Why is V Pre-Approved?

[Number 6]

Any devil would jump at a chance to get a 13th level mage, but why did they have the paperwork waiting, pre-approved?

My Theory: Remember when Sabine reported back to Headquarters because she was under orders to report aything that would "...tip the balance of good and evil in our favor." That wasn't just a plot device to get her out of the way while Nale made a move on Haley. Hell was now aware that the OOTS was investigating the portals imprisoning the Snarl. That would definately put them on the fast track. I think that the devils have paperwork all ready for any member of the OOts if the opportunity came up. Or, maybe they orchestrated the whole thing...

[King of Nowhere]

My Theory: Remember when Sabine reported back to Headquarters because she was under orders to report aything that would "...tip the balance of good and evil in our favor." That wasn't just a plot device to get her out of the way while Nale made a move on Haley. Hell was now aware that the OOTS was investigating the portals imprisoning the Snarl. That would definately put them on the fast track. I think that the devils have paperwork all ready for any member of the OOts if the opportunity came up.

Probably. Also, V's behaviour in the last months was ambiguous, so the demons should have looked at hir especially

[gusk]

My guess would be that the paperwork and all was just to throw away people they weren't interested in. Kubota for example was an evil aristocrat, you can't get a lot made controling someone like him, plus he was alredy evil. Instead V is ¿neutral? thus turning someone to evil, who is actually pretty powerful. So if I was a devil and had to buy someone's soul, I would choose V's.

[Aron Times]

Vaarsuvius is one of the most powerful mortals in the world (second only to Redcloak, I think). Think of what the Nine Hells could do with him on their side.

[Number 6]

Vaarsuvius is one of the most powerful mortals in the world (second only to Redcloak, I think). Think of what the Nine Hells could do with him on their side.

True. I was just going on the imp's reaction. It was not, "Well, I guess they fast-tracked a mage of your level" but, "Huh. That's funny.l"

[Mando Knight]

11th level or higher mages aren't common. They were probably pre-filling the paperwork ever since V got access to 6th level spells, and just waiting for a sign that V was willing to go for a Faustian deal... Qarr probably wasn't privy to the Faustian dealers' plan, either...

[Xesirin]

11th level or higher mages aren't common. They were probably pre-filling the paperwork ever since V got access to 6th level spells, and just waiting for a sign that V was willing to go for a Faustian deal... Qarr probably wasn't privy to the Faustian dealers' plan, either...

/agree

Although my other theory, given the broken fourth wall this comic has, is that the demons were reading the forums of this comic, saw our theories on V turning, and prepared V's paperwork.

[Zevox]

Vaarsuvius is one of the most powerful mortals in the world (second only to Redcloak, I think).
That's something of an exaggeration. You forgot Xykon, at the very least. Plus the remaining members of the Order of the Scribble. And given someone like Bozzok is level 17+, it isn't hard to imagine that there are a few other unknown high-level characters out there more powerful, or at least higher level, than V.

Still, yes, V is quite the catch, and being neutral and very logic-driven, is probably one of the more viable targets out there for whoever runs the Hells in the OotS world. Its distinctly possible they had her marked a while ago, even without any particular fiend pointing her out to them.

Sabine being involved is a maybe. It depends on a couple of things. First, either Sabine has to be a Devil rather than a Demon (which seems unlikely given most of the traits she displays are those of a Succubus) or the two need to be run by the same group in the OotS's cosmology (which is possible, but would be odd, since then there would be little point to the distinction between them). Second, she needs to either have had a reason to mention V to her superiors when she reported in (possible, but I can't think of one at the moment, so I'm a bit doubtful of that), or she needs to have told her superiors about the Order in general and they need to have decided to monitor them afterward (more likely, but still not a certainty). So while its possible, its not exactly a strong theory. But then again, neither is any theory on the matter at this point.

Zevox

[pnewman]

V is pre-approved because Sabine convinced her superiors to put her on the list. (Thus Sabine is a devil, not a demon.)

[Optimystik]

You forgot Xykon, at the very least.

He's not mortal anymore.


V is pre-approved because Sabine convinced her superiors to put her on the list. (Thus Sabine is a devil, not a demon.)

You're assuming that demons and devils have different superiors in OotS-land. We don't know that yet.

[Zevox]

He's not mortal anymore.
Depends on which definition of mortal you use. If his being immune to death by old age is all that matters, then no, he isn't. If you use it more in the sense of being part of the material/mortal world (as opposed to being an outsider or god), then yes, he is. And I suspect that the Devils of the Hells would use it more in the latter sense (since what they're interested in peoples' souls, not their bodies). In theory, they may be interested in him, too. They just have next to no chance of ever getting him to bargain with them, since he hates being subservient to anyone, is powerful enough not to need their help, and arrogant enough that he likely wouldn't ask for or accept it even if he did.

Zevox

[Rayzin]

Maybe all the PC's are Pre-Approved?
Cause in this campaign world where they know its a campaign world all PC's would have huge potential.

[Optimystik]

Depends on which definition of mortal you use.

The first one in the dictionary.

[Zevox]

The first one in the dictionary.

mor⋅tal   /ˈmɔrtl/ [mawr-tl]
–adjective
1. subject to death; having a transitory life: all mortal creatures.
He qualifies. Liches can still die - they're just harder to kill than others.

Anyway, you missed my point. The definition of mortal I quoted can't really be applied to D&D, since in D&D everything can die, even the gods. So you either need to go with "cannot die of old age" or "is not an outsider/elemental/god." And as I said, I suspect that the Devils would use the latter.

Zevox

[Innis Cabal]

Any devil would jump at a chance to get a 13th level mage, but why did they have the paperwork waiting, pre-approved?

My Theory: Remember when Sabine reported back to Headquarters because she was under orders to report aything that would "...tip the balance of good and evil in our favor." That wasn't just a plot device to get her out of the way while Nale made a move on Haley. Hell was now aware that the OOTS was investigating the portals imprisoning the Snarl. That would definately put them on the fast track. I think that the devils have paperwork all ready for any member of the OOts if the opportunity came up. Or, maybe they orchestrated the whole thing...

That was to report about the Gates and their function. It was explained in that comic. It has nothing to do with the OoTS

[Yukitsu]

Undead can't die. They can however, be destroyed.

The dead part already happened.

[Linkavitch]

Vaarsuvius is one of the most powerful mortals in the world (second only to Redcloak, I think). Think of what the Nine Hells could do with him on their side.

What about his master, Aarindarius? Wouldn't someone who had taught V everything he knows be more powerful?

[BRC]

You need to remember, this is a DnD setting, powerful people are not as rare as you think. Mind you, as a mid to High level wizard, V is more powerful than 99% of the global population, but I wouldn't say he is second only to redcloak in terms of power.

Heck, remember, Miko beat Redcloak pretty handidly, and Roy beat Miko (Albiet, Miko after having fallen, but that's still pretty tough).

However, that's irrelevant here. The Infernal Buerocracy LIVES for people like V. Let's check out the qualifications:
1. Powerful
2. Formerly Heroic
3. History of Arrogance
4. Desperate for more power.
5. Only partially sane

That's a pretty good deal, I mean, a fallen hero with plenty of power already, and not political power, real honest-to-evil "I can kill you with my brain" power.

[Eldrys]

I think its just that, yeah someone was monitiring her, and then they pre aproved her when she actually had a reason to become evil, to gain enough ower to save her family.

[snoopy13a]

I think there are two pre-reqs:

1) The character has to be powerful

2) The character must not be evil (no point in buying a soul that you're getting anyway)

So most of the Order, with the exception of Belkar (evil) and Roy (dead), should be pre-approved.

[Lupy]

After Raistlin, all the big bad evils keep an eye on red wizards with obsessions. :smallwink:

[Kish]

What about his master, Aarindarius? Wouldn't someone who had taught V everything he knows be more powerful?
Not guaranteed, especially if Aarindarius has been whiling away the decades while Vaarsuvius has been adventuring.

After Raistlin, all the big bad evils keep an eye on red wizards with obsessions. :smallwink:
So they can run away screaming? :smalltongue: Raistlin didn't work out so well for Fistandantilus or Takhisis.

[Weiser_Cain]

Well if you think about it the snarl would destroy the demons and devil along with the rest of creation.

[Flickerdart]

Not guaranteed, especially if Aarindarius has been whiling away the decades while Vaarsuvius has been adventuring.
Especially considering that (OotPCs spoiler)
the only reason V is adventuring is because he believes it will get him power faster than studying.
However, Aarindarius looks a lot more badass than Vaarsuvius, in my opinion, so you never know.

[Number 6]

That was to report about the Gates and their function. It was explained in that comic. It has nothing to do with the OoTS

I'm assuming that the devils know about the Snarl. But, if the gods have managed to keep it a secret from them, my theory is still possible. I'm sure that, after Sabine told them about the Thing that Could End the World (she and Nale did not know about the Snarl yet, if memory serves), they kept an eye on Azure City and everything going on there. So, I think that Sabine would report all she knew about it, but even if she didn't, they would find out before too long.

[magic9mushroom]

Any devil would jump at a chance to get a 13th level mage, but why did they have the paperwork waiting, pre-approved?

My Theory: Remember when Sabine reported back to Headquarters because she was under orders to report aything that would "...tip the balance of good and evil in our favor." That wasn't just a plot device to get her out of the way while Nale made a move on Haley. Hell was now aware that the OOTS was investigating the portals imprisoning the Snarl. That would definately put them on the fast track. I think that the devils have paperwork all ready for any member of the OOts if the opportunity came up. Or, maybe they orchestrated the whole thing...

That was my theory also.

Sabine told the Infernals about the Snarl and the Gates after Nale got Shojo to tell him about it. This was before the chat with Vaarsuvius. There's nothing, though, that says that she couldn't have gone back later to tell them about V.

[Zevox]

I'm sure that, after Sabine told them about the Thing that Could End the World (she and Nale did not know about the Snarl yet, if memory serves)
'Fraid your memory is foggy. Nale was told the same Secret Lore of the Sapphire Guard as the Order, in its entirety, here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0379.html), and seems to have told Sabine everything about it by the next strip.

Zevox

[Lunaya]

Meh. Even people with lousy credit get offers for pre-approved loans. V's name was added to the mailing list by talking to Qarr, and there you have it.

[evileeyore]

True. I was just going on the imp's reaction. It was not, "Well, I guess they fast-tracked a mage of your level" but, "Huh. That's funny.l"

Qaar is a bit of an idiot. He hasn't even figured out why the Faustian Devils wouldn't have wanted Kubuto, I wouldn't pay a bit of attention to anything Qaar says concerning how he expects them to act.

[Zherog]

Why is V pre-approved? Because it was crazy funny to word it that way. That's why.

[afroakuma]

My Theory: Remember when Sabine reported back to Headquarters because she was under orders to report aything that would "...tip the balance of good and evil in our favor." That wasn't just a plot device to get her out of the way while Nale made a move on Haley. Hell was now aware that the OOTS was investigating the portals imprisoning the Snarl. That would definately put them on the fast track. I think that the devils have paperwork all ready for any member of the OOts if the opportunity came up. Or, maybe they orchestrated the whole thing...

One flaw: Sabine is a succubus, meaning she reports back to the Abyss. Qarr is an imp, so he bats for the opposite team.

[kusje]

One flaw: Sabine is a succubus, meaning she reports back to the Abyss. Qarr is an imp, so he bats for the opposite team.

That's what I thought too but someone told me the comic is being deliberately ambiguous about what she is. (Which is why Haley had to shoot her with 2 different types of arrows)

[Ancalagon]

Undead can't die. They can however, be destroyed.

The dead part already happened.

Mere semantics.

[Kish]

Mere semantics.
Don't come crying to me after you tried a Slay Living spell on Xykon.

...Not that there would enough left of you to come crying to anyone.

[Kami2awa]

I'd say its a satirical comment against the ease of getting into debt in the banking system (until very recently).

[Wraithfighter]

...

Hasn't anyone considered that it'd only take a freaking cantrip to take a standard form contract and tune it so V can use it?

Every good-, erm, make that effective bureaucracy has a way to deal with time sensitive issues. I mean, the Faustian Pact division has to know that most of their best deals are going to come when a good person is panicked and not acting with their head quite so much.

So, they have a form contract that says, pretty much, "Fill in what you want and what you need to get it, and we'll talk about the rest of it later. Don't sweat the details right now..."

And the assumption, obviously, is that that which is being saved is part of the collateral...

[Adeptus]

Projected return of investment. V is already a powerful mage, and is on a quest for the Ultimate Arcane Power. He/she is a great bet for the infernal powers.

[Duaneyo1]

I could only imagine the wording of the contract:

Article I (preamble)

This pact represents a binding, perpetual and eternal agreement between the Interplanar Faustian Credit Counsel, hereafter referred to as the IFCC and Vaarsuvius, hereafter and forevermore referred to as the damned. The IFCC agrees to provide the damned with Arcane power sufficient to defeat an ancient black dragon. While the damned agrees to provide the IFCC with a lien upon his / her eternal soul, payable in full upon termination of his mortal life. The damned swears (or affirms) that the IFCC lien is senior to all previous and future pacts and will be unaffected by any attempts to revive his mortal body upon his death....

[kusje]

payable in full upon termination of his mortal life.

Doubt they'd be willing to wait that long. Elves live a long life and taking his soul after his death isn't going to help them tip the scales against good in the quest to enslave the snarl.

[snafu]

Doubt they'd be willing to wait that long. Elves live a long life and taking his soul after his death isn't going to help them tip the scales against good in the quest to enslave the snarl.

So something along the lines of 'and using the power we provide you'll work for us for not more than n days per year at w weeks' notice' would be in order?

[Raging Gene Ray]

I could only imagine the wording of the contract:

Article I (preamble)

[A bunch of lawyerese]

V's not gonna read that. Shi wants to just sign the thing and get to saving hir family. Only then will shi realize how much shi/hir family/the Order/Azure City/The entire Multiverse has been screwed over by the contract.

[Lissibith]

Meh. Even people with lousy credit get offers for pre-approved loans. V's name was added to the mailing list by talking to Qarr, and there you have it.

Thank you. I was beginning to think I was the only one who thought this way.
Could be sent to all PCs eventually (or at least the neutral ones?) or triggered to go to those desperate enough to accept despite what's usually complicated and incredibly burdonsome terms.

[Eleshar]

I hope you see that V is already making a huge possibility for his own redemption. He's willing to sacrifice his soul to the foulest of evils, but for what purpose? Selfish goals? No. Saving life of someone? Maybe... But now it is not only about saving life but also about saving souls...

V is sacrificing his one soul in order to protect two other souls from torment of being trapped forever by an extremely evil and powerful creature which is, against all odds an act of supreme charity.

Of course that does not mean, V is not going to Hell, it means only he can be redeemed and cheat Hell :smallwink: Maybe :smallbiggrin:

[hamishspence]

now, if said souls were already In the Nine Hells for some reason, maybe captured and handed over, the devils would consider that willingly swapping your soul for theirs is not grounds for appeal. Only coercion, or failure to deliver on the devils' part, is grounds.

Though the angels might be ready to differ, and there are organizations dedicated to getting unjustly taken souls back, in Fiendish Codex 2.

[Eleshar]

Well, the "said souls" would not be in Hell but in the soul gems of the Mama Dragon, but I suppose they would suffer anyway. So no swapping of souls. I just point out that V is redeemable, not that he will have any bargaining grounds against Hell.
But of course, as you said, "the angels might be ready to differ"...

[JT Jag]

My theory is that the Forces Of Evil™ engineered this entire situation. Someone has been keeping tabs on Vaar and informed the Forces Of Evil™ that he was on the island.

Then, they informed Momma Dragon. Possibly, they also informed Momma Dragon about the existence of Vaar's relations.

The Momma Dragon forced him to seek Powers Never Meant To Be Held By Mortal Man™, and they were waiting.

[Eleshar]

The Momma Dragon forced him to seek Powers Never Meant To Be Held By Mortal Man™, and they were waiting.
Then the Forces Of Evil™ should be more careful with the wording this time as we all know how it turned out when one of them went nuclear crying all around himself "No man can hinder me"... :smallbiggrin:
There is the question as to whether V is to be considered mortal not to mention his manhood...:smalltongue:

addendum: which could in turn, lead to actually fulfilling V's prophecy of saying his right four words for all wrong reasons by informing the aforementioned Forces Of Evil™ that:
:vaarsuvius:"No man am I"

[Dixieboy]

V is pre-approved because Sabine convinced her superiors to put her on the list. (Thus Sabine is a devil, not a demon.)She's a demon, batwings

[DigoDragon]

I figure V is pre-approved since the demonic Helling market bubble hasn't burst yet, so all these evils would be buying up all the neutral to selfish souls trying to turn them over (to evil) for a quick profit.

[factotum]

She's a demon, batwings

Qarr also has batwings, but he's a devil, isn't he?

[Flickerdart]

My theory is that the Forces Of Evil™ engineered this entire situation. Someone has been keeping tabs on Vaar and informed the Forces Of Evil™ that he was on the island.

Then, they informed Momma Dragon. Possibly, they also informed Momma Dragon about the existence of Vaar's relations.

The Momma Dragon forced him to seek Powers Never Meant To Be Held By Mortal Man™, and they were waiting.
Except it was the Oracle, imbued with Tiamat's power, who told the ABD.

However. You remember who it was that told Roy and the gang to go seek out the starmetal in the first place? That's right, Sabine. So it's still their fault the whole thing got started, just less directly.


Qarr also has batwings, but he's a devil, isn't he?
Imps have bat wings. Erinyes, the Devil answer to Succubi, have feathered wings.

[Xapi]

Theory:

The devilish evil-doers in the OOTS world DON'T want the snarl to eat the world, because, let's face it, where are they going to get their share of evil souls from if there's no more life?*

So, they've been expecting a being powerful enough to give the Ultimate Arcane Power TM to. Of course, accepting the UAP TM from the most pure forces of evil, is in itself an evil act, so, suck it saviour of the world, you've become evil in the process.

This is why V has been pre-approved. She's neutral, so she's rather close to accepting such a deal (more so than any Good character, at least), and she's powerful enough. However, she wouldn't have answered the evil red phone if it wasn't for what may happen to her children.

Therefore, she'll take the UAP TM from the evil forces -by saying four words, something in the lines of 'Let's make a deal'-, but for all the wrong reasons (they truly want to help stop the end of the world, so they are "the right being", but she won't take their help to save the world, but to save her own children).


* Of course, I'm not talking about Xykon here, or Redcloak, but the guys in charge of Hell.

[Spiky]

Meh. The little people just don't get that we CAN get paperwork finished in a hurry, we simply don't bother much of the time.

[Trebuchet]

Meh. Even people with lousy credit get offers for pre-approved loans. V's name was added to the mailing list by talking to Qarr, and there you have it.

Well put. Everyone does get 10 of these a week (or used to when credit was easier to get), so it isn't exactly impressive to be pre-approved.

I expect there is a powerful artifact in the Infernal Faustian Contract Cabinet that magically generates pre-approved sell-your-soul junk mail as an immediate action, complete with postage. Why can't they be automated?

And why assume Qarr is telling the truth about the usual lengthiness of the contract? If someone is contemplating doing something really, really stupid (like selling his soul), you want the paperwork to seem short and easy, so they don't think too hard about it. Maybe there are 666 pages for people like Kubota, but non-evil types would just have to sign a postcard.

[Red XIV]

What about his master, Aarindarius? Wouldn't someone who had taught V everything he knows be more powerful?
Aarindarius isn't a PC. That's been established as quite relevant in the OotS-verse. Acquiring a a high-level wizard for the forces of Hell? A worthy accomplishment for any devil. Acquiring a high-level wizard who's also a PC? That could be the crowning achievement of a Lawful Evil career.


BTW, it would be a stretch to say that V learned everything he/she knows from Aarindarius. He/she's surely learned quite a bit on his/her own since becoming an adventurer; that was, after all, the entire point.

[Rotipher]

Qarr also has batwings, but he's a devil, isn't he?


Dixieboy meant that if Sabine was a female devil out to seduce men into evil, she'd be an erinyes, which have feathered wings in D&D. As she has bat wings, she must instead be a succubus, which is the demonic equivalent.

It's a stupid case of D&D's designers making up a pair of very similar monsters, then distinguishing them by alignment and one superficial physical characteristic. Many D&D dragons have a similar problem.

[quick_comment]

I dont think that this deal will result in V getting ultimate arcane power.

Remember, right four words, to the right person, but for all the wrong reasons

Saving your children from being soul trapped by an evil dragon? Those reasons seem pretty right to me.

[hamishspence]

yes- apart from the archdevil Glasya, I can't think of any WOTC devils that combine female appearance, little horns, bat wings, tail.

[Prak]

Any devil would jump at a chance to get a 13th level mage, but why did they have the paperwork waiting, pre-approved?

My Theory: Remember when Sabine reported back to Headquarters because she was under orders to report aything that would "...tip the balance of good and evil in our favor." That wasn't just a plot device to get her out of the way while Nale made a move on Haley. Hell was now aware that the OOTS was investigating the portals imprisoning the Snarl. That would definately put them on the fast track. I think that the devils have paperwork all ready for any member of the OOts if the opportunity came up. Or, maybe they orchestrated the whole thing...

No, Sabine works for The Abyss, the Chaotic Evil Plane, The Devils are from The Nine Hells of Ba'ator, the Lawful Evil plane. There is no cross-polination of information or ideas because the two planes and two sides of evil are at each other's throats in an endless war known as the Blood War. The only way there is transfer of ideas and information is through Espionage, and I gotta tell ya, espionage between two sides of evil that make heavy use of magic (including the possibility of just flat out detecting alignment and being suspicious of a lack of alignment, or an alignment that comes with a magic aura, or an alignment aura that is disproportionate to what the subject should have) doesn't work so well.

The Nine Hells, and thus Devils, probably know about the snarl without needed espionage or information from a single temptress fiend, because a good number of them were likely on the side of the gods when the snarl first appeared.


yes- apart from the archdevil Glasya, I can't think of any WOTC devils that combine female appearance, little horns, bat wings, tail.
Erinyes, I think there are others, but my FC2 is packed up and I need to go run a couple errands. I'll scour my pdfs later.

[Mando Knight]

Except it was the Oracle, imbued with Tiamat's power, who told the ABD.
I'm pretty sure that Tiamat is a ranking member of The Omniscient Council Of (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness)The Forces Of Darkness (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheLegionsOfHell)...

Dixieboy meant that if Sabine was a female devil out to seduce men into evil, she'd be an erinyes, which have feathered wings in D&D. As she has bat wings, she must instead be a succubus, which is the demonic equivalent.

Unless Rich is a Time Lord and Sabine's a 4E Succubus...

[Prak]

she'd be an erinyes, which have feathered wings in D&D. As she has bat wings
Oops... well, I'm still fairly certain there are other devils which fit the bill, but I'm also fairly certain Sabine's a succubus.

[Zevox]

Dixieboy meant that if Sabine was a female devil out to seduce men into evil, she'd be an erinyes, which have feathered wings in D&D. As she has bat wings, she must instead be a succubus, which is the demonic equivalent.

It's a stupid case of D&D's designers making up a pair of very similar monsters, then distinguishing them by alignment and one superficial physical characteristic. Many D&D dragons have a similar problem.
I think you have that backwards. The Succubus and Erinyes are only superficially similar - both look like attractive human females with wings. In every other way, they're different. Succubi are seductresses that drain the life out of their victims and try to avoid combat whenever they can, while Erinyes are warriors first and foremost, not seductresses; they're simply not above using their looks to their advantage if it suits their purpose.

Zevox

[Prak]

I think you have that backwards. The Succubus and Erinyes are only superficially similar - both look like attractive human females with wings. In every other way, they're different. Succubi are seductresses that drain the life out of their victims and try to avoid combat whenever they can, while Erinyes are warriors first and foremost, not seductresses; they're simply not above using their looks to their advantage if it suits their purpose.

Zevox

Where do you get the idea that erinyes are warriors first and foremost?

and I just remembered pleasure devils, which are a possible promotion of erinyes, but I can't remember specific details.

[Kogan Urufu]

Qarr also has batwings, but he's a devil, isn't he?

Yes Quar is a Devil with bat wings because he is an Imp.

Sabine can really only be two types of fiend, Succubus and Erinyes, unless there are any other types of fiends out there that look like beautiful women trying to seduce thier victims.

Erinyes are described as having blood red, Feathered wings, Sabine's wings are clearly bat-like.

And also the fact when she touched Roy she drained his energy, she also threatened to do the same to Haley when they first encountered. Energy draining is not an ability possessed by an Erinyes

[Prak]

like I said, pleasure devils are a possible promotion of Erinyes and look like beautiful women who seduce their prey.

The bat wings/bird wings thing isn't really a defining characteristic of the fiendish houses, witness: The vrock, a demon with bird wings.

[Zevox]

Where do you get the idea that erinyes are warriors first and foremost?
The fact that they carry around a powerful magic weapon for their CR (+1 Flaming Longbow), as well as other weapons (a sword and a rope for hauling foes into the air), serve as scouts in the Blood War, and are never described as being seductresses or at all combat-averse. That's what they're primarily capable of - fighting. Really, if you look at the descriptions of them vs those of a Succubus, the only thing they have in common besides their general appearance is their Charm Monster spell-like ability.


and I just remembered pleasure devils, which are a possible promotion of erinyes, but I can't remember specific details.
True, but those are Brachina, not Erinyes. They're more similar to the Succubus than an Erinyes is.

Zevox

[SteveMB]

Qaar is a bit of an idiot. He hasn't even figured out why the Faustian Devils wouldn't have wanted Kubuta

Or, more precisely, why they wouldn't want to bargain with him. A devil paying for a claim on Kubota's soul after he dies would be like a fisherman feeding more worms to a fish after catching it.

[Xapi]

I'm just quoting this to keep it at hand for comic 633 or 634...


Theory:

The devilish evil-doers in the OOTS world DON'T want the snarl to eat the world, because, let's face it, where are they going to get their share of evil souls from if there's no more life?*

So, they've been expecting a being powerful enough to give the Ultimate Arcane Power TM to. Of course, accepting the UAP TM from the most pure forces of evil, is in itself an evil act, so, suck it saviour of the world, you've become evil in the process.

This is why V has been pre-approved. She's neutral, so she's rather close to accepting such a deal (more so than any Good character, at least), and she's powerful enough. However, she wouldn't have answered the evil red phone if it wasn't for what may happen to her children.

Therefore, she'll take the UAP TM from the evil forces -by saying four words, something in the lines of 'Let's make a deal'-, but for all the wrong reasons (they truly want to help stop the end of the world, so they are "the right being", but she won't take their help to save the world, but to save her own children).


* Of course, I'm not talking about Xykon here, or Redcloak, but the guys in charge of Hell.