Familiar Contract

## Two As One

The "**Familiar Contract**" is a term to denote rituals meant to create a master-familiar bond between two or more creatures. It actually covers a broad array of rituals but they all share a two core elements in common:

* A Familiar Contract consists of one or both parties involved in the contract exchanging fragments of their Souls.
* This exchange is done willingly between all involved.

Once the Familiar Bond is formed the creatures involved, usually a Wizard and a Magical Beast, will possess an emphatic link that will allow them to sense what the other is feeling and their state of well-being. The bond will also allow for mana to flow more freely between the creatures involved. Whatever form this ritual and the bond take it is unquestionable that those who

## Change Over Time

In is not certain when exactly the Familiar Contract was created and what the true original purpose of it was. Some of the oldest records within the libraries of Ein Sof say that it was originally created by a Wizard who made a mutually beneficial contract between himself and a Magical Beast.

The Wizard would offer mana to the Magical Beast (which it needed for survival) and the Magical Beast would protect the Wizard (who was a researcher and was not capable of fighting).

However this is hard to prove. Countless Traditions of Magic have their own interpretations of the ritual, each with wildly different ritual implements, foci and with vastly different end goals. Some see the Familiar Contract as a sacred bond, the binding of two Souls together for the rest of their lives (and beyond), while others view it as a useful tool (replacing their Familiars should the need arise). Some believe that possessing more Familiars is a sign of status, a symbol of how powerful the mage is, but others view having more then one Familiar as foolhardy or even blasphemous. What creatures can become familiars is also a considered a topic of fierce debate, as certain Traditions feel that such a bond should only be made between a Mortal and a Magical Beast, while opposing voices claim that it is not only possible - but preferred - for two Mortals to make the familiar between one another.

The list goes on and on...

Over the thousands of years this ritual is thought to have existed it has changed every time it was passed down.

## A Ritual Corrupted

As with all things, as soon as Evil got its hands on this Ritual it spared no time twisting it into something that suited its needs. Familiar Contracts involving Demons and Demonic Beasts are commonplace among Warlocks but they are rarely ever done with "mutual trust" being involved. Promising your Soul to a Demon after you die can be a very quick way of rising in the Underworld social ladder - but scarcely ever ends well.

The opposite is also not uncommon. Powerful Demons seeking to spread their own brand of chaos on Zyreema might offer to become masters to Mortal familiars, offering to give their "agents" power.....in exchange for their obedient service that is.

## Examples of Familiar Contracts

* Gadaric Lunablight, former Spell King Candidate, former Chosen Champion of The Unraveller and founder of Wicklow, who formed a Familiar Bond as a master to a High Ranking Spirit of Darkness.
* Salomon Godfried, current Magus Supreme of Ein Sof, is the master of a Phoenix that has served his family as a Familiar for generations. The Phoenix in question refuses to listen to Salomon most of the time, even when directly ordered to do something.
* Merlin, Keeper of the Misty Isle, is the master in a Familiar Bond with the Dryad Nimue. He treats her as a member of his own family and the creation of the bond caused her growth and maturation as a Spirit to speed up far more then what should be possible for an average Dryad.
* Hue, a Human smuggler with very little actual magical power, possesses a familiar bond with a Quinticorn named Lemon Sharp. As he can not provide the needed amount of mana on his own he has to rely on external sources of magic (such as magically rich feed) in order to keep his familiar sated.