That's fascinating, and makes sense. Vanyel nods. 

:He might also be willing to tell you more. More motivated to convince you than he's been to convince me. You arriving...kind of changes everything we know about the world. Worlds: 

<He suggested that we leave him a 'note' if we cared to respond to his offer. I have not actually looked into what information format that is but I suppose we could leave one requesting that he tell us more.>

:Does your world have writing, on paper?: 

<No, but I have heard of it. A note is writing the message on paper?>

:Yes. We can get you paper and ink from Haven if you don't have it. And I guess I'd better write it, so it's in a language he can read: 

<We do not have paper and ink. I will ask Arran and Yfandes to request some.> 

Nod. :What, er, format do your people use to communicate if someone is too far away to talk to? ...I guess you probably have technology for it, like we have magic: 

<We do. On our home planet in the sky there are machines that send information all around the world with about a second's lag time. On ships those machines are specially built so that communications cannot be usefully intercepted.>

:Wow: 

Vanyel falls silent. He's now partly thinking about the analogues with spells and Gifts that exist here, and partly wondering how much more Leareth would even need to know to get to work reinventing their technology himself. 

The shuttle touches down in Haven. Arran informs Yfandes they are supposed to additionally pick up paper and ink.

Some people also wearing white artificial-skin are running out to meet the shuttle. 

"Randi," Savil snaps, "consider staying back, in case they're not–"

"No." Randi waits for someone to emerge from the shuttle. 

The ramp descends. Arram waits for Yfandes since she presumably knows how to deal with the local bipedal population and he does not.

Yfandes passes a quick update to Randi's Companion and to Taver, just arriving, confirming that Vanyel is up north helping guard the downed ship that brought the strangers here, that their leader said under Truth Spell he wasn't here to harm Valdemar, and that they most definitely need help. 

:Taver, should we tell them that Leareth...?: 

The Groveborn Companion prances unhappily. :- Yes. I think the time has come that it is unavoidably relevant. It will be somewhat delicate though: 

At the same time: "I want to talk to them," Randi is saying, firmly, to his Companion. 

So a Companion mind reaches out. (Randi's Mindspeech exists but is very limited and short-range.) :King Randale of Valdemar would like to speak with you, if that is all right: 

<We would of course be delighted to speak with him. I will mostly understand him if he speaks out loud, our translation software has picked up a serviceable amount of your spoken language.>

The concept of 'software' is only partially coming across, but Randi is so impressed! A little intimidated. He tries not to show it, just bows courteously. (Wonders if the aliens will have any idea what the gesture means.) 

"Er, welcome to Valdemar," he says. "We're sorry to hear about your misfortunes with ending up in the wrong place, and your ship's damage. Vanyel says that you need our help, and - to the extent we can spare it," there's a goddamned war happening, Vanyel really picked the worst time to commit any of Valdemar's resources elsewhere, "you'll have it." 

<Thank you. We understand that your people are at war yourselves, and it is not our desire to distract you from the defense of your homeland. We plan to leave as quickly as possible for our original intended destination. However, there are some complications. A man named Leareth, north of the mountains, kidnapped one of our scouts and communicated interest in learning of the weapons of our world. We wish to refuse him this, but do not presently possess the means to stop him from trying to steal our things or kidnap more people.>

Randi makes a concerned, startled sound, and takes a minute, and some back and forth with his Companion, before he manages to speak. 

"Gods. We, er, know of him... Is that why Vanyel wanted to stay where your ship is?" He scrunches up his face. "Van is probably the only one who could hold him off. And he badly needed a break from the front anyway - this isn't exactly a break but if you avoid working him too hard..." 

"Might as well send me too," Savil points out. "Since I was rudely yanked away from my holiday too." And babysitting her nephew up north, even with a side chance of having to fight Leareth of all people, still sounds better in some ways than needing to deal with her brother. 

"You would of course be welcome to bring your ship and people to Valdemar," Randi says. "My Companion conveys that there are logistical difficulties with moving it, though." 

<In a few weeks if not sooner we should be able to move our ship, and at that time with your leave we can bring it to Valdemar. Right now it is badly damaged. It sounds as if magic might be able to replace the in-atmosphere propulsion systems but not the antigravity.>

Randi spends a moment trying to parse those word-concepts and then decides he doesn't really need to understand it. "Yes, of course. Is there anything else you need in the meantime? Yfandes said pen and paper, clothes for your people who can - shapeshift into human bodies," gods what a concept, "and some of Van's things." Which Taver has sent his Chosen off to collect without a complete explanation. He's being very weird about this. Randi is already tired of it. 

<That is all that we know ourselves to require. The trip here from our ship is short so if additional concerns arise on either side we could return in about seventeen percent of a candlemark to address them.>