"He has three hundred combat mages and thirty thousand troops I can use to overthrow Cheliax next week. I want those in Valdemar who are looking for me to have space to find me, and I sincerely hope that they will, but I would be wronging the victims of Hell greatly, if I set that aside when I can use it. Which makes the only important question whether I can, in fact, use it, or whether trying to ally with him will only lead to a lot more people dying."

Tran takes a deep breath. 

Looks down at the illusionary image of Vanyel's sleeping body. With Leareth beside him. 

Vanyel was always...better at this sort of thing than him. Vany what would you say - if he hadn't compromised you years ago...? 

"Then I guess that's what we need to talk about," he says, quiet and serious. "Because - I think you're wrong. I think he...agreed to everything your people asked of him because it'd get him what he wants right now, but - as soon as something happens where betraying you would get him what he wants, instead..." 

She nods. "Do you want to read his mind?"

"- What? ...There's no way I can do that - we couldn't do it even when he was under a geas and our prisoner, he never stops shielding." 

"He is my paladin. There are no shields that would keep his mind from mine. And he is sitting at Vanyel's bedside, now, and if he thinks the names of our allies in the fight with Cheliax who'd be at risk from those names being shared I won't pass that along but I can show you all the rest."

"I - hmm - I don't mean any offence but I'm not sure whether I can believe you, that it's - really his thoughts, and not some sort of fake you're making so I'll go away. But...sure. If you're offering that." 

She looks, for some reason, delighted at that.

And she walks over to Leareth and places her hands on his forehead and - it feels like there's a Thoughtsensable mind there, even though there can't possibly be -

Well. He might as well at least look. 

(All information is worth having, Vanyel always used to say - and it was Seldasen who wrote that, not Leareth, and surely that means something, anything -) 

Tran reaches out and touches the mind there. 

Leareth isn't afraid. (It's really so helpful, that part, though somehow he hadn't imagined it would be.)

The alertness of adrenaline and urgency is still there, as he sits and thinks and occasionally has brief Mindspeech exchanges with his staff on site. There's so much to do. He makes a mental note that he needs to have [name redacted] contact her father [name redacted] in Golarion, check in on where they're at with the resurrection contingency-setup for Carissa - and himself, but that's an afterthought - oh and another note to himself, he really does need to sit down with Iomedae's people and talk about what to do with his immortality setup. Golarion resurrection is straightforwardly a better backup plan, anyway, it's faster and much less lossy, and - after some extensive thought - he thinks it's very unlikely anything will happen that prevents that from working and doesn't also block his own method - presumably the Soul Bind magic would also prevent his usual way... 

(He's not afraid. He can think about it calmly, levelly, which feels miraculous.) 

...He's worried about Vanyel. (A lack of fear doesn't mean that he can't feel any kind of distress, about bad future outcomes for people he cares about - if anything, it makes it easier to notice and interact with.) The Heralds are angry - of course they are - but he is absolutely not sending Vanyel back to that hornets' nest. ...And he still hasn't actually had the conversation with Vanyel, yet, about whether his suicide attempt was impulsive or overall-endorsed. It seemed like a better idea to wait, let him rest - he was in such bad shape even before all of that happened - 

- he Mindspeaks Nayoki, asks her to scry and check on Yfandes again - no change, apparently, except that only one of the paladins is with her now - he asks Nayoki to check on Haven, too, see if the Chelish diplomats have actually left yet, so he can close that open loop...

...probably none of the other Heralds is going to read the King's mind and learn about [name redacted]? He's not sure about King Randale's Companion. The entire Companion situation is such a difficult mess - and, again, he feels a pulse of gratitude for Vanyel's determination to warn him, even when he must have been in so much pain. 

- troop numbers, he needs to get them in place to transport via the minimum number of Gates - also he really needs to test the interplanar Gate spell properly, soon, but...on reflection, hmm, it probably makes more sense to do it from the Golarion side? More familiarity with the search-destination, and it'll mean he can set up shields against detection on that side - that's one of the ways that Asmodeus could be warned of what's happening - 

(In the back of Leareth's mind is an intermittent litany of not alone never ever again...) 

- and Tran pulls himself back, finally. 

"...Van tried to kill himself? When?" Seriously, again?? but he doesn't say that part out loud. 

"About an hour ago. We spoke. He thought Yfandes wasn't going to come back."

"...Is she? Going to go back to him, I mean. - Have you told Leareth one way or another, he - didn't seem to know." 

"She's going to figure it out, if Vanyel stays alive long enough. I haven't spoken with Leareth. It is - not easy, for me to speak with humans."

...Which has the obvious implication that talking to him is difficult and costly for Her, in some way. 

Tran fidgets. Looks back toward Vanyel, sleeping with Leareth beside him. 

"...I don't understand him," he says softly. "I - just - he's sitting there wanting to protect Van," from the Heralds - from Randi, from him - what a thought to think, "and - he just... I don't get how what I'm seeing in his head is - how it's at all compatible with what I know he's done...?" 

"What do you imagine it is like to be a person who does monstrous things?"

"- I'm not sure, I never tried to imagine that before! I'm not sure why I would do that! ...But, er, I - would've thought you'd have to - not care that much about people. Or else knowing you were hurting people would be too upsetting and you...wouldn't do those plans." 

"Our job would be easier, I think, if it were that simple. But - no. Being a person who does monstrous things feels much like being a person who does righteous things. Parts of your job are satisfying, and parts are hard but necessary, and parts are upsetting but one imagines - 'they deserve it', or 'it's them or me', or 'they started it' or 'it's my duty'...if Evil deeds required Evil hearts, there'd be so little for us to do! Evil hearts are rare, where Asmodeus isn't going around engineering them. In places like Iftel, or Valdemar, or Karse, or Lastwall, most Evil is done by people who are trying to do Good."

"- And you think you've convinced him to - stop doing Evil things forever? Really?" 

"For a thousand years, at least. We'll see about forever."

Sigh. "Well. He - isn't what I expected. And...maybe that's thanks to you. I - I guess I've done everything I can, to warn you? And - if you can actually just read his mind whenever you want, then...I guess you'll notice if he changes his mind." 

Tran takes a couple of steps closer to the bed. Looks down at Vanyel's illusionary sleeping form. 

"- I'm glad he's trying to look out for Van. So there's that." 

Iomedae - squeezes his hand? Something that feels like that -

- and then her departure feels kind of like the roof of his skull being lifted off.

And he's back where he was, kneeling in front of the shrine. 

...Tran makes a soft 'urk' noise and flops forward on hands and knees. He feels like shit. Apparently humans and gods talking isn't just difficult and costly for the god. 

- Ignasi is alarmed! (Also slightly jealous, at this point!) Healing?

Tran would be really grateful for that! ...Also he's maybe just going to lie down here. For a little while. Until he feels less dizzy. 

:Well: he manages, eventually, :at least - it seems like She's taking it seriously. That Leareth did some really horrible things. - Um, did you know about - that -?: 

About Leareth having some kind of horrifically Evil plan to power a god through human sacrifice? Yes. We talked through - a lot of the things he's done - during the Atonement.