Well all right then.

It was already written, except that she'd have Maillol's approval. That's kind of terrifying what with how Carissa didn't herself make this decision until an hour ago. Of course, the Grand High Priestess should be kind of terrifying. 

"May it serve Asmodeus," she says. "That's all I had."

"I... have a suspicion, that Pilar will be the only success of your project, in the end, other than yourself," Rugatonn says.  "Maybe even including yourself.  I have a suspicion that it is not possible to do this without pain and correction that the other students will prove unable to endure.  I think what you are trying to do is make a devil native to Golarion, but better and far faster than Hell can do it, and I suspect that Pilar will prove to be the only one who can take it once you have given up on showing mercy to the others and found that you also cannot punish them enough."

"Or I could be vastly - how did Keltham put it - outracing my own ability to think, and pretending that I can see such things as Asmodeus may see when He is paying attention.  But.  Do not expend Pilar without need."

"I was thinking - it doesn't have to be possible to achieve with everyone - if we can take ten million Chelish people and get ten of you, that's more than worth everything. Especially if we can identify them in advance as being able to take it."

"Wrong.  One of me is worth a million Chelish citizens, ten of me is not worth ten million.  And do not forget Abrogail's insight - which I should have seen myself, perhaps, but her crown is admittedly more powerful than mine - that depending on what bargains our Lord may have made to bring Keltham here, or even what spies may learn from us, it may be that we must compete against students from Osirion and Lastwall, being taught in kinder ways and without falling into what their own gods more permissively deem to be heresy.  Ten Aspexias will not compete against that.  It is not even the right sort of military."

Then it'll be good news, if this Law can't be taught mercifully, if the girls who are punished do better. 

She doesn't expect it, though.

If they corrupt Keltham, though, that'd be an edge Lastwall and Osirion won't be able to duplicate for a long time. 

"I understand, Most High."

"Go with Asmodeus.  You are dismissed."

"Oh, and don't forget to act on the way out like you were here to instruct me and not the other way around."  Rugatonn chuckles briefly, smiles briefly, and nobody else in this office is going to see the slightest hint that it isn't genuine.

The primary purpose of this manipulation of the runaway rumor elemental is of course to corrupt Sevar herself, in this case with pride.  Aspexia has not forgotten that Irori may still be in contest for her, among other possibilities being considered.

If people believe that then they're all so stupid it's astonishing they function! It's not like Contessa Lrilatha's contract, which was a plausible lie, a world they could easily really have been in.

But it is fun. 

Carissa steps out of Aspexia Rugatonn's office, looking satisfied with herself. "Pilar?" she says cheerfully to the room that contains only people who are not Pilar. "I'm in the mood for some fun."

"Oh, nice!  I mean - I'm at your service, of course."

WHY IS SHE IN THE GRAND HIGH PRIESTESS'S WAITING ROOM WITH CARISSA SEVAR?

Carissa surveys the room as if deciding whether anyone else in it is any fun and then walks away down the hallway with an arm around Pilar. "Aspexia's welcome to join us," she calls at the Grand High Priestess's secretary as she rounds the corner.

She would LITERALLY DIE RIGHT NOW if she hadn't JUST DONE THAT YESTERDAY.

Pilar performs a cantrip, she's had time to hang them again between deliveries.

Message to Carissa Sevar:  "What is going on and what am I supposed to be doing?"

"High Priestess has asked me to make a production of being the person calling the shots around here. Because there are going to be spies trying to understand Project Lawful and apparently it serves us for them to learn this. I am also confused. Does your curse require us to actually have fun, I can't fuck you because I promised Keltham I wouldn't."

"It is possible to do fun things to me besides fucking me but I could also give you a cookie, I guess?  I'm still figuring out how this curse works and, just mentioning this to anyone with authority, I have an increasing suspicion that if I don't throw somebody an impressive surprise party on purpose very soon it is going to happen anyways."

"Who won't say anything about it. ...Abarco. Let's throw Abarco a surprise Carissa's now your boss party."

"I... this is so awful, I want to do that too, but my curse won't let me.  The party has to be - for them, not for us making fun of them.  Stupid Good is still Good."

"Wait, you're Abarco's boss now?"

"I am now project director. Though you're still the Grand High Priestess's favorite. You could throw Asmodia a surprise welcome-back-from-Hell party?" Carissa steers them towards Maillol's office.

Pilar frowns.  "You'd think that would go through but it doesn't."

"Can you use this to figure out peoples' deep motivations -" surprise party for the Queen, Carissa Sevar has gotten herself into trouble and you can statue her now - that's definitely eight kinds of illegal - "surprise party for Maillol about me taking over the project."

"...no answer.  You can use it to figure out the motivations of people with respect to things you actually want to throw them a for-them party about, is I'm suspecting my curse's answer here.  Would you maybe - have not totally sincerely wanted to congratulate Asmodia on coming back from Hell?"

"....no I think I would've wanted to! She's strikingly good at math and I am worried she doesn't have the discipline to keep contributing to the project if she's getting tortured a lot, I was torn between hoping Hell'd helped with the discipline and hoping it hadn't kicked her back into her shell so she's harder to use. ....I have no idea what Chaotic Good thinks of either of those motivations."

Pilar has now been repeatedly and directly exposed to Project Lawful's hidden power source, a thing called a 'dath ilani' in its own language, for multiple hours over sequential days.  This has consequences.

"Do we know anybody else back from Hell?" Pilar says.  "Maybe it doesn't work on Hell-related things."

All the rumored weirdness and all the real weirdness is only a distraction from the true effects of dath ilani exposure, though a very effective distraction if your mental language lacks even the conceptual vocabulary to describe what Project Lawful is actually about.

"Maillol? I don't know if he went to Hell or just to judgment. Balaguerre and Torres, on Security."

"...we don't want to throw them a party.  We want to know if my curse works on Hell things.  I hate Chaotic Good so fucking much."

"Hey, imagine how much harder Asmodeus' life would be if Good were not incredibly stupid. You're a very powerful argument for Asmodeanism, just bopping around where Keltham can see you." 

"It's possible they know that, Elysium said that I was truly loyal to Asmodeus and so Good would prefer not to use me against Him and my being oracled would end up with Lord Asmodeus being better off than if I hadn't been.  The Grand High Priestess thought that was credible but ominous, and that maybe there was a bigger plan against His interests, like the plan is to destroy Cheliax and then I end up preventing a new Worldwound from opening in the crater."