Yeah, kidnapping people out of Valinor will probably draw retaliation.

How likely is it that the resurrection project would be seen as a kidnapping?

I don't think so. The Valar have to be understanding of what we want.

Does Odette have to personally ask each soul if it wants to come back?

That'd be better, if she can do it. If she can't, being alive is easier to correct than being dead.

True.

If it comes down to it I can fix it painlessly and instantly. No one needs to get a sword stuck in them again or whatever.

We can actually under most conditions choose to die. Just ask our bodies to stop sustaining us. The Enemy has means of preventing it, but otherwise -

Good. Well. Better than not. Under the circumstances.

I think so. When I rescued my cousin from Angband he asked me to kill him, and I was going to do it. Manwë intervened. There are - worse things.

Manwë?

The King of the Valar.

I'm confused. Why would he do that?

Either because he did not want me to commit the wrong - it's a wrong in the eyes of the Valar, whatever the circumstances - of killing my cousin, or because he was moved by my grief. It was certainly not a favor to my cousin.

If he wanted you not to do wrong things and he's the king of the valar why didn't he just lift the curse that says that if you try to do good things they'll end horribly.

It might be that, somehow, rescuing Maitimo will end horribly. Maitimo certainly thinks so.

Maitimo? I assume that's the name for him I shouldn't speak aloud because your birth tongue isn't allowed.

Yep.

I think if anything tries to make the fact that he's not dead any worse for him than it already is Odette will figure out how to kill it with fire.

That's something, at least. I did the right thing for our people, and I did the thing that on reflection I think he would prefer done. I have no idea if I did right by him.

My instinct is that given that your species just verifiably doesn't do oblivion-on-death it's probably easier for him to make gradual progress towards okayness while alive than in something called Everlasting Darkness.

Mild surprise. They told you about the oath?

They told Odette about the Oath and she told me. I don't remember if she mentioned why they told her.

People who know of it could easily use it to hurt them.

I'm not sure how, given what a suicide run it would be to try to take them from Morgoth, but in principle I see your point. Odette wouldn't do that.

I didn't think she would. I was more warning you to be careful who you share it with.