Do we have any evidence at all that there's still people on the surface?

I'm pretty sure it's just us, but we can ask a shadow to check if we want to.

Is Mendev real? Are we sure?

Weren't we supposed to be talking about rescuing the people on the surface? I vote we raise an army to go save them, and then to make sure it works without them all getting killed we mount them on fast flying creatures and then make sure they have plenty of class levels. Ranger sounds ideal.

I expect this to be part of the solution. 

Dead people also show up to scrying.

Hey Taupir, go check if there are people left on the surface for us!

(The scrying result could be an illusion to get us to go up there anyway, can't trust it.)

If there's people on the surface what am I hiding down here for?

Let me through the door I'm going home.

Is there a god of... holding this all together and keeping these people alive despite all of their best efforts? Cressida Kroft is praying to that god for strength.

Pray to Cayden instead, He actually has the Strength domain.

Nobody takes the Strength domain.

I took the Strength domain.

Isn't this just a temporary problem anyway? You can use raise dead on shadow and it doesn't even take a diamond.

Where are we getting the flying mounts for the army? How much training does it take to ride something flying?

That's exactly what we need more clerics for!

To summon outsiders to ride?

Isn't this just a temporary problem anyway? You can use raise dead on shadow and it doesn't even take a diamond.

You're thinking of spectres, and it's impractical to pull off.

Where are we getting the flying mounts for the army? How much training does it take to ride something flying?

The Sable Company has hippogriffs, but they hoard them to themselves. Maybe Queen Ileosa can nationalize them!

Yes. She could seize the hippogriffs. And. Distribute them to all of the state's best hippogriff-riding archers.

That's not fair. I shouldn't miss out on a hippogriff because of incompetence.

It should be a random lottery.

Not a random lottery - all the Hippogriffs would go to commoners then. We should auction off tickets.

Obviously I'd distribute the hippogriffs to my loyalists? Who do you people take me for??

You have that many loyalists?

If we action them it'll all go to the nobles!

We should do a fair three-way split, half to loyalists, half to an auction, half to a lottery!

Let's organize a public festival featuring a hippogriff archery contest! Recruit the best soldiers and raise morale all at once!