The idea that magic is not a thing where Nerdanel was from was incredibly different. How could there not be magic there? Magic was the earth and the world around, the way life moved through the material plane! The sapping of the leylines was causing the great forest of Lorelai to die, the winds to stop, and the tides to fall still. Paper was baffled at the idea of a world that didn't have magic.

"I hope you forgive my confusion: you seem to be right in that our worlds are very different from one another. What you describe with the Istari sounds almost like a deity's champion, depending on the deity and their goals. The champions are chosen by their deity to uphold their ideals and be their working arm in the material plane." He paused, then continued. "I do not think that is the nature of the Istari and the Ainur, though, as the champions are mortals that are hand picked. They were often clerics to their chosen deity, and their deity then granted them power beyond their normal training because of their devotion." Often they had abilities far beyond those of normal clerics, but they were ultimately mortals who were blessed with a far more direct connection with their deity than others.

"Allow me to ask, then: what are the Ainur?"