" - I don't know. Maybe.  I - Alfirin knows her very well, has known her for decades, can probably predict exactly what'd move her on whatever they were previously contemplating - it'd be - it'd be the kind of betrayal there isn't really any coming back from, it's a dangerous move to make for - a world that's a priority for neither of them - but if she wanted to, sure, Alfirin could convince Iomedae that the letter was legitimate and the Emperor needed rescuing.

It's Alfirin I read the letter to. From the Rope Trick. Alfirin is the one who had the means to intervene immediately if there were a coup."

:...Different scenario, if this wasn't a false-flag operation by Alfirin and was genuinely new information to her, how confident are you that she would have passed it on to Iomedae at all?: 

"- that's nearly the same magnitude of betrayal. If she's trying to arrange to betray Iomedae already, then sure, she might've done that. If she hadn't already decided to betray Iomedae, then she wouldn't do it over this. It's - possible Iomedae wasn't in the loop if there was enough else happening last night. It's been an eventful week."

:Mmm.: 

And she takes a mental step back, turns it from side to side in her head. 

:- If it's a false flag scenario orchestrated by Altarrin and Alfirin, what would you expect to be the next visible sign from our point of view.:

(...Unfortunately plausible that it's both of them dying before they can spread the secret any further. She doesn't say that.) 

Yeah it's definitely both of them dying before they can spread the secret any further. 

He could Sending Iomedae in ten minutes. He's - kind of inclined to do that, except that Alfirin will be watching and will see that he's starting the spell and -

:Who're you supposed to report to?:

She aims a piercing look at him. :I am not entirely sure I should give you that information, but - directly to people at a high level. And I'm inclined to think you should Sending Iomedae, if only because - we don't know that this is the explanation, it could be something less nefarious or just slower, that isn't too late to stop.:

She sighs. :I want you to prepare the spell and I will alert someone offsite – in Mindspeech, which as far as I know isn't trackable by magic – that if both of us die in the next ten minutes, it should be assumed to be hostile action by Alfirin, possibly without Iomedae's approval. If you are able to cast the spell, I want you to tell Iomedae that the letter was a fake, the Emperor is fine, and no action on her part is required. Nothing more, unless you want to argue now that saying more would be helpful.: 

:No, that's fine.: He'll start the process for a Sending. :You're sure the letter was in fact a fake and the Emperor is in fact fine? Have you seen him?:

:Yes, face to face. He seemed - I don't see him often in person - I think he seemed very stressed and worn down, which seems only to be expected, but otherwise fine?: 

And she'll contact a couple of Thoughtsensers who are stationed nearby enough and have the range to pick up a distance communication, and who will keep a secret for her for the moment, but who she trusts to raise an alert if she doesn't check in with them again and stand them down in the next candlemark. 

She waits. 

"This is Marit. The letter was a fake, the Emperor is fine, no action on your part is required."

She would ideally have contemplated this possibility in advance. Luckily the setup doesn't in fact oblige her to lie. "Acknowledged."

- he relaxes slightly. Things will still probably go horribly but Iomedae probably won't be taken by surprise by them.

Ellitrea also relaxes slightly. She's still confused, and displeased about it, but - she thinks that ruled out the absolute worst case scenario, and hopefully nipped some of the other potentially-very-bad scenarios in the bud. 

She is belatedly remembering that this man is a diplomatic representative, not just a prisoner, and - if they're in one of the scenarios where neither Iomedae nor her current allies were involved, and this was purely a home-grown typical court plot – and, of course, in the case where it turns out that Iomedae is operating in good faith, but based on the man's thoughts, Ellitrea herself is at least mildly leaning toward that interpretation – then it may end up being relevant whether Marit reports positively to Iomedae on his stay here. 

:Thank you: she sends. :I appreciate your cooperation. I expect to come back and question you further, once I know more about what's going on. In the meantime, I'm relieving all of the other Thoughtsensers on your case, and will be requesting an Imperial order for new instructions for the diplomat, he's not to press you on last night's events or our conversation. ...And, of course, I will request additional guards and magical precautions, in case whoever is responsible for this - either local or in Golarion - does decide to try to take you out.: She ducks her head. :Do you need anything else right now?: 

:I don't think so. Good hope and good fortune, or, if that's not the local way to say it, have whatever you prize instead.:

:Thank you.: Ellitrea likes the man, she decides. She wishes she could reassure him more convincingly that the Emperor hates ordering executions and is very unlikely to have him killed horribly, but...she's less sure than she would like, right now, that they aren't both going to end up killed horribly. 

She will report to the Emperor as soon as she can get a Gate back to Jacona. 

The Emperor is clearly very busy and harried but can fit in time to see her before his next meeting. He ushers her into a private meeting-room, activates the artifact set-spell for a privacy-barrier (and casts a couple of additional privacy-spells, not that Ellitrea can tell.) "What is it." 

She takes a deep breath, and - this conversation feels very sensitive - she'll switch to Mindspeech. 

:It was a very weird letter, your majesty. It was claiming to be from: wow this is agonizing to say to the literal Emperor, :...you.: 

And she can recount the contents in Mindspeech.

To Marit of the Knights of Ozem 

 

I would be very grateful if you could convey a message to Iomedae, and tell her that I recognize now the horrifying mistakes that the Empire has made, especially in our treatment of her paladins, and I am deeply sorry and wish to personally offer my surrender to her, though I cannot at this time give it for the Empire as a whole. 

I also recognize that the Empire is not the civilization that Altarrin wanted to build, and that he was right to leave. I would be obliged if you or Iomedae could alert Altarrin that I wish to relinquish control of the current empire to him, and hope that he may see a way forward from here, because I cannot. Altarrin likely already has as much context as is helpful. I have no standing to plead with Altarrin for anything, but if he would listen, I would beg that he act before morning, and find a way to confirm receipt of the letter. I will be in my quarters. 

 

- Emperor Bastran IV

The Emperor looks unhappily at her. :That doesn't even make sense: he thinks back at her. :Did, er, Iomedae's paladin have any idea what it was about? - also I should've asked first, what did he actually do in response? Did he say anything about why he didn't bring it up sooner?: 

:...He assumed it was part of a plot for a coup, your majesty, presumably one intended to wreck the relations with Iomedae too by blaming her for, uh, mind-controlling you. He didn't know who was in on it or who he could trust, it could've been the work of the Ministry of Barbarians. He asked for privacy and contacted Iomedae to check if you were dead or in danger, and got instructions from her to - stay where he was, basically. ...I had him do a message to her again before I left, confirming that the letter is a fake and you're fine.: 

The Emperor looks so tired and unhappy. He drags a hand over his face. 

:I don't like it. I don't get what - whoever did it - would've been trying to accomplish, given that it's presumably easy to check that I'm fine. Either it's a very incompetent plot or it's - more complicated than it looks on the surface. Did the diplomat, er, have any ideas about what Iomedae would do in response?: 

:Several, yes.: She bites her lip. :...The scariest is - he thinks it wouldn't be entirely out of character for Alfirin to go behind Iomedae's back, on something, if it got her what she wanted. She wants the Empire, and - he thinks she might have a way to kill the gods. Which Altarrin would - go for, if he saw a way - so he thinks it's possible this is Alfirin and Altarrin working together to trick Iomedae into, I guess, supporting them in conquering the Empire, so Alfirin can help Altarrin kill some gods.: 

(Okay, that is - not even an unreasonable conclusion to come to - and is also genuinely one of the funniest things he's heard this week.) 

Undetectable Telepathic bond message to Kietres, :- Thoughtsenser and Marit came up with a theory that the letter was faked as part of a conspiracy between Alfirin and, well, me, working together against Iomedae so Alfirin gets the Empire she wants and I get her help in murdering the Velgarth gods. Just so you know. I think probably Marit is unlikely to do anything stupid as a result of this theory, but you should run that by Iomedae just in case.: 

And to Ellitrea before there's been too much of a delay: he blinks. Runs a nervous hand through his hair. :Would that work? I - wouldn't have expected Iomedae to fall for the letter, not by itself.: 

- Kietras will dutifully pass this along????? Alfirin and Iomedae wouldn't be playing against each other, that's wildly dangerous for the Crusade and everything they both care about???

She can tell Altarrin Marit has orders to sit tight and cooperate and he's not going to reason himself into doing something else while he knows he hasn't been informed about the full strategic picture.