Talk to the characters.

[Nemo]

On second thought, maybe a good compromise would be having Max try for some parlor tricks. If summoning and parlor tricks both work, then the afterlife upgrade has to, and if those don't work then it probably doesn't either. No dying required.

[Bluelantern]

On second thought, maybe a good compromise would be having Max try for some parlor tricks. If summoning and parlor tricks both work, then the afterlife upgrade has to, and if those don't work then it probably doesn't either. No dying required.

It is possible the upgrade would work reactly badly with Max not-exactly-human status. He could end up as a "Human" angel which would conspicious back home, he could end up as a medalion-less perython-angel (that is solved by eating the heart of his own corpse)

Best of all alternatives, use Ursa to summon a Daeva, let the alethiometer watch her for a moment and see the results, it would be good seeing what the Alethiometer thinks of a Cloudpine-Witch summoner and a Mage summoner as well.

edit: Now I am curious about Armored Bears summoners.

[Shoal]

Darren, it takes weeks to die of starvation. You've only been there a few days.

[AndaisQ]

No, I think there have been a couple of weeks implied by the narration.

[Shoal]

On page 6, she tells them where they may sleep, so they have been with her less than a day at that point (and i think in the fae realm total less than a day otherwise they would have eaten food by mistake already i think). Then on the next page, on page 7, she says that it would take two days to make the gate, and then she makes it. I just reread what was in between, but i can't find a time lapse. Maybe it's there and I can't find it, but here's what I did find: Savannah goes to sleep but Darren works through the night, which isn't dark and he's confused about this, and then he sleeps, and then Promise feeds Savannah a few more meals (so another day or two), and then she spends two days making the portal.

[Alicorn]

We vagued over a considerable period of mostly undifferentiated time in there.

[Shoal]

oh, okay. thanks :)

[Shoal]

Linya, Linya, go to the embassy to renew your passport!

[Shoal]

Miles, recite something Linya told you in private before. something only she would know. something inocuous, though.

[Lambda]

He'd been under fast-penta for some time before she was brought in, so that's not reliable.