Originally Posted by ldo58
The conversation with Viconia

This now seems to imply that the Githyanki fought the Absolute over the artefact, and that both parties were so weakened (or busy) that Shadowheart could snatch it sneakily.
But that makes even less sense, if she was then caught and tadpoled on the Nautiloid.... unless indeed the emperor was also aiding behind the scenes, still as mindflayer on the nautiloid. Tadpoling Shadowheart and hiding the artefact on her.

What feels a bit strange here is that
the Githyanki knew that the artifact was on the Nautiloid but the Absolutists didn't. And yeah, I think the Emperor was aiding them from the start.

Originally Posted by Rahaya
Two problems: The Emperor claims he was the first one to find the artifact. If that's true, the timeline makes even less sense. If he was lying, then that means that Shadowheart was tadpoled by mindflayers of the Absolute while in possession of the artifact.

The same artifact that freed the Emperor from the Absolute?

I'm pretty sure he was lying about that (which is just my gut feeling). Could you elaborate why you think SH must have been tadpoled by mindflayers of the absolute? I don't remember all the dialogues with the Emperor about the artifact.

I was more thinking along the lines of
the Emperor coming close to SH so the artifact could influence him enough to break free. She could have been put in a pod, but not been tadpoled yet. He breaks free, tadpoles her and the others because it'd make them easier to control/manipulate plus tadpoles give you superpowers according to him thus better pawns. Then he slipped into the artifact and hoped for the best.