On the third day with no food, someone comes down into the dungeon and lets her out. Apparently three Droskamned archmages have come and liberated the country from the diabolists. For the first time in seventy years, she's really and truly grateful to somebody. Maybe if she frees all her slaves, if she denounces all her previous acts, if she cozies up to the new administration, she'll someday be able to go home—and keep her mine. She'll have to find some way to thank these archmages and the new queen. She's in their debt.

The next morning she wakes up at dawn, and a new affordance is sitting in the back of her mind. She goes down to an old exhausted mineshaft and levers up a large rock, and unearths her old requilary. She prays over each one, in order, starting with Torag and ending with Droskar. She hopes it isn't Droskar... and it's not. It's second to last, when she reaches out and something reaches back, and suddenly she can channel (negative energy—she's glad she didn't die in that prison, then!) and cast spells. She threads the symbol of Dranngvit onto a metal chain and hangs it around her neck, and goes off to find a copy of her Holy Book.

Four months go by. She's freed her slaves, although most of them don't really have any choice to keep working for her at pittance wages, and she helped destroy the Asmodean relics left behind in the local temple, and she's doing everything she can to become an upstanding member of her community. Maybe in seventy years of this her channeling will flip, and she can apply for amnesty. She daren't do it before then.

When she reads the pamphlets that go out, she considers running for election. She could probably be elected by the locals in this town, given that she freed a large fraction of them from slavery, but then there's the pesky second level where the local delegates get together and elect a county delegate—and she doubts they'll send a dwarf representative, even if a majority of them are terrified to go themselves. It would just be too weird to elect a dwarf, even to a sacrificial position.

The pamphlets also list how many delegates each god will get. Pharasma, Erastil, Gozreh, and Iomedae are at the top—not surprising. They gave five seats to Calistria? They gave a seat at all to Milani, Goddess of Revolution? She supposes they did just hold a revolution, technically, but usually worshippers of Milani don't stay worshippers of Milani once they've won. And they gave a seat to Torag, pfft, there's not a single cleric of Torag in the whole country. He'll maybe cleric someone in 30 years, or maybe someone will come down out of the mountains (though look how well that worked for people who did it 100 years ago), but the rules say they have to be a Chelish citizen and a cleric of the god, and Torag does not go in for collaborators.

...do the rules say you have to be a cleric of the god? Or would they be willing to accept, say, a cleric of an associated goddess of the same pantheon? Probably only with the approval of the church they tried to invite.

To the office of the Patriarch of Larrad,

I have been selected by the goddess Dranngvit as a cleric. I am not aware who the head of Her church is, and so am writing to the patriarchate of my clan in the hope that I can make contact with the rest of Her church.

To be forthright*, I believe I meet the criteria for a collaborator with the Asmodean Chelish State, and therefore do not have any rights as a citizen of my clan or of Larrad. I do regret my actions and recognize their folly, but I do not seek asylum at this time. I understand that I am likely barred from participating as a member of good standing of my goddess's church as a result. There is another reason I have written, and it concerns an opportunity I believe your church would desire to seek.

Attached is a pamphlet announcing a Constitutional Convention for the New Chelish State. Along with the other delegates to the Constitutional Convention, one seat has been reserved for a cleric of Torag. I do not believe that any Chelish citizen is currently a cleric of Torag, but in the case that I am incorrect, please ignore the remainder of this letter. I believe that a dwarf representing our pantheon, with a letter of support from Torag's church, may be able to fill the seat reserved for a cleric of Torag. If I were to fill the seat, I would of course represent the concerns of the whole pantheon and all dwarves, rather than just Dranngvit and myself.

I appreciate any response,

Kinelynn Brighthelm

*Being forthright is one of Torag's edicts; while this letter may seem blunt to human sensibilities, this is written very politely and with political savvy for dwarf culture.

To Kinelynn Brighthelm,

Your superior in your church is Bishop Isernbrand. You are correct that you are not currently a member of good standing of the Church of Dranngvit.

With regards to the Convention, we have assessed that your presence at the Convention is more likely to further our goals than the average attendee, and therefore your presence is requested by our church. You may present this letter to the Government of Cheliax as proof that the Church of Torag would like to submit Kinelynn Brighthelm as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for the New Chelish State for the god Torag, as a cleric of another goddess of the same Pantheon.

We look forward to hearing about the convention,

The Patriarch of Larrad