"I got the same message from the Select's words that you did, but wiser people than me noticed there was more than one way of interpreting it."

She nods at Dia.

"The commoners heard from the Select's message there was an easy way to be Good, and they don't want hellfire, and all they had to do was fall into lawlessness to make Good.  The Select had to choose her words carefully with the Archmage's rules, but everyone knew she was doing that, so they interpreted some to get at her meaning.  As to whether the Select meant for this to happen... someone should check if Iomedae is still empowering Select Wain tomorrow, I think Gods can probably stretch alignments some, but if this was on purpose and not just careless idiocy, this should lose Wain her Law and maybe her Good as well if enough innocents died."

No way Dia believes this was an accident, but she has to be careful about throwing accusations at the cleric of a God favored by the Queen.  Also, Dia doesn't actually believe Iomedae would drop her cleric if she didn't have to.  Killing diabolists is probably fine with Iomedae even with a high bystander causality rate.  But maybe Pharasma's rules means Ioimedae has to drop Valia Wain is she goes too far?  

Silvia pauses, thinking of the group she led to kill Arbat. She... didn't say anything about Good, or hellfire... so maybe that wasn't a risk? Perhaps she should be more careful next time And it won't happen again, so she doesn't need to worry about it.

"I heard the talk of Good, yes, and that cruel nobles should fear them. I heard nothing about rioting being Good? Is that how Good works? And what would break her Law? The President did not oppose her speech, and I heard the Asmodean speech laws were ended. ...Oh, yes, there was that pamphlet. Was this, ah, 'incitement to the murder of their fellow citizens', then?"

“An ‘incitement to the murder of their fellow citizens’ is the particular letter of the law.  And I’m pretty sure deliberately inciting a riot counts as chaotic, even if you find a way to do it within the letter of the law.  And I’d hope the rioters carefully target proper unrepentant diabolists and thereby at least make neutral in their killings.  But I wouldn’t expect it.  They weren’t quite so careful after the Four Day War when there was more true diabolists to chose from and they weren’t so careful when they believed the pamphlet accusing me of currently worshipping Eiseth (I heard a mob near our main entrance).  So there will probably be many dead innocents, or at least non-Diabolists not warranting death tomorrow morning.  And the mobs will be more surely damned than if they simply stayed home.”

"I hear this. But you say inciting riots is chaotic even if within the letter of the law?" Silvia looks momentarily abashed. "...Perhaps I should believe less what we were told by Asmodean priests. If Irori is a Lawful god, he should know? What is the Law? ...And yes, many will die, if they walk into traps or charge those gates or simply stumble. The death of innocents is Evil, then? And their souls will still be damned?" She scowls. "Would not killing them be the ending of evil, and then good? ...It matters not. We are safe either way, and cannot change what has happened."

“I’m still trying to understand the exact delineation of law and chaos and good and evil myself.  Irori’s holy text is riddles and aphorisms mixed with techniques for diet, meditation, and exercise.  Very useful for strengthening and perfecting body, mind, soul and skill… less immediately useful for trying to get your alignment clear of damnation. The Acts of Iomedae is more clear on the matter of Goodness.  Killing people, unless done in very necessary contexts with appropriate consideration is almost always Evil.  And both Iomedae’s and Abadar’s holy texts suggest Law includes orderly cooperation with society as a whole which a riot simply is not.”

"Killing I understand." Sounds like she's at least a bit Evil, then, and Leafswirl was too? Well, fey. Fey are different.

"Cooperation, though, not so much. Out there they cooperate well! All of them toward the same goal, forgetting their differences, side by side with their rivals to a greater goal. Not orderly, maybe? But definitely cooperation with society. Nothing else is close." Silvia knows well how a common enemy can get cooperation out of families which have been feuding for years, with no way to settle it the priests would let stay. Asking him to settle things never worked. Using him, on the other hand, meant she hasn't heard of a single intentional fight in Perafita in the last year! That seems cooperative to her?

Killing an actual Asmodean cleric probably comes up at least Neutral as far as Thea knows, but she isn’t a mind reader or even that good with reading faces, so she doesn’t comment on Silvia’s thoughts.

”I suppose mobs are cooperating within themselves?  But not with the rest of society.  Many people, even poorer ones, will be hiding in their homes.  And the mobs will damage a lot of communal property.  And they certainly aren’t doing things in an orderly way.  A court and judge, a non-evil one that is, or at the very least non-Asmodean one, could consider the evidence and the people involved and a proportionate punishment.  The mobs are killing anyone they can get a hold of that looks rich or noble or had some lies written about them in a pamphlet.”

And Silvia doesn't know the difference between defending yourself from an ongoing threat and simple premeditated murder, so she will continue not to realize this.

"So they are cooperating with not enough people to be Lawful? The leaders sound orderly, at least. They describe who needs to die, they say why, and people agree. They join in, they go to hunt. They say, ah, 'he deserves death', and people agree. Is that not considering the evidence and choosing a punishment? ...Well, Irori is lawful, you are his cleric, you would know better. Is there anything you need of me for now?"

Thea doesn’t want to get into her own conceptions of what makes a kill orderly and disciplined.

“Sorry I got caught up talking theology.  Let me show you to your room.  I don’t need anything for now.  Tonight is free, you know our rate if you want to stay additional days.”

”Gabi, go to bed now, and write up a full report first thing in the morning.”

“Right, will do.”

She had been waiting to point it out at a timely moment, but she’ll just have to say it now.

“Silvia is really great at stealth!”  

Thea she realize the obvious possibility from that.

It seems a little too quick to pitch Silvia on being a teacher, so instead Thea nods and leads the way down a hallway.

“Have you joined any committees at the convention?”

Silvia follows Thea. "Perhaps we will further discuss Irori in the morning, then. I have not joined any committees, no. Did you find them worthwile?"

"Virtuous Churches has several good ideas one of which might stabilize the monastery's finances.  Education... is having some difficulty striking a compromise but I think we will get there.  Our Chair there is Korva Tallandria, the sortition delegate who made the speech on the first day, and she is just as capable of oration in person.  Excising Diabolism... I've only been to one meeting, and they spent the first half of the meeting interrogating what appeared to be a thirteen year old over her usage of a spell to make her alignment unreadable.  Then I gave them information on the Sisterhood of Eiseth, Eiseth, and three other hellish demigod, but they seemed more interested in interrogating me than the information I had to provide.  Eventually the use of a truth spell convinced them to trust me enough.  But even with that they didn't seem to want to listen to me.  At the time I was hopeful they would put the information I gave them to good use, even with their suspicion, but given the pamphlet about the meeting I think I was foolish to try to cooperate with them.  And given the riots now I'm wondering if Iomedae ever intended for Valia to be anything more than a foot soldier with positive channels."

"Well, I have known no virtuous churches unless the fey count. And I would no more join the committee on excising diabolism than I would the large groups intent on it." She nods to the doorway.

"I did go through education, though. It could surely be improved. ...But whether I will join or not depends on when next the Convention meets. If this was caused by the speech, perhaps it will be some time before speeches again happen. Does it still have space?"

"Do you know much about Fey?  The virtuous churches committee was unsure how to handle the worship of Fey."

"As to joining a committee the current rules for adding members involve a 2/3s majority of the committee itself.  In the case of Education I think you should ask Delegate Tallandria how to navigate joining, the room was divided along several questions, so you would have to present yourself in a way that simultaneously shows disapproval of torturous punishments, opposition to schools reopening, and yet some form of favorability to education and reading in order to get a 2/3s vote."

They come to a room.  It is well lit by two continual flames in wall sconces, with coverings that can be placed over them to partially or completely darken the room. Decorating the wall is imagery of snakes, dragonflies, ravens, and panthers, but the imagery has been defaced, with palms of Irori craved over them.  The room has a bed with plain sheets.

"There will be a bell in the morning for food.  Water is down the hall.  I can send someone in the morning to show you to the mess hall."

She waits in case Silvia has additional questions or wants to talk more about the convention.

"I have known two fey, and one is dead. They were better than the priest our village had. The dead one helped us kill him. But they were two, and the forest holds many, and I am told every fey is different."

"The committee on education sounds difficult. Already you are so split on these counts? Well, they say an untrained hand is but a slave to the farmer, but they are Asmodean, and now we are no longer. Perhaps this has changed."

Silvia stiffens slightly at the defaced art, but seems to figure something out and relaxes. She goes to the bed and sits down.

"We shall meet once more in the morning, then."

“Good night.”

And she leaves.