Post by The Game Master on Mar 27, 2013 19:29:23 GMT -8
Vartakudu
Though they are called demons, they are not actual demons. Not much is known about this species, because they tend to appear to those who are down on their luck and have very little to lose but much to gain. Although there are those who try to seek them out, demons are not easily found and it is unknown where they reside while not in negotiation. They call themselves “Vartakudu,” and are known by other, non-human species as traders. What they trade, in particular, is wishes. Those who have a demon appear before them are engaged in a negotiation, in which their any one wish will be granted—for a price, of course. The magnitude of the price depends on the wish—the more difficult the wish is to bring about, the higher the price. It is possible for the subject to be unable to offer anything of equivalent value to their wish or refuse to do so, at which point the negotiations are terminated. Demons can be paid in valuables, experiences, lives, or even souls, but it must be noted that price is judged not based on material wealth, but on the value it has to the subject.
In spite of the disreputable ring of their name, demons do not lie and they do not try to cheat. The parameters of the negotiations are completely laid out beforehand, and the subject is warned that any wish will have an equal consequence; after all, the world is not made of miracles, and there must be an equal amount of despair to counter the happiness brought about by someone’s wish. Demons consider themselves middle-men in conducting the trade (and hence why they demand payment), as the things people want as wishes are already existent, and all the demon does is bring about the situation where the wish can be realised. Demons have no way of predicting what kind of consequences the trade will cause, and warn the subject that anything that happens after the conclusion of the negotiation will be fully the subject’s responsibility. Of all the species, humans are the ones least capable of grasping this concept and often feel cheated by the demon once the consequences manifest, hence the disparaging name.
Those who have gone through a trade with a demon relate their experience to have occurred in a shadowed location, out of where the demon seemed to “grow.” They also say that the demon they met vaguely resembles someone they once knew in life, but that the facial features seemed to be blurred and the body was translucent or “faded.” Negotiations with the demon are concluded with the signing of a contract, where the subject’s full name must be written in blood. After this has been done, the demon vanishes without a trace, but the subject’s wish would unfailingly be fulfilled, the price they paid would be expended, and the consequences of their wish will start manifesting.
