She thinks for a few moments. "I won't willingly tell anyone but Irabeth or Anevia without your permission." If he's somehow secretly a demon cultist or something presumably Irabeth or Anevia can handle it. "I'm only first-circle, though, so a demon or a cultist might still be able to learn it by reading my mind."

"I really can't keep it private indefinitely because the situation is that there is a man who -

- I seem to be from some kind of other timeline, the me from this timeline is also present and he's still a cleric of Asmodeus commanding a fort up north."

She — didn't think that could happen?? She's never heard of other timelines, or people travelling between them. If he's telling the truth, he's from — a timeline where Cheliax worships the Goddess rather than Asmodeus? It would be really upsetting if she went to another timeline where she was a priestess of Asmodeus or Deskari or something.

—But he said 'still.' Which makes even less sense, the Goddess wouldn't choose someone Evil as a priest, and — even if he'd repented of serving Asmodeus she'd normally expect choosing someone like that to be more Sarenrae's thing? 

Or he could just be a disguised succubus or something. It makes sense that a succubus wouldn't completely understand the relationship between Iomedae and Asmdodeus, and 'disguised succubus who's got some kind of plot where they pretend to be helpful' sounds a lot more likely than 'there's another timeline.' If he's a succubus she should... wait for the conversation to be over and then tell Irabeth and Anevia, probably? That doesn't really feel like a good plan but she doesn't have a better one.

"I've heard a little more about how Chelish forts are organized than about what they do in the south, but not enough to — know what you're noticing that's different. ...Besides that the Goddess isn't Evil." Her voice is shaking a little.

"Mostly I'm just used to having someone to report to, and have not recently had that and am unsure how to go about slotting myself in. I did notice She's not Evil. I woke up outside Kenabres in this timeline without most of my things but I had time to read the Acts and also the Lastwall military discipline handbook before they vanished."

"I think it would usually be easier for a newcomer to slot themself in, it's just... well, usually Deskari hasn't just killed quite so many of the people in charge around here."

"Right. - if you have questions -"

"...why — uh, assuming what you said was true — were you a cleric of Asmodeus?"

"I was referred to the seminary program by, probably, my schoolteacher, and - do not know how much detail you want about the process -"

"...mostly it's confusing because it doesn't seem like you want everyone to go to Hell and be tortured and enslaved to Asmodeus, and because even if you did it'd still be a bad idea to be his cleric unless you also wanted it to happen to you. And so it's confusing why you'd decidee to do it anyway."

"Do you know how to play chess? - I can try to answer the question without chess metaphors but it's easier with."

"I don't, I'm sorry."

Drat, his chess metaphor was pretty good "Suffice it to say that what I was doing did not consult what I wanted."

"...That doesn't really answer my question but I don't know how to ask it differently. Usually when people do things they have reasons?"

If he's not a succubus she's probably being horribly rude but she doesn't really know how to not be rude about someone thinking it's a good idea to be a cleric of Asmodeus! At least the demon lords bother to pretend their followers will have a good time in the Abyss!

"I had reasons. They were all - outside of myself."

"I guess what I'm wondering is what those reasons were. I don't think the gods can make people clerics against their will, otherwise the demons would just cleric every Chaotic Neutral person and make us execute all of them."

"I was under orders from people who so far as I was aware had every right to direct me."

So it's like... when she thinks someone might be innocent, but Prelate Hulrun is sure they're guilty? Except Prelate Hulrun is trying to keep the city safe from demons, if he decided to help the demons take over instead then of course everyone would stop listening to him.

"What made you change your mind and decide to follow the Goddess instead?"

"That was sheerest blindest luck. In my timeline Asmodeus dropped all of His clerics overnight for reasons of His own. It was several weeks later that She picked me up. I cannot claim particular virtue. I think I was - inexpensive."

And the Goddess knew he wouldn't just use her magic to serve Asmodeus because she's a god and can see what's in people's hearts (or because he's a succubus and this whole story is made up), and she was able to pick him because... it turns out there's somehow a way to be a Lawful Neutral cleric of Asmodeus?

"Do you know why he dropped his clerics? ...Was Cheliax still able to hold back the demons in the north?"

"I don't know why. With much greater difficulty, yes, people were reaching for Abadar and Nethys and Gozreh, trying to retain adventuring parties who passed through, that kind of thing - but also there was a party of archmages active and they closed the Wound, so losing the border would only let a finite number of demons through. They do not seem to exist here."

"—Do you know how they closed the Worldwound?"

"No. But I hope it can be done again here. It would be a good reason for some actor to have transported me, except that I'm the wrong person - the archmages themselves might be too important to move but they must have assistants and chroniclers and such who'd know more."

"Maybe whatever brought you here didn't have a way to be more specific?" (Or maybe he's a succubus.)

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Assuming you're telling the truth, I'm glad that you're with someone who isn't Asmodeus now."