"Not just that! The Abadarans stopped paying their share when the Wound closed, because there's not a problem-of-distributed-interests any more, there's just the ordinary problems of countries with a hostile border." 

"I wonder if there's anything the archmages can do."

"They already closed the thing. Anything else they can do would be nice to have, of course, but we ought to be able to solve some problems without relying solely on archmage charity." Archmage charity is a lot like divine intervention, as he sees it. Not something to count on, and something that needs a failure analysis if it ever turns out to be needed.

Valentia is supposed to be getting married, which really seems like it would interfere with going go the worldwound (nevermind that he did it, when he was her size and had three children). But he supposes he has, if anything, made negative progress on tracking down possibilities there.

"We can't help with money at all, but I expect we can at least fill Crusader's Fort again. And more, eventually, though it will take extra manpower to train them to listen to Lastwall officers. Their aim will be good. Their unit discipline... is probably better practiced fighting demons than fighting deserters in the south, I suppose."

"Once Cheliax is on its feet, I think you could assemble an army that can actually move in and thin the demons out to the point where forts don't need manning as it's not much worse than any ordinary forest. It'd be good for the men and good for the world. But for now - if Crusader's Fort was full again that would be a major improvement all by itself."

"Crusader's Fort does not really expect volunteers to have any unit discipline. I expect there'll be culture clash of some sort, but I assure you young men of Lastwall are idiots too."

"Well, we essentially just voted today that as soon as the army is reconstituted we should go off and conquer Molthune and possibly some other places, rather than do anything as useful as clean up the Worldwound." And then on the other hand there's the countess of Seguer, who was heard referring to Sarkoris as a province of Cheliax.

Ugh. "It certainly won't help anyone's attempts to atone for the last seventy years."

"Have you had much contact with him individually?"

"Some.  More with his armies. The civil war was practically waged on my doorstep. And then of course there was the four-day war. It's hard to say that he acquitted himself well, there, and quite unsurprising that the men who joined the army hoping to liberate Cheliax when the day came were disappointed."

"There is an important difference both morally and practically between intervening in a war already ongoing and starting one. Molthune isn't at peace. Andoran is. Inasmuch as I were inclined to weigh in on geopolitics I think the main thing I'd want to say is that that's an important difference - that one of those fights would be an atrocity and the other one ought to come down to practical calculations about how much we could improve matters at what cost."

"Unfortunately the Lord Protector is a seventh-circle wizard, and so in practice we would be relying on archmage charity, as Ser Cansellarion calls it, to do anything about him personally."

The Queen is the most powerful enchanter on the planet and could easily dominate the Lord Protector in his sleep if it came to it...he shouldn't actually assume that she would, or, for that matter, that she hasn't already done it.

"Good evening, then, Ser."

"Of course. Thank you for finding the time to meet with us, despite your busy schedule. Go with the Goddess."

Hah, so apparently you shouldn't just Keep Watch every night even if you're the greatest and wisest paladin in the world. He has another glass of wine and makes more idle conversation about Molthune. 

"Do you want to try tagging along with Wain tomorrow or should I?"

"Oh, I want to meet the woman. Don't you?"

"Not particularly. Now that Cansellarion's not here, she rather terrifies me."

"I would have guessed her perfectly harmless to her fellow Iomedaeans. No?"

"Arn's just scared of speechifying types."

"There's the kind of drill sergeant who makes you do a thousand squats and the kind that makes you see all the weakness in your very soul. Second kind's scarier. She's all yours, Marit."

There's a bit more food and conversation, and then one of Narikopolus's guards hands him something.

" - gentlemen, I'm informed that there's quite a crowd outside. I expect it's nothing, but I'll excuse myself a moment to confirm it."

He gets up to leave.

"What's the history of this place? Was it in the family before the transition?" Could people have guessed that most of the Evil nobles in Cheliax are here?