"...Oh." He lets out his breath. "I - that's really impressive." 

"Most people shouldn't be paladins. But - a lot of them can, actually, with the affordance in front of them and the - not being afraid -"

"It does seem like it would help." It's hard to even imagine. "That - must have been very awful for her, that she - suddenly was afraid once Arbas managed to, do the thing..." 

"I think it harmed her very greatly. But - because it wasn't very long and because she needn't really fear it happening again, I think she's been able to - relate to it in a way where it isn't ongoingly damaging her. 

I should probably have sent you - older paladins. More stable self-concepts and more accurate expectations about what being tortured will be like."

"I think in a reasonable world you would not have needed to expect that your diplomatic envoys would be tortured in - that particular way." Sigh. "I really do think we - would have done better, if not for Aritha's kidnapping." 

"I believe you. It was a very significant escalation, and obviously made diplomacy from there very difficult to impossible. ...also if we hadn't done it the Mirrorgrave's operation might've succeeded." She sighs. "I regret that things got as bad as they did. They were much worse than they needed to be, between peoples who disagree on so little, and I do think much of that is my responsibility."

He ducks his head. "I'm - sorry our world was so complicated. I really don't know what you should have done instead, with what you knew at the time. ...I think you didn't really get the - why we don't trust gods - for a long time? I don't know how much it could possibly have helped to be on the same page earlier, though. The Empire just is kind of terrible." 

"I think if I'd understood more about what adversarial god-action looked like, and been more actively considering that it was operating with respect to me, I'd have tried harder to make sure my letters were getting through. I could maybe have - gotten Altarrin the information that was most decisive for him before he decided to spend hundreds of lives on assassinating me, and figured out you were Lawful enough I could avoid destroying the canal Gates -"

Nod. "I don't know how - far we were from that, how hard it would've been to get there. I don't really know what Altarrin found decisive, I think it's - part of what he was hiding from us, before he left." 

" - I would've offered, on the canal-Gates, if I'd known anyone was thinking about the contents of the letters at all, let alone someone like Altarrin. I think we came - quite close except for how if it wasn't thoroughly overdetermined then it was effectively going to be impossible.

The Empire has made - some terrible sacrifices - but it was in a very difficult position. I think in ten years, it will be one of the greatest civilizations on either planet."

That's really overwhelming to think about. He closes his eyes. "....I guess Altarrin can make that happen. If anyone can." Though it still hurts to think about Altarrin being in the position where he needs to stay. 

"Or we'll find someone else!" She wants Altarrin back with the Crusade for the siege of Gallowspire, which - if all goes well - will be this next season. "I am not sure it's the best use of him, and while I think he's holding up well now I don't know that it's what he wants to do for the next ten years, either."

"I don't know if I could - make myself go back." He closes his eyes. "I, I know it would help." 

" - don't injure yourself over it. Enjoy yourself, go exploring, play music. If it happens, when Altarrin starts thinking about successors, that the job has changed so dramatically that it's one you could do - maybe even one that would be healthy for you to do, to do the right version of things you always had to compromise before, to say 'no' to the things that you used to feel you were obliged to go along with - well, if that happens, we'll discuss it. But I'm not here to convince you to go back, I can see quite plainly when someone has bent themselves into enough of a pretzel trying to do their duty that they need something else entirely."

It feels unimaginable right now but Bastran is very used to things feeling completely impossible and agonizing at the end of a long day and it turning out that in the morning he can just...do them. Though he's still not sure how much of that is the compulsions. 

Also the exhaustion is catching up to him again. His head feels gluey and thinking hurts (and he is kind of surprised that he managed to get through an entire conversation, somehow?) He's visibly drooping at this point, though. 

"I think I need to rest," he says stiffly. "Thank you for - coming to talk to me." 

“Of course.” And she’ll go.

When Mage-Inquisitor Kastil finally wakes up, he is feeling... fundamentally alive, not in too bad health barring a head that is still slightly sore, basically awake, and as if he hasn't properly stretched in days, and also there is a Healer by his bedside. His memory, however, is absolutely clear.

Gods.

And, as all of his shields snap up and the healer gets an immediate Compulsion to not harm him, Mage-Inquisitor Kastil says "I have classified information for the Office of Inquiry."

Once he's inside the Office, Kastil writes down the classified information in a simple substitution cipher that the Office can easily crack, and then gets to explain.

"I had an idea and the Final Strike hit within the minute."

"To prevent you from passing it on?"

"Or to lend credence after I survived it," he snaps. "Get me in a room with someone who can tell me if I'm a fool or not. Someone sensible."

- - -

"You think the gods were trying to spoil diplomacy with Iomedae?"

"I think they're trying to get her to destroy us."

"Worshippers of the gods always want to destroy us."

A what-an-idiot expression. "Yes."

- - -

It's not actually much more than an hour later that Altarrin gets a letter that says Kastil can talk.

Of course. He'll be available immediately in ten minutes as soon as he's wrapped up signing the current round of paperwork (but it's clear from his face that he wants it to be immediately. This doesn't even require a lot of acting. The real Bastran cares about Kastil personally, as well as respecting him professionally; so does Altarrin.) 

What does Kastil want to talk about, once the Emperor has checked off the mandatory expressing that he's very glad to see him back on his feet? 

"I wanted to inform Your Majesty," he said, "that it was my conclusion that the most likely event for your uncharacteristic actions with Arbas was a deliberate plan by the gods to damage diplomatic relations with Iomedae." Specifically, for him doing it on Arbas's advice and not consulting anyone else first. "I had this realization within twenty seconds of the Final Strike arriving, though whether it was intended to silence me or to add weight to my words I cannot say."

"I wish to offer you my sincerest apology for my failures in realizing so slowly and failing to deliver this information more quickly."

"...Oh." He winces. Ducks his head slightly, with an expression that clearly says that doesn't actually make it less embarrassing. "I - what's your theory, here? That They want us to antagonize Iomedae so that she destroys us?" 

"That is the most likely possibility. Or that they want to antagonize Iomedae so that we destroy her, if the local gods fear Aroden. Or that they want us not to take some coordinated hostile action against them. Or that they wished to ensure some specific event would take place that would have been averted if I informed you of this sooner. I lack the information to place my confidence in any specific theory, instead of this general observation about the most likely cause of a a single event."

Wince. "No, of course, I understand. Though, er, I'm - really not sure we can destroy Iomedae, but maybe the gods can't see well enough to be sure of that, other world and all. I - damn it, I wish I'd known earlier. Though...we might be making progress on diplomacy anyway. The new diplomat isn't religious and seems - more sensible."

He shakes his head, more as though to clear it than in negation. "Anyway. What do you need, to - narrow that down? ...Also, er, are you feeling well? We - hadn't extensively tested the healing potions - I'm sorry, I really didn't want to make you a test subject, either, but we need you and - the Healers weren't optimistic..." He trails off. 

Bastran is seeming oddly indecisive right now. He's usually not that bad.

Is this more god-meddling, or the product of some kind of coup he could have prevented if he was present? Bastran's compulsions do look normal... he thinks...

"Perfectly well, Your Majesty. I can return to regular service as soon as the Office has finished clearing me for regular duty."

- he nods briskly. “I’m glad. It’s very good to have you back. Please do keep me informed on anything else you think of.”