I feel people aren't really giving this section its due weight.
This is exactly the sort of consequence we are talking about when we say it casts shade/taints what we do.
Say nothing of the Morbs, of creating liminal realms. The Waystone Project could very easily be harmed.
And for what? Letting them know the suspicious clue we give them about the Everchosen is actually extra suspicious?
Okay, lets look at each member of the project in turn and try to gauge their reaction to Mathilde accidently summoning a greater demon:
Lady Magister Elrisse of the Order of Light
-The Gatekeeper, who's job it is to hunt the servants of Chaos. She's also arguably the one who want's to be here the least. Chance of withdrawal: HIGH
Lord Magister Egrimm van Horstmann of the Order of Light
-Owes us big time, a good friend, and also massivly SUS himself. He's probably not going to care. Chance of withdrawal: LOW
Magister Tochter Grunfeld of the Order of Life
-The Druid, so far we've helped legitimise her faith. She's said to be quite practical, in a similar way to Mathilde, and has a lot to personally gain from the project. Chance of withdrawal: LOW to MEDIUM
Lector Aksel of the Cult of Halétha
-The illegal mage. Implicitly trusts Mathilde. Probably not going to make a big deal out of it. Chance of withdrawal: LOW
Lord Hatalath of the Grey Lords
-Has probably killed greater demons on several occasions. Doesn't have many fucks to give. Part of the project as a personal favour to the queen, who needs it to be a success for political reasons. Chance of withdrawal: LOW
Vicereine Cadaeth of the Ward of Frost
-Probably the elf most worried about demonic attention. Has other demands on her time. Chance of withdrawal: MEDIUM
Lecturer Sarvoi of House Tindomiel
-Cultist of the Goddess of Dark Magic. Probably finds the entire encounter endlessly (and worryingly) fascinating. His house is set to profit greatly from the project. Chance of withdrawal: LOW
Runelord Thorek Ironbrow of Karak Azul
-Umgi magic can never be truly trusted, but Mathilde has proven herself to both of the top Runelords in spite of her young age. This situation was a matter of when rather than if, and it isn't important enough to sacrifice one of Azul's few ties to the outside world. Chance of Withdrawal: LOW
Baba Niedzwenka of Erengrad
-Has even fewer fucks than Hatalath. Actually, I'm still not sure why she's even here? Doesn't she have better things to be doing? Chance of withdrawal: MEDIUM
Ice Maiden Zlata of the Hromada Ledyanoy Ved'ma
-What's worse, working with someone who summoned a demon, or going home empty handed to a disapointed Baba? Chance of Withdrawal: MEDIUM
Worst case scenario, we lose Elrisse, Cadaeth, Niedzwenka, Zlata, and maybe Tochter, which is a blow to the project and our creadibility, but still leaves us with enough resources and knowledge that the project won't end on the spot.
Yes. But thee point isn't just that we encountered a Greater Daemon, it's that we think we can't handle the consequences of doing so and need to escalate the matter to the Grey College for them to take further action. That's what telling them is, given the default from what we know, based on discussion about the EIC, is that you only report things that need them to take action.
And this wasn't just an encounter, this was downloading information directly into Mathilde's mind, which is significantly more serious.
Are you suggesting that they Grey Order thinks we should be able to handle a Greater Demon with zero institutional assistance? Because we couldn't even deal with that Slaaneshi demon without help, and nobody has commented on that.
Asking for help isn't a weakness, and if the Grey Order thinks it is, then they are not as clever as I thought they were.