Esther quietly reviews a number of scrolls immediately before her on the desktop. She taps a quill impatiently on a blotter.

A light chime sounds, and then a muffled voice reports, "The Champion of Shadows is here to see you, Arch-Inquisitrix."

Esther says without looking up, "Thank you, Shimei, send him in."

The sturdy doors slide open, revealing the Champion of Shadows, who nearly dwarfs the not-unimpressively-built Jupani Guard standing outside the door.

The Champion steps fluidly through the open doorway, ducking down enough to fit his wings through the door. He stands beside the wooden chair in the chamber and keeps his poise at full military attention. "You wished to see me, Arch-Inquisitrix?"

The doors cycle shut once more, sealing out the distracting sounds of what little traffic there is in the corridors outside the Arch-Inquisitrix's office.

Esther looks up, and waves her quill at Shadow. "Yes, yes, please sit down. I have Shadow Lance's latest assignment requests for you." She shuffles some pages. "How are the children?"

"Forgive me, but it is more comfortable and much easier on your furniture if I remain standing," Shadow replies, his helmeted head glancing down at the chair. "The children are well and adapting to their new tutor."

Esther looks at Shadow, then at the chair. She raises an eyebrow, then returns to Shadow. "That's good to hear." A scowl crosses her face. "I don't need to tell you how I feel about the 'tolerance' that abounds in the Temple Scouts nowadays. Were I in your position, I might very well do as you are doing."

The Champion nods. "I am glad to hear that there are still good voices within the Temple. I have not lost faith." He straightens himself. "You spoke of new assignments, Arch-Inquisitrix?"

"Yes, let's get that taken care of," Esther replies. "I have four mission requests here, which in itself seems a bit odd to me, considering that half the bureaucrats talk as though they want to retire the Knights altogether. At any rate, since there is no way you can possibly complete them all in the desired time, I thought I would give you your choice."

"It is not so easy for a Knight to simply 'retire', but that is an issue for another time. I have already spoken to Arch-Inquisitor Melchizedek about those matters. What are the requests you have to offer? I am grateful to have been given a choice at all." The Knight leans forward slightly to glance at the Inquisitrix's desk.

Esther says, "The first mission would be to assist Gallisian settlers in Draco County, Sylvania, with a recent infestation of undead. Basic search-and-destroy. Find the necromancer, destroy him and his legions. I can almost smell the poodle hair on the page, but you probably didn't need me to tell you that."

Esther says, "The second mission would be to assist the Bronze Lance in the defense of the Sanctuary of Order in Bosch. A particularly bad imp infestation has arisen and is threatening not only the Sanctuary, but also the entire surrounding countryside. There are reportedly a number of Degenerates among the imps, which means that Shade's wards will not be of as much use as you might expect. Of the four choices, this one would be the most dangerous by far, if for no other reason than that there won't be any reinforcements to send you if you get in trouble."

Esther says, "The third mission would be to travel to the Dack Principality in Kroz and pay a diplomatic visit to Prince Sebazhan Dack. It is believed he is a 'hedge wizard,' and the whole countryside is heavily magical in any event, so naturally they expect your resistance to be of aid. Not much combat is expected; the Temple is merely trying to form an alliance with Kroz and neighboring Olympia, with whom Prince Dack has friendly relations. In my opinion this mission is not even appropriate for Knights, but I offer it to you as a sort of vacation, if you want it."

Esther says, "The fourth mission would be to assist the newly reformed Principality of Zahirinee with some 'monster attacks' – apparently golems of some sort are arising and conducting hit-and-fade terror attacks against their villages. Because Shadow Lance is already familiar with this sort of thing, and because Zahirinee could be such a valuable ally against Ashdod, this one is pretty important. But I warn you that it could be a long-term assignment to root out whoever is behind the attacks."

The Lancer waits until it is clear that the Arch-Inquisitrix has finished, and then asks,"Do you have any recommendations for missions that you feel are particularly important? Zahirinee is someone that we would most definitely like to have as an ally, but the Sanctuary of Order sounds as though it may be in dire straits as well. I would rather not lose any more of my brothers if it can be helped. Are the wards designed to hold the Bosch creatures not working as well against some of the creatures emerging from there?" The Black Knight drums his talons against an armor plate on his side as he contemplates.

Esther leans back in her chair. "As regards Bosch, you are correct. In case you didn't know, Degenerates are mortals who are infected with the Bosch chaos, but who are not themselves creatures of pure magic. Therefore the wards have less effect on them. The problem is that these monsters are straying across the Pilgrim's Path more or less at will, and cutting off the Sanctuary and the shrines along the way."

Esther says, "And you are right as well that, given time, your brethren in the Bronze Lance may be endangered."

Shadow nods his head. "Although I have a friend who would probably like me to visit Kroz and the Dack household sometime, I do not believe that now is a good time for a vacation. What is the situation in Gallis like at the moment?"

Esther purses her lips. "Things are stable in Gallis itself, but they are encountering substantial pockets of resistance in their newly-annexed Sylvanian territories. Sylvania, of course, is well-known for its Eeee warlords, many of whom are themselves or keep in their employ powerful necromancers. I believe the intention here is that if Rephidim provides support in Gallis' latest conquest, Gallis will in turn help us police the area for air pirates. We've been having some trouble with security in that area lately."

"Do you feel it would be more diplomatically important to aid Gallis or Zahirinee? The Sanctuary sounds the most dire, but feelings from the war still exist and Rephidim should not lose another ally if it can help it." He taps an armored hoof as he considers his options.

"In my opinion, the mission to Zahirinee holds the best payoff for success, for a reasonable amount of risk," the Arch-Inquisitrix posits, staring into space. "As far as Gallis goes, Rephidim's relations with them certainly are not suffering. Zahirinee, on the other hand, could be a great help to us in future dealings with Babel, or at the very least, not a hindrance." She continues, "As far as Bosch goes, I know your heart goes with your brethren, but I am afraid the risk is too great. The Bronze Lance is not without resources of its own, and the chaos of Bosch may recede on its own. If you go rushing in, we may lose both of your Lances – and if that happens, we may as well close up Golgotha."

Shadow's head drops. "I shall choose Zahirinee then, and when I return, if things have worsened or have not improved in Bosch, I shall journey there next. Is this a mission for the whole Violet Lance or just myself?"

Esther says, "It is at your discretion, but in order to complete the mission with maximum effectiveness, I recommend the entire Violet Lance to go."

Esther nods her head slowly. "I believe you have chosen wisely, Shadow. I will continue to maintain as much contact with the Bronze Lance and our scouts as possible, and keep you apprised."

"What information do you have about the golem attacks? Shade works best when given a safe position to maintain her wards to protect Vague and myself. If it is only the three of us in the wilderness against magical hostile enemies then Shade may do best to remain behind." The Champion's tone grows deeper. "It is not an easy decision, Arch-Inquisitrix. I have lost enough brothers and sisters over the years and do not wish to lose those of the Sanctuary, but my duty is to Rephidim … and gaining Rephidim an ally with Zahirinee promises more protection than the Sanctuary. I hope that the Landsknechts of Chronotopia can lend the Lancers enough aid for now."

Esther says, "The monsters are described as misshapen and seeming to be made of the elements, with no visible mouths or noses. This suggests that they are magical constructs – golems – or less likely, 'naturally' occurring elementals. However, bear in mind that you would be the first Temple representatives officially investigating the situation. The numbers of creatures or their qualities may be exaggerated. All that is known for certain is that they come and go quickly and are impossible to trace."

Esther says, "Because we know so little about the situation, it is likely you would be accompanied by a member of the Inquisition, or perhaps some other civilian expert, to assist you."

"Have we been officially asked to render our assistance, Arch-Inquisitrix?" The Champion tilts his head to the side slightly. "I mean to say, is this a request from Zahirinee?"

Esther smirks. "Yes, it is. In fact, Governor Zahirinee himself specifically requested the Shadow Lance. He has heard of your expertise in dealing with magical foes."

Shadow straightens again, his stance hinting that he's pleased with the recommendation. "Who would be the civilian accompanying us, Arch-Inquisitrix? And how long would we have to prepare to leave?"

"I will make the usual requisitions for warship and troop support, of course. I can't say who your expert assistance will be as yet, but since you have chosen this mission, I will select candidates at once," Esther offers. "You may leave whenever you are ready, although as always, the sooner the better."

"I shall let Vague and Shade know to prepare themselves for departure in the morning then." The Champion bows. "Is there anything else you wished to discuss before I leave, Arch-Inquisitrix?"

Esther says, "Don't be overly hasty. It may take a few days to choose the right people to send along with you. One of my people will keep you informed."

Shadow chuckles. "My apologies. I'm much too used to the instant deployment from the war when I did not even have the time to inform the children that I was leaving."

Esther stands up. "There is one other thing I wanted to bring up, yes. You referred to 'retirement' earlier."

"Yes, Arch-Inquisitrix?" the Knight scrawks. "I was being bitter and I apologize. Most of the Lances of Golgotha are incomplete or in disuse at the moment … 'retired', so to speak."

Esther takes a few steps and leans close to Shadow, the top of her auburn-maned head reaching just shy of the beak of his helmet. She adds in a subdued voice, "There is no need to apologize. Arch-Inquisitor Melchizedek has relayed your personal concerns to me, and I fully agree with them. I believe that the Knights Templar are being unfairly persecuted, which is why I am keeping such close track of your assignments of late."

"Have you any ideas as to what can be done? Even our brothers on Abaddon have been pushed away from Sinai, otherwise we would seek new squires from them. The fact that so many of us have died is not the entire issue. We are all warriors and understand that our stations may bring our deaths. It is the empty sanctuaries that have not been filled and the dwindling number of squires rising to replace or train to replace those warriors that concerns us." Shadow's breath hisses from the filters in his helmet. "Knights die. It is part of being a knight … but they must carry on."

Esther continues softly, "That is because of the disdain that has been generated toward the Star religion. You are made to look like a lunatic fringe to all the military candidates. There are even some in the Inquisition and the Guard who find your continued existence inconvenient." She bobs her head toward the stack of mission requests on the desk. "To which I answer that you are more important now than ever."

"I am well aware of the disdain. I was made aware of it when the church that I wished to go to to pray for the soul of the former Priest-Queen had been dismantled." He bows his head again. "I do not completely understand why Amber withdrew their allegiance with Rephidim, but the Knights are still loyal. If you can help us in any way, the best you can do is find us a way of recruiting new squires, and competent ones. The Magenta Lance originally came from the Temple Scouts, although the scouts are no longer taught the ways of the Star. I will confess that we do creatively interpret orders from the Temple, such as the incident when we evacuated the people we could from the City of Hands, but we have never disobeyed. But I digress. We need squires, or we need to be allowed to recruit them on our own. Wars make heroes of people; we could easily find new members if given a free hand."

Esther backs up a bit, holding up her rugged hands. Haltingly at first, she begins to sign. I will try to do as you say. I have other plans as well. If they succeed, then you will not be forced to choose between your oath to Rephidim and your responsibility to your god. She pauses, then continues. But do not make any more words about breaking off, abandoning Rephidim. And do not dwell so greatly upon your death. The Temple needs you to live, not die. Stay and live. Give good witness. And know that there are those who understand honor, and work night and day together with you.

The Knight moves his hands to sign in return but his gauntlets hinder his movement. He removes them, revealing the scarred hands underneath. "My vow to my country and to my Star are one and the same, but if forced to choose, then I will choose the Star – so will most of the knights. I apologize if I sound as though I look forward to death; I assure you that I do not. I have a son and daughter that need me still, and I doubt that my father would like to see his only son die before him." He taps the bridge of his helmet for a moment in thought and then drops back into sign. "Speak to Lancer Thorn; she is a good warrior and an ally. Diamond may also be able to offer you advice, as will Ash – but only speak to Ash if you wish to hear things from a much more cynical side. I doubt that he is pleased that the war has cost him half an arm. Either way, they will help you all that they can if I cannot be here, and if you come to them in my name they will listen."

Esther nods. Good! Share my words with your fellow Knights. But elsewhere in the Temple – be silent. Esther pulls heavy black leather gloves from her belt and puts them on. "I must have this requisition delivered, and consult with some associates of mine as regards your civilian assistance," she pipes up at full speaking volume. "You are dismissed, Shadow."

The Champion pulls his own gloves back on. "I will be at my residence when it is time to depart. Good day, Arch-Inquisitrix." He salutes the Jupani and then quietly exits through the cycling door. The sound of his armored hooves echoing across the floor slowly fades out.

Esther takes a freshly-inked page from her desk and places her seal upon it, then rolls it up. Then, after Shadow is gone, she too leaves the room on a different errand.