Devils and Contracts

Research by Sakura no Kaze After the Battle of Toldoth, we found that many Magisters had left with the Devils. This in itself was very troubling. Even more so when they returned just a couple of weeks later, aged more than 10 years and with hybrid children in hand (they produced Tiefling offspring with their Devil mates). Perhaps this was how they were to fulfill their end of the contract they agreed to. One result of their return was the creation of a permanent Gate within Magistry walls. I found this extremely troubling and thus went to research a bit more on this topic so that I may learn more about what we've done. Below are my notes for all to learn from.

I found a vast number of references to dealing with devils and similarly unsavory folk from the planes of Hell. It's surprisingly more commonplace than I thought possible, and while the creatures of hell are generally an evil lot, they seem to be more of a lawful lot than anything else. They value their hierarchical pecking order over all else, and consistently try to make deals with all manner of creature. One thing of note, Devils seem bound so fiercely to their own impositions of law, they do not simply honor the letter of their contracts, they truly honor the spirit of them. For Devils, making deals and contracts seems like such a commonplace nuisance it would be impossible to get anything done, very unlike elves who believe freedom is the highest form of self-expression.

There are a number of references to people making deals with infernal creatures for power, wealth, love, and a number of other things. The reasons for signing a contract seem to cover nearly all manner of dilemma or shortcoming. There are more than a couple of lords and ladies who made their deals known upon their deathbed, often to save their fiefdoms, manors, or greathouses.

The deal that has been penned by the Magistery is relatively clear:

1. Devils will anchor Avernus to the Material Plane.
2. We are allowed to travel to Avernus freely, if we so choose.
3. Devils must be summoned or receive permission to use the Gate to travel to the Material Plane.

There is a great deal of tumult and chaos in the space between the planes, and anchoring Avernus with a permanent gate with high proximity to the Magistery's artifact allows the planes of hell to "settle" some, preventing them from spinning wildly in the cosmos, and tempering the time dilation between realms as well.