To Her Majesty, Aspexia III, Queen of Cheliax, Protector of Sargava and Isger, Defender of Civilization, Duchess of Crown Bay and Litran, –

“Do you have to include all of the titles? The Queen herself doesn’t, in her proclamations.” It’s half of the letter by length, which is perhaps one of the reasons why. “And some of those are dropped for a reason, I think.”

“It is a sign of respect. I am aware of the various reasons to not include those titles, but this is a private letter which will not have the opportunity to offend those people. And, more importantly, I would treat her as I would like to be treated.”

I was once in the service of Cheliax, and despair to read of the troubles afflicting it, especially the disorder in Westcrown. I am in regular contact with several others in the same situation, and I think we are underutilized in our current occupation as merchants. Archmages may do a great deal, but the proper management of a whole country is beyond ever their prodigious talents, and I think your highness, and the people of Cheliax, would benefit from the restoration of many institutions that used to keep it safe.

We have, of course, renounced Asmodeus and would be willing to swear our fealty, if provided with the ranks and perquisites such as our circles and service deserves.

I can be reached by sending, or via my agent Albà Estades of Westcrown at 51 Carrer de Castella.

He had been tempted to ask for their old perquisites, of course, but to be honest he hadn't cared for that many of them, and it would clearly not be the sort of thing this regime would be likely to grant. This, at least, makes clear that there's space for negotiation.

In the hopes that we see Cheliax reach new heights of glory,

Sarima is proud of this line. It avoids saying "yours" prematurely, and the use of 'hope' is a sign of breaking with the old ways.

Paracount Coro Leptus Sabinus

They couldn't convince him to not include the title. Their arguments were weak; many a dispossessed noble still addresses themselves by their titles. But it is even less strange for him to do so, as the titles merely reflect his personal power.

[This is, perhaps, an underappreciated benefit to the meritocratic titles. If he were a regular count, his sons would perhaps wish that he would hurry up and die already, and might attempt to induce fate, as a typical count simply sits in front of a stream of revenue that could be easily enough diverted. But as soon as he dies, his spells will vanish from Golarion, and while the past wealth could be divvied up amongst his heirs, there would be no future wealth accumulating. And Coro has already been generous with them, in a way that the recent chaos in Cheliax has diminished more than any of them care to admit.]

After ten minutes, they've exchanged all the info they can, Albà displaying the pamphlets he's collected while copying down the letter. He updates his slate of prices, and is thinking about what deals to make after he stops by the palace, where he'll deliver the letter (sealed with his seal, since Coro's seal is in Absalom), along with a gold piece to make sure it stays on top of the pile. He's not sure whether or not to hope the Queen sees it; it seems less calamitous to catch this one's attention and the courier work is riskless cash, but he prefers the honest dealing of trading with merchants who haven't seen the prices from Absalom yet to the typical negotiation between nobility.