The road gave him time to think, which was both useful and extremely uncomfortable.
He ran the meeting back through his mind in the methodical way his diplomatic training demanded—catalogue what you observed, separate what you felt from what you knew, construct an accurate account.
What he knew: the settlement was real. Larger than intelligence had suggested. The construction work alone indicated population and resources that contradicted the Church's dismissive characterization of it as a minor monster gathering.
What he knew: the inhabitants were functioning as a genuine community. Different races working alongside each other without the tension that typically defined mixed settlements. Hobgoblins coordinating with orcs. Serpentfolk—enormous, transformed, radiating power even in casual movement—stationed at the gate without hostility but with absolute authority.
