"...I don't see why you shouldn't, really. Imperfect information is better than none." 

"For fairness one really ought to consider data from the other non-evil afterlives as well. Following Nirvana's example, I have decided that my first act upon founding my experimental state shall be to baleful polymorph all of my subjects -"

"I'm serious. We have data from Axis already, of course the non-Lawful afterlives would be more valuable – I don't suppose they go in much for government in Elysium, and in their place I wouldn't either, but some of them might find it entertaining – 

"I do find the Elysian approach to government very - resonant - apart from the fact that on Golarion I suspect it would collapse into Belkzen or be conquered by Taldor."

"I think that the Good afterlives have much less to teach us than Axis, really. Government or its lack are both easy when everyone's Good, and - it's not an injustice to people in Heaven, to oblige them to spend their time working to make their society and government good, that being what people want when they go to Heaven, whereas I think it is often an injustice to do that to people on the Material, who have sharply limited resources and might wish to spend them otherwise if they could count on their society and government not to turn out too badly without intervention. We can ask, but - I asked Heaven once how they handled the problems that armies face, desertion and insubordination and so on, and the answer is just that they don't have to and so don't.

I also asked Arazni once why she wasn't a fluffy herbivore but apparently the answer to that wasn't worth Nirvana's expenditure."

"I always had the impression that that was a question of 'how' more than 'why.' "

"The great advantage of Heaven over Axis is they won't charge us anything like so dear for the results. And I do think there are any number of interesting problems that can arise in a society where everyone is obedient and benevolent. But of course there's a limit to what one can learn – 

– Ideally I'd like to see something from the Boneyard, but it does seem very much to ask of the children."

"Some adults get sorted there."

"And I imagine they have their hands full!"

"What do you actually expect to be valuable about an afterlife governance survey, apart from 'more data on how things work with different populations'?"

"Isn't that enough reason to try it? Besides, the same thing that make the information less valuable also mean one can take bigger risks more quickly in good conscience." 

"Reason enough to try it, if it's cheap, but maybe not if it's very expensive... And now you're proposing, not just a survey, but experiments? That seems like it could get very expensive and invite active opposition."

"I'll admit I don't have a very sophisticated understanding of the price of divine intervention."  In his day he's unusually well-informed for knowing it has a price at all, but he's getting the sense the church of Aroden may have been more forthcoming. 

"Well, Iomedae is the world expert in this age, but I was also referring to more mundane costs. In terms of mobilizing enough petitioners to try an experiment at scale, and ensuring noninterference from the local outsiders."

"Peoples' time is still valuable when they are dead, but we can I suppose pass on that we'd be intrigued and see if anyone organizes anything on a useful scale. Mostly I'd like the Empire to do experimentation internally but this was, when I proposed it, unpopular."

"Oh, did you propose that back in the day? I suppose it's not surprising. I remember when you couldn't go to Oppara without nearly getting yourself arrested and the crusade defunded."

"Ah, yes, those days when I was young and foolish. ...it was six months ago."

"Really, now. I think that maybe, contrary to the impressions I'd gotten from the aftermath, your trips to Oppara might just be good for you."

"See, the two of you may talk a good game about being Chaotic Good political radicals, but which of the three of us has been arrested in Oppara for stirring up too much trouble? Still just me, I think."

The next big counterattack happens after Ardis, halfway upriver to Chastel. Ghouls and shadows and wraiths stream out of hidden places beneath Ardis and Marian Leigh, liches and devourers and a horde of lesser undead appear outside the walls of Vellumis and Fort Lorrin. Mummified husks spring from the bogs and dragons living and dead wheel and roar above the army along the banks of the Senir. Whether through deliberate timing or unlucky coincidence, the attacks happen when Alfirin and Elie are secreted away working at their mysterious research.

The nature of war is that many crucial matters are decided in the first few seconds of any fight, and also many of the decisions you make there are ideally ones you'd have had weeks to reflect on and debate. You solve this by having planned for every possible counterattack; the true one will resemble none of them, but will hopefully pose puzzles you've at least already contemplated. 

Well, unless you're a true archmage; then you solve it by putting up a Time Stop, scrying three dozen places, and studying your scries and thinking about it for as many hours as you need.

But Iomedae isn't an archmage so she does the preplanning. 

Scouts Teleport out to check the strength of the enemy. Bells ring out instructions for the guard in Vellumis and Fort Lorrin. Alfirin and Elie get a Sending, just 'counterattack, more information momentarily'. They'll want to arrive prepared for combat and in the time it takes them to cast a few spells she'll have more on where to send them. She has spells to cast herself. She grows wings and gives herself Arazni's heroism and tries to simultaneously interpret half a dozen Sendings and follows up with Alfirin and Elie - 'let's meet above Ardis' -

Élie's Time Stop might not last as long as Aroden's or Arazni's, but at least he can pull other people into it. It only takes them a moment sidereal to be as prepared as they're going to be. 

Plane shift and teleport while time is still stopped, Greater Heroism and Death Ward but no spell resistance yet because they'll be relying on allies for more protections - And a telepathic bond as time speeds up again.

Where else? There are too many undead here for a minor skirmish and too few for the full counterattack.

Marian Leigh, Vellumis, Fort Lorrin, camp Ruwido, camp Hasta, pending report from Telas and Caliphas, no action in Atrosir or Ravengro. Which makes sense, the only reason to go after them in Atrosir or Ravengro would be to tie up the Crusade further and while Tar-Baphon outnumbers them he is likely betting he doesn't outnumber them by enough for that to a favorable trade when they have two archmages. It's still slightly suggestive that the commander isn't Saravega, who cares more about that front than Malyas or Taldaris. If It's Malyas the scouts will probably report the attackers had a go at burning Caliphas down; he has a grudge there.

(You'd think the enemy would not want to leak information that way, but they can never seem to help themselves.)

Reason to think cities are primary targets? Alfirin is of the opinion that attacks on population centers would be diversionary - large enough to require the Crusade respect the attack or risk substantial civilian casualties, but not actually something Tar-Baphon would consider a strategic priority in this phase of the war, compared to the body of crusade forces on either front. Her guess would be Hasta over Ruwido, for the main blow, but not confidently.