Precise limits on Tar-Baphon's abilities are not really known, but it is generally believed that while he can use Suggestions in all sorts of clever ways, he cannot actually conceal a Dominate. Also, a Dominated cleric of Aroden would fall.

He nods. "I understand." Look at the other two to make sure they also don't seem to be deceived or anything?

The young woman paladin is not visibly enchanted, and Aroden has not withdrawn His blessings from her. 

Likewise.

"If it is the will of Aroden that She be called, what can we do but submit?" This is going to be a lot of work. Dishypatos Felician will need to be the one who summons Her, because if someone is summoning the Herald of Aroden it has to be His highest priest, but the Dishypatos absolutely cannot summon an archmage into the middle of Oppara without something at least resembling imperial permission unless he wants to look like he's pulling a coup. "Has He given other instruction in this matter?" They need to make sure the greens can't block this, even 'for the Emperor's consideration.' 

"It had been conveyed to us in a previous Commune that we ought to be trying to find more allies for the fight against Tar-Baphon." If the Church didn't already know that it's only because it was not a question whose answer would be useful to them, and for this reason he did not bother to convey it to them. 'find more allies' is the kind of thing that can play badly in Oppara, depending on things it's not his business to keep track of. "There was devised a means to ask between a great many possibilities, and the outcome of that was interpreted to mean Arazni. That inspired the question whose wording I have just spoken, and amounts to the whole of our instructions from Aroden." He spent the rest of that Commune checking that the priesthood in Oppara wasn't compromised such that they needed to go straight to the Dishypatos (or to Pharasma's high priest, who could technically also do it) but he won't mention that part. 

He is curious about the theoretical improvement in Commune but now is not the time. The important thing is that General Arnisant is a humble military man and is not giving any cover whatsoever for urgently doing this without checking with the Emperor, which means that he is going to need to get this to the Emperor very fast after casting Commune, himself, personally. (And if the Commune doesn't confirm that, he will have some very harsh words for General Arnisant.)

"I understand the urgency. If you would kindly wait, Simeon" bell ring to fetch servant! "will fetch whatever you need...."

"Thank you."

And they'll wait.

Do they understand the urgency, given that they do not have accurate reports on any features of the war at all.

It's great how the Knight-Commander can't talk. It's not that he doesn't appreciate her. The opposite, really. He appreciates her a great deal when she can't talk.

Hypatos Stelian will quietly go to his private chambers in no particular hurry, pour holy water, light a stick of incense, and cast Commune.

And Aroden Notices him.

Should your church immediately Call the archmage Arazni, spoken of in your histories, and ask Her aid in our war effort?

YES.

Is the casting of this commune the result of a plot by Tar-Baphon or his agents?

NO.

Is this a matter of great urgency?

YES.

So urgent that we dare not wait for the Imperial command?

YES.

Will the Emperor see the necessity of this?*

PROBABLY.

Well, that's concerning.

Should Dishypatos Felician himself immediately Call her?

YES.

Does he have time to Commune himself first?

YES.

Is the paladin Iomedae Your champion?** 

YES.

And then he can toss a few more questions into the mix and start running politely walking to assure Dishypatos Felician of the urgency of this.

(*: Trans: "will he refrain from having us killed and/or destroying the institutional Church of Aroden in revenge?")

(**: Trans: "Would she make a good figurehead for us to spin this story around?")

Twenty-seven minutes later a servant (not Simeon, a different and fancier servant) wishes to inform them that they are invited to attend on Dishypatos Felician at their earliest convenience.

They will of course come immediately.

Yes that is actual creditable urgency. She is relieved.

Dishypatos Felician is an extremely friendly-looking fat, balding old man, old enough that the fancy belt he wears is clearly helping him have the breath to speak far more than it is serving as a piece of combat equipment. He doesn't live in a mansion, but in a small house stuffed with overfull bookshelves and has no intention to stand on ceremony.

"General. Knight-Commander. Since you possess the urgent information for Arazni I have called you here as witnesses." He has not called Hypatos Stelian, who is doing damage control.

"Dishypatos. We are honored." He has a briefing ready, he was hardly going to Teleport to Oppara without a summary of the situation prepared, but feels a sort of primeval horror at the idea of delivering a briefing to a god, for most of the same reasons he'd be horrified to be instructed to brief the Emperor. He does not indicate this, of course. Aroden has conveyed His commands and they are all here to obey. 

This is the highest priest of the Church and he is not wasting everyone's time murmuring about the health of the emperor and Iomedae finds this deeply, profoundly reassuring. There can be all kinds of things broken by the necessities of war and politics but Aroden's highest priest should not be broken by those things. 

She does not speak and falls in quietly next to and slightly behind Arnisant.

And then he is going to light some saffron-infused candles, and, as the smell of tremendous amounts of money burns, he casts a spell very few people can cast.

He could cast Gate. He doesn't. Greater Planar Ally can call forth the herald of the summoner's god, and Arazni is the herald of Aroden, and he knows Aroden enough to know that, when provided a specialist tool, you should probably use it instead of throwing raw power at things.

And he thinks he would have gotten some questions answered differently if Tar-Baphon was about to murder him in his living room.

(Meanwhile, Hypatos Stelian is attempting to get an urgent appointment with the Emperor, something he expects to take half an hour, and quite a lot of people are very secretly fetching magic items.)

They'll kneel. It seems laughably inadequate but better than standing there.

Astral devas are only about a foot taller than humans. It's the wingspan - thirty feet or so - that makes them imposing. The wings of an angel are often depicted as white, in artwork, but they're really iridescent, and spectacularly so, the thing which opals and seashells approximate.

She's dressed, for the sake of minimizing expenses, in fabrics that Golarion has already invented. The beading and lace and embroidery was not done by diligent manual labor but it could have been.

She does not bring her weapons, and carries only the magic items that Taldor cannot replace for her. The forces of Good will pay a little less, this way, and while it might seem not to matter before the extraordinary expenditure that is her accepting this Calling at all, you never know when you'll need the value of 'sending the best possible rings and cloak and headband and robes to the Material' for something harder to replace. 

The form of Planar Ally is something Abadar felt very strongly about, that mortals and outsiders could barter and compact, and is absurd for these purposes. But she will wait for Aroden's high priest to make the offer that completes his spell.

"Arazni, Herald of Aroden," the old man says to his senior coworker, "I have called you here to request your help against Tar-Baphon, foe of Aroden, who threatens the Taldane Empire and the world, and request that you devote your presence and strength to work towards his final defeat until the Empire and Golarion are saved from him. In exchange, I offer the loan of six hundred and eighty thousand gold solidi of magic items for the duration of the war, to use as you see fit while you pursue this task."

"I accept," she says. "Tar-Baphon's trap around the second army will close the second he learns I am here, or in a week if he doesn't. As you have described you will equip me, and then we will depart to save it. I'll need someone of at least seventh circle with invisibility purge prepared, and will take a few observers."

What

Oh, no, it's obvious actually, you don't have to actually give a god a briefing because they can learn it out of your mind and then respond as if you'd given it. Should have anticipated that, really.

No one told Iomedae anything about the situation of the second army! This is startling enough to startle her right out of her awe at being in the presence of the Herald of Aroden!