"And you're saying Leareth - doesn't think that. Even though he seems shockingly comfortable with murdering people for power and invading kingdoms and - probably worse things than that." 

"Probably," she agrees. "But he doesn't like Asmodeus, and he doesn't like torturing people, or lying to them, and he's powerful enough he can pretty much avoid doing things he doesn't like doing."

"Hmm. How sure are you that he doesn't like lying? I mean, he could just lie about whether or not he minds lying, right, do you have anything more - concrete, than him just making a claim?" 

"I read his peoples' minds, sometimes, and they haven't got - the habit of listening to what he says and then figuring out what they're actually supposed to believe."

"...Are people in Cheliax used to - having to do that? Gods, it sounds like an exhausting place to live." 

"Honestly I was until recently under the impression that everyone everywhere does that all the time? I don't see how you can just expect that people are probably telling you the truth when they have lots of reason to not do that. Leareth explained that - it takes skill, to get good at lying such that it's actually a viable strategy, and if everyone around you will be angry at you if you get caught lying, then there's not much reason to develop the skill, and so you can have places where decent people are basically being honest with each other all the time. - that's why Lissa had hurt feelings, isn't it, I didn't make the connection until just now -"

"...Yes, I imagine so. She's over it now, though, she doesn't tend to hold grudges." 

A few beats pass in silence. 

"We - didn't really figure out what was going on with, er, the child," Lancir says finally. He seems a bit apologetic about it. "- Is she, in fact, Leareth's daughter." 

"Oh right. I think he thinks she's, uh, the child of an alternate universe version of him in another world. Or something. She has memories consistent with being his child but he hadn't met her before."

"So - you think there is an alternate universe where you and Leareth are married?" 

"I guess so? I didn't know there were alternate universes but she speaks the language spoken in Cheliax and she seems pretty sure I'm her mother. - in her universe I am in the church of Iomedae, the Lawful Good god of fighting Evil, so there's clearly some other differences."

"What does it mean to be in the church of a particular god, in Golarion." 

"Our gods are more interventionist and empower some people with the ability to perform miracles, as a mark of endorsement and a way of advancing their goals. It's kind of like the Heralds only if you got mage-gifts from being Chosen."

"Interesting. - Were you part of the church of Asmodeus, in your Cheliax?" 

"Not in that sense. I attended worship services and I would've been His when I died but I wasn't selected by Him as a priest. If I had been I'm pretty sure they'd just have killed me, when I got involved in - interworld stuff - but I wasn't so they hoped they could work something else out. And eventually they worked out sending me to another world, which would be dangerous to do if I were a priest of Asmodeus."

"...'They' being who, in this case? I assume not Leareth, but I - think we are still piecing together all of the different aspects of this situation."

"No, I got captured by some paladins of Iomedae and then they asked a powerful priest of Nethys, the god of magic, for an unrelated favor and she offered to deal with me too. And sent me here. It was a complicated situation because holding wizards prisoner isn't easy with our kind of magic, and they wanted to keep me from reporting to Asmodeus, and also if I died I'd report to Asmodeus, so they were considering turning me into a stone statue or something. They decided on this instead."

"They could have turned you into a statue? I - that - you can't do that here. I don't think even Leareth could." 

"...Speaking of that, we'd also like to know more of how your magic works, and observe some of it if we can." 

"Of course."

And she gives them the explanation and demonstration; she needs to recast her translation spell pretty soon anyway. Talking about magic is much less terrifying and confusing than talking about local geopolitics or the merits of various gods, though even that is less confusing now that she's read a book of a Herald explaining how Heralds can get what they want. 

She likes magic. It is obvious that she's much happier doing it.

Savil is suitably impressed, and also seems much more at ease on this topic. 

Lancir has more questions about the history of Golarion, and then eventually he clears his throat. 

"This - is a bit of an awkward question, but - what would Leareth do, if...you decided after talking to us that you thought he was in the wrong here?" 

"I'm not sure. I think probably he'd want to talk about why. Assuming I didn't have a reason that he thought was very good... he might - let me in the same spirit he let me pretend to escape? I don't - think it'd matter, to his war efforts, if I was here working for you instead, I don't think it'd change the strategic situation any, and maybe I'd change my mind again. I think that's how he'd see it. But I wouldn't bet very much on it."

"And if he thought your reason was a good one? I suppose I don't know how he judges which reasons are good, maybe just you disagreeing with him would incline him to think it wasn't a good reason, but."

"I don't think that's it. I think it'd have to be - something more important than the thing where everyone here dies forever, though. Uh, if I had a good reason then I guess he would probably also have that good reason and would agree? Or agree it was worth spending some time looking into?"