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 should probably clarify that.
"You are not in trouble," he adds. "Leareth and I will need to figure out additional security and so we may ask you for advice on that again later, but not at all because we intend to punish you."
"I should perhaps consider that Iomedae did two favours in one, and offered an unbiased test of our precautions as well as...the other part."
"I asked Abadar first but He seemed rather helpless about the question; he has never been human and so I do not think he understands human concepts of marriageability very well. Also, I - like Iomedae, I go to her for advice sometimes, and..." it feels odd, there's something here but he's still trying to dig it out of his brain and shape it into words, "and - given my background, and how it is different from the current conditions, I - think I would benefit from interacting more with Good."
"I am almost certain that you are closer to it than I am. I still read as Lawful Evil when I arrived in this world, you know, it was the war with Cheliax that brought me to neutral." Is that going to scare her away? Well, it's not a fact he can hide about himself forever, so probably better she know from the start and avoid either of them getting up false hopes.
"I do not think either of us was evil, before, only Evil. Nearly everyone in Cheliax went to Hell, and I do not think it is because human nature was any different, under Asmodeus, I think it is because He cleverly social engineered it to be that way."
"If you got top grades in school it was your job to whip the kids who got the worst grades in the school and I always got top grades in school."
Shrug. "I do think you might be misestimating - where peoples' expectations are? I kept trying to adjust for things not being like before and - still being surprised - I knew Aroden was trying to make sure Asmodeus couldn't have anyone but I still figured he would probably torture me to death because it - keeps the incentives straight, right. You probably want to do even more of it if you're sending people to Axis afterwards."
"Thank you for pointing that out," Leareth says, seriously. "It is very valuable to know."
It's also one of the sorts of things Parmida thought a Chelish wife might be able to help him with, knowing what people's expectations are when they wouldn't necessarily tell him or Aroden even if asked. He doesn't say that, though, in case it's pressuring her.
"I mean," she says to Aroden, "in this case it wouldn't have mattered since I thought maybe the fate of Cheliax was at stake but if someone is trying to decide whether to spy on you because Taldor offered them a lot of money, it's the kind of thing I'd expect to matter?"
"Yes, I agree. Again, you have our gratitude for bringing this to our attention."
"Though it is reasonable to try to be efficient, for Cheliax's sake if not for Leareth's sake personally."
"It is a somewhat odd story, and may be difficult to believe. Early in his time in this world, Leareth met Nefreti Clepati, a powerful cleric of Nethys, and she made some cryptic remarks. Which, combined with my history, he pieced together and realized that - we are in some important sense the same person, the same pattern and story told across different worlds. I was skeptical at first when he proposed this to me, but we are so alike, it did not take long before I believed it. And so, I trust him because I trust myself."
"You might have had you learned enough details of Leareth's past, but - no, probably not, it is too bizarre."