Faustian Pacts

> "The first lesson you need to learn is that devils and demons are not at all alike. See, demons—they’re predictable. They come right at you, like bundles of white-hot rage given fangs and claws. But a devil—he’ll be your friend, and like a friend, he’ll help you out of a jam, see. Need a few coins to get by? The devil’s got a few to spare. Need a warm body to fill your bed? The devil knows the best ladies. Want status? Riches? Property? Magic? Power? The devil has the answers. He’ll give you all you want and more. And what does he want in exchange? Just a little thing—a trifle, really. And it won’t affect you in the slightest. All he wants is your soul. You just have to sign your name on the dotted line in your own blood, and you’ll be set for life. But if you ever do it—and you’ll be tempted in our line of work—you let me know. Because I’ll be waiting in line to send your no-good, damned soul straight to your new master—guaranteed."
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> - Saint Aevon of Whitecastle
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**Faustian Pacts**, otherwise known as **Infernal Pacts** or **Devil Pacts**, are a form of pact magic utilized by the denizens of the Nine Hells of Baator. Direct, cutthroat, and heavily regulated, Faustian Pacts offer mortals quick and effective methods of attaining power, often at an exhorbitant price.

## Description

Faustian Pacts are considered the most effective tool in a devils' arsenal to corrupt mortals. While copies for both parties exist, the devil typically gives the mortal's copy only when pressed on the issue. The mortal's blood is used for signature. There are two kinds of contracts that can be made with mortals. The devils call them the Pact Certain and the Pact Insidious. These names are usually not shared with mortals, as their names bely their true nature.

The Pact Certain is a contract that the devils prefer because it is fast and easy to establish. The mortal immediately hands over their soul to Baator on death in exchange for a service provided by the signing devil. Barring proving that the pact is signed under some form of duress like torture, these pacts' terms are impossible to adjudicate.

The Pact Insidious is a bit different. Here, a mortal and a devil agree upon exchanging services. Namely, the devil provides the mortal with something and the mortal has to act in some manner that the devil wants them to. It is possible to make multiple follow-up contracts that give the receiving mortals more benefits in return of additonal behaviors they must follow. Failing to act in such manner means that the mortal loses the contract's benefits. Agreeing to such a Pact Insidious in itself is not an act that shackled one's soul to Baator, but acting in ways that are specified within the contract or contracts means that one acts in ways that push them ever closer to Baator's alignment, risking their damnation should they die. Discussing the issue with others is impossible for mortals every Pact Insidious includes a clause forbidding the discussion of the contract's contents with other people.

The benefits a devil gives a mortal are calculated against the likelihood of the mortal reaching Baator on death. A person who is unlikely to do so can actually negotiate the best terms, while somebody who is likely to reach Baator without a deal with a devil is not really capable of negotiating good terms. This is because devils' resources are ultimately limited. Therefore, devils always calculate how much to give a mortal to gain his or her soul. Apart from the unlikelihood of a soul to enter Baator, the power held by a mortal to be corrupted is also a measure that increases a mortal's soul's value in the eyes of a devil. This applies both to political power like that of a member of royalty, or individual power like that of an experienced adventurer. Both can gain terms a weak beggar could never hope of achieving.

As mentioned above, the benefits a mortal can reap from a contract with a devil are those that the devil has to somehow provide. A devil might have a network of spies that allows it to provide information to the mortal, raiders under contract to obtain the necessary wealth, or some infernal cultists who can provide the mortal who sold his or her soul with some insider trades to benefit from. Actual magical help from the devil is possible, but rare and only done when it cannot provide the asked service in mundane ways. This can lead to an archdevil being petitioned to enact a miracle for the mortal.

Devils' claims on a soul can be successfully legally challenged by a mortal. This is possible when either of two conditions are met: the mortal is somehow forced into the contract, or when the devil's end of the bargain is not met. However, this is only possible after the mortal's death, meaning the mortal's soul reaching Baator, and the devils put no effort into clarifying the mortals on their right to challenge their fate. When this right is invoked, a fair trial is called in. The mortal obtains one advocate. This advocate is by default a falxugon or an erinyes, but the mortal has the right to appoint anybody for this role, and the devils will genuinely put effort into contacting this person. However, the potential advocate is left alone when it comes to figuring out how to go to Baator to do their job. Naturally, the mortal's advocate is opposed by one on the devil's side who tries to make a case for the soul's damnation. A tyrannugon usually serves as the judge. In this role, the fiends actually act in a fair manner. It is entirely possible that a mortal wins his or her case, but has to enter Baator anyway, because of his or her moral and ethical outlook.

## Example

### CONTRACT FOR ACQUISITION OF A MORTAL SOUL

The undersigned party, hereafter referred to as the “beneficiary”, relinquishes to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, hereafter referred to as simply the "Benefactor", the payments outlined below in exchange for any benefits and/or services outlined below, subject to all other terms and constraints herein.

The Benefactor may assign representatives in the obtaining and enforcement of this contract. The list of such representatives for this contract may change at any time at the pleasure of The benefactor. The list of representatives may also change in the event of an infernal representative adding or removing a lower ranking representative in the infernal hierarchy. The benefactor and any of her representatives assigned to the enforcement of this contract are hereafter collectively referred to as the service providers.

###### PAYMENTS:

The beneficiary agrees to surrender the beneficiary’s soul to the ownership of the service providers, as of the time of the beneficiary’s first death. In particular, the Benefactor claims ultimate personal ownership of the paid soul.

###### BENEFITS AND/OR SERVICES:

1. Continued protection from scrying, divination and/or location by the previously stated or unstated interested third parties.
2. Aid in remediation of current situation(s) or hazard(s), including the avoidance of pain of death and/or excessive damage to the beneficiary’s current mortal vessel.
3. Selective and continued aid and assistance for a period of time determined at the pleasure of the Benefactor.
4. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
5. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

###### MONITORING:

In order to ensure the most lawful and pleasant experience possible to the beneficiary, the service providers maintain the right to monitor the beneficiary’s conduct and location for the entirety of the beneficiary’s material life (or lives) and afterlife (or afterlives).

The beneficiary forfeits any usual expectation of willfully resisting, avoiding or being perpetually aware of monitoring efforts.

###### BREACH OF CONTRACT:

If the beneficiary breaches any of the terms of this contract, the beneficiary forfeits all rights to any benefits or services granted by the contract or outside of the contract by service providers. Any benefits or services rendered by service providers and assets of the beneficiary may be removed or reversed by service providers as service providers see fit. The beneficiary will still owe all past, present, and future payments.

The beneficiary agrees to any means of manipulating the beneficiary’s body and/or soul beginning immediately upon a breach of contract.

The beneficiary agrees not to personally plan, prepare, or attempt to breach contract in the future, not to collude with third parties to do so, and to fully disclose to service providers the details of any plans or preparations for breach of contract that may have been made prior to the agreement.

The beneficiary agrees to make this disclosure before signing. Bringing physical harm to a service provider, lying to a service provider, or writing down ideas for ways of destroying copies of the contract without permission are examples of attempts to breach contract.

###### CANCELLATION:

The service providers maintain the right to cancel this agreement at any time. All payments completed prior to cancellation and all services or benefits rendered prior to cancellation remain as paid or rendered, but future payments, services, and benefits are immediately voided.

###### EXPLICIT CONTEXT ONLY:

Unless otherwise explicitly stated in this document, the binding terms of this contract are contained exclusively within the text of this document itself.

COPIES of this contract are equally as binding as the original. Benefits and services do not compound with multiple copies. All copies must be destroyed across all planes for the contract to be nullified, with the exception of the terms of the "cancellation" section above. Once the original contract is signed, additional copies do not require a personal signature of the beneficiary as long as at least one other copy exists. The beneficiary agrees not to willfully destroy any copies of this contract. The beneficiary waives any right to hold a copy of this contract after signing. The beneficiary waives any right to memories of this contract after signing. The beneficiary agrees to replacement memories sufficient to explain the obtainment of any benefits and/or services by means other than this contract, after signing.

If the beneficiary has not died within  \_\_\_\_\_ years of signing this contract, the beneficiary agrees to make all payments at that time.

BENEFICIARY SIGNATURE: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

BENEFICIARY BLOOD OATH:

(hand/finger print made in blood)