"And the cake girl was rewarded by being upgraded to the cake-or-death girl?"

"Well, how else would getting promoted on Project Lawful work?"

"To this stunning logic I have no rejoinder."

"I've heard rumor that Carissa Sevar hasn't been seen in Cheliax for a month, for whatever that's worth."

"I don't know that I'd feel so reassured, actually.  She's probably being upgraded.  - to what, I admit I have no idea."

"Maybe tending to her cult in the Padishah Empire. - don't ask me why she has a cult in the Padishah Empire, I just know it's sizable."

"I do know, but the Church has proclaimed it grave heresy to repeat even as rumor."

"This sounds worrying," says Alexite Thrune, who is, in case anybody's lost track of this important fact, visibly a priest of Asmodeus.  "Should I be worried?"

"Yes, but it's not my place to speak of it."

"I grant you leave to speak of it," Alexite says to Carissa Sevar.  "If it pleases you."

"I suppose it would have to be the rumors that those who follow Carissa Sevar will come into her keeping when they die and go to Hell, and that she has mercy for the souls under her care. Which is nonsense, I must say, from everything else you've said of her. Carissa Sevar can't be a merciful person; no Power in Hell could be. And I can't imagine her admiring those who delude themselves and believe things just because it's comforting. If one wanted to be useful to Carissa Sevar in Hell - well, this is a party, no time for speaking of such things. 

I have heard it said of her, that she dislikes it immensely that Hell's souls are lost to Abaddon, and that she has hopes her cult might guide those souls back to Asmodeus where they belong. But that's hardly unique to her! Abaddon is horrid."

"I hadn't heard the Abaddon part.  Lady Sevar wouldn't much like the plans of the Mayor of Senara, then, would she?"

"Conveniently the Most High Aspexia Rugatonn has also been spotted at this gathering, so how about I go find her and ask her about this incredibly dangerous heresy?  By your leave, Lady."

She waves him off cheerfully and turns to the other noble. "I'm not familiar with the name, but do tell. The more people Carissa Sevar dislikes the less likely she is to take some issue with me."

"- sad, pathetic, and dare I say non-Asmodean.  I rule a town half of whose inhabitants are descended of devils in some way, nigh a quarter are outright tieflings, and they don't sufficiently fear Hell.  Asmodeus's embrace should be a privilege for them, one they have to earn by good behavior, I say!  And you, you sad fragile thing of the Queen's, how dare you tell me otherwise?  Do you think being buried a statue is the worst that can happen to you when the Queen tires of you?  Be grateful she'll show you even that much mercy!  You could be sent down to Hell for a stay, brought back when you're fully broken, and plane-shifted to Abaddon then."

"Well, you know what I think of you? I think that everyone here is some kind of sick, twisted, parody-Evil, somehow neither in Asmodeus's image nor in their own, and you're the worst of it. You thought about what the most vaguely horrible thing you could do was, and it's not even Lawful Evil, it's just bad, when you should be grateful to have a population that knows their place and is glad to go and find it.

You have a rare gift, if you really do have a population of people who don't much fear Hell, and you are wasting Asmodeus's resources, if you Maledict even a single one of them to Abaddon. If I ran this country it'd be outright illegal. If Hell thinks they don't deserve to be in Hell it can destroy them itself."

"If you ran this country, you traitorous wretch?  And heretical besides, for the purpose of Hell is to be feared, to strike dread into the hearts of traitors as they contemplate the slightest act of disobedience knowing that any such will condemn them to eternity as suffering blobs of meat!  If they can't manage to fear that, Asmodeus has no use for their defective minds, and Hell is better off spared the effort of trying to process them."

"The purpose of Hell is not any attitude mortals have about it! Have you - even asked the Church if they want you maledicting people to Abaddon?? I am pretty sure Asmodeus can manage to scare them if he wants them scared!"

"The priest of my town understands the importance of keeping order, and that the degenerating conditions in my city born of insufficient terror have left me no choice but to find something they'll fear more than Hell.  It's his fault in the first place, really, for failing to convince the souls in his keeping that they'll become lemures for disobeying their superiors, namely me.  But once the fools see the worst dissenters being put to Abaddon, they'll fall in line."

"It sounds to me like you're incompetent, flailing around to blame anyone but yourself, and picked a particularly odious problem-solving approach which won't even solve your problem which no one is calling you on because, oooh, we're evil here, no one's allowed to point out when anyone else's evil is stupid."

"And you've heaped enough insult on me, future statue.  So here's how it's going to be.  I have no idea of your real relationship to Her Infernal Majestrix, and no intent to offer her any insult.  I certainly won't suggest to her that her ending for you be anything but what satisfies her the most."

"But I'll inquire of Her Infernal Majestrix of your family, your friends if you've none of those, anyone you might care for.  You seem like the Good-hearted sort to have many like that."

"And then I'll pay of my own expense to have them brought to Senara, invent some crimes, and offer up their souls to Ahriman."

"You're pretty, though.  So does her Infernal Majestrix consent you may beg leave to serve me of a night, and if I'm satisfied you've shown full repentance I'll spare any two family or friends of your own choice."

"This is the price of insolence in Cheliax."

"I didn't - intend any insult -"

"You were warned, you kept at it, and your repentance comes too late to spare more than two of your treasured souls at best."

"- it does give me a fine idea about destroying the souls of offenders' families as well.  Hm hm.  You'd best be about before you give me any more ideas, really."

"They didn't do anything to you! They're good Asmodeans!"

"Yes, and this is Asmodeanism.  The cruelty is the point, you sad, sad thing."