Oh that's not a good sign.

"I'm braced."

"You made an error, in opposing my interests here, in seeking to warn that man against me."

"It's not to my interest to let Creation be threatened, if I don't think I have a chance to escape Creation.  Having learned this much, in this way, if I failed to come to alliance terms with this man, I would eliminate the threat to Creation after I'd investigated it.  There would be no constraints on how I used that knowledge, which I'd have learned regardless."

Ione Sala shows no outward reaction.  Her heart is hammering inside her, though, for she's finally thinking and yes, that should have occurred to her, and even more it's occurring to her that Fe-Anar himself would be ecstatic if this being did exactly that.

"Understood," Ione says.

"I'd know from having seen him for only two minutes that his pride is his fatal flaw.  He is not ready to lead a voyage out of Creation.  He is not ready to hear how unready he is."

"There is something in the nature of Creation or perhaps what lies beyond it, that makes mortals to matter in it at all, as we wouldn't otherwise expect to be true.  For that reason I consider it a running concern that perhaps a voyage like this one can only succeed if it's a mortal to begin it and drive it, a mortal who hasn't been turned into a full hand-puppet of gods along the way.  But he is unequal, at present, even to the simpler requisite of coming to reasonable terms with me about my aid.  He wants to be sole captain of the voyage and rule it alone, and it is possible to put him into a mood where he does not want to hear from his advisors.  I would not, at present, want to go with him, as he is.  So Nethys's gamble ends here and poorly, unless Nefreti Clepati tells this man everything pertinent she knows about his fates and his dooms, and that enables him to grow beyond those."

"Understood."

"My price for my aid to Nethys in this matter, is that Nefreti Clepati tells me anything she's glimpsed in other possibilities about a power that can control space, or make portals of a vast scale; any such tale, however distant from us, might give me a hint about where to look for a power like that somewhere in Creation.  Success there would also make this a more promising voyage.  And you need me to decide, in the end, that I'll gamble on this being the right moment to go into a greater exile."

"I'll convey that, though I can't speak for my master.  How is Nefreti to contact You?"

"She knows me.  So will you, as soon as I decide the matter is no longer a secret from you.  And that's also a helpful act toward him, for it's better that people begin by seeing me as I am, for good or ill, and only afterward consider the distorted stories of me."

The old woman turns back to Fe-Anar, speaking this time again to be heard by both.  "I will be waiting here in Fire where you found me, if you later become more desiring of my aid.  I'd offer to send some small minion with you, for your convenience, but I don't expect you want that."

"Doesn't really sound convenient, no. I'll think about what you had to say, though rather little of it was about how concretely to do a project like this one."

"If you could somehow lay your hands upon the energies that sustain Creation, the mathematics of them have been the study of an ancient silver dragon who dwells in Kenabres.  I'd help you more if I could, but while I yet dwell within Creation I am constrained by far too many oaths and pacts and treaties and considerations."

He nods, because all the things he can think of to say are sarcastic and that's just bad incentives when she's actually being mildly helpful.

Outward sarcasm would mean nothing to her; only the underlying realities of his attitude matter.  But that he cares at all what she thinks, and restrains his pride in any way, is progress.

"I say also - in case it should matter to you - that I have not truly been here in person, though this form does resemble me and I have been speaking through it quite directly.  Approaching you in my true person without asking your permission about it would not have been courteous."

He figured. Gods tend to be notable to be around. "I thank you for the courtesy, to whatever degree courtesy is how your decision was motivated."

She smiles slightly, and folds her hands into her lap.  Though the metal blindfold is still on her, there is an air about her as if she'd closed her eyes.

Cheliax, at a point in time later than it was before the text earlier said 'Earlier:':

The developing situation in Cheliax is complicated, and of course fraught, and it could hardly be otherwise.

First Abrogail Thrune was assassinated along with Aspexia Rugatonn inside her own palace, which is the sort of thing that happens from time to time.  Then Abrogail Thrune was Wishnapped out of Hell, which happens less.  Worst of all, the Crown of Infernal Majesty was lost.

...and then two days later that Crown was ransomed back from Keltham, now styling himself Keltham of Elsewhere.

Foremost, the Crown was exchanged for Cheliax locating every last woman it could find from its secret ilani breeding-program: and giving those women a choice.  On the one hand, a Polymorph-abortion before their children could be ensouled.  Or alternatively, going to Osirion to be made statues, possibly for quite a while, until Keltham or his chosen delegate declared that Creation had become a fitting place for dath ilani children; or else decided that the children must be aborted after all.  In either case those women would afterward be made very rich and free to go where they wished.

And secondmost in exchange of the Crown's return, the Chelish state and Asmodeus's Church, were to make no further effort in person or by proxy to locate or retrieve Abrogail Thrune.

So now, Cheliax can infer:  Given that Keltham seemed to know about the breeding program in the first place, Keltham almost certainly knows he has remaining children in Cheliax.

Keltham knows he couldn't get them all.

Keltham, evidently, cares about his prospective children a great deal.

If you had higher Intelligence and Splendour than Wisdom, you might conclude - after a deadline of probable ensoulment had passed, and Keltham had not destroyed Cheliax already - that this meant it was okay to invade Osirion now.

You would not have wanted to look at any earlier point like you were about to invade Osirion.  Keltham might not have liked that, and you wouldn't have had those definitely-not-hostages yet.

So you would not be ready to invade immediately after the deadline passed, because you couldn't visibly prepare before that.

But once that deadline had passed, you would start carrying out Cheliax's previous plan, to then begin readying its forces to invade Osirion.

So the first complication of the present situation, then, is that Cheliax is now visibly gathering its forces for war.

Obviously Cheliax hasn't officially made any announcement that Osirion is the target.  That part is not spoken outside of the most tightly secured chambers, lest any spy should hear it and make official report.

But that's only so spying empires can potentially pretend not to know, and choose not to take official notice.  Everyone knows that if Cheliax is invading anyone, it's almost certainly the home of the Scientific Revolution.

The next element of complication is who now sits upon the throne of Cheliax.  Imaginably, one could try to hold the throne open against Abrogail Thrune's return; but then far too many people would try to seize it.  Cheliax must have a single clear ruler, at all times, but especially if war is about to begin.

When Abrogail guessed that Calantra Thrune would most likely be next to rule the Chelish Imperium, she made that guess based on mistaken premises having to do with time-travel.

Calantra Thrune is sensible, cautious; older than Abrogail was when Abrogail assumed the throne.  Given the apparent circumstances, Calantra has opted to back the throne-bid of a cousin instead.  Abrogail is not abandoned by the Church to Hell, she is ransomed away from Cheliax's rescue.  For all anyone knows, Keltham could decide to send Abrogail Thrune back the next day.  If Abrogail II is really gone for good, Calantra suspects her cousin's reign may not last all that long anyways; most Chelish reigns don't.

There are things you ought not to do if you are determined to keep your head attached to your shoulders for very long, and one of those things is seating yourself upon the Throne of Cheliax, in the throne room that was Abrogail's, while Abrogail Thrune still exists in any form that might take offense.

Then the new Infernal Majestrix, now styling herself Terthule II though that wasn't her birth-name, is no coward whatever else you might say of her.

Her new position is, of course, fragile; all the more so because Terthule II must avoid letting her reign appear fragile at almost any cost, including that she must avoid the appearance of being concerned about the appearance of fragility.

Terthule II has conducted no systematic sweep of Abrogail II's loyalists, because a number of former Abrogail loyalists are too valuable to be easily disposed-of; Abrogail II's visible fondness for somebody tends to have been unfortunately correlated with their competence.  For that matter, an evenhanded tally of the pro-Abrogail faction would have to include, for example, Aspexia Rugatonn, who while on constantly fractious terms with Abrogail II did dislike her less than previous monarchs.  If you sweep the Abrogail loyalists, but leave visible holes in the sweep corresponding to people you don't dare kill, that makes you look weak.

Terthule II, then, has not conducted a sweep of only the weaker Abrogail loyalists, given that she cannot sweep them all.  The appearance of indifference to them can also serve.

But there are many unimportant personnel responsible for maintaining the Majestrix's personal quarters (mostly repaired after the attack by some greater ilani weapon); and it was easy enough for Terthule to make their palace-service more difficult and demanding.  After which it is only natural that Terthule sent off to torture, or took a few moments to personally punish, those personal servants of the Queen who failed in their work.  Among those already excruciated to death are several souls whom Abrogail II was said to favor, among her personal household.  It serves to perform that Abrogail II is never coming back.

This does have the effect of making a lot of other competent people, whom Abrogail II might have arguably visibly favored in some way, a little nervous about Terthule II.  Really the fact that Terthule II isn't purging tons of competent people is something to be said in her favor as a Chelish monarch, even if she's refraining from it during an incredibly tense situation on the verge of war.  But it's the sort of internal peace that could change on less than a round's notice.

Another, stranger source of complications in Cheliax, is that somebody has been casting permanent symbols of healing within Asmodean temples - starting with those at the Worldwound, and then in the primary temples serving major Chelish cities.  This mysterious benefactor of Cheliax has left no calling card, set off no alarms that anyone remembers, and demanded no payment.

This is a rather significant act, one that in some ways shifts balances of power -

Really?  In that case, one wishes to know why it wasn't done earlier.