Narsus Novox's page

"I understand you’re apprehensive. You’ve heard the stories - someone like you, someone like me, and a stack of paper that turns out to be a bear trap in disguise. I won’t tell you those stories are all lies, but then no one writes an opera about a deal gone right. Partnerships like these are never as complicated as what you’ve heard from poets and anxious priests. You want what you want, I want what I want, and just so everything’s tidy, we write it all out. What could be more aboveboard than that?"

The man that was not a man smiled over the desk, teeth glinting in the firelight. If it was meant as a reassuring gesture, it didn't work; fangs tend not to inspire confidence.

"But you’re worried, I know. So here’s the contract. Read it over. Be clear, be certain, and when you’re ready, make your mark. Take all the time you need. I’m happy to wait."

On the other side of the table, the young man, looking not-at-all worried, took the pages of the contract and began to read. And the creature was left to wait. And wait. And wait.
This hadn't actually been the devil's intent. Despite its words, despite its immortality, the fiend was not overly fond of waiting. Certainly not for a mortal. That was beneath it. This was not the first pact it had drafted, nor was this the first soul who had heard the practiced spiel earlier, but the victims - no, the beneficiaries - typically either signed within minutes or adjourned for days of nervous scrutinizing. This man... just wordlessly sat there reading. Leaving the devil to wait. For what had now been hours. It was actually a bit awkward.

"Put another log in the fireplace, if you would," the young man suddenly said, his words civil but his tone commanding. "My eyes are not as accustomed to darkness as your own."

He then licked a finger and slowly turned another leaf. At no point did he look up.
Oh. The devil's mouth curled in a small but genuine smile. Oh, was this really happening? Forcing the fiend to wait for him, the silence, the awkwardness, and now ordering him to freshen the fire - was this a power play? Was this insignificant human, in the midst of making a literal deal with a devil, trying to assert dominance? Oh, this was adorable.

"Of course," the devil simpered, fire roaring back to life at a flick of its hand. "You'll have to forgive me. The cost of privilege - It is so easy to forget that not all of us are blessed with Hell's glory. Not yet, that is," it added with a meaningful glance to the contract.

"'Glory' is a funny word to use about the multiverse's answer to a literal hole in the ground," came the swift reply, referring to the stacked layers of the infernal realm from which it got its byname, the Pit.

The devil's smile turned upside down. This really was happening. This little pissant was really trying to get a rise out of his immortal benefactor. And what was even worse was that it was actually working, the fiend had to admit as it felt its temper rising. The sheer impudence of this lowly human to a ineffable immortal beyond his feeble understanding... No, no matter. Just due would come to this fool soon enough, when he signed the papers and forfeited his soul to Hell. Yes, there was no reason to get angry.

"You've misspelled 'soul'."

The flame in the fireplace suddenly roared.

"Excuse me?"

"Here. 'Animakah'. What with Infernal featuring gendered nouns and myself being male, 'animakah' should read 'animarah'. Sloppy."

"... While '-rah' does indeed signify masculinity, the '-kah' suffix is gender neutral. It's usage here is perfectly justified."

"True enough. And yet it indicates that parts of this contract are adapted from a standardized template, rather than being written specifically for myself. Comes off as quite unprofessional. Sloppy."

The fiend didn't know what was more galling. A devil being lectured on the grammar of its own native language by a puny human, or the fact that the young man was correct. Say what you will about Hell, it had an efficient bureaucracy - the average contract for the average soul wasn't written from scratch. No time for that when you're conquering the multiverse. Hell is a busy place. But perhaps, the fiend thought, this wasn't the average soul after all.

"I don't know what game you're playing at, human," the devil said, spitting out the last two syllables as if they were undercooked chicken, "but you should know that the clemency offered to you as a client of Hell can be withdrawn whenever I see fit. If you have no intention of signing that pact, if you are willfully wasting my time, then I will..."

"Will what? Demand restitution in blood? Drag my soul to Hell by force? How very terrifying. Good then that I have every intention of signing."

Which was exactly what he did. The young man unceremoniously dumped the stack onto the desk and then wrote his name over the dotted line with a little flourish: 'Narsus Novox'.

"I've always been a fast reader. Finished going through the thing ten minutes ago."

"... Why..." the bewildered devil started before being interrupted.

"Because I wanted to watch you squirm. There's no greater pleasure than toying with you pompous, pretentious pan-dimensional pencil pushers. Especially when you, as per the stipulations of the contract, now cannot touch me. Killing me for my soul would go against the word, and I rather think the spirit, of the agreement."

It was true. A devil could of course not simply kill a mortal for the very soul it had already bartered to Hell; it was one of the most basic conditions of any infernal contract. But for a mortal to use such a contract to shield itself from a devil's wrath - that was a new one.

"Impetuous half-ape." the fiend snarled as it realized the true disdain its client held for it. "I will..."

"You'll do nothing! You cannot do anything because you are as bound to your pathetic little rules as the rest of your wretched kind. Devils... pah! And even if you weren't, you'd wouldn't harm a hair on my head for fear of voiding the pact. Can't have that, can we? Can't return to Hell empty-handed, oh no no no. No, what happens now is that you're going to pull up your stockings and hop off to that literal hellhole you call home. There you'll tell your superior to tell his superior to tell his superior that Narsus Novox has signed his contract. What a catch, eh? Novox the prodigy. Novox the genius. The smartest man in Cheliax. That'll be a real feather in your cap. Perhaps if you just add a little arse-tonguing as your boss reads over the papers, you'll earn a promotion in a few hundred years. But then I understand your eyes are accustomed to dark pits."

The contract went flying as the desk exploded into a thousand splinters. The man that was not a man had risen from his seat and shed his guise. Now the devil appeared as it truly was, a despoiler of worlds. Claws like daggers, wings of midnight, and eyes burning with an infinity of pain. The sight alone was an affront to everything good and decent.
Fortunate then, that Narsus Novox was neither good nor decent.

"You don't frighten me, fiend," he said as he rose to his feet. "What do I have to fear from you? Yours is a race of scheming bureaucrats laboring under the delusion that white-collar politicking will win you the multiverse. I am a Chelaxian, proud member of the most glorious nation Golarion has ever seen. I hail from generations of conquerors, artists and scholars, all of which has finally resulted in me, the greatest mind Cheliax, nay, the world, has ever seen! I am human! I am flesh and blood, with a free will I exert to bend the realm to my desire, whereas you are merely an amalgam of pain and pettiness shaped into a parody of man, slave to your nature. What do I have to fear from you?"

"Your soul is mine," the devil countered.

Narsus smiled. "Read the fine print. My soul is only consigned to Hell should I meet a violent end. And I haven't met anyone to call my match yet. Golarion hasn't seen a man like me since Aroden himself. No-one is going to kill me, my soul will never be anyone's but my own, and I just bought Hell's services for absolutely nothing. You lose. I win. Now pick up that paper and get the hell out of my world."

Novox had expected a great many responses to his audaciousness. Fury. Humiliation. And victory for himself, of course. What he did not expect was laughter. The fiend started laughing - a slow, booming, genuine laughter. And he learned the same thing all mortals, few in number, who have ever heard authentic laughter from a devil learn: genuine mirth from a being who lives and breathes evil is a terrifying thing.

"You really are everything I expected and more, you ridiculous little man..." the devil smiled. "We know, Narsus Novox. Hell knows where your conceit, your ambition, will lead you. We've run the numbers and men like you... you never die in your beds at eighty."

Smoke began to emit from the fiend and its features shifted into flame.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr Novox. I look forward to seeing you again."

With a flash of fire the devil disappeared. The last thing Narsus saw of it was its wicked smile. Narsus Novox had never admitted to a mistake in his life. He wasn't about to now. But he couldn't help but wonder.

They say great things may come from humble beginnings. Born to a half-rate tanner in the outskirts of Egorian, Narsus Novox's beginnings were truly humble. And today, he does indeed consider himself great.
Growing up under the leaky roof of a father whose only fondness in life was drink and physical abuse was not easy. That young Novox's mother was only too happy to see some of the beatings that would otherwise have gone to her instead directed towards her son did not make things easier. And yet, amidst all this squalor, what was truly intolerable to the child was the view. From the foul-smelling slum one could still see the splendor of Egorian, the nation's capital. The architecture, the wealth, the sophistication and culture - it was one thing to be born humble, but it was quite another to have greatness so near, seemingly mocking you in your poverty.

And yet, while the boy was destitute by any measure, he did possess one thing of immeasurable value. Nature, in her capriciousness, had gifted young Narsus with a fiendish intelligence, the sort that saw him 'discovering' the principles of geometry, such as interior angles of a triangle always adding up to the sum of two right angles, at the age of eight. He did so by observing a pelt scraper. Narsus Novox was, unbeknownst to his abusive parents, a child genius.

The child's developing mind took a sudden lurch forward one day whilst lying on the dirt floor of their shaky shack, recovering from a particularly bad blow from his father. It was then that Narsus looked out a broken window. There it was, Egorian in all its splendor, looking positively transcendental compared to his own misery. Except suddenly, whether it be because of the stroke to his head or merely the splintered glass's strange distortion, it was as if he saw it with new eyes. The spires of the capital were not mocking the poor boy with their beauty; they were trying to inspire him. They called to him, sang of the possibility of a better life, of greatness, of all things that could be his if he just dared grasp them. Egorian was the wealth he needed, the grandeur he missed, and even the identity he yearned for - a national identity. Cheliax itself, to be Chelaxian with everything this entailed, was his birthright, but circumstances had denied him everything that should rightfully have been his.

Two weeks later a ten-year old Narsus took the first tentative step towards his destiny, as he set fire to his rickety birth home, parents still inside. It was all perfectly logical. Young Novox had learned that upon death, the state could claim any leftover holdings if there were no other beneficiaries. While the elder Novox's dinky tannery was practically worthless, the land it stood on was not; land never lost value. But given Narsus's young age, the state could only claim the land if it also took responsibility for the unfortunate orphan. And so Narsus found himself in an Asmodean orphanage sponsored by the crown. This was all according to plan. In the slum his life would never amount to anything. Here, however, he would receive an education and with it the opportunity to succeed. He finally had a shot at greatness.

Given an environment where his natural intellect could flourish, Novox excelled at his studies, even earning a rare scholarship to enter higher education. Cheliax might not be known for charity, but the devil-worshipers respected results and everywhere he went the young man was soon recognized as the impoverished orphaned prodigy, a fairy-tale story of a swan born in a pond of ducks. Garnering the attention of a senior diabolist, Novox accepted the position as his apprentice and over the next several years became known as a rising star within the craft of devil-binding. An accomplished wizard with an affable and noble bearing, no-one doubted that the young man would go far.

The disappearance of House Thrune cast doubt on the future of the nation and everyone in it, however. Or at least so one would think. Outwardly Narsus Novox is every bit as concerned about the coming civil war as any other citizen. But in truth the ruling family's exit has instead pushed his plans forward some thirty-odd years. Novox is not concerned; he has never been more excited! With his innate genius and many accomplishments, Narsus has grown an ego roughly the size of the nation itself and has quietly been plotting to take power in Cheliax since he was a teenager. A crown? Pah! No, the man does not particularly want to take the throne unless he has to - Novox is egomaniacal to the point of madness, but he is not vain. No, a puppet king would serve his purposes well enough. And the diabolist believes he has found one in Quinus Thrune. Of all the contenders in the civil war, Quinus is the most fragile, his power resting solely on his name and even this not being worth much. A weak ruler is exactly what Novox wants, so much easier to exploit and replace if necessary.

Narsus Novox
Male Human Wizard 6 (conjurer)/Diabolist 1
30 Years of Age
LE Medium Humanoid [human]
Init +2; Senses Perception +12
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Defense
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AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex, +1 deflection)
HP 39/39 (7d6 + 1 Con mod x7 + 2 FC)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +8
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Weapon: rod, +2 attack, 1d6-1 damage, 20/x2
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Statistics
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Str 8 (-1), Dex 14 (+2), Con 12 (+1), Int 22 (+6), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 14 (+2)
Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 15 [10 + 3 BAB - 1 Str + 2 Dex + 1 deflect]

Feats: Empower Spell, Maleficium, Mask of Virtue, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (conjuration), Spell Penetration, Summon Evil Monster

Traits: Seeker (+1 Perception, class skill), Talented (+1 Perform [dance], class skill)

Skills - (63 points, Skilled included; armor penalties not included):
Bluff +14 [6 points + 3 class + 2 Cha + 3 competence]
Diplomacy +14
Intimidate +14
Perception +12 [7 points + 1 trait + 3 class + 1 Wis]
Know (arcana) +16
Know (dungeoneering) +10 [1 FC point + 3 class + 6 Int]
Know (geography) +10 [1 point + 3 class + 6 Int]
Know (engineering) +15
Know (nature) +10 [1 FC point + 3 class + 6 Int]
Know (local) +10 [1 FC point + 3 class + 6 Int]
Know (planes) +16
Know (religion) +12 [3 points + 3 class + 6 Int]
Sense Motive +11
Spellcraft +16
Perform (dance) +10 [1 FC point + 1 trait + 3 class + 2 Cha + 3 competence]

Skills - background: Know (history) +15, Know (nobility) +15 [both 6 points], Appraise +10, Linguistics +10 [both 1 point]

Languages: Common (Taldane), Azlanti, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, Jistka, Osiriani
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Wealth
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Adventuring Gear: handy haversack [5 lb]
Coin: 3278,85 gp
Other: antitoxin; noble's outfit with jewelry for 100 gp; explorer's outfit; shaving & scrivener's kit; antiplague x2; small ornate brass box, no sign or sigil, keyhole but locked, very slow clicking like of tired gears within; perfectly carved stone lotus from Nirvana carefully inscribed with holy mantras of meditation; smuggler's sea charts with notes; allnight x3; extra spell component pouch

Magic gear: circlet of persuasion, lesser rod of extend metamagic [5 lb], spell-capturing gem (holding Deeper Darkness, min CL 5), elixir of truth, fey gate key artifact, planar key to Vice planar HQ

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Special Abilities
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Class: Arcane Bond (bonded object [ring]); Arcane School (teleportation); opposed schools (necromancy & enchantment); Damned; imp companion; Infernal Charisma

Racial: Bonus Feat; Skilled (extra skill point)

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Spells prepared
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0th: Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1st (6 + 1/day):
2nd (5 + 1/day):
3rd (3 + 1/day):
4th (2 + 1/day):

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Spell-like and supernatural abilities
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Shift (Su): At 1st level, you can teleport to a nearby space as a swift action as if using dimension door. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity. You must be able to see the space that you are moving into. You cannot take other creatures with you when you use this ability (except for familiars). You can move 5 feet for every two wizard levels you possess (minimum 5 feet). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.

Summoner’s Charm (Su): Whenever you cast a conjuration (summoning) spell, increase the duration by a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your wizard level (minimum 1). This increase is not doubled by Extend Spell.

1st:
Abjuration - Shield

Conjuration - Expeditious Construction, Glue Seal, Grease, Mage Armor, Infernal Healing, Secluded Grimoire, Unseen Servant

Divination - Comprehend Languages, Ears of the City, Heightened Awareness, True Strike

Evocation - Shocking Grasp

Transmutation - Expeditious Excavation, Windy Escape

2nd:
Conjuration - Create Pit, Glitterdust, Web

Divination - Blood Transcription, Greater Detect Magic, Locate Object, See Invisibility

Illusion - Mirror Image, Invisibility

Transmutation - Bull's Strength

3rd:
Abjuration - Explosive Runes, Dispel Magic, Magic Circle

Conjuration - Summon Monster 3, Stinking Cloud

Evocation - Fireball

Transmutation - Fly

4th:
Abjuration - Dimensional Anchor

Conjuration - Summon Monster 4

Necromancy - Contagion

1st - Grease, Heightened Awareness (x), Infernal Healing, Shocking Grasp, True Strike, Windy Escape + Mage Armor (x)
2nd - Bull's Strength, Create Pit, Mirror Image, Invisibility, See Invisibility + Web
3rd - Explosive Runes, Fireball, Fly + Summon Monster III
4th - Summon Monster IV x3

Beloreth, also known as "Belle"
LE Tiny outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
345 Years of Age
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect good, detect magic, see in darkness;
Perception +10
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Defense
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AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 17 [+4 Dex, +5 nat armor, +2 size]
HP 39/39 (6d10 + 6 Toughness)
Fort +2, Ref +9, Will +6 (+4 Will vs enchantment)
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect)
Weapon: sting (magic) +14 attack, 1d4+2 damage + poison, 20/x2
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Statistics
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Str 12 (+1), Dex 19 (+4), Con 10 (+0), Int 14 (+2), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 14 (+2)

Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 19

Feats: Toughness, Skill Focus (UMD), Weapon Focus (natural)

Skills - (24 points ; armor penalties not included):
Acrobatics +12 [5 points + 3 class + 4 Dex]
Bluff +11 [6 points + 3 class + 2 Cha]
Fly +16 [4 Dex + 4 size + 8 maneuverability]
Perception +10 [6 points + 3 class + 1 Wis]
Stealth +16 [1 point + 3 class + 4 Dex + 8 size]
Use Magic Device +11 [6 points + 2 Cha + 3 feat]

Languages: Common (Taldane), Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal
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Wealth
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Adventuring Gear:
Coin:
Other:
Magic gear:

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Special Abilities
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Racial: poison (frequency 1/round for 5 minutes, Effect 1d2 Dex, Cure 1 save, DC 13)

Spell-like abilities: (CL 6th) constant—detect good & detect magic, at will—invisibility (self only) & deathwatch, 1/day-suggestion; (CL 12th) 1/week—commune.

Special Qualities: alternate form (beast shape I, raven) & (beast shape II, tiger); telepathy, 50 ft.; devotion; evasion; share spells

Beloreth, also known as "Belle"
LE Large outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)
345 Years of Age
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect good, detect magic, scent, see in darkness;
Perception +10
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Defense
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AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 19 [+2 Dex, +9 nat armor]
HP 39/39 (6d10 + 6 Toughness)
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +6 (+4 Will vs enchantment)
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Weapon: 2 claws (magic) +13 (1d8+6), bite +13 (magic) (2d6+6 plus grab)
Special Attacks: pounce
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Statistics
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Str 20 (+5), Dex 15 (+2), Con 10 (+0), Int 14 (+2), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 14 (+2)
Base Atk +6; CMB +12 [+4 grab]; CMD 24
Feats: Toughness, Skill Focus (UMD), Weapon Focus (natural)

Skills - (24 points ; armor penalties not included):
Acrobatics +10 [5 points + 3 class + 2 Dex]
Bluff +10 [5 points + 3 class + 2 Cha]
Fly +14 [2 Dex + 4 size + 8 maneuverability]
Perception +10 [6 points + 3 class + 1 Wis]
Linguistics +3 [1 point + 2 Int]
Stealth +6 [1 point + 3 class + 2 Dex]
Use Magic Device +11 [6 points + 2 Cha + 3 feat]

Languages: Common (Taldane), Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal
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Wealth
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Adventuring Gear:
Coin:
Other:
Magic gear:

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Special Abilities
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Racial: poison (frequency 1/round for 5 minutes, Effect 1d2 Dex, Cure 1 save, DC 13)

Spell-like abilities: (CL 6th) constant—detect good & detect magic, at will—invisibility (self only) & deathwatch, 1/day-suggestion; (CL 12th) 1/week—commune.

Special Qualities: alternate form (beast shape I, raven) & (beast shape II, tiger); telepathy, 50 ft.; devotion; evasion; share spells