"There were. I -- somehow they'd even figured out how to force a demon into templar recruits, making them into abominations. That -- that shouldn't be possible. And -- "

He runs a hand through his hair; it's a harsh movement. "It's a port city, full of smugglers' caves, thousands of years old. It's almost impossible to maintain order. With maleficar everywhere. I'm not going to -- there is no excuse for what Meredith Stannard did as Knight-Commander, or what I allowed to happen as her second. But this was the situation that made her make these decisions. And that's even before we get into the smugglers, the street gangs, the cultists -- "