[Emet-Selch's focus shifts, his eyes narrowed at Hythlodaeus even as his temper simmers below the surface. One can tell he is both angry and defensive by the way his words take on an edge, the inflection rising and falling with each word he deems worthy of emphasis. But that is not all. Beneath his temper, there is the sting of what had felt like a personal betrayal, the first crack of a yawning chasm that had only continued to grow with each loss until it became too deep and too wide to fill. The loss of a dear friend and confidant.]

What, then? Would you prefer a slightly altered evaluation? They left. On a fool's errand, no doubt. If they had at least chosen a side, if they had at least stayed, they might have made a difference one way or another.

Instead, they died in disgrace.