Right, but if he was aiming there regardless, would he still have felt hastening it was a bad thing, was he just taking a one-way Plane Shift to his next job, did he really really want to go yell at some devils???  She doesn't really know how Asmodeans think and has the sense she's missing some important twist and the whole thing will unravel as soon as she lets go of it...

"Did... should I be terribly rude, were I to ask if you knew him well?"  She is fully aware that this is an Advanced Social Move only to be used with great caution, when you know you're being rude and not when you actually don't know the answer, but... she thinks she's getting a sense for Txell, at least, if not Cheliax in general, and she thinks Txell probably won't be too offended?

"Pfft. No, I didn't. He wasn't on my usual patrol squad in the cleric slot, that was a different fellow who's just a martial soldier now, though I think he tried for Irori once the commander was proof of concept."

Sweet, correctly called it and her gamble paid off.  She gives Txell a small grateful smile and reaches for another dish.  "I confess I never thought of trying to get a god to choose you as... well, I suppose it's a thing many do, most lay dedicates must at least be hoping for it, but not as a thing that might work."

"It hasn't that I know of. I think Grec tried Nethys, and I know a couple of the soldiers wanted Gorum."

"Well, I can scarcely recommend my method."  Dish dish dish.  "...I don't know why He chose me, either, instead of someone who was trying.  They say before I was born Nefreti Clepati leveled the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye and thus became High Priestess, but most wizards who explode just... die, or else don't die and are wiser next time."

"Perhaps He likes it just as well if they die and we just don't hear about it, because, dead."

Snicker.  "Perhaps.  Perhaps that's why He keeps His realm in the Maelstrom, so He can collect those who die of their explosions."

"Oh, does He? I didn't know that. It'd be so much easier to remember if They all just kept Their homes where the alignments point."

"Do They not, I thought They mainly did?  And the exceptions were Him and- maybe Norgorber, Who might be lying about that anyway?" Dish dish small wistful smile.  "I heard it's an infinite library, the only solid point in the center of the mutating sea, and you can always tell which way it is by following the direction of increasing magical flux..."

"One of the fellows who wanted Gorum made a point of telling everyone He dwells in Elysium. And Zon-Kuthon isn't in Hell, I know that one."

"Oh right, I forgot about Gorum..."  Where's Zon-Kuthon then, did Asmodeus kick him out, that's definitely too rude to ask.  "I wonder if Pharasma just doesn't share..."

"Dunno. Ask a Gozrehn, I guess."

"I guess," she echoes.  Dish dish dish definitely not watching Txell's hands a little more than necessary. 

"...pardon, you said the cleric slot?  Had you enough clerics then to send them standardly out with patrols?"

"He wasn't with our group every time, just when we had one at all it was him."

"Ah, I understand."  Dish dish dish.  "The commander said I ought go out to the neighboring forts as well."

"Makes sense. They haven't got any clerics at all. Even one channel a day there'll make the difference between losing some fingers and some men and not."

"Certainly.  I was so glad I could manage positive."  That's probably also a bit rude but she's still kind of glowing about it.

"People say it's a handicap the gods laid out to make up for Evil working better strategically," says Txell mildly.

Okay yep, Txell did think that was rude, she is getting better at reading her.  "Oh, I hadn't heard that, but it makes sense," stock phrase to buy time to think up a subject change, or better if she can manage it, an opening to let Txell steer... "Abadaran sermons don't much dwell on that side of things, they're so focused on getting everyone to Axis."  Is this the time for a conspiratorial eyeroll, maybe better not to push it, she settles for a tired sigh.

"Asmodeans don't have to work too hard to get people into Hell."

"Do they not?"  Dish dish dish.  "I... was always told Cheliax has a far higher rate than anywhere else."  Except presumably Nidal, but you can't really count Nidal.

"Oh, they care if you show up to church, but it's not like they're telling you to go... do murders, or anything, that'd be illegal. They just figure we'll make it to Hell ourselves."

"Huh."  This was the worst idea Txell is probably going to hate her she should have just changed the subject to topology.  She goes through a few more dishes.  "I certainly know things may lead there and yet be legal, even in Osirion.  ...perhaps not in Lastwall, I wouldn't know."

"I wouldn't either, never been. There's Crusader's Fort's handbook, that's gotten around, but all they do with that is hold the Wound and we do that here too."

"I ought read that, I suppose, once I spare some time- but yes, I expect holding the Wound is the same on any coast."  Dish dish dish.  "Abadar is opposed to standing armies as wars are- I don't know the Taldane, bad for everyone if averaged out?  But one would really expect He'd make an exception for the Worldwound."