Trader of Favors, a Pactbinder.
Physical traits
Hell-Stuff Infused Body- I have the demon's strength, my body is as difficult to cut as stone and i can commit feats of might beyond even the most muscled mortal.
Demon-Eyed- There is little that can hide from the sight of a true demon, and with such sight i can pierce any illusion, see past any darkness.
Small Horns- I have small sharp horns growing upwards from my temples. Not the most intimidating or combat-worthy.
Demon's Claws- These claws, formed out of concentrated hell-stuff, can rend metal and tear flesh apart. They are useful both in and outside combat and are mostly retractable so as not to interfere with the use of my hands when i need them for more delicate tasks.
Various Minor Injuries-These things take a toll on me for now, but they will fade in time, especially if i can find some source of power to feed on...
Skills
Mercantilism (+5) Without skill in bargaining a pact-binder would be next to useless at his trade. My dealings with people of all kinds gives me a strong understanding of basic economics of all sorts, and great skill in barter and the negotiation of terms.
Power Brokering (+5) I am quite skilled in the subtle magic of transferring and consuming power, and in reaping the maximum Spritual benefit from my dealings with mortals
Clerical Skill (+5) I know how to keep careful records and write contracts without loopholes. I'm also handy at digging through information quickly and effectively.
Diplomacy (+2) While i have a much easier time in establishing "Mutually Beneficial" agreements my past as a trader and pact-binder have sometimes necessitated that i soothe sensibilities and turn potential enemies into potential customers.
Perquisites
Linguist I've learned many languages across the span of many worlds. While i havn't retained all of those languages i did make sure to protect the knack i have picked up for learning them quickly.
Debt Metabolist Not all demons possess the power to manipulate debt by their own power and use it to their own ends, i do.
Thought Attunement My Demonic Horns give me the power to read the emotions of mortals with ease, and even provide me with enough of their mental context that i can mostly understand what a mortal says even when i do not know their language.
Inventory
Masterfully made Human Noble-man's clothing. (worn silk and linen material)
Centaur Leather Belt (worn)
Centaur Leather Boots (worn)
Ice Wolf Fur Cloak (worn Four empty inner pockets)
Masterfully made multipurpose Backpack ((worn), mostly empty.)
-Stone of Hellstuff
-Iron-Bound Spellbook (Titled: Beyond Apprenticeship: Arcana for the Intermediate Practitioner)
Metaphysical Hoard
Entirely Empty
You stay within the entrance to the cave, aiming to wait out your weakness. While there you give a better examination of the goblin corpses sharing the entranceway with you.
Search 1d20-2(bleary eyed)= 7
Most obvious are the weapons lying unattended on the ground, a War-Axe and a a short sword, both made of iron and touched by rust. Leaning against the dirt wall lies a heavy, deeply scarred shield made of purple wood. The goblins themselves have been left to rot for at least a few months, their bodies already largely picked clean by the voracious pests that lie in such places. The armour of the goblin fighters is in awful condition, and never would have fit you to begin with even if it wasn't horribly torn and rusted. On one of the goblins however you do find a coin-purse with three iron coins inside and it's attached to a belt that might be usable, though it's still in rather poor condition. On the corpses there is some faded memory of fear and suffering that you can feel, though it is incredibly sparse. Your body is not well attuned to the metabolism of raw emotion, but you still might be able to gather some of the little that is here for your own use, though it would take time and concentration. Considering your lack of any form of metaphysical power at all it would be a comfort to have *something* to work with.
1d20+?=14
Luckily you do not have to wait long for your smuggler to arrive. His entrance is marked by a blast of heat and overwhelming scent, and there is a loud bang as he steps towards you. You have not met this demon before, and from what you can tell of his appearance it seems likely he's a low rung pactbinder, a nobody compared to who you were before, and yet immeasurably greater than what you are now. He flashes you a smug sharp toothed smile and uncurls his tail to extend to you the bundle of your possessions held there.
Firstly you dress. The clothing provided is of the finest human make, smooth silk and fine linen, with a belt and boots of centaur leather, and an ice-wolf fur cloak with four generous inner pockets. With that done you check the bag, finding both the spellbook and hellstuff stone within. The Bag itself is a backpack with two straps and over a dozen pockets of various sizes, an impressive and very efficient design capable of holding nearly anything that isn't too large, with one of the pockets even built in mind for accommodating liquids.
Once your scant possessions are in order the demon rubs his hands together gleefully and wordlessly begins the process of returning your powers to you. Your benefactor is very unskilled in the process, and his lack of talent or practice means that the bequeathal of power is an extremely painful process as your essence is shredded to make room for the hellstuff that soon infuses your body. You cry out often, and it is several minutes of torture before you are returned to some semblance of demonic glory. The demon seems to enjoy causing you suffering, the delicious rarity of a superior being eking out pain to a lesser who was once their own greater.
With some of your lost dignity restored you certainly feel a great deal less helpless, and your benefactor even decides you are at last worth speaking to. "
Your servant should be arriving in a day or so, at which time i and my employers will be released from all oaths made to you." The cruel creature pulls a human fingerbone from the sleeve of his voluminous robe and hands it to you, maintaining his gleeful grin. "
I've decided to take a risk on you however. I'm interested in acquiring valuable mortal goods. Emphasis on valuable. If you pull apart that fingerbone it will alert me. I will then spend the resources necessary to broker a trade with you for whatever it is you have decided warrants my attention. If i decide you have wasted my time, that will be the end of it, but if the trade is profitable for me i will give you another fingerbone. You won't find an easier way to access hell's markets for some time i'd wager, so if that's something you desire i imagine that i am your only option." As his smug words fade into the air he vanishes with another bang, unceremoniously, not even waiting for you to state whether you found such an arrangement agreeable or not, perhaps confident that you would.
Your perfect eyesight is returned to you however, and this enables you to at last get a proper look through the shroud of darkness in the cave. Deeper inside are a variety of bones, mostly picked clean, with scattered objects lying in their midst. The cave extends for only a few dozen feet before lazily snaking to the right and out of sight. If something is in here, it has likely heard your screams from earlier.
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Topic: Trader of Favors (A Rebooted Suggestion Game) (Read 16200 times)