I’m a bit intrigued by the dynamics of E-Merl picking this moment to enter the conversation. Ashok is clearly stumbling a bit, and E-Merl may recognize that a fellow newbie-to-his-group might respond best to his vibe.

Or maybe E-Merl’s just too intrigued not to ask about this occult secret about which Gravedust is only getting vague answers. We knew his curiosity about magicks his teachers didn’t know would be significant later.

Even a more experienced Cultist would be somewhat out of his depth trying to describe the Corruptor Beast.  Ashok does all right, considering. His primal fear of it as an existential threat to the physics of the game universe he occupies tells Gravedust and E-Merl what they really need to know.