I do not mean this as an insult but I would have expected you to do more things, if you had a thousand years. Have your own rival country that’s better than Iomedae’s and Nex’s and Geb’s. He’s pretty sure she doesn’t have one or she’d be leveraging that to handle Cheliax. 

Tried it for a time. Didn’t appeal as much as you’d think. I think I did alright, it was rich and stable for a few centuries after I left it, fell apart with everything else when Aroden died. It’s not the only reason there’s a worldwound border to hold, but it saved some gods some miracles, holding the north as long as it did. She feels vaguely resentful about that, that the gods would wait to intervene until all the mortals involved had ground themselves to dust trying to protect the world themselves. She’d almost rather They left the Wound alone entirely; at least then the losses would have been for something.

Tried again, after. I was working from behind, and more indirectly, but - we’ll see if it was enough.

Is there some form of immortality devoid of the tradeoffs with which I am familiar, or is it broadly the unpleasant business it’s understood to be? 

Well, Nex and Aroden did something and neither of their solutions look to have had serious tradeoffs from the outside. I - obviously did not manage that before I was forty, and when one isn’t Nex or Aroden and one wants to be immortal it’s mostly about picking which tradeoffs you’re willing to make for it. I don’t know which ones you were most worried about.

I want a plan to keep working that is in no way psychologically premised on someday getting to stop. Now that I say that magic obviously cannot provide it. 

I'd also want for it to continue to be possible to work with people like Irabeth or Cansellarion. And, of course, very important to continue wanting to.

I no longer remember exactly how I did what I did but I can imagine modifications to it that paladins would not find inherently objectionable. I would help you find a way, if that's what you want, when we can spare the time.

...Magic can solve the psychological angle but I really do not want to do that to you and I think you don't want it either.

No. I'll figure it out eventually. 

He had not at all expected her to just offer to help. He doesn't quite know what he could possibly say in response to that. When we can spare the time - I'm likely to take you up on that.

When Catherine comes back to her room one day, Daeran has filled it with rose petals and a hot tub. 

(Anyone who Alarmed this room or has remote viewing for it probably isn't surprised.)

(This includes him but then he stopped looking because there is such a thing as spying on your allies to a degree that risks them being annoyed with you.)

That's... really quite excessive. It's...sweet... but also she's now worried that she and Daeran may not have been on the same page about how serious their relationship was even before Catherine learned she was possessed by an evil wizard.

(Said evil wizard rolls her imaginary eyes and makes a mental note to bother Marit about that portrait again, so that she can give Catherine some meaningful privacy next time. She gets the sense Catherine cares about that.)

...She is mostly just staring blankly which is uncharacteristic of her. Snap out of it, Catherine.

"...What a surprise! This...really is incredibly sweet mon cœur, but - I'm afraid you've caught me at a rather terrible time." There will never be a better time, but she doesn't have the heart to say it now.

"Don't worry," he says, amused and only half misreading her, "I was moved far more by my fondness for roses and hot tubs than by my fondness for you. I will reluctantly relocate, though, if you have other business, or another lover about to climb through the window."

She smiles at him fondly even though those words put an awful feeling in her stomach - "No other lovers," she promises, meaning it if not the sentiment behind it, "I just feel the need to be alone tonight." and that's a lie, because she'll never be alone again.

"Well, I shan't tell you where I have relocated the hot tub too, but I expect that if you find yourself no longer aching to be alone you are clever enough to track it down."

She kisses him goodbye and keeps the smile on her face even as she wonders whether that was wrong.

(...Portrait. And plan to cast a telepathic bond and have that conversation as soon as Marit's available.)

He tried his hand at sketching Alfirin, when he had a spare moment. He pulls out the picture and shows it to her. It's a pretty good likeness, though he took care for it not to look like a picture of a dangerous and powerful adventurer that might inspire curiosity (not that anyone should ever see it in the first place). Her hair is done up nicely and she's smiling.

She can't really tell whether it's a good likeness or not. She has definitely done her hair up nicely and smiled though she's not sure if Marit's ever seen either... he's seen her smile, surely, but it might have been a while. She casts the spell.

"...This seems to be good enough." And Catherine's body hasn't collapsed so presumably she's still in there.

"...It doesn't feel any different."

"Uncanny. I wonder if Possession would also work - presumably only to give Alfirin someone else's body, but it might improve your time use options at points where you're both very busy - and that lasts hours, instead of only as long as your will holds the spell." It's somewhat of a relief that unpossessed Catherine isn't now claiming wildly different things about her situation but not very reassuring; Alfirin could manage a Dominate he can't see.

"It can work that way, yes," She might be the world's leading expert on that spell. "I can keep this up for a few hours, though, and this way doesn't involve depriving you of your body - I do not want to read in another person."

"How often can you do this?"

"Every day, in theory."