"My intended destination was different. A Teleport accident brought me here, along with the adventuring party I had been travelling with. - the timing is of course suggestive. Has the Church asked Iomedae if She redirected our transit?"

"You are not presently cleared for that information," Ettore says blandly. "From where were you traveling?"

"I'm afraid I must reply in kind."

"And your home country?"

"I have lived too many places to call any one of them home, I think."

Aspex is enjoying himself. "How would you describe the events since your arrival at Kenabres, as you saw them?"

He pulls out a small notebook. "- this is written after the fact, I was busy at the time. ...when I arrived to the city the guardposts at the gates had been abandoned or overrun, and the city had fallen to demons. There were cultists of Baphomet and Deskari travelling in groups through the city, along with demons, going house to house to loot buildings and kill people. I interrupted some cultists in looting the library, interrupted some demons in burning down the western quarter of the city, and after night had fallen followed a group of soldiers to the Defender's Heart, where the Eagle Knights under Irabeth's command were trying to shelter the city's surviving civilians. I rested there for the night.

Present were about seventy civilians, including one I'd seen earlier among a group of cultists and one I'd seen earlier with the body of a woman not dead at the demons' hands; I pointed them out to Irabeth. She declined to refer the matter to Hulrun on only my evidence. I bought truth spells off the priest of Abadar by which to persuade her about the cultist - the murderer we agreed could wait, though he was arrested after we retook the city. I also permitted a truth spell and reassured Irabeth that I believed my aims in the city to not depart from those of her Goddess. She asked me to scout out a location where the cultists were gathering for an attack on the tavern, and to travel to the Church of Iomedae. Near there I encountered Prelate Hulrun, and we spoke briefly. He asked me to find some Desnans who had had advance warning of the attack and had snuck into the fortress to try to tamper with the Wardstone, he believed acting on instructions from the demons. I'd seen them, and told him where. He went and killed them.

I climbed down into the crevasse in the city to check for survivors trapped down there, having thought I'd heard some shouting earlier. I found several, and found some among the mongrels to be interested in joining the defense of the city. We came under fire as we climbed out of the crevasse. We scouted out the Tower of Estrod on Irabeth's request, and killed a great many cultists who had been gathering to attack the tavern. We stopped by several houses in the city with the permission of their owners to take valuables and magic items they had volunteered for the city's defense or offered substantially discounted if I went and got them. I have a ledger, if you'd like to see it. Gwerm's, Irabeth's, Rathimus's, and the magic shop. 

At dawn the following morning we gathered our forces to storm the Grey Garrison, intending that we would clear it of most of the minor cultists and demons and then tempt Minagho out of hiding. This plan went as intended, with six dead of the thirty attackers. Minagho appeared to kill us before we reached the Wardstone and was killed herself. We spent the rest of the day clearing the city of demons and burying the dead, who had begun rising, and clearing out a labyrinth under the city that had been a cultist hideout. Spent the following day clearing the city more thoroughly and resuming the patrols of the Worldwound border that are the obligation of Kenabres. The following day Her Majesty arrived with the army."

Ettore is taking notes in shorthand. "The mongrels are...?"

"The undergrounders. Monstrous, but allied. Lann is in my retinue, you should speak with him for his account if you haven't already." He has already, but Marit doesn't know if the Inquisitor knows how closely he has been watched.

Oh, he has.

He glances at his notes. "What role did your adventuring party play in this?"

"They would prefer not to have it advertised that they played any. Obviously I did not kill a lilitu unassisted. I will testify, if it would ease the minds of my trusted allies in the Church, that to my knowledge none of their conduct in Kenabres was lawless, or evil, or in the service of any of our common enemies."

He nods and takes notes. "What occurred, then, with the reported miracle of Iomedae?"

"I called in some favors. A wizard Disintegrated the ceiling and a bunch of invisible archers shot her dead before she could Teleport away while her retinue was destroyed by powerful evocations. I also stabbed her, and I flatter myself it was even helpful, but it assuredly wouldn't have done on its own. - I have made no claim there was a miracle. Her Majesty's guidance was that, when the people of Mendev find a source of hope and inspiration, they should not be discouraged in it."

If Aspex is saying the truth, her Majesty is insulting Truth itself and the goddess Iomedae. Aspex could be lying. His explanation is the simplest and most plausible explanation, but Ettore instinctively distrusts it because someone who is carefully picking his words is offering it. On the other hand, Ettore can't think of a better one. Her Majesty the Queen of Mendev could have been so stupid as to not even do basic checks before appointing Aspex Knight-Commander of the Crusade, but he thinks this is unlikely.

"I see," he says. There are many ways to interpret that.

"Do you? I am glad to hear it." Iomedae would probably run out right into the nearest town square to explain that there was no miracle, but this is one of those plans that is only a good idea for Iomedae. "It would be unacceptable to me to mislead my men about whether we have sought and received Heaven's blessing in this endeavor, but presuming that we have I not only feel little urge to specify the form of Heaven's aid, but in fact actively prefer that there be as much confusion about it as possible."

Ettore will tell Lastwall that Aspex says there was no miracle, and then his superiors will tell him if he should tell everyone in Kenabres. Ettore is not in charge. Therefore, the fact that he disapproves of misleading people about what actions are a result of Iomedae intervening and what are a result of fallible humans acting is not particularly relevant.

He checks his notes. "I wish to read the ledger, if it is not classified."

"It's classified, but the Church may view, copy or reference it, and so may the Church of Abadar." He pulls out a different book and leafs to the right page.

The ledger's in Taldane. In neat handwriting there are sketches of the houses and then a detailed list of items taken from them (food as much as three men can carry. -- longsword.-- four leather coats. --two pair good boots. --six pair iron shackles, serrated. --enchanted breastplate. --cold iron poker.)

He is confused about why these people have serrated shackles in their private houses, but since they volunteered the loan of their resources to the Crusade he thinks it would be inappropriate to ask. (It is not inappropriate to take notes, pass them on to his superiors, then consult his handbook in more detail when not in a room with someone who might be reading and/or controlling his mind.)

"Knight-Commander," he says. "What relationship do you plan for the Crusade to have with the Inquisition?"

None at all, ideally! But he can't say that directly. He will have to say it very indirectly. 

"Many of the people I have spoken to since arriving in Mendev have made it very clear to me that Kenabres survived only through the dedication and commitment of the Inquisition, and that they are all very grateful for the noble work done by Hulrun and his staff in defense of their people. I am sure you will inspire similar conviction." Having the ability to execute people on the spot does that, he doesn't quite say, but he doesn't-say it far more visibly than he's previously not-said things. "My understanding is also that the Inquisition has very limited resources, and would not be able to do their noble work in Kenabres and in Drezen and alongside the army on the march with those resources presently available. I would of course be overjoyed to learn that we have more at our disposal than was feared."

And now he's set himself up for trouble if the Inquisitor actually has tons of resources but the one universal claim he's encountered about the Church is that it's stretched very thin, so it seems a good gamble.

He is aware that this translates to 'pay me or go home.' Nonetheless.

"I do not command any members of the Inquisition outside Kenabres, and will need to consult my superiors regarding policy beyond it. Lastwall has found that the inquisition's ability to reduce demonic infiltration is more cost-effective than nonmagical or arcane alternatives." It could hardly not be. "It would be improbable if it was not the most effective use of the shared resources of the Iomedaean Church, the Crusade, the Mendevian state and those other forces devoted to preventing Worldwound outbreaks to provide inquisitorial support to the Fifth Crusade."

Marit is the kind of person who, in general, is inclined to be charmed by some organization having done a lot of work to check what tasks they are the most effective at.

Also he does not believe the Iomedaen inquisition. The people of Kenabres were not his responsibility and it was still unpleasant to stand by and watch while Hulrun had them executed in the streets. The people of his army are his responsibility. 

 "Certainly whatever resources the Iomedaen Church can make available to the Crusade will be welcome."

Translation, pay me or go home.

"Understood," he says. He'll take a last few notes. "Thank you for your time, Knight-Commander."

"Goddess go with you." Whatever She is and whatever She wants.