"I cannot rule it out. The timeline of the Crusade up to this date is correct, but I don't know that it would obviously be different if we assume a different eighth-circle wizard levelled under the pressure after Arazni's death.

....Arazni is. Uh. This is actually one of the most baffling bits because it happened before prophecy broke. Lastwall attempted a doomed assault on Geb, with unclear objectives, and Geb retaliated by raising Arazni as undead and setting her to ruling the country for him, which she is still doing."

" - you know, that actually makes some sense of what were some very confusing Communes from Aroden on that topic."

"...Well. I suppose it does." It does not really surprise her that Geb could do that, though given that he could it's a little surprising that Aroden couldn't.

"Anyway. Your Church circa a hundred fifty years ago looks - as expected. Never did work anything out with Belkzen but were in fact keeping the soldiers on that border Lawful Good. Ustalav was still haunted but there'd been no credible candidate to unify it. Tar-Baphon's sealed. Lastwall intended to field a very large army at the start of the Age of Glory, for Aroden's use in Nidal and Geb and wherever else. Lastwall was importing most of its food. The god-war - lasted most of a month, came with intense storms that ripped most of the crops out of the ground. The storms never stopped, in some places. Lirgen and Yamasa don't exist anymore. 

Something like one person in eight starved that winter worldwide and it was worse, obviously, in places that were relying on imports. So everything being a mess is - adequately explained, I think. You could've turned out wrong but I don't see reason to believe you did, once I account for everything else."

Hundreds of millions starving to death, multiple countries flooded under permanent storms - It's not surprising that this doesn't feel like good news, even though as the answer to their questions about Iomedae's ascension it definitely is.

It was pretty much all implicit in "Aroden dead" but it doesn't, somehow, hurt less for that reason. 

"You think I should go myself to Vigil."

       "Obviously," says Marit. "Look, I could go to taverns in Vellumis and talk to people over drink, but I won't learn much from that I didn't learn in Drezen unless I spend a month at it. And if I try more ambitious information-gathering - sending scouts, changing my face around, doing any proper spying - it is eight hundred years in the future, they're up against Asmodean Cheliax, I'm not baiting adorable paladins who've never met an untrustworthy person before. They have magic we aren't familiar with. Sunhammer had ethereal alarm. They might catch me, they won't believe me if they do, it'll be embarrassing and the set of people who'll learn there's something afoot might get quite large."

They won't believe Iomedae, either, probably, but they'll authorize a Commune.

"It's an awkward position to be in, if She didn't, in fact, turn out right."

      "If She didn't turn out right," Marit says, "it's - not going to be in a way where she wants everyone in Cheliax to go to Hell. I am much more confident She'll tell Her church to work with you than I am that She turned out right. And if I had to bet, at this point, I'd bet She turned out right."

"Thank you. Korva, have you thought more about under what circumstances you'd be comfortable with my operating in your world?"

"Some. I - think I am going to want you to write up a formal list of things you'd be willing to agree to based on the concerns I outlined earlier, I am not particularly good at coming up with wordings for formal agreements. And I'll want to bring Regill here to give his opinion on what things the agreement we come up with is adequate for, but - we didn't want to discuss logistics on the other side, and it's night there right now, so I figure I'll bring him over again in the morning."

"I will want you to agree to abide by the terms of the Worldwound treaty, which we can provide for you. I will want you to agree to keep your involvement with me secret until any wars you plan to start are over, I cannot afford to be seen meddling or appearing to meddle in Cheliax's internal affairs. I will want you to commit to not starting any wars, with Cheliax or anyone else, until you honestly and confidently believe you can finish out the entire armed conflict in six weeks and do it without the Worldwound defenses breaking down, or unless you convince me that it is worth it anyway, as you proposed. The Chelish Civil War that left Asmodeus in power lasted thirty-three years and left the country worse than decimated, and I do not want a repeat. And I am going to want a commitment to offer the Fifth Crusade the troops and other resources that we need to close the wound, if and when you win the war with Cheliax, but I am not sure I'm personally skilled enough or aware enough of the military resources of southern Avistan to lay out exactly what the terms of that commitment should be. Those are the important things, I think."

She nods seriously. "I have been thinking about details for most of those. I - also very much don't want a war that lasts thirty three years, or even one year, and I genuinely expect we'll be able to do this - close to overnight, and I agree it's worth delaying the doing in order to do it close to overnight. I do not myself know much about southern Avistan's military resources, but one of my first priorities is going to be talking with Nefreti Clepati and Felandriel Morgethai, who are frankly also the people you'd want, more than you'd want armies, on closing a planar rift.

Some armies will probably be necessary in support roles but it sounds like the problem is presently unsolved, not just the solution unimplemented. 

I can get you a proposal by morning, which you and Regill can review with the headband and ask me questions about.

Also, I have reached a satisfactory temporary agreement with Sunhammer, and he's being useful, so I can send a seventh-circle wizard back with you tonight, if you would like that."

"...yes. I would like that. Assuming that they're willing to abide by an agreement similar to the one that Marit is operating under. Possibly tomorrow, if you need time to work that out with them."

"Marit, is there anything in particular I should alert them of -"

"I'm very comfortable with our arrangement. I do expect that if we import enough interesting people who showed up out of nowhere we'll catch the attention of Iomedae's spies. I don't know how soon you expect to be in control of Her church."

"My guess is two days, if the agreements are signed tomorrow."

"Then it should be fine. - don't send Vads, I don't trust his judgment. Don't send Heleer, I have no idea what he's playing at but it's obviously something."

"I'd asked Tanat, in general terms. She said she'll go. And she'll listen to you, unless Korva prefers a different command structure than that." 'Will listen to anybody at all' is an important and rare quality in wizards of that power.

"I'm fine with her answering to Marit."

"Then I'll have her for you in the morning, along with a proposal for our operations in Avistan. I have also requested of the Council on Civilized Warfare a monitor appointed to adjudicate legal questions relevant to my conducting a war in an alternate timeline; I will by default make a copy of our agreements available to them, and they can probably provide third-party feedback on whether the proposed contracts seem adequate to avoid requiring arbitration later."

Marit is not going to say anything but he is now imagining the letter in which Iomedae made this request and the face of the poor extremely Lawful bureaucrat who read it, and is very cheered by so imagining.

"That seems fine." She doesn't really know who that is, but they're in this world and not hers, so she's not extremely worried and wouldn't really have any grounds to demand otherwise if she were. 

"I don't know if your timeline also has a similar institution."

Marit shakes his head and says "Asmodeans" as a heartfelt curse. People who simply won't participate in Lawful treaties are one thing; people who will put a great deal of effort into making sure that every single one goes badly for their counterparty rather wreck the whole thing.

"All right. Then I have no further questions; do you have more for me?"

"I don't think so, not currently."

"Then I will see you tomorrow, Knight-Commander Korva. Thank you." 

Then Korva will nod, and not-a-teleport back with Marit.

There's nothing specifically urgent that needs to be done tonight, she doesn't think. She talks to Zara, at least a little bit, though not enough that she feels like things are okay, really. It's - actually really depressing, to realize that she's spending down so much of herself on other things that she doesn't have enough left over to give Zara the focus she deserves. On the other hand, Zara spent the whole day playing with dragons and azatas and other kids, so she can't feel too bad about it.

They share the bed in Korva's room, and it's almost like old times, when Korva first started taking care of her. Zara probably doesn't remember anything of Cheliax. She spends a while trying to decide whether she thinks that's good or bad.

In the morning she rounds up Regill and Marit, and takes them over to the other side once again.