He obeys.

The war with Nidal is winding down.  The Black Triune fled, crippled but still dangerous, to parts unknown.  With them gone, that Pangolais hasn't fallen is said to be more a matter of military convenience as they clean up the rest of the country first.

Spellsilver prices are fluctuating insanely as old hoards and reserves around multiple countries are dumped into the market, and merchants try to guess what the final price will be when the dust has settled about Cheliax's Project Chemistry and Osirion's Scientific Revolution.  It's rumored that Project Chemistry is far ahead of Osirion but that Osirion is rapidly catching up and nobody knows what to make of any of the weirder rumors about either.  Osirion has warned the world that Cheliax has developed a method for manufacturing particular magical items more cheaply, and that it may take Osirion some time to catch up on that dimension especially; it's rumored that Osirion is developing a counter-method to have lesser magical items developed by people who aren't even wizards.

Everyone is expecting war to break out between Cheliax and Osirion, possibly Cheliax and the rest of the world, people don't understand why that war hasn't begun already.  Finishing off Nidal doesn't seem like nearly reason enough to delay.

There's a vast struggle going on between all those trying to prove themselves worthy to be awarded a piece of Nidal; an opportunity like this comes along less often than once per lifetime.  The Crown is said to be making it clear that territories will be awarded primarily on the basis of achievements in the struggles to come.  Ambitious nobles, and even more so great merchant houses, are frantically scouring their territories for outstanding wizards and alchemists, and trying with limited success to recruit them from abroad.

She can feel herself cautiously starting to think again, starting to orient to things that aren't happening exclusively to her. 

"And what do they say, in Egorian, about Project Chemistry?"

It is said to be developing a new kind of alchemy, or maybe wizardry, some say that a new sorcerous bloodline has been discovered of Matter Sorcery.  They're producing spellsilver absurdly cheaply, in ever-spiraling quantity, it's said that Matter Sorcerers can simply hold ore in their hand and concentrate for a few minutes to turn it into the refined metal.

Rumors first had Project Chemistry led by the County heiress, Lady Eulàlia Avaricia, of the county of Seguer.  Even more recent rumors have the county of Seguer less favored than it seemed two weeks ago.

It's whispered that Project Chemistry is called that because it was spawned by 'Project Lawful', of which even less is known except the wildest rumors, save that it's said to be tangled in the affairs of the Ascendant Three.

" - of the who now."

Three powerful adventurers said to be entangled in a romantic triangle, and a black and mysterious compact regarding their mutual ascension to godhood; the Osirion Outsider, Keltham, is said to be one of them, who betrayed their compact and left Cheliax for Osirion; the second a mysterious sorceress, of whom it is said that she is already standing right behind you; and the third is Carissa Sevar herself, rumored heiress and lover and dominatrix of Abrogail Thrune.  It's said that a prophet has appeared in Absalom to proclaim that all three will ascend by Starstone during the next lunar eclipse, and that the Starstone will prove unable to bear the strain and perish at last, whereupon Carissa Sevar will devour the souls of all within Absalom to complete her ascension and scourge the seas and coasts around, before descending into Hell to replace Barbatos as the archdevil of Avernus.

"Who says that??"

NOT HIM!  NOT HIM!  IT'S JUST WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING!

"Pilar! Won't you join us for some cake?"

Security de-invisibles.  "Lady Pineda sent a message this morning to say that she's not allowed to debrief you until the Queen has done so, also that she's now engaged about important work for the Project that's Teleport-constrained."  He takes a box from his Bag of Holding, removes a cake from that box, lays it carefully on the tea-table.

"Do you happen to know if the important work for the Project involves spreading the rumor I'm going to ascend at the next lunar eclipse - not that I object to that - and do so by devouring the souls of all in Absalom - which I do object to!"

HE'S LITERALLY SITTING NEXT TO CARISSA SEVAR.

THAT'S WORSE THAN ABROGAIL THRUNE!

"My understanding from rumors within Security is that no known agency is believed to be sponsoring those outside rumors, as they serve no known faction or evident purpose."

" - that's a bit much, to be happening for no reason. Have you checked if it's Keltham."

"I can call up an Osirian analyst from Intelligence, if that is your will, Lady Sevar."

"I'll wait for my debrief." She stands up, and paces. 

Rumors. Everyone treats them as a force of nature, as an inevitable if unfortunate feature of humans. All the Project Lawful rumors - unusually bad, Maillol said, but not outside what he'd seen. 

The Osirians seemed uncannily well-informed.

Snack Service considered it important that Keltham's final debrief occur in front of an audience of hundreds.

Carissa Sevar, a name that's apparently now widely known and widely feared. 

Pilar, engaged about important work for the Project.

If there's not an entire secret task force dedicated to figuring out what games Cayden Cailean is playing, they haven't been taking him seriously enough. Which, of course - he hasn't exactly been trying to be someone it's possible to take seriously. 

"Tell me more about Carissa Sevar," she says in approximately the direction of her prisoner, not really looking at him.

Now there's an order to melt the brain of somebody sitting anywhere near Carissa Sevar!  Has she forgotten how mortals work?

He's frantically trying to think of anything complimentary, she's said to be unnaturally comely but you don't want to say that in front of somebody who's obviously only naturally comely.  He sure isn't repeating any of those rumors even if they could be considered in a certain light complimentary.  "She's - also called Chosen of Asmodeus and the Church hasn't commented on that - there's a rumor the Church has declared heretical, that when Sevar ascends as a god her favored followers will be granted - more mercy in Hell than anyone has received before then, though they'll still be turned to devils - it's said that there are cults springing up in her name in countries where Asmodeus's Church doesn't hold, hoping for some of that mercy, and that folk there fearing they'll sort Lawful Evil hold" orgiastic "rites and sabbaths in hopes of earning her favor and mercy in Hell -"

"I - 

- how would that even work, like, even if I do ascend next lunar eclipse, I don't think I'd get any retroactive knowledge of who's been hosting rites? I guess they could get some practice in?"

He'll bet his life, his soul, and his pain against that question having been directed at him, since he has to bet.

"Would you calm down? I'm going to kill you because you know too much but it's not going to be very hard to make this conversation more interesting than torturing you would be, especially since I suspect the person I really want to hurt, here, is Pilar. Look, what's your name, what'd you do to end up in the palace dungeons."

"Ermengol, Lady Sevar.  I was - caught spying on someone, at behest of a hirer I did not know - and I did not know, that the one I was spying upon, was of the House of Thrune."

"My commendations to whoever reviewed my request and thought to send me someone well-informed," says Carissa, not really to him. "And are you scared that I'm going to hurt you, or just that you're going to die?"

"I am scared of being hurt, and also scared of death, as I know both lie within your will."  He cannot imagine that any other answer is wanted from him; it is only coincidence that it happens to be true.  This is not Project Lawful.

(Ermengol doesn't ping aura detection, and he's tried, sometimes, to - steer away from Hell, such as you can, in Cheliax - but the percents are very hard against his having succeeded, especially in a profession such as his.)

"Why are you scared of Hell?"