Phistophilus (Contract Devil)

I'm tempted (get it?) to call the Contract Devil a quintessential one, because if there is one thing that we commonly associate with the devil, it's trying to pry mortals' souls away for a price, and this here baddie can do exactly that. A contract devil may offer an infernal contract that can grant any wish one might desire in exchange for their ever-living spirit being condemned to eternity in the fiery pits of Hell. As an added bonus, while the contract is in place, the devil always knows where you are.

In terms of its abilities, the phistophilus centers more around the social aspect, obviously, but can dish out some damage if need be (of note is that it attacks with the contracts attached to its horns, which are impervious to all damage). If the devil finds itself in a proverbial pickle, it can easily get away using its vast array of spells, should it find itself in serious danger.

So, how can we use the Contract Devil? To lure our players in with the promise of anything they might want, of course! I wouldn't put it past the fiend to appear before the party in their greatest time of need and offer them help, for a small price of one of their souls. The party can obviously try to retrieve their friend's spirit from Hell, but then again, that would be a direct violation of the contract, wouldn't it?

- Max

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - The Dealer is a Devil

Seemingly overnight, an old inn where even older sailors used to play games of chance grew into a gambling parlour the likes of which the world had never seen before. Set on three stories, with a small army of concierges, dice dealers, and bottle shakers in its employ, The Lucky Tooth is now an (in)famous institution. One of the things adding to the gambling parlour's popularity is that, unlike many other institutions of its kind, it will accept desperate calls of people to bet their clothing, horses or hounds, or even houses.

Hell, there are even rumors that a gaunt, clean-shaven, crimson-clad man will sometimes appear and offer the fallen one last chance: bet their immortal soul against as much as a thousand gold coins. After all, it's worth a shot, and they have nothing left to lose, right?

Hook 2 (TJ) - Get in Line

"I assure you, my terms are quite generous. Just sign here and you'll be anything you want to be, have whatever it is you want. A benevolent king, a ruthless despot, rich beyond your wildest dreams! I even had someone who wanted to be a dragon. Anything you want."

The terms were actually pretty generous. There was one sticking point, though. He pretended to mull it over, scratching at his stubble.

"Yeah, they do seem pretty generous. What about a deal that doesn't require my soul?"

"Darling, all I do is deal in souls."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, I just. The soul's off the table."

"What do you mean? You don't need it. It's not doing anything for you. It'll be in good keeping. All you have to do is sign here."

She had a point. A significant amount of power and prestige was being offered for something he didn't need right here and now. It was still a problem, though.

"Yeah, I still think that's a no-can-do. Sorry, I'll have to walk away from this one."

He could see the exasperation (and maybe a hint of desperation) flash across her face for the briefest of moments.

"Why not? I've been more than generous, we spent hours going over terms. You're going to leave it on the table here and now? One soul for anything you could ever want."

"Yeah, see, about that, there's the problem. See, I don't have my soul anymore. Already traded it. There's a bit of a line to get it."

The disbelief and genuine shock on her face lingered a bit longer. To her credit, she recovered quickly.

"That's no." She cleared her throat. "That's no problem. I don't normally do this, it's generally below us. What about your firstborn?"

"Yeah, see, about that..."

Hook 3 (Reece) - Piled on Paranoia

Shybrandila Shiver-tongue is on figuratively thin ice with her Archdevil. After botching up a deal with an evil fey, as well as cutting a deal with a mortal king that went awry, she is looking to up her soul-trading game. 

Mendar The Wise has been making somewhat questionable choices as of late. The aging Lord Commander of the Steelcap Knights believes that the local villages are plotting to storm their keep and steal from the order. Shybrandila, knowing him paranoid in his older age, has been whispering of dissent to Mendar and his eldest advisors, sowing dissent among them. 

Having primed the leaders of the order, Brandi is looking for some adventurers of questionable morals to scare the old knight by posing as thieving villagers. Should some actual stealing occur, she doesn't care either way, so long as she can drive the entire order to do terrible things to the locals, damning them all the same...