The angel studies her face. "You speak the truth," it says in a voice like ringing crystal.

"I do." Catherine doesn't think it would be able to tell, unless it had some outside confirmation already. She hopes it does. It would make it harder for Hell's agents to convince the solars that they've been tricked, later.

"Then you shall have your stay." The angel grips its bow tighter and beats its wings faster, soaring upward and away from her.

Iomedae, in her position, would observe that when the fight ended Sunday she had only a smattering of lower-circle spells, one good arm, and no remaining ability to bend fate. She'd probably hold off on getting the arm regenerated and expend all of her spells and fateweaving before the fight with Sarenrae's executioners, so that their goal of murdering her was not made harder by their willingness to cooperate on shared ends.

Catherine isn't an idiot. She's spending enough of her resources to gate a dozen solars to her so that they can try to kill her; she's not going to spend more just for the sake of making it easy for them.

She doesn't have to.

"Do you know your name?"

She wasn't actually sure she would wind up here. She didn't expect to wake up in a clone, but the angels might not have been thorough enough - or known enough - to stop her from waking up in a baby somewhere...She really hopes Élie and Naima and Ione survived. If they're all dead Cheliax is going to be in some trouble. Mephistopheles will be delighted.

...She was asked a question. And not compelled to answer, apparently, though she doesn't doubt any answer she gives will have to be honest. Should she? Probably the psychopomp doesn't send her to Hell for not answering - not that she expects to go anywhere else, ability to empower herself as a paladin or no. But staying silent is - not entirely ceding her last tiny scrap of control over the situation, but ceding any chance at managing the situation with any finesse. "That's a bit of a philosophical question, no?"

"Your name is Alfirin. Do you know your name?"

What, does it imagine her inhumanly forgetful? She supposes some petitioners must be. And many are infants. "In that case, yes."

"Do you know where you are?"

"In Pharasma's court. Under protest."

"Does it sound to you like we are speaking in a language you understand, using words that you are familiar with, at a speaking speed you can follow?"

Really seems like that should be the first question. "Yes."

"Do you understand that you had, while alive, the capacity to take actions, and that those actions had effects on the world and on other people?"

"Really?" She's getting kind of annoyed with these questions. "Effects on other people? If that's true - that changes everything."

If the judge is amused, or cares about the answer in any way, it gives no indication. "Do you understand that the purpose of this court is to determine your alignment and which afterlife you are assigned to?"

"I understand that to be its intent."

"If there is no additional pretrial business, opening statements will proceed in a randomized order. The counsel from Nirvana is selected to speak first."

"Heaven has prepared a motion to place the trial under seal and require of all parties commitments to obeying the confidentiality of the proceedings. Heaven requests the authorization of the decedent to file said motion."

Why would Heaven want that? The obvious reason to seal the trial is because some of Mephistopheles' secrets might come out in it, but it's Heaven requesting the seal, not Hell… would Mephistopheles pay Heaven to raise the motion to deflect suspicion from Him? Possibly, in which case assenting would serve His interests… But, no, He is paying Heaven to keep his secrets already. So Heaven has reason to want the trial under seal, if they think Mephistopheles' secrets might benefit their case… which they probably do. Without that to explain her recent actions she likely resembles nothing so much as a cultist of Rovagug. That might work to her advantage though; Rovagug cultists get the Abyss, most of the time, and she does not imagine that the Abyss would not be better for her than Hell. Even with recent changes in management. Possibly especially with the recent changes in management, since Mephistopheles would find whatever analogue of joy He experiences in making sure she is worse-off for having dealt with him.

"The decedent may respond."

She hasn't been thinking that long, but she is thinking more slowly than usual and maybe it's not obvious that she's thinking about it at all instead of standing there dumbfounded.

…Axis would serve her better than either the Abyss or Hell. She hasn't read Lawful Neutral in nearly a thousand years, but maybe the advocate from Heaven expects that the last few days changed that. It's… a gamble. But hers to make or not, apparently, and if there's one thing she's learned about herself recently it's that sometimes when the stakes are high she's a gambler. "You have my permission."

Aha, Heaven bit. The Phistophilus leading Hell's legal team here was so hoping that they would.

"Hell would like to register its support for Heaven's motion and further move that the court expel from this trial those participants who are unable to make such a commitment and cannot be compelled by the court to such a confidentiality requirement." He's not optimistic about getting the Elysian delegation thrown out on this pretext, but maybe it will work to remove Nocticula, who for some reason decided to show up to this trial personally. He expects the Abyss' case to be the second strongest, after his own, so getting it thrown out before the trial even starts would be to his advantage.

"How does the advocate from Hell suggest that this court come to an unbiased and correct judgment in this case if the advocates for some sides are being preemptively excluded? Magistrate, if this motion is under serious consideration we request an opportunity to respond and a recess in which to prepare a response - "

A lantern archon winks across the chamber from Heaven's desk to Elysium's.

"Um, there is precedent for the importance of having advocates for every afterlife, Abyss v Garthulla, 3708."

Predictable.

"The precedent in Garthulla explicitly does not overturn Maelstrom v. Abyss, -12526 -"

"Maelstrom v Abyss concerns disruptive behavior within the court, not any merely speculative damages -"

"Achem. Nor, I was saying, does it overturn Mephistopheles v. Norgorber 2103, which does cover so-called 'merely speculative' damages stemming from the expected release of classified information."

"I've never heard of that case, do you have transcripts?"

"No. The case is sealed." He loves citing cases that none of his opponents are allowed to read.

"This is farcical."

"This is legal, which is what matters in this court. The matter of whether or not it is 'farce' I leave to the team from Nirvana, as the presumed experts on artistic matters."

"I will need a transcript of Mephistopheles v. Norgorber if I am to rule on the validity of the precedent. Otherwise I am inclined to ignore it entirely."

"Of course, Magistrate. We would not dream of keeping it from the Court." He would be delighted if he could get away with it but devils do not sleep and thus do not, technically, dream.

"Having reviewed the precedent set by Mephistopheles v. Norgorber I am inclined to bind the all advocates present by geas to keep the confidentiality of this trial, so that all parties are able to present their best arguments for their respective planes. Any advocates unwilling or unable to be subject to a geas shall be removed from the courtroom and may be replaced by someone who will and can, if such replacement can be found."

Exactly as he had hoped.

"Wow, really? My first trial, I read up on the dead lady's extremely long and detailed backstory and everything, and you all want to enslave me? That is insane."

After some quick murmured discussion a couple of the Elysian advocates depart. "Those of us remaining here will accept the geas. The others will be replaced promptly, if the Court will allow a brief recess."

Elysium's still here. Pity. Nocticula, though, couldn't accept a geas if she wanted to. Which she probably wouldn't. So that's her, and the advocate from the Maelstrom. Scratch two.

Nocticula smiles sweetly across the room at Hell's advocacy. The devil is grinning like it's won some sort of prize. She'll fix that.

"Oh, I can't take a geas, but don't worry. I promise not to repeat any of your secrets."

"Magistrate," he says, rolling his eyes, "She is a demon, her promises are worth nothing. If she cannot take a geas she should be excluded from the proceeding."

"A demon?" She laughs, a cruel laugh that grates at the ears and echoes with unspeakable torments just out of hearing. "Little Hellspawn, I am a god.

...And per Calistria and Abadar v. Zon-Kuthon, -10,932 AR a god is to be presumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, to be capable of making and keeping binding commitments, even if that god is chaotic."

...

Nice. Probably not great for the decedent's prospects, given how she died, but still. She'd bet her left wing the contract devil did not see that coming.

Well, damn. He was really hoping to be rid of her.

That may be the first time she's ever seen an advocate from the Abyss cite case law. Accurately, at least.

"Oh, well in that case I AM ALSO A GOD."

"Magistrate, Maelstrom v. Abyss -"

"Denied. An…attempt… is being made. The advocate from the Maelstrom will, however, need to take a confidentiality geas."

"Magistrate I propose that the advocate from the Abyss be required to present credentials verifying her alleged godhood..."

"Magistrate, you oversaw the trial of one of my clerics last century."

Damn, damn, triple-damn.

"The motion is denied. The lady Nocticula is a god, at least by the standards laid out in Calistria and Abadar v. Zon Kuthon, and this court is disinclined to indulge a drawn-out process to verify that. Are all remaining parties willing to take a geas of confidentiality?"

"Fuck that, I'm out. Sorry lady, I hope you don't go to Hell." The protean vanishes in a puff of judicial ire.

"Now. Are there any more pretrial motions, or may we begin?

No? This trial is now properly in session. Nirvana, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Magistrate. Here in these trials, we are called upon to judge a soul at the moment of its death. I will present a case that, in spite of a long history of Evil deeds, in her final years Alfirin turned from the path of Evil and towards Good. She devoted decades to the overthrow of Infernal Cheliax, and -"

"If she was so Neutral Good in the end," Nocticula interrupts, "Why'd you guys murder her?"

"The counsel from the Abyss will have an opportunity to speak -"

"Don't you think all this proceduralism unfairly advantages the lawful planes? I'm going to say my piece when it's relevant and maybe we can talk about whether it's technically the right procedure later, just you and I." She winks at the judge.

"I don't have that much to say right now anyways, just that I'm practically a god of bullshit and saying that this young lady is Neutral Good is some incredible, top-shelf bullshit. Nirvana sent a couple handfulls of solar angels to kill her, the forces of Good claim they don't do the sort of stupid destructive infighting where they murder other Good people, ergo Nirvana clearly does not think Alfirin is Good. So maybe, just for once, we can skip the whole 'Nirvana is for everyone, nobody is beyond redemption, bunnies and rainbows' spiel and get to the interesting argument about which flavor of Evil she is?"

"The counsel from the Abyss will have the opportunity to speak in due time. Nirvana, you may resume."

"...Right. Alfirin dedicated decades to the overthrow of Infernal Cheliax, and found regret in her heart for much of the harm she had done. She did this entirely selflessly, with no expectation of reward after death, for she expected never to truly die. We believe this represents a genuine redemptive turn from Evil to Good, rogue elements within the forces of Good notwithstanding." He hates when Sarenrae smites people, it makes his job so much harder. Hopefully Heaven has something really good up their metaphorical sleeve. "Thank you."

The judge consults his source of randomness and sighs. "The counsel from the Abyss has the floor."

"Thank you, darling. So, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we all know Alfirin's evil. At least half of all Neutral Good Goddesses of Redemption think she's evil enough to merit angel hit squads, and who are we to argue when They say someone is beyond redemption? She's hurt and killed - I don't even know how many people. Enough that I got bored and stopped reading halfway through the list, I am sure the little Hellspawn has a complete accounting. It's a lot, though! And she didn't even pretend it was for some greater good. So the real question is, which flavor of Evil? Did she keep to some personal code, or did she just do whatever she wanted? Does she eagerly await Hell, or fear it, or despise it? Has she ever tried unleashing Rovagug on the world? That's pretty classic Chaotic Evil behavior there. I think that we'll find, when we've answered those questions, that the answer to the larger question of where Alfirin belongs is clear: She belongs over here, with me."

The judge gestures toward the advocacy from Axis.

Siniim has a problem. When she took this case it seemed like a long shot; arguing that the decedent was Lawful is going to be easy enough, but she was going to have a hell of a time of it making the case for nonevil*. Fought in the shining crusade, sure, drove the church of Asmodeus out of Cheliax, sure, kicked Barbatos in the teeth, sure. But none of her recent deeds are the sort that an Evil person wouldn't do. Evil people conquer countries from each other all the time. The vast majority of people who kill archfiends are themselves archfiends. Et cetera. Worth it to her in expectation, because there's any case and a lot of earning potential, but still a long shot.

None of that is her problem. Her problem is that it doesn't seem like as much of a long shot any more, but for reasons which are largely opaque to her. 'I will present a strong case for a Lawful judgment, based on the decedent's long history of Lawful behavior,' she imagines saying, 'I believe the decedent to be Lawful Neutral in particular because she did an incredible amount of evil in her nine hundred years, and also it looks like Heaven has something really good ready now that the trial is sealed.' Even if she's right, it's an extremely undignified opening statement. Never mind that no record of it will ever leave this courtroom - Siniim has a reputation to uphold!

"Magistrate, we would like to waive our opening statement, as it seems most probable to us that this case will turn on yet-undisclosed information, and we do not wish to waste this court's time with underfounded speculation or with a discussion of facts which we expect not to be dispositive." There. Much more dignified. At least 30% more dignified.

*Pun intended, or at least it was when she wrote it in her pretrial notes.

"I'll keep it brief, Magistrate, for many of the same reasons as the Advocate from Axis has waived her. In her heart, Alfirin has never valued anything so much as freedom. Her own freedom first and foremost, yes, but also the freedoms of others. This is evident throughout her life, but especially in the last century when she risked everything in order to deny the god of tyranny a country on Golarion. I intend to show that this, the same principle which is fundamental to the nature of Chaotic Good, is the one that has motivated Alfirin's most significant deeds and choices. Now, I know that this court does not judge solely based on intentions and aspirations, but also on actions and consequences. And I must admit, many of Alfirin's actions were evil ones. But, judging from what I've seen, and from the seal of confidentiality on this trial and the number of lantern archons winking from desk to desk, I am sure we will find that the consequences were really really good."

That does not sound like the start of a very strong case. Even if it were all true, it wouldn't be enough. Ah, well, it's not like she was ever expecting to die and go to Elysium. It was a nice dream, but only ever that.

Optimistic fools.

There's a place for people who value their own freedom and do a lot of Evil with it. It's not Elysium.

Heaven's strategy here is to aim for Lawful Neutral. For two reasons: firstly that they think it has a good shot on the merits, where Lawful Good is inarguably much more of a stretch; but secondly because the petitioner does not want to go to Heaven. Heaven is not really one of the afterlives that expends resources trying to get people who don't want to go to there, even if the case that they're Lawful Good is reasonably strong. If they're factually mistaken about Heaven and would like it if they understood it, that's one thing. Alfirin is factually mistaken about Heaven but less than most mortals and probably wouldn't like it even if she understood it.

So. Lawful Neutral. 

"Magistrate. We foresee two significant matters on which we expect this trial to turn. The first, and lesser, is the question of whether the decedent intended to let out Rovagug. We intend to introduce evidence that in fact the decedent did not want to release Rovagug, did not expect to release Rovagug, did not in fact release Rovagug, and went to some efforts to minimize the probability of releasing Rovagug. The decedent did give the appearance of attempting to release Rovagug, but this was an unavoidable side-effect of actions she took toward other purposes; We evaluate this action as justified under standard principles for evaluating collateral damage in wartime, and expect this court to conclude likewise when presented with all relevant evidence and case law.

The second matter on which this trial will turn is the cause for which Alfirin risked giving that appearance. When evaluating whether an act is a Good one or an Evil one, we examine a number of factors. Good motives - did the decedent care about the Good consequences of the act and was this decisive for them? Good consequences - did the act actually make the world better? Good allies - was the act carried out with the cooperation of the forces of Good, and were they given opportunities to maximize the Good done by it? We suggest that in many ways, this case is unusually straightforward, because Alfirin's most significant recent deeds met all of these criteria. Magistrate, the decedent is not Evil. We say this confidently, though we believe the decedent was likely Evil for much of her mortal life, because in the final six months of her life she achieved - with Good intent and Good allies - a degree of humanitarian good that is literally unprecedented in any mortal who has come before Pharasma's judgment. In those six months, with the cooperation and advice of powers in Heaven and in Axis, Alfirin at great personal risk and for altruistic reasons participated in an effort to permanently remove Asmodeus from power in Hell. The effort was successful."

There are a couple things to notice in that statement. The first is that Naima and Élie haven't been tried yet. Does that mean they're still alive? Or just that their trials are proceeding in order of death, or alphabetical order, or in descending order of contentiousness... Probably they are alive or resurrectable and soon-to-be alive. She expects if they were to be tried they would be tried in parallel.

The second is that Heaven doesn't want her. Or thinks that they cannot possibly make the case that she deserves Heaven, even with the coup in Hell, but she thinks that if she would have been welcome there they would at least try. It's...she wasn't expecting Heaven, she doesn't belong in Heaven, she doesn't want Heaven. So that's - fine, then.

Performative yawn. Nothing he wasn't prepared for.

That will really solidify the "redemptive-turn" part of his case and the "That business with the Solars was all just a misunderstanding" part of his case. Thank Heaven, but would it kill them to say "Alfirin is a Good person"? It sounds like they've got the case for it and this half-assed "she's not Evil" isn't really a good look.

Called it. Well, she didn't call this, exactly, but she knew Heaven had something good and they sure did deliver.

...If Asmodeus has been dethroned, though, why isn't this public knowledge? How'd they manage to keep a coup in Hell secret? ...Because there's a god of secrets involved, of course. Mephistopheles. Early-fucking-Sunset.

She squints at the contract devil leaning back in a chair acting like his whole case hasn't just been fireballed. Is that Mephistopheles? She'll probably never know.

Bah. Heaven might as well claim that Nocticula's "not Evil" because she's killed so many demon lords and prevented at least three murders. Defeating other evils is normal Evil behavior. Defeating bigger Evils to take their stuff is extremely normal Evil behavior, not in that it's common to successfully pull it off (especially at this scale) but in that it's an aspiration as bone-deep in every demon as the urge to see someone ripped in two for being annoying.

...Yeah waiving her statement was the right call. Siniim in her ignorance was not going to say anything that mattered, next to that. She quietly directs her assistants to start preparing the "Alfirin is not a Good person" case that she really didn't expect to need.

The contract devil winks at the Azata, then leans forward and stands up. (The chair, having served its purpose, vanishes.)

"Magistrate, I concur with my colleague from Heaven that this trial will likely turn on the decedent's actions in the last six months, both because I expect the advocates for Good to make it a key component of their arguments and because they are inarguably the most recent and impactful decisions the decedent has made. However, despite my honorable colleagues' best efforts to claim that these deeds were Good, I expect to conclusively demonstrate that they were Evil. There are thousands of precedents showing that it is not Good to replace one tyrant with another. There are thousands more showing that it is in fact Evil, if the new tyrant is Eviler than the old. And the new tyrant is indeed Eviler than the old, for who or what could be more Lawful Evil than Hell itself? Asmodeus? Barbatos? Don't make me laugh. Pretenders, amateurs, and latecomers - putting them in their proper place is no Good deed. If all that is required to be Good is to harm the interests of Evil beings, we may as well call Hell Heaven, and each fiend of the deepest pit a noble angel. 

My colleague from Heaven argues that the decedent's Good motives should count in her favor, along with the fact that she had Good allies. Fundamentally, neither of those can be dispositive if the acts are otherwise judged to be Evil ones. Evildoers can use Good allies to Evil ends; it does not make the ends any less Evil. And for the motives - Well. We all know that the road to hell is proverbially paved with Good motives. How many cases has this court seen, where some poor fool tries to claim that they only meant well, when they murdered sixty-five people? When they enslaved others, or tortured a child, or vivisected someone to learn how their magic worked? Has that argument ever succeeded, in this court?

And let us not forget, Magistrate, that should You find yourself unable to judge the morality of assisting a coup in the very lowest reaches of Hell - it is, after all, almost unprecedented - You may always fall back on judging the rest of the decedent's life. Even Heaven admits it was an Evil life, but we have extensive evidence on that matter that we would be remiss not to present before this court."