"Prisoners, yes, but — Andoren prisoners, people who'd done terrible things but were trying to repent of it, and needed someone to help them. Not people who were Evil and proud of it."

The prisoner is bound and gagged but he's going to take the opportunity to get expressive with his eyes.

He feels another flare of anger, and his fingers twitch, but he forces them back to their original position.

"I have never been to Andoran but nearly everyone there would have been Chelish in living memory. Perhaps you are specialized for a more Lawful variety of Evil in recovery?"

He shakes his head. "I don't think that's it. I think I could help a bandit, if they really wanted to change."

He's pretty sure most people who get arrested in Andoran are Chaotic, seeing as they're breaking the law? But of course they can't usually check.

"I am not really sure what motivates bandits or Baphomites but if you can only restrain yourself around people who are already much of the way along the process of repentance that seems like a limitation it might behoove you to correct."

It's not like they have to be good at changing, or have stopped doing Evil, wanting to change is the first step not the last one — he doesn't really have any right to argue here.

"...I don't know how to not hate him."

"Well, perhaps if we scare up a Sarenrite they can talk to you too, if that might help. I have been favorably impressed by what I've seen of their dealings with cultist prisoners." And there Sure Aren't Other Shelynites Around Any More.

Nod. "—If it's alright with you, Knight-Commander, I'd like to take some time by myself tonight before I speak with any Sarenrites, to pray on what I've done and ask Shelyn's forgiveness."

The prisoner has two functioning eyes and no shortage of ideas for how to use them.

How about him and Sosiel maneuver to the other side of this horse. "That seems quite reasonable."

The rest of the walk back to camp is fairly quiet. Ember keeps giving the prisoner sad looks. The prisoner keeps attempting to make faces, though not at Blai or Sosiel any longer. At one point Nenio complains that the gag is making it impossible to interview him, "though considering his specialty I am uncertain whether he will have any information of use to provide."

"Maybe you should learn Spell Gauge. ...and improve it so it works on higher-circle spells. And then you can check for us when it's safe to ungag imprisoned casters and reap the benefits."

"What an excellent suggestion! I shall add it to my list of prospective magical research projects."

She's so relaxingly insane.

Any complications dropping off the cultist to be seen to by Sarenrites?

No complications! They have a few procedural questions about what exactly he's been arrested for and what his known spellcasting capabilities are, but they expect they'll be able to hold him.

If there isn't anything else he was hoping to urgently handle, Captain Harmattan's meeting is scheduled to begin very shortly. (The Knight-Commander was originally supposed to have a little more of a buffer, but the zombies and their aftermath used most of it up.)

That's what buffers are for, to be used up. Any of the party coming with to the meeting about military discipline?

Seelah has opinions on military discipline!

So does Lann!

Count Arendae is skipping it; he has opinions but this doesn't seem like a particularly effective way to see his preferences satisfied.

Of course she is interested in documenting the Crusade's history for posterity!

...It sounds like the meeting is probably going to be very sad, but it wouldn't be right to miss an opportunity to help people just because it'll make her feel sad...

...He's willing to make a showing but it sounds kind of tedious, does Blai have opinions on whether it would be at all useful for him to show up or is it mostly going to be, you know, a bunch of Lawful people being Lawful at each other and not really very interested in hearing from anyone who isn't?

(It's obviously going to be the second thing. Woljif's going to stay back and work on his spellwork.)