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[quote][i]I suppose it could be liberating to take a leap of faith, to shrug off the burden of proof for the promise of hope. It takes trust to turn darkness to light. And those who trust risk putting their faith in the wrong hands. For there are those who pray for you... and those who prey on you. And no matter how careful you are, sometimes you just can't tell the difference.[/i][/quote][/center]

Welcome one and all, to Hellpact! This is a mature game with mature themes dealing with the occult, warlocks, exorcisms, demons, and everything that goes along with that. The premise is fairly simple. About 5-7 warlocks/occultists/exorcists from around the world are invited to a single location together, in Boston Massachusetts. A summons they cannot ignore, they find themselves working together, or butting heads together, in the service of a mysterious benefactor who desires to hire them in search of answers to mysterious paranormal goings on in the city... And maybe beyond. Every choice has a consequence, every action leads to both bad and good. The struggle of a warlock is one of the soul, and damnation. How much of yourself are you willing to compromise in order to get what you want? 

Though they possess their own magics, a human isn't capable of much more than the paltry cantrips, the basics of divination, tracking, low grade telekinesis, and some exorcisms. Anything of a greater potence simply isn't within the realm of human magic (unless they have an especially potent Magic Focus, but more on that later). In order to achieve greater power one must make a [b]Pact[/b] with a [b]Demon.[/b] Once they have reached an accord, the [b]Demon[/b] grants the human (now known as a [b]Warlock[/b]) access to a number of abilities within their domain of power, called a [b]Gift.[/b] But be warned, for every time you call upon your [b]Gifts[/b] you must pay the price set forth in your [b]Pact.[/b] Another facet of your agreement is the ability to summon the [b]Demon[/b] to act on your behalf directly, a mighty boon indeed, for even the weakest of [b]Demons[/b] hold significant power. Of course, asking for their direct intervention is incredibly costly...

[h3][b]Lexicon[/b][/h3]
[list][*][i]Occultist:[/i] Anybody who possesses knowledge/interest in the magical arts. May or may not be a warlock, may or may not know their own form of magic.
[*][i]Warlock:[/i] An occultist who has forged at least 1 Pact with a demon. 
[*][i]Magic Focus:[/i] An object which has been magically attuned to an occultist's soul, allowing them to better channel their spellcraft. The more personal an object is, the more potent an effect it creates. The truly depraved have been known to use family members to create the most impressive human magic possible, but this is seen as incredibly vile.
[*][i]Demon:[/i] In more modern times, the word has changed meaning to refer explicitly to evil Hellspawn that lead you astray from the path of God. While these exist, this world deals primarily in the original meaning of the word, or "daemons" if you prefer. Essentially, demons as a whole are [i]any[/i] magical or mythological beings outside of mundane human perception, which includes the modern idea of demons as well as fae, angels, spirits, and just about anything else you can think of. Demons [i]do not[/i] exist on a human scale or morality. They instead embody specific virtues, ideas, emotions, etc. and operate in accordance to what they represent, in what many call "Blue and Orange" morality. A fire elemental does not burn out of spite, rage, or because it is evil. It burns because it [i]has[/i] to, it has no choice in the matter, for anything that spreads fire is "good" while anything that stops fire is "bad." A spirit of love will help the hapless find love, but it will also react violently to anybody trying to split up people who are in an abusive relationship. It does not care whether or not that love is [i]healthy,[/i] only that the love [i]exists.[/i] It is for these reasons that Pacts between a demon and a Warlock can end very badly, because they are completely incapable of acting outside their nature, for better or for worse.
[*][i]Pact:[/i] An agreement between a Warlock and a Demon. The details always vary and can be very circumstantial, but the core boils down to the demon bestowing a number of Gifts on the warlock in exchange of receiving something else in return. The Pact will usually, but not always, include a clause that allows the warlock to summon the demon, with a greater cost than normal. Should a Warlock ever fail to pay the price owed for their Gifts, or summonings, there can only be one recompense-they will lose their immortal soul.
[*][i]Gift:[/i] Abilities relating to a demon's domain of power, which they provide to a warlock during a Pact. Every Gift incurs a penalty with each and every use, some sort of reparation or debt that must be paid to the demon that gave it to them. If a fire elemental bestowed the Gift of fireballs to a warlock, they may require the Warlock burn down one tree every time they cast a fireball, for example. Even Gifts that may seem to be passive or always active, such as enlightened knowledge, are inaccessible unless the Warlock actively chooses to use that knowledge and thus incur the price.[/list]

[h3][b]Rules[/b][/h3]
[list][*]Looking for between 5-7 characters. I do not work off of first come first serve. Character submissions will be closed off 7 days after the posting of this OOC at which point in time all CSes will be judged and chosen based on merit.
[*]GM's word is law, but sometimes the law is meant to be bent a little. I'm always open to discussion. That said, when I give the final say, it is the final say.
[*]This is a post by post RP directed by the GM. You control your character and only your character. All other details, including NPCs, world environments, and events, are determined by me.
[*]All characters are called to 1313 Faust Dr., Boston Massachusetts from wherever they live in the world, whether it be a simple letter in the mail, a magical rune that appeared on their wall, or what.
[*]Characters are all occultists. Whether you want them to know any magic, or be a warlock, is up to you.
[*]If starting as a warlock, you may begin with a Pact with up to two minor demons, or one moderate demon.
[*]If you read this, add "I walk this path alone, who would walk with me?" in the "other" section of the CS. If you do not, it is void and will not be judged.
[*]Characters are only human, no demons.
[*]All normal site rules apply.[/list]

[hider=Character Sheet][center][h1][b]Character Name Here[/b][/h1]
Reference image here if applicable, otherwise remove this section
"Character quote here"[/center]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Alias:[/b] Any nicknames or aliases your character goes by
[b]Age:[/b] How old are they?
[b]Gender:[/b] Male? Female? Other?
[b]Nationality:[/b] Where in the world do they hail from?
[b]Appearance:[/b] What do they look like? If you provided a reference image, this must still be filled out.

[b]History:[/b] A detailed look at how they became who they are now up until they received their invitation to Boston.
[b]Sin:[/b] Which is the Seven Deadly Sins do they identify with most?
[b]Virtue:[/b] Which of the Seven Heavenly Virtues do they identify with most?
[b]Personality:[/b] A general idea of who they are and how they think.

[b]Skills:[/b] What mundane, nonmagical skills do they possess? Since magic, especially warlock magic, comes with a price, many occultists try to train themselves up in other ways so they won't have to use it.
[b]Spells:[/b] If you possess magic, what spells do you know? Up to three max, and they must be low level.
[b]Focus:[/b] If you know magic, what do you use to focus your energies?
[b]Equipment:[/b] Any other mundane equipment you have on your person at any given point in time, apart from the obvious we can always assume like wallet, keys, etc.

[b]Other:[/b] Any other tidbits you feel are necessary to add to your CS that aren't represented elsewhere.

[h3][b]Pacts[/b][/h3]

[b]Name:[/b] The name of the demon you have a Pact with.
[b]Titles:[/b] Any titles the demon goes by.
[b]Ranking:[/b] 1-5, 1 being weakest 5 being strongest. Starting out you are allowed a max of two demon pacts, the total of which may add to 3 or less.
[b]Domains:[/b] What aspects does this demon hold power over? Animals? Fire? Knowledge? Nature? Etc.
[b]Appearance:[/b] What does the demon look like? If you use an image you do not need to write out a description, but make sure to put it in a hider.
[b]Gifts:[/b] You may start with a total of 2 gifts (one from each demon or both from a single demon) and they must be presented here in a list format.
[list][*][i]Gift Name:[/i] What is it called?
[*][i]Effect:[/i] What does it do?
[*][i]Cost:[/i] What must your character do to pay the demon back for using the gift? Remember that this cost must be paid every time they activate the gift, and it should pertain to the demon's domains in some way.[/list]
[b]Summon Cost:[/b] What must you pay the demon for bringing it forth into the material world to do your bidding? Remember it should pertain to its domains and be a very high price, not something you'd want to pay out unless you had no other options.[/hider]

[hider=Character Sheet Source Code][code][center][h1][b]Character Name Here[/b][/h1]
Reference image here if applicable, otherwise remove this section
"Character quote here"[/center]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Alias:[/b] Any nicknames or aliases your character goes by
[b]Age:[/b] How old are they?
[b]Gender:[/b] Male? Female? Other?
[b]Nationality:[/b] Where in the world do they hail from?
[b]Appearance:[/b] What do they look like? If you provided a reference image, this must still be filled out.

[b]History:[/b] A detailed look at how they became who they are now up until they received their invitation to Boston.
[b]Sin:[/b] Which is the Seven Deadly Sins do they identify with most?
[b]Virtue:[/b] Which of the Seven Heavenly Virtues do they identify with most?
[b]Personality:[/b] A general idea of who they are and how they think.

[b]Skills:[/b] What mundane, nonmagical skills do they possess? Since magic, especially warlock magic, comes with a price, many occultists try to train themselves up in other ways so they won't have to use it.
[b]Spells:[/b] If you possess magic, what spells do you know? Up to three max, and they must be low level.
[b]Focus:[/b] If you know magic, what do you use to focus your energies?
[b]Equipment:[/b] Any other mundane equipment you have on your person at any given point in time, apart from the obvious we can always assume like wallet, keys, etc.

[b]Other:[/b] Any other tidbits you feel are necessary to add to your CS that aren't represented elsewhere.

[h3][b]Pacts[/b][/h3]

[b]Name:[/b] The name of the demon you have a Pact with.
[b]Titles:[/b] Any titles the demon goes by.
[b]Ranking:[/b] 1-5, 1 being weakest 5 being strongest. Starting out you are allowed a max of two demon pacts, the total of which may add to 3 or less.
[b]Domains:[/b] What aspects does this demon hold power over? Animals? Fire? Knowledge? Nature? Etc.
[b]Appearance:[/b] What does the demon look like? If you use an image you do not need to write out a description, but make sure to put it in a hider.
[b]Gifts:[/b] You may start with a total of 2 gifts (one from each demon or both from a single demon) and they must be presented here in a list format.
[list][*][i]Gift Name:[/i] What is it called?
[*][i]Effect:[/i] What does it do?
[*][i]Cost:[/i] What must your character do to pay the demon back for using the gift? Remember that this cost must be paid every time they activate the gift, and it should pertain to the demon's domains in some way.[/list]
[b]Summon Cost:[/b] What must you pay the demon for bringing it forth into the material world to do your bidding? Remember it should pertain to its domains and be a very high price, not something you'd want to pay out unless you had no other options.[/code][/hider]


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