"We would always like more mages, though I would still want some precautions against their using it to harm people, even if they are remorseful." 

"They'd probably accept that? I can float the idea to them. Don't think either of them likes being prisoners here." 

It seems like it'd be good if something less - wasteful and tragic - than keeping them here under constant supervision could come of the whole thing.

"They have an eleven-year-old son back in the Vale. I am not sure he has any idea what happened to them. He knew they were going to fight in a war - probably everyone in k'Treva thinks they died there, unless the Star-Eyed informed them otherwise. I - don't know - it feels unfair to him to never find out, but he might be even more upset about the truth." 

"Oh no. And - is himself stuck in the pact, I assume....gods. Maybe in a year once there are no more Pelagirs someone can risk a trip."

"Maybe." Sigh. "I'm still so upset about this. It was so stupid. They're - not bad people..." 

"I know. I'm so sorry."

They move on with the meeting-agenda but everyone is a little more subdued. 

It is a very productive and enjoyable day. He heads home at the end of it, though.

Leareth does not hug him goodbye in front of everyone, much less kiss him, but can Mindspeak to say that he wishes he could. 

:Technically I don't think there's anyone in the plane who could stop us except perhaps Aroden who wouldn't.:

:And I do not even think the Heralds would care, but - still: 

There will be plenty of time in future, when he's back from a state visit to another country. 

Aroden stays another day. An agreement is negotiated with Starwind and Moondance.

They'll go, it seems better than here, and they'll agree to compulsions against using their Gifts offensively or Gating back to Velgarth, but they do want to be allowed to leave, on foot if necessary, if they hate it there for some reason. Also Gates are a particularly useful kind of magic so it seems like it would be valuable if they were allowed to do it within Golarion. 

Aroden eventually agrees to this. (If they do leave, he'll find out quickly and they won't be that hard to scry for.)

He heads back after another day. 

Leareth stays another week, helping set up Abadar's infrastructure in Velgarth. He really enjoys it, actually. He gets to spend hours explaining the concept of insurance to people, it's amazing. 

Abadar is so pleased with him and occasionally communicates this, now that doing so won't be incapacitating.

Aww. 

Leareth is, however, relieved to eventually return to Cheliax and his daily routine. He tries not to dwell too much on how Carissa's character reference check on Iomedae is going, even though he's so curious. 

Urtho spends a while mostly just puttering around in the pharaoh's palace, talking to magic researchers and reading books and trying to study how their arcane wizardry and their divine magic are different from the mage-work he's familiar with. 

Eventually he speaks a bit of the local language and feels less like everything in his head is about to fall out and slither to the floor. 

He asks someone where the best library in town is. 

The best library of magic-related books in the city is in the temple of Nethys.

Then Urtho would love to see it, would somebody mind giving him directions there? 

Certainly! It's hard to miss, once you are in the right part of the city. It rather towers, and it's stunning.

Perfect!

And he heads out to find it, humming to himself.

When he steps in the doors, something happens. 

It's like - being suddenly surrounded by something that understands him perfectly and thinks that he is really really cool, and wants to show him something he absolutely dizzyingly cannot understand but might be able to catch the edges of, if he doesn't drown in it first.

Urtho is simultaneously baffled and overwhelmed and a little scared and also amazed - his mind involuntarily chases after whatever it is that this strange - force, entity, something, is trying to show him, swimming in it, drinking it in -