Dealing with Glabrezus.

[An Enemy Spy]

I have a villain who is the head of a noble House who wants destroy the House above his so he can take their land and power, so he decides to make a deal with a Glabrezu to get demonic aid against them. I'm just wondering what does he have to give up in return for the Glabrezu to help him out?

[tomandtish]

Honestly, this is a dream scenario for the Glabrezu. Usually they are the ones using power as a temptation to get mortals to become evil. Here you have a mortal contacting one on their own initiative? That's like a brand new lottery winner walking into a high-end car dealership and announcing they won the lottery! The job's half done already (for the dealer)! And there's no way the lottery winner is getting a good deal.

But seriously, the demons are probably going to get this person already, with your Glabrezu simply wanting to make sure that HE specifically get him (he's buying from this dealership, I just need to make sure I get my commission!). But what will they want from your poor foolish human that he apparently isn't already giving up?

Make sure he brings others along for the ride. His family... his house... his friends... their assistance will all be an essential part of the "aid" the Glabrezu offers. And if it's done right, a few more will come along in the end. The opportunity is potentially here to get a whole noble house, not just one soul.

[ATHATH]

Red Fel, Red Fel, Red Fel.

I know that he usually does LE stuff, but I figure that he'd probably know how a CE creature thinks/acts (know your enemy/pawn and all that).

[Dragonexx]

Probably his soul. If he's already going to go to the abyss, then he could totally use this mortal as a link to cause the damnation of even more souls, or use his now more powerful noble house to extend influence onto the prime material.

[daremetoidareyo]

Probably his soul. If he's already going to go to the abyss, then he could totally use this mortal as a link to cause the damnation of even more souls, or use his now more powerful noble house to extend influence onto the prime material.
Just one soul? C'mon. He needs to enter into the glabrezu pyramid scheme.

[Crake]

Keep in mind that by default Glabrezu have no "soul collection" ability, and the abyss is pure chaos, so unlike baator, a soul doesn't go there "on someone's behalf". Just because you sent his soul there, doesn't mean you get ownership over it. This is in fact the entire purpose of the fiend of corruption class. This gives the fiend the express ability to collect the mortal's soul upon completion of the contract/their death.

Demons for the most part simply revel in the ruination of mortal lives, and can get joy simply from watching the noble bring about his own demise, but if you want it to be a contract/giving up your soul kind of thing, you'll need to give the glabrezu levels in fiend of corruption (at the back of fiend folio)

[Rerednaw]

Glabrezu? Thrive on pain and suffering. And given that 1/wish a month to some mortal sucke...er customer, anything that promotes that would work.

Perhaps a plague or blight on the noble house above him. Hey the villain did read the fine print, no? Even better, the Glabrezu also makes a similar offer to this guy's enemy...and grants both their wishes. Roughly equal power means a tougher more drawn out conflict with all the collateral damage that brings.

Blood and souls, blood and souls!

[Braininthejar2]

There are two general ways a glabrezu could use this situation.

1 Spread the pain: A glabrezu doesn't have soul quotas to meet like those corporate buffoons from Baator - he just wants for his side to get more recruits for the war, and that means more chaos and evil in the world. So, he will provide help in a way that will be destructive and cruel (but not murderhobo - a glabrezu is chaotic, but also smart and with a huge ego - a complicated scheme going off the rails into a horrible bloodbath is so much more fun than just slaughtering people) and in return for his services he will demand more of the same.

If it ends up destroying his client, all the better. Who does he think he is to deal with Tanaari as an equal?

2 Qui pro Quo: Perhaps there is something a glabrezu actually wants out of the deal.

- He might use the occasion to set up a cult in the city, giving him a more permanent agency in the mortal realm - they could then spread evil and chaos for decades.

- He might need something for a chain deal - a virgin sacrifice to fulfill some other deal, or a relic he cannot handle directly.

- Finally, he might want a wish fulfilled - by a cruel joke of some long forgotten god, Glabrezu can grant wishes, but never to themselves. There is probably some limitation in place on how much they can bully mortals into wishing stuff for them, but a pact is a different matter.

[Psyren]

"More than he thinks he has to give up" is generally the answer.

[Braininthejar2]

Though do note that Taanari don't do the "small print" stuff. Actually, their deals aren't magically binding at all, unless the summoner makes it so - they just play along as long as it suits them.

[Psyren]

Though do note that Taanari don't do the "small print" stuff. Actually, their deals aren't magically binding at all, unless the summoner makes it so - they just play along as long as it suits them.

That doesn't mean they can't be subtle. Quite the opposite in fact - Glabrezus are classified as both Corruptors and Manipulators per Fiendish Codex. "No other demon serves the Abyss's goals so directly while using such a seemingly non-demonic strategy."

[denthor]

He takes over the house gives a succubus as a consort. She is weaker than he is and after all she want to be on the prime.

The head of house get cheated on with the family affair succubus (in the end) . All good people within the castle either run away get turned or walled in the closets for future use (sacrifice) Pentagrams alters and such. The war is going poorly we need more of an army undead anyone?

Wizards are "summoned" all CE that do not want to leave with their familiar's just yet.

The citizenery gets to get the standard substandard training. Unless they fall in line.

[RoboEmperor]

Price is a horrible act of evil. Burn down an orphanage and kill every child within.

Do something horribly evil and ruin lives just for the lulz.

Something like that. Something that spreads chaos and evil.

[Dagroth]

Rather than bringing death... bring suffering.

Once someone is dead, unless they were evil they don't suffer any more. You want to go Old Testament Job on this guy's enemies... and his friends... and heck, just anyone nearby. Give him his victory, but make it a victory of ashes that burns everyone around him.

A plague on the enemy House that just so happens to spread to the vassals of the bargainer's House. Not something lethal... that's too easy. Something debilitating and disfiguring.

And make sure that the final blow has to come at the bargainer's own hand. "I cannot slay your enemies, but I can make it easy for you to do so..."

Try to make it a multi-stage request... drag things out. "I did what I could within the strictures of your request... perhaps if you allow me to bring others in to assist, your enemy's downfall will come more swiftly." "Oh, Master... there are agents interfering on the side of your enemy! It seems they were summoned by this other Lord that you overlooked! Clearly that Lord must be punished as well..."