"It is not very weird for a Desnan especially if the prison conditions were poor or the trials suspect."

...Sure.

"The other issue is that the Queens want to know if you have exit criteria in mind for the suggested moratorium on scaling up engagement with the local sponsor."

"Not really."

"The Grand Queen will likely order parallel experiments in the Hivelands."

"I'm not familiar with the - social structure - you're referring to."

"The Hivelands are the territory—southwest of Liscor, on the central west coast of Izril—controlled by the Antinium. Five of the six Antinium Hives of Izril are located in the Hivelands . The exception is the Free Hive, that you know, which resides under Liscor on peaceable terms. The [Destroyer] we were experimenting with is of the Free Hive." And the other Queens want a go at the new toys as well.

"And the Hives have what relationship to each other?"

"The Hives are operationally independent with their own Queens, but the Grand Queen is the leader among them all."

Nod nod. "Anyway, I don't have much more information than you do at this point."

"Then I have nothing more to discuss."

"Thank you very much for the teleport." And he will go unload his stuff in his office, and see about getting the place rebuilt.

Yeah, he can get quotes. If he forks over enough cash he can it done in a few days.

He's been away for a few months, but people recognize him! And welcome him back, and ask how he's been, et cetera. Is he going to start doing channels again? Did he see the King of Destruction? Was it scary?

He will start doing channels again! He did not see the King; said King's loyalists wanted him to but he refused on account of having been kidnapped. (No comment on whether it was scary.)

...Does that work? If someone kidnaps you you can just say no?

A Gnoll with spotted brown fur asks if he knows where Keisha is.

"The last I heard she was in Manus but I haven't spoken directly to her since I left."

"Where did you hear of that? The girl has been out of contact for nearly two months."

"I heard secondhand; Xrn was scrying her."

"Xrn?" she sounds incredulous. "What is that silly cub caught up in now? Hrr. I will be talking to Klbkch." She shakes her head. "Thank you for the news."

"You're welcome."

The next day, the Watch sends someone by to make sure he's okay and doesn't need any help. And ask, uh, if they should be expecting a repeat of the Gazi thing.

"I don't expect Gazi to come back, or for anyone to want me for that specific reason, but... cannot rule out that, third circle clerics being rare, someone else might try to kidnap me for some other reason."

"We can handle most things less than that," the Guardsman says. "People with levels and resources as her are... not more than a dozen in all of Izril, I'd guess. Anyway, give us a shout if you ever need help or someone's bothering you."

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

Nothing new comes up for a few days, so Blai can resume his business in peace.

They've opened up the dungeon again since the undead attack, so there's plenty of adventurer traffic to go around. A lot of the new regulars in town are surprised that the human [Healer] who instantly heals everyone in forty feet who showed up one month and randomly got blown-up-slash-kidnapped by a Named Adventurer wasn't, after all, a bizarrely dedicated hoax on the part of the locals.

There are a lot of questions from nosy busybodies about what happened to him. The rumors have gotten a bit out of hand during his absence, and half of town seems to think that he personally fought his way out of the King of Destruction's dungeons and got abducted again by an evil necromancing [Archmage]... no, not the one from the Second Antinium War, a different one... A Gnoll from a local publishing house pitches Blai writing a memoir of his travels in Chandrar. Stories about foreign lands sell well! Especially with how much great material he has to work with!

Don't... most adventurers, possibly as many as all of them, have names.

Blai isn't really a writer but he's willing to be interviewed about the events if someone really wants to do that, it might cut down on the questions?