Demonologer

A demonologer is someone who makes a deal with demons for the power to wield infernum, then using that power to help others make deals with demons for a price. Demons require payment in souls, which can be taken from the user or from a murder victim of the user. Depending on the demon and their power, what is gained from such a deal varies, but usually a contract is involved.

Demonology

Demonology is the study of demons and all things infernal and the practices of summoning and contracting with demons and infernal beings.

Demons

Demons are beings of infernum who dwell in the Infernal Realms. They are formed by mortals whose souls are so heavy with evil from the lives they led that they are able to convert themselves after death into infernal beings, "living souls", whose physical and metaphysical being are completely fused (meaning their experiences shape their form). Demons feed off of souls, which they can get either through direct contact with mortals or through contracts, which stipulate a method of delivery of the souls. In exchange for these souls, they can use the infernum inherent to themselves to grant the contractee - the demonologer - a variety of evil powers. There are many kinds of demons, some of which are attuned to other infernal energies. Those that have access to other infernal energies may also convey powers based on those energies. The more powerful the demon, the higher the price of their contracts and the greater the powers they can grant. As demons are categorized into different ranks, there are some themes that are common in the sorts of powers they may grant:

• Beasts: infernal beasts do not commonly enter into contracts, but when they do, they usually grant enhancement to bodies and senses.
• Commoners: infernal commoners are almost always looking for ways to gain power and gain higher rank; as such, they try to give as little as possible, granting weaker powers or powers that seem better than they are.
• Infantry: infernal infantry usually want to contract with other warriors, thinking they can outwit them and gain their strength and prowess if the contract is failed, and as such, they offer much more than they truly give, usually a slight combat edge or a very specific ability that mimics their own.
• Cavalry: infernal cavalry tend to be haughty, believing themselves to be greater than they are. As such, they offer powers that are greater than they can actually give and deceive contractees, giving them powers that seem great but don't always deliver.
• Torturers: infernal torturers delight in cruelty and usually offer powers that spread cruelty in the world, usually with a heavy price that causes negative affects on the demonologer as well.
• Seducers: infernal seducers offer anything the contractee wants, though the end result is often deceptive in some way. Their goal is usually the contractee's soul rather than the agreed upon price, but if the agreed upon price is met, they can often deliver.
• Hunters: infernal hunters are very practical, single-minded in their tasks, and thus they make contracts as a means to an end. They offer good deals if the contractee can help them reach their prey.
• Nobles: infernal nobles got their rank by being cunning, manipulative, and ruthless, and their contracts reflect this. However, their power means they can offer a lot, particularly political power and wealth, as well as specific powers.
• Princes: infernal princes are the most powerful of demons, and they can offer almost anything to a contractee, but the price is very heavy.
• Halfbreeds: halfbreeds vary greatly. Weak ones can offer nothing but a little raw energy; powerful ones can rival princes.

Infernal Diversity

Non-intelligent infernal beings, such as animals and plants with inherent infernum, cannot enter into contracts, but many demonologers who have contracted for infernal powers have the ability to use these beings as sources of energy, to control them, or to communicate with them.

Other Infernal Beings

There are other infernal beings who can make infernal contracts besides demons: the Eldritch, infernal Aeonians, infernal Divinities, and some very powerful infernal dragons. There will be some variation in how these beings are summoned, contracted with, etc., but the gist is more or less the same.

Summoning

Every specific type of demon has its own summoning ritual, and very powerful demons may have unique rituals required. The basic format, however, involves a circle of power, usually made from blood, salt, and/or some esoteric oil, candles made from mortal fat, bone, and hair, or fire. Within the circle must be a pattern in the same material as the circle, designed to reflect the intended target demon (usually some kind of pattern that reflects written demonic language). A sacrifice must be made - the more powerful the demon, the greater the sacrifice - and words of summoning must be spoken, usually in demonic language. Within the circle must be a vessel of some kind to represent a gate, door, or window through which the demon may come, but with a barrier to prevent them from coming all the way through. A mirror, a bowl of water or other fluid, a large jewel, something capable of a reflection or of opening and closing (a locket or a box).

The ritual will invoke the parts of the True Name of the caster in a heavily symbolic way. The mind is usually reflected in their chanting in demonic language. Their heart is usually represented in an invocation of their desires within the chant - i.e., if they wish for wealth or power, they will include in the chanting a request or demand for such. Their body is usually symbolized by the sacrifice they make - a splash of their own blood, the body of an animal, etc. And their soul is represented in the gateway vessel, which opens to the Infernal Realms and thus a metaphysical region. However, there are many potential variations of this - sometimes the sacrifice can represent the heart if the demonologer chooses, for example, to sacrifice something or someone they love. Sometimes the circle is made of their own blood. Sometimes the gateway is something they devised and can represent the mind. And so on.

Finally, the demonologer must have something to write on and with if they intend a contract - usually a quill, vellum, and their own blood.

Contracts

Demonic contracts are byzantine constructions, twisting nightmares of legalese with loopholes, caveats, and confusing language, outright lies, and complicated gotchas. They are written in blood (or equivalent vital substance from the contractee) on vellum that has been specially prepared to resist the heat of the infernum that infuses them. Demonologers must be skilled with contract law, aware of the kind of wordplay and deception demons will attempt, and extremely precise if they are to truly benefit from a contract. Most contracts contain 12 clauses per agreement, and each clause will likely include multiple caveats and a lot of complicated, unnecessary language. Every contract must be negotiated with the demon in a single sitting once started, so demonologers often come very prepared to their summonings.

Once a contract is completed, the demonologer must sign it in their own blood (or equivalent) and the demon must sign it with burning infernum. If either party does not sign, one may attempt to coerce the other through a contest of wills. If the demon wins against a demonologer seeking to back out, the demonologer will sign against their will and be bound. If the demon wins exceptionally, the circle of power will be broken and the demon will be released and free, usually killing the demonologer. If the demonologer wins against a demon trying to force them to sign, they will be free to close the summoning. If they win exceptionally, the vessel gateway will seal and break, forcing the demon back into the Infernal Realms. If the demon wins against a demonologer trying to force them to sign, the demon will be able to flee into the Infernal Realms. If they win exceptionally, they will not be able to be summoned again. If the demonologer forces a demon to sign, the demon will be bound to honor the contract in favor of the demonologer, and if the demonologer wins exceptionally, they will have a binding that allows them to draw power from the demon.

Liaising

Some demonologers will hire out to others to contact demons in order to negotiate contracts for them. In this case, the sacrifice must be provided by the contractee, and the contract must be written in their blood. The demonologer must provide some kind of sacrifice or provide some kind of incentive to the demon for their part in the ritual. In order for the contract to work, all involved in the ritual must have a stake in the contract; therefore, the demonologer will put clauses in to their benefit, often positioning themselves to benefit from the contractee's success.

Price

Demons always trade in souls. Souls may be acquired in many ways by the demonologer. If they have the power to do so, they may remove someone's soul against the target's will via esoteric powers, but most will not have that sort of power. Instead, they must deliver souls to the demon through the act of murder.

If the soul is part of the price of summoning, the murder must take place within the summoning circle. If the soul is part of the price of the contract, the demon will have to provide some vessel in which the demonologer can capture the souls of their victims to deliver to the demon. Most often, this takes the form of a small jewel called a carcegem, but some use plainer stones, eggs, pieces of glass, iron jewelry, or ornate boxes are also common. Weaker demons use commoner materials; powerful demons may use infernal materials of some power. The plainer the object, the fewer souls it will hold. Once a vessel is full, it must be cast into the gateway symbol used in the summoning circle to be delivered. If the gateway is destroyed before this, the demon will consider the contract unfulfilled and take the life and soul of the contractee. Almsot all vessels provided will be designed to hold only as many souls as the contract requires and no more. After it is fulfilled, it will be destroyed by the demon.

The price of an unfulfilled contract is always the life and soul of the contractee; if the contractee hired the demonologer, the demonologer may also find their life and soul taken, unless they were very careful in their contracting.

In rare instances, a powerful demon will demand a service, specify a soul they want, or ask for some quality or characteristic of a target (including possibly the demonologer) as an extra part of the cost, but always at least one soul will be included in the price.

As a general rule, every soul a demon requires is equal to +3 points in any mundane skill, +1 in an esoteric skill or power, or +1 in a base stat. If the request is for power, wealth, or a specific object or task, the price will be determined by the amount of increase from the contractee's current position or the difficulty of the task or rarity and power of the object. For mundane objects, it's one soul for every +3 of the mundane object's power above its common power (i.e., a common dagger is usually +3/+3, a +6/+6 dagger will cost one soul). For supernatural objects, it's one soul for every +1 above the object's common power.

Purchases

What the demonologer or contractee receives from the demon depends on what they ask for. Wealth, power, specific skills, knowledge, and special possessions are the commonest requests; many also ask for love, family, or other common mortal desires. Love is beyond the power of demons, and therefore, they can only offer the power to enslave the target of the contractee's heart. Below is a list of common purchases and prices:

Purchase	Caveat	Price	Notes
Longer life	Demons will often cause someone to senesce without dying	6 souls	Inmortality is a separate concept
Imperviousness / immunity	Demons will usually have a loophole weakness	9 souls	Most often this is an immunity to something or specified for combat
To rule a country	Demons will usually impose a time limit on the reign	12 souls	The more powerful the country, the higher the price
To marry one's true love	Demons cannot impose love, but they can give the power of enslavement	15 souls	This will usually cause hatred or premature death
Control over other's minds	Demons will often cause this to be reversible	9 souls	There must be a channel of control, i.e. a gaze, a touch, etc.
Extreme wealth	Demons will often spread rumors of the wealth to make the person a target	9 souls	The wealth will almost always be in the form of precious metal or gems
Ownership of a company	Demons will often weaken the company in the process	12 souls	They may only change ownership on paper without informing anyone
Special knowledge	Demons sometimes might outright lie	6+ souls	Rarity of knowledge increases the cost
The death of an enemy	Demons may bring the person back as undead	9+ souls	The power of the target will increase the price
Other forms of revenge	Demons may have an ironic spin on the vengeance	9+ souls	The difficulty or complexity of the vengeance may increase the price
A legendary object	Demons will sometimes create impressive facsimiles instead	12+ souls	The rarity and power of the object may increase the price
Returning someone from death	The returned will usually be undead or somehow wrong	12 souls	Demons will take advantage and raise the price if you let on how much you cared about the target
To be the best at something	Demons will find ways to make this temporary	3 souls per 6 point increase	Some skills cost more than others
A different physical form	The new form will likely have unexpected flaws	6 souls	The more drastic the change, the higher the cost
Paying off debts	See increased wealth	6+ souls	See increased wealth
Improved health	Demons will usually cause a different, more subtle illness	9 souls	The closer to fatal the disease, the higher the price
Fame	Demons will often insert infamy into the fame	6 souls

Powers

Demonologers may gain powers from demons through direct contracts or from contractees as part of the price of making a deal with a demon. The most basic power is the power to wield infernum, which takes the form of several different powers:

• Acid spray: the demonologer may spit a spray of sulfuric acid.
• Infernal chains: the demonologer may turn common rope or a strand of fabric into teufelum chains that paralyze anyone whose soul is not corrupted.
• Demonspear: the demonologer may turn their arm temporarily into an elongated zaqqum spear that rends flesh and soul.
• Hellfire: the demonologer may ignite any common fuel into hellfire, a fire that bruns flesh and soul.
• Sulfuric smoke: the demonologer may turn the air around them (by breathing out) into a cloud of sulfuric smoke that chokes and poisons those nearby.
• Demonic ash: the demonologer may turn sand or other common powder into infernal ash that burns and blinds those it touches.
• Hellspeech: the demonologer can speak the language of demons and infernal diversity.
• Control infernal diversity: the demonologer may, with a touch or gaze, control an infernal beast, plant, fungus, or disease.
• Control lesser demons: the demonologer may, by vocal command, control a demon of lower WIL than they.
• Infernal barrier: the demonologer may draw a circle on the ground, a circle on the ground around themself and repel any celestial or aetherial energy.
• Malmedicininal exchange: the demonologer may lay hands upon a target and draw out a characteristic from that person of their choice and in exchange, take on their maladies or wounds as well, thus healing them and taking from them a skill, power, or ability.
• Infernal firestorm: the demonologer may unleash a raging storm of hellfire that they cannot control.
• Instant death: the demonologer may kill via word, gaze, or touch any target if they can best them in a contest of wills.
• Soulstealing: the demonologer may take the soul of a target via gaze, touch, or wounding if they can best them in a contest of wills.
• Hellgating: the demonologer may open an unrestrained hellgate and be safe from what comes forth for a short period.

However, demonologers can wield infernum to mimic any demonic power there is, so refer also to the pages of various kinds of demons for more powers.

Inventory

Demonologers use various tools to summon demons and create contracts.

Blood

Demonologers use their own blood or that of their contractees to write contracts, but they also often collect infernal bloods as a source of power.

Vellum

The vellum prepared by demonologers is washed in blood and acid, prepared from the skin or membranes of either an infernal animal or a mortal.

Gateways

The symbolic gateway used in summoning rituals will have a reflection or opening that can be sealed, covered, or broken. The three most common materials are

• Glass mirrors
• Ornate sin boxes
• Bowls of dark water

Carcegem

The jewel used to collect souls, the carcegem, is usually a very small ruby or diamond. Once filled with souls, it becomes very fragile and must be protected until it is cast into the gateway.

Variants

Variations on demonologers:

• Demonothurge: one who studies demonology.
• The Face Above the Wall: in infernal carnivals, a demonologer who uses their powers to terrify customers. Usually a mediocre demonologer.
• Ghjocufabricatore: a demonologer who creates a puzzle out or their contracts, forcing the contractee to solve it in order to fulfill the contract, usually having to figure out whom to kill to fulfill it.
• Infernoquestrian: a rider of infernal steeds.
• Luder: a demonologer who uses sex to steal souls.
• Malbotaner: a demolologer w ho works with infernal plants.
• Malzoologer: a demonologer who works with infernal animals.
• Orlanduccio: a clown who practices demonology in order to create infernal performances in an infernal circus.
• Ostiarius: a demonologer who specializes in hellgating.

Specific kinds of contractees:

• Byldskepper: a film or television star who gains fame via demonic contract.
• Dalyoa: a slave or laborer who is under the control of a demonologer, given extra strength or skill to complete their jobs, but under total control of the demonologer.
• Demon knight: a warrior who becomes an invincible, evil knight whose kills take souls.
• Desultor: an athlete who gains incredible athletic prowess in their chosen sport.
• Fresler: a celebrity who gets fame from their contract with a demon.
• Lerajean: an archer who gains incredible skill and putrefying arrows.
• Malartifex: an artisan who gains incredible skill at their chosen craft, usually to make infernal objects.
• Malculinarian: a chef or cook or other food worker who gains incredible culinary skill via a contract.
• Malmusician: a musician who gains incredible musical skills, often to make haunting, terrfiying music.
• Raimian: a thief who gains their thievery skills via infernal contract.
• Skrywer: a writer in Taggarus who gains writing skill via infernal contract.
• Šokėja: a dancer who gains skill via contract, often to perform special ritual demonic dances. Most come from a specific Ranic dancing school in Paurek.

The Merciless Brotherhood

A pirate fleet of demonologers and pirates empowered via contract, known as the Merciless. They sell their own souls, but remain alive and without mercy for their victims, capable of pure evil.

Tidħaq

A tidħaq is a court jester who serves a demonic noble or prince. They are granted hellspeech and given the power to have infernal visions.

Similar Occupations

Other users of infernum.

• Emocadura: a bard of Benhoras who serves a powerful demonic lord.
• Inhumanist: an ancient cult of serial killers who sell their souls to demons so that they may gain power as they kill.
• Maestro: an artist or artisan who sells their soul to a demon in order to be a famed master of their art, but whose art drains the souls of those who interact with it, thus giving them power.
• Nummularugiens: a zoanthrope warrior infused with infernum who an turn into a nearly invincible thylacoleon.
• Oblate: a priest of Diaboli who facilitates the buying and selling of souls for the infernal Divine himself.
• Yellow Bride: a witch who carries a demon child and gains power from it.

Societal Role

Demonologers are powerful brokers and esotericists in imperialist countries, usually an elite class of kingmakers and power-brokers. They are feared by the people.

Skills

Some common skills include

• Demon lore
• Contract law
• Poetry
• Writing
• Research
• Politics
• Commerce
• Economics
• Criminology
• Manipulation

Stats

Modifiers from base of species/nation:

PRO -1
ATH -2
STR -2
AWA +2
WIL +5
PRS -1
STH +1