Tome of Malefic Demonology

= The Tome =
Penned in Ichor of Innocence and bound in the skin of an imp, this tome gives off a feeling of deep and ingrained wrongness. Though it seems to be ancient and arcane, it is actually a rather new warlock codex which seems to look at some of the more... vicious ways in which ancient warlocks would bind demons to their will. The only notation of its authorship is a small signature on the last page written in ink that somehow glows fel purple. The signature reads "Shadowflame." Only three of these books exist, all exact copies of each other.
=== Introduction ===
We have forgotten in recent years, due to the pressures and constraints of the positions of our secret Cabals within the restricting Horde and Alliance. In the past even the weakest of our predecessors could bring forth and bind creatures as powerful as Doom Guards without the slightest struggle. Now we are relegated to commanding imps and wisps of void...
I fear that due to our lack of dark devotion we may never again attain our ancient powers of absolute binding and enslavement. However, if ever we were, the rituals and dark practices I have outlined here will be what does bring us to our former power. We are apart from the Legion that once served us as allies, but that does not mean we should be any weaker than we were before. If you are possessed of will and steadfast determination, read on... if not, then shut this tome and give it to a warlock with a spine. You'll get no sympathy from me.
=== Of Pacts ===
Pacts with the Legion of old are what strengthened our order. Before the ancient Horde was driven back, nay, before the Horde even knew power the Warlocks were on Azeroth. We were the mortal agents of the Burning Legion, a catalyst for their power. Our souls and wills were the focal points through which they came to wreak pain and chaos. The warlocks of old commanded power beyond imagining for they had the fel allegiance of the entities they summoned... but that is no longer our way.
In the last war, when the Legion fell, we chose sides against our former allies. We allied with our homes, or countries, our families, and with good reason. This world was far more important to us than power, and in the end when push came to shove, we warlocks who call ourselves Alliance or Horde turned against our masters and gave up the eldritch and dire powers we once wielded. To this day I have never believed that the Cabals of the Hellish Eye, the Soulshatter Council, or the Shadow Council made a mistake in their choice to leave the faith of the Legion.
Yet their decision stands, and those original three cabals have now been scattered to the winds. Most of our modern brethren do not even remember what Cabal their master learned his trade from. But that does not matter.
In order to retain our fel magics without having to sacrifice our souls to dark entities we invented a new method. We had stolen the souls of others for centuries as offerings to our dark masters, and for our own personal consumption, but the modern usage of these Soul Shards is far more important. They are the focal points that we gave up. We no longer wish to be beholden to the Legion, and so we use the souls of others instead... That is how we have regained a measure of our old power...
Ancient Warlocks would use not a foreign soul, but their own souls. Through a pact with a demon they would crystallize a shard of their own soul which, strengthened by the demon's blessing, could be used repeatedly. These fel-shards were so powerful that they make the soul shards we use today look like worthless chunks of rock candy. A warlock with a fel-shard could summon multiple demons simultaneously, have his demons leave his sphere of influence without losing them to the nether, gain control over any demon, provided the warlock was powerful enough to do so, and even gain minor control over the realm of the undead.
Today however, these abilities are no more. I would never condone creating a fel-shard, for two reasons. The first, what remains of the Three Cabals, which split during internal dissagreements about ideology into dozens of smaller groups, all agree on one point, fel-shards are an abhorrence. Nearly ever warlock today would rather die than allow a piece of his soul to become infected with demonic influence, let alone remove a piece of himself from his body. The second reason, demons have become extremely leery of making pacts with mortal warlocks. Since the betrayal of the Three Cabals and the attack on Azeroth where our hidden enclaves used our dark magics to force the myriad portals that Archimonde was creating shut, preventing a mass demonic invasion of Azeroth. There are no demons today that are willing to make pacts with mortals.
Fel-shards are now impractical and inconvenient sources of power... but there are ways to strengthen our existing powers that fell out of favor as the Horde and Alliance grudgingly became accepting of us. We do not widely practice these rituals because of the shadowy means of accquiring their dark powers. I record them for knowledge. It is up to the reader to decide if they should be used or not.
= Fel Reagents and Rituals - 1: Ichor of Innocence and Hearts of Purity =
In this chapter I shall detail two of the most underused spell reagents known to warlocks. Ichor of Innocence, which is to say the blood of those with pure hearts, and Hearts of Purity.
=== Hearts of Purity ===
There is not a single warlock today who hasn't heard of the Hearts of Purity. They are a basic requirement to entice a succubus forth from the nether in order to combat and subdue her (though it is also possible to use a symbol of great love, either way the succubus is fooled into thinking she has something to corrupt). While some warlocks do not enjoy taking these hearts (I personally enjoyed it so much that I am still listening for reports of other pure-hearted individuals) there is no doubt that most warlocks know of their existance. I also find them far easier to find than symbols of true love, the only alternative.
The following details the various uses of Hearts of Purity. Including a graphic description of how they must be prepared before a Succubus is decieved into stepping through a portal. The tome uses words which are clearly only for warlock understanding as several terms are penned in Eredun. But anybody reading the book might feel slightly disturbed at the glee with which the author describes these rituals. The way one of the rituals is spoken of you think the author might actually be thinking of eating the hearts... (A warlock would know the author actually was talking about eating the hearts).
=== Ichor of Innocence ===
The next reagent is known as Ichor of Innocence and is a highly potent binding reagent for spells. More... morally inclined warlocks may have trouble procuring the blood of innocent beings, but those without scruples may easily find this blood in the veins of children.
Indeed, children are the only reliable source for pure Ichor. They are innocence personified, though warlocks concerned with ethics (who should really find a new profession), may find killing children for their blood unsavory. That being said, killing the child is not a necessity, but it does give the resulting Ichor a slightly greater strength than is usual, along with a delightful aftertaste of fear and suffering.
This very book is penned with Ichor of Innocence, no doubt if you have found your mind succumbing to corrupting thoughts while reading these pages it is due to that fact. The fact that merely reading words penned in it can twist your thoughts to darkness should be proof enough of it's power, slowly giving you subconcious suggestion to read on and take these words to heart.
Again, the book begins to describe several rituals using Eredun terms. Most of which involve inscribing runes with the blood, using it to strengthen existing spells, or even drinking it for a temporary boost in spell potency. It is also said to have a corrupting influence on innocent minds, slowly twisting them to darkness if they are poisoned with it (or read dark words penned in it)
Category:Stories
Category:Warlock