Ser Aemine,

Enclosed is a copy of the part of the letter I received from a Commandant Terzíc regarding the reported Commune-confirmation of my existence as described in case nothing has made its way to you direct.

#11 has at least no troubles I care to put in a letter like this one, but it is no secret that the north line has always been short of Healing, nor that the overwhelming majority of its healers no longer are. You are welcome in any capacity but will be most gratefully received in the event that you are the sort of paladin who can supplement this most critical Supply. Of course it is least critically deficient in my own immediate Environs.

I do consider my catechism inadequate, being as the Acts are epic poetry about Iomedae's adventures and the implications are both ancient and frequently left as Subtext. Have you had formal classes in Her teachings? I am operating from the Acts and also a military discipline Handbook from Lastwall's Crusader's Fort and my mere handful of prior meetings with Paladins.

Iomedae's,
Select Blai Artigas

Select Artigas,

They ran a Commune confirmation!  I suppose I can see why, but it would've never occurred to me.  I thank you for the copy.

I've had only a couple weeks of classes, but plenty of sermons, at least.  In Taldor and Mendev, not Lastwall, but I imagine it is still a significant improvement over attempting to live a military commander's life off nothing more than the Acts and a discipline handbook.  I will be fascinated to hear what you have concluded from them with none of the usual context.

To my great regret I have no healing powers, but I will nonetheless write my order superiors to ask about the possibility of traveling to join you, if you would still wish it.  Though I must ask, and apologize profoundly for the question:  I know things are different now, but from what I've heard of Chelish people, I am not sure how difficult it would be to keep from Falling when living among them?  My life is Hers, but I would not wish to take more risks with Her power than are reasonable, and everyone tells me how small a thing a single Evil act can be.  But you said you've met paladins – even before the War, I would guess? – and if they had no great trouble, then perhaps I worry only out of ignorance.

If I do come, are there supplies you would wish from here?  I should buy some books for you, at least.

Iomedae's,
Ser Marcus Aemine

Ser Aemine,

I have been firmly instructed not to run my own Communes were it the case that I could do so, and so I do not know what artifice allowed them to efficiently use one for this matter, but it seems they have some technique.

I should be pleased to hear the content of the sermons and am willing to answer your Questions about how I have fared without them. I have also the basis of some correspondence on, not Good, but at least Law, with Hellknights; they are I know not Iomedaeans in good standing with Her church but they have some little information to put to letters which I have gathered over the years. Some of my guesses are substantially only the reverse of what Evil I was originally taught.

The paladins who have come through my Fort during my time here tended to socialize only with their own Parties except where essential for operations. I do not know any of them to have been gravely tempted to Evil here but they would not have been likely to disclose this to me at that time. Some passive Evils that might be a hazard in other situations, such as permitting allies to do Evil, may be safer at the Wound due to the coverage of the Treaty.

I have no money, as I was in personal possession only of Chelish notes and rid myself of them through Fiducia Boian the insurance adjuster, as they were Evil. However possibly by your arrival I will have been paid in Coin and able to repay you for some commentaries and other material by which to become better educated on my present Religion. (I cannot be certain of this as the line's finances, along with everything else, are somewhat dismayed by the change of Regime.)

Iomedae's,
Select Artigas

Select Artigas,

Since, as I understand it to be the case, all the paladins you encountered were still such when they left, that seems to me safe enough.  In the worst case I also will have to sharply restrict my socializing, but I have hope that with you in command that will not be a necessity.  My superiors agree with me that I will be more useful in your company than as one of the very many paladins in Mendev, nearly all of whom are Mendevian by birth and have no wish to defend another border.

Accordingly, I will make my preparations for leaving in the next day or two, and will look forward to meeting you when I have made my way up the line.  I expect this letter to outpace me, perhaps by enough that I can receive your response while I travel, but that is always an unpredictable prospect.  Send two, if there is anything important I should know.

I had not intended to demand payment, and would even less do so given the situation with the Evil money.  A rather disturbing concept.  Is it easy to tell apart from money that is not Evil?

Iomedae's,
Ser Marcus Aemine

Ser Aemine,

#11 will receive you whensoever you should arrive. You are surely already aware that you should travel always with a Squad and not make any leg of the journey alone but I reiterate this remains the advice even in the event that the company at a Chelish fort and among its squads should be difficult to stomach.

The Evil money says printed on the note that it is backed by the Souls in Hell. Were this a secret it would not be particularly Evil to be duped. If you receive payment from any Chelish commander they are meant by a strict reading of our orders to ask if you prefer Coin, but some omit to perform this step.

Iomedae's,
Select Artigas

He was tempted to go out on his own, in a few places.  The Chelish forts are not universally horrible, but there's surprising variety in the exact details of the horribleness.  He does, at one point, have to request the patrol to change its conversation topic, "because if I Fall from failing to keep my temper listening to this, the demons will have an easier time with all of us."  They switch to mocking him for the rest of the morning, but that he can put up with without risk. 

It feels worse when some of them are afraid of him, in some incredibly confusing way and about the completely wrong things.  But mostly they're just quiet, and he learns it's better to let them.  Gets some practice at keeping his face calmer, though not calm enough that they don't still take half his expressions for something they aren't.  Manages to help someone, occasionally, though he never knows if there's much chance it'll last. 

Goddess, an entire country of people like these. Help me be better at this.

The problem of Evil money is avoided by the simple method of nobody offering to pay him at all, which the Treaty of course allows, even if he does stay longer to help with some problem or another.  He's not going to ask, because if he demands coin that only means they'll have to pay someone else in damned souls.

He wishes so badly he had healing. They are most of them awful people and none of them deserve this.

Once he's at the fort neighboring #11, he asks around if there's a patrol from there heading back, that he might join once he's had his evening stew.

Yup, this squad will be going back in half an hour.

"Good," careful barely-a-smile.  He'll sit with them, if they don't look like he definitely shouldn't.  (If you ask Chelish people if you can sit with them they invariably assume you're playing depressing status games.)

"Marcus Aemine. Possibly your commander's mentioned me?"

"In our copious social conversations where he lists all his paladin friends, you mean."

"Yes, those," genuine amusement, restrained as much as he can manage. "Maybe he ranks them all by something. Ability to not make facial expressions, I expect."

"Perhaps that's why you've not been mentioned. He hasn't seen your facial expressions yet. Can't rank you. Personally I'd call you a fair sight better than Ser I-Promised-My-Wizard-I'd-Let-Him-Do-The-Talking, much better than Ser Cannot-Believe-There-Are-Whores-In-The-Dozenth-Consecutive-Chelish-Fort, and a hair below Ser Here-For-Ten-Rounds-To-Kill-A-Couple-Vrocks."

That makes him laugh, and then look faintly embarrassed about it.  "And now I've lost half my standing. I can see how letting wizards do the talking only makes things worse."

"Yeah, it's my secret slotless Hideous Laughter. So what are you gonna be telling the Commander Iomedae demands of him, huh?"

"I don't, uh, have a list.  I expect he has questions, and I'll do my best to answer them.  If I see something that looks wrong to me, I'll point it out, but if he's using the Lastwall handbook then the place can't possibly be like the rest of the forts, so I don't know what I'd expect to be wrong.  ... What I'd expect to be wrong that he can fix."

"Uh-huh. It’s not got whores any more."

"It could, actually, I think – they're not allowed for paladins or clerics, but for everyone else they're not forbidden, just not a good idea.  But if he decided it was too much of a risk of a soldier doing something he'd need to be executed for, well, chances are he was right."

"They did. It was a cook instead is all."

A sigh. "Then I don't know. Do you think it'd be better or worse, if he kept them?"

"I wasn’t using them," she shrugs.

"Fair enough."  He wants to ask her about other big changes, but he shouldn't, it'll only sound like he's interrogating her about her commander's possible mistakes.  He can eat his stew quietly and see if more questions materialize from anyone.

Her squad is quieter than she is around a stranger but have sufficient company manners not to do anything too hideously Chelish before they get him all the way to #11.

Then he can be quietly competent on the patrol, watch their dynamics together and tentatively hope nothing too horrifying is going on, and then presumably either be introduced to the commander or be told what else to do with himself while he waits.

They've arrived at lunchtime. The squad makes a beeline for the mess hall after checking in.

The Commander is there too, presumably the only other person in the room with an Iomedae symbol, ladling himself some Worldwound Stew.

Good timing, then.  He waits for the man to finish filling his bowl before going up to him.

"Select Artigas, I assume? Marcus Aemine, of the letters."  A small military-style bow.  "I'm glad to finally meet you."