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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.
"I - think so..." Melody doesn't sound as certain as would be reassuring. "His head is pretty messed up, I think he's going to be mostly out of it for a couple of days, but he should bounce back significantly by himself, with some rest. I don't think poking at his head more will help right now, but I can have a go at re-ordering this a bit tomorrow, if he's lucid enough to cooperate with it by then."
She turns. "Nayoki, you had a look too?"
Who wakes up a few minutes later from an extremely disjointed and confusing nightmare, and kind of panicky about it.
The whole situation probably has diplomatic implications that as Abadar's aspect on Golarion he should manage but something tells him it's not the worst move from the appeasing-Aroden perspective to, instead, hang out right here snuggling Leareth.
"You're safe," he says softly when he wakes up. "You're back in the Dome."
"Mmm. What - something wrong..." His ability to use words is a bit more accessible to him, now, but it's still very effortful. "My head. Hard to think."
"Some gods had a fight in your head, seems normal to feel terrible from that. Melody thinks you'll be all right after a few days though."
Once it seems like Leareth would maybe benefit more from some gentle distraction than from complete silence, Aroden starts a light conversation with Vanyel and Khemet about education in Cheliax.
...Leareth is starting to feel a bit better. He can mostly speak in sentences when he tries, though he's still drifting in and out of sleep.
Unfortunately, at some point Delay Pain wears off, and everything is VERY BAD again.
It's probably stupid to be mad at Abadar about this but he is anyway. They can Delay Pain some more, probably.
Leareth eventually falls more deeply asleep, and this time stays that way for longer than half an hour.
"You do not need to stay if you have other priorities right now," Aroden says to Khemet. "He would understand. Vanyel and I will still be here if he wakes up."
Nefreti finishes her work and siphons away the mess of magical energy pooling where her spell has scrubbed it and then takes down Aroden's scaffolding with a wave of her hand. She didn't get it all; the scaffold wasn't perfectly placed to reach all of it and the future actually looks cleaner if there's a little bit left, so the Tayledras have one more year of work.
(It's so nice being able to see so clearly!)
"There you go," she says merrily to the watching Adepts. "This is a lovely planet. Maybe I will visit again."
There are people watching her from a dozen different Vales, now. They mostly seem very confused and overwhelmed, and awed, not hostile.
"Well, if you are staying anyway then I suppose I ought return to Cheliax," Aroden says to Khemet. "I left very competent people in charge but the King of Valdemar does likely wish to have reassurances from me specifically. And his Mindhealer returned," glance at Melody, "assuming your plan is still to wait until tomorrow before treating him further." He doesn't like leaving Leareth, but his presence isn't adding much right now.
Melody thinks it's very reasonable to go back and apologize to the Heralds for being so suddenly pulled away. She agrees it was worth it, given Leareth's state. (Also she's furious with the Star-Eyed, but there isn't anywhere for that anger to go, given that they already took all of Her stuff.)
Aroden leaves the Dome with her and Teleports back and looks for the King to offer his apologies.
They're set up in a guest suite in Aroden's palace, since Leareth's mages think they ought to wait until tomorrow to check the status of Haven; one of Aroden's wizards did a scry and everything looks fine except the central wing of the Palace in Haven, which was completely evacuated, is collapsed in rubble.
"We will aid you in rebuilding it," Aroden promises. "Vanyel is fine, he was injured but he has received excellent healing, so at this point he is merely very tired from the magic use. He wishes to stay with Leareth, who is in much worse shape."