thus slightly more likely to vote in favor of religious education if it comes up at the convention.  And she does think her students will like and learn from another perspective, they've all grown up so cloistered.

At that he smiles. "Hm, now that's quite considerate of you. If the other Erastilians reckon it's as good a book as any I wouldn't at all mind hearing it from one of your folks."

"Thank you!  My students love to hear stories and other perspectives... we grew up kind of cloistered, even in the middle of a city.  ...I haven't actually been inside Erastil's temple, I wouldn't mind walking with you and taking a look inside to drop the book off there?  And a student will be there tomorrow to read and learn!"

"Sure, it's open, there's channels on the bell every bell while there's enough of us to cover it and nothing stops you from coming in between." To the temple of Erastil.

It has been very literally whitewashed to brighten up the place as quickly as possible from the black and red color scheme. The floor is still black tile, but there's a hemp rug on it in the entryway to soften the effect. The Asmodean iconography has been ripped out and in its place there's a) nothing, b) imported carvings and quilts, and c) still-wet paintings of stags and roosters and oxen and sheaves of wheat. Somebody's actively painting a deer over a pentagram right now.

"It reminds me of my own monastery... we've also done some redecorating.  I think yours might look better actually, none of use were artists at the time we started and we've only gradually improved."

"Do you always have enough channels available?  I have -" she pauses, stumbling over the word a bit "-a friend who can channel positive and I think she found some places to use them at, but I'm not sure she was completely set on it and she might have an extra or two, I would have to check." 

"For now. Some of these fellows mean to go back to their own lands after there's more of an establishment here. Not sure who they're imagining will come sit all day in a temple in a city and call themselves an Erastilian when we can go home."

"It's usually folks as have a problem at home they can't best treat with staying put," remarks the man with an Andoran accent who's working on the deer. It's blocky and stylized; Shelynite he is not, but it's a deer. "My superior at home lost his wife, couldn't stomach his own house any more, left it to his eldest boy and took up the temple. Heard of a fellow whose village was half killed in a pox outbreak and quarantined till they were all dead or well, but so many were dead they mostly moved away with relatives, and he had a city daughter. There was a priestess whose joints couldn't take cold winters any more -"

"All right, maybe there'll be a few as want to sit here all their lives, but maybe not enough to channel every bell," snorts Soler.

The deer looks better than the crudely carved open palm impressions and badly painted snails she and her own students have done!

"Ah, well, she's a Desnan, so I don't know she plans to stay in the city, as opposed to traveling to see the world.  I might have a spare channel myself eventually, I've been working on following Irori's teaching so I can be lawful neutral and can channel positive.  And you know, even just a morning and evening channel will improve a lot of people's lives."  And hopefully will have gone up a circle to enable her to channel anything, but she'll keep that detail to herself for now. 

"I use half mine on the animals, at home," says Soler, shaking his head. "People'll gather in the evenings for it but not twice a day, living that far apart. Cities!"

"Animals are one of Erastil's domains so that sounds fitting to me."

She looks closely and thoroughly over the paintings and carvings and quilts one more time, smiling.

"Well, I'll see you at the convention and say hello then."  And a parting phrase she read in one of Nuria's books comes to mind.  "Don't be a stranger."

She starts to leave, but then waits a moment to see if this man has any parting words himself or wants to talk more.

"You have a lovely day, young lady, and I'll look forward to your student."