The Prince of Bargains
The Prince of Bargains
Known in Life as: Carceron, the Gray Ledger
Patron Of:
- Contracts, Deals, and Unbreakable Terms
- Mercenary Ethics and Transactional Relationships
- Balance Without Emotion, Power Without Passion
Symbol:
A two-sided coin bearing an open eye on one face and a closed padlock on the other, often etched into the wax seals of infernal contracts or embossed on rings worn by mercenary lords. The coin never flips the same way twice, and some say it lands on its edge when a lie is told in his presence.
Common Appearance to Mortals:
Carceron appears as a tall, androgynous figure robed in endless folds of gray parchment inscribed with ever-shifting runes. His face is hidden behind a blank silver mask, featureless but reflective, showing each viewer only themselves. His voice is measured, unhurried, and without emotional inflection. He carries a stylus forged from the bone of a fallen god and a ledger said to contain every deal ever struck, across every plane.
History and Myth:
Unlike most demon princes, Carceron did not rise through bloodshed or seduction—he rose through precision. In the earliest wars between the Abyss and the Hells, while other fiends fought for thrones, Carceron bartered for them. He is said to have sold the first soul, invented the concept of terms, and brokered the first ceasefire between devil and demon alike.
He became the patron of yugoloths, the mercenaries of the lower planes—not because he led them, but because he defined them. In his cold philosophy, every being has a price, and morality is simply a poorly written contract waiting to be renegotiated. Even the gods will bargain with him when desperation outweighs pride.
He claims no domain, but walks freely between the Lower Planes. His sanctuary, the Vault of Terms, is a planar space that moves according to the terms of its last signed contract. None enter it by force; only invitation, sealed in ink, grants access.
Relationship with The Judge
Though both are keepers of contracts, Carceron and The Judge stand on opposite ends of principle. The Judge upholds law as a sacred expression of justice—ensuring fairness, balance, and moral clarity. Carceron, by contrast, views law as a tool of leverage: precise, binding, and entirely amoral. Where The Judge enforces what should be done, Carceron enforces only what was agreed to—no matter how cruel or foolish. The two respect each other’s domains, but their philosophies are incompatible: The Judge seeks to preserve the dignity of the law, while Carceron strips it bare to expose its utility. Their mutual noninterference is not built on shared values—but on a contract neither dares breach.
Doctrine and Devotion:
“A deal is not a trap. It is the clearest form of truth.”
—Carceron, to a yugoloth who tried to void a soul clause.
Carceron’s followers:
- Do not worship—they negotiate.
- See oaths, contracts, and bargains as the purest expression of power.
- Believe that emotion compromises outcome.
- Train to master the art of the deal: not just wealth, but leverage.
- Are known to abandon gods, allies, or ideals if the terms no longer benefit them.
His clergy are arbiters, lawyers, mercenaries, and power-brokers. They do not speak of sin, only breach of terms.
In-World Rumors:
- It is said Carceron once bargained a god into ceasing to exist, trading oblivion for the god’s silence in an old war.
- Some believe he is older than the Abyss itself, and that the first thing to ever die signed its name in his ledger.
Relic of the Prince of Bargains: The Ledger of Living Debt
"A promise is a prison. Most fools are eager to lock themselves in."
Wondrous Item (Book, Scroll, or Binding Codex), Legendary → Artifact
Requires attunement by a Warlock, Wizard, or any character who has entered into a magical or infernal contract knowingly.
Initial Form: The Ledger of Living Debt (Levels 10–13)
A massive tome bound in gray vellum and sealed with a silver clasp. Its pages are blank unless blood is offered to the binding, at which point it writes in living ink that pulses with the heartbeat of the signer. It contains all active soul contracts within 100 miles and can reveal, enforce, or void them—if the bearer knows how.
Clause of Compulsion:
Once per long rest, you may write a sentence in the Ledger that takes the form of a magically binding command (Geas, no concentration required). The target must be within 60 feet, understand the language, and be able to hear or see you. They instinctively know the cost of refusal: 6d10 psychic damage and disadvantage on all Charisma checks for 24 hours.
Seal of Consent:
Once per short rest, you may magically sign a contract using the Ledger. Both parties know if the terms are violated, and each can use the Ledger to magically track the other once per day for 1 hour, ignoring planar boundaries.
Awakened Form: The Ledger of Final Accord (Levels 17–20)
The Ledger now glows with quiet radiance. Its cover shifts between names, and its pages react to spoken pacts—recording them automatically in the bearer’s voice. Deals signed in the Ledger bind the soul unless magically contested through a greater deity, Wish, or Carceron’s personal override.
Enhanced Effects:
Absolute Binding (1/day):
You may write a single-term clause in the Ledger that acts as irresistible command (functions as Mass Suggestion cast at 9th level, no concentration, one sentence). Any creature that attempts to violate it must succeed on a Wisdom save (DC 20) or take 10d10 psychic damage and be cursed (disadvantage on all saving throws against you) until they fulfill the command.
Back Clause Exposure:
As a bonus action, you may read a creature’s soul-debt in the Ledger (within 120 feet). You learn one secret they’ve bargained for (GM’s choice), and may speak it aloud as a Verbal Hex—the target takes 4d6 psychic damage and is silenced for 1 minute unless they succeed a Wisdom save (DC 18).
The Ledger Never Lies:
You have immunity to Zone of Truth and any spell that detects lies, and advantage on Insight and Persuasion checks made when referencing oaths, contracts, or debts. You also cannot be magically compelled to break a contract once signed in the Ledger.
Awakening Trigger:
The Ledger awakens when:
- The bearer seals a deal that results in someone else's damnation, knowingly.
- Or successfully tricks a celestial, devil, or demon into violating their own vow.
- Or refuses salvation or redemption in favor of honorably keeping a damning promise.
When awakened, the Ledger’s final pages are revealed—where the bearer may write a clause to alter their own fate, once in their lifetime... at a cost Carceron alone determines.
