...What. 

This does, certainly, look like Vanyel in another world. With alien magic. 

"Vanyel," he calls out. "Why did you bring me here?" 

"The King thinks you kidnapped me - and have me under compulsions, presumably. I tried to talk to my aunt the other day with a crystal ball, it's sort of a scrying-focus and communication-artifact combined using their magic. I told her I was here and she must have thought it was some bizarre cover story. They're preparing for an invasion, they expect you to attack any day, and - and I scryed for you, and you didn't seem to be, but - we have a trust problem, that's been the block all along, and I thought, if we could talk on neutral ground, maybe we could resolve it here and now." 

(Scaredscaredscared - but panicking is absolutely not going to help, so Leareth does his best to stay very calm.) 

"So you kidnapped me and blocked my magic. That does not seem especially 'neutral'." 

"I don't want to hurt you. Leareth, I have a lot of respect for you, at this point, I want to believe that you've been sincere this whole time. But - you're the one who tried to have me assassinated. And I couldn't, until now, actually verify what you were telling me, it was compatible with this all being some sort of ruse. So I'm being careful. Figure you'd understand that." 

"Fair enough." 

(It's very hard to stay composed, to speak levelly; Leareth can do it, mostly, and his head is clear enough to think despite the undercurrent of screaming terror, but the undercurrent is definitely still there.) 

Vanyel gives the others a slightly pleading look. 

Is Vanyel hoping that someone else will break the news to his terrified prisoner that they're going to steal all his possessions now. 

"It will be all right," she says to Leareth. "I would not have brought you here to be destroyed. I think that could you see what the future might hold, you would have agreed to come. And you will be safe in Osirion; it is the land of Abadar, who loved you. 

In exchange for assisting young Vanyel in your kidnapping I requested artifacts of your world, that I may study them. I am a student of magic, in my own way."

"If you are the one who sucked me through a portal out of my bedroom, then I would call you a very impressive student of magic," Leareth says dryly, "and I suspect you could take my artifacts with or without my consent. It is not as though they are doing me much good here." 

He hesitates, though, doesn't offer to give them willingly or make any moves to remove them. "Would you like to tell me who Abadar is. I have never heard the name." 

"He is the god whose interests count most in this country." She wags a finger at him. "I know, I know, you have set yourself against the gods, and why not, when they have set themselves against you? But Abadar loved you, and you will be safe here even if he recognizes you, and I think he may not."

And to Vanyel, "I could cancel the spell, but not defy it in part, and not reach within the plane while it is intact."

"I am certain I have never met a god by that name, much less been loved by one. I wish to note that I am very confused and, if you indeed brought me here to speak in peace, I would like an explanation. Also, just so that it is said: Vanyel, I swear to you, by all the stars in the sky, that I am not currently attempting to start a war with Valdemar, and that I would prefer to cooperate with you rather than fight, if we can. That being said, there are things I had - not intended to tell you until further out, when you were ready. I suppose I will need to move that forward."

And his eyes turn to Nefreti. "I know, Vanyel promised you my possessions in exchange for your aid, and if I do not give them willingly, he will send in some of those strong-appearing friends of his to remove it by force. I would prefer it not reach that point, so, here you are."

And he hesitates only a few seconds longer before he starts removing the necklace, bracelet, other bracelet, and several rings that he's wearing, each supplying a different kind of magical protection.

"How should I give them to you?" he calls out. "If I throw them, will they reach the door?"

"They will continue along their course. So it depends on how you throw them."

Leareth thinks for a moment, and then removes his shirt, and bundles all of the artifacts inside it, knotting the bundle firmly. "This ought be easier to throw on target." He aims it at the doorway and tosses it. 

Aaaaaaah it should not be this distracting looking at shirtless Leareth. Trying not to look at, mostly. It's very unfair that Leareth is quite attractive, a fact Vanyel had managed to selectively ignore until now. 

"Thank you," she says. She collects her artifacts. 

"I do not think you will come to harm, children," she says. "But the future is clouded - and whose fault is that, hmmm -" shaking her finger at Leareth again - "and if you do manage to get yourselves killed you must come to me. Except for him, he has made other arrangements. Goodbye!"

And she teleports out.

...He is still so confused, but that was the most sense-making thing she's said so far. 

"You know," Leareth points out to Vanyel, conversationally, "without any of my artifacts and talismans, you could certainly take me in direct combat. Which means you need not leave me here forever." 

"I did want to pull you out and Truth Spell you at some point," Vanyel admits. "You could Final Strike, that's pretty much the only thing... Probably all of us would come back too, they have resurrection here." 

"They have–" Leareth cuts himself off. "I promise, I have no intention of killing you, certainly not in a method that also results in the death of my body, dying is so inconvenient. I suppose I could say it under Truth Spell the moment you pull me out?" 

Vanyel thinks for a while. :'Fandes? What do you think?: 

:He seems pretty sincere. Also scared, but, well: She doesn't finish the sentence, just turns to the others. :What do you think?: 

Mahdi's actually the only one with insurance. Though it sounds like maybe the high priestess of Nethys offered to raise us? What the hell was going on there, did it make more sense if you were there for the original conversation -

It really didn't.

He's squinting at Leareth. Lawful evil. I don't think he's lying, about not intending to murder you right now.

Murder is not remotely what I'd do in that situation, I'd try to get an enchantment off.

:My suggestion: Yfandes says, :is that we risk it, but with a minimum of people down here. I want to be on the surface; I can ride along in Vanyel's mind and make sure Leareth doesn't put any compulsions on him. Other than that - hmm, maybe Mahdi? Since he has insurance and also can throw spells at him: