Swamped

"Now, hang on," you say. "Jebediah said you're a priest? So what exactly were you doing here?"

"Most large organizations have people they send on missions they don't want widespread knowledge of," Jebediah interjects. "Churches are no exception."

"You make it sound more nefarious than it is," the prisoner shoots back. "It's true that these are secret missions, but that's only because Reth has enemies to keep them from, not that we're ashamed of what we do."

"And I'm sure anyone who turned up dead as a result was a heretic," Jebediah says sarcastically.

"I swore the same oath when I was ordained that you did. The very same oath about not taking the life of another unless Reth herself commands it directly. Do you take your own oath so lightly?"

This is getting more than a little awkward. You think it's best to shift the conversation.

"So what about the other prisoner?" you ask. "She said Goan where I expected her to say Reth. Yvonne thought she might be part of a rebel group, but I couldn't get any details about that."

"There is a group which claims to worship a Forgotten God," he admits, sounding a little reluctant. "They've been launching attacks against the church for about two or three years now. However, whenever we capture one of their members, they refuse to speak and then vanish two nights later. So we know very little about them."

You think he's holding something back. But you're not sure where to start on probing for it, so you move on to give you some time to think about it.

"We had some intruders attack the camp yesterday," you say. "Then today, you show up and so does this other grebling. It sure seems like a lot is happening around this camp."

He just looks at you, not saying anything.

"I don't suppose you have any idea why there's so much interest in the place all of a sudden."

At first it seems like he's not going to say anything. Then, suddenly, he opens his mouth.

"This desert is where the grebling race was born," he says. He sounds awfully dramatic about it. "It is a place of great importance to us. This camp's primary intention is to research matters surrounding our origin, and to investigate whatever remains from long-lost grebling civilizations."

"And the Church thinks we might find something that contradicts the official story on our creation," Jebediah adds. "Not to mention a lot of the types we attract aren't particularly devout. So they can't help but poke around and make sure we're not up to anything."

The prisoner doesn't look happy.

"It's true we have concerns about what goes on here," he says. "But if you were to send in proper reports, we'd be satisfied with that."

"I'm sure you would."

Jebediah doesn't seem to care much for his church. To the point where you think this hostility might be getting in the way of your questioning. Perhaps it's best to keep away from religion where you can, though on the other hand, it might pop up unexpectedly in the conversation.

What should you ask about next?