Chapter Text
Section 1: What Is The Infernalium?
The Infernalium
Put simply, The Infernalium is a living pocket universe. It can appear at any time or place, in any universe. Often, it takes the form of a storefront, but its nature is more like a hive. The Infernalium appears to be a composite organism, made up of the pocket universe itself and the Inferni that inhabit it. No one knows the true shape of the Infernalium, but it is known to possess a beating heart, the source from which new Inferni emerge.
The storefront of the Infernalium is theorized to be a type of lure. It has, on occasion, been claimed that Infernalium storefronts have appeared at multiple locations at the same time although this has never been proven. What is known for sure is that the storefront itself is much too small to contain the interior structures of the hive.
There are many regions and subregions to the Infernalium, but there appears to be no set map. Areas shift around to suit the Inferni that dwell within it, usually in response to a need, but sometimes seemingly at random. Occasionally, a new region will spring up or one will die off, these changes seem to be in response to shifting power dynamics, but could also simply be a natural life cycle of the beast. Each manager has their own region which forms itself around their desires, although there are regions with no known manager.
It is speculated that the Infernalium is not actually one individual specimen, but a species. It is unknown how many exist, or the degree of variation between individuals of the species.
The Inferni
The Inferni are a type of deal making demon. They are created by the Infernalium from the souls of humans and animals who have made deals with Inferni or on at least one notable occasion, with the Infernalium itself. They gain their ability to grant wishes from the Infernalium by unknown means, and seem to instinctively know how to grant wishes and take souls upon being formed.
Inferni are shaped within the heart of the Infernalium when an Inferni brings back a soul it has harvested. There are many types of Inferni, which will be covered in Section 2: What Type of Inferni Are You?
Social Structure
Inferni exist on a structure of indentured servitude. There are several levels of Inferni, starting at the bottom with the indentured.
These Inferni are still trapped within the terms of their contract, and are working off their debt to the Inferni with whom they made their deal. They’re called “indentured” because they can eventually become free. All contracts made by an indentured Inferni automatically belong to their Manager, and every year they earn by making a new deal is one less year they will remain indentured. The Indentured have no inherent rights or protections, they are obligated to obey their manager until their contract is fulfilled. Unless they specified protections for themselves when they wrote the terms of their contract, their manager can do with them whatever they like. Their entire purpose is to serve their master… er, manager. Some indentured inferni are used as harems, while others are treated more like employees, yet others are kept as pets or livestock, depending on the proclivities of their managers. If a person were to summon a demon without a specific goal in mind, an indentured is the most likely to answer the summons and carry out the deal on behalf of their manager.
Managers are Inferni who have worked off the terms of their contracts and taken on contracts of their own. They are free and outside of the influence of other Inferni for the most part. They are called “managers” because “masters” just has such a negative ring to it, don’t you think?
Both managers and indentured are the workers of the hive, bringing it new souls and keeping the organism running. The Infernalium feeds and houses them, and when they are not taking new contacts for the hive, they are free to do as they please.
Soldiers are the direct creations of the Infernalium’s Agent. They are rare and precious beasts, each one filling a particular need of the hive. Some of them reward good workers, while others function as a deterrent. Often they have a team of workers under them, both managers and indentured. Any deal made by a soldier will result in an assistant for that soldier.
The last type of Inferni is the hive’s Queen, known as the Agent. He speaks for the Infernalium, makes deals to create new Soldiers, and acts as judge and jury for lesser Inferni. It is said that he was the first Inferni of the hive and he can speak directly to the Infernalium.
Summoning a Demon
The Infernalium can be a bit tricky at times to summon. It seems that it is able to sense the type of desperation or greed that comes from a being willing to sell their soul. The Infernalium will respond to standard demon summoning techniques, provided the intent is there.
Murder is another method to summon the Infernalium, the caveat being that it is more inclined to make a deal with the victim than with the murderer. Occasionally it will take both.
It is also known to appear at locations of mass suffering and take large numbers of souls at one time, or to lurk in areas plagued by misfortune and wait for victims to come looking for a solution to their woes. New potential Inferni should travel to areas plagued by war or disease, and look for someone selling salvation.
Paying for Goods and Services
The most common way to seal a transaction with the Inferni is with the dealmaker’s soul. Usually, the terms of the deal will allow the human to keep their soul to the end of their natural lifespan, but some deals come with a time limit. For instance, a human may ask for a specified number of years to enjoy their reward before the inferni returns for their soul. Some deals, however, result in the soul being claimed immediately. Unwisely worded deals can have this sort of result, for instance a deal stating “I want him to stay faithful to me for the rest of my life” may result in the dealmaker’s immediate demise. It isn’t commonly known, but Inferni will often accept terms of servitude, rather that take the soul “for all eternity”. These deals are a secret menu item, they will not be offered if the dealmaker doesn’t ask. Common terms include 50 years, 100 years, and 1,000 years. An Inferni who wishes to keep an indentured after their term has expired will often offer them a new deal.
Some Inferni are known as gamblers, and their deals are a bit more complex. A gambler will bet their services against the soul of the dealmaker, if the dealmaker can keep to the terms of the agreement for a set number of years, they get their wish for free, but if they break the agreement, the gambler gets their soul. One particular gambler does this with immortality wishes. He offers the dealmaker immortality on the condition that they don’t change their mind within 100 years. If they do change their mind, their soul belongs to him for 1,000 years.
Soldiers are an exception to the usual dynamic. They can be convinced to take alternative payment for their services. What these payments are depends on the individual Inferni. Some will take food, blood, sex, or pain; while others want more substantial offerings. While they’re unlikely to take your firstborn, they may ask for your fertility or something else valuable to you.