Aulë mentioned he thought that was how it would work Years ago, and then it was very noticeable when it happened, the orcs all reacted at the same instant all across the battlefield and throughout Angband. I can try to get someone to describe how the bungalows should look.

Okay. Thank you.

After she seems done, Leareth turns to Maitimo. :I realize you were very busy and cannot really fault you for putting off explanations - and you might still be in which case it is not urgent - but, what are oaths and how do they work? Bella made them sound so incredibly appalling:

Quendi and orcs - which are descended from us - can by declaring out loud that we're doing so and naming a Vala or Eru in witness, make binding commitments which only they or their death can release us from. This works, though less well, if we are confused or misled about the words we're saying. Melkor used it to make the orcs swear to obey him and hate Elves, and various other things, there was a little bit of orc-to-orc variation. You could see oaths with mage-sight, but wouldn't have seen any because they're all gone now. Being physically unable to follow through on an oath means it has no effects on you so compulsions don't interact poorly with them.

I feel quite strongly that you should never ever try using your magic to get someone to swear to something in ours but if you think you might want to I have various advice in the spirit of harm reduction. Following it would not mean I would forgive you about it.

:...I am not even a little tempted to do that! That sounds extremely disturbing. You can use oaths to compel a feeling like hate in an irreversible way?: 

Yes.

:By saying some words out loud? Even if you are misled about what they mean? I strongly feel that that should not work! Though, of course, that does not stop it from working: 

The effects if you are misled about what they mean are complicated and weaker - and this is not a subject where we have conducted much study, for obvious reasons - but what Melkor did is have the orcs swear as small children and then again regularly, so it gets stickier over time.

Nod. :I am, empirically, someone who is very comfortable with mind control and even I find that disturbing. I am glad that Melkor's death reversed it, at least:

Sigh. :...By the way, Bella is in possession of an artifact which allows her to close telepathic distance with anyone no matter the distance, and can use it to locate people who have been specified to her, including Ainur. She is annoyed with me for using compulsions because she could have tried to locate surviving Maiar under Melkor that way. I think we ought ask her to check anyway, though she should probably test it first with Olórin to confirm it does not give away her presence to them; she can check humans that way without their awareness but Ainur may be different: 

When we asked you for help we didn't have a list of them. Also much of the scenario we're worried about is that they managed to figure out how to move between worlds on their own, or that they returned to wherever Melkor got Ungoliant from, and if they did we might not know of the world where they are. That said, if she tests with Olórin and the test isn't detectable we would absolutely appreciate it if she'd go ahead and check for them, here and for that matter in the other Arda and both Velgarths; the safer the better.

:I know, and I did say that to her. Her earcuff can also cross worlds, although I am not sure if it can find them in any unspecified world. I am at this point moderately certain Melkor did not have a way of crossing worlds, unless it was one not known to any orcs and also not apparent in any of their strategic planning that orc commanders were aware of; it also does not seem that any major Maiar were involved at one point and then disappeared. Unfortunately we cannot ask Melkor anymore: 

I am much much less worried about this than I was four hours ago, but it still seems worth doing additional checks if we can.

:We are talking about a god who managed to capture a version of me, so I am really not sure it is possible to do too many checks here: 

He looks Maitimo in the eye. :I know this is a very complicated situation to be handling, and it is apparent you are doing most of said handling. I am sure we have made some mistakes in coordination, given the operational security before this and resulting knowledge gaps for various people, but - I think you are doing well. I will stop distracting you now unless you need help with something specific: 

- oh, both of you are going to like this a lot, I bet. He gestures at his circlet. It's a gift from my father. It does attentional capacity. You are not distracting me from anything because I am doing it concurrently. Should I have two more of them made. 

Amazed look. :I do, in fact, like that a lot! I am getting the impression that your father is a deeply impressive person: 

I do kinda want one, yeah.

It's really useful! I do personally find that it makes it almost intolerable to be alone and not doing anything terribly interesting but that might be a problem specific to me. Give us a month and we can have a couple more of them and get started on repaying you for - everything.

I wasn't really expecting to get paid.

I should go make sure there isn't an infirmary backlog. Let me know if I should switch to bungalows and I can check listed Maiar whenever.

He gives her the list of them. Thank you.

:Have you definitely checked with a non-hostile Maiar that you can do so without alerting them to your presence?: 

Maiar just have osanwë. It's oomphier, but it's still osanwë. I guess I might as well make sure. She asks Olórin if he notices her. Her own Olórin. After turning the earcuff in his direction for a minute without saying anything first.

Bella! I can hear you, if that's what you mean. Are you all right?

I'm fine! Could you tell I was there before I said anything?

I did not notice you before you said anything but I was not expecting you particularly so I wasn't trying to find your eyes or anything.

I think that'll do, but just in case, how about I disconnect, then reconnect sometime in the next minute and you try to tell when?