Would it count as abandoning Eru if one used the word "religion" for eccentric things they do for inscrutable Maia reasons? I don't think I've said anything actually incompatible with serving Eru where everyone can hear.

The eccentric things you do bear very very little resemblance to the eccentric things they do, and eating our food would be tremendously unreasonable behavior under the circumstances were you a Maia, but perhaps it could pass. It would be more of a problem were we to actually attempt a full reconciliation.

Well, we have time to think of something. There won't be any defectors before we arrive, for certain.

I do not expect so. How long do you expect the crossing to take, having scouted it and knowing how your magic can assist the process?

My magic—more accurately Findekáno's and Irissë's, it had to be Eldar doing it—can make it cooperative. No one freezes, nothing collapses on or underneath anyone, but it's still hiking hundreds of miles. Maybe a few weeks.

All right. I will consider ways to maintain your cover once we've reached them, but it does not seem our highest priority.

It's not completely unrecoverable if your people figure things out. I'm more worried the Fëanorians might.

That would indeed be a disaster. I assume there's no way they can accidentally acquire the attendant powers?

No, definitely not. I just don't want to be vicariously liable for whatever they get up to. Theoretically Irissë, Findekáno, and any future practitioners have the same risk.

But less of a track record of mass violence and dangerous oaths.

I mean the Fëanorians could theoretically find out enough to snap through from watching them. Then they'd be on the hook for any future karma problems.

Good to know. We should probably avoid any plans that'd require us to work closely with them, then.

It is normally kept secret successfully, but if they're especially perceptive the risks are yours to weigh.

Especially perceptive and an especial disaster to have learn about it. I've occasionally wondered if my nephew has a way to read private thoughts, he's that good at reading people. 

If you mean that literally, I really hope he doesn't. He might have been one of the ones present when I talked to Fëanáro.

I'm sure there's nothing supernatural about it, he's just very perceptive and has a lot of people talking to him.

Then if there's no one to hear it from, he shouldn't be able to guess too much.

I should maybe stay away from him even if people who aren't obviously mysterious don't have to.

You and my children, he agrees.

If they avoid him more than they otherwise would, that could give away more information than trying to act normally. 


A planet full of telepaths, fine, but of course there has to be a Sherlock Holmes too.

They have sufficiently good reason to avoid him anyway; we trusted him and that worked out badly for us.

If everyone involved would avoid him anyway, that's convenient for secrecy. Is he the only danger?

Fëanáro wouldn't notice suspicious behavior if it ran at him naked, glowing, and shrieking. Unless it were shrieking in a language other than Quenya. 

I will keep the multilingual shrieking in mind in case I ever need to convince him.

That would also be strong evidence that you're a Man, though.

It would, wouldn't it.

In that case this could all be a moot point because I wasn't thinking in Quenya when I was using osanwë.