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.
"Honestly I have trouble seeing which part if any was Ma'ar's fault. Fighting a war with the most powerful mage in the world and cornering him, I guess."
"Wars between wizards are usually that destructive and it was stupid to start one, if that's what Ma'ar did. Of course, they didn't actually say that, just that they ended up at war..."
"The war that started Earthfall wasn't Aroden's fault. The emperor was dissatisfied with his successors, and told Aroden to pick, and he picked himself, and people say that might've been what provoked the alghollthus. But they started it. I don't know how far we can reason from that."
"They started it and they finished it, Earthfall was their doing too, though worse than they predicted because they'd miscalculated. ...it's some information, at least, I think."
Starwind is not saying anything either. He seems maybe a little shaken.
"It must've been worse than Urtho predicted - surely no one would use a weapon or blow up their own fortress if they knew that would happen..."
"I think perhaps there is a way to learn more," Moondance says, distantly. "I - do not see it, yet, but there is something..."
"The danger remaining beneath the earth sounds like a hook. A hook for a stupid adventure that might get us killed, though."
"We believe so, yes. Perhaps indirectly - Moondance is a Healing-Adept, he has deep rapport with the land, and this is Her land as well..."
Moondance shifts his weight. "It feels right. The - deep beneath the earth..." His voice is toneless, strange. "A forgotten story - master and student - a young man who acts as one immortal, because he is - who turns to evil, not for lack of caring, but because he cares too much–" He breaks off. Blinks. "Mmm?"
"You saw something, ashke." Starwind reaches for his shoulder. "What?"
"That's what Nefreti said. Almost identical. Young men who think they are immortal, because they are, because they were, but everything else was lost, a price they did not know they might need to pay..."
"'The same story tells itself again and again across worlds'," Vanyel murmurs.
Starwind still looks like he's not at all sure how he feels about this.
"Well, I think we should probably try to learn more. Even if it's dangerous." He glances around. "We've got a lot of powerful people here, I don't think we're easy to kill."
"It's considered bad luck, to say that," Mahdi says wryly. "Do you have Lay of the Land, Hagan -"
"Yeah. Uh, I can meditate and know an area like I'd spent my whole life there, including underground, radius of like two miles. If we had any guesses about where the buried danger is I'd be able to confirm them, probably. I wouldn't want to do it without your god but it sounds like she wants us to check this?"
"It seems so. It would be where his Tower was, I think. Ka'venusho. The name his city once bore, though there is nothing left. At least not aboveground."
Moondance looks over at Starwind.
"We would like to see them," Starwind says, "but - also, if possible, we wish to see the remains of Urtho's Tower, at Ka'venusho. Moondance sees things from Her, sometimes, and - he has a feeling it is important."