They arrive at the mansion without incident! This area of the city suffered comparatively minor damage; the house was not unscathed, but it's habitable, which is an improvement over many parts of the city. There's a guard posted outside the front door, one of the men from Count Arendae's retinue.

"What's your business here?"

"Participants in our adventure yesterday have some new manifestations of power and we were curious if that includes the Count. It's not urgent if he's occupied."

"I'll see if he's willing to speak with you."

He departs inside the house, and returns a few minutes later with the Count, accompanied by a woman that Blai may recognize as one of the courtesans who was at his party.

"Select. I do hope this isn't an excuse to 'recruit' me for another mission tromping around the city." He glances at the woman by his side. "If it is, I regret to inform you that I am otherwise occupied today."

"Not at all, we just wanted to know if you woke up with unusual abilities not fully explained by any circling up you may have done."

"What a curious question. I have certainly manifested new abilities, but I cannot be sure whether they are simply another manifestation of my magical talents — I did also reach third circle."

He waves a hand. "Cure Light Wounds." He's standing a good two or three paces from Thall, but the wound left by the snake's bite closes up.

"I have met people who can do that, though it makes the spell call for a higher slot... If you happen to have anything for poison the snakebite is presently just Delayed, actually."

"What good fortune. One of my new spells does appear to be Neutralize Poison."

"At third circle?"

"Indeed. ...For that matter, that was a perfectly ordinary first-circle Cure Light Wounds."

Scribble scribble scribble!

"Congratulations. We do not know how it happened and it's manifesting differently for different group members."

"How fascinating. Truly, Iomedae must be overflowing with joy at who her miracle has empowered: a thief, a man convicted by her own Inquisition, myself..."

"I do not think it was a miracle because among other things it was not very precise, seems to have been neither sufficient to kill Minagho nor calibrated to just barely achieve a lesser outcome, and has other possible explanations. - I guess it could be a collaborative miracle and the stylistic tells would differ."

"Maybe whoever sent it wasn't counting on Staunton Vhane showing up. We totally could've killed her if he hadn't."

"I don't think he helped her leave."

"If only we had the opportunity to experimentally expose the Wardstone to various stimuli and observe whether the effect can be replicated. Unfortunately, I expect it is highly unlikely for such an experiment to be authorized, and I do not anticipate that select boy would cooperate with performing it without authorization."

"Quite."

He looks at the Count. "So, you said you have Neutralize Poison now?"

"Indeed."

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to, uh, use it?"

"I suppose so." He steps forward a couple paces and touches Thall. "Neutralize Poison."

Scribble scribble scribble! Fascinating how this one still required him to touch the subject.

"Thank you." Really the Count seems to enjoy projecting an attitude of grudging and limited helpfulness but he could have insisted on, like, charging. ...maybe that's too declassé, Blai's not sure.

Does he look like the sort of person who needs to work for a living? Charging money for your services is for commoners (and Lord Gwerm, though Lord Gwerm also seems to be under the impression that a Sleeves of Many Garments is an acceptable substitute for embroidered silks).

"Was there anything else you wished to discuss?