"How does that even work. What - criteria does Abadar use, in selecting clerics." Leareth is still kind of stunned, and busy trying not to look visibly shaken. 

"The gods have a - sensory apparatus for cleric management, for lack of a better descriptor. It helps them identify particularly promising candidates, and grant them spells without that otherwise eating into attentional capacity, they wouldn't have enough. They used to lean heavily on Foresight but don't anymore, of course, since it's broken. Which means the input they are using for the decision process is ...low fidelity, and hard to translate into human terms. But it's - resourceful pragmatic Lawful people who share his goals, working on projects he wants to advance, with an appreciation for the sort of argument he understands how to make. Generally."

Nod. Leareth is still very distracted, he's entirely lost track of the conversation before that point. 

"Just something to think on while you're in Rahadoum." He stands up to head out.

"Yes. Thank you for informing me. This was a very educational conversation." Leareth says all of that mostly on automatic. 

This is very bizarre but he smiles pleasantly and wishes him a good night and heads out. 

Leareth should really debrief with the rest of the group before people start heading to bed, but instead he heads to his room and locks the door and spends a few minutes letting himself be very shaken rather than trying to hide it. 

If the locals are telling the truth, he reminds himself, then Abadar can't make him a cleric against his will. His experiences of gods in Velgarth second this. It's - some sort of evidence, that Abadar would offer this, but it's not evidence that his position is worse than he thought. If anything, better. It's some indication that Abadar...shares his goals? Or at least adjacent ones, such that they can make mutually beneficial trades? 

Guessing at Abadar's reasoning is making Leareth's head hurt, so he gives up on it and goes to look for the others. 

Hanging out in Van's room, as usual. Fy has a feather duster and is up in a corner of the ceiling. Hagan is arguing with Mahdi about this.

"I'm just saying that the girls are prettier."

"They're my brother's spies, you know."

"I mean, yes, obviously. But I don't think that means we shouldn't look."

"Prettier than who?" Leareth says, sort of absently. "Than the boys?" So far he's mostly noticed female servants. 

"Than Fy."

"Fy is a very sexy snake."

"I would have said that Fy's main trait as a snake is shocking competence. How did she get herself up there?" 

"She climbed!"

"Hagan doesn't like having the servants in here so he told them Fy could take over the cleaning."

"And I was right!"

Leareth spends a moment trying to figure out what climbing route Fy could possibly have taken, and then decides that isn't important. Focus. "I had a very surprising conversation with the pharaoh - I am still trying to remember the beginning of it. He informed me that Abadar had - offered to take me as a cleric - and I was extremely distracted by this." 

"Congratulations!"

"Isn't that super inconvenient for our plan to go to Rahadoum where all clerics are killed on sight?"

"Well, he didn't take it yet."

"The pharaoh said he assumed I would not wish to accept this before going to Rahadoum, and it sounds as though Abadar will respect that - and would also respect it if I preferred to refuse entirely?" He shakes his head. "I am - Abadar is a very reasonable god, by all accounts, but I am - not used to trusting gods - I do not exactly want one reading my mind..." 

"Reading your mind is not a typical thing to have happen though I guess it is possible. You can renounce your god, as a cleric, so it'd be very bizarre for a god to make an unwilling cleric. But...it's useful, especially in combination with Velgarth magic. I would expect if He's offering He thinks it is a good idea even in light of your trust issues with gods."

Leareth nods. "It does seem useful. And - well, it is generous of Abadar. I...will consider it." He closes his eyes for a moment, and then focuses on trying to remember what they started out talking about. "We spoke a little about the political situation in Valdemar; he offered to send an archon to talk to them? I think this would be more persuasive if the Heralds had any idea what an archon is, but it might still help. I learned that the neutral evil afterlife has demons that eat souls. I asked whether he knew more of why the situation with Thuvia's portal is worse recently, and why Osirion is not sending anyone to help. He did not have much information on the first, and for the second he made a fairly compelling case for why Osirion benefits from not having a standing army, and for why this would be difficult and costly to change. We discussed our departure for Rahadoum somewhat. I said we were considering leaving very soon."