[quote=@Noxious]
<Snipped quote by Fizzy>

In my opinion, I would keep your basis as ritual magic. Contracts are something you [i]could[/i] get into but maybe hold off for real need. Your character would understand that contracts are pretty serious and if you can manage without them all the better. I also think that catering to a deity with a ritual is a gray area of contracts, mostly limited contracts and closer related to ritual (in a giving something to take something sort of way) than signing over your soul.

Hellis probably has something to add.
[/quote]

Kind of what I was thinking - using a ritual would result in creating a temporary contract with another entity, with an exchange of favours and power. The more powerful the entity or the more serious the request the greater the price requested, with the wording and agreement being incredibly important factors in the process.