A new sultan?

[Corwin]

Seira feels rather confident about her assumptions, all things considered. She continues her exploration of the possibilities, this time with information only she and a select few hold.

Namely, the Arbiter. She focuses on him, for Alicia, Io and Zaphkiel seem to believe that the Arbiter is either one of the other two Incarnations, most likely of Balance, or that he is a being from outside Creation equivalent to an Incarnation. Shar's true power comes from the support of the Incarnation of Chaos, Ao, but the Prophecy only works when that boundless power is unopposed. Yet what about the Arbiter's efforts to counter it? If the two superpowers take each other off the board, Shar is left as merely a very powerful deity. And less powerful, recently, given Oberuth, Marianne and Lyris's efforts! So Shar can be weakened, Shar can be chastised, and Shar can certainly be defeated!

[Anastasia]

Gimme another round of checks then, good luck!

[Corwin]

20:37 <Seira> roll 1d20+65+4+18+4+1 researcher
20:37 <Seira> roll 1d20+20+3+2+20+4+1 int
20:37 <Penuche2> Seira invokes Penuche's magic: < 108 > [d20=16]
20:37 <Penuche2> Seira invokes Penuche's magic: < 63 > [d20=13]

[Anastasia]

It seems to be the crux of the question, doesn't it?

If the Arbiter is the Incarnation of Law or Balance, then he's accounted for as much as such a being can be. The interlocking of the Prophecy can only go far if admittedly an omnipotent being can just flip the table, so to speak. Your logic does seem to be getting sounder, though the Prophecy's core of normality as well as interlocking nature seems to resist it, to provide reasons and arguments against it, showing Shar's waxing power instead.

[Corwin]

But Shar's power is waning right now. In fact, isn't it by the Arbiter's power that judgement was passed on Shar to weaken her? And Shar has been losing a lot, lately. To Seira herself, where one of her proxies found her death. To Alicia, who outright captured another. Selune's elevation at the same time Shar was slapped in the face is just the icing on that cake.

Primus's hypothesis is very beautiful and elegant, Seira would be the first to admit, but reality supplies data countering the very premise of ever-ascending Shar that will inevitably outstrip any and all other powers, even should they band together against her. By however metric one might use, Shar today is weaker than the Shar that got her mother and Alicia's first family killed, before Seira's friends helped turn Kesse around, before Emmaline was rescued from Shar's plots, before Helm ascended to his new role and put a stop to Shar's blatant cheating, nevermind the recent series of upsets for that bitch....

[Corwin]

Figured I'd roll again.

21:26 <Seira> roll 1d20+65+4+18+4+1 researcher
21:26 <Penuche2> Seira invokes Penuche's magic: < 100 > [d20=8]
21:26 <Seira> roll 1d20+20+3+2+20+4+1 int
21:26 <Penuche2> Seira invokes Penuche's magic: < 57 > [d20=7]

[Anastasia]

It comes down to one factor: How weakened is Shar? Will this permanently weakened her and disrupt the entire thing, or is it a setback? You need information you simply don't have to go further. As you chew on that?

'Seira.'

Selune's voice, clear and pure.

[Corwin]

Hello! And congratulations!

[Anastasia]

'Tomorrow we shall sally into the Plane of Shadow. The divine only, a test of how weak Shar has become. Are you and yours interested?' Selune sends.

[Corwin]

I'll happily bring Ranbar along with me to bond over fighting Sharrans. Give me the when and where, and we'll be there to help!

[Anastasia]

'Then be prepared,' Selune says, 'Come to the Gates of the Moon.'

[Corwin]

We'll be there, Seira assures Selune.

[Anastasia]

Okay then, going to go talk to Ranbar?

[Corwin]

Let's

[Anastasia]

Ranbar is found in the library. Her head is bowed, a prayer murmured. Checking, it's to you.

'Lady Seira, guard and protect this knowledge that I am about to read, so that it may return in the investment of learning it.'