"Twenty is a reasonable guess, if you're buying from a Pathfinder who can sell you one. You would use it inside a room with the door barred; outdoors is fine in a pinch, if you need shelter, but even keeping the space full won't stop anyone from shooting through the entrance or canceling the spell." There are better combinations of defensive spells to shelter under, but all of them involve passwords and can't really be rented out to the public.

"I don't know if you have gnolls on Earth, but most are not especially clever or proficient in subtle magic. Some can enhance their ability to track their quarry, but I predict with some confidence that they will not be able to follow your scent here. That is, if they bother to regroup and avenge their master, which I doubt, and if they know enough to come for you rather than me, which I also doubt." Without Ymohrglas to lead and outfit them, gnolls pose very little threat to anyone of Tanya's caliber. That's no reason to be complacent, but neither will Nazir suggest anything more extreme.

"The summoner would have the individual names of outsiders to call up, but there are three types that I think are well-suited to your question: burleevs, who scour Creation for magical lore, and who might be persuaded to part with their knowledge if you can find one interested in your magic; codex archons, who prefer to help those whose cause is righteous, but won't mind as long as it isn't harmful; and synesis aeons, who specialize in teaching dangerous and obscure spells. I would be surprised if you couldn't find one that knows the answer, since Abadar tells us there is an answer, but I will leave negotiating the deal up to you."

"I don't know anything about gnolls; I assumed he" (the dragon who must not be named because Tanya can't pronounce his name) "might have other dragons who'd want to take revenge, family, friends or other associates. If you're talking about a literal scent trail then it seems categorically impossible to follow across a teleport, but - it's probably not a secret we went here, or at least to a nearby major city, and if I stay here they might pick up my scent at some point. If they can tell which of the scents from the site of the fight to follow, but they could follow all of them if they're numerous and organized enough... I'll think it through later when I know more; for now it seems worthwhile to pay for the rope trick." Hopefully the caster also rents out the seven mice?

Does the wording of the commune question imply that if Abadar doesn't know the answer, he would answer 'yes'? Because there's a chance Tanya might need to shop quickly? Ugh, she really dislikes this binary question game. "Then I would appreciate an introduction or referral to the conjurors to try tomorrow morning. ...is five hundred scarabs the payment to the conjuror and then I'll need to negotiate with each offworld consultant for another payment on top of that?" Five hundred scarabs just for recommending and calling a few experts one of whom will do the actual work seems like rather a lot?

"By the way, how much silver to a scarab, and what banknote denominations are available?"

"Five hundred for the expert, usually; the conjuror will charge fifty for brokering the deal if you tell them I sent you." Sixth-circle Abadarans get good rates on everything. "It's ten copper to one silver, fifteen silver to one gold, thirty gold to one platinum. We issue paper banknotes worth five copper grains; one, two, and five pennies; and one and two scarabs. Every Abadaran bank will honor them at face value, but not all businesses accept them, and other banks have their own policies." Abadarans don't run every bank in the world, but every unaffiliated bank has a good reason for it.

"Dragons are not solitary creatures per se, but if Ymohrglas has any family or friends that know of his death, they will assuredly be circumspect in their investigation. There are very few ways to magically identify someone described only as 'the person who killed so-and-so'; it is not an immediate concern. A dragon adversary is one to be feared and respected, but as a dragonslayer they will fear and respect you. The gnolls, on the other hand, probably won't."

So it's five hundred and she might need to offer them some nonmonetary compensation on top, or else more money; a minimum of 550, but she had better withdraw a thousand gold in various denominations.

...it's odd that the highest paper denomination is fifteen times lower than the highest one coined. The platinum coins might be more like rare commemorative medals, but isn't the whole point of paper notes to let you carry around large sums in a lightweight wallet? The proverbial suitcase full of cash might not be necessary if inter-bank and even international cheques work well enough, but why even bother having paper notes for denominations as small as five copper? ...maybe they have a shortage of metal and want to keep its price down? Tanya doesn't actually know that the money is backed by silver and gold; maybe they use that to mint for historical reasons but the value is free-floating, or fixed against another currency. - this is not important and she shouldn't be woolgathering about Osirion's monetary policy of all things.

Was there something else she needed to ask Nazir? She's still not sure why he or Iomedae are helping her; her best guess that it's in his capacity as a bank employee (if he is one) and in her capacity as a friendly, hyperactive, curious person who likes to keep busy.

...well, yes, there are enormously many questions she'd like to ask him (or someone), but she's not entirely sure if it's appropriate to do it here and now. "I would like to better understand why commune works the way it does, but it's not urgent. ...should we inform the bank clerk that we're cancelling the order, is it going to take him a long a time otherwise?"

"I can inform him if you don't want to wait; I'll be working here tonight in exchange for the reserved question. I assume you're asking about the purpose of Commune rather than the technical details? It's a telepathy spell that complies with a series of multilateral export control treaties, specifically the part that deals with information. There are a lot of signatories, which is why I asked you if there were any binding on Earth with respect to Golarion. You would know if this were the case; there would be laws about where visitors from other worlds are allowed to travel while on Earth. If someone from Aktun were to send a message to us, it would be incumbent on them to obey whichever laws are applicable, but since we are the ones asking the question, Commune provides a framework for us to get an answer every time. It's also much safer than trying to target Abadar directly with a Sending; the best possible outcome would be him ignoring it. Does that answer your question?"

"It's not that I don't want to wait as much as - we should save him the time if we can, if it's going to take much longer? ...I was curious about what I thought were technical constraints, but if it's a binary answer for legal reasons that answers my question. I don't understand the legal situation here but hopefully I won't need to, or not anytime soon, as long as I don't need to police my behavior to obey these treaties. They are definitely not public knowledge on Earth." If they can ask offworld experts (presumably in normal speech?) but the commune falls under export control treaties, then - no, she has no idea what that implies. The experts are presumably trained in not breaking the treaty, but why wouldn't Abadar('s organization) be? If Tanya is allowed to know about the spell then why does it matter who tells her about it or over what channel?

So, there is nothing stopping either of them from milking this relationship for gold. Nazir can't help but smile.

"If this is news to you then you have nothing to worry about. I'll cancel the money order for you; go withdraw whatever cash you need before you leave. Iomedae will be back… soon." Soon, right? She can't have gotten into trouble just by looking for food.

Probably not, unless she was ambushed by gnolls.

Tanya moves to the rear of another queue. She would like to withdraw a thousand gold scarabs, the last twenty in smaller denominations. She didn't think to ask Nazir whether the conjuror or the off-world experts will take local banknotes, and it seems not everyone accepts them but she can't easily carry thirty kilograms of actual gold - no, wait, they have higher-denomination platinum coins which presumably weigh less. She'd like most of it in platinum, if they have it available. Here is her passbook.

...can she actually withdraw money while there is a pending (active?) cash order in her name, which she doesn't have on her? She will inform the clerk of the situation.

Having cash ordered actually helps, it means there are people actively sourcing money for her in the vaults as they speak. They'll have the original teller confirm once he returns.

Thirty-two platinum coins is only a kilogram of precious metal, easy to fit in a bag if you've got one. Platinum coins are almost but not quite the same color as silver, with a smaller diameter and a color more like stainless steel than a mirror. You would never mistake one for the other, once you've seen them both. The obverse side of the coins is a stamped portrait of a man wearing the same headdress as the giant statues along the coast. The reverse side of the gold coins is a scarab beetle tergiant, while the platinum coin has a female sphinx couchant. Copper and silver, which are both much smaller, have crops instead of animals. They're all dated to the last century and, as far as Tanya can tell, none of them have been clipped or otherwise damaged.

It's… still an awful lot of precious metal. Gold and platinum coins are on the large side.

She'll need to buy a new wallet. A literal moneybag, hah. Later.

(Tanya doesn't check the minting dates. Why would she do that. She also isn't in the habit of checking for clipping, certainly not coins she just got from a bank teller. At home she'd be using banknotes long before she got to such sums, if only to avoid carrying a kilogram of metal in her pocket.)

Is Iomedae back or does Tanya need to go look for her? And Nazir didn't actually recommend a particular conjuror or tell her where to find one...

Iomedae returns triumphantly with a bundle of grilled fish wrapped in lotus leaves and pockets full of dates. Tanya is welcome to both if she's changed her mind.

"Was the answer yes, no, or unclear?" she asks.

"The answer was no, we canceled the cash order. I withdrew a thousand scarabs, expecting to pay five hundred fifty tomorrow to a conjuror and an expert he'll call up to diagnose my case. Nazir, can you recommend a conjuror or is there a directory or something?"

"No directory that I know of," he says ruefully. "We buy our conjuration materiel from a wizard named Setareh and her apprentices. I can't accompany you, but she's met Iomedae several times, and there should be someone she can spare for it. I can recommend her for both fairness and discretion. The next best option is one of Hurayra's elders. I expect fairness and discretion from both, but Setareh is better connected, so start with her."

Why has Iomedae been voluntold for this? Isn't there someone better— probably not, they left most of the company out in the middle of the desert.

"Thank you. That's for tomorrow morning, then. I can't think of anything else I should do today... How much time does arranging lodgings, sleeping and eating and arriving at the conjuror's at their opening time leave me? If there's a spare a hour or more, I suppose I should spend it learning about Golarion and Osirion. Is there a book with a useful introduction, or a pamphlet or something?"

They have contact with other planets! That might mean everyone already knows all about the other planets, or that the books are written for an alien perspective, but it's still better than sitting around doing nothing, unless Iomedae is willing to stick around and personally tutor her. (Tbaya is deeply unclear how much Iomedae plans on helping her and why, and is working her way up to just asking.)

"It depends on how much sleep you need. We must get there before the wizards start preparing their spells for the day – an hour before dawn would be best, which means we should arrange for the room now."

What are they going to do if they can't get a room at the Pathfinder Lodge? Sleep in a random hotel while Iomedae keeps watch? That's a terrible backup plan.

"We should fly there," she adds. "Setareh will surely be able to recommend a bookstore for you when we see her tomorrow."

"I normally sleep for seven to eight hours, but I can sleep less or in shifts if there's something urgent. Missing a few hours once won't impair me too much the next day. Flying sounds wonderful, given the weather." If Iomedae can fly, why weren't they flying on the way to the daycare earlier? Why the mad dash instead? Iomedae is weird from a culture Tanya doesn't understand.

Regularly sleeping for seven hours or less rules out needing a full night's rest like a wizard— but don't arcanists need eight hours of sleep too? Iomedae is happy to cast Fly and follow Tanya into the air at a comparatively pokey 60' per round.

The weather is nice! There are other people flying too, mostly with magic but occasionally by virtue of having wings, and almost always within a hundred meters of the ground.

The dominant feature of Sothis from a bird's eye view is the gargantuan beetle carapace at the center. It is not only the tallest structure in the entire city but a remarkable glossy black, in striking contrast to the sandstone and marble used everywhere else, and the position of the massive elytra and legs matches that of the scarab beetle on the gold coins. Investigating its magical signature is like staring into a mirror, returning the exact magical signature of Tanya's orb in the moment.

There are a few other noteworthy structures of similar size. A few miles away from the beetle shell is a castle much larger than any medieval structure on Earth, built using a riotous collection of different materials in a way that looks structurally unsound, and surrounded by creatures taking advantage of the conditions to practice flight. It is the highest density of magical signatures that Tanya has ever seen. In the west end of Sothis is what looks like a sandstone Gothic cathedral framed by the setting sun. The entire city is divided in two by a wide canal filled with boats, running south to north from some unknown river source towards the sea. There are smaller pyramids here and there, and with their marble outer layers intact they look very much unlike the Egyptian relics Tanya may be familiar with. Even some of the more normal buildings are a little odd, in ways that are hard to place.

Flying at a running pace, above street level, and in a straight line to their destination is tolerable!

A magically reflective surface is yet another impressive technology Earth doesn't have, but nowhere near as shocking as teleports or telepathy. She's more curious if the entire volume inside it is air-conditioned. Maybe the structure just provides very good thermal isolation? A giant beetle-shaped thermos, perhaps? Pity they couldn't cover the whole city with these. ...hopefully this is the local summer and other seasons make you actually happy to see the sun! (They should really make a little canal run along every street, if the river would bear that.) 

Tanya has seen (in passing) majestic old cathedrals and tenement buildings, enormous neoclassical constructions and weird Commie geometrical contortions, metal skyscrapers and villages built from logs and thatch. (Sometimes in the process of setting them on fire.) Slightly odd buildings don't really bear mention, even if nothing else was going on.

Their destination is an artificial island built into the canal. There are two buildings on it that scream 'fortified garrison', one on either end, with some commercial buildings in between. Their destination is the southernmost building: three floors in height, with narrow barred windows and a front door with a portcullis hanging over it. The outside has a large circle chiseled into the ground around the building, with a message written in multiple languages alongside it in huge font. The part that Tanya can read says 'DANGER DO NOT TELEPORT' in Osiriani, right outside the entrance.

Iomedae did mention they have defenses against teleportation. This is very much to Tanya's advantage, since she's the only one here who can't teleport. 

There are many magical signatures in there, too many to investigate and quickly catalogue. Tanya's orb lets her designate spells as known-safe and casters as friendlies, and in possibly-combat conditions if a completely unfamiliar and unexpected spell goes off right next to her she will react as if it were hostile before she consciously notices it. It's fine as long as she knows she's among allies, or civilians, but if someone with active spells startles her in her sleep it might have... unfortunate outcomes. Another reason to pay for the rope trick.

(When sleeping in a known safe location a veteran mage will put their orb as far away as the bedside cabinet, or possibly a weapons locker. Sleeping with an orb in your hand, for a mage who might dream about the Rhine front, is a little like sleeping with a loaded firearm and the safety off. Most mages' startle reaction is shields and flight before other spells, but you should not gamble on this, at least not every night.)

Who do they have manning the door today? Iomedae hopes it's someone she— it's a sand golem. Great.

"We need to rent a room," she tells it.

The faceless statue of a man turns to face Iomedae but doesn't reply. Layers of sand flow over its quartz body like skin while it's in motion, then settle again into perfect stillness in its new position.

Was that not specific enough? "Please, go and get the nearest Pathfinder for us to speak with."

She would identify herself by name, but that rarely helps.