[Diana falls silent for a few moments as they walk, and then she finally answers. She has not yet learned that sometimes a lie is kinder than the truth; just give her a hundred years or so to figure it out. But now, she gives Jill the truth, harsh as it may be.]

You are correct. All the factions face some kind of corruption or fault in their leadership. But Thorne... months ago, there was a diplomatic meeting. The advisor from Thorne was attacked, and before an investigation could be conducted, the Queen there laid the blame at the feet of the Free Cities with no proof. She attacked one of the Free Cities' settlements--Libertas. Her magic decimated the city and its people. We are still rebuilding parts of it.

[There is pain in her voice, distress. Even if she wasn't in Libertas at the time, she had seen the gruesome aftermath. She had spent weeks digging out corpses from the rubble.]

I imagine you can see why I do not hold the highest opinion of Thorne or its leadership.