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This thread is about 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragon's Warlock Class. Or rather, it's about the different Pacts that a Warlock can choose as the origin of their powers.

A Warlock is granted power by entering into a bargain of some kind, (usually via dread rituals and forgotten lore) with a powerful entity. For the purpose of the thread, I'll call this entity the Warlock's 'Patron'.

The Patron, it is safe to assume, is not just giving out arcane might like candy on halloween. The Patron is getting something in return. It's possible that a one-off sacrifice, gift or service is enough, as once a Warlock has his power, it really is his power. Just as possibly, the Warlock could have an on-going relationship with his Patron, either performing occaisional services, devoting himself entirely to the goals of his patron, or what have you.


I shall be using the thread to write up possible Patrons (Like the Archfey in the Manual of the Planes, for example), as well as possible exchanges, services and so on that the patron may require of his Warlock.

If you have ideas of your own or so on, feel free to add them to the thread for our mutual amusements and/or people to borrow, whether serious or jokey.

Table of Contents;
Parton/s - Suggested pact boon

1) Asmodeus - Infernal (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1647#msg1647)
2) The Lovecraft Mythos - Star (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1651#msg1651)
3) The Flower King - Fey (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1657#msg1657)
4) Lolth - Dark (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1659#msg1659)
5) Ogg'Ullothon - Star (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1662#msg1662)
6) Corrigan the Briar Witch - Fey (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1691#msg1691)
7) The Bloodthorn - Fey (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1780#msg1780)
8) Nip - Fey or Infernal (http://www.bigbangburgerbar.co.uk/Forum/index.php?topic=549.msg1888#msg1888)

[Patron]

The infernal pact assumes and implies that you are, in fact, making a bargain with devils, if not merely following nebulous and indefinate 'proceedures' that a group of rogue devils taught the nobles of Bael Turath in ancient times.

Now, if you've got the guts for it, why not go straight to the top? If you can even begin to offer the Devil Asmodeus, (King of Hell and now a God in his own right) something that he actually wants, or could use, then surely your power would be unrivalled?

[The Deal]

Asmodeus is the most cunning and duplicitous of all devils. His mind is so dangerous a weapon that he has the entirety of Hell itself dancing to his own tune and even his most elaborately sneaky of 'rivals' cannot hope to begin to understand the scope of Asmodeus's plans and schemes. When making a deal with Asmodeus, you can try to be careful, but chances are, you are not going to get the best of it.

Here are some general things to remember when designing a deal with Asmodeus - He is true to his word. Entirely, and without fail. Asmodeus will not break the deal, or lie directly about the nature of it. He will not go behind your back and work to undermine the agreement. Likewise, he will hold you to the exact letter of your word.
This is not to say that such deals are safe. The above is exactly the source of the danger. Perhaps more than any other patron, one such as Asmodeus will not give power loosely, he will benefit immensely from any such bargain. Dangerous quests, priceless artifacts and the kind of secrets that topple empires are not above the level of one-off offerings that Asmodeus might demand.

More likely, however, Asmodeus would value continuing service over a one-time exchange. You might find yourself agreeing to;

1) Turn your body over to asmodeus for a year and a day, once every decade of your life. For a year and a Day, your flesh would provide a powerful devil practically unlimited access to the prime matirial plane. If you are lucky and have bargained well, you may have knowledge of the time when your service begins each decade, but likely it will be left to Asmodeu's whim.

2) Provide regular sacrifices of gold and powerful artifacts to hidden cults of Asmodeus (Or, depending on the setting, the appropriate Churches of Asmodeus). Perhaps the quantity and regularity are left up to yourself, but more likely a certain pre-agreed quantity or worth would be set. Perhaps the items you are to sacrifice would not even be of your choosing, with compulsions sent to you whenever you came into possession of suitably 'useful' artifacts. Perhaps, you would be compelled or commanded to provide items you do not already even possess, forcing you to obtain them at any cost or face the (Quite probably pre-agreed) sanctions.

3) Serve Asmodeus directly. Periodically, you are sent commands, requests, suggestions upon which it is...probably best that you act promptly and decisively. Often, these commands would make very little sense to you, or seem trivial things. Other times, you may be called upon to tackle near-impossible tasks. Whichever type, failure will carry a heavy price. Again, the exact nature of the service could vary immensely and will almost certainly play to the characters strengths, but it is best to assume that if a high chance of failure exists, then it could well be the outcome most beneficial to Asmodeus, who will insure in such things that he benefits whatever the outcome. Not that it will make the punishment for failure any more lenient, even if he was counting on it!

Played best, even the form your punishments take should benefit Asmodeus in some way, even, (or especially) If it does not seem to. 


[Good or Evil acts?]

It is worth noting that the Devil Asmodeus is far too cunning to rule out tasks or ploys of any nature, should they benefit him. If a character is interested in playing a Good Aligned Warlock with an Infernal Pact, it is worth remembering that Asmodeus is quite capable of getting vast benefits from using such a tool, even if he restricts his requested sacrifices and tasks to exclusively 'Positive' deeds. It is not important for the character to understand how Asmodeus could possibly benefit from such tasks. It isn't even entirely necessary for the DM to understand how, just so long as he is aware that somehow, in some way, Asmodeus will benefit from the task.

The Devil always wins.

A few Q&A:

• How do you know about the Warlock class? If you're an 'Insider' i demand copies of character builders etc.!
• For some reason, your post sounds like a sales pitch (!). I can imagine this leaflet dropping through my letterbox next to a 2 for 1 on pizzas. Can you design this whim into a reality?
• Religious patrons....unique powers...are a Warlocks abilities more awesome than a Clerics?
• Which Deity would i be most interested in?  - Ooh ooh, do him/her/it next!

Thus ends my thoughts for today. +:sleepy3=+::sleepy3:

I know about the warlock class on account of it being in the same players handbook that I have been using for the last calender year.
Not what I'd call insider information, really, cheif.

As far as sales pitches, have you considered accepting our Lord Asmodeus into your life?

Seriously though, Asmodeus is generally the only God who's likely to ever give out 'Warlock' stuff, on account of his special status as both God and Devil. Considering the origin of Warlocks and Warlock pacts come from a group of Devils who were not loyal to Asmodeus giving the nobles of Bael Turath essentially 'Free Ultimate Powerz!' (and creating Teiflings in the process), Asmodeus is likely to be a very rare patron.

The specifics of any pact that is to be with Asmodeus himself is entirely up to any DM allowing/using any of this stuff working it out with the player in question. It certainly should not result in any specific extra benefits for the player, except in the way of Roleplaying stuff to get their teeth into. Further, I'd say that given that it's with such a collossally important entity, any pact with Asmodeus should be particularly demanding and epic in nature, where-as it's quite fair for other, less 'major' patrons to have a much wider range of possible 'deals'.

Basically, if you want the bragging rights of getting your power Direct from a Greater Deity, you're really going to have to earn them!

Just a quick one today;


The Great Old Ones and Outer Gods of the Lovecraft/Cthulhu Mythos are perfect inspiration for Star-Pact patrons. I'm not going to go through any in particular and list interpretations etc, though. Suffice it to say, that one of the most important parts in designing an arrangement with one of the lovecraftian entities is that Evil is not a description that really fits.

One of the central themes of the lovecraft mythos is the complete and utter unimportance of humanity. In that context, human constructs such as 'Good' and 'Evil' are even more meaningless than usual. The best way to portray or conceive of most of them is essentially Ammoral.

The Great Old ones, if the DM is willing to incorporate them in any significant way, would make great Patrons. In the Mythos, the Great Old Ones (Including Cthulhu himself) are generally 'Dead but Dreaming' and generally entombed/imprisoned and so on throughout the world and space in general. They may eventually require mortal assistance when the stars align, to kick-start their return, and are often associated with 'Cults' in the original pieces.
This would give plenty to build on, if the DM is interested. However, like many of the other entities of the Mythos, it is quite simple to merely treat them as being 'of the Far Realm' and impossibly distant, instead. This means that they can be indirectly incorporated, allowing an interested player to have some kind of Pact with one of the Horrors, without the DM necessarily having to re-write his setting into a Lovecraftian mein.

One-off sacrifices for mind-destroying power and eternal servitude are quite appropriate for many of the Entities, and I reccommend skimming through either Wikipedia or any more cthulhian Wiki's out there (http://www.yog-sothoth.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page).

It is worth noting, however, that in contrast to, say, Asmodeus, most of the Lovecraftian Entities are vast, distant and uncaring in comparison. They are quite likely to be much less 'hands on' and controlling, because as they are Impossible Alien Horrors from (or who exist entirely) Outside the known and knowable Cosmology/Universe, they often have much less at stake.

Wherever possible, link them to DnD's abberations and the Far Realm. Mad Cults hidden at the fringes of society, or unspeakable empires of the Underdark are all perfect strongholds. Lets Face it, the Illithids certainly could do with some Gods of their own, so to speak, right?

very interesting I always saw Warlocks as making pacts with either second line powers (rebel devils) or those like the Chthloid ones Tiki mentioned which are too alien to have or be interested in conventional clerical  organizations, or working clandestinely (the Primordials). My one other candidate for a pact type would be elemental where the Warlock gained their power through a pact or pacts with the denizens of elemental chaos though this might be a build which will appear in arcane power as it seems such an obvious gap. Multiple pacts also seems a possibility with the Warlock gaining power from whoever they can scrounge it off of through one off agreements perhaps thereby gaining a range of powers from across the current pact types.

 >:DGinger

Sounds interesting. Why dedicate yourself to the one deity when you can be sycophantic towards many of them and gain a diversity of powers? Reminds me of a certain game where doing a favour for one of the 15 gods (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Sheogorath) got you a nice reward (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Wabbajack) in return. Shame this sort of stuff hasn't happened in any campaigns yet really.  :-\

Dat FYI I believe that Wednesday Vince is the only one with a subscription to D&D insider at the moment though if you suddenly wanted a painted army >:D ;) then I could afford to subscribe myself . Indeed if I could get you addicted to wargaming then well.....

 >:DGinger 

The Devil will not, I repeat, Will NOT give you Real Ultimate Power(tm) in exchange for a head of cabbage and a bit of old yarn. Just so you know. :)

A Link; 'Feylocks; Who is giving them power? (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1094393)

Beautiful and Terrible, a being of Ammoral Benevolance and a quicksilver temperment. The Flower King is an Archfey of either Eldarin or more likely Elven origin, the issue is somewhat clouded by time. He stands outside of the major Factions (Such as the Summer, Green and Winter Fey) but who never-the-less holds great individual power and is respected by many of the prime movers and shakers in the Court of Stars.

As the fey would put it, he is very much 'Seelie'. That is, he is essentially benevolent towards mortal-kind and can be trusted to honor his word with them, provided he is given his due respect. In comparison to many of the Archfey of the Court of Stars, he is both pragmatic and pro-active outside of his own Demesne and the spheres of Fey Politics. When powerful beings intrude upon the Feywild (Such as intruding Demons or Devils, or the Orcus's foul undead) in any numbers, He is amongst the first to raise his blade and make war.

A master of powerful Magics and an ellusive and relentless warrior, The Flower King can raise a powerful force when spurred to such action, despite lacking particularly close allies in the Court of Stars. Many Eldarin and not some fey Elves dedicate themselves to the Archfey. He is seen to symbolise the 'element of goodness' and all that is colorful & joyful as well as all that grows and expands. His followers espouse the importance of Love and Forgiveness in general life. When the Flower King's ire is raised, however, it is as terrible as the storm, both as sudden and as destructive.

[The Deal]
In his normally effervescent mood, the Flower King is a whimsical and generous creature. It is easy to underestimate his intelligence and his resolve. He is one of the most genuinely Benevolent of the Archfey, and is quite willing to enter into such pacts with mortals in exchange for either goods or services. Expensive 'Sacrifices' are unlikely to tempt him, but he may well require that a petitioner prove their worth (and their generally decent nature) by performing some kind of fanciful task or dangerous quests. Romantics and Idealists are likely to find the price they pay for power to be much less significant than more morally ambiguous types or those with particularly grim personalities.

Ongoing 'services' and possible exchanges could include some of the following;

1) Dedicating themselves entirely to the Flower King, the Warlock uses their gift to secure the few 'points of light' in the dark world of the mortal-plane in his name. Ridding great forests of the unnatural forces that taint them, destroying the undead and banishing powerful fiends become the life-long quest of the Warlock. It is expected that such a character take measures not to cut themselves off too fully from normal life however, for the Flower King espouses the importance of simple pleasures and quiet contemplation.

2) Rallying friends and neighbors, the Character clears out a Zombie Haunted graveyard, Spider infested Wood, or similar source of ongoing danger and peril for the people of his region. If he survives, then in exchange for his valour, the Flower King rewards him the powers of the Warlock.

3) In addition to his arcane might, the Warlock receives a magic bag of seeds. In exchange for the gift of power, the Warlock must plant the seeds on his travels, whenever possible. The seeds are entirely mundane, though the flowering plants that spring forth in the months following usually prove both spectacularly beautiful and suprisingly hardy. The bag, when emptied, is left outside at night under a full moon. Observed or Otherwise, the bag will be full anew in the morning.


[Evil and Unaligned Warlocks?]
Whereas Good Warlocks should in most cases find a good fit with The Flower King, (Though the more puritan and judgemental one is, the less likely they are to find favour), Evil and Unaligned Warlocks aren't such a neat fit. Evil thoughts and Evil Deads committed prior to seaking the pact will likely mean that a Warlock must undergo many arduous trials, both obvious or otherwise, in an attempt to attone and prove they have changed. Evil deads after the Pact has been sealed will not lead to the removal of the characters powers, but will likely lead to the Flower King moving agents of his will against the character.
'Betraying' the Flower King in such a way is likely to end messily for the Evil Character in question, though if the player wishes, the DM should make the possibility of Redemption available.  (Likewise backing out of their part of the pact should, perhaps, have similar consequences. Even the most Benevolent of Fey would likely react badly to being short-changed or taken for granted!)

Unaligned Characters will likewise have to tread carefully. 'Law' means little to such Archfey, and the specifics of their moral codes are often unfathomable, but outright acts of Evil should be avoided. Morally Grey areas are less likely to instigate a Hunt, (such as petty theft, lying, torturing your enemies), but if a significant pattern of 'Gritty' 'Grim' behaviour develops, it's quite possible that the Warlock will 'Fall out of Favour' to some degree, though possibly not to the point of outright hostility.

Whatever the general nature of the character, it is important to note that like much of the Court of Stars, the Flower King values good manners in general, and respect in particular. Being rude or offensive to a 'kindly old crone' would not, in and of itself, likely cause any reprocussions (Other than the anger of the old lady herself!) but if the Old Crone is a fey Creature or Witch of the Flower Kings Court, the character could well find himself subjected to an inconvenient (Or perhaps potentially deadly) curse.

[A Note on Undead, and Generally Sinister Behaviour]
The Flower King is less concerned with 'Cosmic Evil' as he is with genuine evil. Undead are dangerous in as much as they are the frequent tool of genuinely Sinister Evil powers such as Orcus. The Flower King does not generally give the same kind of unyeilding, crusader-style commandments as many good aligned deities.
Similarly, Characters can quite happily embrace him without necessarily having to shun 'Sinister' behaviour at all costs. The Psychology of Fear and Intimidation can be a powerful Tool. In the Feywild, amongst the Archfey of the Court of Stars, it is the Flower King's own 'Merciless' nature in combat that goes some way to persuading his rivals not to confront him openly. Though he is essentially forgiving, he is rarely known to grant quarter to a fallen foe who has already spurned the opportunity to surrender. To those rare creatures and Archfey foolish enough to have challenged him in his own Demesne, he has shown no mercy or quarter at all.

This is getting even more interesting should I perhaps post and edited version of A'melle's patron? or would that give the game away here.

 Has great power amongst the Drow but beyond them has more or less none.  She has powerful enemies in the feywilde  and the surface world. She can seldom act openly but has not changed in persona since her failed attempt to unseat Correlion which banished her to the abyss and drove her ally's from there home in the feywilde altogether. She still seeks power but is wiser now knowing that power is easier to achieve if your foe does not suspect it till far too late.

She is a schemer and a worker from shadows only too happy to grant those who want easy power that power for a cost which is not to be revealed to them at the time. She would use her pact sworn to further her aims in the world beyond the abyss and the underdark of the mortal realm. She will appear to be what she is not either a Demon or an archfey she is given to seeming fair and good until her prey is good and bound to her a classic spider and like a spider the prey once caught doesn’t escape.

Her pacts typically seem one off and require minor sacrifices but the Warlock is never forgotten and Lolth will use them and guide them form the shadows doling out more power, not infrequently in a different guise so the Warlock does not suspect he is binding himself further to the same entity, as she wishes until the Warlock is her creature. Lolths schemes are complex and it may suit her to play her agents against each other as she does the Drow for she is a ruthless believer in social Darwinism. 

Her pacts favour non aligned and Evil warlocks generally but she is not above offering power to good one in order to so enslave it and whilst she favours females most of her Warlocks are male which may say something about there disposability in her cause.

A Warlock bound to her will generally not know the truth about his patron.

I thought you were leaving that up to me? :) If you have more written up about her patron, I'd suggest you send any of it to me via pm or email, and I'll let you know from there. :)

I was but  was considering mentioning it here by way of an example but as most of the actual pact is not defined yet ( I did indeed leave it up to you) I will leave it to you to post any thing about it. I wasent going to give away any dreadful secrets. Like the yearly sacrifice of a lizard man for example ;)

~The Large tome is bound in unfamiliar leather, it's clasp perhaps an ancient ivory. It is clearly a copy, though old enough none the less. It is a wordy and clearly slightly unhinged document detailing various ancient Astronomancical studies and related mythologies. As the book goes on, the nameless Author becomes increasingly perculiar, often going on long nonsensical and sometimes quite ominous tangents. By Chapter XVIII, the book is barely recognisable from the almost scientific tone of the earlier sections. It is full of hyperboli and illegible diagrams. The Chapter describes at some length an extraplaner being or 'forgotten' demon prince, Ogg'Ullothon the Eater of Stars. An Utterly Nihilistic entity, trapped in impossibly ancient times by the Gods of some alien world in an Extra-Planar prison that would hold the evil entity till the end of all creation, or beyond. The book makes a number of wild claims at this point, eventually becoming an incomprehensible rant for several pages (All dutifully transcribed, even down to the violent slashing-marks made by the original author's pen when language itself seemed to momentarily fail him).

Subsequent chapters concern themselves with a number of histories of various cults and orders that have held Ogg'Ullothon as their patron. Some seeking to unleash him upon the world to bring about it's true destruction, others merely seeking to use the entity as a source of power, tapping into his prison with false promise of freedom. The final section concerns itself with oddly detailed descriptions of various rituals and rites relating to the Sun Eater. The book's nameless author claims that several of them, if performed right, would indeed crack open a channel the eternal prison of dread Ogg'Ullothon and end the world itself.

Later Chapters are even more wild fancifull, eventually devolving into outright drivel.

---

The Above is a handout I used in my running of the Keep on the Shadowfell, detailing bits and pieces of A Forgotten Demon-Prince (an alledgedly fictional one). Clearly, such an entity is quite a decent choice for a Star-Pact patron, albeit a rather bleak and possibly dangerous one.


Ogg'Ullothon is an utterly Nihilistic entity, even by Demonic standards. Although described as a forgotten Demon Prince, it is more properly described as an entity of the Far Realm. Imprisoned in impossibly ancient times by 'Alien Gods', this world-devouring ender-of-all-things is essentially impotent to act directly in any plane. If it exists, it is unlikely to have a conciousness as understood by mortal minds. Perhaps it is beyond the understanding even of the Gods. It seemingly only exists to destroy, to consume the very stuff and fabric of reality; To end the Multiverse itself, one plane at a time.

Entombed in a semi-sentient demiplane prison for all time, it is possible that the entity is no longer truly alive. But this doesn't stop it from being a source of Power for those reckless enough, or nihilistic enough, to risk dealing with.

[The Deal]

There are several ways to draw power from Ogg'Ullothon. Either the Prospective Warlock can appeal directly to the entity (Or to the sentient echo of the entity, depending on DM's whim. The Entity is alien enough to reality that it is quite possible that 'Death' has not quite the same meaning as to creatures and beings native to the Cosmology we know of.)  or the Warlock can tap into the same kind of power indirectly, essentially stealing the creature's power, or even tapping into the power of the Dread Prison itself. If tapping into the Entity without its content, or syphoning power from it's planar prison, then no formal 'deal' as such is required. Instead, it will likely take the form of a one-off sacrifice of some form, such as;

1) Using various magical items (or the residuum drawn from them) to feul a dread ritual, with a vast and (specifically master-work) Mirror as the focus, the power is drained and the character becomes a Warlock. The items are destroyed, crumbling to dust upon completion of the ritual.

2) Similar to the above, complete with the Large Ornate Mirror as focus, but the 'Energy' required to fuel the ritual and tap into the extra-planar source of arcane power comes instead from the sacrifice of living entities. Perhaps any living creature is required. Perhaps only using intelligent creatures or even friends and family will produce enough power to fuel the ritual and take what you will from the entombed Entity. Perhaps only slaying your Intelligent Sacrifices in such a way as to trap and/or destroy their very soul's will give you enough energy to tap into the Prison Plane without being drawn into it in turn.

Alternatively, particularly Fatalistic or unscrupulous characters may seek to deal directly with Ogg'Ullothon.

Considering that the entity is very firmly trapped, it is not, unlike other patrons, genuinely dealing from a position of strength. Though one-off deals are possible, (largely because of it's desperate nature) they are unlikely to be what it needs or craves. Ogg'Ullothon seeks the freedom to destroy. It will likely push for services that work towards eventually granting it this freedom, either in the form of researching and performing rituals to do so, or founding dread cults to work towards similar ends en mass.
It is quite possible to use the creature's desperation against it, however, and to break the deal with (Relative) impunity, because it is so utterly nihilistic that it generally struggles to attract followers.

Ogg'Ullothon (Or it's sentient echo, if the entity is dead in the DM's version of the multiverse), will whisper foul promises of further power and riches beyond measure to any foolish enough to initiate contact. If they are aware of it's true goals and nature, it will balance these bribes with promises to leave their plane of existence to last, claiming that it would instead begin with alternate planes of existence, which would take it centuries to devour, allowing the Warlock with hundreds of years to live in unrivalled splendor, having the world tremble at their feet while Ogg'Ullothon instead consumes the Shadowfell, Feywild or other planes as relevant.

[Good Or Evil?]
Ogg'Ullothon is without doubt truly Evil, if it exists in truth. It is an uncaring, Alien thing that longs only to snuff out all that exists. It is verging on inconceivable that a Good Character would ever knowingly seek to bargain with such an entity. Even Devils and some Demons are unlikely to relish the idea of the foul star-spawn ever being freed. Truth be told, however, it would be suprising if any such character even knew of the Star-Eater's existence. Such Evil Characters as become aware of Ogg'Ullothon could very well see a source of power worth exploiting, especially those who are desperate, or simply insane. The Star-Eater's foul whisperings would soon send such a character mad, should they be foolish enough to make contact in any event!

Unnaligned characters could well find themselves tempted to exploit Ogg'Ullothon for their own ends, making a 'Pact'. However, they are likely to be drawn towards such methods that do not require dealing with Ogg'Ullothon itself, stealing power from it, or simply syphoning it from his extra-planar prison. Those who enter into direct deals with the Entity are unlikely to do so with anything resembling honesty, likely betraying the entity when the power has been granted. Possibly even by actively working to undo the efforts of those rare Cults devoted to Ogg'Ullothon, effectively undermining the Otherworldly Horror's chance of ever being freed. Still, any contact with the foul Eater of Stars or his (rare) worldly forces is dangerous, and Players should explore the roleplaying possibilities presented by such peril to their characters 'Sanity' with their DM.


[Worldly Forces]
Whether or not the Entity is real, was real, or is living or dead in the DM's version of the Cosmos, it is possible that their are cults of some kind dedicated to the creature. Such cults are overwhelmingly made up of humans, being as they are by far the easiest to corrupt, and often the most naive when it comes to such otherworldly horrors. Even more rare than such cults are ones genuinely devoted to their 'Master' and his cause.

Other than such small cults of the insane, it is possible that particularly foul individuals of an Abherrant origin may revere Ogg'Ullothon as a God. Mind-Flayers in particular are a possibility, but it should be mentioned that Illithids who dedicate themselves to such an entity are just as likely to be hated and reviled for their blasphemies as their Human equivelants.

Court of Thorns
Part one;

Corrigan is the defacto leader of the faction known as the Court of Thorns, though not the most well-known member, nor the source of the factions name. She is a Fairy Queen of some power and standing, capable of appearing both as a tall, elderin-like creature without wings, and a smaller, pixie-like creature with almost jewel-like dragonfly wings. In either form she has short, messy black hair and a fair complexion. She is quite famously beautiful, admittedly in her own uncooth manner.

Like the majority of the Court of Thorns, she is an essentially 'Unseelie' fey. Although she is well known for making bargains with all manner of creatures, only Fey creatures can really count on her word. Mortals who enter into arrangements with the Briar Witch must rely on other methods to keep her honest, but even the most amusing and useful of servents is in an essentially dangerous position.

She rules a large demesne in a particularly deep and dark part of the Feywild. At it's heart lies a partially ruined castle, it's architecture that of some long forgotten human culture, bristling with spires and leering gargoyles. It is often claimed that the fortress was once part of the kingdom of Bael Turath, and that it disappeared during the Teifling's war with Arkhosia. How it came to sit at the center of an Arch-fey's personal realm is not an easy answer to find.
The ruins are choked with all manner of climbing plants both mundane and otherwise, including several varieties of Thorned-Ivy and Grasping-Rose. It's fairy-haunted courtyards choked with Hawthorne trees of improbably scale. The Demesne is so choked with clawing, twisting vegetation that the Briar-Witch's castle is actually pretty impossible to find, despite it's size and imposing silhouette.

The Briar Witch herself is capricious and vain. Corrigan delights in both the whimsical and the cruel. She is fond of the Hunt, often leading a 'Wild Hunt' across the mortal realms, chasing down beasts, abberations, paupers or kings. One of the most enduring works of Bardic tradition in relation to the Briar Witch is the 'The Briar Hunt', wherein a slightly romanticised interpretation of Corrigan rides through the streets of King Elidyr's capitol city, hunting the King's young Bride so as to replace her and win the King's heart in her stead. In the climax of the piece, King Elidyr interveins in person, and drives her away.

It is true, however, that Corrigan is a being of powerful emotions, and despite her condescending view of mortals in general, she has been well known to take mortal consorts. Often, largely against their will, stealing them up from their homelands to amuse her for a time. Such mortals, though initially pampered and indulged, usually meet grizzly fates when Corrigan tires of them. In contrast, the Briar Witch is also known to steal mortal babies to raise as her servants or warriors. Sometimes, she will leave a changeling child in the babies place, though how she obtains such children in the first place is not common knowledge. Likely, she has some clandestine arrangement with the Changelings of the Feywild.

Her reputation amongst the other Archfey is of one not to be trusted, and is one of mild infamy. This is partially because of her close allience with the being around whom the Court of Thorns has formed; The Bloodthorn.

[The Deal]

The nature of the deal itself is often quite simple and without excessive artifice on the Fey's part. The danger comes from the fact that she is more than happy to break her word, and often refuses to even begin to bargain with such mortals as dare petition her, especially those who do so via long-distance ritual, or third party agents. Rather than be granted power in exchange for service or goods, most such mortals are instead drawn into the Feywild and hunted down by Corrigan and her fairy-court. 

Those lucky enough to amuse the Briar Witch long enough to actually arrange terms of such a deal must also be careful. In general, you have two real options.
Either you will present her with vast amounts of beautiful objects, matirial wealth or magical artifacts, appealing to her essentially greedy nature, or you swear complete and utter subservience to her often irrational whims.

Careful bargaining can result in relatively 'survivable' arrangements being made, and those who agree to terms of service often take on one of the following general roles;

1) The Huntsman - The warlock may go about his business as he will, but is expected to scout out 'interesting' quarry for his Fairy Queen, be they arrogant creatures of legend, such as a young adult Dragon, or wilderness savvy humans. The important thing is that he provide her with interesting, amusing, and/or challenging Hunts. The more important the mortal he scouts out for his queen to slay, the more favourable the arrangement, but the frequency of such 'offerings' and the nature of them are left up to the Warlock, and he must guess carefully as to what is best.

2) The Child-Taker - Armed with a ritual which may either draw the Arch-fey's trusted servants directly to a child, or one that may instead send a stolen child to the Briar Witch's Feywild Demesne, this type of deal requires the Warlock to, periodically (Perhaps once a year) obtain a new and special child for the Briar Witch's use and amusement. Particularly beautiful or 'important' babies are particularly well received. (Taking for her the newborn Prince of some powerful kingdom, and allowing Corrigan to replace it with a changeling would, for example, quite probably result in further gifts of gratitude for the successful warlock, let alone the maintaining of his deal.)

3) The Knight - Serving as a roving champion of sorts, the Warlock would very publically perform deads of importance, either great quests of mercy or dread acts of infamy, the nature of them mattering much less than that he dedicate said acts to Corrigan, as publically as possible. Periodically, the Warlock would receive actual 'quests' from his patron, and If he valued his life, he would complete these tasks as quickly as possible, whether he finds them distasteful or otherwise.

It is worth mentioning, of course, that if the character is charismatic enough, and bargains quickly and confidently (Especially if he has managed to impressive feat of seeking her out in person) It is very possible that the terms of his arrangement will be significantly more generous and involve much less sacrifice on his behalf.

[Good or Evil?]
The Briar Witch is, if not evil, definately not a Good or Benevolent creature. She is willful and can be capable of great malice and spite. Equally, however, she is capable of charity and kindness, if not predictably or consistently so. It is quite possible that Warlocks of any alignment could end up being beholden to her.
However, few Warlocks with a Good or Evil Alignment would have actively saught out the Briar Witch intentionally. Such dedication to the values of Good or Evil would make serving such an irreverant and whimsicaly ammoral creature an often awkward experience. Corrigan takes no care at all to tailor her demands to the nature of her servants. Those with no major allegiances to the Forces of Good or Evil are the most likely to deliberately seek out the Briar Witch, but by far the vast majority of her Warlock's are likely to have encountered her accidentally.

Though mercy is not a trait the Briar Witch possesses in any great amount, she is vain, arrogant and proud. With enough grovelling, flattery, or even a particularly diverting artistic performance, one can go from being Corrigan's quarry to her agent in a very short time. Particularly attractive characters may even have earned their continued existence...directly, possibly over the course of several months or years, before entering into an eldrich pact with the whimsical Fey in order to retain their 'usefulness' and avoid the potentially fatal consequences of becoming boring within her sight.

Though there are in theory many ways that a whily or charismatic individual could have bargained for his Warlock Powers, it is only the most daring that enter into such a deal entirely out of choice, whatever their alignment.

Court of Thorns
Part two;


The Bloodthorn is an ancient entity even by the standards of the Feywild's Archfey. When Corellon Larethian was yet a young Elven man, and the Elves of the Feywild had yet to split and go their seperate ways (To become the Eldarin and the Elves of today), he would have known of the Bloodthorn and considered it an Elder thing. It's motives are inscrutable, it's entire way of thinking as utterly alien as any horror that the Far Realm could produce in answer.

The entity known as the 'Bloodthorn' is not strictly speaking a 'Fey Creature'. It is not descended from Elf, nor Pixie, not even the tyrant Formians. It is infact a bizarre hybrid of fungal and plant-like tissues, a sprawling mass of sentient vegetation with an all too carnivorous 'core', a giant fungal-bloom like body, like an unholy maw filled with crudely formed teeth. In truth, however, this is but an appendage, the 'fruit' of the creature. The true essence of it is spread throughout it's forest Demesne, through the fibres of all the mundane trees and plants that make up that deep, dark place. It's fibrous fungal tendrils are laced throughout the vegetation across the entire Domain. In addition, thick beds of vine and bramble growing directly from the main plant-body curl about the forest, choking the vegetation in slowly writing plant-like tentacles, sheethed in the viciously cruel thorns from which it's name is, according to legend, derived.

In ancient times, the Bloodthorn waged open warfare against the Arch-Fey, and all of the self proclaimed 'lords of faery'. The most terrifying monsters of the Feywild were drawn to it's side and under it's sinister power. It hurled its forces against the Court of Stars and the people of the Feywild. The devestation was epic, entire generations disappeared as the Bloodthorn's horde grew, swelled even by creatures drawn into the feywild from the Mortal Realm and, in some versions of the Legends, the Shadowfell as well!

In those ancient times of War, the eirie ancient horror roamed the woodlands of the feywild at will, like an unseen presence across the land. It would appear to coalesce at the edge of a clearing, a charging line of minotaurs, raging behomoths and insane chromatic dragons, and as the People of the Feywild attempted to stop the Bloodthorn's forces, the Entity itself would tear their crystal Fortresses down around their ears.

The transgressions that finally roused the entirety of the Feywild against the Bloodthorn, however, was it's treatment of the dead and the captured. It would take the bodies of those it had slain, maimed or captured and pervert them. It would tear their natures from them and make them into thralls, broken mockeries of their former selves, more plant than person, but strong, fast and deadly. Utterly without mercy, or empathy. The sight of loved-ones charging down the refugee-camps of those they sacrificed their lives to protect was enough unify several of the major factions of the Archfey enough to mount a concerted counter-attack.

In the end, it was their targeting of the enthralled dragons that broke the back of the Bloodthorns brutal campaign. The mightiest sorcerors of the Feywild together, saught out and destroyed them, one by one. With the major threat of the Bloodthorn's Horde neutralised, their momentum was lost. The Entity remained a threat for centuries, however, untill Correllon Larethian himself interveined, imprisoning the Ancient Entity within a Demesne of his own. Inside the boundries of the Bloodthorn's domain, he is truly as a God, but he could no-longer leave and roam at will, held at bay as it is, by powerful standing-stones and a careful net of woven lay-lines.

Over the millenia that passed, however, the ancient entity began to engage with it's former foes, even coming indirectly to the aid of the Court of Summer when it became breifly embroiled in a war with Abyssal forces, spilling out into the Feywild as they were, from some unknown source. The creatures marshalled by the Bloodthorn were elemental in turning the tide, and securing the Feywild against the possibly endless forces of the abyss. During the campaign, various Archfey and many of the time's greatest Warlord and Warriors were seduced to the Entity's service with promises of power. Some became thralls, some genuine servants, and some were indeed rewarded with dark and terrible power. Those that allied themselves with the entity became pariah, and took upon themselves the, not a little mocking name of the 'Court of Thorns'. Foremost amongst these were several mighty heroes who fell at the climax of the war with the forces of the Abyss, though they were instrumental in turning back the tide and in part sealing the rift. The most powerful of the Court to survive was Corrigan, the Briar Witch. A Fairy Queen of no small power, her allegance with the Bloodthorn was not well received by her former liege-Lord, the King Oran. Technically, the two are currently at war, but in reality the situation is no-where near so simple.

[The Deal]
The Bloodthorn is a powerful, ammoral force both in the feywild and matirial plane. Before it's confinement, it seemed to have no-use for Elf or Man, though it drew to itself many 'monstrous' creatures, including several races of intelligent ones. Since it's confinement, however, It has learned the usefullness of such 'small' creatures, and has been known to make bargains and alliances to serve it's own incomprehensible goals.

In general, it is willing to 'bargain' openly and honestly, but often it will trick particularly useful creatures into service, or simply take from them what it needs. In the case of Bargains for Power, such as a Warlock's pact, it is truly rare for the Bloodthorn to be satisfied with Trinkets and Baubles, no matter how rare or expensive. Lifelong, or even Eternal Service is the thing that It values. This is to be expected, from a creature that is Older than many Gods.

Often, however, the Bloodthorn will either receive the service of a Warlock who originally bargained with one of It's allies, such as Corrigan, with the debt being transfered with or without the Warlocks notice or concent. At others, it will make gifts of it's thralls and (Some few willing) Servents. The Briar Witch in particular works closely with the Entity, and long ago made a gift of an entire colony of Pixies, who now act as the Bloodthorns eyes and hands throughout the feywild, and often venture into the Matirial Realm when it is required. 

At any rate, there are clearly several likely ways to become a Warlock with ties to the Bloodthorn;

1) In exchange for your power, you agree to serve the Bloodthorn. Likely, it was unspecific as to the length of this service, the nature, or the frequency. For the most part, you are free to go about your life. With little warning, however, and less explanation, the Warlock will be given perfunctory commands, baffling visions, or even forceful compulsions as to what the Entity desires. The retreival of a pleasing item, to be made a gift for it's allies in the Feywild. The unexplained command to slay an apparently inconsequencial hermit, a thousand miles away. Strict commands, reinforced by psychic pain, to leave a specific number of coloured glass beads out on the night of a certain moon, only to recover them three years hence (Undisturbed), without ever having returned to the spot or set eyes upon it again.

2) Having Happily Sworn yourself into the service of the fickle and capricious Briar-Witch, you find yourself instead receiving dream-sent commands and impulses of rather different texture. You have been given away, and will have to grow used to your new Master swiftly, lest you be given back in distaste.

3) Having undertaken a mighty quest to recover a priceless god-wrought artifact, a weapon or piece of armour that would make the princes of hell quake with fear and envy, you sacrifice it to the Bloodthorn. The Item is consumed beneath a shroud of moss, to be replaced with trinkets of in some small measure comparable matirial wealth (Though almost certainly far less usefull or magically potent). By accepting the gift you have been offered in return, you seal to deal and receive a measure of arcane might additionally. Should you reject the gift, there are likely to be dire consequences, however!

4) You took a wrong turn, whilst journeying deep in the black heart of the Feywild...


[Good or Evil]
The question is, at it's heart, essentially an irrelevant one in reguards to the Bloodthorn. Though many of a more puritanical bent would likely call the Entity Evil with no doubt in their heart, in truth, such concerns seem alien to it. It simply is. Whatever it's goals, they are far more complex and incomprehensible than that of any saint or devil. As such, not only do all manner of creatures find themselves beholden to it, but it's tasks are often given with little concern to the methods required to accomplish them, leaving agents of the Bloodthorn with their own moral compasses as their only real guide, and able to acheive what is demanded of them however they see fit.

Provided they do, in fact, succeed.

Nip takes the form of a vast yellow Cat with six legs and a sinister grinning face. Nip is both selfish, cruel and whimsical. His followers are lazy, arrogant and hedonistic much like the Cat-God himself. Although many are drawn to his worship via the drug addled hedonism espoused by certain sects of his worshippers, many others are drawn to the worship of Nip as a source of power, both political and otherwise. 

Nip draws worshippers from the fringes of many societies, but only in the wickedest of cities or in particularly lawless towns would he be openly worshipped. For the most part, they form powerful if occaisionally apathetic cults. The main body of his worshippers are either human, or similar races. Often thuggish and menacing, these cultists and worshippers often devote themselves lazily to arcane studies, both as a source of power and for the exotic pleasures that magic can bring. The leaders of such cults are often Rakshasa, either in disguise or otherwise, depending on the location and their own power in the region. In more remote areas of the world, such cults may consist entirely of these fiendish outsiders.

Most worshippers of Nip tend to consider Nip either a reflection of themselves or of their collective selves; a representation of their might as an organisation or perhaps even some kind of manifestation of group subconciousness and power. In reality, the entity known as Nip is both real and powerful. Lazily residing in his Demesne in the Feywild, a vast and otherworldly Pyramid complex surrounded by impossibly thick and dangerous jungle, the Cat-God rarely interacts directly with the mortal plane, but when he does it is swift and violent, or incredibly subtle and filled with spite. He is not a fey creature in the slightest, though Nip's actual nature is unknown. It is known however, that he does also possess a layer of the Abyss itself, so it is possible that Nip is infact a demon or demon-prince of some sort.

Indeed, it is a little known fact that Nip's Feywild Demesne is actually a vast confluence with the Abyssal layer that the Cat-God is linked to. Although the merging is subtle and known only to a handful of scholars, it is entirely possible for one foolish enough to seek Nip out in his own real to, when seeking to leave, find themselves stranded in the Abyss without ever having noticed a transition.

[The Deal]
Nip is a spiteful, cruel and uncaring creature. He schemes and plots, whether for simple amusement or to further some secretive agenda is not clear. Nip rarely moves directly to carry out such plans, however, far preferring to work through agents, both knowing ones and the unwitting. This is why the creature encourages the spread of the cults, perhaps. Another theory is that Nip really is vain enough to appreciate the worship.

In addition to the devotion of the faithful, and the services of those too drug-addled to know better, some few of Nip's primary agents in the mortal plane have entered into direct bargains with Nip in return for power. Usually, such bargains are those of service. A supplicant who grovels sufficiently and pledges theirselves to the Cat-God's service may be given power directly, and if embraced by the Cult of Nip, they may indirectly benefit also, gaining respect, material wealth and access to the finest and most immoral of pleasures imaginable.

It is worth noting, that those in service to the Demon Cat-God are, if not kept on a short leash, at the very least Expected to Succeed. Failure or betrayal, is punished quickly and viciously. It is not entirely unheard of for a Warlock to be summoned directly to Nip's domain, to be hunted personally by the displeased one. Similarly, there are tales of the displeasure of Nip taking the form of a direct visitation by an avatar. Such encounters are usually delirious things, painful, scarring, transformative but rarely outright fatal.
Occaisionally such visits are not even preceeded by the Warlock having transgressed at all.

It is also possible to bargain with Nip in other ways, but the sheer amount of grovelling required to even begin to interest the demonic Cat-God is prohibitive to the kind of arrogant creatures usually drawn to Nip. However, suitably shiny, valuable, or powerful offerings may interest the capricious creature. Suitably epic sacrifices may also please Nip, such as the Warlock's first-born son, the heart of their beloved, or the heads of an entire village of peasants.

Examples of specific deals include;

1) Direct oath of allegience and obedience. The Warlock is visited in his dreams by Nip himself, and given tasks to further the creature's interests. These are usually either simple but brutal affairs or convaluted and elaborate schemes dripping with malice and intruige.

2) Indirect oath of allegience and obedience. A slightly less traumatic arrangement may see the Warlock working for a specific cult, or the Cult of Nip in general. Either he will receive direct orders from the Rakshasa cult-leaders, or a specific leader. Though often similar to the type of jobs and plots given in example 1, they will usually be less ambitious, more practical, or generally more petty and clearly self-serving for the Leader or Leaders involved.

3) The Warlock makes a gift of a Magic Mirror, aeons old and made by the finest craftsman of his age, the sheer amount of grovelling and ingratiation molifies the whimsical spite of Nip, and is given the gift of power in return. In all likelyhood, Nip will assume that service was part of the deal anyway, and may visit the Warlock with visions, dreams and drug-like nightmares until the Warlock does as he's told and undertakes a succession of quests and schemes anyway.

4) As the first example, swearing to serve Nip directly, or as the third example, offering a suitably grovelling-accompanied gift of extreme worth, power, or general shinyness. However, in addition to the services and so on expected of the Warlock in the above examples, they are required to found a Cult to Nip, with themselves at it's head. Via the use of bribery, violence, narcotics and generally hedonistic excess, they are to gather as much power and influence to themselves as possible, the better to further Nip's possibly nefarious schemes.


[Good or Evil?]
It is a fair bet that Nip is an evil creature. Likewise, the twisted excesses of the various Cults and the vicious scheming of their leaders is neutral at the most optimistic. Many of the cultists themselves, however, due to the essentially idle, apathetic nature of the Cat God and his philosophy, not to mention their generally drug-addled nature, means that the majority of Nip's actual servants and worshippers are much more properly considered unaligned.

Likewise, a Warlock who entered into his bargain accidentally, (Performing the Rituals to contact Nip himself as part of an opium-dream, or simply not believing the Demonic Cat-God to a genuine entity) is quite likely to lack the spite, malice and ambitious drive that characterise the more genuinely Evil of the Cat-God's servants.

Frankly, however, 'Nice' Warlocks or even Worshippers of Nip are going to be pretty unlikely, and incredibly rare.