It takes a few moments for Alicia to put things together. It's not what's on her mind right now, but it's not like she doesn't know what Calistria is famous for. Now she's embarrassed too.

"Oh - I, er. Nevermind. Not that there's anything wrong with - I should stop talking."

"It's, uh. Don't worry about it, it's fine."

"Ahem. Anyway, I'll see if I can get back to you on what other chaotic good clerics do for that, and maybe in the mean time you can see if practicing your own self defense skills work? Is there anything else you wanted to ask about or that I can help with?"

"Not that I can think of."

By now the two of them are almost to the temple.

Then they can go in and ask about Valia!

...Valia isn't at the temple, and wasn't there this morning before setting off either. Nobody at the temple has seen her since she left for the convention that morning.

"I think she'd've come back at some point, if she's — alive."

"I'd say she might just have been injured, but - surely she'd be taken to a temple if that was it. And she told everyone in her speech that evil people could cut her down with a single blow-"

"—and you said they were throwing Fireballs, too—"

"If they had killed her in the open with fireballs, I think I would have heard of it, and you would hardly use them for a killing in secret. But if they were willing to set the city ablaze I doubt they would have blanched at the thought of murdering a priest. And I have no idea how I'd find her body even if they were careless about it, this isn't Halmyris... Let's see, you obviously can't go to the city watch on something like this an expect them to help, not unless you're bribing them and not even then against a noble, and the archmage is hardly of any help unless you're a noble trying to maintain your power. I have no idea how to track down lord Cansellarion until the convention opens up again - I don't suppose you know a wizard or cleric strong enough to scry?"

"Delegate Ardiaca was the one who summoned the azata but I don't know if he knows how to scry. Also he's a nobleman and I think mostly noblemen don't care about, like, ordinary people getting killed fighting Evil nobles. Also I don't know if he's going to be at his house. We could check anyways if you think it's a good idea? I'm pretty sure I remember where it is."

She wracks her brains. Ardiaca, Ardiaca... he was the one with the war proposal, the one that Sir Cansellarion voted against. That's not a good sign, but - practically every noble was voting for war, it's not really an extra realization about him. And he wasn't one of the evil ones on the list, and he couldn't have been hiding it or the inquisitor would have seen through him. 

"Do you know why he summoned the Azata? It's an expensive spell if you want them to stick around for more than a minute or so, so that's at least - not nothing, if he was spending it trying to help you, but it doesn't mean we should be foolish about it."

"Well, it was his friend's idea, Delegate Requena i Cortes, one of the archdukes. I guess it's probably a good sign that Delegate Ardiaca has friends at all but they're both powerful nobles so I don't know if it really counts the same way. Uh, the reason Delegate Requena i Cortes wanted the azata summoned was because we kept getting into arguments on the Rights Committee and I think he was hoping it would take his side."

"Well, if he thought an Azata would take his side he probably at least thinks he's good. I think it's worth a try, especially since we don't have any better ideas."

"He said on the Rights Committee that he's Lawful Neutral, and he didn't show up as Evil, but I don't know if he was hiding it. He also said Delegate Ardiaca was Chaotic Good but I don't really know how you could be Chaotic Good and a count. ...I don't have any better ideas either, though, so we might as well."

"I doubt he could hide it from the inquisitor."

She's pretty sure a lot of the things pamphlets claim about him are lies or exaggerations but the truth is still extremely impressive. She'll follow Victoria to Ardiaca's house.

He is not at his house.

"...well, I don't know where else we'd find him, do you have any ideas?"

"He's a Molthuni noble so maybe he's with the other Molthuni - that doesn't help, I don't know where they are either. We could ask at the palace if he's checked in but I don't really expect them to be helpful."

"The one I talked to wouldn't even tell me if Valia had checked in. ...Also the Judiciary Committee is having an emergency meeting, I should probably head over if I don't want to be late. She was on it too, maybe she'll be there." The way she says it it's clear that she really doesn't expect her to be there.

"Stay safe."

For lack of anything better to do, she heads back towards the Cafe Isarn. Hopefully Valia will be alright.