Ky is more than happy to go meet with the Queen about her heroics. As soon as she's placed an order for movable type in the local alphabet.

The first smith she goes to mentions they're swamped and not sure they could accomplish what she's asking for regardless, but directs her to Jhoran Vhane, who is apparently one of the people she didn't recognize from the casters accompanying the main force at the garrison. It takes him a little bit to understand what she's getting at, but he seems quite intrigued at the idea once explained and claims it sounds like an interesting diversion for whenever he needs a break from repairing weapons and armor.

Great. She can sketch diagrams and such, here's her guess of how many she'll need of each letter.

He expects he can get that for her inside the week - faster, at his current rates, but the army is expected here soon and there'll be enough fighting that he's sure he'll get a deluge of extra work orders.

When the army from Nerosyan arrives, the first order of the day is clearing the city. With the added numbers, it's possible to form a perimeter across the entire city to prevent anyone from slipping by and still have the numbers to go house to house without spreading themselves so thin they start taking serious casualties. Between a numerical advantage in veteran fighters and the addition of extra healing, it's more busywork than adventure for someone on Kybele's level, but they would hardly turn down her aid if offered. The queen is apparently personally involved in the early fighting, but will attend the meeting as scheduled around noon when they've hopefully made significant progress.

She'll put in an appearance. There's all these new people to show off for.

Unfortunately for her plans at showing off to large numbers of people they mostly want her to stick with one group since that means they can rotate some of the veterans to reinforce other areas on the cordon, but her demon fighting skills do seem to be very impressive, as does her sword. When it's nearly noon, the advance slows at about a third of the city; instead of continuing to go house to house, a smaller number of soldiers rotate through holding the line while others get food, water, or just take a short break, then take over from their compatriots for a spell. It's at this point that a runner tells her the queen is ready to see her.

Queen Galfrey of Mendev is remarkably well preserved for someone any history books she's read will tell her is over a hundred years old, and looks every inch the noble warrior-queen. She has a casual presence to her that has everyone in the room paying her close attention, and when she focuses on someone it really does feel like you're being taken seriously. Most of the major players from the attack are there, including Ember after she was eventually convinced they could spare her healing for an hour, but Daeran Arendae is notably absent.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. Mendev owes you all a great debt for your service, which helped prevent a tragedy from turning into a far greater disaster. It is thanks to the heroism of people like you that the line has held all these years against demonic incursions-"

This is, apparently, when Count Arendae chooses to arrive. He looks like he would rather be literally anywhere else in the world right now and yet has to make an appearance anyway. When she stops to look at him upon his arrival, though, he forces his appearance into a painfully fake grin.

"Greetings to you too, cousin! I'm honored beyond measure that you chose to show up here just two days after everything was settled. No, go on, don't let me interrupt you."

Ky waves at him a little bit and returns her attention to the queen.

"Ahem. Thank you, Count Arendae."

She does a good job of projecting the image of being unbothered by his irreverence and interruption, but it's somewhat noticeable for a few seconds before she gets back into the swing of things.

"It is thanks to the heroism of people like you that the line has held all these years against demonic incursions, and that the lands beyond the wardstone line may know peace. I am deeply honored to live to see such acts, both from our nation’s brave defenders living up to the oaths asked of them in the most difficult of circumstances and from those who, despite having every option to look out for their own safety, still fearlessly chose to do what was right. Though I have no right to demand it of you, I would be very grateful to any of you who continue to embody such virtues in the future. May the inheritor bless you."

After her speech concludes, Queen Galfrey starts speaking with her guests one on one, sometimes just a few brief words and sometimes for a somewhat more extended conversation. Kybele is apparently near the end of whatever list she's going down, so she has a bit of time before anything is expected of her.

Then she will mingle and meet people! If that seems to be the done thing.

Most of them are people she'll at least vaguely recognize; Ramien, Irabeth, Hulrun, Rathimus, and so forth, but there are also a handful of unfamiliar faces if she's looking to meet someone new. The queen has a pair of... either guards or attendants in the room, it's not entirely clear which since of course the queen also wears armor even outside of combat situations, plus a couple of Paladins from Kenabres she doesn't recognize, Joran Vhane, an elf archer, and some people who are probably clerics of a god who's clergy she hasn't met yet.

Given the choice, generally new people. Who's the new god, she can fill some conversational space asking about that.

One of them turns out to follow the chaotic good empyreal lord Pulura the stargazer, and usually ends up working with the Desnans on channel rotations because her congregation isn't big enough to rate its own temple and their gods work closely together. Another follows Gorum, the god of war, and carries with him at all times his full count of weaponry; he's happy to talk religion with her, but emphasizes the more practical aspects of the faith over theology and so admits he might not make the best advocate for it. The last, on closer inspection, has the same holy symbol around his neck as Joran Vhane did and identifies himself as a follower of Torag, the god of honor, protection, and the forge.

Good to meet them all, how do people become clerics around here?

The Puluran cleric has family from Sarkoris-that-was, on her mother's side; she grew up venerating the north star and aching for the past they lost and could no longer experience. When they were in their early 20s, Pulura selected them as a cleric and they've been helping out ever since.

The Gorumite was a third son of a farmer with no prospects for inheritance, so they struck out to seek their fortune. They flirted with banditry, like a lot of people in that situation do, but while the fighting stuck with them they weren't really a fan of the bit about making their living as a parasite. Instead they made the switch to being a mercenary, which is of course a lot like being an adventurer but with more working in relatively large groups for countries fighting against people and less monster hunting. They ended up fighting against Cheliax for Andoran near the end of the civil war there, then some tours fighting both for and against the galtans and up through the river kingdoms, then at some point in one of their battles they found they could heal themselves and keep fighting. These days they fight at the worldwound, since the enemies are both numerous and capable and there are plenty of like-minded folks to fight alongside.

The Toragdan mentions that while it may seem unusual, in fact lots of humans end up getting picked by Torag; he resonates strongly with the dominant cultural mores of dwarves and sees almost universal worship there, so of course a lot of the people he picks can be found amongst their people, but hard work, loyalty, and careful craftsmanship can be found in every species. Lots of people ask him why he didn't choose to follow Iomedae, but while he dislikes evil as much as the next man he resonates less strongly with the idea that you ought to try defeat it yourself by force of arms.

These are all such interesting stories and between them they probably take up enough time to get Ky to the head of the Queen's line, but if it doesn't she'll say hi to Daeran.

By this point Queen Galfrey has talked to most of the people in the room, though perhaps predictably Daeran is not among their number, and is indeed ready to speak to her. Her attention is perhaps a little intimidating, but when she puts her splendour to work it's easy to overlook that in favor of feeling valued and important.

"Kybele the Curator, thank you for both your time and your patience. I'm told that you were instrumental in both the planning and execution of the assault, despite receiving no payment for doing so, and that you personally faced off against a Lilitu not once but twice with no casualties. And, having spoken with people today, I can personally attest that you seem to have somehow earned the respect of both Prelate Hulrun and Count Arendae, which is no mean feat. Such heroism is unfortunately rare in these days. However, as shameful as it is to admit there is something else I would ask of you if you are willing; could I trouble you to wait after the meeting so we may speak with more privacy? If you would like a companion to attend with you that is of course acceptable, but I ask that you choose someone you trust because it would be a blow to the cause of good if word got out about the offer and you didn't accept."

"Your majesty, of course we can speak later in private. My twin brother Iskander can hear anything I can."

Then the queen will bring the meeting to a close, thank everyone again, and then dismiss the rest of the guests with a prayer to Iomedae.

Daeran will hang around while most of the guests file out, but something he sees from either Queen Galfrey or Kybele is at least marginally reassuring to him and he’ll leave with the last of the crowd, leaving Kybele and Iskander alone with the queen and her guards. 

“Since I have already made you wait this long, I’ll get right to the point. I did not bring this much of the army with me after the reports of your success just to clear the city promptly, though that was a happy benefit. In the aftermath of this victory, I plan to declare the fifth crusade, and I would like to ask you to lead it as its Knight-Commander.”

"... Your majesty, I'm flattered, but fear my local context is inadequate to such a task. We've only recently arrived and don't even recall how we got here. Our home is very different in almost every way."

“If you feel you cannot accept because you intend to return home, I cannot begrudge you it; it is only because of my own duty to Mendev that I have stuck around all these years rather than gone to my rest in heaven. If necessary, I will pay myself to have you and your brother teleported anywhere in Avistan, as the least of the repayment we owe you for your help. But your request to become the custodian of Kenabres gives me hope that your concern instead comes from practical matters, so I will attempt to lay them to rest.

“As Knight-Commander, I would not be expecting you to become a master of strategy overnight, or even at all if you find you have no taste for it; Mendev does not lack for skilled generals and tacticians, for skilled youths arrive every year from thousands of miles hence and combat is ever a diligent teacher for those willing to learn. That is not why I asked it of you, nor is it your own defensive abilities. Were a capable, charismatic leader who could fend off assassins all we need, I would have solved it myself by now. The problem with such an approach, and indeed the issue that doomed the last crusades, is hope.

“I will be frank with you. Ever since the angels left at the end of the second crusade, no major power in Avistan has seriously believed we could succeed - and once the defensive power of the wardstones were revealed, they realized abandoning their support simply meant that Mendev would be forced to bleed and die alone for their benefit rather doom them to be eaten by fiends. I plan to change that perspective, and your undeniably miraculous victory here is the ideal tool. Regardless of the reality behind it, such a feat will elevate you to among the likes of Arnisant and Marit as a hero right out of a storybook. And much like the support of other nations will be easier to achieve if they see it as the winning team to back, if there’s anything adventurers like more than gold, it’s the thought of gaining extraordinary powers of their own. With your help, I hope to not just reverse some of the losses of the last few decades and tighten the wardstone line, but give people hope that one day we might close the wound entirely.”

"Being as we are not from Avistan, your offer is appreciated but would run aground at once. ...if you really think that a new crusade can make headway on the strength of my status as a unique figurehead, I am willing to try. Sorely though I'll miss my new library."