What Would a Pit Fiend Do on Vacation?


Rise of the Runelords


So the players released a certain entity at Skull's Crossing in exchange for a wish. That entity is currently invisible and flying around the Turtleback Ferry/Skull's Crossing area, gathering his strength before returning to his prior position in the Hells. It's been a day since his release.

What would such a creature do on the Material Plane? There are villages nearby but it doesn't necessarily feel like wanton destruction is a devil's thing. Would he plot to take over a major city? Why do it if he's just going to head back to the Hells soon? I honestly have no idea what to do with him but I really don't want to waste an opportunity to use him in some fun way.

I'd love for whatever he does to be a reminder to the party that entering into contracts with a devil almost never ends well. I'm also finding opportunities wherever possible to put the party into morally ambiguous or morally challenging situations, if that's helpful.

Any thoughts about what he would be doing while he's still on the Material Plane would be truly appreciated, many thanks in advance!

RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32

I think it depends on the Devil's personality and how long he's got. To quote from Good Omens...

Quote:

"Now we art all here," said Hastur meaningfully, "we must recount the Deeds of the Day."

"Yeah. Deeds," said Crowley, with the slightly guilty look of one who is attending church for the first time in years and has forgotten which bits you stand up for.

Hastur cleared his throat. "I have tempted a priest," he said. "As he walked down the street and saw the pretty girls in the sun, I put Doubt into his mind. He would have been a saint, but within a decade we shall have him."

"Nice one," said Crowley, helpfully.

"I have corrupted a politician," said Ligur. "I let him think a tiny bribe would not hurt. Within a year we shall have him."

They both looked expectantly at Crowley, who gave them a big smile. "You'll like this," he said. His smile became even wider and more conspiratorial. "I tied up every portable telephone system in Central London for forty-five minutes at lunchtime," he said.

There was silence, except for the distant swishing of cars.

"Yes?" said Hastur. "And then what?"

"Look, it wasn't easy," said Crowley.

"That's all?" said Ligur.

"Look, people-"

"And exactly what has that done to secure souls for our master?" said Hastur.

Crowley pulled himself together. What could he tell them? That twenty thousand people got bloody furious? That you could hear the arteries clanging shut all across the city? And that then they went back and took it out on their secretaries or traffic wardens or whatever, and they took it out on other people? In all kinds of vindictive little ways which, and here was the good bit, they thought up themselves For the rest of the day. The pass-along effects were incalculable. Thousands and thousands of souls all got a faint patina of tarnish, and you hardly had to lift a finger. But you couldn't tell that to demons like Hastur and Ligur. Fourteenth-century minds, the lot of them. Spending years picking away at one soul. Admittedly it was craftsmanship, but you had to think differently these days. Not big, but wide. With five billion people in the world you couldn't pick the buggers off one by one any more; you had to spread your effort. But demons like Ligur and Hastur wouldn't understand. They'd never have thought up Welsh-language television, for example. Or value-added tax. Or Manchester.

He'd been particularly pleased with Manchester.


That is a phenomenal passage, thank you for that, Evil Paul. My takeaway is that it's not so much about destruction as it is about infiltration and the long game. That's very helpful, thank you!


Troll the divine internet with spam.


That particular being. He's not making trouble at all. He's hiding...one bad random encounter roll and he's looking a forever going goodbye. He's not distracting himself with crazy plots, he wants to get to his safety bolt-hole badly!

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