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 - 

On the one hand, Cyprian can win without her.

On the other, it is still the duty of every good man in Avistan to help him do it as quickly as humanly possible.

Oh, what a glorious mess.

But can he win by Arodus. Decisively enough that it doesn't matter if any remaining opposition is headed by a god.

"I have spent very little time, actually, contemplating the puzzle of getting everyone's swords pointed in the same direction. But plenty thinking -


I hated them so much. I was not wrong to hate them; I have catalogued all my errors and not found that among them, particularly. They were the faithless raping pillaging scum of the world and had brought war to every thing I held dear, to buy less than nothing.

And I was nearly sure that Hell would fall regardless. And I couldn't possibly have gotten all the swords pointed in the same direction but I had every choice of where to point mine. It is just that it felt like conceding they were right, and - it wouldn't have been conceding they were right.

- the game theory's a right mess but there's a saying, 'your game theory is impeccable and you are holding an empty box', and I have always imagined most of the appeal of being Chaotic Good as that you never find yourself holding an empty box. Come Arodus."

"I would like the Empire to serve some higher purpose than occupying the land it used to on a map."

"Insofar as its first priority is to fight Razmiran-ruled-by-Mephistopheles, it is."

Ah okay hot boy in favor of war with Razmiran.

We'll help but don't wait for us - that is more of a geopolitical claim than she should be making without checking with Alex -

Gallipsiwhoop flutters up from where he's been preening on the table and to Morgethai's hand. 

"Is there anything that you expect individual members of the Reclamation could do that would help to prevent the forces of Hell from ruling another country," he asks the archmage. This is probably wildly impolitic but he doesn't actually expect it to make things worse.

"How many of you spoke on the matter of Molthune?"

Angela looks at the Lord Marshal.

"Just the Lord-Marshal."

"You set policy. For an empire. Do you imagine that all possible policies do the same to fight Razmiran? Do the same to give your allies the flexibility to turn north without expecting a blade in the back? Consider forming opinions on them!" For a moment she looks like an irritated schoolteacher who has read through all of the homework assignments and seen at once that nobody understood them. 

It's very relatable but also if you think about it for even a few seconds it is not surprising at all that people who join the Glorious Reclamation are only emotionally moved by 'Hell not ruling countries' and not by all other political endeavors, and that lectures about how they could throw their weight around politically got absolutely nowhere until someone dangled the risk of the thing they were all willing to die to prevent in front of them.

She supposes she should thank Morgethai, it'll be easier to use them now. This makes her even more irritated at Morgethai.

"Oh, that's not fair. Blame me, blame De Chelam and the Archdukes, but the knights? What good would that do? Everyone would assume they were just speaking to repeat what Ser Cansellarion said, and they'd be right, unless one of you is a much better orator than I'd suppose."

Thank you, Archduchess.

(Angela decided a while ago that it was more efficient to mostly not talk around certain brands of powerful people because they can just tell what you're trying to say much more quickly and conveniently by looking at you. So far this works great.)

"Jilia, with all due respect, you are really underestimating the rhetorical power of people hearing the same thing tediously many times, and really overestimating how many of the sortitions are clear on the command structure of the Glorious Reclamation. But I am not asking any of you to betray your consciences, whatever they tell you, when it comes to Molthune. Molthune is not a free country or one at peace. I care about Molthune but my greatest concern, there, is those who look at it and think their empire could stand to have twenty million more Nirmathi so long as it also got a port on the Inner Sea."

You can't say 'with all due respect' and call an Archduke Jilia.