"What ploy?" you ask? Why, this very encouragement for members of the Shadow Lodge to openly identify themselves as such, and perhaps to even let slip an unwise word in the company of those they believe to be their friends. I myself have never made any secret of my beliefs, or of where my loyalties lie. My record speaks for me - my weapons and skills have been used on several occasions in the name of the Pathfinder Society and the Decemvirate, and used well. But others are not so outspoken, even though they may share my misgivings. How many missions have been compromised because the Decemvirate chose poorly when selecting the agents for the quest? How many agents have been lost because they had inadequate support in the field? And yet nobody is ever brought to task, and asked to account for this profligate spending of lives.
