The Endarkened lands and folds his wings and does not interfere with this explanation.

"I have not used one in a very long time," he says. "Although if I am to be around people very much perhaps I should think of one."

"There aren't... lots of you somewhere?" wonders the initiate.

"There are, or were, ten thousand years ago when I escaped imprisonment and torture by the rest of them."

"Are you some... kind of... red giant imp criminal?"

"That would be one way of putting it," he says. "Red giant imps are called Endarkened and we were created by a very cruel and unpleasant god to kill and torment all who do not serve him. I decided I did not like this purpose very much, and so they decided I was not serving their god sufficiently and should be tormented and killed. Then I ran away."

"I like to grow plants."

"...Oh."

"I would also like to find out what sort of strange magic brought me here. But I have no idea how to do that, and I know plenty about growing plants."

"There wasn't a mage around?"

"Not that I could tell, no."

"...Maybe there was an invisible mage around," suggests the paladin helpfully.

"Are mages sometimes invisible?"

"I think so."

"Then perhaps there was an invisible mage. But that would not explain the mirror-faced snake."

Blink. "No, I don't think mages can make those."

"It was very large, and as soon as it touched me with its mirror face I vanished from my island and appeared near that paladin. It was very startling to us both. The snake did not travel with me."

"...That's really, really weird," says the paladin. "Oh, the sister who brought you here is Kaja di Ragnar."

"It is very weird," he agrees. "Thank you, I did not know her name."

"She must've forgot to say."

"I also forgot to ask."

"So why are red giant imps called Endarkened if you aren't dark things?"

"I am not sure what it means to be a dark thing, so it is hard to say."