Onward with war

[Anastasia]

Jessica pats your shoulder, "Of course, sister," she says, excusing herself.

[Corwin]

"Elle and Valar are going over the information we have from the attackers on Balmuria, so perhaps you'd like to take a look there?" Seira offers to Jessica.

She nods to Alicia, then, easily agreeing. "Yes, that's a rule around here. I only take such risks when they are truly necessary, such as to try and deescalate a situation."

Once Jessica is gone, she continues, "I took one such risk during the attacks on our Prime of birth, which seemed to be carried out by dogai and with Imix's help. And then I took another, which is why I needed to see you so urgently. You see, Alicia, I've found Io."

[Ebiris]

Am I aware of those attacks, btw? Were any around my temples/shrines or did any of my guys get killed?

[Anastasia]

You were not targeted, but you'd be getting prayers about it mentioning it, even just in passing.

[Ebiris]

"I'm only just hearing about that through prayers after the fact," Alicia says, having missed all the fun as Imix trampled all over the Arbiter's edict. Will he even get any censure for that?

Probably not. There's still one seal not broken though!

"Anyway, you found Io?" she asks, refocusing. "I met a wizard your daughter Emily's taken up with, she was apparently chosen by Io, though from inference we and the other two yet to be found were chosen by I think Zaphkiel. I had a meeting with Asmodeus about Antenora's ascension and spoke to our 'benefactor' right after. It wasn't confirmed outright but the context was clear... so where's Io then?"

[Corwin]

Seira ensures with her divine power that they would not be overheard, and with a mental apology to Amaryl makes certain the room is cut off from her as well.

"Right under that wizard's nose, where he has been waiting for years since her empowerment. The part about being chosen by him has been confirmed, though for what deeds I couldn't tell you. I've met her to, and kept an eye besides due to Emily being there and calling on my power for miracles. She's... well. It seems Emily's happy, and kept safe since they rarely seem to go past the safety of a controlled environment?"

Seira shakes her head. "Nevermind. I tried to give her advice, she got angry with me over it but now seems to be following it somewhat, so we'll see how that develops. The reason I called you in that manner is because Io wants to test us. He's willing to tell us everything if we pass. About Shar, about things we couldn't discuss with anyone else for the past two decades. I can finally bring Amaryl in! He's expecting us, with one of our closest companions each, Oberuth, and the same deal with someone similarly chosen. I already know who to invite for that final slot, but I did want to run it properly past you first."

[Ebiris]

"She did mention something about our meeting going better than one she'd had with Emily's mother actually," Alicia says wryly. "I didn't linger long, she seemed interested in running everything by her other patron deities and I didn't want the entanglement. Are we sure Io really knows more than anyone else, though? I suppose we shouldn't discount it, but the Arbiter implied no one else knew what he told me when we last spoke. Who do you want to invite to be tested by him, then?"

[Corwin]

"With me, she was interested in running everything by her wizard council. During a time of crisis as an elite Sharran assassin infiltrated the premises and was killing them one after another. You can see why I tried to point out this is a terrible idea, given Emily is also living there."

To answer Alicia's question, Seira says, "The Arbiter cannot see the future, and at the time Io was still gone for eons. Given that he's running around and empowering someone to save Creation alongside our patron or patrons, it just seemed to me like he would. I tried to ask him without being direct in case I was wrong, and I felt like he was in the know. It's true, however, that in the end it's merely a hunch on my side. Still, there were three Incarnations, and if Io isn't a facet of one of them, he could've been filled in by one, perhaps even without the Arbiter's knowledge."

In order to answer the other question, she asks Alicia a seeming non-sequitur. "Did Marie tell you in detail about the trip we took to Balmuria together a while back?"

[Ebiris]

"Some," Alicia gives Seira a sharp look. "You're not thinking of that prodigiously talented young boy, are you?"

[Corwin]

"Of course not!" Seira says with a snort. "He's under our protection, in our own ways, and with Celestia also looking in. But what happened on that visit is that I got a glance at some of what he was writing here and there, and it looked like an extensive magical thesis. That's why I ended up meeting Moore -- Duke Moore of Celestia, erstwhile of Aurora. We agreed to work together on untangling this, and in the course of it had cause to cooperate on a few other things. He mentioned the effect around him. In fact, the way he was so blatant about it made me hold back on bringing him in before, but aside from a few minor personality clashes like that he seems to be a decent sort. In case you'd like to meet him before reaching a decision, I've already invited him earlier to compare our notes on that project, and you sitting in on that would be natural given Marie's earlier involvement."

[Ebiris]

"Marie mentioned a magical... thing, but she didn't consider it important," Alicia admits. "Then the boy visited Sylica and it never came up then. What's it about?" she asks. Latha will of course be thrilled that they've found another in this Moore person, a name she remembers from Ebony's reports with nothing negative said about him at least.

[Corwin]

"Well, I didn't think someone who didn't practice operational security properly was good to trust with my secrets at the time-- oh you mean with the notes." Hanging her head in embarrassment as she ducks behind her bangs, Seira extends a hand towards Alicia and the gathered information on Calley's notes appears there. "Even Mystra was stumped, but the way in which she was suggests to me this is tied to 21. Perhaps it's a blueprint to making our own, or it might be a way to locate it and its current holder, Sylvie. I don't want to guess, but spending some effort on figuring it out sounds like a good idea to me beyond academic curiosity."

[Ebiris]

Alicia focuses intently as she peruses Seira's notes...

Doing the whole alter reality buff routine of divine insight/greater heroism/improvisation/guidance of the avatar bit for +55 to my spellcraft check.

[17:58] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+46+55 super buffed spellcraft
[17:58] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 112 > [d20=11]

[Anastasia]

It looks like various magical diagrams, formula and lore to Alicia. You soon notice something else. The magic is absolutely refined, the sort of work you'd expect from an archmages with countless years to hone magic to its finest mastery. The difference between a mere mastery and the grandmaster of grandmasters, really. It's unbelievably well done stuff, by and large.

[Corwin]

Why not roll? So I did!

20:03 <CC> roll 1d20+71+4+16+20
20:04 <Penuche> CC invokes Penuche's magic: < 116 > [d20=5]