The Contested Isle Ch 13

Chapter 13: The Infernal Landscape

True evil in Hibernia hides in the hearts of men and in the things that they do. Temptation, obsession, and possession are the tools of Infernal; if you hear your own voice urging you on to some questionable action, then you have encountered true evil.

The First Acts of the Infernal

Obsession and temptation came early to Ireland. When Partholon’s wife Delgnat had an adulterous liaison with a servant named Topa, a demon revealed the crime to Partholon by giving him the power to taste their betrayal on a cup they had shared. Partholon had Topa put to death, and thus the sins of adultery and jealousy were brought to Ireland.

Then came the plague. Partholon was the first to die, but his people quickly followed. Only Tuan, nephew to Partholon, survived. Taking the shape of various animals, he brought warnings of plague through the ages.

War is the third weapon employed by the Infernal in Ireland. When Nemed arrived in Ireland, he brought war with him. He defeated the Fomórach kings first at Ros Fraechain, then at Badbgna, Cnamros, and Murbolg. But for the victories, there were prices to pay. His wife died of plague only 12 days after landing on Ireland’s shores and he lost two sons at the battles of Cnamros and Murbolg. And then again, Infernal plague took hold and Nemed died, allowing the Fomórach to exact their revenge. They enslaved Nemed’s followers for 207 years before rebellion broke out. Even then, Infernal fortune followed them, for even as they made their escape by sea, the Fomórach raised a great deluge that drowned all but thirty who then fled Ireland in a single boat.

The Infernal promotes suffering any way it can, whether granting a king the battlefield and taking his son on the same day, or in helping an entire people lead themselves to slaughter.

Infernal Relic: The Cup of Partholon The cup of Partholon, an exquisite horn of red gold, embossed and engraved with the telling of Partholon’s voyage to Ireland, is buried somewhere in Inis Saimera. The unwary magus in search of a cathach may go searching for Partholon’s cup as a powerful symbol associated with Ireland’s earliest years. But the horn is an Infernal relic with power over betrayal. Those who look upon it gain an Envious +3 Personality Trait, with a Penetration of +15, and a temptation to betray its owner and take the cup.

The Evils that Men Do

To grant false power indulges one man’s venality, but make him want what his neighbors have, make him covet a man’s wife, or the fertility of his land, and many souls can be brought to hell.

There are two approaches typically used by demons in Hibernia: the first is to place a man under such hardship that he has nowhere but the dark path to turn; the second is to pique a man’s interest and stoke it through envy and obsession until he is damned by his own actions.

The Plagues Of Ireland

Much inclement weather happened in the land of Ireland, which carried away corn, milk, fruit, and fish, from the people, so that there grew up dishonesty among them all, so that neither church, nor dún, nor covenant was spared.

— From a monastic history of Ireland, written around 1050

Ireland has always been beset by plagues, many with an Infernal source. With plague come closed doors and the abandonment of charity, so the Infernal causes disease and famine among livestock and their human farmers in order to force people towards extremes. Sometimes the illness is restricted to a small region or a clan. Other times the Infernal leaves carefully-chosen exceptions, small islands of plenty among the misery. Inevitably, those in need look enviously on those who remain unaffected. In such cases, church land and covenants are usually spared the plague’s touch in order to build resentment in their neighbors.

In such times, covenants would do well to seek out the source of the illness and hardship and end it before those affected are left with no option but to try to take the covenant’s livestock and supplies. More than once, scarcity has led to the ravaging of churches and similar attempts upon covenants.

Winter is a particularly dangerous time as a demon may be more subtle with less effort, making winds more chill, snows last longer, and livestock fall ill more easily. Ireland is typically a temperate place so particularly harsh winters often catch the populace off-guard.

The Defense of Hedge Magic

The Order of Hermes does not stand alone between demonic plague and the populace; numerous druidic traditions defend their clans and families against dread illness. This is especially true in Connacht where the Order has no presence.

Folk Witches, described in Hedge Magic Revised Edition, treat the afflicted with their healing magic, while the Nightwalkers, described in the same book, adopt their ghostly forms to combat the demonic spirits that cause illness and unrest. The few Elementalists found in Ireland may use their powers to moderate the winter cold or to bring the humors of their patients back into balance. Others within the Coill Trí have the power to expel illness from a place or to ward individuals against plague.

The Library of Vigil The covenant of Vigil has a substantial library of casting tablets and laboratory texts concerned with combating Infernal illness and harsh weather. In years gone by, the magi of Vigil watched for signs of Infernal hardship sweeping from the north and helped the people of Ireland by combating the demons responsible. But the Infernal has lain low of late, long enough for Vigil to succumb to its own sins of indolence, and the library now sits dark and untouched in the waterlogged vaults beneath the lost fortress. References may be found to this knowledge in annals of Hermetic history, and those covenants affected by Infernal winters and plague may want to approach Vigil for access to this lost library.

Agents of Chaos

There are three things that drive a man to dark deeds: love, land, and status. Those with them guard them jealously, while those without fight to get them. And so the Infernal in Ireland rarely offers these things to those without them already; the Infernal knows that each man would gladly damn his own soul, so they give gifts to the wealthy instead, and they take from those who have little enough already.

The clans of Ireland frequently fight over land, which demons promote through their Obsession power, remaining close to those who desire the crown and whispering quiet encouragement. Possession is sometimes used, though not of a leader but of their advisers so that the obsession and persuasion may seem more real. Envisioning is rarely used for fear of the Infernal nature of the dreams being discovered.

This was the fuel for the too-frequent infighting over the kingdom of Connacht. No sooner had the Uí Briúin gained the Connacht crown than the clan fell to war within its own people. The fighting lasted twenty years before Dub-dá-Lethe, the abbot of Armagh, came to Connacht and cast out the demons that goaded each side.

Hermetic covenants are not immune to such manipulation. It is not recorded what led the Merinita of Vigil to turn against the Diedne all those years ago, but those who understand the workings of demons might have their own suspicions.

Hibernian Demons: The Unseen Threat

The demons of Ireland understand the value of working unseen and unheard. They do this not out of the virtue of intelligence, but out of malicious cunning and cowardice. For the most part, any creature that manifests physically or visibly and claims to be a servant of Hell is likely not. Hibernian demons have the power to take physical form if compelled, but by Saint Patrick’s miracle no demon of Hibernia may adopt a serpentine shape. Any demon possessing the coagulation power must take a form other than serpentine or remain forever intangible while in Ireland.

Common Powers

Temptation is the favored weapon employed by the Infernal in Hibernia and is achieved through the following powers, described in Realms of Power: the Infernal, from page 31.

Obsession imposes the demon’s Obsession Trait, representing a particular sin, upon its target. This gives the target a Personality Trait that pushes her towards certain actions. Application of this power over time can lead to the target gaining a stronger or permanent Personality Trait, further inclining the target to sinful actions.

Possession is used by a demon to directly control a target by placing some of its Might Score within the target. The demon gains control over the target’s body, mind, abilities, and powers, and can remain hidden within the target indefinitely, acting independently from the original demon. As the will of the target is entirely suppressed, demons do not use this power to persuade the target to sin but to persuade others to sin. This can be done either through devious counsel or by expending Might in using other powers such as Obsession.

The powers described below are used to bring about bodily hardship.

Winter’s Chill, 2 points, Init (Qik – 2), Auram
Used by the demon each day, affecting the area as far as the demon can see, the winter winds bite deeper and the snows last longer. Those with a Living Conditions Modifier of 0 or less must make a Deprivation Check as per ArM5, page 180 every day with each failure resulting in the loss of a Long-Term Fatigue level.

The Plague of Ages, 10 points, Init (Qik – 20), Corpus
Brings sickness to a town or village as per the Curse of the Unportended Plague ritual described in ArM5, page 133. Use of this power reduces the demon’s Might Score by 10 points, which regenerates at a rate of one point per season spent entirely within an Infernal aura.

A Death in the Night, 4 points, Init (Qik – 4), Animal/Corpus
Depending on the type of demon, this power kills either a single human or a single animal target. To use this power, the demon must first use its Envisioning power and enter the target’s dreams. The dream inevitably turns to nightmare and when it does, the demon may unleash this power to kill its target. This is most often used to kill those who may be a calming or restraining influence on the demon’s true target.

Demons of Hardship

Hibernia is teeming with demons that hide in breezes and travel in shadows. The Aerial Powers known as Fictiles (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 69) are well-represented in Hibernia but there are other destroyers too with power over particular types of disaster, be it storm, flood, fire, illness, or famine. Even minor nuisances, such gates that become unlatched in the night, have hordes of demons dedicated to them, each with some small power to match.

The Harvest Thief Invisible and intangible, the Harvest Thieves fly upon a breeze that moves through the crops yet always against the wind. Each Harvest Thief is a small and grey, no larger than a grain of wheat, with spindly limbs and long tapering ears. These creatures are set loose in their hundreds upon the world, where they seek out healthy crops to despoil. Order: Aerial Powers Infernal Might: 2 (Herbam) Characteristics: Int –2, Per +1, Pre 0, Com 0, Str –20, Sta 0, Dex +3, Qik +10 Size: –10 Virtues and Flaws: Weak Characteristics Personality Traits: Cowardly +3, Hungry +1 Reputations: None Hierarchy: 0 Combat: Dodge: Init +10, Attack N/A, Defense +16, Damage N/A Bite: Init +10, Attack +8, Defense +16, Damage –19 Soak: +0 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: Dead (1+) Abilities: Area Lore: Local Area 5 (farmlands), Athletics 5 (flying), Brawl 5 (dodge) Powers: Coagulation, 1 point, Init +10, Corpus The Harvest Thief must coagulate into its physical form in order to chew its way through the fields. The Thief of Vitality, 1 point, Init +10, Herbam This power destroys a single living plant in the case of cereal or root crops, or an individual fruit in the case of orchard crops. Weakness: Abhorrent Material (the sound of a dog barking) Vis: A swarm can be distilled down to one pawn of Vis Infesta (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 18). Appearance: When coagulated, they are small, with bodies no larger than a grain of wheat: skinny, green-skinned imps with freakishly long limbs. They have long ears that taper to a trailing thread and sharp uneven teeth that they use to chew through crops, the physical trigger for their Infernal power. These creatures are cowardly and easily warded against, both through magical means and by a barking dog, the sound of which they find abhorrent and terrifying. Particular Harvest Thieves have a taste for particular crops and cannot stand the taste of any other. To find Harvest Thieves roaming the fields outside of harvest time is unusual.

The Sluagh

The Sluagh (SLOOA) are invisible spirits that can smell death’s approach and gather in flocks to take the departing spirit away with them.

The Sluagh are compelled to fly towards the dying from the west and can only enter a dwelling through a window. For this reason, while other doors and windows may be left open, those who make an Intelligence + Infernal Lore simple roll against an Ease Factor of 6 understand the need to close those windows that open to the west.

Nightwalkers, as described in Hedge Magic Revised Edition, count the Sluagh among their enemies and they gather on nights when the village expects a death to defend the spirit as it leaves the body.

A flock of Sluagh arrive on the night when someone will succumb to old age, illness, or injury. They emit a strange keening sound as they fly, but fall eerily silent on arriving at the dwelling. Climbing in through the window, they crouch upon every surface, their exposed teeth gently clacking. If the windows are shuttered, they knock upon them, looking for their chance to sneak in.

Once inside the house, one of the Sluagh catches their target’s last breath and drags it from the target’s mouth, pulling the spirit behind it. At this, the Sluagh begin their screaming and race away with the spirit in tow. The spirit is scourged by the Sluagh until it loses any semblance to its living form. It becomes emaciated, its lips pull back around its jaws, and its eyes widen so that its eyelids cannot be seen. If the Sluagh can take the spirit a mile from where it died, this transformation imparts Infernal Might and the spirit ultimately becomes a new Sluagh.

If they cannot get in before their target dies, or if their target receives Extreme Unction (Realms of Power: The Divine, page 75), they have no power over the spirit.

The Sluagh Order: Evil Spirit Infernal Might: 5 (Mentem) Characteristics: Int 0, Per +2, Pre 0, Com 0, Str 0, Sta 0, Dex +1, Qik +2 Size: 0 Virtues and Flaws: Berserk, Sharp Ears; Blind Personality Traits: Selfish +5, Cruel +4 Reputations: None Hierarchy: 0 Combat: Dodge: Init +2, Attack N/A, Defense +7, Damage N/A Large Teeth: Init +2, Attack +10, Defense +7, Damage +3 Grapple: Init +2, Attack +7, Defense +8, Damage +0 Soak: +0 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Area Lore: County 5 (settlements), Athletics 3 (flying at speed), Brawl 5 (grappling) Powers: Let Me In, 0 points, Init +2, Herbam Although intangible, the Sluagh may rattle doors and shutters that have been closed. It uses this power against any west-facing windows that have been stopped up against it. Come With Me, 5 points, Init +2, Mentem The Sluagh drags the last breathfrom a target, drawing the spirit out with it. If the Sluagh is then able to race a mile away with that spirit it too becomes one of the Sluagh. If it loses its grip, another Sluagh may expend the Might Points and try to drag the spirit a mile. Weakness: Compulsiveness (can only enter houses by open west-facing windows) Vis: 1 Mentem, Vis Infesta (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 18). Appearance: These emaciated creatures are grey-skinned and have long sparse hair hanging from their scratched and gouged scalps. Their lips are drawn back so fiercely that their jaws are entirely exposed and their blind eyes lack any lids. They fly through the air, their tattered rags flowing around them as though being drawn through water. The Sluagh are blind but have keen hearing. If using the rules for magical combat published in Houses of Hermes: Societates (page 33), Sluagh treat all opponents as “Indistinct,” which gives the opponent a +3 attack bonus and a +6 defense bonus. This does not apply to grappling attacks. They are selfish by nature and while they travel together they always fight in untrained groups. The Sluagh often leave damp patches behind them in places from where they take their victims, a result of their excited salivation.

Devils of Folklore

Most folklore concerning the devil and his minions actually relates to faeries playing the roles of devils or to ghosts seeking resolution. Within those stories, however, there are grains of truth that help to protect against the Infernal.

Earlier Irish folklore has no trouble in identifying faeries and their kind for what they are, but as Christian doctrine becomes more influenced by the continent, faeries have become associated with lesser orders of fallen angels. And as these thoughts have propagated, so the faeries fall in line.

They often now take the shape of Infernal imps that roam the roads at night looking for unwary travelers. Other faeries, in the roles of priests or wise women, are usually nearby to give the traveler chance to reaffirm his faith and be protected from the “devils” as they pass by. In return, the faeries gain vitality by playing out the roles of devil and redeemer alike.

Folk Charms

The demons of Ireland that have the Abhorrent Material/Circumstance, Compulsiveness, or Protected Group weaknesses are usually affected by the following:

• A candle left burning in the field overnight is enough to protect cattle from being taken or harmed by demons. The cattle count as a protected group.

• Hanging a hagstone, a small stone with a hole running through it, in a stable prevents demons from stealing horses, and hanging one over a child’s bed prevents the child from being taken. Their presence also prevents demons using the demonic Envisioning power as described in Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 32.

• Some demons can only enter buildings through open doors or windows or through openings facing a certain direction. Such demons cannot enter a building that is closed up against them.

• A branch of elder can bind a demon in place all night as it is forced to obey its obsessive nature and count all the thorns and berries it can find on the branch. It must do this until morning, when the sunlight drives it away.

• The wearing of a pouch of salt provides a natural resistance against the demonic Possession power (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 32) equal to the crafter’s Intelligence + (Infernal or Divine) Lore total. The demon must expend this number of Might Points before expending any to possess the target. This is a special form of the Protected Group weakness.

Faeries that take on the aspects of demons in order to gain vitality must also obey the rules of these folk charms.

Temoneth, Messenger of Delgnat’s Betrayal The child of covetousness and deceit, Temoneth has been behind many of the ills to have befallen Ireland, starting with Delgnat’s betrayal of her husband Partholon and including the Uí Ruairc queen Dervorgilla’s elopement with her husband’s mortal enemy Dermot MacMurrough. Temoneth is a master of lust and uses her powers to sow discord between man and woman. But she is also arrogant and cannot bring herself to molest those of low status where their superiors make more fitting sport. Order: Furies Infernal Might: 30 (Mentem) Characteristics: Int 0, Per +3, Pre 0, Com +1, Str +2, Sta +3, Dex +4, Qik +4 Size: 0 Virtues and Flaws: Berserk Personality Traits: Wrathful +4, Arrogant +3, Self-Controlled –6 Reputations: Ireland’s First Corrupter 5 (Infernal) Hierarchy: 5 Combat: Dodge: Init +4, Attack N/A, Defense +4, Damage N/A Large Claws: Init +4, Attack +12, Defense +12, Damage +8 Soak: +0 Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6–10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+) Abilities: Area Lore: Hibernia (personalities), Brawl 3 (dodge), 9 Charm 5 (earning trust), Folk Ken 5 (weaknesses), Intrigue 9 (alliances) Powers: Berserker Rage, 1 point, Init +0, Mentem The demon can grant anyone the Berserk Virtue, which persists until the target calms down. The Betrayal Revealed, 1 point, Init +0, Mentem Used when the target has taken themselves to the brink of suspicion, this power grants absolute certainty to the target, an absolute belief in that suspicion or discovery. Coagulation, 1 point, Init +0, Corpus As per the standard demonic power. Endurance of the Enraged, 0 points, Init +0, Mentem The Furies do not suffer from wound penalties, except on Defense totals. Obsession, 1 point, Init +9, Mentem As per the standard demonic power, with dominion over lust. Possession, variable points, Init +0, Mentem As per the standard demonic power. Waxing Tide of Humors, 3 points, Init +2, Mentem The Fury causes passion to overcome sense, and the victim must make a stress roll against an Ease Factor of 9, modified by appropriate Personality Traits (such as Calm or Level-Headed) to keep the emotion in check. This power can affect emotions such as anger, lust, wantonness, maliciousness, and the like. It is often employed immediately following a successful use of the demon’s Obsession power. Weakness: Protected Group (those truly happy in marriage) Vis: 6 Mentem, Vis Infesta (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 18). Appearance: Seen from the front, Temoneth appears to be a voluptuous woman, naked but for a sliver of veil that hides her face. But as the demon turns, her flesh has been stripped in a jagged line, exposing the gory skeleton inside. her guts hang loosely from the rear of her exposed pelvis and her heel bones clack wetly on the ground as she walks. Temoneth’s chief weapon is her Possession power, with which she hides in the courts of the wealthy to goad them into lust for those they cannot have. Betrayal and cruel revenge often result. Her favored tactic is to possess multiple hosts within a court, advisers to the principle players in the planned tragedies, from where she urges rash actions disguised as wise counsel. But Temoneth lacks self-control and slights made against her hosts enrage her, and she has frequently been moved to murder, disrupting her devious plans and forcing her to flee before discovery.

Infernal Places

Ireland has its share of dark and evil places. Its battlefields have seen so much slaughter and cruelty that they have become corrupted and provide sanctuary for creatures that feed on fear and pain. Then there are Infernal auras arising from the corruption of mankind, places that continue to offer temptation. And lastly there are places where the world of the Infernal touches upon the mortal world, a font from which demons spill and corruption spreads.

Battlefields

Some battlefields in Ireland have gained Infernal auras that cover every part of the plain where blood was spilled, and these auras are usually Malevolent (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 15). Demons can be found here in the form of worms in the soil.

Such places also have demonic patrons that silently call to enemies, drawing them to their particular field of battle. This is done through use of the Envisioning power to seed dreams of victory at the battlefield. This is why many places seem to attract battles; lords and their advisers might think they see tactical advantage but it is often the result of quiet demonic temptation.

Magh Slécht

A giant standing stone in the form of the god Crom Cruach and covered in beaten gold once stood amid the rolling drumlin hills of Magh Slécht in northeast Connacht, and it has witnessed countless deaths.

Before Patrick brought Christ to Ireland, the ancient people practiced human sacrifice in return for favorable winters and strong harvests, the only place in Ireland that this took place. In truth, Magh Slécht has always been home to demons drawing people to the plains and influencing them to spill the blood of others.

After Patrick banished the demon Crom Cruach, forcing him far underground, the sacrifices stopped, but the tragedies continued. The druids of the Masraige people who survived Patrick’s defeat of Crom Cruach were ultimately destroyed by Diedne in her pogrom; the Uí Raghallaigh clan chose the field to war with the Uí Conchobhair and the Uí Ruairc; even the Order of Hermes was powerless to resist the draw and Hermetic blood was spilled here during the Schism War.

Even now, it is considered strategically important. If your game follows the path of history, the Uí Raghallaigh once again meet the Uí Ruairc on Magh Slécht in 1256, a battle that leads to the division of the Kingdom of Breifne into east ruled by the Uí Raghallaigh clan and west ruled by the Uí Ruairc.

Magh Slécht has an Infernal malevolent aura of level 5.

Druim Leatan

Druim Leatan priory, some miles to the east of Magh Slécht, itself has a Dominion aura of level 6, but the surrounding land, especially the ridge that separates Uí Ruairc from Uí Raghallaigh, has an Infernal malevolent aura occasionally rising to level 4 and demons tempt both sides to assault and revenge in equal measure. As a result, the priory, as a symbol of the boundary, is often sacked and damaged.

Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe

The Connachta fort at the mouth of the Corrib is infernally-influenced; a naval base unable to receive large ships, a fort unable to resupply during siege, and a garrison too far away from the population to protect it against raiders from Munster. Continually rebuilt and then destroyed, the fort offers false hope to defenders and easy pickings to invaders. It comes under frequent assault, and whether the attackers wish it or not they receive Infernal assistance. Demons break the defenders’ bowstrings, or weaken walls, or mark out safe passage through the marsh that surrounds the fort — anything to make the defense futile. These things foster cruelty and despair in equal measure, and this the Infernal enjoys.

If your saga follows real-world history, the fort and the settlements it protects fall under siege again throughout the 1230s as the Normans make their push into Connacht. If the Infernal is not battled alongside the Normans, then Gaillimhe will continue to fall and to fail in protecting the people of Connacht.

Hell on Earth

Inis Doney, a small island on Lough Erne in Ulster, has a dual nature. For the most part, the island is a calm place with a high Divine aura centered upon a finely-built church. It is said that even angels choose this church to hold their own mass in and that it enjoys the presence of many local saints. But there is also a place upon that island that no angel or saint can be compelled to look at; a dark path untouched by the Dominion, and leading to Infernal torment.

Beyond the church, a stoney track slopes downwards towards a barren place that is oddly quiet and cold. This place has a level 1 Infernal aura and forms the mundane level of a series of nine Tartaran regiones (Realms of Power: The Infernal, page 16) that increase by 1 point as they descend lower. If the traveler manages to walk the path to the very edge of hell itself and return to the church on Inis Doney, no demon may lay temptation at his door again, no demon may possess him, and no demon may stay under his roof.

Infernal Tradition: Cailleach Phiseogach The Cailleacha Phiseogach (KOL-yukh FISH-owe-gakh) are Infernal witches that put their powers in the employ of mundane lords in return for sanctuary and earthly riches. They are always female and they wear the trappings of wise women as they advise the sons of the Irish clans. Their maleficia allow them to bargain with and control supernatural creatures, to curse their enemies, to spy upon others from a distance, and even to see things past and yet to come. They often summon spirits or creatures from the Magic and Faerie realms and compel them to some task or other; although the Chailleach’s power is Infernal she has a strong knowledge of all the realms. A Chailleach gains protection in her master’s household, a position of tenuous respect earned through the secrets she can discover and the gifts she may bestow. When her patron needs information on his enemies, it is to the Chailleach that he goes and pays the price she asks. The Cailleacha Phiseogach fuel their magic both through sacrifice and by profaning the holy. They tend to work alone unless training an apprentice to carry on their craft and they scarcely number more than a dozen across all of Ireland. Having been stolen from her family and her spirit broken, the apprentice usually stays with her mistress until the old woman dies. The Coill Trí know of the Cailleacha Phiseogach, but they are rarely encountered and pose little threat. In fact, some druids have been known to seek out Cailleach to obtain certain information or service beyond their own power. A Chailleach is a type of Diabolist and created as a Mythic Companion, as described in Realms of Power: The Infernal, Chapter Ten. She must take the Diabolist Special Virtue at no cost and gains the Wise One Minor Social Status Virtue at no cost. This leaves 10 points of Flaws to be spent in buying 20 points of Virtues. Half of these should be spent on Supernatural Virtues granted by the Infernal, including Incantation and Diablerie. Required Virtues: Diabolist (Free, Special Virtue)*, Wise One (Minor, Social Status), Diablerie (Major, Unholy Power)*, Incantation (Major, Unholy Method)* Common Virtues: Infernal Heirloom*, Malediction*, Mentored by Demons*, Phantasm*, Premonitions, Protection Common Flaws: Demonic Familiar*, Social Handicap, Tainted with Evil, Witch Marks* Realms of Power: The Infernal, Chapter Nine

Attribution

Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.