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An adventuring party recruited from Osirion teleports into Azir on the 8th of Desnus. Rahadoum's recruiting contact in Osirion wrote ahead to note they were expected. Couple of guys he's known a long time - a wizard, a ranger - and a new guy, sorcerer, probably to replace the cleric they usually travel with. They spend two days in Azir getting oriented and head out to the front. The ranger wears an unusually high quality amulet of Nondetection; the sorcerer wears a headband for intelligence, which is a bit unusual as sorcerers usually don't need it to cast, but some variants do; they are otherwise unremarkable. Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, no reading, which could mean neutral or 'hiding it'. They work quickly and effectively, manage resources reasonably well, get recommended to higher-ups for a closer look on that account.
Leareth notices right away that the headband is definitely better than the one the pharaoh gave him. Interesting.
"Could've gone worse. I guess. Presumably you have a better read on how likely he is to panic and turn us into stone statues until his war is over."
"I think unlikely. He was definitely reading all of our minds while he was here, and I default less to massive overkill the more information I have about what exactly is going on. I suspect a great deal hinges on whether he believes my claim that we are alternate version - I could say alts - of the same person. I believe it, though, and he would have seen that."
Leareth's eyes narrow slightly. "I suspect he is uneasy about Nethys - and Abadar though less so. I do not think he is so spooked by this that he would refuse our help. He might want to place us under a geas, I suppose."
"And there's a kinda trimming I'm allergic to and my life has been nonstop that, lately."
Leareth is confused what Hagan is upset by and would usually read his mind about it, except he can't due to not having Thoughtsensing, which is maybe a good thing.
"Hagan, what is bothering you? The geas?" Slight shrug. "I - apologize for being like that?"
Leareth narrows his eyes. "...I suppose you do not have to tell me. If it is not important. I - I feel that Aroden is being very reasonable here, since I would be a similar level of very alarmed if I stumbled on some people infiltrating my organization with the level of secret knowledge we have of his, and we did - come here knowing what we were up against. Still, it is objectively a hostile act, keeping us here, and I would not be bothered if someone were angry about that so I assume he will not be either."
"I spent - twelve years - a prisoner in the palace and I hate it there and I also hate places that are - nice, and pretty, and important, more important than you'll ever be and so obviously it makes perfect sense for them to - the more sense it makes the more I hate it, since I can't even be upset for a reason like that something is bad. And I'm not going to fuck anything up and so it does not actually matter.
Okay?"
"Okay. Yes, that makes sense."
He falls silent. Starts poking around at the books. "I wish I had a place like this just to keep my records in. These are presumably not the highly sensitive ones, but - this entire place is more secure than anything I could build in Velgarth."
"You could pick up wizardry. It'd take a while but it sounds like lots of things you do take a while."
"That is true." He has to assume he would lose at least much of it with each new incarnation, but Mahdi and Hagan won't know more on that (Aroden presumably will), and as a general rule he doesn't talk about his immortality setup with, well, anyone.
"Clerics also get Create Demiplane," he says. "And Plane Shift to get there, though weren't you figuring you could do that with a Gate? Or you guys could share. I feel like once he's warmed up to the idea he's got to see the appeal of having two of you. He can throw off an occasional permanent demiplane for you and you can move his armies all around the world."
"It would be a fruitful collaboration," Leareth agrees. "Also, he must think quickly. I would wish for much longer than two hours to consider this situation! I have had over a week and that is still not long enough to be adjusted to it."
"He probably has time dilation. Or could've put us in it, conceivably. Demiplanes don't have to track time on the Material Plane."
That has so many implications, he's not even going to bother going through them now. He keeps looking at books.
...Unsurprisingly, he decides that he likes Aroden's taste in books.
He checks whether the fanciest headband fixes his reading problem but he already knew it wouldn't. He takes off his shirt and stitches up the spear-related hole, instead. Fy gives him hugs so he stops having stupid breathing problems related to the situation.