Soulbond Pact

"Everyone needs a little help, you know. It's just that mine comes from a devil and the terms are written on the skin of someone I really didn't like too much- what?"

— Zadaar, Allied Adventurer's Guild

  People of Erisdaire have always had an interest in power from sources outside themselves, be it political influence, the loyalty of armies, or magic which can alter a situation quickly. Long ago, before recorded history, there are myths of those who sought out entities of great power and make a deal. They would pledge servitude, loyalty, and sometimes even their very souls to these entities. If the individual was fortunate, this pact might be able to be nullified before the effects became too dangerous. If not... death would not be the end of such service. As with many myths in Erisdaire, there is some truth to these stories. Perhaps more truth than makes people comfortable.

The most common form of these pacts grants access to arcane magic which has extraplanar sources, and can be quite dangerous to the individual. In order to gain power, the pacts require something of equal value to the power be surrendered. For some, they never rise to a level of power significant enough to cause damage to their physical or metaphysical selves. Others, however, are willing to pursue power until they can go no further. These cases are the ones who experience the most dangerous transformations of self, as the pacts blend their natural self with the influence from outside.

The form of this transformation varies from person to person, but it still remains true how a greater power requires a greater transformation to be undergone. Most commonly cited is the belief how tieflings came to exist because of a pact so powerful and broad it 'tainted' an entire civilization. Lesser-known are scholars pursuing the possibility high elves have similarly been 'tainted' through pacts made in the Faeweald. Investigations into the latter have not gone well, as high elves consider it insulting to be compared in any way to tieflings (and the reverse is true as well).

Studies have found there are a handful of pact types with evidence to support their existence. The pacts are called:

• Pact of Divinity: The supposed pact here is difficult to define, as it is understood most ordained priests also are empowered by a connection to their deity. However, scholars argue this particular pact is much narrower. The pact supposes a direct link not with a deity, but with a deity's servant. It is believed by scholars these pacts are responsible for the people known as "celestials" existing on Erisdaire.
• Pact of Profanity: Perhaps the most common pact associated with the idea of a soulbond, there are still two forms this can take. A deal with devils is constrained by the terms of a written contract, which limits what can be gained or lost as a result of the pact. Dealing with demons, however, is much more precarious as the pact revolves around pleasing the demon. Pacts of this nature are considered the source of tieflings in the world, but this is still in dispute.
• Pact of Wonder: Few know about this type of pact, but there are a number of stories about pacts made with beings out of the Faeweald. Faeries, pixies, and other beings are said to bring an otherwordly wonder to lives at the cost of normalcy. Furthermore, they are often traps for the unwary. Pacts are made as easily as agreeing to a request, and then service is the only way to escape. Theories are often written about a pact of sufficient power giving high elves their deep connection to the Faeweald. But less common is the idea a pact of this type brought werewolves to Erisdaire.
• Pact of Shadows: Along with the Faeweald, there are the Umbral Realms where shadows lie deep across an echo of the world. Much less common, to the point this is not really recognized in the same league as the other pacts. These pacts are made by surrendering to the other plane, and if one is strong enough then they may survive with a piece of the realm embedded in their soul. This shard brings considerable power for which there are few dedicated defenses, at the cost of continually burning through life itself. Few survive this sort of pact for long, and are reclaimed as shadows and a memory of what once existed.
• Pact of Dragons: There are a few legends out of deep history, folk stories about heroes and villains who bound themselves to dragons to pursue power. For some it was a righteous calling, a means to a noble end. For others, it was about the power to shape the world and survive what might normally kill ordinary people. Dragons do not often share power, but to those who impress them there is a chance of an "ascension". It is remarkably difficult to not draw a conclusion this is how dragonkin came to be, even in the absence of evidence. Naturally, dragons do not speak of this matter casually, and scholars are always advised to remember the patience of a dragon can run out in the space of a single question.
• Pact of Beyond: Then there are other forces which lie beyond Erisdaire, and beyond the skies above. Some have written at length about the possibility of entities who can be found neither in the realms of gods, or the other planes which touch Erisdaire - but out among the stars and their vast black void. Scholars are hesitant to dig into the truth, because most sources are written by those "touched by the stars" and demonstrating a madness which has left reason behind. Reliable information is thus scarce, and if contacting "those beyond" is the cause of such madness then merely prying may cause more trouble than the truth is worth.