Paladin would also make Cressida happy, since she doesn't think she's Good enough for it! And at this point she deserves some shreds of happiness after what we've been putting her through.

The most powerful divine intervention you can legally do here is 10 levels of straight cleric, to push her up to the level-cap.

That'll be enough for her to have sufficiently powerful magic for a realistic chance at stopping the shadowplague on the ground.

Charop is when you try to make someone really really strong. It's possible to do too much of it but it's also possible to do too little.

Looking at oracles, I don't think they're a good choice. There are some pretty mild curses that you could use for Kroft, but a big problem right now is undead, Oracles don't channel by default, and it's hard for me to picture you handing out the Life mystery. You seem like more of a Lore or Time kind of goddess. Maybe fire since it's apparently one of your domains, though I don't see why.

Clerics do channel. Channeling is good. I don't see obvious channel-enhancing archetypes that make sense for you to give out. I'd be kind of tempted to give out Lawspeaker for the Calm Emotions alternate channel thingy but I'm not sure it's a good idea.

Paladins normally don't get first-circle channel energy. I wondered at first if the Dusk Knight archetype would be helpful, since its summary is "Some paladins focus their training to combat the shadows and use darkness to their advantage.", but it actually replaces energy channeling options with darkvision stuff. The Hospitaler I think gets a better channel progression, but still no first-level channel. The Undead Scourge might be neat, but you can't combine it with the Hospitaler, they both replace Aura of Justice.

I'm going to get back to you shortly about inquisitors.

Okay. So. If you weren't Otolmens, I would be very interested in the statement that "A vampire hunter can only imbue her weapons with the undead-bane ability, but it persists even when she isn’t holding the weapon." and wonder if this is usable for interesting nonsense, but you are Otolmens and do not like interesting nonsense existing in your world.

Charop is when you try to make someone really really strong.

Specifically, it's trying to maximize the ability to create desired results with limited resources, the resources being the skills and abilities of a mortal.

Ooh! "At 1st level, an expulsionist receives Alignment Channel and Turn Undead as bonus feats. She can channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier as per a cleric with an effective level equal to her inquisitor level, but only to harm or turn evil outsiders or undead (treating all evil outsiders as undead creatures for the purpose of determining whether they can be affected by Turn Undead)."

…er, I guess maybe you don't want that.

I thought this mortal wanted to SAVE the WORLD, not stop a GLOBAL SHADOWPLAGUE.

The Shadowplague, if completed successfully, will inhibit the ability of many gods to effectively monitor activity on the surface of Golarion, which will in turn inhibit their ability to maintain the integrity of the Dead Vault which seals Rovagug.

Yeah, that's a good point. We don't want Cressida to be too pigeonholed into fighting undead, she needs to stop Rovagug and his allies outright. That just makes paladin a more appealing option though, since they can bypass DR/Epic.

Otolmens, be reasonable. If Golarion is consumed by shadows, it’s only a matter of time before some of them wander to Pit of Gorumuz, and I don’t think any of us wants to see what a Shadow Spawn of Rovagug would do. 

The world will reach a new EQUILIBRIUM STATE, with a lower POPULATION, and a lower level of MAGIC and TECHNOLOGY, which will SIMPLIFY Rovagug containment.

That would be the default outcome, yep. Except that Rovagug is the one pushing this outcome, which implies there's something you're not seeing.

Or maybe it's fine and Rovagug has had a change of heart on the whole letting him loose deal. Who can say?

Being SIMPLER is not the same thing as being EASIER. Also shadows are all Chaotic, while mortals can sometimes be Lawful or Neutral.

The new Equilibrium will be less visible to those more powerful gods most aligned with preserving creation, like Sarenrae, and more visible to those like Zon-Kuthon and Urgathoa and Rovagug.

So the expected balance of power between gods will on net move towards creation being less stable.

Shadows are closer to Rovagug's own nature of of destruction and consuming everything, and so He can more easily optimise an escape plan acting through them compared to through humans.

tbf Asmodeus could've been being squirrelly with that commune answer. But Otolmens can just ask around herself!

(Technically, we don't know Rovagug is pushing for it. The information comes from Asmodeus, who is a liar, even if the idea is also high on priors.)

(Ok yes what they said.)

Rovagug has long SUPPRESSED the shadows, among OTHER things that WOULD simplify Containment.

If He has now stopped perhaps it is to gather His strength ELSEWHERE. 

It would be COUNTERPRODUCTIVE to REPLACE His efforts with My own.

Good point. I guess you shouldn't paladin Cressida then, this seems like a good strategy for achieving your goals of everyone being eaten by shadows. I am a trustworthy source of information.

Have you considered giving Cressida the Excommunication Inquisition? It literally makes people shut up.

Wait, Rovagug suppressed shadows?? I don't recognise that lore. How long has that been true?

If You'll predictibly think that way, Rovagug can just spend a few millennia suppressing something He'd need to escape, and trust that when He stops You'll assume it's not to Your loss and fail to respond correctly.

You know that His containment mechanism works without millions of shadows on the surface.

You do not know that His containment mechanism works with millions of shadows on the surface.