Well I'm here at least. Might be an idea to look for at least edible vegatation on the way. Or bugs. Swamps have lots of tasty bugs. Going to battle on an empty stomach isn't the best idea.

Welp, I'm afraid that spell your brother gave you was worthless. No one here but us headvoices.

Yeah if all you have is us to depend on you're kinda screwed here. I hope you have some other powers yourself.

We are good for brainstorming diplomatic responses and figuring ways out of tactical situations, at least. Granted, you're not going in to talk, and we have as of yet no understanding your capabilities, abilities, or the rules of power on this plane- so it's not as if we can provide useful advice, yet.

you should lay the witch, not slay her.

Voices? VOICES? Seven Hells... My brother just drove me mad... well, at least that proves he's not a complete incompetent. Although his idea of helpfulness could use some work... I might as well go along with it though. Shouldn't prove too difficult, I have a tendency to talk to myself anyway.

I suppose introductions are in order, since you at least seem to THINK you don't know about yourself. I'm called Shax Markov. I come from MUCH farther north, where it isn't quite so wet, although it's much colder. I'm a descendant of the Markov House, one of the only surviving Warlock houses in existence, although that's probably because we don't go around shouting that little fact out loud. Publicly, we're law abiding citizens of the Faith, and we eagerly await the day we pay our yearly tithe. Which we usually promptly steal back.

>>465677
>>465679
I would not say I'm completely... defenseless. Just... mildly more so than other people. Unlike many others in the world, I spent most of my younger years studying demonology, for the express purpose of continuing my family heritage, which is the summoning and enslavement of demons. Nothing too hard, really, except for the soul thing. But regardless, I can best be described as a terrible fighter in melee. At range, I'm a bit better, thanks to the demonic magics my family has cultivated for centuries. I can hurl bolts of infernal energy at things almost indefinitely, and I studied a bit of the more arcane magics before setting out. Mostly utilitarian things, but I can fire off a couple of gouts of magical fire if need be. Although... I can probably do that maybe twice? Maybe. If I push myself.

And I can trap souls in my arm, but that's another matter entirely.

Oh look! Berries that won't kill me if I try to eat them! Guess I'm having that for breakfast.

>>>Speak

Alright sounds good, and what of our opponant? What can we expect from her.

>since you at least seem to THINK you don't know about yourself
It's perhaps best if you consider us distinct from yourself. A set of independent advisers- we bring you perspective, and consul, but we start knowing nothing of you, yourself, or the particulars of the world you live in.

So our assets: demonic summons (currently unusable), energy bolts, and 1-2 gouts of magic fire. Vulnerable in melee.

Potentially viable, but you're somewhat of a glass cannon. With less boom than I'd like. Really you chances depend on what we can expect from your opponent.

Do you know anything about the witch you are about to brutally murder?

Hey, what do those berries taste like? Have you ever eaten a lizard?
Also, are there any monsters in the swamp? Or really, are there any monsters in your world in general, we don't really know that much about it, or you.

>>465709
Define monsters. Technically, I suppose there are, if you count the half-crazed lords and ladies that like to run the place as "monsters". Personally, I find them ample material for demon summoning, but I need to kill the witch before I get to them. If you mean things from stories and fairy tales, like goblins or something, the no. They don't exist. Or at least, I've never heard of a real one. Humans are the only thing which populate the mortal realm. Except for the demons and undead running around as well. But they aren't from around here.

As for the berries, they are bitter but edible. No, I haven't eaten a lizard before. I don't like my chances at catching one.

>>465703
>>465691
>>465707
I'll try to remember you as not me as best I can... I really have gone mad.

Regarding the witch. As a Demon Bride, I've heard she's wed to Belphegor, Prince of Sloth. An easy kill, assuming she doesn't catch me and makes me drop into an uncaring mass of flesh. Other than that, she's supposed to be my disowned twin and her soul is supposed to be remarkably delicious to demons. She probably better at me in melee though, so I wouldn't suggest that.

Any other questions? Because I think I found her and her hut. Or that could be just a pile of randomly placed wood. It's hard to tell with everything covered in mud.

>I'll try to remember you as not me as best I can... I really have gone mad.
Hey, you're a demonologist, right? Just consider us demons of your mind. Summoned to your mindscape to aid you, instead of the material world.

>Because I think I found her and her hut. Wood.
Well, if you can be sure she's in inside, you could always burn one of your prescious flame gouts to burn the place down around her. Seems like the safest way to secure the kill. Risk is of course if it doesn't succeed, you've wasted your surprise and a good portion of your strength.

>>465717
So it's a game of chance then huh? Well we could always just blast the hut away with one of his bolts or we can leave it to the fate of the dice to figure out if it's a good idea to use the gouts of magical fire to burn the hut down. If he has ANY ability to sense her at all now would be the time to use it. Is there any clues whether she is here or not like some bubbling cauldron and other witch cliches?

Unfortunately, I can't be sure of where she is using any supernatural means. The fact that she's standing next to a small fire is a pretty good indicator, I think... wait, can you not see anything?

Well... that certainly makes things much more difficult, doesn't it?

I'll do my best to remember that. Regardless, this sister of mine is muttering curses and tending to a small fire next to her hut... thing. I get the impression she's not very educated, or at least can't take the time to build a better hut. Typical Sloth behavior. Put off what can be done today till tomorrow. Repeatedly. I wouldn't expect anything else from a Bride of Belphegor.

Still, I suppose now would be a good time to decide. Should I try talking to this sister of mine, or should I just try to kill her now?

>>>Speak

So wait, you're killing your own sister? Usually I'd advise against becoming a kinslayer as that's just asking for fate to kick you in the balls but I feel like living dangerously for a change. Why was she disowned in the first place, for becoming a demon bride or what?

DO NOT speak to her, you came here for the express purpose of killing her, do not waste the element of suprise. Kill her from range before she even realizes your there. If she survives your assault start kiting her with energy bolts(if you're fast enough, she's a slothite though so you can probably run faster than her).

Question time, what, if any, other forms of magic other than demonology are available in the world? Elemental, divine etc. From your references to undead I'd assume necromancy is present. Also I've also been a bit of a fan of sympathetic and truename magic myself so if those can be gained I'd advise you to do so after the whole demon summoning thing is done with.

Yeah if your whole point to coming to this swamp was to kill her to begin with then talking to her will only hurt your goals in the end. Just go for the kill.

Well, if you're set on doing your demon magic, and you need souls, you're going to have little choice but kill someone. I assume this is not the first time you've killed for your art.

Tactically? Your best option is the kill her at range by surprise and further your own ends.

You would only not kill her if you've come to realize her death would not serve you as well as her life, or if you've started to question the morality of it. (A Bride of Belphegor deserves to die for no other reason than what she is, kin or no? Is her crime any worse than your own blood-soaked magics?).

>So wait, you're killing your own sister?
If it helps any, I've never met her before now. Ever. Our family has various odd rules here and there, and one of them happens to be offering the girl in the case of any twins to Belphegor. Just the way it is. Regardless, she's going to have to die. Farewell, sister of mine, you won't be missed.

I concentrate a ball of infernal magic into my hand and launch it my sister's, the target glancing up at the sudden flash of dark energy and then getting a portion of the flesh on her face peeled away from the bone as the infernal energy rips away at her head. Still, Belphegor's favor seems to be with her, as I didn't rip away anything vital, and in response she concentrates her own bolt of energy and hurls it back, somewhat half-heartedly. The bolt lazily misses me by a few feet, and I sigh in annoyance. I swear to the seven princes, I am NEVER becoming that. EVER. Sloth is so... slow, in it's methods. I prefer something more active.

Still, the fight is over really before it even truly begins. Her own Sloth keeps her from really acting out at all. And after a few well placed bolts of death and a quick torching to make sure she stays dead, I can feel her soul pull itself from her body. I hardly hesitate at all, and quickly capture the soul within my arm, the various runes and markings tattooed into my flesh pulsing slightly as the soul is trapped within the magical prison. And with my first soul in my possession, I feel the dark energy of the inferno pulse from deep within my soul. In my own way, I've formed a pact with the demon realm. In exchange for hunting the power of that other place, I've damned my own soul upon my death. Well, as the family motto goes, life isn't worth living unless you enjoy it to the fullest.

Then it's time to leave. I have little idea of where I am within the swamp, but I figure heading northward will eventually lead me home. Or at least, I'll find somewhere not quite so covered in muck. In my-OUR- travels, I decide to go over what I know of the various forms of magic as best I can, while considering what I should summon as my first demon slave.

Magic is, rather simply, divided into five main groups.

The ARCANE deals with what most would consider standard magic. Spells focus mainly on making something from nothing, or causing things to happen. It's also the most common form of magic, made famous and rather popular by it's cliched FIREBALL spell. Practitioners of the Arcane are often referred to as Wizards and Sorcerers.

DIVINE magic is magic granted by following the FAITH. The Faith is a religion spread far and wide in the world, and is the most closely followed of all religions. It's often said to be the opposite of INFERNAL magic, but in reality, the two are more similar than opposites, as both forms of magic are derived from an outside source. Priest, Clerics and Paladins are the wielders of this form of magic.

DRUIDIC magic, also called natural magic, is shamanistic in it's methods. Natural forces and earthly spirits are called upon to grant the user the blessings of the earth. Druids, Shamans and the Sylvans wield Druidic magic.

NECROMANTIC magic is aimed not so much as the raising of the dead, but rather mastery over the forces of life and death. While undead are certainly what they are most famous for, practitioners of necromancy are also skilled doctors, healers and potion masters. Universally, however, they are referred to as Necromancers.

The last form of magic is INFERNAL. Largely viewed as evil, infernal magic deals with the summoning and interacting with Demons. While the most known form of practitioners are Warlocks, often called demon worshippers for the belief that they worship demons instead of enslaving them, Witches and Cultist also fall into this category.

That concludes my introduction to that. Regardless, my own magics are obviously infernal, although as I've said, I've dabbled in the arcane. True names exist although... to find out anyones is extremely difficult, unless you talked to one of the Twins or made a deal with the seven princes. Regardless, I have little interest at this time. Instead, I'd rather focus on obtaining my imp.

But that begs the question... from which sin should I draw it's essence? Pride takes far too long for my tastes, as does Sloth. Envy is distasteful and uninteresting, while Greed is far too common. That leaves only three options.

Lust. While just as common as Greed, it is far easier to deal with nobles overcome with lust than greed. Far too much money changes hands, while witholding pleasure... far easier. Demons of Lust are also fairly easy to enslave, given as the lesser demons are often caught up in their own lust and need for pleasure to resist enslavement. An Imp of Lust would have the poison in it's tail act as a very powerful aphrodisiac.

Gluttony. Among the mortals, it's power is very strong, especially because gluttony isn't limited to mere food. The need and hunger for power can be just as great as the need for sustenance, and it's easy, so very easy, to get people lost in their hunger for power. Gluttony demons are difficult to restrain, however, because of their own strong hunger for their own fulfillment. Still, an Imp of Gluttony would have its poison cause mortals to grow increasingly hungry for more and more food.

Wrath. Perhaps the most famous of sins in the mortal realm, I don't need to say much to describe the power this sin has. Wars have been started over simple insults said in jest taken to seriously. Wrath demons are surprisingly easy to capture, but they have difficulty restraining themselves in the face of conflict. Wrath Imps have a poison which causes the afflicted to become increasingly violent and irritable, quick to anger and quicker to start a fight.

>>>Speak

I guess we can stick with the classics and go with Wrath.

>the seven demon princes
That sounds familiar. Coincidental use of basing the demons off of the seven deadly sins, or possible connection to breaking reality? Let's probe this...
Say... do you know anything in particular about the princes themselves? Perhaps say, the prince of gluttony, or envy?

>chose an imp
I like the sound of wrath myself.

>>465941
Why exactly does Pride take too long? Isn't it supposed to be the strongest or something? Also, if not that, I vote for wrath.

A Dis Thread: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/62584.html

Pride? I suppose it could be considered the most powerful, Lucifer is the older brother of the the Twins. Still, he prefers slow methods. Let you destroy yourself in your pride and arrogance, rather than just deal with you outright. Very few of the sins like to deal in directly causing anything. Major Sloth demons tend to be very active in causing their targets to fall. Lust and Wrath demons as well.

Prince of Gluttony and Prince of Envy... The Prince of Envy is Leviathan, if I remember correctly. The demon prefers to take a female form when human, although demons don't really have gender to begin with. It is the only Prince to live in the mortal world, unlike its brethren, and also holds one of the only physical gateways to hell within its stomach. No, I won't go try finding it for you. Leviathan is known for eating pretty much whatever it can get its hands on, unless fed a truly envious soul beforehand.

As for the Prince of Gluttony, that's would Beelzebub. Lord of Lies to some, Lord of Flies to others. Beelzebub is quite well known causing some of the worst famines in history just to see if gluttony would still exist in the world. It did. Then he ate the souls of those who continued gluttony just because he felt it would better serve them to be eaten as they ate. He can only be summoned by offering a truly gluttonous soul.

As for my imp... Wrath, was it? That works for me, I suppose. I pause in my journey a day to prepare myself and the necessary ingredients, then siphon the soul within my arm outwards and across the magical borders to the realm beyond, holding it like one might fishing bait before a fish. Minutes pass without reaction, then I can feel it. A tug. A pull. A desire and a hunger. I yank hard on the soul with my arm, dragging it and the demon attached to it into my realm, all the while wrapping my magically enhanced will around the demon as it passes through into the mortal coil. The thing goes berserk, kicking, screeching and cursing me out in the demon tongue, a harsh guttural language that sets my ears bleeding. Still, I endure the momentary pain and wrap my will tighter around it. Once I've set my grasp firm upon its essence, I state my first command, admittedly praying a little to the seven that this will work.

"Imp. Shut up."

The imp's mouth immediately snaps shut, although the imp hardly looks surprised at all. Instead, it settles after a few minutes more of hateful glares in my direction, instead seeming to examine itself. I take the opportunity to do likewise. It's a small, spindly looking thing, typical of most imps, the prominent features being it barbed tail and disproportionally large, leathery wings. In all, it probably comes up to just about midway up my calf. Perhaps the only way to differentiate it from other imps is its coloration. Wrath has always had the color of red and oranges as its tell tale sign, and this is no exception. The small demon is a dull red, although its mouth is certainly colorful enough to make up for it by its earlier raving. Finished with my inspection of my new slave, I set about the tasks generally required before I set off again.

"You may speak now Demon, your name and your oath of allegiance."

"I am called Geet. A pleasure, Master" The voice is high pitched, winy almost. Another typical trait of imps. The voice almost grates on the nerves. "I hereby, under the sworn oath of the Prince of Wrath, Behemoth, that I shall live to serve you, my master, above all others, and shall do always as you will."

I feel the oath solidify, and I nod my head. Good. An hour later, I've set off again, the imp hovering besides me in silence, occasionally disappearing and returning with a bloody carcass of some random bird, muttering curses about the annoying things that keep on singing. Regardless, the journey after that is largely uneventful, until I reach somewhere highly unexpected.

On the fourth day of travel, I find myself hiding at the forests edge, eying the rather large gate that guards the city entrance. I frown in annoyance, rather hoping I'd have come out of this place somewhere slightly less... Faithful. A temple-city. The faithful will be in that place in abundance. Still, it's somewhere I can be clean and dry.

Otherwise, I suppose I could try just following the forest's edge until I come to another, hopefully less Faithful city.

>>>Speak

Wait you want to go to a temple-city with a imp that can't stop killing birds because they are annoying? Hell they probably have paladins that can detect that kinda stuff in abundance. Wait how rare are paladins and faith magic users?

>Leviathan
Well, that matches the lore Michelle gave us, pretty much down to the letter. Doesn't necessarily mean there's any connection between the two settings, but something to keep an eye on. Even if all that's shared is a common mythos- that could be exploited: information gleaned in one could be used in the other.
Thank you. And that's alright- we have no desire for you to seek the him (or her) out. That would be quite suicidal, without some manner of death avoidance.

>enter city?
Well, that depends. You've accomplished your initial task. What is your purpose now? Is their a reason you continue forward, instead of returning home?

I'd say avoid the temple city continue on till you found a hopefully less Faithful city.

Who are the Twins? Can you give us some more information on the primary beliefs of the Faith? Does the faith control large amounts of land, you mentioned tithes. Does the Faith have a inquisition and/or hunters of infernal magic-users?

Do you know of any other gateways to other planes? Can you give us a general overview of the planar cosmology?

Okay, I think I've got a new priority for you, mastering enough necromancy that you can make yourself a phylactery, or soul receptacle, to house your soul in the event of your death, to prevent it from going to hell. You might have mentioned that earlier by the way.

>>465983
He'll obey whatever I tell him to do. A simple command to not kill anyone I don't tell him to would force him to curb his little killing spree.

>The Faith
The Faith doesn't really "control" anything, at least, not in the open. Instead, they have a large number of lords that follow the Faith, and therefore provide them with support and strength. Occasionally, however, the Faith is granted a city for themselves, which come to be known as temple-cities. All that really means is that priests and followers will gather in more abundance in the area than other cities. It's not really all that difficult to get past them. Just start shouting praise to the Twins and anyone can walk in. They're kinda idiots for the most part. It's when you get the smart ones you should worry...

Regarding the Twins. They have a few titles, but are generally considered the only "gods" to exist, at least according to the Faith. For us infernal magic users, our "gods" would be the seven princes. Anyway, the Twins full title is "The Twin Gods Whom March Across The Heavens", or something like that. They are believed to be the sun and moon, with the sun being the elder of the two by mere seconds, called Sol, and the moon being the younger, called Luna. The priests divide themselves between the two, with Luna's followers being the more militant, believing that they must guard against the users of dark magic because we supposedly are more active at night, while the followers of Sol work to spread the Faith and provide more humanitarian aid to the world.

>are are paladins and faith magic users?
About as common as the arcane ones, I suppose, although if you mean anyone that can really pose a threat, they are few and far between. While you can gain some measure of power through mere belief, gaining any REAL strength requires that you actually get noticed by one of the Twins. And the Princes know how difficult THAT is, unless you do something extremely violent towards their believers or you can somehow gain their interest in a good way. I wouldn't know how to do the second. The first would require I start killing random priests. My third brother tried that. He was struck by lightning. Tragic.

>Do you know of any other gateways to other planes?
No. There's even doubt that Leviathan really has a gateway in its stomach. No one has returned from it if they have gone through, and if they haven't, that probably means Leviathan killed them.

>Can you give us a general overview of the planar cosmology?
You mean the various non-mortal beings? There's the Seven, and the Courts of the Seven Hells. There's the Twins and their endless heavens. I suppose you could count the Great Forest, although anyone can visit there as long as you respect the Druids' rules. The Death March as well, ruled by Lord Death, although humans tend to avoid the Death March unless they really have a reason to bug Lord Death.

>You might have mentioned that earlier by the way.
Mentioned what?

>Goals
Become head of the Markov family, try not to die in the process, and someday bend one of the seven to my will. That's my general goals in life, anyway.

>>>Speak

Could have mentioned that your soul gets damned to hell as soon as you summon a demon. No feedback on the phylactery idea?

Anyway, continue to a less faith-inclined town as previously stated I think.

So there is no checking for infernal magic users like checking the tattoos on your arm or something? If there even a remote chance of that happening then I gotta say just go past this city. If you don't think they are gonna check for any signs of infernal magic it's probably a better idea to go inside the city to avoid suspicion (coming from a swamp, avoiding a temple-city, you know the classic signs of heretics and what not).

>Become head of the Markov family
So I assume the reason you're not at home manipulating, positioning and politicking is that you're out tapping, training and building up the power you'd need for such a position?

How about a short term goal? Survival is obvious, but so long as you aren't attacked, finding ways to obtain the basic necessities of life is a simple affair. So what do you need? Must we seek out further souls, or a reliable, repeatable method of procurement? Must you seek out sources of mystic knowledge or power? Do we need to seek influence in the more mundane power structures of this world? Do you need to seek out allies, minions, slaves?

>bend one of the seven to my will
Well, you don't aim low, do you. Beware- from what little we know of this kind of bond, I do not believe the bending is entirely one way.

>>466298
You know what just go with this. There is always the chance of some guy checking your arm for infernal runes and tattoos.

>Not home
I needed to utilize a soul I knew would work, especially for the difficult first summoning. The existence of my sister just happened to be useful. But yes, in my family, number and quality of demons is more important than any political power one might have.

>Needs
Souls. Quality ones. Imps are useless except as tools, really, but even a lesser demon can fight reasonably well. And the more demons I have, the more souls I can collect... hm, to put it simply, upon summoning a demon, I can do a few actions with them.

1) I can send them out as envoys. They will spread whichever sin they represent, corrupting a person's soul over time. Once I feel the need to collect that soul, I can go to where the demon is, kill the person, and collect the prize. This is a long process however, and won't be a fast method to obtaining anything. The quality of the demon also determines how much a demon can influence the person they are corrupting, so a greater demon could corrupt a soul far more than an imp could.

2) I can keep them with me, and they will serve as servants, bodyguards and companions. This is a common practice for Warlocks, particularly when we summon something that can hide it's form as in some manner.

3) I can send demons out to hunt for souls. This is the most common use for imps once a Warlock really gets going. Instead of using the demon to corrupt the people around me, they would only go out searching, sniffing out souls already corrupted with sin. Then they would report back to me, and I can collect the soul at my leisure.

>Knowledge
This means little to a Warlock. I suppose if I wanted to dabble in other forms of magic, this would serve a purpose, but for now, I'd rather focus on my demonology. Perhaps once I've established myself, I can consider branching out.

>Mundane Influence/Minions
While useful, they aren't of any particular need. My family is already fairly influential by virtue of being rich beyond words, and while mundane minions might serve a purpose now, they are ultimately inferior to the demonic ones I will be summoning once souls are obtained. Allies would be more useful, although again, demons will always prove more useful than humans, in my opinion.

Still, it seems the general consecsus is to move on, and I for one am willing to pass up a warm bed and clean clothes if it means avoiding a temple-city. Instead, I travel along the tree line, moving eastward to avoid the more troublesome regions, and after another weeks travel, find another city, although this one is clearly not a temple-city. Judging by the decorations and the building structures, its a trade city, more particularly, a trade city between the east and west. The two districts contained within are distinct and only mildly hostile towards each other, as the sound of clinking coins always pushes thoughts of violence out of people's minds. After entering the much safer city and making it to the central markets, I pause to consider my options.

If I prefer, I can stick to acting as a commoner, and try to avoid notice from the various nobles in control of each region, abeit a the cost of having to come up with a means of constant funds and gear myself. Or, I could instead introduce myself to the likely twin rulers of this city, earning myself free accommodation and the like, but having to deal with the politics and games of this place, and likely every other place I visit along the way.

>>>Speak

((I apologize for the sorely lacking amounts of interaction between actual PEOPLE, but your essentially on travel time right now, and until you actually get to the meeting of people, you can't exactly interact with them. Again, I apologize.))

>>466304
Well if we had a lust imp as well we could do magic induced adultery for three sins at once(envy, wrath, and lust).

-First find a married couple and befriend them
-Use the lust imp on the wife and keep the husband away (I have no idea how fast acting the lust imp is)
-Show the husband while the wife is doing the "act" with another man (Preferably using the wrath imp on the husband before hand.)
-Watch as the husband in a fit of rage kill said wife and her "partner".
-Kill the husband and collect yummy souls.

Basically use the imps to make people commit sins and whatnot.

Oh never mind my plan. It can still work but now I know how long it takes.

You pretending to be a commoner would depend on how much money you have at the moment. I have no idea what your financial situation is right now.

>Imp use
2 and 3 seem the more practical applications, for now. A combination of body guarding, and sniffing out.

Have you considered simply relocating to a significant population center? In a large enough collection of humanity, death becomes an everyday occurrence. Collecting a reserve of average souls would be relatively easy with little effort, providing you with a cadre of imps to use to search out more potent prey, or to start cultivating souls with.

As your current imp is one of wrath, I think we need to seek out a warrior of some kind. Turn righteous anger to blind rage, and turn his blade where he should not. ...we're going to learn about what's wrong with Cass by inflicting her disease on someone else in a different setting, and pushing them in the wrong direction. It's the classic route of medicine- understand the disease to understand the cure. That's some good metagaming.

>noble or commoner?
...I don't think you have enough interesting options for manipulating nobles, yet. I'd favor stealth, for now.

>I apologize
Pff. Apologize for writing something other than our mech fight, if you want to make silly apologies. :p

Okay, so we need sinful souls right? Go to the red lights district of the city, lure some streetcorner hookers into dark alleyways. Kill them and harvest their souls. Make lust demons I suppose. And I vote for commoner stealth option for now.

>Money
Let's just say I am not wanting for gold. I'll be able to pay for most necessities for months to come.

Good advice, all around, though. I should probably get some more appropriate clothing before I really do anything. After a quick hour of shopping, some new clothing and a little cleaning up, and then I'm ready to do what needs doing. Which is hunting for souls. A red light district in a trading area probably wouldn't have the whores wandering the streets at this time of day, but warriors... well, there's always some hanging around the bars and pubs, whatever time of day. So, for the first attempts at obtaining some souls, it's off to a local eastern-styled bar.

The noise is deafening and the smell of alcohol fills the room, but for me those are just distractions. The local nobodies and useless drunks are the primary customers, but there are a few warriors I can hunt for. One sits in a dark corner, nursing a single mug of some local drink, hood pulled low to cover their face. There's also a group of the more typical mercenaries, loud, obnoxious and not worth my time under normal circumstance. However... now, they seem a little more worth the effort. The hooded figure isn't worth it, but if the group is affected...

"Geet."

"Yes, my master?"

"See those warriors over there?"

"Yes, master?"

"Go inject them with your poison for me, would you?"

"As you will, master..."

The imp, despite being invisible, almost seems to glow with enthusiasm. He's getting to do what he loves, spreading rage and anger. Me... Well, I think I'll simply wait this one out till the killing starts. I sit at a random table, not particularly caring what goes on around me, and soon find myself with a bar-maid at my shoulder, all smiles and exposing uniform.

"What can I get you sir?"

"Something non-alcoholic if you can, otherwise, something light."

"Right away, sir!"

The bar-maid disappears somewhere, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch one of the mercenaries jump in his seat a little. A light jab from a envenomed tail? I start to see if I can spot the imp at work, but am interrupted as a glass is dropped onto the table.

"There you go sir! Can I get you anything else?"

"No, I'm fine."

The bar-maid bows lightly, then disappears again. Good thing to, because I suddenly feel a weight on my shoulder and a soft cackling.

"Your will is done, master."

I glance over at the table of warriors just as one suddenly gets up, looking angry.

"Hey! Bersherd! Put that card back!"

"Wha- Boss, what are you talking about?"

"You're cheating at cards! Don't you dare try to lie to me!"

"Boss, I swear I ain't cheatin a-"

"I said, don't lie to me!"

The warrior goes for his sword, and a fight quickly breaks out amongst the mercenaries. Blood flows easily, and within minutes, death follows. I collect the souls without incident, even as the people around me call for the guards and try to not freak. I debate waiting, then shrug the thought away and return to the street, quickly finding a nice hidden away alley so that I may practice my craft. Three souls, one of average quality, and two of barely and worth. All wrath aligned. What shall I summon now...

>>>Speak

Well you already have an imp of wrath so what's the next tier after imps for wrath demons? Whatever it is summon that. We could summon another wrath imp by sacrificing the two weaker souls if we can.

If the weaker souls are also needed to summon the next tier of demon then forget about summoning the imp. If you can't summon the next tier at all then just summon another imp for practice. We could always use another imp to go look for sinful souls while we keep Geet around us just in case.

>What shall I summon now...
What's up from imps on the wrath scale? It would be nice to have something combat oriented, if you find yourself discovered and needing to fight.

If the weaker souls are good for it, it might be a good idea to diversify, and collect imps of lust and gluttony.

>>466739
If we can diversify the imps with the weaker wrath souls then let's do it. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Alternatively, if we can't acquire new imps- can we use the low quality souls to upgrade or improve our already contracted imp?

If you can, combine the souls to summon a more powerful demon.

The average soul, is... well... still not capable of calling a lesser demon. We could use it to summon another imp from another realm though. The less than average will have to be from wrath... well, let's get this over with. After a couple of minutes of setting up and making sure no one will come stumbling in, I call the imps and nod my approval upon enslaving them. An imp of lust and two more wrath imps. That brings my total up to four. I order the two other wrath imps to go hunting for any wrath souls of note, then I have the lust imp hunting through the brothels and whorehouses for any lust souls I might take interest in. That task done, I feel it might be best if I... disappear for awhile. I head into a nearby inn, Geet still resting on my shoulder, and get myself a room. Then it's the waiting game. Rather boring, really, but even demons need time. Night begins to fall before two of the imps return. The wrath imp is practically ecstatic, going on and on about a group of mercenaries outside the city who are extremely angry that three of their buddies were killed for unknown reasons, and want very much to be allowed to rip the town apart till they find whoever's responsible. The lust imp, on the other hand, is somewhat less excited, although it's found at least three souls worth stealing if we want to put in the effort. All of them are in the more upperclass places, however, and I doubt I'll be luring them out into dark alleyways anytime soon.

>>>Speak

>>466873
Are there any ways for someone to be able to perceive the imps? Ways accessible to people who aren't already powerful enough to screw us over anyway, that is?

And I suppose if you have the coin you could buy a nice(r?) outfit and go into the upperclass brothels to get their souls. Easy enough to excuse if they're older- heart attacks during coitus are rare, but no unheard of, and they're naturally hushed up anyway amongst the upper classes.

Hm. How noticeable are the imp stings, and how likely are people to suspect their involvement? If the upper crust's bodies are searched too closely, they could be found. Hopefully, they're rare enough to be dismissed as insect stings for long enough for us to get away.

Hmm. Does the quality of the soul used affect the quality of the imps summoned? So our new wrath imps are weaker than Geet? Or does the power and alignment of the soul just restrict the kinds of demons that can be summoned, with no bearing on the individual?

>The wrath imp is practically ecstatic, going on and on about a group of mercenaries outside the city who are extremely angry that three of their buddies were killed for unknown reasons, and want very much to be allowed to rip the town apart till they find whoever's responsible.
...that sounds fantastic so long as we can avoid them focusing in on us (they don't suspect a demonologist, do they?). Goad them into ripping the town apart without any kind of official sanction- watch as they put innocents to the sword and inevitably clash with the town guard. Lots of death and destruction- all the lesser souls you could want, as the wrath souls of the mercs grow riper and riper until they are inevitably felled (for added fun, have your wrath imps egg on the city guard when they show up too!).

Goes without saying you can't get too close to the fight. You want to stay on the outskirts- far enough away to avoid combat, close enough to reap the souls.

>>466875
If it was one of the lower class then I wouldn't worry too much but since it's the upper class just how noticeably are the imp stings? If it's possible to tell that the stings came from imps then what level of expertise would be required to tell? Would it just have to be a well-trained doctor, a fellow warlock, or any of the other magic professions?

>>466877
Sounds like a good idea but take all necessary precautions that you can. We also might want to wait until tomorrow so we can get a good night rest.

>>>Stats have been added to Dis Thread

>Detecting imps
I suppose an imp could be detected through numerous low-level spells, assuming one knew what to look for. As to identifying and imp sting from a bugs, it is almost identical to a sting from a bug. Only the poison is really different, so unless they could actually see the difference in effects, or could detect poisons in some way, they wouldn't really be able to tell the difference.

>Waiting until tomorrow
A good idea. Still, I'll send my extra wrath imp to scout amongst the mercenaries, hopefully identifying the more rowdy and prone to aggression. That might make it easier to entice them into action tomorrow.

For tonight, however, I head back into the markets and find myself some reasonably nicer clothing more suited to the nightlife and upperclass, than wait for nightfall. Once the moon is high, I head out, the lust imp leading me through the streets to a row of unassuming buildings that look remarkably unremarkable. On one side is the eastern buildings I'm more familiar with, hard angles and simple wooden doors. The other, the more alien buildings of the west, the style more focused on curves and and spheres. All are brothels, judging from the simple attitude of everyone walking the streets. There are a few "call" girls loitering around outside some areas, trying to attract customers. The lust imp points out two different area. The better soul is located in one of the western buildings, somewhere I'm unfamiliar with, although I know the customs tend to focus on silence, respect and honer, among other things. The two weaker souls are in the same building, a western one, and I'd have little issue conducting myself properly in there. I could also easily pay the prices of either building, although if there is a way to not, I wouldn't object.

>>>Speak

Well I would say try to go for the better soul first. Quality over Quantity and all that jazz. Worse case scenario is you being kicked out of the brothel or be barred from entering which would be embarrassing but it's not the end of the world.

>>467222
Yeah, weak souls are easy. Let's try for the better one. Remain cautious of course.

The better soul it is. I head towards the mentioned building, stopping just short of the door and taking a deep breath. I never liked dealing with westerners. Always going on and on about unnecessary noise and lack of grace and whatever else they decided was insufficient in us easterners. Regardless, I enter, making sure to open the door as quietly and as calmly as possible, closing it after I enter in a similar manner. The room is filled with thin, wood panels to block the view of what's going on behind. There's no one visible, at least to me, but within moments, I'm met by a young woman, dresses in what appears to be a simple piece of cloth wrapped completely around her body. She bows silently to me, then straightens herself and smiles ever so slightly.

"It is not often we get visitors from the east within these walls... how may I help you, sir?" Her voice sounds so tiny and meek compared to what I'm used to. So very small. I can barely hear her at all. Although I suppose that's to be expected, but whatever.

"Yes... I'm-"

"Please sir, keep your voice down. We don't wish to disturb the other guests..."

By the seven...

"My apologies... I'm looking for someone specific, a... friend recommended her to me, I suppose you could say..."

"Of course, sir. Do you know her name?"

"Actually... no... he never mentioned her name..."

"That is troubling indeed sir."

Well... that could be an issue.

>>>Speak

A... moment please. Allow me to think.

Turn away, look as if you're trying to remember something. Send the invisible lust imp to quickly find your target, and come back with a name, a door number, a distinguishing feature, anything you can use to request the girl we want.

If the target is a client, and not one of the girls, it doesn't matter. You just need to get back there. Anyone will do.

>>467421
Do this

"A moment please... I need to think..."

"Of course sir."

Then I send the lust imp off, to search for some identifier of some kind. A few minutes later, the imp returns, giving you the description of some middling aged woman, currently "involved" with a young man of undetermined aged. She, apparently, is in far more control of the situation than he is. I don't care, regardless. I pass along the description, and get the expected response that she's busy at the moment, at least until I drop a sack of gold into her surprised hands. The woman's tune quickly changes, although she tries to get me to consider some other woman first. I ignore her, waiting for the response I want, and soon enough the woman disappears after imploring me to wait a moment.

Minutes later, a random nobleman I don't recognize is ejected onto the street, and I find a beautiful woman dressed very elaborately in no doubt highly expensive clothing hanging off my shoulder. I can feel the lust imps small claws dig into my back, where it's taken its perch, cut I ignore the pain in favor of the more prudent smile. I'm lead into some back room with a couple wooden panels separating me from the someone else and their fun, and the door-woman leaves us to our piece. The whore practically strips right there, probably expecting me to care about her body. I do, but for a reason other than what I think she thinks. Regardless, I don't feel the need to kill her now. Instead, I choose to let my lust imp stab the woman with its venom, and soon, the woman is not only naked, but practically trying to rip my own clothes off. I correct this in the most immediate way possible. I tear the flesh from her skull, killing the woman instantly, although... there may have been a very brief scream...

I collect my prize, only to find someone knocking on the closed panel lightly.

"Sir... sir... is everything alright?"

>>>Speak

Oh the "killing the target but someone is coming up to check on them" problem huh. Well just say things are alright and you are just little more "excited" than usual. That would MAYBE buy you like 10 to 25 seconds before they check what's going on if they decided not to leave you alone. What's the soul quality anyways?

Hmm. Well. Discovered at the scene of a murder. Options:

-affirm that everything is all right, and express annoyance at being interrupted. If will is still the diplomatic stat, and not just the basis for our spellcasting stat, we have a decent chance of success. She may not buy it though, and when the death is discovered, the girl will know your face.
-kill her. Even if you put her off now, the murder will be discovered later, and she knows your face. You could fire an arcane bolt right through the door into where you hear her voice from coming from, killing her instantly. Has the disadvantage that you leave behind evidence that the killer was a caster, and may attract bouncers / guards, especially if you fail to kill her in one shot.
-distract her with imps, flee. Regrettably leaves the witness alive, unless the imps get her killed (directly or indirectly).
-light the building on fire, flee though the window. A bigger mess, but it covers up evidence of the exact crime, may kill the witness, and/or provide you with more souls.

>>467480
Well we could try to string options one, two, and three along.

- First we do option one to get her to calm down.
- Wait thirty minutes or so then leave.
- Use lust imp to get her to follow you or use wrath imp to make her attack someone
- If the wrath imp was used then when body is discovered they probably gonna assumed it's the crazy lady attacking people for no reason. She may even die if someone puts her down.
- If the lust imp is used then we can kill her at some other location and eliminate the last witness.

>>467483
Oh yeah and if we use the lust imp make sure to flirt with her to make her want to follow you and no other clients are around. No point if there is more witnesses.

>>467470
Hmm, any chance of using your newly acquired soul to summon a lower level lust demon capable of possessing and repairing the corpse? Could be a decent way to set up long term cultivation of corrupt souls if possible. If you can't, go with >>467483 and >>467484

Summoning takes preparation, unless you want me to summon blind, which can have very bad results for everyone involved, sans the demon summoned.

"Everything is fine. Just a little difficulty getting in the right mood, is all." What with one of us being a dead, soulless corpse and the other a murderer, but no one cares about the details really.

"I see... sir, I think I'd like to come in, just to check..."

Damn. Well, fine then, let's go with plan B. I take a moment to call up he spell in my mind, then stretch my hand out as the panel slides open. The woman's eyes go wide a moment, then she's engulfed in a stream of flame, her screams echoing in the hallways and open rooms. That, in all, is my signal to disappear through another exit. I take my leave out a window, the building quickly catching fire from the burning woman's frantic attempts to put herself out on flammable wood. Too bad. Still, I won't be sticking around here very long at all. As soon as I hit the main street, I disappear into the crowds, sliding from view. Soon, I'm back into the far more deserted market areas, and I find myself a nice alley to hide in while I examine my prize.

The soul is of good quality, a decent amount of sin, most of it concentrated around lust. I could summon a lesser lust demon, which would mean either an incubus or a succubus. Or I could call for another imp from another layer of hell.

>>>Speak

I say go with the lesser demon because all of the trouble you just went though. The only reason not to summon the lesser demon is if the demon had no way to stay hidden/disguise itself.

Hmm. We've already got a fair selection of imps. That leaves the choice between the two varieties of foocubi. Unless there's a serious drawback to having a foocubus around? A lack of invisibility might be problematic, for one.

If we're looking at a manipulation angle, you're in a medieval setting. There are going to be more males in significant positions of power to manipulate (and if you really need to seduce a woman, well, you've got yourself and lust imp aphrodisiac). Succubus.

...actually, is summoning a compatible foocubus a hazard to you at all? Or is that a perk?

Okay, I feel a little skeevy now.

>>467572
Speaking of which, do imp stings affect greater demons? Sloth and Lust stings seem like they'd make summoning blind considerably less dangerous, particularly Sloth.

Did you also catch the soul of the second woman you killed?

Demon of Lust Shax Markov 2012/10/31(Wed)16:29 No. 467753 ID: a407a5
File 135172617164.jpg - (15.85KB , 160x160 , soldier_succubus.jpg )

No, I didn't grab the other woman's soul. She wasn't dead when I was forced to depart the building. I'm not going back for a soul that may or may not be there.

Succubus and incubus can take human forms in lieu of turning invisible. They are two of the few lesser demons capable of doing so, although they are almost always looking to sate their own lust in some fashion. The two demon types are also perhaps the only ones that have a set gender as well. Summoning a succubus, by the way, wouldn't cause any problems for me, as long as I'm prepared. Once I own the thing, the succubus can't do anything to me unless I let her, and I don't plan to. My own lust for the pleasures of the flesh has long been beaten out of me by the rest of my family members.

As to imps making summoning blind any easier, I doubt it. Most demons are devoted whole heartedly to their own sin anyway, and more than likely would laugh off an imp sting before killing the useless sack of meat.

Still, for now, a succubus it is. I double check my surroundings, ensuring that I wasn't followed and that no one is around, then I draw the necessary sigils and wards. The circle is much larger than last time, and I take the extra few minutes to check the wards again, just in case. Then I let out my captured soul and lure in what I desire. Soon enough, I've dragged it in. The thing almost immediately tries to do what it always does, which is release its potent aroma into the air and force lust for itself on any male in the area, but the wards flare brightly and keep the thing in check. It hisses in annoyance, then seems to catch sight of me and smiles seductively.

["Hello... you are to be my master? You shall be easy to seduce"]

The demon tongue. I can speak the language, but I'm painfully aware that I'm not very good at it. Still, if it wan't to talk like that, we'll talk like that.

"Master~ What a... pleasure it is to meet you~"

"Quiet demon. I have no interest in playing whatever mind games you seem to think I'll play. Your will is mine. You will do as I say, and you will NOT get overly familiar with me, understand?"

My will is enforced upon the demon easily, and her facade of pleasure and acceptance drops for a single moment before the magic takes affect and she is forced into slavery. She mutters curses, then the smile appears again, a little more obviously forced.

"What is it you desire of me... master..."

>>>Speak

Well we don't have anything we need doing for right now. Just tell her to disguise herself as a human. You should also tell her to stay put because we don't need a succubus running wild. Go rest up for the big day tomorrow.

>>467761
Yeah, sounds good. For now I guess we keep her with us? After that fire and the mercenary riot we plan on starting tomorrow it'll probably be a good idea to move on from this town. Once we reach a more stable situation, we could send her out hunting for us.

Could you clarify what a succubus' powers are? Obviously seduction, sex, and some degree of shapeshifting. Anything else, that might be useful, especially in combat? How does her feeding work- does she just corrupt, or is copulation fatal to her partners?

>My own lust for the pleasures of the flesh has long been beaten out of me by the rest of my family members
Your family sucks, man.

>>467768
>Your family sucks, man.
Yeah it does suck but a part of me understands you know. If you are gonna be enslaving a succubus then you don't want to be seduce by one. I bet they can still do the "act" but it's probably more of a chore for them at this point.

So the plan is
- Make succubus disguise as a human
- Make the succubus stay put(No spreading terror, lust, or whatever succubi do at their spare time)
- Rest up and prepare for tomorrow

If we can have as many imps as we want, why would we not go to the trouble of acquiring those other two lust-aligned souls? In future cities the succubus will make an excellent core of any plan to incite lust and cultivate an extremely sinful soul, but having additional imps is useful both for general information/utility purposes and to provide her with backup in that task.

At minimum, it would be worthwhile to have our existing imp get their identifying characteristics and determine some more about the circumstances around them. Not that I don't think resting up is important, but if we're planning on skipping town then let's milk this place for all it can give first. If one or both of the souls are customers rather than whores, then our succubus should be able to easily ensnare them and bring them for harvesting once they leave the building.

>>467782
Why would we be able to have as many imps as we want? I don't remember where it say we can do that. Unless you are talking about
>You can have as many imps as you want, but they aren't going to do a thing against a more powerful opponent.
I think that was him just telling us imps aren't great in a fight. You also have to consider the fact that imps are demons(I think) and should count toward the limit
>A Warlock can only have a number of demons equal to their Will+1.

But we do have four imps right now and a succubus so if we have a will of 3 then we should be only be able to summon 4 demons. The only way the math would work is if DreamerOfThings saw us wanting to increase will to 4 in the discussion thread then the math works out fine(will 4+1= 5 demons).

Even if we could get as many imps as we want I wouldn't do it. I don't want to go back to the red district where we just burn down a building.

>>467784
Clarification on the actual demon limits is needed, yes; I thought we could have unlimited imps and were only limited in our capacity to control things that are less terrible.

As far as returning to the scene of a crime, I didn't actually suggest that; our imp can do the scouting and the succubus any potential luring entirely without our presence or input. We're only needed for the actual kill, after all.

>>467787
Well our Will increased to 4 in the Discussion thread so the math works out if imps count towards the limit(4 imps + 1 succubus = 5 Demons and Our will is 4 so we can summon 5 demons in total). If imps count towards the limit then we gonna have to get rid of some imps to summon more imps. It really depends if we are planning to stay in town after the mercenary incident we are about to cause tomorrow. If we aren't going to stay then I don't really see the point of doing it. If we are then it's a worthwhile endeavor. We need quality over quantity especially since we hit the demon cap if the imps count and I don't know why they shouldn't count.

>going back for the souls
Pretty sure we have to be in range at the time of death. We missed our window.

>Imps?
I'm almost certain they count towards the limit. Otherwise a zergling strategy would be way too easy. Make imps, kill weak people, make more imps, rinse and repeat.

It's more than likely we're going to discard and resummon weak imps of various flavors as the situation merits- crap souls aren't good for much else, and we're only going to waste so many spell demon slots on keeping imps in stock.

Well time to go incite the mercenaries I guess?

"Succubus, I need you t-"

"Israteels, Master~"

"What?"

"My name. Israteels."

"Whatever, Succubus, I need you t-"

"Israteels, Master."

I glare at her, but she simply stares back, a fake smile plastered on her face even as she stares back at me with eyes that betray not even a hint of annoyance or anger. Damn lust demons, having to be so damn good at faking emotions. Stories say they're so good at it they even convince themselves of what they feel. Regardless...

"Fine. Israteels."

"Yes Master~?"

"I need you to take your human form right now. Then I need you to take this lust imp here and go hunting for me. See if you can't find the two other lust-filled souls the stupid thing found. When you have, bring them back to the inn if you can. If not, return to the inn on your own. The imp should be able to lead you to it."

"Understood, Master."

The succubus shifts into its human form, wings and horns melting into its body as if they didn't even exist, while clothing forms as if from nowhere. The pieces she chose to wear are gaudy and provocative to the extreme, exposing as much skin as it can without falling off her form, and will likely cause even the most daring of whores to blush, but the demon doesn't seem to care. The succubus bows to me once, rather obviously trying to display her breasts to me, then she's off gesturing for the small imp to follow her. Once the two leave my sight, I turn and head out the alleyway using a different route, Geet and the two other imps hovering around me, jumping from building to building and sticking to the shadows as I take the less than busy streets to my temporary home. Word of the fire has already quickly spread, even this late at night, and many people have taken to the streets in hopes of finding out what's going on. I ignore them all, and head up to my room at the inn upon finding it.

Hours later, after the talking and gossiping have died down and the town is once again asleep, I hear something rattle the window and open it up to find the lust imp hovering next to it. It swoops in and lands on a bedpost, then turns its attention to me.

"Master. The Succubus returns with a prize."

Sure enough, minutes later the succubus is knocking on my door and upon lating the demon in, she dumps a man, obviously addled from wine and her attentions, onto the floor inside the room.

"Here you, master. Once lustful soul. I might have messed with him a little as well, it's been soooo long since I've gotten a decent sexing, and I added a bit of fuel to his lustful fire as well, so he should be a bit better quality now, if my nose is working right-"

The succubus continues chattering on, but I ignore her, focusing instead on searching through the man's belongings. I'd seen him before, if I remember correctly, but I couldn't remember from where exactly... Ah... that would explain it. A noble. House Rembrandt. Idiots, the lot of them, so intent as they are on making as much money as possible, then spending as much of it as possible. In recent years, it's members have been a bit more virtuous, if only because the Markovs have taken great pleasure in weeding out the more sinful of the bunch for their souls. If I kill this one, it's more than likely someone will notice, and then their will be a witch hunt for a murderer.

>>>Speak

Well of course we get someone we can't kill or at least right now. We especially can't do it here at least. They will try to gut you if they find out he died in the room you are sleeping at. We could try to dump him in at some alley somewhere and keep a imp around the noble to keep check of him while using the imp to make him more sinful if we wanted to.

>Israteels
Dude, just because she's your slave doesn't mean you shouldn't treat her with basic dignity and respect. Treat your slaves well, and there's the chance they'll act on their own initiative to aid you when the opportunity arises. Abuse them, and they'll gladly follow orders just as far as their bonds require- and no further. To the letter but not the spirit. They'll stand by and watch you get strangled to death one day when you're unable to order their assistance.

So use her name, and don't be any more of a dick to your demons than you need to be. Keep a firm, disciplined hand, but don't degrade them.

I mean, sure, they're inhumane amoral monsters who survive by killing people and feeding on their souls, but it's not like you're one to talk, mister.

>Kill or no?
...We were planning on leaving town after the riot we plan on starting tomorrow, right? If we stash the body right, it won't be found till after the bloody chaos, and then no one will be able to say for sure how he died, or who did it (unless there's a branch of magic the nobles can pay for that can divine these things).

So yeah, if you take the appropriate precautions, go for it.

>>467914
Well as long as we aren't killing him in the room we are sleeping in then it's fine with me. We could use a dagger to commit the deed if you have one. That way it doesn't look like you did it with magic and it can be blame on the mercenaries. It won't even be hard because he is kinda out of it for the moment.

Hell we could just have the succubus do it and just be near the soul to capture it. That way if someone sees the murder by accident then we won't be blame for it anyways. Of course we gotta find the proper place to commit the deed so that doesn't happen in the first place. Maybe the wrath imps have a idea where a murder could be taken place with nobody around.

>>467908
>If I kill this one, it's more than likely someone will notice, and then their will be a witch hunt for a murderer.

Then it would be convenient if the murder (or for now, apparent kidnapping) were linked back to the mercenaries we plan on inciting, no? Nobles have guards and tend to employ spies/informants. If the succubus were seen with the noble, likely, it may be worth sending her back out to associate with the mercenaries and let the nobles' draw their own conclusions. If we should decide to do so, send the lust imp with her since she's vulnerable in human form. Heck, I wonder if we could use the lust imp to attract a potential savior for the 'damsel in distress', then use wrath toxin to amp it into action against anyone openly hostile to Israteels?

If we kill the lad we need to either make it look like the mercenaries are responsible (pretty sure we dont have false evidence to plant, could be wrong) or make the body vanish without collateral damage (we need a gluttony imp to dispose of bodies, don't we). No more setting buildings on fire, despite how well that worked last time.

Regardless, it's probably time to ditch the hotel.

>>467922
Hmm. If we're planning on using the mercenaries to kill him... how about we have the succubus get a room for the night at an inn and spend it working on building up his lust and much as possible then and in the early morning, and ensure that he dies and we can collect his soul in the riot we're planning to incite tomorrow? That'll give us a slightly higher quality soul and keep us clear of suspicion.

>>467922
We could feed the mercenaries false info so they think the Rembrandt Noble was the one who had the mercs be killed in the bar and use the wrath imps to make them want to kill the noble. Israteels could be the one who feeds the fake info to the mercenaries. All we have to do is be around for the killing. This way the mercenaries will be responsible for the killing and we won't need any fake evidence. The problem is we don't know the noble's name and I don't know how Israteels is gonna get in contact with the mercenaries but I'm pretty sure succubi have their ways.

If we give the mercenaries fake info then we should also tell them the town guard is in on it as well so they will keep fighting after they kill the noble. Israteels could also just tell them how the target looks like and where he is. On that note please don't let the noble die in your room in any circumstance.

If we stick with this over here >>467925 we could use the imps instead to deliver the fake info by letter. At the same time the wrath imps could sting the mercenaries and watch the chaos unfold.

Fine ideas, all of them. But if we want maximum carnage, and the best soul possible... then we'll need Israteel to do her work all night. The imps can perform the task of delivery. I'll need to get some letters ready as well...

"Israteel."

"Yes, Master~"

"Take him and go to another room. Coax the lust from him as best you can tonight. Tomorrow we'll harvest him. Have your fun."

"Yes, Master."

The succubus drops down and grabs the man again, shifting into her demon form and sliding her tongue along her lips, like a cat before her prey. She disappears out the door, quickly moving into another room. I leave her to her task, heading downstairs and paying for the extra room without offering explanation, then head back upstairs and prepare the letters. While it's rushed, I get what needs to be said down. A noble wanted the men dead, and the guards assisted in pushing the mercenaries to death. Obviously I said it a lot more convincingly, but I don't feel the need to go into every detail. Then, it's time to send the letters off. The two nameless wrath imps I each hand a letter, to drop at different points in the camp, in hopes of spreading the word faster. At the same time, I give them instructions to prick some of the mercenary leaders with their venom, to incite action that much quicker. Then it's time for sleep. Hopefully I won't wake up on fire.

Which turns out to be not quite so far from the truth as I'd like. It's still dark when I wake up to the sounds of battle and an imp hissing in my ear. I barely have time to sit up before someone busts their way into my room, looking very unhappy. For a moment, I'm not awake enough to register who it is, then the sudden flash of steel hits me, and I drop flat onto the bad again, the swing going high above me in its arc. I respond reflexively, melting the mans face with an infernal blast, and the attacker screams in pain as he stumbles backwards and out of sight. I get up quickly and gather myself, commanding my imps to go invisible and stay out of sight. Then it's over to the next room, where I find a dead mercenary and my succubus, looking a little annoyed.

"And I was just getting to the good part..."

"Israteels. What happened?"

"Man came in while I was in the middle of getting some loving from our noble there. He tried stabbing us both. I decided, since you hadn't given the order for the man to die quite yet, that I'd stop him. So, here we are. A dead corpse, a live noble, and sexy me~"

"I suppose you've done a good job, Israteels. For now, kill the noble. It's time we left."

"As you desire, Master."

The deed is carried out quickly, and the soul harvested before it can dissipate. While I do that, I order the wrath imps to go hunting, to find me some souls worth harvesting, as well as a way out of the city that will keep us away from most of the danger. They dart off into the night, while I return to my room and dress myself quickly. Then I head downstairs to find a bloodbath, the innkeeper and his family butchered. Not so uncommon a sight, but still a bit unexpected. I suppose the imps must have spread quite a bit of their venom around, more than was absolutely necessary. Regardless, I think now is a good time to leave. We'll have to loot some of these shops as well for the supplies needed for the trip. As I make my way towards one of the market stores, I hear the sounds of battle around me, as well as the crashing of looters from other shops. It's likely I'll encounter trouble if I'm not careful...

"Master? Should I stay in my demon form, I would you prefer I be a helpless damsel for you to protect?"

"I have no use for a helpless damsel. You'll fight when you need to. Kill any humans that attempt to harm me."

"Hmph... [fighting]... as you desire, Master."


Now... what to loot, and how to deal with the looters...

>>>Speak

That work pretty well in the chaos department. Well you have gold so don't worry too much about looting for cash but if you come across some during your looting might as well take it. First you might to find a bag to carry food. You should avoid meat at all cost because they spoil too fast. If you have to pick vegetables or fruit then just pick vegetables but you gonna want to have both if you can. Don't go looting for weapons or whatnot because that increase the odds of getting into unnecessary fights. You might want to get a map if you don't have one already. After doing all of this you want to skip town as soon as possible.

Israteels done good!

Not sure what's worth looting. What material goods are worth anything to you? Obviously you want to grab as many souls as you can on your way out... but we want to get out of this town reasonably soon.

>>468009
Have your demons identify any souls worth harvesting as you move- the imps should be able to scout them out quite effectively. With so much blood being shed already this is a prime opportunity to gather souls with no further questions being asked. Hopefully there are at least a few worth taking- perhaps prolific looters will evince envy or greed, and there's certainly plenty of wrath that's been spread around.

Did you get the souls of the mercenaries and the innkeeper? If not then in future harvest these sorts of extra souls if you can, more souls is always good. For now harvest the souls of targets of opportunity.

If you are worried about looters then just send Israteels in first to deal with any trouble in the shops with you as backup. If you don't want to do that then you still got a decent spell arsenal to take care of these guys. All in all the bigger problem is IF people see you with a demon so kill anyone who can tell who you are. You're gonna want something to cover your lower face so people can't identify you. It can be some cloth ripped from some clothes for all I care.

Two Paths Shax Markov 2012/11/03(Sat)18:11 No. 468417 ID: 466404
File 135199151734.jpg - (102.04KB , 792x1173 , mask.jpg )

I pause before enterring the shop, instead choosing to send in Israteels. For a few minutes, there's nothing, then the sounds of people dying and objects breaking. I enter just as the succubus plunges her clawed hands into a man's chest, ripping his heart clean out of his chest. I taste his soul as it leaves his body, tainted ever so slightly with greed, and capture it just because it is there. Then I begin my own looting of the place, taking the necessities to survive, a bag, food, some traveling clothes, a few other things. I also manage to find a map of the region, detailing a few cities I could head to, but that I can decide on later. At the same time, I manage to scrounge up a mask, the thing seeming a bit rich for this place until I find that the mask is only leafed with gold. It looks more expensive than it is. Still, if covers my face completely, which should help in keeping my identity a secret while I make my way out of this place, instead of me having to hunt every single person that happens to catch a glimpse of me. I waste no time in sliding the thing over my face and strapping it in place, and when I return outside, I have to say I feel like a fool.

"Oooo~ Master, you look a little intimidating~"

"Try not to lie too much, Israteels, I look like an idiot. Still, it's better than getting caught with a demon. They can make up stories all they want about a masked Warlock. Now then..."

Just as I start to head off in a random direction, one of the imps returns, giggling wildly.

"Master! Master! The mercenary leader is currently at the west gate, fighting through the guards. Ah... his soul reeks of Wrath. If you could take his soul... a powerful demon could be called. He is surrounded by warriors though, Master. Other block the path, lesser rage filling them, but enough to call demons, Master."

Another imp returns, giggling as well.

"A way out has been found master. Few guards, few warriors block the path. Easy escape master, but no souls of rage worth harvesting master."

Choices, choices. What then, Demons of my thoughts, do you think I should do?

>>>Speak

>>468417
Discretion is the better part of valor, but we've already committed to becoming the greatest we possibly can. Go after the leader. Approach cautiously and try to get a good vantage point, both to exploit our range, and to stay hidden until we have assessed the situation.

It seems a waste to have set this town to the sword and not reap our reward.

We should go for the mercenary's leader's soul. Send in your imps invisibly- to distract and disable mercenaries, and to aid the guards. If you lose any of your lesser servants, there should be enough death in the vicinity to replace them with. You need him to die while your are in range to collect his soul- you need not land the killing blow yourself. Although, if necessary, and if you have the opportunity, there is nothing wrong with striking him down at range with flame or arcane blast (unless this will bring the guard and/or remaining mercenaries down on your head).

Irasteels, in her demonic form, is most likely more than a match for any man in the battle- by virtue of superhuman strength, speed and resiliance alone. However, sending an unmasked demon into the middle of battle seems a quick way to get her killed. She's probably better off protecting you as you wait by the edges for your chance to grab his soul, and snipe as necessary with spells.

>>468420
>>468425
Sound like good ideas to me so let's do it.

To the hunt, then. I spend an extra second or two making sure the mask won't simply come off from normal movement, then I have the imp guide me in the right direction. Israteels I keep near me, ordering her to protect me as needed, while I send out Geet and his fellows to find me a good hiding spot, and any souls of lesser quality to my current target, in case I need some reinforcements. Almost as an afterthought, I take inventory of my current souls. A soul of lust strong enough to call up another succubus or incubus, and a soul of greed, barely able to call up an imp. Still, something is better than nothing. I choose to stick to the back alleys, staying away from areas that are seeing a lot of fighting and activity. Somewhere off in the distance, I can hear a babies crying, women screaming, the shouts of men at war. All of it is not my concern. After heading down yet another generic walkway, I find myself spit out into the middle of a small courtyard, the presence of a small group of townsmen cowering in the corner and a small group of 4 guards surrounding them, spears held outwards. For a moment, we all stand staring at each other. Then one of the guards seems to suddenly understand what I am, likely because of the demon that steps into the light behind me.

"Ah... AH! WARLOCK!"

Almost immediately, three of the guards do the only really sensible thing. They charge. Under normal circumstances, they probably would have chosen the correct option. Sadly, these weren't normal circumstances, and if they had ignored me, I probably would have ignored them. As it is, I couldn't just let them stab me through the chest. I step backwards as I hurl an infernal bolt, the magical projectile ripping the lead man's chest to pieces. The second man, almost reaches me before Israteels snatches the spear from the air in front of me and snaps the head of it clean off. She offers the man she's about to kill a soft smile, then jabs the spearhead through his armor and into his stomach, calmly pushing him over with one hand and letting him collapse onto the ground. The last one to charge tries to halt his advance, but fails miserably and nearly collides with the succubus, getting hit full force with her ability to seduce. His body goes lax, and Israteels strokes the side of his cheek while smiling gently at him, before jabbing her other clawed hand straight up through his throat and into his skull. She yanks her now bloody claws out of her target, then turns towards the last guard, who's practically pissed himself by now, but still has managed to keep his spear pointed at us, if rather shakely. The townsmen behind him scramble to get as far away from me as possible.

"Master... what shall we do with this lot? Deprave them, maybe? Taint them with lust?"

"No, Israteels. Now isn't the time for that."

"Really? Some of my best experiences were in the middle of battles. All the blood and adrenaline making the warriors ever so... mmmm... frisky..."

"I do not need to hear about this, Israteels."

But I still do need to come up with what to do with them. I suppose killing them is the safer option, but there really isn't a need to go killing them either. And While I doubt being a warlock does wonders for my reputation, such as it is, killing them might just get them to continue spreading rumors about me.

>>>Speak

>>468467
Yea, letting them go is for the best. It might put some doubt in any rumors about you. That and pointless murdering is pointless.

Just tell them to run, and continue on to the mercenary group. Don't act benevolent, just let them go on their way, and they shouldn't get any funny ideas.

So... we have a small group of unwanted townsfolk to decide what to do with?

Letting Irateels corrupt them would take time we don't have you're right about that. If they present no real threat, and none of their souls are worth harvesting, there's no real point to killing them either.

They don't know your face, or your name, so they're not very good witnesses for anyone trying to track you. Even if you kill this crowd, any demon hunter or rivals from your family tracking you will know you were here from the level of chaos and destruction.

Just move on. You have things to do.

>>468467
Killing them really isn't necessary... but at the same time, we don't want them running off and screaming about warlocks. They can spread rumors- wild ones that can't identify us by face nor name, fortunately- after we're gone; not right now. We need them taken out of the picture, at least for a while.

Two options I see for getting through here while leaving them alive. One, awkward though it is to say it, Israteels' suggestion is actually workable given our objectives for that. The demons we have on hand will take only seconds to taint them with enough lust to keep them thoroughly occupied for some time, allowing us to move on to our true objective. Two, we just tell them not to move and that we'll leave an imp to watch and ensure they don't; should they act to alert others to our presence it'll kill them. We don't even need to actually leave an imp; after our display of power here the bluff should be enough, even if actually leaving one for at least a few minutes might ensure they don't cause problems.

Hm. Ignoring them seems the most favorable option. It's not like I have to stand around and pay attention to them at all.

"I'd suggest you take them and find a better place to hide. Others might find you here."

With that little parting bit of advice, I head off down another street, the succubus following close behind and the imps darting off into the night air. I keep even closer to the back alleys now, using the imps to scout the routes immediately ahead and avoid any more unnecessary fighting, and soon find myself staring across a large courtyard at one of the town gates, the entire area filled with screams and war cries. Guards clash with mercenaries, and soon enough I pick out my target. The man is clothed in a metal breastplate, a massive two-handed sword swinging above his head easily as he cuts his way through a couple more guardsman.

"WHERE THE CHALLENGE?! WHERE IS IT?! YOU BASTARDS CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO PUT UP A FIGHT! BRING ME THE HEADS OF EVERY LAST BASTARD IN THIS TOWN, BOYS! I WANT EM ALL ON A PIKE BY SUNRISE!"

One of the imps confirms this to be my quarry, but there lies quiet a few wrath-filled souls in between. 3 directly in the way to the man, 2 others that are more out of the way. Israteels mutters something about preferring we avoid dealing with any of them, perhaps letting the fighting die down first, while the imps in general just cackle madly.

The Mercenary Captain is too far away at this point, at least for me to harvest his soul upon his death, so I'll have to get closer to him to accomplish my goal. Still, I can hunt for the lesser wrath-souls on the way to bolster my forces, if need be, by sacrificing some of the unnecessary imps.

Regardless, I'm not much of a strategist. What's your advice, voices?

>>>Speak

What's our total forces again? Irateels, Geet, a lust imp, and another wrath imp or two?

Hmm. What effect does the wrath sting have on an active combatant? Does the wrath make them ore formidable in battle, or does it make them fight more haphazardly? Depending on the effect, you could send your imps in to strengthen the guard or weaken the mercenary.

>weaker wrath souls? Wait the battle out?
...caution could work. We pick off some of the weaker mercenaries at the fringe of the battle, as we work in closer. As needed, you can replace a wrath imp or two with a more powerful battle ready type of wrath demon. Then, as the battle has started to die down, we move in and finish of the mercenaries with magic blasts and demons.

>>468535
You've got a pretty impressive range, that captain seems unlikely to die anytime soon, and if he really wants to sack the city then the fighting won't stay in this courtyard for long. Stay on the sidelines and suck up any worthwhile souls who die near you (maybe encourage their deaths with some wrath venom from the imps), and when the captain is pushed out of the courtyard onto an actual street move into position and kill him from range with a spell, take his soul, and get out of here.

>>468539
Wait can we summon stronger wrath demons in the middle of a fight? I thought we would need to use wards like when we summon Israteels otherwise we would have a pissed off wrath demon with no reason to listen to us.
>Summoning takes preparation, unless you want me to summon blind, which can have very bad results for everyone involved, sans the demon summoned.

>>468540
Sounds like a plan to me.

>>468545
I was more thinking we would preform the summoning and binding between engagements, not during. Hence why we pick off them of the outskirts. Obviously, the actual summoning would be the work of several minutes, and we'd need to back off for a little more seclusion with Irateels guarding us while we did the ritual.

>I can hunt for the lesser wrath-souls on the way to bolster my forces, if need be, by sacrificing some of the unnecessary imps.
Shax wouldn't have proposed this as a possible course of action if it weren't doable.

(Hey, unexpected ID shift! Odd, my wireless network didn't die at all or anything this time).

>>468547
Well if it's doable then I don't have a problem with it at all. I just didn't want to have pissed off wrath demons gunning for us after summoning them.

Hunt through the enemy one at a time then. I send the imps out, letting them pump their venom here and there, letting neither side gain an advantage one way or another, while I stalk the outskirts, eyes scanning for an imp to give me the signal of having pinpointed one of the lesser souls. Soon enough, I've found one, and I dart through the crowd, slinging a burst of arcane power into the man, dropping him and letting the guardsman he'd been fighting jab into him with a spear. I capture his soul in my arm, then retreat into the safety of the alleys. A good soul. A not inconsiderable taint of wrath. I could probably call one of the Berserkers, but they wouldn't go unnoticed around here. They tend to be a little... rowdy.

Still, before deciding on calling out for one of them, I get back to hunting in a similar fashion, and come out of the ordeal with another soul filled with enough wrath for another Berserker, if I need it.

Upon retreating, however, I find that the mercenaries are winning the fight, pushing the guards back towards the narrower streets. I find it funny that the guards seem to be letting the mercenaries push them back, at least until the archers pop out of the windows above and rain death down on the invaders. I watch a group of mercenaries fall under arrows, and I retreat further into the alley, debating whether I should call a newer, more combat ready demon to serve me.

>>>Speak

We need more information to make that decision.

How powerful is a berserker? And how difficult are they to control?

How bad is the mercenary's current position? Are you in range to catch the leader's soul? Could an imp guide an arrow true, or is their an opening for you to hit him with a mystic blast?

If he can be killed now, and you can be away as the guard finish routing the others, do so. If not, you're going to need another approach, which will require a combat demon.

>>468588
If the mercenaries are pushing into the narrow streets and their leader is filled with wrath, then in short order he'll be leading from the front and charging those archers and the guard's defensive position to slaughter them. Move into position so that you're close enough to the thick of the fighting to snag his soul if that should happen, without emerging into the open. Hopefully that won't be overly difficult; there should be plenty of alleys and buildings to use for cover once the fighting moves out of the courtyard. Pump a little more wrath into the mercenary leader to ensure that his soul is even more appropriately flavored when we harvest it.

If there's significant doubt of the appropriate outcome, use the wrath and/or lust imps on the defending bowmen- strong emotions of those sorts will cripple a ranged combatant who needs precision, letting the mercenaries push into the chaotic city streets and ensuring that we get an opening to take a clear shot at the mercenary leader with magic.

Summon up a wrath demon if and only if you can keep it under very tight control, and then keep it as a bodyguard. We need to play this subtle and hopefully never be identified as a significant player here; if the name 'berserker' is accurate and the wrath demon would loudly slaughter everyone, then that's not the sort of asset we need right now. But if you can control it adequately, then having some insurance wouldn't hurt.

Are berserker demons equipped for possession? Because if they are this could present an opportunity for controlling events here with greater precision instead of less, if the right person is possessed. As I understand it the mechanics of demonic possession means that it's the demon's actions and unless the mortal claims them as their own it won't ripen the soul with taint. Despite this limitation, this can still be useful for breaking down the command and coordination abilities of whichever side is being more problematic or coming closest to discovering you or figuring out that there's more than just a clash between mercenaries and guardsmen.

A Berserker is a lesser demon of wrath. I could easily control the thing, unlike one of the Ragers, which are the greater demons. Still, I know a Berserker could rip a succubus in half if it really felt the need to, instead of sleeping with them like usual. Almost all demons prefer using succubus like portable pleasure providers. Anyway, as the name Berserker describes, they tend to kill things violently and noticeably, with a large amount of carnage thrown into the mix. As for possession, demons don't possess. They manipulate. Some better than others. If you want possession, you need necromancy.

As for getting closer... I could try, but I would still need to cut my way through some of the warriors. The alleyways nearest to the combat have combat in them, and I don't relish fighting my way through that just to get targeted by both sides. I suppose I could try to find a way up to the roofs, Israteels might be able to fly me up, but succubus, even with their wings, aren't very GOOD flyers.

I think that's all the options I have available to me. Your thoughts, demons?

>>>Speak

We might as well duck out for now to summon those berserkers since both sides would probably team up on us as soon as they see Israteels anyways. We need to get closer to the Mercenary captain and we might want to have more firepower on our side. The berserkers could start kill the town guards while we target some of the archers so the Mercenaries can push though. We just need them to push far enough so we have a chance to kill the captain without being trap between both sides. We don't need to cause a overwhelming victory for the Mercenaries because that could complicate our escape.

>I know a Berserker could rip a succubus in half if it really felt the need to
...this is just a crude assessment of the relative combat prowess of the berserker, correct? We don't actually have to worry about it killing Irateels if it gets bored, do we?

>moving closer worth the risk?
Kinda depends. We don't know if you're in soul-suck range now.

>battle plan?
...why don't we let the battle run it's course? Then after the mercs have beaten the guard, and are tired and wounded, you release the berserker on them and finished them off, and collect their souls. If this method leaves a lot of obvious evidence you're worried about concealing, just set the town on fire as you go.

Alternatively, we could go the subtle route. Hang back, let the mercs take the town. Then... when they go to rape the survivors? Mr. Merc leader will pick the prettiest girl, and come to a sudden and surprising end... (hard part here is evading their search of the town, and being close enough to get his soul).

Berserker Demon Shax Markov 2012/11/05(Mon)20:42 No. 469011 ID: a407a5
File 135217694521.jpg - (72.70KB , 270x405 , FinchWarDemon-04.jpg )

Demons don't get bored. They just get restless. There's a subtle difference, at least to them. But no, the Berserker won't get "bored" and rip Israteels in half. Not unless I ordered it to.

Regardless, I am out of range to steal the departing soul of my target, and you do make the argument that a demon more suited to combat would at least be better than having a bunch of imps. I retreat further back, ordering my current demons to stay on guard while I prepare, and I make sure to dismiss one of the wrath imps. After nearly ten minutes, I finish my preparations, and cast the soul out into hell, drawing in a Berserker. The thing appears in a flash of light, then proceeds to start battering the walls of its magical prison, ripping with claws and smashing with fists. Eventually, it wears itself thin on its own rage, breathing heavily as it regards me with utter lack of mercy or compassion.

[I will kill you, human. I will rip your heart from your chest and feast on it. I will drink of your blood. You will feel agony at my hands, human, the likes of which you will never forget.]

"Hmph... so unrefined, Master. A Berserker. Can't even take a human form, but still so ready to kill. I'd much prefer we just ignored it and moved on. Maybe found more souls worth having, like pride, or even sloth. Wrath is just so... annoyingly direct."

[Succubus. You can't even put up a fight when my kind come to slake our lust on your forms. You have no right to argue, captured as you are.]

[You are the captured one. I serve my Master with Loyalty and Respect.]

[As if any demon could hold such things for a human. He's bound your will, just as he will try to do for mine. And he will fail.]

I leave them to continue bickering amongst themselves, instead choosing to force my will across the barrier and onto the Wrath Demon. I can feel it push back, the rage inherent in the thing keeping it safe from my shackles for a good five minutes before I feel it finally break and cave into my desires. Once I've reinforced my control, and break the binding circle and let the demon step out from its temporary prison, the massive demon standing over me at nearly 8 feet.

[What is it you desire of me, Kazderath, Master. The humans out in their streets. Should I slaughter them all for you? Let them feel the rage of a true demon, unlike this mere temptress?]

[Quiet, moronic brute]"Pay him no mind, Master. I shall remain forever loyal."

The usual demonic groveling, nothing that ultimately matters. I ignore them and lead the way back towards the streets, telling the Berserker to stay further back to avoid getting seen by accident. I inspect the battle occurring, and find no real changes, other than the fact that the archers are getting hunted down from inside the houses, while the guards have assumed a spear wall formation on the main street and are holding off the mercenary advance.

>>>Speak

Jesus Christ that thing is huge and beautiful. The berserker should smash though the town guard's formation after the next mercenary charge. Just seeing a hulk-like 8 ft. demon is probably gonna break their formation making it easier to kill them. We could also wait for the archers to die out but there is the chance that they will regain control over the situation and start shooting arrows again.

...I love how quickly the demons started bickering for your approval. Irateels got possessive, quick. I likes her. (Yes, I know there's a reasonable chance a good part of that was for show, and not sincere, but I still enjoyed it).

>Maybe found more souls worth having, like pride, or even sloth.
In time, perhaps. More manipulators have more interesting uses, especially for long term applications. But there will be times where you need to fight- where you will come across demon hunters or your siblings- and we will need beings of wrath and rage in reserve for that.

>now what?
Well, if the mercs are losing, and you can get close enough to absorb the soul you want, then all you have to do is wait.

If the mercs are wining, and/or you're out of range, you'll need the direct approach. Sic your Zerker on the weakened humans, close to sucking range, send in imps for invisible distractions and support, mystic blasts as necessary, Irateels stays with you as a bodyguard. Then we skip town, apply XP and decide where we're going next, and how to expand your demonic army.

Notice anything?

>berserker
>Kazderath
>Kaz
>Cass

>>469025
I think it's a stalemate right now, but with the archers being hunted down it doesn't look good for the town guard. I guess we can stick with the plan of just sending the berserker to wreck havoc on the weaker units and give support as needed.

Are you voices insane? An obvious demon rampage could convince the guard and mercenaries to cooperate against you. Even if it doesn't bite us on the ass in the short term reports of serious demonic activity will draw the attention of church types whose goal in life is to chase demons and people who deal with them.
Break up the formations and try to draw the fighting into smaller areas like alleyways where it's easier to get to the souls you want. The quick way to go about that is to pull apart the formations of both sides so that everybody is running for cover.

>An obvious demon rampage could convince the guard and mercenaries to cooperate against you.
I was assuming the obvious demon rampage with arcane and invisible support would be powerful enough that that wouldn't matter. Especially with the humans tired and worn from fighting each other, and poorly suited to cooperation.

Take up a spot in a building the Mercenaries are likely to go through while chasing the townguard once they break and bring the Berseker inside with you. Have the Lust and Wrath Imps tilt the battle in the Mercenaries favor, perhaps using their poison on the Townguard to make them break their defensive formation. When the Mercenary Leader comes near the building you're hiding out in, Berserker crashes through the wall to fight the Mercenaries.

Between Masked Warlock letting the townsfolk go and a showy Berserker showing up and attacking the Mercenaries and not the guard, we can hopefully lower how high a priority investigating the Warlock becomes as compared to tracking down fleeing Mercenaries and rebuilding the town. Even more so with the lower manpower due to the Mercenaries decimating the guard, as any official force that might show up to investigate and deal with this will need to keep some men around to ensure it isn't sacked and looted while rebuilding.

>>469060
Second this plan

I make myself a back way into a nearby house, the demon piling into the cramped space behind me, particularly Kazderath, but in the end I manage to get myself into position. I have one of the imps keep an eye on the situation, waiting for the the Mercenaries to push through until they reach me, and the seconds seem to tick by impossibly slowly as I hear the shouts of combat and the occasional twang of a bowstring. Soon enough, however, the mercenaries break the guards formation, cheering with bloody delight as they put those that collapse to the sword and begin to give chase to the others. Just as they begin to pass my position, I feel the imp tap my shoulder and give the Berserker the go ahead. For a moment, all there is from the larger demon is a flash of light from its green eyes and a slowly spread smile. Then it lets out a roar of pure, feral rage and tears through the flimsy wall, grabbing the first mercenary he reaches in one clawed hand and lifting him to its own face, biting into the man's throat and tearing it out, letting blood flow over its own head. Another roar follows, then Kazderath begins a bloody, rage filled massacre through the mercenary lines, shouting curses and threats in the demon tongue. I wait a moment, letting the wrath demon draw attention, then exit through the newly made hole, keeping Israteels close in case someone tries to murder me and quickly begin scanning for my target. Soon enough I have him, screaming with his own rage and not even noticing his own men being slaughtered behind him, and I start my way towards him, ignoring the dead and dying around me, even as some cry for help. The guardsman here wisely choose to stay out of my way, and soon I'm well within range to take his soul. I hit him with a torrent of infernal bolts, bringing him down in seconds, then collect his soul, the taste of it beautiful... glorious. A greater demon of wrath could be called with this one, or a lesser demon of any of the other sins. Still, that is contemplation for another time. Done with my task, and uncaring of any other souls I might acquire here, I quickly make my escape, calling to the Berserker as I do so, and leaving the very gate the mercenaries entered from.

Travel is long and dull, and for the first few days, I simply head as far away as I can get from the now likely decimated trade city. After nearly three days, I finally drag out the map I'd collected and set up a proper camp as best I can. Checking the map, there are only two cities worth visiting on my journey north that could possibly be worth going to. Marbtes lies directly north of the trade city we'd just left(which I discover was called Two Winds), and while Marbtes is technically a temple-fortress, it is perhaps that only in name. Most of the city has sprung up around the fortress itself after its proclaimed temple status, and therefore many of its occupants offer only lip service to the Priest-Lord that resides there. I've met the man before, once or twice, but can't tell you much about him. Pride and Envy tend to be found in cities like this.

The other city is Kamd. Known for being perhaps one of the most magical cities here in the southern lands, if that's even possible, Kamd is famed for its magical college willing to teach almost any form of magic you could want. It does have a strong priest presence, but most of those would be trainees at best, and not capable of sniffing me out. This would likely be a good place to hunt for Pride or Sloth.

Experience Awarded: 5
>>>Speak

I need to know something before we start picking any city. Does the berserker have any disguise? I'm guessing he doesn't and we are gonna need a place to hide him unless we are willing to dismiss him. This is where warlocks start thinking about where they need to make a lair huh?

We could go to Kamd for the sinful souls and the chance to pick up new spells for your magic arsenal.

>5 XP
Spend 4XP to upgrade wil from 4 to 5. That'll increase the total number of demons you can have bound, and you're currently up against the cap.

Save the remaining XP- we may use it to upgrade one of the demons in some way, as soon as we think of something creative. (I like Irateels. Anyone got any upgrade ideas better than just a stat+ for her?).

>hunt for Pride or Sloth / Pride and Envy
Could you provide some background? What would these demons be good for? Obviously, their imps would bestow lethargy or overconfident arrogance, insane envy, with their stings, but what are the tier 2 and 3 demons available?

Without information, I'd guess envy would be more useful than sloth.

>Souls
So the merc leader's soul could summon a tier 3 wrath demon? What would that be? Alternatively, what demons of other schools is he good for?

How many souls do we have at our disposal now? You must have picked up a few more during that last slaughter.

> Does the berserker have any disguise? I'm guessing he doesn't and we are gonna need a place to hide him unless we are willing to dismiss him.
I think we leave Kaz outside the city, and only call him to us in an emergency.

>>469170
A summary of available resources- souls, demons, funds, supplies- would be excellent.

Upgrade Will with experience.

Given that you've previously expressed disdain for Pride, Envy, and Sloth, do you consider either of the cities truly worthy destinations? Your preferences for demon servants seem more suited for some kind of decadent capital (Lust, Greed) or war-torn area (Wrath). How important is it to you to stick to your preferred sins?

With either city, keeping the berserker concealed is going to be an issue. We can't just waltz into a city with a gigantic wrath demon at our back, after all. What are our options for keeping him subtle? Just sneak him into the city at night, or maybe get a building outside the city proper/on the outskirts to make keeping him around less of an issue?

If we do go to one of the two cities, Kamd is the obvious choice. We could study magic there for a while, pick up a few new spells, and cultivate some sin in a few choice people while we do for harvesting when the time comes for our eventual departure.

>>469193
>Most Warlocks will generally keep a "lair" or other place where they sequester the demons they aren't using. While a demon is summoned to the material plane, that demon can they be called from anywhere in the world, and appear at the Warlock's side.
The norm is we have some sort of lair but we don't have that I think. We could leave the berserker in some swamp or forest then summon him later. The problem is if someone figures out that a demon is there. The chances of that is pretty low but it's something to think about.

Will Increased to 5

>Preferred Sins
I don't particularly prefer any Sins. I just find Pride and Sloth to take far too long for it to be worthwhile at the moment. Lust falls under the same category, we just happened to get lucky with it. Gluttony and Wrath are particularly easy to find, as is Greed. They are very... open... sins.

>Sloth
The imp, obviously, injects a poison that lowers ones desire to do anything other than eat and sleep and live. Little else concerns whoever it affects. The lesser demons of sloth are called Sleepers, and while they take numerous forms, they generally do little more than exude auras of sheer lethargy around them. The Greater Demons of Sloth are, on the other hand, a bit of a conundrum, even to themselves. They are perhaps the most hardworking demons to exist. They do not take breaks. They do not falter in their service. They almost always choose to act as personal aids or servants to someone, and then proceed to basically do their job for them, allowing their target to lapse into laziness. Then, when the soul is ripe, the harvest it for feeding and move on to the next target. The Greater Demons are often simply called Servants, as that is what they do.

>Pride
Lesser Demons of Pride are generally just as arrogant as those they try to corrupt further. It's justified, in a way, however, because Pride demons are the only demons that actually have the ability to master magic. Real magic. Like arcane or necromantic. The same can be said of Greater Pride demons, only even more so in both magical ability and Pride.

>Wrath Soul
A Greater Wrath demon is called a Rager. They are very big, at least twice the size of our Berserker friend here, and it generally takes a well trained priest of the Twins to even give the thing pause. Mundane weapons will have little chance of stopping it. I also have very little confidence I could subdue one right now, they tend to be very temperamental and very difficult to bend to ones will. I could still try but... it would be hit or miss, to say the least.

>Available Resources
For souls, I have the... Greater Wrath Soul, I suppose you could call it. 2 Lesser Wrath Souls, a Lesser Lust Soul. I think that's really all I have at the moment, in terms of souls.

Funds, I have enough to make it home, if I stick to the absolute minimum of what I need. I'd prefer not to do that, but if it's necessary. I could always acquire more through legal or illegal means, I have no qualms about either, but I'd prefer to avoid talking to noble families this far south. Most of them are far too... religious... for my tastes.

Supplies, I have the basics. A tent, map, compass, other odds and ends. Nothing in particular of any real value. I have the mask in case I need to go incognito again, for whatever reason, although if everything goes according to plan, knock on wood, then I won't ever need it again.

Do you have any other questions, Demons of my Mind?

>>>Speak

>a soul of greed, barely able to call up an imp.

Well we also have a crummy soul of greed and I don't have anymore questions. Does anyone else have any?

>questions
Okay, greater souls get us access to the third tier of demons, and lesser souls to the second. Alternatively, either can be spent to summon a demon of the wrong sin, but one tier down. (ie, Greater <foo> -> lesser <anyfoo>, lesser <foo> -> imp of <anyfoo>).

What do we call the lowest level of souls? The ones that are good for only summoning imps of a given sin?

>also
What are envious souls / demons good for? In order to make a decision between Marbtes and Kamd we need to decide whether we'd prefer to harvest envy or sloth.

>souls
Let's not summon anything new, for now. You only have one open slot for a demon. We'll hoard the greater wrath soul for now- it's too risky to go for the Rager. We'll get it when you're stronger, of if the situation warrants it, we'll summon a lesser demon of one of the other sins.

What are the lesser Envy, Greed, and Gluttony demons? Need to know all the options we have for that Greater Wrath soul.

>Imp Only Souls
Useless.

>Envy
The universal trait of Envy demons is the ability to copy appearances of various people. They work best as infiltrators and the like. The Lesser Demons are called Mimics, and they generally do exactly that, mimicking the forms of various people or objects. They can only mimick form however.

The Greater Demon version, often called Dopplegangers, can mimic both form and some of the abilities of the people they are impersonating. A Doppleganger impersonating a mage, for example, might be able to perform some of the mages spells, or if they were mimicking a priest, be able to wield some divine power.

>Gluttony
Hungerers look like starved humans, and are the Lesser Demons of Gluttony. Most of the time you can find them trying desperately to eat anything and everything they can, but the food never helps, and they just keep right on eating and eating. And they'll eat ANYTHING. Gluttony is also often seen as the other combat type, as opposed to Wrath, which goes for bloody carnage, Gluttony goes for slow and steady consumption.

Greater Gluttony Demons are Feasters, massive, engorged, putrid things. They eat even more than Hungerers, having mouths on every surface they'll fit on and a matching numbers of arms, to shovel food into those waiting mouths. Disgusting things, in my opinion, but necessary.

>Greed
Lesser Greed Demons are Watchers. They usually act as guardsman for the Hoarders, the Greater Demons. The Watchers are pretty big, as big as Kazderath here, but they usually have armor on and look a bit more human then Berserkers. Hoarders look like little men that do little more than try to stockpile as much money as possible. They're weak under most circumstances, but you'll find no one better to be a treasurer. They hate losing money, and keep meticulous records of the stuff. Hoarders are also known for their ability as thieves, since they have no qualms about stealing money to make sure they have piece of gold they can find.

>>>Speak

Nothing to say and I already picked The city of Kamd.

Okay... yeah, Kamd works.

I say we don't summon any more demons for now. We have an open slot, and the souls to summon any kind of imp, or any of the lesser demons (if we're willing to pass up our shot at the greater wrath demon). We'll leave that versatility open, and adapt when needed.

You're going to need to operate differently, though. You'll be in this town longer term- you'll have to attract less notice, and be less destructive on a smaller scale. That means stowing Kaz outside of town somewhere where he won't be discovered. That means you need to get Irateels dressed and acting such that she won't give you away.

>>469299
We can hide the berserker in a forest or a swamp if one is near us for now. We can summon demons to us no matter where they are on the world to our side. I don't know if that kind of summoning/teleporting has a cost so if it does let me know Shax.

>>469302
Yeah, that's fine. He'll be bored, but whatever.

We should keep Irateels by our side though. She's our only intelligent demon so far, and is capable of defending us and blending in (if we have to summon Kaz, something has gone very wrong). The imps can be used to scout around and cause low level mischief.

Hmm. Greater sloth demons seem pretty nice, and I wouldn't mind a lesser greed demon either. The wrath types are good for combat. But as far as being subtle goes, we're stuck with imps and Lust or Envy, and of the two I think I like Lust better.

Since we have multiple wrath souls of quality, I'm going to say that we're set on wrath for now. Using our lesser Lust soul to call up another succubus (dismissing a wrath imp to that purpose) should provide us with a solid low-profile scout and servant, as well as a reasonable combatant. Then we can settle into some more subtle activities- kick back in the city for a while and use the succubi to build up some money while working on cultivating some souls into being worthy of greater summonings of the appropriate sorts.

>>469317
Eh... I'd really prefer to see what the situation is like in town before we decide what kind of demon to grab or dismiss anything.

And I'm leery to grab a second succubus. It doesn't get us much we don't already have, and we will have to deal with the competition and the fact we're inevitably going to end up having to dismiss one of them (only so many valuable demon slots). I'd kind of prefer to keep the lesser lust soul as a spare to resummon her in case we get Irateels killed (which could happen if we're relying on her for a bodyguard. It might be better at some point to run and let her hold something off rather than dump our wrath demon in the middle of town).

Actually... looking over the demons listed, foocubi seem to make the best low profile backup. All the others stand out (unless we're someplace where an armored Watcher might work), and while the envy ones blend in better, they're more meant for infiltration.

I also recommend going to Kamd, and trying to learn some necromancy if possible.

>>469331
>envy ones blend in better, they're more meant for infiltration.
If you mean for the lesser Demons I agree, but the Greater ones seem like they'd be great in a fight with some thought put into it, whether copying an enemy to give us insight into their capabilities or fill a gap they have covered that we don't. Also it might be useful to have one copy a priest and stay with that form unless we run into a more powerful priest. Constant access to divine power could be useful when dealing with assassination attempts within' the family.(Either ours or theirs)

>>469375
Yeah, I did mean lesser, mostly. The idea of using an envy demon to duplicate a divine caster for fighting sibling demons is brilliant, though. We'll have to put getting a greater envy soul on the to do list.

To Kamd it is. The next day I begin the journey, taking a longer less traveled road to avoid running into anyone we'd rather avoid. Over the week of travel, I manage to work out a sort of cover story with Irateels. The demon can sing quite well, something she says is essential for any succubus, and its decided that she's a traveling performer. I take the role of a traveling companion, someone to help "stave of the loneliness of travel", as the demon puts it, although I think she'd just rather it be mistaken for meaning I'm her lover. Regardless, the demoness can sing reasonably well, so the story will have to do. As we near the city, I order the Berserker to hide itself away in a nearby cave that one of the imps found during its scouting, and hours later, the rest of our mostly demonic band enters the walled City of Kamd. Within moments, I can feel the tingle of magic that seems to hang in the air, and I identify quite a few people who are obvious academy students. After a quick tour of the immediate area, with its inns and shops and such, I find us a relatively inexpensive inn to rest in for the night, drop my gear in my room, and take to the streets again, Irateels following along behind in her human form, pretending to marvel at this and that while I head for the academy districts.

The tingle of magic gets stronger as I get closer, and soon enough I'm there, at the very heart of souther magical studies. The place is filled to the brim with students of all kinds, and and many of them are very young. It must be the time of year to take on new students. Most will drop out within the first few weeks, leaving only the top 5% of the applicants behind. Fewer still will make it to graduation, whether do to accidents or simple failure to keep up with the demands of the classes. Regardless, I don't plan on joining any of these places. The north is far better suited to magical study, where people are far less careful about what it is you happen to be studying. I doubt there's a book on infernal magics in this place. Still, each college has its own library. Where should I head to? The priest college is probably the most open, letting whoever wants to enter the divine sanctuary to take a look around. The arcane university here would probably not mind me taking a look around either, as soon as I show that I'm already a mage, however unskilled. The druid circle here is tucked away into a corner, surrounded by trees. I can see a few sylvans within the glade, talking to newer students, although I doubt they'd take kindly to me simply walking in. And the necromantic college, a place smelling of death even this far away. Almost as distrusting as infernal magic users, they'll likely turn me away regardless of what I do, although I might be able to make more headway if I offer to do some work or something for them.

Of course, I could just reveal I'm from the Markov family, which would likely get me accepted anywhere around here. Being from an influential family does have it's perks.

>>>Speak

>I could just reveal I'm from the Markov family, which would likely get me accepted anywhere around here.
...reveal you're from a family of Warlocks? Isn't that kind of a bad idea if we plan on gathering souls here? I suppose if no one knows what your family really does, this approach has it's advantages, but it makes it considerably easier for your rival siblings to find you. Personally, I'd prefer to avoid it.

>priest college
[sarcasm]...yes, let's take our bevy of demons in to the priest area. I'm sure that there's no way that could go wrong, or that their would be anyone capable of sensing or seeing through your demons' invisibility or disguises. And I'm sure there's so much useful faith magic you could use.[/sarcasm]

Necromancy seems the most useful school of magic to pick up. Mastery of life and death could be handy.

>>469395

It was stated earlier by Shax that his family pretends to be faithfuls and hide their true nature as warlocks. They pay a tithe and everything. Even if the trainees cannot spot your demons you have nothing to gain at the priest college and druidry doesn't seem to be your style. Go to the necromantic University and pick up necromancy, it seems to be the most useful non Demonology school, followed by Arcane. Offer to do jobs or whatever.

Let's avoid the priest and druid schools otherwise I'm up for anything.

You want me to "pick up" necromancy? You realize how much effort and study I'd need to do before wielding necromancy? It's not exactly an easy form of magic to master. Still, if you think its a good idea, I can see to at least starting to figure it out.

I head on over, although my companion looks less than pleased to be anywhere near the temple school, and as I arrive at the front gate, a skeleton places itself in front of me, hand raised in a gesture to halt. I pause, expecting something to happen, a minutes later, a black robed man exits, looking a little annoyed.

"Yes. Yes. What is it? Who are you? What do you want?"

"I was hoping I could come and do a little studying in your library, if you don't mind. Without joining, I mean."

"Why would we let you do that? That's absurd. Necromancy doesn't play second fiddle to whatever it is you normally do. It requires your full devotion and attention. Go find someone else to bother with your senseless prattle."

"Please. I'm willing to work for the privilege, but I really do want to spend some time in your library."

"Work you say? Work? Well... hmph. I suppose. Fine. Some of our student are going into the lower catocombs today. If you want, you can chaperone a group of them for us. In exchange, I'll give you permission to use the library till closing after your task is done. Is this agreeable?"

... Guarding idiot magic users who will likely be too stupid to pay attention to their elders? Not exactly a task I relish, but if it gets me in the door.

"Fine."

The man leads me and my guardian demon into the building, the skulls and dark atmosphere doing nothing to dispel the idea that they are all just a little too infatuated with death. Soon we arrive at a grand hallway, a doorway barred shut standing on one side, various people divided into groups of three on the other. Some other members of the teaching staff, accomplished necromancers every one of them, is trying to herd the groups as best they can, but the students are practically bubbling with excitement. It doesn't help when I'm announced to be watching over one of the groups.

"Silence! All of you! Useless malcontents! This man here is... what was your name?"

"Ryan."

"Ryan! Ryan will be going into the catacombs with one of the groups! He'll be your chaperone, and make sure nothing bad happens to you! The first group to have each member hurl a death bolt gets him!"

Suddenly, there's a crackle of magic and bolts of sickly green light start flying everywhere. Minutes later, I find myself in charge of a group of three, two girls and a boy, all somewhere in their late teens. The boy looks bored and disinterested(at least until he notices Irateels), one of the girls has her nose shoved in a book(Lesser Spirits and Ghouls) and the last almost immediately latches onto me.

"Hey! Hey! You're from outside, right?"

"Yes."

"That's so cool~ You're really gonna lead us through the catacombs?"

"Yes."

"Amazing! You must be a really strong necromancer!"

"No. Not a necromancer."

"Wait... you're not a necromancer?"

That last question comes from the boy, who tears his attention away long enough to stare at me in shock. As do the two others in our party, clear surprise on their faces.

"No. I want to see if I can learn, but I'm not a necromancer. I know... other things. Now then. What is the point of us going down into these catacombs?"

"We're all supposed to get our first skeleton from down there and bring it back up here. There's supposed to be violent spirits and such down there though, so..."

"Basically, bring up a skeleton and don't die. You're supposed to help make sure that last one doesn't happen."

"Right then. Let's get going."

We descend into the darkness, each of us carrying a torch except for Irateels, who can probably see perfectly fine. As we reach the bottom of the stairs and take a look at the first room, I notice various sigils and marking along the walls, as I peer closer, they rearrange themselves into something I can read, and I frown in thought. The souls of ancient criminals rest here. Do not unlock the gateways to the beyond, lest you release the Doomed One.

"How quaint."

"What was that, Mr. Ryan?"

"It was nothing. Is this where we need to be?"

"No, its further along. Um... Mr. Ryan? Do you mind going first? Death bolts are kinda... hard to do... for me..."

Oh god...

>>>Speak

"Certainly."

So uh. Go and get some skeletons I guess? Have the imps scout out ahead and try and locate some. Watch out for the various forms of undead and traps that no doubt infest the place.

>You want me to "pick up" necromancy? You realize how much effort and study I'd need to do before wielding necromancy?
Nope! That's the advantage of being a disembodied voice. We can point out useful courses of action without having to do the hard work.

>The souls of ancient criminals rest here.
Hmm. Are any of those harvestible, you think? Might be useful. (Criminals- probably greed?)

What kind of magic is useful against the dead? Obviously, necromany gives you control and manipulation. The imps aren't much use. Irateels' str would work, if we were willing to reveal her. Infernal bolts are made to hurt the living, right? It think that limits you to arcane bolts.

Veto trying to get their souls. Revealing yourself as a warlock is a bad idea(tm). You forget firegouts. Also, I see no reason infernal bolts should not work against the undead.

>bolts of demonic energy that will rip away flesh, cloth and steel and kill targets instantly if they strike the heart.

Seems to be pretty versatile destroy beam.

>>469448
Bone isn't particularly flammable. And if we're hiding our warlockness, throwing around infernal energy is a bad idea (and skeletons don't have hearts to hit, and probably can't feel pain!). And I don't believe there's a visual tell for our soul-suck thing, or that these kids are good enough casters to know for sure what we're doing.

You're assuming all the undead we meet will be skeletons. Also it's magical fire. Magic don't need to explain shit.

>the various runes and markings tattooed into my flesh pulsing slightly as the soul is trapped within the magical prison

Unknown if this is visual or tactile only but there is a sign. Also, necromancy, can probably detect soul to some degree. And you think they won't recognize soul sucking but will recognize infernal bolts? Make up your mind. The infernal bolts can rip apart steel, they should do fine with bone.

...okay, we're arguing stupidly about tactics that don't matter for situations we haven't encountered yet, about things we don't completely understand and are instead speculating about. But whatever.

>use fire against not skeletons
Yes, fire might be useful against non-bone based undead. No idea if fire is good or bad against less corporeal spirits- that kind of rule varys wildly by setting.

>And you think they won't recognize soul sucking but will recognize infernal bolts?
One is an expenditure of energy, which they might catch the flavor of. It's also more common, and the hallmark of infernal cultists. The other is the dissipation of something, and more rare- limited to true demonologists/warlocks.

I'm arguing in good fun, nothing malicious meant about it, sorry if it doesn't sound that way, I just enjoy being nitpicky. In any case I suggest we move this to discussion.

>thanks demonic magics my family has cultivated for centuries. I can hurl bolts of infernal energy at things almost indefinitely
>Shax can do this naturally thanks to the demonic influence in his bloodline, and can fire off an indefinite number of bolts.

Assuming the first is meant to refer to infernal bolts, where do you get that it is more common? A) It requires demon blood B) it is implied that it is a spell that the Markov family(badass warlocks) gained as the fruit of centures of practice in warlocky things.

Eh, whatevs. I'm drawing on this bit of info-

>A Warlock is one who summons and binds demons. If all Shax could do was hurl infernal bolts, he'd probably be labeled a demon worshiper or cultist.
Implying there are demon worshipers and cultists out their who throw infernal bolts, and that it's kind of one of the lower level abilities on the infernal skill tree. As such, it's probably easier to recognize than the secret inner art of a true warlock, of which we know there's only supposed to be one family left.

"Certainly."

I try to keep a pleasant facade, something not too difficult since I'm nobility and being civil comes with the territory, but likewise, I don't particularly like dealing with these brats. They are a waste of my time, when I could be doing something far more productive. Either way, I send the imps out to scout with some mumbled words, and lead the way into the next room. As we enter, a clattering sound can be heard as piles of bones on the floor start to pick themselves up off the ground. The chatty girl lets out a muffled yelp of fear and the boy hesitates, obviously unsure of what to do, but both myself and, surprisingly, the bookworm react instantly, myself with a hurled bolt of arcane energy, the girl with one of her death bolts. Within moments, the pack of skeletal guardians is little more than bits of bone on the floor, and I stride over and tap the remains with my foot just to make sure they're well and truly dead. The bookworm has gone back to being meek and unassuming, but somehow, I doubt that she's really as weak as she seems to let on. Regardless, I get bombarded with questions again as we continue on, passing through a few other rooms without incident.

"You're a Wizard, Mr. Ryan?"

"Among other things."

"What kinds of other things?"

"Things that don't concern you."

"Mr. Ryan, does... uh... does your friend have any... uh... is she... uh..."

Oh. The boy. Obviously he's interested in Irateels, but I don't have the patience or the care to deal with him. The demon can corrupt him for me at best, at worst, she can brush him off or inflict pain on him. Either is fine with me, and well within her rights.

"Not to my knowledge, but I wouldn't know. She doesn't talk to me about that sort of thing."

"I... see..."

"Do you have a lover, Mr. Ryan?"

"No." I do, however, have a fiance, whom I intend to get rid of as soon as possible. She doesn't interest me in the slightest, and I have no intention of wasting my time on her. She's of minor nobility and of no use to me, either as I am now or as a the Head of the Markovs.

"Then... would you mind going out with a student?"

"I've no interest, I'm afraid. Now focus on your task, instead of asking me pointless questions."

It's quiet after that, and soon we arrive in a much larger chamber. We all enter, and the chatty brat and the boy head off, going over to a small stack of bones and beginning to chant at them. The bookworm, on the other hand, turns her attention to a large sealed gateway, her eyes scanning it. For a moment, I feel a tingle of something other than death magic, then nothing, as the girl heads to her own pile of bones and starts up her own chanting. I settle down to wait, only to have Irateels wander over and start speaking to me.

"Master, I can feel it."

"Feel what?"

"The FatherMother."

"... Asmodeus?"

"Yes. Not the Prince itself, but his influence. Someone or something in this place is dedicated to his influence."

"Could you find it?"

"No. It was there only for a second."

"That girl?"

"Possibly. She's no demon if it is her. Not even a half. A witch perhaps. Or a simple cultist."

Interesting...

>>>Speak

Investigate! Have the lust imp hover closer to the sealed gateway and to the girl and then report its findings! Check the room for writing like that earlier stuff. Also I find it unlikey that there'd be a shrine to the god of lust in catacombs(unless it's a necrophilia thing I guess), so my bet is on the girl, even is she doesn't act at all like a lust witch. Wait, she may be going for the shy bookish type to seem cute and sexy. Or possibly aloof and mysterious. Really we don't have enough proof either way.

>fiance, doesn't interest me in the slightest, of no use to me, either as I am now or as a the Head of the Markovs.
...if you're not interested, and she's not useful, how did you end up engaged to her?

>something dedicated to Asmodeus
Hmm. That seems a lead worth following up on. Leave the other two to their task, lets go and have a word with the bookworm...

>Fiance
Some favor Father was returning. Before I was born apparently the noble saved him or something. As a way to return the favor, he was offered that his first child could marry the next eligible member of the Markov family. Lo and behold, I was born a few years after that, and then SHE was born a year after that. I've never even met her, although I know quite a bit ABOUT her.

Erin Hesting. Age, 23. Born as the first daughter to the Hesting family, a knight family in service to the Caplija family. The Caplija are the southern-most of the Northern Lordships, and are generally quite faithful because of their close association with the south. The Hesting Family is the most loyal of the Caplija families retainers, although recently the Hestings have been looking for a way to become Lords themselves, instead of mere knights. It seems they plan to use the Markovs to help accomplish this. The only issue I have is that the Hestings dont have anything to offer in return, aside from being knights I suppose.

Regardless, I deem it necessary to speak to the bookworm girl myself. I direct Irateels to keep an eye on the other two, then make my way over to the girl, standing next to her as she goes about her work with far too much ease, like she's doing this simply as a formality.

"You're far more skilled than you let on."

The girl jumps, having not noticed me, almost causing the spell to fail, but she recovers quickly and goes back to it with only half her concentration.

"Ah... yes... well... um..."

"Don't even bother lying. We both know you're not here for this. What's behind that gate?"

"Wha- I-I mean- Um- Uh-"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to report you or anything, personally, I was just interested in what you knew. You don't seem like a necromancer, after all."

"I... You... do you follow... him?"

"Him?"

"The... the FatherMother?"

"Asmodeus, you mean."

The girl flinches, glancing nervously about, as if caught doing something she shouldn't which I suppose is true, if the rest of her friends caught her at it. I, on the other hand, am simply interested in what she knows.

"Y-Yes."

"Than no, I don't follow him. You could say, though, that we have an understanding."

"Then... um... prove it."

"Irateels over there is a succubus. She's helping me accomplish my goals. Now then, are you going to tell me or not?"

The girl remains hesitant, then nods to herself and finishes up with her task. Once finished, she turns to me and takes a deep, steadying breath.

"Um... if... if everything I read is true, then... this place used to be a religious sanctuary for followers of the FatherMo- Asmodeus. I think... I think there's something behind that gate that is important to the Prince of Lust."

I pause to consider that, then turn and gesture for Irateels. She makes her way over, and explain what's going on, which simply causes the succubus to frown in thought.

"That... might be true. There are a few things that FatherMother might consider truly valuable though. Some artifacts that have been lost, perhaps. But I can't say for certain. Whatever's beyond the gate, I can't feel it."

"Maybe that's why it's lost, the gate might be blocking the demonic emanations. Still, if we want to take a look, we'll have to deal with those two..."

"Y-Yeah..."

The bookworm girl is silent at that, she might be serving the Prince of Lust, but she hasn't really gained his notice, and she's probably doing this more out of curiosity and actual loyalty. Still, it was fortunate we got this group. The only problem is those two.

Perhaps if I could convince them we should check behind the gate... or I suppose I could just kill them. It doesn't seem like it's all that uncommon for that to happen down here.

>>>Speak

Take care of them? Geeze, that kind of messes up your deal to guard them.

Aren't their easier ways to manipulate them? They boy is smitten with Irateels, and the girl is crushing on you. How hard could it be to manipulate them?

Heck, they both have infatuation on their minds. Use lust imp stings and Irateels aura. Leave them fucking each other senseless.

Honestly it's probably best you don't kill them at all. When you are trying to be stealthy then killing people should always be a last resort. I guess you could say you sense something and you can't let them get into danger after you open the gate if you don't feel like using the imp stings and Irateels.

>>469541
All in all this idea seems like a good one. One question though before we do this. Is it possible that people can forget the "event" if Irateels does her thing? Because if they don't then telling a lie seems like a better idea. Is it also possible that people are gonna feel the demonic emanations if we open this gate and go check it out?

>>469541
>Heck, they both have infatuation on their minds. Use lust imp stings and Irateels aura. Leave them fucking each other senseless.
This would probably work quite well, and as a bonus they'd probably be too embarrassed to talk about it to anyone afterward. Killing them might lose us the chance to look through the necromancers' library, which while not critical would hardly be ideal, either. As an additional bonus to using lust to solve this, it would impress on little miss cultist here- get her name, by the way- that we have serious power over lust, which will build our credibility and maybe let us either impress her into our service or otherwise do something useful with her.

>>469546
For example when you open the gate you could say you sense something and can't let those two in. If the "chatty brat" that's for whatever reason sightly attracted make any protest then just grab her hand, look her in the eyes, and then say some dumb line like "I don't want to see you get hurt."

If the guy protest then just have Irateels flirt with him and say cheesy lines like "I don't want to see a cutie like you get hurt." If they ask why you are bringing the girl then just say you just need a little back up.

This is if we go with the "Lie and say bullshit". I just worried that they gonna remember the Irateels is a succubus if she uses her powers because she needs to drop her disguise to use her magical seductions.

>A succubus or incubus also has the ability to disguise themselves perfectly as a human, although this stops them from using any of their magical seductions.

If we just stick with the lust imp then this becomes less than a issue but I don't know how effective that will be.

Why even bring the bookworm? I could care less about her interests. I'm simply curious myself. For now, they can all way here.

"You two!"

"Yes Mr. Ryan?"

"You three are going to stay here. I'm going to check out what's behind this gate here. Don't move and don't do anything stupid. I'll be back as soon as I'm satisfied."

"But... Mr. Ryan, you can't just-"

"I think you're all safe enough. You got your new little skeleton buddies, don't you? You'll be fine. Just don't go wandering off until I get back."

"Yes, Mr. Ryan..."

All the while this little conversation is occurring, I'm examining the gateway, muttering my way through the various symbols and runes. These are wards, although difficult to make out and slightly damaged. After a few minutes, I tap away at the right order and watch as the gate slowly swings open, a sudden feeling of... desire... hitting me. I dismiss the feeling, my own will to highly trained and potent to fall to that, but a glance over my shoulder shows the students getting a little twitchy, faces flushed red. The bookworm seems to know what's going on, but the other two are just confused and aroused. Still, if they do do something, that'll be their lack of resolve, not mine. I gesture for Irateels to follow, then make my way down the newly opened corridor, eventually reaching a small alcove with a pedestal, twin succubi statues standing guard over what appears to be a small ring. The moment the thing comes into view, Irateels practically freaks dashing over to it and hovering over it reverently. I have no idea why she's so happy over it, but regardless, I stride over and take a look at it myself. It doesn't seem like anything special, a normal enough looking ring, but I can tell it's doing SOMETHING, perhaps exuding that aura of lust.

"Irateels....... Irateels..... IRATEELS!"

"Hm? Oh! I'm sorry Master. It's just... do you have any idea what this is?"

"No."

"It's FatherMother's third artifact. It was lost thousands of years ago... this is... an incredible find!"

"Is that so? Well then, might as well take it and put it in the Markov treasury when we return."

I pick up the ring without any real hesitation, only to suddenly be assaulted by massive amount of lust and desire for Irateels, that bookworm girl, any woman I can find. I quickly drop the ring, which Irateels catches in midair, holding the thing like a fragile piece of glass.

"Master... this isn't some trinket you can move so easily. I can hold it for you, if you like Master, but... may I propose something else to do with it?"

"What's that?" I'm breathing heavily, the artifact having taken its toll even with a mere few seconds of contact with it. Just resisting that much was extremely difficult.

"Well... if you would allow me to, I'd like to return this to hell. If you would let me, I'd... I'd see about maybe earning you some notice and favor from FatherMother."

Favor from... Asmodeus? Sure, he's often seen as the most friendly of the Princes, and can often be seen in human company whenever he gets the chance, although most of the time that's because he wants to have sex with them. But still... it is one of the Princes...

>Favor
Favor is a new aspect being added. Among the various powerful denizens, some will bestow favor upon mortals. To even attempt to do so, one must first gain the Notice of one of these denizens, regardless of whether that Notice is positive or negative. Once Notice has been obtained, Shax can attempt to influence the denizens views of him, and gain or lose favor, by performing actions that aid or detract from the denizens goals.

>>>Speak

Hmm. Earning favor from one of the seven, only days into your career as an active warlock? That's pretty attractive. Especially if Irateels gets some kind of reward or power up when she delivers it.

What are the costs though? Can Irateels just pop over to hell, or do you have to release her for that, and call her back later? We do have a spare lesser lust soul for that.

What's the opportunity cost? Is their any use for the artifact here? Does it make Irateels way more powerful, for instance?

Either way, I'm leaning of favor of delivering the ring back to hell. Although maybe we should wait until after we leave- Irateels disappearance might raise questions. Well, unless walking out of here with a powerful artifact will raise more questions (if the necromancers can sense it's power).

Well if you try to take it back with you there is a chance you might have a freak out if you are having this much trouble. Another reason is that this town has a strong priest presence even if they most of them are weak. If you try to take it with you then somebody will notice that a powerful demon artifact is with you.

What's weird is that a artifact is even here to begin with and that bookworm even found out about this place when your family didn't even know. I know your family ain't demon worshipers, but it seems like the kind of thing to check up on if you knew. Just where did that girl did her research?

>>469576
Well we could probably do the summoning ritual in five to ten minutes. The only problem is if one of them walk in during the middle of it. We also lose a lesser soul if we did it, but we can chuck that up with the cost of getting favor with Asmodeus.

>>469570
That ring... if there's any reasonable chance that we can get it out of here and keep it in our possession without lighting ourselves up like a magical beacon, we should keep it. Look at its effect- that thing is a factory for building lustful souls in a way that our succubus and imp can't compare to. I bet we could cultivate a greater lust soul in a matter of days by using it; exactly the sort of tool that we need to smooth our route to power.

And it's not like we can't send it back to hell after we've used it to our advantage. Also, Irateels' "I'll see about maybe earning you some notice and favor" does not impress; when we send it back to hell it had best be in a fashion which is more than a maybe. I'm not sure how a warlock best goes about making a splash, but entrusting a lost artifact to a mere lesser demon and relying on her faithfulness and word alone to successfully bring us significant amounts of favor strikes me as an unwise gamble.

So I'm going to say keep it for now. Conceal it, get the students out of here. Get the cultist girl with you; if she had a line on this much demon lore she might know more that's useful, and it would be foolish to squander such a resource before it's fully used up. As a bonus, she doesn't seem overly difficult to impress or manipulate and we might be able to fill her soul with sin under more controlled and stable conditions than we do most others- perhaps through experimenting with the artifacts' effects?

>>469583
This is fine IF we can get out with it. Does the effect ever let up because if it doesn't I don't think we can leave with it. It seems like the kind of thing that take preparation if you want to leave with it. If we can then I have no problem with this. Especially that cultist/witch because it's just weird that she "read" about this place and the artifact was lost for thousands of years. It doesn't matter that she didn't know where it was or what a valuable find it was.

I vote for keeping the ring for now. We can always give it to asmodeus later if we need a favour. We do not need a favour currently though. I don't trust isratels with the rings. Have your lust imp take it to the cave the beserker is in and keep it there for now.

Also, if we do decide to give the ring to asmodeus dismissing the lust imp to hell would be a better idea than dismissing the succubus, can be summoned with a lower quality soul.

>I'd see about maybe earning you some notice and favour from FatherMother.
A young Warlock just starting out earning the favour of a Prince? Hell yeah!

The only question for me is /when/ do we do this?

Considering the aura this thing is giving off, could we take it out of these catacombs if we even tried? Or would all eyes be on us the moment we got to the surface?

Option 1. If we can get out without attracting the attention of the entire city. Keep the ring for a few days and cultivate some seriously high-quality lustful souls.
Option 2. If the ring will attract the attention of the entire city then we should send it to Hell and earn the favour of the Prince. It will be easy enough to distract the kids. Just have the Lust Imp sting them, since they're already under the influence of the rings aura it'll barley take a nudge before the three of them are rolling around on the flood fucking each other senseless. While the kids are out of the way we have all the time we need to send Irateels to Hell, let her deliver the ring and re-summon her.

> If you begin to unlock other forms of magic though, numerous applications could present themselves for the use of souls.

Souls allow us to bridge the gap between dimensions and a single soul can feed a Demon for years.

Clearly souls are a /powerful/ resource.

It would be foolish to ignore such a source of power that is /literately/ in your hand.

I am throwing my full support into the study of Necromancy.

This ring was obviously stored there as protective containment. Now that it has been released it likely will attract a lot of notice that you don't want, so you must prepare field fortifications and figure out secure transport for it. I wouldn't trust the succubus holding on to it without oversight--she may exploit it against your wishes despite your control of her due to the effects of the ring or the influence of other agents pursuing the ring or yourself. In short, I don't like dealing with influential objects this noteworthy, conspicuous and potent because it directly counteracts one of your major advantages until now: Secrecy and obscurity.

Irateels is only a lesser demon of lust, I wouldn't trust her to not get stomped on and having it stolen from her on her way to Asmodeus. A major find like this however could be useful for corrupting a soul into sufficient of a sacrifice to summon a greater demon of lust, and then Irateels and that demon proceeding, possibly while guarded by Kazderath in addition. Alternatively, you could perhaps use the soul of the cultist to pay your passage to and from his domain, with full current retinue?

If Asmodeus finds out about us holding on to the ring before it was brought back to him this might upset him, which would be bad. If so explain that you did not trust taking it out of your sight without greater level demon servants to transport it.

I'd like to point out we don't know, yet, if we have to release her bonds and burn a soul to get her back for a round trip to hell. It's possible we can just send her over their as a messenger, and bring her back later, as part of the bond.

>Don't trust her
What the hell is wrong with you people. Her main goal at the moment is to keep us alive and have as much fun as she can outside of hell while she can. Hell is boring, sucky, and noticeably lacking in people for her to suck dry.

The fact that she suggested going back to hell herself means she really thinks there's something to be gained by cashing the artifact in. Because otherwise she'd have no interest in heading home.

And if she wanted to manipulate us, all she had to do was hand the ring back to us, or slip in on our finger. Then she'd have a master continually so lust addled she could do whatever the fuck she wanted. Note she did not do this.

>I wouldn't trust her to not get stomped on and having it stolen from her on her way to Asmodeus
I get the feeling that when one pops into hell with one of the boss's lost treasures, it's not a deal where everyone tries to be the first to grab it and cash it in.

Also, it's not like can summon a greater lust demon to use instead. We don't have the souls for that, and Shax can't reliably bind or control greater demons as of yet.

>use the lust imp
Yes, let's trust the powerful artifact to a gibbering idiot. And then send said powerless gibbering idiot to negotiate on our behalf, instead of the intelligent ancient manipulator.

Her ultimate loyalty is however to the prince of lust, asmodeus. Never trust demons.

Her binding would prevent her from doing that I should think.

>>469643
If I had to guess, her loyalty to her own interests comes first. She serves us because of the binding, and because she'd rather be on earth than hell. She serves Asmodeus because he's powerful and it'd be stupid not to.

But really, we don't have a better option than some degree of trust. She's already proved herself to some degree (she could have easily used the ring to control us). The imp is far less trustworthy. And we can't carry it ourself.

Pretty sure it's unnecessary, but if your current binding on Irateels is insufficient to trust the succubus with delivering the artifact could you boost it before sending her?

>not exactly how I'd like to spend our remaining 1 xp, or that lesser lust soul I expect would be needed for the process, but it's good to know our options

Assuming reinforcing a binding is even possible, disregard it if doing so will take more than 15 minutes. Even if opening the gateway hasn't alerted the local priesthood, or the necromancers (hey, they maintain the crypts...), there's a decent chance someone or something (how many unbound lust demons are running around in this world these days? Oh, and aren't we in a mage city where, for the sake of the argument, there may be dozens of people capable of identifying/detecting magical artifacts) has already noticed or soon will.

Finally, annoying though I know it is try to keep the kids alive until you can return them. Our access to an education in necromancy may depend on it, and since the original plan was to stay in the city for a while we probably don't want to be linked to any deaths or incompetence in performing agreed upon tasks. If you don't have an imp with them to alert you of any trouble, send one.

It seems unlikely I'll be able to transport this ring outside without drawing attention to myself. By pretty much everything that CAN notice me, if they haven't already. Favor is better than capture. Unless...

I could reveal who I am. More than likely, I'll be allowed to keep the ring for the purposes of study, if I word it right and make the appropriate tithes to the church to shut them up. I'd also easily be allowed to take a suppression item from the arcane university here, making transport much easier. Besides, Asmodeus is notorious for giving favor out like sweets. And only if those who he's noticed start getting more lustful themselves. Reveling in the pleasures of the flesh, and all that. And while revealing myself will eliminate my secrecy, once I reached the Northlands, that cover would probably disappear rather quickly anyway, since the Northlands are far better about keeping track of who's who.

Upon questioning Irateels about her ability to return home on her own, she admits that she'll have to be dismissed to do that, although most likely afterwards she'll be easily allowed to return to my side, if I so desire it. Asmodeus likes to reward those who aid him, after all.

With these new thoughts for your perusal, Voices, what do you all think I should finally do?

>>>Speak

So you'd need to revel in the pleasures of the flesh to get the promised favour from Asmodeus? Would you be willing to do that? Couldn't one of your imps sneak the ring out of the city under their invisibility? If no to both queries then go ahead and reveal yourself, also check up on the children, they may have managed to create a beserk skeleton or something.

>>469706
I bet even if he used an imp to take the ring the lust effects from the ring would just be a dead giveaway. It's also the demonic emissions from the ring that makes it pretty obvious. You can't really hide this demon artifact without the proper materials which we can only get by revealing who Shax is.

If we do reveal who Shax is then be prepare for noble political bull. We could also never cause the amount of chaos we did in the last town ever again if we tell who we are especially while we have the ring. Just giving you something to think about.

Hmm. Revealing yourself to the priesthood would kind of make more infernal soul collecting or necromantic research difficult, wouldn't it?

I'm not sure how useful the boon from Asmodeus might be since you're not so interested in doing lust acts yourself. Then again, how useful is the ring in our possession? Can Irateels tap into it's power to boost her own seduction powers to absurd levels? That would be an excellent way to shut down a large number of opponents all at once- or possibly even useful to overpower your sibling's resistance when you face them. After all- it sure worked on you.

Actually, I like that plan. A super charged succubus has all kinds of potentially useful applications.

If Irateels complains- remind her that as long as she has it on her person, it'll be returned to hell and her Prince eventually. And in the meantime, we can reap the benefits...

We have received no statements that the priesthood forbids necromancy, why should our revealing ourselves prevent the practice thereof? There's a publically acknowledged necromantic college in the same town as a priest college, you're not making sense. :/

>>469722
I'm guess I'm just assuming the faith has a negative opinion of necromancy? And there is a distinction between disproving of something and considering it an anathema to be destroyed (ie, practicing necro might cause us public relations issues. Being a warlock would get us killed).

I suppose that was never explicitly stated. If the faith doesn't disapprove, that would be convenient (although that seems unlikely. It's not like religions are very often accepting of scientific and/or magical study of life and death).

>>469719
This assumes Irateels can block the infernal emanations of the ring. Since she is a lesser demon I doubt that is the case. Easy way to tell, now that she has the ring can Shax still detect it (feel ambient, but manageable lust)?

You know what, I think we should send The ring back to the FatherMother, not because keeping it will inevitable lead to Shax revealing himself and potentially drawing his siblings and house rivals like moths to flame, but because keeping the ring may well redefine his growth to focus around utilizing the artifact and avoiding it's sway. Add in the assumption that we will lose anonymous access to non infernal avenues of growth if we keep a obviously infernal magical item on our person (once we are able without succumbing to it) or close enough to keep an eye on... I'm not convinced those restrictions are worth it.

>>469728
>This assumes Irateels can block the infernal emanations of the ring.
Actually, no, I'm assuming she'll still be able to use the ring after Shax reveals himself and the faith sets us up with something to block the emanations. Which, admittedly, might not be the case. (The ring might be unusable in a lead box, or the wards might not be something a demon can touch).

>>469702
I am still very much inclined to keep the artifact, even with these considerations in play. If possible, getting it out of town unnoticed would be ideal so that we can avoid revealing ourselves and use that artifact to its fullest potential; if that's not practical then revealing ourselves and talking our way out with it might be necessary, but so long as we end up with this thing in hand and deployable for power, that's acceptable.

Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, we've been thinking about how to do this all wrong. No need to reveal ourselves to keep the ring, just have the lust imp hold on to it and have it stay in the catacombs, the later tonight Shax goes outside the town and summons the imp to him, ring moved from the catacombs without anyone the wiser. Also if bookworm girls asks tell her that the lust she felt is just from what has built up at Asmodeus' shrines over the years or something, she doesn't seem a infernal expert so she might buy that or another plausible pseudotruth.

>>469887
Well can demons take things with them if we teleport them to our side? I don't think it's ever been confirmed that whatever item a demon carries is taken with them when you teleport them. Of course if we can do it then I'm up for it.

The only problem if we can pull off this plan is that we won't have the suppression item so we would have to avoid cities, or leave it with a demon outside of the city with the chance of losing it if someone still senses the artifact anyways.

Just get a lead box, should work well enough.

>>469936
Wouldn't Shax say something if he could just get a lead box to block the ring? How do you know that would work?

Lead boxes are usually good for blocking these sort of things. I'm assuming here. If box fails he can just use his ward-fu on a box I guess.

Ok, I don't support Shax revealing himself, but if that's what's going to happen there are a few things to consider. Mainly there is a lust devoted cultist who probably won't be happy about a non devotee of Asmodeus hanging onto the ring (might, though unlikely, send a death bolt your way) and is aware that you have a travelling with you succubus (and may speculate you are her summoner since she seems competent). Depending on the extent to which your family's infernal activity is publicly known she may be a liability when the church (I assume there's an inquisition? Didn't see one mentioned but may have missed it) inevitably interviews her. In fact, you investigating rumors of cult activity might make a good cover story since it has some truth.

Also, if you are revealing yourself then access to necromancy education (in the unlikely event that you are not immediately leaving town) is no longer dependent on keeping the kids out of trouble.

I vote for using the ring to gain favor now, because I really want to avoid political games and because it would be difficult to hide the ring's effects. (unless shax can manage to reproduce the wards that were on the door) I also feel that we should do something for the girl so she doesn't get pissed and snitch. (ie, letting her see/hold the ring, mentioning her name to the prince, [sharing a bit of credit] or giving her one of the weak souls of lust[one which can only summon a lust imp])

>>470185
>>470192
Why would she tell Luna's followers? She would lose the ring forever and get killed if she tell how she knows. You can't accuse a noble without decent evidence.

>The priests divide themselves between the two, with Luna's followers being the more militant, believing that they must guard against the users of dark magic because we supposedly are more active at night, while the followers of Sol work to spread the Faith and provide more humanitarian aid to the world.

Some info about the faith that you may have missed.

Anyways it's probably more likely that she tries to steal the ring. If she does then you have an excuse to kill her. She also thinks you have a "understanding" with her god/demon prince so another point for her to not try anything. You can also use the research about the ring to get her on your side if you want. She also doesn't know it's the ring. She just thinks something of importance may be in there.

>it would be difficult to hide the ring's effects
That's what the suppression item is for I'm guessing.

I'm personally fine for either keeping it or giving it up for favor.

>>470203
Thanks.

I think we're working off a couple different assumptions regarding the Lunans. I expect (and could very well be wrong) that they have multiple orders with different focuses and specialties. If a powerful demonic artifact suddenly appears someone is going to kick that information up the chain of command and eventually someone (perhaps several someones) from the relevant division will be dispatched to assess the situation and determine the appropriate response. A part of that process would be interviewing witnesses.

>Why would she tell the Luna's followers?
Why would she have a choice? Is there not magic in this world?

I'm not necessarily advocating offing the cultist right now, just pointing out that the primary value in returning her and the other two students safely to their handlers is void if Shax is planning to reveal himself and that this might be a decent time to wrap up those loose ends if they may prove inconvenient down the road.

>You can't accuse a noble without decent evidence.
Agreed. I just think we/Shax may wish to consider the evidence he will be leaving.

>>470215
Well the church may not be a problem
>if I word it right and make the appropriate tithes to the church to shut them up

It's basically a bribe without calling it a bribe. One of the many perks of being a noble. Basically we can get away with the demon artifact as long as we say we are going to study it.

The only real problem is if the cultist gets caught and confess but if she made it this far without being caught then we don't need to kill her now.

I assume that we're Prideful? Leave while you can, make the two students get together, and make our cultist wear the ring in order to get a Lustful witch-soul that walks around and does our bidding.

It seems the easiest route will be revealing myself. Not ideal, but better than having to deal with somehow getting the ring out another way. Besides, I can always return it to Asmodeous at some other point in time, if we ever feel the need. Regardless, it's about time to leave.

I head back outside, Irateels in tow, and find the children already getting a little more touchy then they probably should be. I snap them out of it by slapping them all across the face, intent on at least getting them out without anything weird happening to them. The trek back takes longer than the trek forward, mostly because I have to keep stopping them from ripping their own clothes off, now that they're in such close proximity to the ring without any protection or training whatsoever. When we do make it back to the surface, almost immediately the questions start up, and the kids are herded off elsewhere. Members of all four of the other magical schools are there, all focusing angrily on me. The amount of questions being asked makes it difficult to pick out any particular one, so instead of waiting for things to die down, I get the inevitable over with.

"I hereby declare myself. I am Shax, of the Markov Family."

The crowd goes quiet, and I nod my head in satisfaction. Bastards can stay off of me. Or at least show proper respect, now. Either way, the first to snap out of their confusion is a priestess type, the high bishop of the church-school, I would guess, who comes forward and bows her head politely before digging into me with questions.

"You found something down their, didn't you?"

"Yes. A ring. A ring of lust, by the feel of it and how the kids reacted. I admit I didn't go down there to find it, but when I did... it was too dangerous to leave down there for someone unprepared to find."

"The Church of Sol will take it from you."

"Wrong. It stays with me. The Markov family has been keeping such artifacts under our watch for centuries, there is no reason I shouldn't take it back with me to the north."

"I don't find this acceptable at al-"

"Of course, the Markov family would be quite happy to make a donation to the church-school here, and perhaps provide some needed assistance if ever necessary."

The priestess goes silent a moment, then she seems to back down, taking up a more defensive feel to her and looking a bit more respectful. Other college leaders merely look on with envy.

"I see... yes, I can see how that might be worthwhile. I have heard that the Markov family is quite knowledgable about a variety of subjects. Perhaps you do have some way to defend yourself from its power... Still, I must insist a seasoned member of Sol accompany you. To ensure its safe passage into the Markov family's possession."

Damn. And they have every right. Studying or using the ring will be far more difficult with a priest around. Regardless, it's better than having it taken. And I don't plan on leaving for awhile yet anyway.

"Agreeable. I have business to finish here, however, and I'll be sure to inform you upon my departure."

"Unnecessary. We shall have our selected priestess with you in mere minutes. Out in the courtyard. Now if you'll excuse me."

Well... shit. Now we're stuck with whoever while we're here, to. Still better than I expected though. I was thinking we'd get stuck with some Luna worshipping fanatics. Least we get the more calm of the two. Regardless, as soon as the priestess leaves, I'm assaulted with questions by the other groups, and I choose to ignore them all, waving them away in favor of saying I'll visit each group later at some point. In the meantime, I make my way through the small crowd of people and head outside, where I discover another group, this one led by the noble of the region, a Belis of House Cardak. A minor family in the great scheme of things, they are almost always found attached to another house's backside. Thankfully, the Markov's have managed to steer clear of them for the most part. This one is already attached to someone, although who I can't recall, but regardless, he steps up to me the moment I come out.

"Ah! My Lord Markov! Please, do accept our apologies, we didn't even know you were in the city."

"I wanted it that way. Unfortuanatel, events have transpired to deny me my travel plans. Regardless, it's a pleasure to see you."

"Of course, of course. Please, do allow me to offer you accommodations at the castle for the duration of your stay, if there is anything at all we can do for you...?"

"At the moment, no, although I will consider staying at the castle. For now, I have business to attend to."

"As you wish, Lord Markov. I will hope to see you soon."

The man leaves, his entourage following him, and is quickly replaced with two priestesses. Both bow to me, then the closer of the two speaks.

"My Lord Markov. I am Priestess Moria, and Disciple Lara, at your service. We were instructed to accompany you on your journey to the north."

"So I've heard. It is a pleasure to meet you. You are of the Sun, I take it?"

"Yes, My Lord. My Disciple is thinking of going to the Moon, but she still must complete her basic training with me before she can decide. She is currently silenced, a punishment for some words she should not have said, so forgive her if she does not speak."

"I understand. Your to accompany me everywhere, then?"

"To safeguard the ring, yes."

By the Seven... Well, we'll just have to make the best of it. Maybe we can lose them somewhere along the way. For now, to other business. I'll need to find a way to keep this rings emanations down, otherwise things will get very interesting walking down the street. I can handle that though, given enough time alone and a spare box of some sort. We'll also need to visit each of these colleges, to perform the normal meet and greet, and decide whether we should be staying at the castle.

>I'll need to find a way to keep this rings emanations down
Shouldn't you consult your annoying priestess escort for this? I thought that was the whole reason we decided it was worth bringing them along.

>Silenced
Are you familiar with this practice? Does this mean she is unable to speak, or merely forbidden? There's a difference there, and one we may be able to abuse in the future.

>The ring
I assume Irateels is still holding it? How do we explain her ability to resist it to the priestesses? How's she taken her idea being shot down, anyways? We may need to talk to her later. We also need to figure out if how we can apply or weaponize the ring. What benefit does it give us if we're not cashing it in for favor?

In the short term, these priestesses will impede your ability to collect souls. In the short term, they may be of some use if you are attacked by your competitors / siblings. Longer term, I think your goal should be to get an envy demon and have Moria killed and replaced. A puppet priest could be useful, as could a demon with access to holy magic.

Well the first thing we have to do is block the ring's emanations with whatever method we have to do because I have no idea what goes into a endeavor like that.

>>473494
>her ability to resist it
Well hopefully they won't ask but if they do then just say she has a powerful will. They may not know how strong the lust effects are when you hold it so it's best not to let them touch it.

>Silence
An annoying spell, if its used properly. It doesn't really affect the use of magic, except for divine users, who need to call on their gods for the magical power needed, but it can make it very difficult during wars or when you need to inform someone of something. However, the priests do have vows of silence as well. I don't know which is being enforced on the girl right now.

>Demon/Holy Magic
Repeat that to yourself. The demon wouldn't be able to. They could fake the same spells, but they wouldn't be divine in any form. They would be considered demonic. The visuals would be the same though, so I suppose the end result would be the appearance of holy magic.

>The Priests for help
Hm. I'd rather simply ward a box they rely on them. They have a tendency to lock something up and never let anyone see it ever again. In the meantime, Irateels is fine holding the ring for now, and the two priestesses don't seem to notice she is, or they just haven't said anything about it. I head off, leading the way with my small entourage, through the crowds of people towards the outskirts, getting the ring away from the many people around it. It's only as I make it to the gate that I realize no one is falling down with lust for anyone else. I pause, frowning, then glance at Irateels. She seems fine, although she's holding the ring rather reverently in her hand, and she seems to have taken a slight... glow... almost. Like she somehow more energetic. I excuse myself from the priestesses for a moment, drag Irateels away, then get down to finding out what's going on.

"Irateels, why are you practically glowing?"

"Hm? Oh! I think, Master, that is because I sucking in all the lust emanating from this thing. It'll work for maybe another few days before I lose control of myself. Unless I get to work off some of the lust somehow~"

"I see... do you feel stronger with this lust inside you?"

"Um... a little, but its very unfocused. I wouldn't call it a very good boost in strength. I might be able to focus it or channel it somehow, but that might take time for me to figure out how to do, particularly with the annoyances over there."

"I see... you're not angry I didn't return it to Asmodeous?"

"Eh, it'll get to him eventually, whether from you or someone else. We demons, we live a long time. Waiting is part of what we do, a few more decades won't mean anything in the great scheme."

"Hm. I suppose you're right. Off we go then."

I head back to collect the priestesses, then make my way towards the small castle that overlooks this city. It is unremarkable, for the most part, just like every other castle or keep in the region, even the guards are unremarkable. The Captain of said guard greets me at the gate, but he remains little more than a face, and I proceed to ignore him and his rambling in favor of heading inside. There, the lord greets me, and he is similarly ignored except for the necessary niceties before being escorted to the rooms provided to us. Irateels is unceremoniously left with me, likely assuming that she's a lover or companion of some sort, but it matters little. I begin by placing a few wards in the room, hidden behind objects and the like. That should keep the ring from influencing everyone in the entire castle. Then it's time to start work. Irateels places the ring on the provided desk, and I begin by examining as best I can for identifying markings and the like. Some demonic script is adorned across the surface, but it's too small for me to make out. Irateels proves little help either, unfamiliar with anything in particular about the ring, other than it's origins. I frown, then decide that unless the local magic guilds have infernal tomes(unlikely) than I really will have to head home to study this thing properly.

I'm interrupted by that point by a knock on the door, which proves to be the annoying priestesses, or rather, just the head one, she walks in, and almost immediately backs out, eyes going wide for a second before she disappears back into the hallway. I sigh, then head outside to find the priestess breathing heavily, hand over her eyes, trying to calm herself.

"I probably should have warned you, but regardless, you really should have checked before walking in like that."

"Shouldn't that ring be affecting... everyone?"

"I've picked up some ways to block that sort of thing. Irateels happens to be one of them. She's quite good at that. Regardless, what can I do for you?"

"I was... I was going to offer to help in some way, but... I don't think I can be in that room. At least, not without protection of some sort. If I try asking Sol..."

"That might be for the best, you not being in the room, I mean. Working with demonic artifacts can be quite... difficult, especially with members of the holy arts nearby."

"Yes well... regardless, I'll see what I can do."

"As it pleases you."

The priestess leaves back to her rooms, and I reenter my room to find Irateels lounging on the bed, and a few imps lounging about on other pieces of furniture. I drop myself into the chair next to the desk and stare at the ring, mind tumbling over different theories of how to use it. For now though, plans must be set. I'll have to greet the other mage colleges before I leave, and likely get roped into some political play at some point. The local lord will have to be dealt with, either ignored politely or dealt with more forcefully. The priestesses won't be an issue as long as I keep to myself, and while I don't relish the idea, the wrath demon we have will have to continue to stay hidden. I'll have few opportunities to go soul hunting here. And I'll have to decide how long to stay in the city before moving on.

Your advice, demons of the mind?

>>>Speak

>The demon wouldn't be able to. they wouldn't be divine in any form.

Hmm. That contradicts your own explanation of greater envy demons, earlier.

>if they were mimicking a priest, be able to wield some divine power

Regardless of the actual divinity of the power, would mimicked or faked holy abilities be effective against demons? We're looking for a potential edge up on your siblings, here. If not, we could always just position or manipulate the living priestess into unwittingly helping your ends, instead of replacing her.

>it's too small for me to make out.
...I don't suppose the imps are small enough that they can make out the symbols? Even if they're illiterate, you can set one of them to painstakingly copying the symbols down on paper, large enough for you to read.

Or, alternatively, you could see about acquiring a magnifying lens, or a jeweler's eyepiece. Equipment like that must be available to craftsmen needing to do fine detail.

>>474936
Getting some magnifying lens would probably be the best especially if the imps are illiterate. We might want to ward a box first to have a place to put the ring and for the lens we could request some while preparing the box.

Politely ignore the lord. Get some sort of magnifying glass or microscope, possibly from one of the colleges. You still have study privileges from the necromancer's to redeem, so go there and try to pick up whatever you can.

>>474936
Probably not.

Hmm. Would there be any value to trying to slowly corrupt this priestess? Does that get any benefits, or just the standard soul thing?

>>475244
Well, we could try corrupting the priestess is a slightly roundabout way. Instead of weakening the seals holding the lust in the artifact in, to corrupt her, we could let Irateels work out the lust she collected on the priestess, both corrupting her and letting Ira work out the stuff before she loses control.

And if anyone discovers the priestess got lusted, we weaken the wards, say she's been getting too close and got corrupted accidentally and no will be none the wiser to our plots.

>>475334
I'd rather we tried mundane and/or conventional methods of manipulation, at least at first. Also, we don't know that the priestess would be susceptible to a succubus' charms.

>>475334
My question was not if/how we could do it, but rather whether there was a benefit to it worth the degree of effort and risk involved. Because there is always risk.

>>475376
Well, there are obviously potential benefits to a suborned, manipulated, controlled, or somehow influenced priestess of some kind. Especially since, yanno, she's the person watching us right now. And potentially we can use her as a tool to impede or oppose the infernal activities of our competitors.

Soul-wise, I dunno if there's extra benefit to turning an initially pure and holy soul into something corrupt to harvest.

But yeah, the further we take it, the greater the risk. Any move we make against her gives us greater risk of exposure- and if exposed, we have to kill her, which comes with other risks.

...although, we do have a partial cover for that already. We're transporting an infernal object. The forces of evil are going to try and take it, make attempts on our do gooder life. Such a shame the priestess died fighting off the creatures of the unknown warlock hunting us... (Obviously this story sells better after one of our siblings makes a failed attempt on our lives. Or we sacrifice a demon to fake one on ourself).

That's longer term planning, though. Short term, we just have to worry about concealing ourself, and dealing with whatever political machinations try and take advantage of Shax in town, or any magical forces that make a move for the ring.

>>475376
Agreed

>>475244
>>475334
>>475337

You know, if we get serious about corrupting the priestess we should probably use a sin she isn't expecting (after experiencing the ring's influence she's going to be on guard against lust). Not sure if it's worth a lesser wrath soul, or the risk of detection during summoning, but tempting her into alcoholism via subtle gluttony imp venom application could be easily interpreted as a mundane reaction to stress and significantly lower her resistance to other sins... 

As for the warded box (or whatever container is chosen), make sure you have some way of tracking the thing. If someone wants to steal the ring the box will make doing so both easier (harder to track) and safer (no massive corrupting lust field to deal with).

Also, if you still have that mask from the last town now (before any of the castle staff/priestesses stumble onto it) would be a good time to disposed of it (preferably by reducing it to ash without any collateral damage).

>>475623
Ah, but feeling abnormal amounts of lust around an ancient demonic lust artifact is probably not unexpected. We can probably trick her into all sorts of things to help "protect her".

>>475784
...possibly? Although the last thing we want is for her to think we're being influenced by the artifact, or unable to properly contain it. Then suddenly she wouldn't be very happy about us keeping it instead of the church.

Would a Priest or priestess lose their powers if they become too corrupt? I just asking because divine power are derived from a outside source a.k.a. the Twins Gods Sol and Luna which they get by following the faith. This could change how useful it is to corrupt the priestess.

>DIVINE magic is magic granted by following the FAITH. The Faith is a religion spread far and wide in the world, and is the most closely followed of all religions. It's often said to be the opposite of INFERNAL magic, but in reality, the two are more similar than opposites, as both forms of magic are derived from an outside source. Priest, Clerics and Paladins are the wielders of this form of magic.

>>475790
_We_ are resisting the artifact just fine. She is the one following us around while we are carrying a highly dangerous artifact to where it can be properly sealed away.

Her expierience with it is basicly "in the same room with it,- oh dear god the lust"

>>475834
No, I just meant if we try to tempt her with lust, the logical assumption she might make is we're being affected.

>>475835
Or, since we're studying the artifact, that we're either recklessly leaving the ring unshielded or are using her as a test subject.

That said we should probably try to confirm that the silent priestess is in fact a lowly disciple...probably paranoia, but sending someone inept enough to be put under a vow of silence on a dangerous, low profile mission with a fairly powerful noble (and lets admit it, a fairly strange and dangerous one at that) seems odd.

Corrupting a Priestess is likely going to difficult, especially because of their ability to use Divine magic, but... it is a sound plan, as long as we proceed carefully. We'll have to find her sin though, however small, and work on making that larger. Everyone has one, and finding it might prove a bit more difficult. Still, having someone who is thought to be divinely touched would be useful. As for the disciple... it's not uncommon for such things to happen. In a way, it's a test for the youngling. The child will be tested to see if they can follow instructions, even when there's something as corrupt filled and sinful as the ring around. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, however.

Over then next week of activity, I work mostly on studying up on the ring, as well as doing the necessary meet and greets. The imps I have are sent out to go hunting, looking for any souls worth possibly working on. The larger city provides quite a few more souls, but they are all of a relatively low caliber, nothing I desire. Still, the imps keep on searching for something. The Priestesses, after that one incident with the ring, have seen fit to avoid entering my room, instead pestering me whenever they(she) can about leaving and heading towards home. I put them off, mostly because I have no desire to leave quite yet.

On what time I do have to myself and not studying the ring, I have found myself dealing with the necromantic college, studying what I can about the magic. For the most part, it involves formulas and such, at least for the alchemical parts, but when it actually comes to the magic part... you need to have some sort of connection to the realm of death, apparently. This is usually achieved by having a near death experience. I can learn all the formulas I want, make all the potions I want, and get no closer to the magic until I have that experience.

Regardless, the week spent isn't fruitless. I manage to requisition a small pack for herbs and such, and learn quite a bit about making a few simple potions, antidotes and salves for the most part. At the same time, I've been approached by the college heads of the Church and the Druids with requests to teach a class on something. I admit, demons are my only real specialty, but it's not uncommon for people to study demons themselves, as long as they aren't summoning them. I really only have the time to spare for one of the colleges though, if at all, and while I could refuse, that might seem a little odd if I refuse the Church, especially because the family is supposed to be a Faith abiding one. We'd be safer, detection wise, if we chose the Druids however.

>>>Speak

Go to the druids. We can probably improvise something about the great circle of life and the balance of nature or whatever.

Well... what subjects are you qualified to give a lecture on? Besides demons, although that sort of makes sense, given that your cover is containing and studying a demonic artifact. Go in as Egon Spengler, basically.

If you need 'safe' material, I could fill you in on a fair amount of mathematics, and non-magical physics (although, I'm not sure how much of the physics applies to your world. Newtonian mechanics and basic chemistry seems the same, but anything beyond that and I'm getting presumptuous. Math is math, though). Certainly enough to fill a blackboard for several hours, and put a suspicious crowd to sleep, if need be.

>>475987
>having a near death experience

Does the Necro college simply select its students from people that have such experiences naturally or do they facilitate them somehow?

There are several low-risk methods of inducing an NDE. Don't suppose you could get access to a G-force simulator? (something that spins you round and round and round really fast)

Perhaps some sort of drug or potion? Have you ever heard of a puffer fish? They have a venom that will induce a death-like state with the right dosage. (not to be tried without expert instruction)

If the Necro college has such a thing available then it's worth looking into.

Also, if it wasn't clear, I kind of favor going to the church.

What are the risks of detection involved though? Will sufficiently powerful divine infused people sense your infernal attunement? or are just worried about trying to sell the demon researcher, know your enemy angle without giving the warlock game away?

The Church demanded and imposed a priestess and her novice on you for the monitoring of this ring, and this priestess so far has been absolutely no help in dealing with it and irritatingly insistent on you leaving town quickly besides.

This provides an opportunity: If you want to induce a little bit of amusing infighting you can push this priestess into conflict with her church between their desire for you to provide a lecture and her desire to leave sooner. I would recommend asking her if you should leave a day later and give a lecture at their college or leave a day earlier if you want to make her less angry at you. If you want to make her more angry at you tell the college representatives that you will give a lecture at the druid college because that is being polite. and that you would welcome their attendance at this lecture. Then also inform them that in deference to the wishes of the priestess whom you are currently responsible for you will set off on your journey a day earlier instead of giving a demonology lecture at the seminary/religious college.
Either way communicate this with plenty of time for the church to go about infighting with the priestess over it.

The Necromancer's College has no means of getting me to a near death experience, unless I want to get stabbed in the chest and hopefully saved before I pass over the edge into death. Simulations, such as toxins and the like, that merely fake death don't count towards the magic.

As for the priest-training ground... detection isn't a problem, as long as those priests capable of it don't start hurling around detection spells. It's possible that one of the Twins could turn their attention to the temple as well, but the chances of that are slim to none. Even less likely they'll be searching for the minuscule amount of demonic energy I let off. And reporting to the church that my personal chaperone wants to leave early would have the opposite effect. It's actually in the best interest of the church to have the thing in the Markov vaults as quickly as possible.

As for any possible lessons, demons summoning is illegal. Studying them ins't, although it is frowned upon. I could easily give a lesson on demons though, without giving myself away as a warlock. As long as they don't find out I've summoned them myself, then we're fine.

>>>Speak

We voices note a tendency for people who hear us to experience very interesting circumstances. Accordingly, there is no point in forcing a near-death experience now when it is well within the realm of likelihood that you will naturally experience one later.
Further you revealed your identity to solve the social problem of the acquisition and removal of the ring, I think we should perform this task quicker if possible because currently our identity has been revealed and anonymity is a very strong protection from infighting ambushes that I would wish to regain as soon as possible in these circumstances. The longer we hang around this priestess chick and her trainee the more chances there are we slip up as well, so let's limit that risk the direct way. Notify family that we're coming home and why in the best way possible for avoiding infighting.
How to resolve the social problems in town and why we should bother is a question I have trouble answering beyond saying that having magic other than demonic would be good to have for many reasons, most particularly so that you have better excuses for knowing what you know and acting the way you do without making people suspicious of the truth.

You dabble with demons, hunt potentially dangerous individuals in order to harvest souls, and you have several warlock siblings out to kill you. I don't think it will be necessarily to manufacture a near death experience- there's a good chance you're going to experience one naturally.

I'm liking this church lecture less and less. Demons are a risky thing to talk about, and trying to pass your knowledge off in a useful way (know they enemy- how to counteract demons) is counterproductive.

Can't you give a philosophical/theological lecture? You'd think a lifetime as a warlock paying lip service to the church would have prepared you for that. Or if not that, let me fill your head with differential equations. We can bore them with advanced mathematics.

>>477388
Excellent points and good ideas for lecture ideas.

1. Since the NDE must be authentic its too risky to manufacture; wait for it to happen naturally. The obvious solution is to outsource it to a pride demon as those can cast both arcane and necromantic spells. Get one who is good at healing necromancy and hopefully it will save you next time you nearly die (which is good idea beyond the need for NDE).

2. Try getting some tomes on arcane magic from arcane college, you already know some arcane spells so if anyone asks you are a wizard/sorcerer. Ideally you want to get good enough at arcane to make your infernal blast be disguiseable as arcane fire (via sheathing it in arcane fire perhaps?).
2b. Probably too risky, but we could summon a pride imp and try to snatch a pride soul at the arcane college... but a the moment I am against it (until priestesses are taken care of).

3. Have Irateels seduce a jeweler to make a fake ring and then dispose of him discreetly (do not be involved with it personally even if it means missing out on a lust soul).

Make a showy genuine warded lockbox for the ring as well as a discreet warded carrying case for Irateels.
Keep the fake in the lockbox which is to be locked at all time and with you. Keep the real ring in the discreet carrying case with Irateels with her taking the ring out when she has privacy to recharge until she learns to use the power better and can wear it at all times.

Justify delays in saying you need to finish warding the carrying case. Justify not giving a lecture by saying you need to deliver the ring to lockbox ASAP. If you must give a short lecture aim at one about arcane warding schemes in the sylvan college or what was suggested in >>477388 don't lecture about demons