Oh right, they hadn't finished briefing Terendelev - no, actually, Jon had that idea long before she told him of her first life.

Jon's theory is that I'm from an Earth in an 'alternate reality' because its history, knowledge of magic and the year I remember it being don't match the local Earth. I don't understand it any more than that.

'Fateful struggles,' ugh. This is good poetry, maybe, but it definitely doesn't sound like good science. I would appreciate a description of the presumed effects of 'circling' in my case but that's not urgent. ...besides keeping me next to the worldwound, if the effect of the curse is to specifically keep me out of the safer areas we came here for then I dislike doing that. How much security is gained by being in Lastwall but not in an antimagic field?

If we go back to Kenabres, are there immediate research prospects for finding a way removing the curse? We could triangulate the pull I feel, which is risky but maybe not much more risky than just staying in Kenabres. Is there something else I could be doing to gain more options or resources over the next few days, instead of studying the local situation like I had planned? What resources or people could help with this?

Lastwall’s antimagic cells are very secure, as secure as any other very secure area they have.  I don’t think it loses or gains much security.

Lastwall has… more expertise than Mendev, but not anyone who would be substantially better than me at assessing the wound’s curse.  An idea I had was to get a message to the Archmage Morgethai, with the payment of a glance at your Orb for her help, maybe negotiating allowing her a more extensive look if she needs to expend expensive resources to help you.  Er… She also owes me a favor, maybe if we could figure out the fair price of it I could spend it on her helping you and we could deduct that from the money I owe you?

It is kind of awkward but between Tanya’s payment and her city she really needs to be thinking about liquidating some of her softer assets as the opportunities present themselves.

 I was planning on having another outsider called to help you study, Jon explained he was picked on short notice with specialized anti-mind control abilities and abilities as a spotter and very little context on you personally, so someone picked by Heaven now might be much better at explaining.  And they would be competent to bridge the cultural gap without taking any offense.

I think that if we hope to make progress quickly, in hours or days, I should stay here in an antimagic cell, and only return to Kenabres if the wound worsens too much. I can test that by leaving the antimagic regularly. If we don't expect progress soon but the only reason for me to be in Kenabres is to be closer to the Worldwound, it still makes sense to stay here if it's not expensive. 

I'm not averse to letting someone look at my orb in payment. The enemy has already seen it and possibly shown it to others, so it's probably best to also give access to someone you trust if you trust them enough. If you can replicate it and start training local mages, you will likely benefit from my help there too. And I still hope to also trade non-magical general knowledge I have, I just need time and safety to do it.

...I would normally say that a competent company of aerial mages with orbs like this and with freedom of the skies could level any city in the world, or all the cities of a country, in a night and the only way to stop them would be to teleport and mind-control them. With local magical support they'd be unstoppable. But I don't know what other magical countermeasures this planet might have.

I trust Morgethai, but the geopolitical implications are immense and you should be aware of what sides you would be indirectly picking, even if the other sides are firmly in alignment with Evil Gods.  I guess that is another thing for you to read up on and Jon to help you study with.  Alright, it sounds like you will stay here, in which case it would make sense to stay in an antimagic field to stop the wound.  If Jon stays just outside the field, he can still talk to you and relay the telepathic bond.

She addresses the inquisitor over a message (and includes a copy to Tanya over the telepathic bond).  "I believe Tanya will want to return to an antimagic field.  If her wound starts to worsen even with it, either sending me, I will try to keep two teleports in reserve, or expend teleports from scrolls to bring her back to Kenabres.  Also, if she doesn't return today... tomorrow morning if you could call an Angel or Archon with lesser planar ally for the purposes of acquiring aid in helping Tanya orient to this planet faster, I believe it will be worth it for the cause of Good."  (And if Lastwall pays for it the payment will be much tighter of a closed circle.)

The inquisitor replies out loud to both of them.  "We have an individual antimagic field, not among a hall of cells, but it is further from us, I will start escorting Von Degurechaff now?  And the assistance you requested for the wardstone should be here in... I think under a quarter hour?"

"Yes, thank you." She will follow him, blissfully unaware that his job title is 'inquisitor'.

I am very aware of the implications! I don't even know what the final equilibrium of mage-assisted warfare will be on Earth, and we at least have non-magical counters to that. An aerial mage war here could end - very, very badly. I wish I could share technology that makes defense stronger than offense, but the computation orb is not that. And so I did not intend to share it without extremely careful vetting before I learned that our mutual enemies, whoever they are, already had access to it!

And a few years' lead. Maybe they are sure the orbs cannot be replicated with local technology, or that no local intelligent species can use them for some reason. Or they have their own production running and are about to start using them, and think we can't catch up. ...or whoever is behind this honestly doesn't care what happens to the rest of the planet. 

If whoever had her captive planned this to manipulate her into giving them orb technology - no, that's too convoluted and in any case the argument remains valid: better for everyone to have orbs than only the enemy.

...there is actually a worse possibility than that. I cannot categorically rule out that they found, or added, some kind of vulnerability or backdoor to the orb which they can trigger later. I'm not a magical engineer and I don't understand local magic anyway. You should make sure you fully understand how it works and aren't blindly copying it. To whatever extent that's possible while reverse engineering.

Right, enough downplaying of her own value. What can you tell me about Morgethai? And while we're considering sharing orb technology, it makes sense to also share it with you and Lastwall - maybe the church of Iomedae, if they're a distinct organization, or your other allies - unless you think of that as being part of the deal with Morgethai. 

He follows along with her.

As an Archmage, Morgethai was and still is a key factor in Andoran's independence.  A few decades ago, Andoran rebelled and broke free from Cheliax's control.  Andoran is currently a democracy, the only full democracy operating at scale on this planet.  Some city states here and there across the world have some democratic mechanisms, but not as a complete paradigm like Andoran.  Galt broke free from Cheliax shortly before Andoran did and nominally has some democratic mechanisms, but mostly their government is under the control of the military leadership of Cyprian.  Are you following so far?

It's a longer walk this time, in a different direction, through a different set of halls and through several buildings.  Several times the inquisitor gives Tanya a password to speak before crossing an area.