Really the question is not "Can she," it's "How lethal is it a good idea to make this assassination". He could be dead, or vanished, or petrified, or feebleminded, or hog-tied with his magic blocked on the footsteps of the imperial residence.

Meanwhile, back at the meeting and simultaneous with this - 

"See how Iomedae feels about invading Ithik?" Duke Elnore says, not-quite-seriously. "None of their other neighbors are good prospects right now, but our sources say she hates Atet, too, and getting them into a war will make our job much easier."

"You don't ask for much," Count Harleth says drily.

"'Do more with less.' I've got ten mad risks if you want to take mad risks. Harleth, how are you on Iomedae's trapped gear?"

"We haven't found any traps yet, so they're presumably subtle. You're thinking we send it to the front?"

"That's on the stupid idea list. Healing potions for every combat-mage, and then a year later every one who drank one wakes up Iomedae's slave. So's putting some hotshot kid in charge of the army to gamble the army or sell it to Norean. So's telling half our infrastructure Adepts to try to gate-strike Norean and hope one of them can pull it off and he's got no heir."

"Are 'take out loans to hire mercenaries?' and 'offer tax rebates to nobles who raise private armies' on the stupid idea lists yet?"

"No, they're just things we should do, stupid or not. The pretender's headed for Jacona, Pelias; we can't count coppers."

Bastran has been leaning back in his chair and listening to this with his characteristic 'gestating an idea' expression; it's not uncommon for him to start going down some line of thought prompted by an offhand remark, and then actually change the topic to it a couple of minutes later. 

(Altarrin, of course, already had this idea and has been waiting for a good opening.) 

He leans forward. "If we're considering things like 'ask Iomedae to invade Ithik'," he says, thoughtfully, "then - is it any stupider to ask her politely to end our civil wars? It's clearly within her capabilities to arrange an assassination or a kidnapping or whatnot, it sounds like both would fall apart or at least become much easier nuts to crack if the leaders were dead or imprisoned, and - I think it'd fit her stated motivations, to offer? Since she's claiming to want us united in fighting Tar-Baphon. And it's - I mean, there's definitely an argument she might do it just to set up for a betrayal later, but it's - an offer we can verify, and that would leave us in a more secure position to negotiate - and, I mean, if she declines, that's informative too."

Pelias is thinking that that's somewhat odd phrasing for Bastran, actually! Not very, but considering the shape he was in last night...

He'll let the diplomats start, though.

"If she is at active war with Ithik, that ties her down; if she considers herself as being owed a great debt by the Empire, she is likely to have more political capital within her own state to make demands of us, such as tolerating Aroden, and then to go to war if these demands are rejected." As well as more Bastran-being-grateful-to-her.

"It'd make us look weak," says Macalay, which isn't a 'don't do it,' "and I hate depending on a bloody priest."

(That would be an angry speech. This is being unhappy.)

"It would be an insult to the traditions of the Empire and the memories of our ancestors, to call in a foreign god-worshipper to act against an imperial subject, even one mad with treason!"

"It would be." He shakes his head. "I say no."

"Bastran, when she comes in, how do we ever get her out again?"

He can understand the appeal. He can really, really understand the appeal. He does know that all the money bleeding out of the imperial treasury is the work of people who worked their entire lives for it, and he knows that there are lives bleeding out too, and the whole Empire is at stake.

He is very conflicted.

"I think both options are very bad," he'll honestly say, "And I don't know which is worse."

There. He has now staked his credibility on being the most pro-Iomedae person in the room.

Sigh, sagging back slightly in his chair, as though the act of having an idea gave him brief energy and he's now being dragged back to earth.

"Yeah. I get that it sets a precedent, and that's - a problem down the line. Just - we need something, and I'm not sure asking her to distract Ithik is enough." 

Shrug. "I don't know. I think it's worth considering if there's anything specific we could ask that would set less of a precedent, and wouldn't - insult the ancestors - but could still make a difference. We could say she can only do distance magic from outside the Empire's borders, or something - I don't know, there's probably a better set of rules, just, I - think it should be an option on the table, even if we end up deciding it's not worth taking." 

"What happens next war, when it's the pretender who turns to her? I don't know if either Jovan or Norean has."

And as far as any of them know, she kidnapped Arbas from outside the Empire's borders.

Grump grump grump grump grump grump grump grump.

NOBODY IS HAPPY ABOUT THIS ESPECIALLY NOT BARON PIERSON.

Bastran looks kind of miserable and sick about it too! In the way where he's probably going to end up doing it anyway 

(Altarrin is, internally, moderately satisfied. He's not going to push this particular issue any further right now, after he asks for Macalay to work later on drafting some potential very-paranoid - and very checkable - conditions on how Iomedae would be authorized to act, and for Elnore to draft a potential message to Iomedae about it.) 

"Right." Sigh. "We should talk about Oris. Er. Does anyone have thoughts on the last set of demands?" 

Duke Elnore shrugs. "The rebel leader has rejected the offer to remain a tributary state, and any and all symbols of inferior sovereignty; he's cut some of his more flaunting demands for returns and reparations, but not much. The Ministry of Barbarians thinks he's confident he can win the war, with Iomedae behind him."

"He's an arrogant son of a bitch who thinks he's invincible and that he has us over a barrel." 

"I would guess that Iomedae thinks she can dictate terms to all of us, he is confident that if she does these terms will be better than we can get elsewhere, and he further thinks that we will run out of willingness to reinforce Oris before he runs out of ability to launch ambushes." The Empire doesn't usually lose wars that way, but it has ever happened.

"Elnore, anything good happen if this sonofabitch falls over dead?"