Help with an Unseelie Fey Patron

[bigfishcaptain]

So I am dming a homebrew campaign, mostly for the freedom, and in our last session I had introduced a storyline which involved a small boy finding himself locked into a pact with an unseelie fey. The only problem is I have no idea what he would want to make a pact with boy for. It would much simpler if it were a devil simply trying to acquire another soul but alas I have written myself into a corner. The fey himself is somewhat devilish and has already displayed an ability to teleport through fire of fire-pits. Maybe he is actually a devil pretending to be a fey but why? Or maybe he's a fey who's modeled himself in the fashion of a devil? Could there be such a thing? I've read that some fey take on aspect of nature so perhaps he takes on aspects of fire and would encourage act of pyromania?

He is a tall slim elderly looking man with dark, pointed features and two ram-like horn who can waver between acting near childlike and like a dispassionate psychopath. He can almost always be seen with a wide, sometimes unnerving, smile. So far he has only been referred to as Mr. Nook and if I had to mention on more thing about him it would be that he enticed the boy with tomes and book full colorful stories of Feywild and instructions for simple spells.

Again, all I'm really looking for here is ideas about what he might want as a patron. Any ideas would be appreciated a.s.a.p.

[Ninja_Prawn]

The only problem is I have no idea what he would want to make a pact with boy for.

Well, it is traditional for fey creatures to kidnap children. Possible reasons include replacing the child with a fey doppelganger (typically as part of their reproductive process), gather children to keep in a zoo (using magic to keep them young forever?) or to get revenge on another humanoid (i.e. a parent) who wronged them. Or just for teh lulz.

Tricking a child into a pact could be a super-advanced form of kidnap. Where you get to send the child out to do your dirty work in addition to depriving their parents of them.

Alternatively, there might just be something special about the child. Maybe they're a wild mage who hasn't shown their gift yet? Or they complete a set that the patron is trying to collect.

[ravencroft0]

You could interpret this as a "Tim Hunter/The Books of Magic" type situation. Google it, it's great.

What if the boy is not simply a boy? What if the Fey Lord was cursed by an even powerful fey/god? Let's say Mr. Nook lost a portion of his soul that represented his sanity or the superego to his id (psychology terms). The lost portion manifests itself across the Material Plane once a generation and Mr. Nook is given the chance to get the missing piece of his soul back. In this case, the boy is the current incarnation of Mr. Nook's missing soul. Your whole campaign could revolve around the adventures of a boy (what is his age exactly? "Boy" has a wide range to long lived beings) having to fight to maintain who he is and not be absorbed into the chaos that is Mr. Nook's psyche.

As far as Mr. Nook's ability to avoid fire damage, The Lord of the Rings features an item that allows its wearer to have protection against fire and other mystical properties. (YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!). Also keep in mind that you have created a supposed archfey. They can do near to whatever they please. Just like the DM. If this is an archfey who specializes in fire and manipulation, go for it.

[Vogie]

If you'd like to use a nod towards the Dresden Files, the pact was for strength and protection. Harry Dresden, in a desire to stop his adoptive father coercing him to use black magic, made a pact with an Unseelie Fey, Leanansidhe, for the strength to defeat DuMorne. One of the many plot arcs in the Dresden Files' Series is that fae trying to collect the debt, first the original fey, then later another fey that "purchased" the debt from Leanansidhe.

You can also tap into any of the normal "Deal with the devil", "crossroads bargain", and "Literal Genie" tropes, especially if the child was young. That way the original desire can be a bit silly/amusing in addition to the normal more serious debts.

Amusing:
Mastery of an Instrument
A Recurring Sum of money (especially if it's only a large sum to a child - not to an adult)
Professional ability
Letting the Sports team when the championship
A magic sack always full of Turnips (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751145/quotes)

Serious:
Knowledge
Political Power
Magical Power
Defense against, or death of, a specific foe
Empowering a friend or relative
Worldly pleasures
Healing
Resurrection

[Ninja_Prawn]

Here's some more inspiration: two comic pages that clearly show a fey-pact child-warlock and explain why the pact was made. One (http://www.blindsprings.com/comic/blindsprings-page-one), nineteen (http://www.blindsprings.com/comic/blindsprings-page-nineteen).

[bigfishcaptain]

Firstly, thanks for the wonderful responses. No seriously, these not only gave me great ideas on what to do with my current predicament but also ideas for future adventures and scenes for my current campaign. Specifically the idea of a child zoo and a cursed archfey who has had part of him split-apart really appeal to me. I can see the looks of OMFG as I describe a child zoo in the feywild as just a common place sort of thing for an archfey.

Now I really like idea that this pact might be a vendetta as something I had introduced earlier in this adventure could tie into that really well. Basically the kid (his name is Felix and he's 13) was the child of a farmer the party had been staying with while they had a wagon built. They notice the kid is a bit strange, doesn't talk much, and always seems eager to get away from company. After staying there a couple of days the boy goes missing and they decide to find him. The first place they look is his room which contains a wardrobe and hidden in the back a cloak of elvenkind and sixteen books on magic spells and stories (which of course none them can read because nobody in my group thought Sylvan would be a good idea >:(. In any case the books it's later revealed were gifts from mister nook who enticed the boy with their wondrous contents, but the cloak could be a sort of inheritance. Maybe one found in a secret attic where one might have also found the book that invites mister nook. So I think maybe generations back an ancester who was an adventurer if not a hero, the sort to have a cloak of elvenkind and perhaps earned the ire of an archfey.

We play tomorrow and, honestly, I think this is fine but feel free to post any further ideas you might have and again thank you.

[Princess]

If you'd like to use a nod towards the Dresden Files, the pact was for strength and protection. Harry Dresden, in a desire to stop his adoptive father coercing him to use black magic, made a pact with an Unseelie Fey, Leanansidhe, for the strength to defeat DuMorne. One of the many plot arcs in the Dresden Files' Series is that fae trying to collect the debt, first the original fey, then later another fey that "purchased" the debt from Leanansidhe.

You can also tap into any of the normal "Deal with the devil", "crossroads bargain", and "Literal Genie" tropes, especially if the child was young. That way the original desire can be a bit silly/amusing in addition to the normal more serious debts.

Amusing:
Mastery of an Instrument
A Recurring Sum of money (especially if it's only a large sum to a child - not to an adult)
Professional ability
Letting the Sports team when the championship
A magic sack always full of Turnips (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751145/quotes)

Serious:
Knowledge
Political Power
Magical Power
Defense against, or death of, a specific foe
Empowering a friend or relative
Worldly pleasures
Healing
Resurrection

Yessssss, in addition to agreeing with everything here I'm glad someone else remembers the funniest moment of the X-Files genie episode.