"I think I might have another big spell? But nothing's really different."

(Nenio is frantically recording all of this.)

"I don't suppose this rhymes with anything you've - that you remember hearing about in the past?" Blai asks Nenio.

"Many of these phenomena could potentially be explained individually! For example, some powerful wizards are rumored to have the ability to prepare vast numbers of lower-circle spells in place of their higher-circle spells; if I were capable of preparing higher-circle spells and had simply forgotten that fact, that could explain my capabilities. However, I consider it unlikely that the same explanation would apply to thief boy. Apart from that, legendary adventurers often have unusual capabilities. For example, the legendary adventurer Jininsiel was said to have been blessed by the gods to be able to feed many hundreds of people with a single casting of Create Food and Water—"

"Who?"

"Jininsiel was a Tien magic-user, widely considered to have been blessed by the gods and said to have led her people to the land of Jinin during the Age of Darkness! I believe in Avistan she would be regarded as a sorceress, but regrettably many details about her powers have been lost to time."

She can remember specific abilities attributed to ancient Tien sorceresses and she can't remember their names?

"To give an example that I expect you have heard of, paladin girl, Iomedae describes many unusual feats of magic in the Acts of Iomedae, attributed to various individuals but most commonly herself and Arazni. Regrettably, Arazni has not answered my letters requesting an interview with her, so my hypothesizing is necessarily speculative, but atypical quantities of spells and atypical effects of those spells are both depicted in the Acts. Many other adventurers have similarly extraordinary feats attributed to them, such as Tar-Baphon, said to have been capable of keeping an unlimited number of undead under his personal control, Katsuo the Dread Assassin, said to have been capable of walking on air as if it were solid ground despite possessing no other noteworthy magical skill — ah, with a few exceptions, I am less familiar with legendary heroes who, like him, were largely incapable of magic." 

She pauses. "Nonetheless, this theory is highly lacking. 'Legendary adventurers often possess unusual abilities' is not an especially useful explanation, as it does not explain how those abilities came about." 

She is so fucking lucky that Arazni has not answered her letters. He isn't going to say that out loud. "But you don't, it sounds like, know much about the origin points of these kinds of exceptional abilities, just that various people had various ones?"

If he can't get the Wound closed because Archmage Naima has Weird Demigod Powers and Ember doesn't because she wasn't there that day -

"Iomedae associated some of her unusual abilities with the fact that she was beginning to slightly approach godhood as a mortal, but it is unclear to me from her writings how accurate her assessment was; in particular, it is not out of the question that her abilities enabled her to more easily become a god but were not otherwise connected. Other common systematic theories include the idea that people who are extraordinarily virtuous manifest incredible talents as a result, as well as the possibility that some 'legendary adventurers' were secretly wizards with extraordinary martial skill who took advantage of their spellcasting to perform feats that many would describe as unusual. I personally regard it as unlikely that such disparate phenomena stem from a single common cause, but it is nevertheless possible that there are some commonalities that apply to several of them, even if not all of them."

"So, my principal guess is that the Wardstone... got... something, on us."

"That is certainly not impossible! Powerful artifacts frequently have unusual effects on those who encounter them, though most commonly those effects are relatively minor. For example, a case study recently published in Absalom reported an incident in which an individual came into contact with an artifact sword allegedly created by Aroden and manifested the ability to cast Read Magic, despite having no previous magical talent whatsoever." She pauses. "Perhaps if we visited the Wardstone again we could determine whether it is repeatable?"

"I don't think that's going to work. Not unless you've got a way to make it all... glowy... again."

"If glowing is all that is required that could be achieved with a single casting of Light."

"Visiting it again might shed some clarity but I don't think casting Light on it will. At any rate, it will have to wait until Thall is more permanently situated."

Nod.

"So, what've you got planned for us in the meantime, Chief?"

"I haven't received any tipoffs about any things that might need attention except insofar as I might be called upon to use a Stone Shape somewhere and a Mark of Justice if it comes up. If no more substantial errands materialize we could go ask the Count if he's got a strange manifestation of spillover power too."

"One of my friends asked me to help find the ring he was going to give to his sweetheart — his company came to Kenabres straightaway when the attack happened, they didn't even give him time to pack up all his things. ...But you don't have to come along if you don't want to."

"I would certainly be interested in interviewing additional research subjects!"

"I don't have Locate Object prepared. - we may also want more of a permanent lodging situation than semi-camping in the tavern indefinitely, I assume that was a particular crisis offer, but I'm not sure what's available."

"Oh! I can show you all the best places to sleep so you don't get rained on!"

"I think he's looking for something with four walls and a roof, Ember."

"Maybe you could ask around? See if anyone's willing to let us sleep on their floor?"

"I was imagining something more like an apartment but I don't know what's intact enough to rent."