Understood. (She's so proud of them. She conceals it, because it's condescending, but she's so proud of them.)

Iomedae has, of course, an army - a large one, one absolutely sufficient to take any power in Avistan in its day or probably this one - and a war to which it is already committed, with an adversary probably creative and powerful enough to find his way to this world if they tip their hand (though Discern Location doesn't suffice. They haven't checked if Wish does). She is obliged not to use the Crusade forces for conquering the Empire of Taldor, or the River Kingdoms, and has a legal consultant on what implications this should be understood to have in the other world, but her legal consultant thinks that operations in Cheliax will be unambiguously permissible. She is not obliged to use the Crusade forces exclusively towards the cause they were mustered for, and in fact has historically authorized plenty of side-adventuring generally with the objectives of making liberated Encarthan or its major trade routes safer for civilians, or recovering powerful magic artifacts for the use of the Crusade, or just trying to push people up a circle.

 The conservative play is to win that war in the five more years it supposedly took her historically, without substantial resources from the other world, and then bring most of its forces over to this world, if a method for doing that has been, by then, devised. In the meantime Lastwall'd have occasional ninth circle support - she's not clear how much that's presently so - and occasionally Iomedae. 

She thinks she can do better than that, though it'll depend somewhat what interested parties have to tell her. She wants to try not just because five years of the present situation is very bad in humanitarian terms but because their many enemies might, in fact, come to notice, if they try to keep a secret this important for this long, and it's easy to see how their problems could get much worse from there.

She wants to make it clear that she is, objectively, a spectacularly good battlefield commander, obviously personally competent at killing anything not itself partway to being a god, and good at predicting what god-Iomedae wants, or at least predicting where she'll be good at that. She possesses no specific reason to think she's better than Lastwall at any other element of their jobs, beyond that she has an artifact headband which the Shining Crusade command just shares for decisionmaking because that works much better than just having a god-commander who's smarter than everyone else. She will share it here too. They will probably have to tell her on many occasions when she is missing context or just wrong.

She was a spectacularly good field commander. Nine hundred years ago. And he's sure she will be again, but before she runs any battles or campaigns in the present day he highly recommends that she study some of the more recent developments in the art. Some of it will be relevant to Her Crusade too, though given how Tar-Baphon's tactics are similarly antiquated there's an entirely different set of historical lessons to rely on there than in a modern war. Depending on how she plans to commit her time he can get her some manuals and the latest reports from observers in the River Kingdoms, or pull someone from the war college who can modify the lecture series for ex-Taldane officers.

Whether the conservative play is the right call for this world is not something Zima feels very able to comment on, since he doesn't know if there's anything planned for Cheliax that is on a particular schedule. Presumably this means leaving the fifth crusade to succeed or fail on its own merits, which means probably fail, but not irrecoverably so, and Tar-Baphon will keep, so really it does come down to Cheliax.

Regarding spellcasting, they sometimes commission spellcasting from Morgethai or less often Razmir, but even occasional dedicated ninth-circle arcane support would be a huge improvement. Actually, speaking of Razmir, one thing Zima wants to know is whether they should just give Iomedae every permanent magic item they own, so that she can use them in Her Crusade, and then...give them to Lastwall at its founding. So that Lastwall now would still have them. Or maybe...twice as many of them? Or will that destroy the universe or something?

She has already ordered that a bunch of secret notes related to this event be placed among Lastwall's founding documents but she assumes that they ...were not there, either because of the work of adversaries or because it doesn't work like that. Probably because it doesn't work like that. Probably these are, in some respects, separate worlds, which were on a similar track until abruptly they weren't. (For one thing, she's probably going to tell Aroden that the Age of Glory failed, and that will probably cause Aroden to take different actions.)

They can still do a lot of magic item trading once the campaign season is over for the Shining Crusade, if they're operating openly by that point. The Shining Crusade needs to be capable of defending itself in winter but many of its minor magic items on low-powered people aren't relevant to that, and could be sent over for six months if they'd be well-utilized here. 

(She is committed to helping with the Fifth Crusade but chooses not to indicate that at this time as it'd make it easy to guess that Korva has some role in this.)

She does want to borrow people from the war college who she can take back to her world with her, it seems worth it under any plausible guesses about how she'll spend her time. Her assistants already grabbed a lot of history books but that's notably worse.

She also wants, if Lastwall thinks it's safe, to make Morgethai and Nefreti Clepati aware of her. She's hoping that they will be interested in collaborating on some of her plans.

Occasional dedicated ninth-circle arcane support should just be straightforwardly available from here. They should know that Alfirin is probably Lawful Evil, but if they work with Razmir she expects they have the relevant skillset, and Iomedae does trust Alfirin very nearly completely (while considering it totally plausible that 900-years-future Alfirin is a very dangerous lich. Or is literally Areelu Vorlesh.)

They do not have any secret notes in their founding documents about this, or at least they didn't the last time he looked and if he understands time travel at all that should be the same thing.

Lastwall is happy to lend her lecturers from the war college. It's going to be more effective in the general case to send some of her officers here to study rather than splitting the faculty, but of course she herself is going to be very busy and for her in particular it might make sense to have a dedicated tutor.

It's definitely safe to make Morgethai aware of Iomedae. It's also probably safe and productive to make Clepati aware of her, though Clepati is a lot harder to work with and only a touch saner than her god.

Lastwall does not have a lot of experience with ongoing close cooperation with Lawful Evil archmages. The Lord-Watcher thinks they will manage, but - their dealings with Razmir have been quite limited and at a few removes. He's harder to work with than Clepati, though Zima thinks that's not because he's Evil so much as because he's an idiot, not that he'd ever say that outside a private sanctum lest word get out and the so-called Living God throw a tantrum and try to burn down Vellumis. Can Iomedae say a bit more about Alfirin, the way Lastwall would expect a powerful lawful evil person to be trustworthy is - sticking to their given word, cooperating on shared aims like the Worldwound, but not someone they can trust to work against Hell if it's not in their short-term narrow self-interest.

"When I asked her if I had her for Cheliax she said 'of course'.

Alfirin is an Arodenite, and about as serious about it as anyone. I don't confidently know that she's Evil, she hasn't been without a Mind Blank in decades and was Lawful Neutral then, but - if I had to guess, Lawful Evil is where my guess would land. But she's Evil, if she's Evil, because she means to evade judgement whatever it costs her and because she refuses to conceptualize the Good she does as - altruism, rather than as a selfish desire which happens to be for the world to be rich and free and safe. She - would not, if you asked, be able to give a good articulation of why she'll fight Hell at personal risk. But she'll definitely fight Hell at personal risk. 

She is Lawful not just in the sense that she narrowly won't break an oath but in the broader sense we try for, to be someone it's possible to work with, even when you'd otherwise fight, where we try not to make people disadvantaged for having trusted us or to build things on a false pretense, where we are excruciatingly careful in the wording of our commitments in order to avoid misunderstandings but are not seeking to benefit from those misunderstandings. My confidence in her runs a fair bit beyond her actual oaths to me. I don't know that she hasn't murdered anyone. I am wholly confident she hasn't murdered anyone within my jurisdiction, not because I specifically have her word on it but because she would, actually, not do that to me. The Shining Crusade is in a position where it would have to be willing to tolerate a lot from its only archmage, but she - has gone to some pretty substantial lengths not to undermine me by obliging me to make those compromises, actually, I suspect. The most significant benefit she derives from being indispensable is that she's rude to paladins when she's in a bad mood. 

I do fear for what she'll become, eventually, because as I said she isn't the type to let Pharasma have her. Wouldn't be even if she were definitely Lawful Neutral. We have agreed that, should this world's Alfirin be up to something that mine endorses and that I can't countenance, we'll finish out the Shining Crusade cleanly as allies and then have a horrendously destructive war if we can't negotiate something better. 

But the person she is now - faced with the problems we face now - I expect she'll help Lastwall with Hell as much as with the Worldwound or with Gallowspire or Belkzen, and for the same reason. You'll have better rapport if you just - treat her as an allied archmage who is working to destroy some common enemies, of which one is Asmodeus. 

We were lovers. Briefly. Decades ago. I am not at all surprised that didn't make the history books but it is context one might wish to possess." She wants to say that she genuinely doesn't think her judgment is compromised with respect to Alfirin but there's such a thing as protesting too much. 

His face scrunches up a bit, at that. That is wildly unprofessional and he really would not have expected it from Iomedae, even knowing that the trustworthy accounts have had Iomedae's more imitable mistakes stripped out. It's the sort of thing he'd really expect Geryon cultists to have added in their sabotage rather than remove.

"...We might want to get a report on her from, say, Arnisant, or Marit. Assuming they're not similarly...entangled. And also - do you think it's worth half a question in a commune, to ask whether she existed in our world, and whether we should try to find and contact her, and whether your judgement of her turned out to be in error at all. Just to be thorough."

"Yes, I do think it's worth the half question, and yes, you should get a report from them as well. Marit's in this world right now, I can invite him here if you'd like, or whoever comes back with me can speak to Arnisant. I have some other things that are probably worth half a question, most importantly if I should tell Aroden that the Age of Glory fails and He dies, but I can get you the whole list and my current confidence and useful confidence for each of them."

She is not going to particularly defend herself against that face. Obviously she was not Knight-Commander of the whole Crusade at the time and obviously Alfirin didn't report to her, but it was, in fact, still a stupid thing to do, which is why it was necessary to mention. 

Jan is actually unclear on whether or not Alfirin reported to Iomedae at the time, and even if she didn't horizontal relationships like that are also highly discouraged. And he's not going to ask, because it was a long time ago and because it is dawning on him that those regulations were probably written with personal experience in mind.

"We'd be delighted to host Marit. And any of your other officers who are available, of course."

"Just him right now, though you're welcome to come back with me and meet everyone if that ends up making strategic sense. Marit and I have a Telepathic Bond and I can call him over immediately if it's a good time."

"Why don't we relocate to a room with maps and our latest reports and you can call him over as we walk."

So she'll contact Marit once she's out of the Mage's Private Sanctum. All's well. I have both been assured I'll be obeyed as their goddess and told to get some training in modern military tactics. They want to speak to you, can you come by?

       They want to speak to me? I will ask Knight-Commander Korva.

They want to speak to you about whether my judgment with respect to Alfirin is terrible. Probably also other matters but that was the most immediate prompt.

        Ah. Well if they're asking me about thirty year old Iomedae I won't have anything nice to say, I'll tell you that. 

And he'll stop by to ask Knight-Commander Korva if he can make a quick trip to Vigil, "For personal reasons, and the conversation probably private even where it touches on your interests."

(Because admitting he's been at, or is interested in, the Worldwound is halfway to leaking the secret of Korva's involvement.)

"Sounds fine. Any idea when we should expect you back?"

“Probably by morning, I intend to notify you if it’ll be longer.”

"All right. Granted."

"Thank you, Knight-Commander."

And he'll appear at wherever Vigil tells Iomedae to tell him to Teleport to. He's in lightly enchanted armor and has a moderately nice magical sword and looks distinctly nondescript.

What is his name and business? Does he have a passport? Is he evil? (He does not appear to be evil.)

He is Lawful Good and, from the strength of the Lawful Good, either a cleric or paladin - and not a neophyte - or just very very good with the magic sword. He's been lately going under the name Tuvan, doesn't have a passport because he just arrived here by Teleport, and is here by the request of Allandra, who came by earlier and he thinks is in a meeting somewhere here.

Will he swear to abide to the best of his knowledge and ability by the laws of Lastwall and Vigil for so long as he remains within their borders, and in particular to engage in no violence nor cast any spell on an unconsenting person, except as necessary for self-defense or as authorized by an uncoerced officer of Lastwall? He may decline to so swear, or swear a modified oath.

He will swear to abide to the best of his knowledge and ability by what he currently knows to be Lastwall and Vigil's laws, and to attempt to peacefully depart if they inform him of any laws he's not presently aware of and doesn't expect to exist which would make him unwilling to make that commitment, and he'll swear to engage in no violence nor cast any spell on an unconsenting person except as necessary for self-defense or so authorized.

Then he may enter the city (through a forbiddance, which he doesn't observably flinch on crossing) and follow this page to someone who will be able to direct him to Allandra.

Who is in a new Mage's Private Sanctum and now has maps! She appreciates having maps. They'd started building their own but they weren't yet in very good shape. 

"Commander Marit. Thank you for coming. This is Lord-Watcher Jan Zima."

"Commander! Delighted to make your acquaintance. The current consensus of the academy is that Iomedae is underutilizing you, though our sources are apparently somewhat worse than we thought."

" - well I can't say that we'd have put in the books most of what I do! Pleased to meet you as well."

(He and Iomedae are both considerably more relaxed, now that they're in the same room, though you'd have to be very skilled at reading people to pick up on it.)

Jan Zima is skilled at reading people but not that skilled at reading people.

"Well, if the answer to 'Why didn't Marit get a larger and more independent command?' turns out to be 'He was too busy doing secret things' that is at least more of an answer than anyone living in our day has been able to figure out, though I suspect it may in some sense still have been a mistake. It's also possible that the calculus there is different when you're relying on a single archmage rather than a collection of less powerful wizards like we thought you had been. Tell me about her."