Warlock

> "*To fight the abyss, one must know it...*"
> ― The Ancestor
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## Agents of the Abyss

Warlocks are finders and keepers of secrets. They push at the edge of our understanding of the world, always seeking to expand their expertise. Where sages or wizards might heed a clear sign of danger and end their research, a warlock plunges ahead, heedless of the cost. Thus, it takes a peculiar mixture of intelligence, curiosity, and recklessness to produce a warlock. Many folk would describe that combination as evidence of madness. Warlocks see it as a demonstration of bravery.

Warlocks are defined by two elements that work in concert to forge their path into this class. The first element is the event or circumstances that led to a warlock's entering into a pact with a Lord. The second one is the nature of the Lord a warlock is bound to. Unlike clerics, who typically embrace a deity and that god's ethos, a warlock might have no love for a patron, or vice versa.

## The Pact

All Warlocks have had a singular moment in their life where they are stuck, bent low to the ground, screaming at the world and crying at all it's unfairness. It is in that moment that the Warlock subconsciously reaches out to touch the mind of a Malefic Lord.

Your pact is a two-way street. Your Patron will help you accomplish you Singular Wish, in exchange, you must give up that which is most valuable to you and accomplish the one mission assigned to you.

I will allow this homebrew to be used for Warlock Patrons.

## The Patrons

### Ashbringer, The Undying

The Lord of the Undying, Ashbringer seeks out mortals that have lost a loved one. Offering you revenge or a chance to bring back the dead, in exchange for their afterlife. Warlocks pledged to Ashbringer will no longer move on to the Golden Fields of the afterlife. But server her forever in her dark realms.

Death holds no sway her, who has unlocked the secrets of everlasting life, although such a prize—like all power—comes at a price. Once mortal, the Undying has seen mortal lifetimes pass like the seasons, like the flicker of endless days and nights. It has the secrets of the ages to share, secrets of life and death. She has told you of the potion she crafted to gain her Divinity, but not its secrets.

### Merillium, The Celestial Light

The Celestial Light, Merillium seeks out mortals that have unrepentable sins. She has offered you a chance to repent and be free of the mistakes you have made in the past. In exchange, she demands you bring her light to the darkest corners of the world.

Merillium is a powerful being of the Highest Planes. You have bound yourself to an ancient empyrean that resides in the planes of everlasting bliss. Your pact with that being allows you to experience the barest touch of the holy light that illuminates the multiverse.

Being connected to such power can cause changes in your behavior and beliefs. You might find yourself driven to annihilate the undead, to defeat fiends, and to protect the innocent. At times, your heart might also be filled with a longing for the celestial realm of your patron, and a desire to wander that paradise for the rest of your days. But you know that your mission is among mortals for now, and that your pact binds you to bring light to the dark places of the world.

### Homurea Seram, The Great Old One

The Great Old One seeks out mortals that have a deep desire to find Forbidden Knowledge. He promises to give you access to Cognitia, a library possessing all tomes that have existed since time immemorial. In exchange, you must give him a tome of significant value.

Your patron is a mysterious entity whose nature is utterly foreign to the fabric of reality. It comes from the Far Realm, the space beyond reality, or it could be one of the elder gods known only in legends. Its motives are incomprehensible to mortals, and its knowledge so immense and ancient that even the greatest libraries pale in comparison to the vast secrets it holds. The Great Old One might be unaware of your existence or entirely indifferent to you, but the secrets you have learned allow you to draw your magic from it.

### The Sea of Glamour, The Archfey

The Sea of Glamour is a sentient sea that exists in the Feywild. They seek mortals that are close to madness and insanity. They promise to cure you of your insanity and burdens of the mind.

Your patron is a lord or lady of the fey, a creature of legend who holds secrets that were forgotten before the mortal races were born. This being's motivations are often inscrutable, and sometimes whimsical, and might involve a striving for greater magical power or the settling of age-old grudges.