He must really be laughing.

It's not a lie. It might not be right but it's not a lie and she and Cyprian both believe it.

And a secret agreement... gods of Good, she really needs to find out what's wrong with Iomedae.

"It's true."

"Given that Mephistopheles isn't telling anyone, why hasn't Cyprian told everyone?"

"...Lord Marshal, the people who are on mandatory downtime from assizes would largely experience a conventional war against a devil as downtime from assizes."

Man, noble dinner parties are fucking insane.

Hey, at least we skipped the one with the lich and the one that started the riot crisis response.

...Well, now instead of panicking he's contemplating whether he should have resigned his post with the Reclamation to go serve in the crusade against Razmiran. 

Felandriel Morgethai sits back and surveys the chaos she has caused with the satisfaction of someone who is less than a third of the way through causing the chaos she has planned for the evening. "Archduke Requena, you ask a good question about Cyprian's silence, which I think I will answer in a moment, but there is further context I must first offer you all.

For a brief moment, the land of the false god was ruled by a true god - or near as makes no difference. And then, it transpired, during the baffling events of Arodus last, Mephistopheles was killed. Mostly by Ragathiel and the terrifying shadow cat, I think, though they had honorable assistance." She will tip her head to Alexeara. "This, of course, makes him temporarily much less able to project power on the Material. Until the Arodus upcoming."

Felandriel Morgethai is going to eat a samosa, delicately.

"And the same agreement, no doubt, bars the Queen from participation as the archmages," Xavier says.

The question, then, will become how much of Cheliax's resources Xavier and Joan-Pau can use the Army and Foreign Relations Committees to throw at the problem before Arodus.

On the positive side, they can credit Felandriel Morgethai as their source.

Has this antimagic field served its purpose yet? Could it please go away.

Sure. Sorry. No more antimagic field.

Thank you adorable tiny dragon fae creature.

This adorable tiny dragon fae creature has flown down a pit fiend's throat and clawed it to death from the inside out! He preens.

Right, well, even with the antimagic field gone this seems like just about the highest priority on the Material, accounting for aprobability of success. Is there a remotely diplomatic way to ask the archmage why she isn't joining in on the crusade to pull Razmiran out of the hands of Hell itself?

Because it means allying with Cyprian, and the forces of Good are incapable of pulling together under any circumstances whatseover.

She's left that question open on purpose and she's still looking forward to this conversation. No, it's something that makes her look good.

Now, now, let a woman thoughtfully finish her samosa. It's flaky and just out of the frier.

"So, Cyprian approaches me about this situation. And I am in possession of a great many resources, accumulated over the last decade for the defense of Andoran when the need came, which need has now been obviated.

And so I answer him that I will gladly do this - on his oath that, as Andoran is a free nation and a friend to Cheliax and Galt, and that we come to Galt's aid in this war in honor of that friendship, we have nothing to fear from him." 

Or that makes Cyprian look awful. Or that.

...And then surely, since everyone involved realizes that Hell regaining control of a country on the Material is among the worst plausible outcomes here, he immediately agreed. 

Presumably he didn't or she would be fighting the crusade rather than having this conversation, but Marit frankly finds it easier to understand actual Chelish nobility than that.

He's pretty sure he can win anyway and not give up on a united Empire along the way. He is plausibly right, because the war is going well, and -

- she knows what she needs to say, but it's not just saying it, it's saying it right, and it's enormously risky to say wrong but -