A Return

[Corwin]

"Unfortunate. So how do we die? Someone like Shar decides 'fuck it, I'm gonna storm the Cauldron and kill Seira there today' and repeats it until it sticks? Or there are other Incarnation-made trinkets like 21 unclaimed out there?"

[Anastasia]

"No, not that I know of," Lathander says, "Unless you're slain in your divine realm, it's meaningless. You'll reform there instead, much faster but in the same spirit as an outsider slain off their home world." Rubbing his chin, "If a mortal is the one who slays you in your divine realm, it's also meaningless. They can't kill a deity by themselves. If another deity does it, you'll have one final clash of will. If you win, you'll survive and reform. If you fail, it's over.  If anything comes next for a slain deity, the Incarnations never bothered to tell us."

Kicking back now, watching as the ocean view becomes a grassy, sunny field, "It's part of why most of us never perish. It's hard enough killing one of us, let alone at home, after all the battles before it and then managing to make it stick. The Incarnations made it hard for us to actually die for good."

[Corwin]

"Nice to know there's no surprises on this front, at least," Seira says with a grin. "Unless whatever Lixer was doing in Avernus is relevant for us? Something about keeping outsiders from reviving by trapping their spirits and raising them as undead minions?"

[Anastasia]

"I doubt it," Lathander says, shaking his head, "Maybe his father could, but it would invite everyone teaming up on them above the normal rules and relationships. Anyone who can break that pattern is an instant threat to us all." Now with a tighter smile, "Auril, Bane, Cyric, Malar, Mask. Horrible one and all, but we can cooperate when something threatens us all."

[Corwin]

"It does make me wonder. Even the Hells want Shar gone, and her only allies will likely be from the Abyss. So why haven't we all banded together against her yet? What's stopping us? Don't tell me the idea hasn't been around since long before I was born!"

[Anastasia]

"She's powerful, for one thing. Selune's been doing her level best to kill her since the beginning and she's still going," Lathander says, with a bit of a frown,"The Prophecy of Primus seems to be at least partly right - Shar's strong and getting stronger.  Plus...not everyone wants to fight her in the same way. Remember Agares? You should, you put him down for good. Additionally, not everyone wants to kill her. Then again, we also have so many Hells that I think it's safe to say there's lunatics who like her."

[Corwin]

"So if I wanted to send envoys to... oh, I don't know, Celestia, Morwel, Mechanus, Arvandor and Nessus, they wouldn't come to the table to discuss taking her out? And if they do, it won't be enough?"

[Anastasia]

"It's that we need more. That's why we're promoting deities, to help fight Shar," Lathander points out, "They'd answer in their ways. Let me tell you a simple secret: Right now, if we attack Shar's realm, we lose." Taking a breath, "She's grown strong, Seira. Dreadfully strong. We're Competing against her with all we have, preparing, raising a force to fight her, but we're not ready yet. If this Prophecy is true, we're going to stop it. Have hope, we will stop Shar. But as it stands, we aren't ready. You're part of the army we need, Seira."

[Corwin]

"I do have hope," she tells him, the corner of her mouth quirked into a grin. "I am hope! And sugar and spice and everything nice, I shall have you know!"

Her own inclination would be towards leading a special forces unit to kill Shar rather than an army to face an endless horde of shadows and various horrors, but that's a matter for later. If Lathander doesn't believe they would win, then it's too early to make any waves in that direction.

"You mentioned the Competition just now," Seira notes then. "I've been meaning to ask you about that as well. Who do you have in the running for the Daa-vid judgement? I've started to push for a decision recently, and it would be well to coordinate with you. Alicia's out, as you might know, and Mystra, Helm and Waukeen should be out of the running due to the way they sponsored us and Demedais. I'd like my champion to work closely with yours-- and it does bring me to an earlier question, of what happens if the two of us remain the only ones in contention after we beat the rest during a Competition. Do we both claim the world? Or in this case, the prize?"

[Anastasia]

"Hope, sugar AND spice!" Lathander laughs at that, "Not only are you a majestic dragon, but you can make a wonderful cake with that!"

Calming a bit as you go on, "A few prospects, nothing major. Your Oberuth's the main contender, I think? He could probably do it, he's not as old as everyone there wants to think."

[Corwin]

"If you cheat, go all out. If you gamble, go all in. That's how we like to do things, don't we? Do let me know if you find a good prospect soon, since you're the easiest to work with, as far as I'm concerned."

It seems like it's a good time to breach the topic she's most worried about raising, though that sort of apprehension never stopped Seira before. "And speaking of those, I didn't realize it at the time, but I've made a faux pas where it came to making Donald my proxy, haven't I? Sorry for that, but at the same time it got me thinking, once I realized this. If I made to steal him away by offering him the choice, how upset would you be?"

[Anastasia]

Lathander answers by grinning and laughing. He lifts you up into a rough hug, "Mad? You finally adopted him!" Guh, he's STRONG! Your ribs! He spins you around a few times before putting you down, "You need Donald, Seira. It's why I sent him back when he died fighting with you. It's why I kept making sure he ended up in your camp. Yes, that's normally a huge faux pas and possibly a reason for a serious conflict, I was hoping you'd do something like that."

Gesturing out, as the Deep Ethereal changes, changes into flickering images of, Donald and you, of past adventures in a hazy, dreamlike way. "You need someone like him, someone loyal to you, someone who for all his faults, is strong and brave and willing to lay his life down for you. Someone who is a bit of a misfit, willing to make their own way in life with you."

Still smiling quite a bit, "Now in any other situation, you'd have a furious deity on your hands for what you did, I have no objections in this case. Just don't get into making it a habit."

[Corwin]

Her draconic constitution is not for nothing! But if she were just her old squishy wizard self, there would be bruising!

"Glad to hear it!" she says enthusiastically. "We really do fit great. Why don't we work more together?"

[Anastasia]

"That's a great idea, I'll send Donald some ideas for that," Lathander says, "Have to keep him busy, too, and decide on some good joint opportunities."

[Corwin]

"Nice! And also, keep an eye out on Fire in the next week or so while waiting for a chance. You'll know it when you see it," Seira tells Lathander with a wink.

Actually, that brings her to the last thing she wanted to talk to Lathander about, so she might ask. "I understand that the form of Goldenfire Kossuth taught me is incomplete, at least where it comes to what you wield," she notes. "Do you have some advice for me on how to improve my skills with it? Or how to grant the ability to those who've earned the reward?"