He appears to have complicated emotions about this. He nods.

"Uncle Aitim is great," says Ana. "The local humans just resent him because he's heading up the colonization. I guarantee any plausible replacement would be worse."

This does not seem to give him less complicated emotions.

"Colonization is actually very bad," he says mildly.

"They had a thirty percent child mortality rate."

"And in Cheliax everyone goes to Hell but we haven't invaded because it's a horrid mess, every time anyone tries things like that."

Someone who looks like Timothy, but older and tireder, opens the door and blinks at them all.

Merenre's security tenses slightly. 

He bows. "Prince Merenre of Osirion. - do you have a title, they've been calling you Aitim."

"I try not to have things around wizards," he says. "It's very good to meet you. And I'm very curious about what society gets Kantil into diplomacy."

"It's the religion, it's a very good religion. I might convert."

"Maybe you'd be more tempted to invade Cheliax if you had an overwhelming tech and strategy advantage."

"I don't think Abadar'd approve even then. I guess I might encourage you lot to, if all things considered you turn out to have one."

"We're starting wars already?"

"Cheliax is a country run by Hell with the intent of sending everyone there to be eternally tortured. They have theology about why this is the most desirable outcome but I don't know how many people buy in. They do mostly succeed at getting them damned, though."

"And the rest of the world puts up with this?"

"Most of their neighbors were similarly gutted by Aroden's death. It's a big, populous country, it'd be a nightmare to war with even if you weren't also warring with Hell, which you might be. And, you know, doesn't affect us any."

"How about Hell, anyone invaded them?"

"You'd lose."

"- Felix says no go, yeah."

"Maybe check promptly if we're subject to this system."

"I'll have that done."

"How much does it cost in charitable contributions to bump up from marginal evil like you could fall into by accident?" Hala asks.

"Probably around a thousand gold, depending what you're thinking of as marginal. If everyone in Osirion gave a thousand gold to charity I bet we'd be down to three, four percent evil."

"Is keeping people out of bad afterlives the sort of charitable goal that counts?"

" - we'd have to test it. It might be."