“There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said -- no. But somehow we missed it.”
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
"How interesting. Has Cayden been a naughty god? Breaking treaties, perhaps?"
"Nooooot saying anything until you agree to the compact!"
"Though obviously He's been a very naughty god. During the entirety of His existence. Because, like, Cayden Cailean."
"I don't suppose you'd tell Me how Cayden Cailean is otherwise supposed to die, if I promise not to tell anybody else and instruct your host to do the same? For some small additional fee, perhaps."
"Well. I am interested, but grant me that I consult with Asmodeus about this matter. The death of Cayden Cailean is more His interest than Mine, and I'll need to seek reimbursement from Him for your payment."
"Nice try, buster! You're Lawful best buds, you'll just tell Him afterwards that you acted in His interests strictly conditional on your prediction that He'd reimburse you blah blah blah Golarion knows decision theory now!"
"Does it. Well then, I'm possibly inclined to take your deal. Any reason I shouldn't eat you afterwards? You've been more than rude enough to negate the hospitality extended to a guest who'd bargain with Me."
"Project Lawful still needs me around! Won't be able to even start to recover from the next major Project disaster without me!"
"Also, while my awareness isn't mechanically necessary to Pilar's curse, or to Pilar growing stronger and tearing more and more of Cayden Cailean's power away from Him, my advice to her can speed up the process a lot."
"It's an obvious thought that you're going to end up the new Chaotic Good god after He dies, but I'm looking at you quite closely and I don't see any way for the curse to operate so. You're not the seed of anything, you receive no part of any stolen divinity; at best you'd be able to scurry off as a demigod. Any comments on that, Snack Service?"
"I wouldn't sell you Cayden Cailean's death and just have some new Chaotic Good god pop up to replace Him! That'd be cheating! Really, Asmodeans are always so suspicious!"
"He's not into that sort of relationship! Not even with the really hot dommy goddesses! Also nope."
Okay so it's an obvious thought that Cayden Cailean is supposed to die because Pilar is in fact supposed to finish consuming Him entirely but this does not seem like it could possibly be right...
Why isn't Dispater asking that?
Because Mister Dispater is courteous about deals, and He's not going to ask that question if it isn't information He needs to execute this deal!
Also He knows that since He doesn't need the information I wouldn't answer.
You'll find out eventually! Meanwhile, you should try putting a probability on that! It'd be good training for ilani thinking!
After about the sixth purchase of the soul of a Project Lawful girl from a Count of Hell delighted to be getting one over on her by selling at the last list price, or else suspicious that they're being cheated, or both at once, Carissa can feel herself flagging.
It's been a long ....day? Probably just the one day. She's not actually sure how long she spent in Dispater's presence, going over the contract. Her Unseen Servants last almost nine hours at this point, and they ran out at some point. The Most High hasn't recast Planar Adaptation, which means it hasn't been more than twenty hours, unless time is obeying Dispater, here, which it probably does do.
But it's been long enough that she's run through all her adrenaline and is persisting on sheer determination, and inconveniently she still cannot afford to make a mistake.
When she's a devil she won't need to sleep and won't get tired it'll be amazing.
It's probably also the company. This Count of Hell looks like a chiseled naked male form composed entirely of out of writhing white maggots, each maggot so tiny that seeing him/it from across the room, you might only notice a moving white statue of a man of an odd texture.
Not that the appearance would be that disturbing on its own, of course; but it/he is also scary.
Restoration.
They don't particularly have the option of calling a rest.
When Pilar's parasite has completed its negotiation with Dispater, she is escorted out by some black-winged many-clawed servants, to the meeting hall where soul-sales are ongoing. The sights to see along the way are marvelous; Dispater's palace is the most civilized place in Hell. Agonized souls do get used for the building material, but tastefully; petrified angels do gaze desperately down on the passersby, but they're very pretty ones and no one has recently dumped acid on them or smeared them with entrails or anything.
The air is tastefully scented of lavender. There's a waterfall of blood.
It doesn't really bother her.
It doesn't really bother her, she's seen Hell scryed to her before.
It doesn't really bother her, she's seen Hell scryed to her before; maybe she wasn't there in person, but she was shown more tormented things than this.
It doesn't really bother her even when she sees the elegant dancers with the desperate eyes, but she does feel curious, then.
"Are they being punished? Shaped?" she asks one of her black-winged guides.
"Curious about what they did to turn into decorations or how long they stay decorations - that one, say." Pilar points out the dancer nearest to herself.