"Maybe. I mean, they're not - across-the-board stupid? I would not expect to beat Singularity Matimo more often at Governor, I was suitably enthusiastic about the proposition 'yeah sure ten of Fëanáro with all the time in the world Just Wins'..."

"So specifically more - reckless, more inclined to make bad decisions I'd find tempting and then discard -"

"Something like that."

"I can't think how that'd be caused by the Valar being magic and summoning not being widely known, but then I also can't think how living before the invention of electricity would make me evil, clearly worlds have other differences..."

"Well, the magic Valar may or may not have been able to curse your entire tribe but they certainly seemed to think they could."

"Wait, what?"

"Did I not mention this? I feel like I mentioned this but maybe you weren't around." He goes and finds his notes on the Doom (text thereof, ranting about, results of pestering the Valar about how contagious it might be).

"I missed that or it would have sprung more readily to mind as a hypothesis for 'what the fuck is wrong with them'.

Wow, our Valar are looking positively charming by comparison and I'm sure Edie told you what they did."

"Yeah, she mentioned. Told me that whatever I read she hadn't killed anyone."

Hug.

"Wonder what being under a curse feels like, if it feels like anything."

"No one mentioned feeling it if it did."

"Were there changes to the chips at the moment of Dooming, beyond baseline -"

"...didn't check..."

"Do you mind if I do - I can look at me, if there are privacy concerns - sorry, I just find 'under a curse' to be vaguely distressing as a possible explanation -"

"You just want demonic chips to run through the reader and peer at?"

"Ideally."

"Dunno how much you'll be able to tell from the raw data, it's pretty opaque, but - okay, reader's in my room."

Up they go.

"Can you do 'immediately before the Doom' and 'immediately after the Doom' or do I need to look for Doom timing..."

"I should be able to parameterize on that -" Chips. "Before, after." He hands them over.

"Thanks. - I should get a room so Findekáno feels like he can go outside -"

"I'm not sure that will do it unless you're planning to never go outdoors..."

"That is what I was planning."

"Maybe Bar can keep track of whether you're in or out so he can check with her."

"Could work - if he's supposed to do whatever the evil one wants I would want to be told about this place and told to come here - as soon as the bar wasn't occupied -"

"...shit. Uh."