The Tome of Pacts
Introduction to the Nature of Demonic Pacts
In the annals of arcane and forbidden knowledge, the subject of demonic pacts occupies a particularly potent place. This text seeks to discuss the nature, process, and implications of forming pacts with beings from the infernal realms.
Demons, entities of immense power and deep cunning, reside within the stratified layers of the Nine Hells, each realm a testament to the various facets of their malevolent existences. These beings, ranging from the mischievous imps to the dread lords of the infernal domains, possess capabilities that far exceed mortal ken, making them sought-after allies for those who seek to transcend their human limitations.
Creating a demonic pact is often rooted in desperation or unquenchable desire. Individuals who approach demons typically do so with heavy burdens or ambitions that dwarf their mortal capacities. It is a pathway embarked upon not lightly but with a full heart and, often, a heavy soul, for the allure of the power offered by such pacts is tempered by the steep prices demanded in return.
In these pages that follow, we document various forms of these pacts, that I have found through historical accounts, testimonies, and the remnants of the rituals themselves. These narratives are presented not as endorsements or admonitions but as factual recountings of the lengths to which individuals will go to harness the powers offered by the denizens of the hells.
Let the reader understand that while the power wielded by those who engage in these pacts is formidable, it is invariably accompanied by a cost. This cost is not always immediate nor apparent, for the ways of demons are fraught with subtlety and deception. Yet, it is an intrinsic part of the pact, as inextricable as the shadows cast by the light.
In these pages, you will find no judgment, only observation and documentation. The choices made by those who walk this path are their own, as are the consequences they bear. Herein lies the essence of the demonic pact: power and peril, hand in hand, dancing a dance as old as time itself.
Veckling’s Invisibility – Minor Pact
In the outer corners of infernal lore, I have stumbled upon the relatively benign, yet insidiously deceptive, contract with an imp known as Veckling, for the boon of invisibility. To invoke this pact, the summoner is required to conduct a ritual under the cloak of night, where a platinum coin, a symbol of the summoner’s material wealth and a vessel of their essence, is inscribed with their deepest fears and cast into a flame that neither warms nor illuminates. Veckling, a creature of shadow and deceit, emerges from the smoke, its eyes gleaming with avarice and amusement.
The summoner, now compelled to stand in the heart of darkness, must willingly offer their shadow to the imp, a fragment of their very soul, as the coin turns dark and heavy to those who have not had their soul touched by demonic influence. The grant of invisibility comes with a silent curse; though the summoner can vanish at will, they lose their shadow no matter what light they stand in. A subtle yet constant reminder of their bond with the imp. With each use of this power, a sliver of the summoner’s essence fades into the nether, their life force trickling away into Veckling’s waiting grasp.
Faithful Hellhound – Moderate Pact
One interesting contract that I have found, a copy of which was found folded in a first edition print of Talmere’s Guide To Happiness, appears to grant the pact holder the ability to summon a hellhound guardian. While I do not wish to speculate, this could be a display of sadness and madness as perhaps the summoner was simply trying to create a companion for themselves. In any case, the pact was with Zephoril, a lesser-known Nasshrous demon.
Here, the summoner presents an effigy, a hound sculpted from the bones of 10 beasts that were killed over a collection cup, an offering to Zephoril that embodies the pact’s nature. The collection cup is then mixed with the summoner’s blood, and they and Zephoril consume it together. Zephoril decides which fragment of their senses to take – perhaps some of their eyesight, or their ability to taste, and in return the summoner has the power to invoke Faithful Hound, a spell that materializes a spectral hellhound to offer protection to the summoner.
Dal’durizion’s Binding – Major Pact
Dal’dur, a formidable demon of the 4th circle, renowned for his mastery over souls and their manipulation, offers a terrifying pact that delves into the realm of the macabre. The summoner, typically driven by a quest for power or vengeance, must bring forth the unconscious body of a chosen victim, a soul ripe for the binding. The ritual requires the summoner to draw an intricate array of sigils with their own blood upon the sacrificial body, each symbol a testament to their surrender to Dal’durizion’s whims.
As the demonic presence envelops the ritual site, the summoner must perform the ultimate sacrifice. They must kill the unconscious victim and then cut off their own hand, a grim offering to the demon’s twisted sense of humor. With a blade forged in brimstone and sorrow, the hand is severed, its blood fueling the ritual’s potency. Dal’durizion, now appeased by the display of loyalty and sacrifice, ensnares the victim’s soul, extracting it with a tormenting slowness as it screams into the ether, before binding it to an object of the summoner’s choosing.
The most infamous of these bindings is the creation of a cursed blade that houses the soul of a great war general, its edge forever sharp with the general’s rage and thirst for battle. The weapon, now a conduit for bloodlust, grants the wielder immense strength and a relentless drive for conflict, but at a dire cost. The blade’s insatiable hunger for violence must be fed, lest it turn on its master, drawing them into an endless spiral of madness and despair, a slave to the war general’s indomitable will trapped within.
Though the evidence is not clear, it does appear that an object created to store a soul can be refilled with another. I am unsure how a soul could escape its binding, but there is a tale of a Dal’dur necklace that exists without a soul inside.
Asmodeus’s Pact – Apocalyptic Pact
Engaging in a pact with Asmodeus, the Supreme Overlord of the Nine Hells, is an act reserved for the most ambitious or desperate souls. The price of such a monumental boon is not just personal but often cataclysmic. The summoner is required to construct a ziggurat, an immense and dread-inspiring edifice, each stone soaked in blood, each layer a chronicle of atrocities committed in Asmodeus’s name. This construction is not merely architectural but a ritual in itself, spanning years or decades, drawing ever closer to its grim culmination.
Upon the ziggurat’s completion, a grand and horrifying ceremony unfolds, where thousands of innocents are led to slaughter, their blood consecrating the stones, their screams echoing into the void. The air crackles with infernal energy as Asmodeus’s presence descends upon the site, the very fabric of reality buckling under his might. In exchange for this unspeakable offering, the summoner is granted the ability to command vast legions from the depths of Hell, their wills bending to the summoner’s command, their swords an extension of their master’s desire.
However, this power comes with an insidious bind; the summoner’s soul is irrevocably tethered to Asmodeus, their every action an echo of his infernal will. They become a marionette draped in the illusion of power, their very essence a conduit for Asmodeus’s ambitions, their autonomy a relic of the past. Their fate is a stark testament to the true nature of deals with the devil, where every granted wish carries the shadow of eternal damnation.
Malbog’s Necromancy – Major Pact
Malbog, a demon whose name is whispered with a mixture of fear and reverence in the dark circles of pact magic, offers a promise steeped in the forbidden arts of necromancy. I have learned of one who invoked this pact, driven by a hunger for knowledge that transcends mortal boundaries. It seems that with each word of the dark incantations, their body withered, their vigor seeping away like sand through an hourglass.
In return, Malbog unveiled the secrets of life and death, granting the summoner the ability to weave the fabric of existence, to whisper to the souls of the departed, and to bend the will of the flesh. His name was removed from the tomes that I read, but it appears he was able to raise those from the dead and command them. Yet, this power is a double-edged sword, for with each use, the summoner’s own life force is eroded, their days on this plane shortened, their body becoming a decaying vessel of their morbid fascination. It is believed this necromancer still lives, though his humanity has been robbed and he commands an army of bone hidden in the west.
For those who wish to return life, one must give first to Malbog. Place the live body of a sacrifice on a pit of coals and whisper the words “for this I give, so you will allow me to return” and Malbog will answer.
Simulacrum of Gath’ra’zel – Major Pact
In the shadow-laden depths of Cania, the eighth circle of Hell, dwells Gath’ra’zel, a demon whose mastery over illusion and duplication is unparalleled. Known as the Weaver of Shadows, Gath’ra’zel’s essence is intertwined with the fabric of deception and mimicry, making him a sought-after entity for those desiring to wield the power of the Simulacrum spell.
To forge a pact with Gath’ra’zel, one must undertake a perilous journey through Cania’s frozen wastelands, confronting not only the physical dangers of this icy hell but also the relentless onslaught of one’s own doubts and fears, magnified and manipulated by the Weaver’s power. The pact itself is sealed in a chamber of mirrors, where reality and reflection converge.
The summoner gains the ability to cast Simulacrum, creating duplicates not of others but of themselves, each simulacrum embodying a fragment of their essence and a shard of their power. However, each creation further divides the summoner’s soul, their emotions, memories, and very self becoming increasingly fragmented, distributed among their simulacra.
With every simulacrum conjured, the summoner’s grip on their identity loosens. They risk losing themselves, becoming a hollow shell, a mere echo of their former self. The destruction of a simulacrum inflicts profound agony upon the summoner, as it is a piece of their soul that is obliterated. Gath’ra’zel, ever amused by the unfolding drama of self-dissolution, watches from the shadows, ready to reclaim the scattered pieces of the summoner’s soul for his own inscrutable purposes.
Nullifying Contracts: A Treacherous Endeavor
A diabolic contract, once inked, binds the signatory to its terms with a rigor that transcends mere mortal law. These contracts are not singular; each contract has a matching duplicate. Those who sign the contract is provided with one copy, while the original is securely archived within the infernal realms, often within the vast, labyrinthine library of laws in Dis known as the Fallen Fastness, or the submerged repositories of Stygia. This meticulous duplication ensures that the contract’s power persists, tethering the signatory’s fate to the whims of the infernal.
The destruction of both the signee’s copy and the original is the only known method to annul the contract. However, this act is far from straightforward. While the signee’s copy might be within reach, the original resides in the heavily guarded and bewilderingly complex archives of Hell. Locating, let alone destroying, the original contract within these infernal fortresses is a task that borders on the impossible, fraught with peril and fraught with deception.
An alternative, though equally hazardous, route to contract nullification involves the termination of the demon with whom the pact was made. To truly kill a demon, one must confront it in its true form within the confines of the Nine Hells or ensure it is not merely summoned but called or present of its own accord on the mortal plane. A summoned demon, when slain, merely returns to its infernal abode, while one that is called or ventures forth on its own can indeed be killed, potentially offering a loophole in the contract’s terms.
In conclusion, while the annulment of a diabolic contract is not beyond the realm of possibility, it is a path fraught with dangers, complexities, and moral quandaries. It is a journey that requires unparalleled bravery, wits, and perhaps a touch of folly, a testament to the lengths to which one might go to reclaim their destiny from the clutches of the infernal.
