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[chokepoint]

Prudence gently corrects the men: "the Master of those who Know is above, though the wisdom of the men here is, no doubt, very great." Prudence then peers into the darkness, and attempts to divine the meaning of that place.

You determine that this blackness where wailing can be heard must be where the passage can be found which leads downward into the second circle of Hell.

"It is good to see that man, endowed in our Father's image, even when divorced from Him, can still embrace an existence of virtue.  Let us meet these wise men."

Temperance attempts to find the philosophers.

Begin conversing with them all.

Ah, These are brave men, for despite their lack of faith, they dared to think.

Converse with these men, then find Socrates, the one who had the Courage to question what others accepted as fact.

You speak as a group with the important philosophers  as they describe their former lives and how they came to hold virtues in such high regard, aspiring to answer complex   philosophical and moral questions.  They tried to analyze the meaning of life through efforts of conscious reasoning. Socrates adresses Courage explaining that indeed he relied on his own courage and stubborness  to challenge the assertions of society  through  social and moral criticism but it was his sense of justice that may have been the cause of his execution.

The philosophers beg you to stay in Limbo with them to allow them to learn all aspects of the virtues from the ones who literally embody them. They explain that this is the only aspect of their existence that lifts them up out of the dull darkness.
Do you agree to stay in Limbo with the philosophers and teach them all you know about yourselves?

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Justice blinks and smiles warmly.
I would be willing to stay temporarily to impart knowledge but to stay forever would be an injustice.

[MidnightJaguar]

Justice I think you misunderstand what these men are asking, they do not wish to have us stay forever they only ask that we teach them what we know and then continue on our way. I doubt that Dante will get any more corrupted while we teach some lost souls Virtue.

Stay for awhile and give the philosophers a crash course on Courage.

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Stay for a while relax just a little but remain vigilant Justice never sleeps.

[Ozarck]

"We cannot stay long. Our charge is not here. We were sent with a clear Order from Above. Yet, to deny God's light to those who seek it ... this wold not be virtuous either. However, to learn Courage, one must face adversity. To learn mercy, one must practice it. To learn Temperance, one must resist and avoid temptations, and to learn prudence, one must fellowship with the Wise. I suspect that only by courageously seeking out those more unfortunate and offering them mercy, while going no further than one could reasonably return from, and remaining close to others who could hold them accountable, will these men learn any more of our nature than they already have."

Determine how pressing our need to move forward is. if it is urgent, encourage the others to move on, after bestowing a blessing from the Source of Virtue. if we may delay, set a limit on how long - whether in actual time (if that exists here) or by allowing the Virtues to teach a specific amount of material - such as a college level course worth - or a few lectures if our time is in short supply.

[NRDL]

"We will stay, as necessary, and when necessary, we shall leave.  There is work yet to be done."

Stay for now, agree to their request.

[chokepoint]

Justice I think you misunderstand what these men are asking, they do not wish to have us stay forever they only ask that we teach them what we know and then continue on our way. I doubt that Dante will get any more corrupted while we teach some lost souls Virtue.

Stay for awhile and give the philosophers a crash course on Courage.

Justice blinks and smiles warmly.
I would be willing to stay temporarily to impart knowledge but to stay forever would be an injustice.

Stay for a while relax just a little but remain vigilant Justice never sleeps.

"We cannot stay long. Our charge is not here. We were sent with a clear Order from Above. Yet, to deny God's light to those who seek it ... this wold not be virtuous either. However, to learn Courage, one must face adversity. To learn mercy, one must practice it. To learn Temperance, one must resist and avoid temptations, and to learn prudence, one must fellowship with the Wise. I suspect that only by courageously seeking out those more unfortunate and offering them mercy, while going no further than one could reasonably return from, and remaining close to others who could hold them accountable, will these men learn any more of our nature than they already have."

Determine how pressing our need to move forward is. if it is urgent, encourage the others to move on, after bestowing a blessing from the Source of Virtue. if we may delay, set a limit on how long - whether in actual time (if that exists here) or by allowing the Virtues to teach a specific amount of material - such as a college level course worth - or a few lectures if our time is in short supply.

(It is up to you to determine which need is more pressing. That decision is part of the game. And to answer your question about time, there are no hours, days or nights in Hell, only eternity, so no time does not work like it does on earth.)

"We will stay, as necessary, and when necessary, we shall leave.  There is work yet to be done."

Stay for now, agree to their request.

The pagans are delighted that you will remain with them a while and teach them about the finer points of each of your virtues. They suggest that it would be quite  memorable for them if you could man the gates that represent each of you and give talks to individuals or small groups in which you could explain how to think in the virtuous manner that you embody. They all begin to ask you questions at once like excited children wanting to test their theories and knowledge on those subjects. Some from the large crowd head off to deliver the good news to others.
Will you man the gates and deliver the personal talks with the pagans?

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Man the gate of Justice or whatever stretch a little kinda need to warm up my body before a speech.

[NRDL]

Of course.

"To be is to simply be.  Be without desire or fear, shackles or dreams.  For all who has ever and will ever live, there is no constant but the Lord's plan, and one's own footing.  One need not struggle to stand upright, lest he invite an even quicker fall.  Simplicity and satisfaction.  One step forward, is all the movement needed in existence."

[MidnightJaguar]

Teach men Courage at my gate
To leave now would be deceitful.

[Ozarck]

Sure, why not. I sit at the gate and answer questions posed to me, directing people to the scriptures for answers. I ask the Lord for whatever boon of wisdom he can send to this place, and the people if they will submit to Him.

It seems that this place will not threaten our mission greatly, but I cannot see that our aid will greatly change the state of eternity for any here. Ah well, that is in the Lord's hands. We can but act as we believe he would act in such times.

[chokepoint]

Man the gate of Justice or whatever stretch a little kinda need to warm up my body before a speech.

Of course.

"To be is to simply be.  Be without desire or fear, shackles or dreams.  For all who has ever and will ever live, there is no constant but the Lord's plan, and one's own footing.  One need not struggle to stand upright, lest he invite an even quicker fall.  Simplicity and satisfaction.  One step forward, is all the movement needed in existence."

Teach men Courage at my gate
To leave now would be deceitful.

Sure, why not. I sit at the gate and answer questions posed to me, directing people to the scriptures for answers. I ask the Lord for whatever boon of wisdom he can send to this place, and the people if they will submit to Him.

It seems that this place will not threaten our mission greatly, but I cannot see that our aid will greatly change the state of eternity for any here. Ah well, that is in the Lord's hands. We can but act as we believe he would act in such times.

There are interminably long line-ups at each of the four gates. Each man or small group listens intently to your sermons, asking wise questions  and offering insights to your important ideas. Afterwards each inevitably feels the need to jsutify why they believed in resaon over faith. This is how they came to worship merrit and virtue over spiritualism. They endlessly try to convince you of how it could not be their fault for the position they are in or make a case explaining how there could be no other afterlife for them because fate chose this place for them or their fate was to choose this place. Anyway, the whole thing is getting quite repetitive, but still, it brings them so much joy to be in your presence, how could you refuse them this small favor. The lines to approach the gates grow ever longer with the souls of the damned.

[NRDL]

Turning to the others, Temperance spoke:

"Fellow Virtues, I think it is time we leave.  Our mission is still unfulfilled, and we have done all we can for these souls."

[MidnightJaguar]

"I agree this is becoming taxing. The ones we taught shall teach by example."

Say this to the crowd: Those in limbo I am sorry but we must go. We must rescue a man by the name of Dante. If there is time we shall return and teach you what remains but for now we must leave.

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Justice silently leaves when the others do.