Theopho is probably one of the better-informed citizens of Cheliax about the rest of the Inner Sea, on account of it being substantially less illegal for him to be curious, and also his legitimate ability to visit Absalom and read many books which are illegal to bring back to Westcrown. So when Catherine de Litran and an adventuring party are said to have closed the House of Oblivion, he recognizes the family name, and pays them some attention. It isn't until they win the Four-Day War that he actually looks into them in any detail, and it's certainly not a time to be fucking off to Absalom without a teleport, but he knows the people to ask to bring him records on everyone he can find. The High Inquisitor of Abadar in Osirion, and Cotonnet, who was a radical in the early days of Galt, and two other archmages who have much less written about them other than their recent adventures.

It's interesting reading. (Even apart from the rumors which are likely treasonous to discuss that suggest the new Queen is quite possibly an arch-swordmage and concealing her spellcasting capability. That's mostly terrifying.) And it gives him context for what comes next.

Theopho holds the broadsheet in his hands. The Convention for the Promulgation of a Constitution for the New Chelish State. Well, he has heard Archmage Cotonnet was a dedicated republican from Galt's early days, and of course Her Majesty had favored a constitutional monarchy in the even earlier days. Still, it's a shock to hear they're going to try again, in Cheliax, no less.

God, he thinks he might be the only one in Westcrown, outside the palace, who even knows what being a citizen means. Not just what the words translate to, but the meaning, what it was to be a citizen and not a subject. Assuming he still remembers; it has been a few years since Rahadoum.

More importantly, how was he going to explain it to his parishioners? Sure, the new Crown doesn't favor Erecura much, but they haven't proscribed him either, and most of his usual advisees were still coming to him, because his advice has stayed good and it's one thing that's stable while everything else changed and the capital was attacked by the Spawn of Rovagug. So a number of important burghers were going to come to him, and they'll ask what the fuck, and he ought to have an answer.

He gets out some parchment and a drink, and starts writing notes.

He sends a polite letter to the palace requesting that, as the native Chelish non-Evil High Priest of a non-Evil goddess, he be allowed a seat with the other clerics being invited.

As he swore some oaths to the infernal hierarchy and his goddess lives in Hell, he is refused, which he mostly expected, but not forbidden from attending by other means, which he was hoping for. Well, honestly, getting elected doesn't sound all that hard.

And so he has a bunch of conversations that sound sort of like this: