The Heavenly Host

“Well, the power to actually expel archdemons along with all the others would have been otherwise unimaginable,” Randolf said.

Lenamare nodded. “Again, not something you would ever expect to need to do.”

Randolf nodded in agreement, although he had been thinking about the need to do so most of his life. It was one of the first unmet needs he had experienced in life; in particular, the need to get rid of Exador once and for all. “And conveniently, it exposed the duplicitous and malevolent nature of your rival,” he said.

“Yes.” Lenamare frowned. “Sorry to deprive you of your mage.”

Clearly, Lenamare was still a bit sore about not being selected as Mage of Turelane, thought Randolf. However, Randolf had needed Exador closely tied to him in order to contain him, more than he needed an actual mage. He gave a short laugh. “Nonsense. I am better off not having a secret archdemon working for me. You have done me a great favor!” Randolf shook his head. “No one in their right mind would trust a bound archdemon, let alone an unbound one.” He tilted his head and frowned. “Although I’m not sure if there are any bound archdemons.”

“That remains to be seen,” Lenamare said sourly.

“Ahh, yes... that extra-greater demon of yours.” Randolf shook his head. “Rather troubling.”

“It is,” Lenamare agreed.

“Well, with all of this, you must at least be glad to have an explanation for Exador,” Randolf said casually.

“An explanation?” Lenamare asked, puzzled.

“Certainly. Now everything makes sense!” Randolf exclaimed, raising his hands as Lenamare looked at him in puzzlement.

“One thing I have always wondered is how nature managed to produce two such brilliant minds, such powerful intellects with so much innate talent as you and Exador at the same time! Normally, such individuals only come along every few hundred years. However, both of you were ‘born’ near the same time and in close proximity.”

“Yes.” Lenamare nodded, intrigued by where Randolf was going.

“I mean, think of it; every time you made a breakthrough, there was Exador releasing some sort of ‘me too’ breakthrough! What is the probability of that happening? How could there be another person so close to you in insight and power?”

Lenamare nodded, taking in the archimage’s logic.

“The fact that Exador has been shown to be an immortal archdemon puts all the pieces in place. He was not inventing new things at the same rate as you! No, he was simply unveiling things he had done centuries or maybe thousands of years ago, but had kept secret. Your innovations made him jealous; he felt upstaged, so he began releasing his centuries of work to the public so that it would appear that he was as gifted as you.”

Lenamare tilted his head, considering this idea.

“Who knows how much of it was actually his,” Randolf continued. “If an archdemon has free reign over multiple planes over thousands of years; his discoveries might simply be stolen wizardry from other planes that he passed off as his own work!”

Lenamare stared at Randolf for a moment and finally shook his head. “You are so right. I had not thought of this, but it makes so much sense as to be almost obvious!” Lenamare smiled ruefully. “Nothing has irritated me more than how Exador seemed to match every breakthrough I had. It now makes so much sense! He cheated!”

Lenamare was so excited, he got up and began to pace, ignoring the food and wine on the table. “How could I have not seen this? You are so right!” He shook his head. “We had Alexandros Mien and then myself, and Jehenna is no slouch... if you add in Exador as a match for me, you have to ask how so many great minds could be alive at the same time! It defies probability!”

“Exactly!” Randolf said enthusiastically.

Lenamare paused to stare at Randolf in frank admiration. “Your insight on this is brilliant!”

Randolf made a deprecating gesture. “I only wish I could have come to this realization sooner. I had always been puzzled, but who could seriously expect an archdemon to be posing as a wizard? A conjuror, for that matter?”

“No one. It defies what everyone knows about demons and archdemons in particular.” Lenamare tapped his forehead. “I mean, think about it. We have always assumed that the amount of power necessary to get an archdemon to manifest in the Planes of Men would be inconceivable. Yet here he is, and has been for a long time.”

“It would argue that archdemons have a means of traveling to and from the Abyss aside from being summoned,” Randolf said.

Lenamare shuddered. “So how is it we are not overrun by demon armies?”

Randolf shook his head. “That is a very good question.”

∼

^{DOF +5}

^{Mid Afternoon 16-02-440}

Sentir Fallon sighed as he opened the door to his suite. He had been in a meeting for the last two hours discussing the questionable tactics of the Rod in Astlan as well as on a few other planes. It appeared that numerous branches had started to show signs of overzealousness in the pursuit of justice and righteousness.