The rest of Olivia’s day had only gotten worse from there. She hadn’t been able to stop remembering all the things that she was usually diligently successful at blocking out. She was always just a bit clumsy on the best of days, but today in her distraction she’d managed to drop not one, but two different plates when preparing a midday meal for her employer, and then failed to focus adequately on the mending to complete it on the first go. By early afternoon, she had gotten a mild beating and had been relieved of her position, and spent the next several hours ruminating with nothing to distract her. 

By the time the convention usually let out for the day, her feet had carried her to the temple of Iomedae. It looked like she was going to… talk?... to the select priest. She didn’t know what she wanted from this, besides for her thoughts to stop coming in disorganized bursts, too many all at once and none of them completing. She tried to plan through different things she might say, and responses she might get, but she couldn’t quite hold a train of thought for a full round. She showed up at the temple, hoping to find a spot that she could lurk unobtrusively and see whether anyone else was approaching.

Diego had spoken to one of his friends in town, who’d confirmed the pamphlet. It was indeed the case that Chosen Artigas had been a priest of Asmodeus and a fort commander at the worldwound. His friend hadn’t been at Chosen Artigas’ fort for very long, but assured him that Artigas had definitely been a proper Asmodean at the time. And that surely wasn’t a thing that changed very quickly.

It was an impressive move, to convince the new regime that though one had been a priest, that was now reformed, and to take up residence in the temple of the new god. He wasn’t sure exactly the game that Artigas was playing at, but Diego was clever enough to not take things at face value. He’d known a fair number of priests in his day, both at the Worldwound and before it. He had been good at currying favor with them, better at it than most in Cheliax, and missed it. 

But he would have a chance to do so once again. If he could talk to the priest alone, he would let him know that he could see the game Artigas was playing, and offer his services. He had said he was looking for a bodyguard, after all. He’d missed the call for some of his more specialized services since the war, and he’d missed the chance to do things that would increase his status in the eyes of Hell, since he had no plans or hope of evading it. 

He strolled confidently into the temple, and looked around to see whether the priest had many takers yet. 

The priest is there, clearly labeled, looking at his copy of the Acts. Looks like he has a bodyguard, unless there is some other reason for a big dude with a sword to be lurking next to him with folded arms and a glare.

Diego approaches. 

“Chosen Artigas, I’m pleased to see you doing so well for yourself after the war. My friend served under you and told me of your work at the wound.”

"- it's Select, for Iomedaeans," he says. "Who's your friend?"

That was probably too forward, he needs to demonstrate the ability to be subtle. 

"- my apologies, Select. Adelard Gasol, I believe he was at your fort for several months, I think two to three years ago. Just an ordinary soldier of no particular note save perhaps a touch more courage than most, I'm not sure if you would remember him." 

"I'm afraid I don't, thousands of men passed through #11."

"Of course, very understandable and entirely expected. I merely mention him to show that I know of you and your work and to mention my admiration of it. I did some time at the Wound also, though not at your fort at any point. I've found myself at lost ends since finishing my term of service two months ago, with how the whole nation is changed in every which way."  

"It is that, yes. Though the forts continue to operate and if the border will be less urgent in ten years it is not much less urgent now."

“I know the Wound still has need of men, but I’d served for some years and thought it might be time to be warm instead of cold and not in quite so much mortal peril and to see what all the rumours were on about how things had changed back home… This mornings pamphlet implied you might be hiring for a bodyguard? Though it looks like you have at least one.” 

He nods at the big dude with a sword. 

"The president of the convention was generous enough to offer the delegates a chance to avail ourselves of bodyguards today, yes." He technically has the budget to hire another but he's not sure of this guy right now.

"Well, I'd be willing to offer my sword if you have need of another. Regrefully, the priest that would have most recommended my work didn't survive the loss of his spells. I'd be interested in hearing how you managed that yourself, if you'd be willing to share that story?" 

This guy absolutely does not have the Asmodean energy Diego was expecting to find here and he's now a bit more confused than he had started out, but a job is a job if he wrangle it, and he's been drinking through his savings at an unsustainable pace. 

"I owe my continued control of the fort substantially to my second in command, First Arcane Grec, who proved loyal to me personally and did much of the work of breaking the news in a favorable order and corralling restive elements. One of the junior priests committed suicide and another I had to execute for desertion but the rest were still there folded into patrol squads as martial combatants at the time I left. I was - focused very intently on discipline as a tool to keep the demons contained, and possibly this was - instructive - to anyone who might have otherwise seen an opportunity... I stopped permitting the wizards to prepare Detect Thoughts shortly after I lost my spells as I needed their slots for other things that the clerics would previously have covered, so I do not have a detailed internal picture of the common soldier's mind on the matter."

No response to the offer of a sword, so he guesses that’s a no then? Kinda confusing that he talked about how he had been as Asmodean and needed a guard and then when he gets here he doesn’t want to be referred to as such and also doesn’t need a guard anymore, but so it goes. It’s a confusing world.

“That speaks well of the strength of the discipline and hierarchy you maintained at your fort. If only more forts had that. 

I did not personally see eye to eye with many of the other men at the fort as to how to react to our priests loss of spells, but I was out on patrol when the news got out and when I got back I was too late and in need of defending my own position.”

"- I wasn't aware there were forts where the upheaval required the martial enlisted to defend themselves as well."

"It didn't quite come to deadly blows, but it did look dicey for a bit. Might not have made it into any reports that went out though." 

"- Was the bloodshed really so limited everywhere, just the priests that were torn apart? It did seem quite fraught for a time, especially around the issue of whether there would be executions for the mutiny, and of whom. How did most forts wind up handling it? From my view it seemed like we got lucky that the fighting didn't escalate, demons at the walls be damned." 

"I did lead a squad at the time, and was known to be personally loyal to the priests myself, which probably complicated my position. But most of what I did then was barricade myself and my squad in one portion of the fort while negotiations and forward looking expectations were discussed, and things cooled down without ever boiling over further. Maybe the external threat did help with that." 

"So, reports from forts more than one farther along the line were always spotty, and the supply issues starting at the Four Day War and continuing from there didn't help, so I don't have a complete picture. What I heard about definitively was mostly priests killed and increased unattributed losses that could have been demons or the cold."

"Well, like I said, I came by to offer my sword - I always got on better with the priests than most folk in my fort, and was heartened to hear that you survived and are doing well for yourself. It's... reaffirming to know that the key was sufficient discipline after all. I've been lately lacking in it, myself, without the proper guidance that I used to have. 

But if you have no need of my services I can depart. Do you have any potential need of me or any parting words of wisdom?" 

"I think you should be clear that Asmodeanism is and was always wrong, and while I cannot fault you for - cooperating with the system that you were emplaced in to accomplish the worthy goal of holding back the demons - it will not behoove you to hold on to Asmodean habits going forward."

Maybe the existing bodyguard is spying on the priest for the archmages, Diego muses. That would explain why he's sticking to the script even when Diego's been trying to give him opportunities to veer off the party line. This insight helps him make more sense of how the conversation has been going thus far. And anything that he did to try to get the other man out of the room to would make him more suspicious. Probably not worth trying. 

This seems like more complicated maneuvering that he had expected and that isn't particularly his strong point. And if the priest is being carefully watched, that probably means he wouldn't get to do anything particularly fun for the priest, unless he was very discreet about it, and he can discreetly have some fun on his own time even without orders. He still needs to wrangle getting paid before his money runs out, but he can always get pay and pleasure from different places if it comes to that. 

He still hasn't heard a firm no yet on getting hired, but he isn't particularly optimistic. 

He nods. "Understood. Are there any habits that you think I should particularly strive to leave behind?

- I won't repeat the mistake with the titles again, Select." 

"I don't know much about your habits or by virtue of which such you tended to get along well with priests. - if you are concerned about your reputation but need more specific advice based on more specific information, I can take a meeting privately, though I will not consider myself competent to offer ironclad confidentiality until I have finished my catechism course."

Ah! It looks like his thoughts about the bodyguard had been on the right track after all and he had just been given an opening. Diego feels smug. Maybe he is cut out for this kind of maneuvering after all. 

But what does the line about finishing the catechism course mean? That it would be better if he came back later? Maybe it would be less suspicious somehow. 

"I am concerned about my reputation, and would be glad to discuss further privately. Do you mean to say that I should return for a conversation sometime in the future once you've finished your catechism course? Or would you be interested in having that discussion now?" 

"If what you want is to not speak in front of every other person in this temple including my bodyguard, you and I can go sit in that room and talk. If what you want is an oath on my Law not to repeat anything you say no matter what it is then that will need to wait, but I can without an oath on my Law exercise ordinary judgment and discretion."

Diego puzzles that over. Maybe the concern is that even in the private room, the priest will not be able to ensure against some forms of eavesdropping, so while he can be more forward in private he shouldn't be too forward? He also hadn't been too cognizant of the other people in the temple - no one else seemed to be standing close enough to hear their conversation though some people were looking over at them, and of course some people can read lips or otherwise overhear. He reviews the conversation in his head. Nothing too incriminating, he hopes.

"A private conversation now would suit me. Let us sit and talk."

Blai nods to the bodyguard, who takes up a position outside the chosen room and does not follow them in.