Infernal Key - a guide to demonic summonings

Yellowish pages of this book are unyielding. They keep their secrets. There is no writing, no letters, no drawings – but the vellum itself is covered in a faded crimson web of arteries like a living being. At times you could swear that you see them pulsate to the beatings of an unseen heart. And then you remember the cover of this book of horrors. Black hide as hard as stone, as rugged and twisted as skin of a demon; a widely open fanged mouth is carved into it, and the forked tongue sticking out is colored crimson. One single line of inscription runs on the cover: “Price of knowledge is paid in blood.”

Those who will dare to open their veins and press them against the cruel mouth will see the black hide soften and redden as it drinks until its thirst is sated. Arteries in the vellum now pulsate and glow, and in their menacing red light letters can finally be seen. And read.

Infernal Key
A handbook of daemonic summoning and pacts
–by Lady Aldaar the Helltouched

Shadows of Hell

The line of human kings has ruled on Azeroth for about three millennia. The greatest human sage may be three centuries old. A human life may end in an instant, and at a whim of chance. We should feel privileged that creatures that are as old as the stars and still sing of the times of chaos many eons ago when Creation did not exist, take notice of us and crave our mortal souls.

The Fires of Hell hold many mysteries, secrets the gods themselves deem too dangerous to know. With such knowledge comes great power. And power of hell washes over our world like the wind. Those who care to see will see the black, jade, crimson and purple winds blow over the mountains and churn in the streets. And there is song in this wind, as beautiful as the ringing of small silver bells, it sings of power, it sings of chaos; It sings of the shadows of hell gliding through the flames, ancient as the world, graceful in their twisted glory. Such a pity that most mortals are blind and do not see this awesome display of beauty and power play out before them; Hell is closer than we think.

Secrets of Hell open eagerly to those who wish to hear them, those worthy of knowing the forbidden lore. All it takes, is to break through the walls of this world and stand in the sulfuric draft, and let the power wash over you. Demons will gladly whisper their secrets into your ear, as long as you are willing to pay the price; As long as you are capable of summoning them to this world.

There are countless species of demons, ordered into the shifting hierarchies. Every specie, every rank has its own desires as well as own gifts to bestow. They are attuned to different elements and different emotions. A wise man would set out to learn not only how to perform a summoning, but also the nature of the demon he is to call upon.

Not all demons one can call upon are nameless. Some are creatures of great power, sat upon the lonely pinnacles of the ever-shifting hierarchies. They command great powers, and own the dubious loyalty of their legions. Their summoning-names have been recorded, their character defined, their desires learned. It is only when the stars and the planets take particular places on the firmament that those powerful demons can be summoned. The gifts those Lords can give are countless, and terrible to know. And the price is so heavy, that most would lose their mind the moment they hear of it. If you think you dare to call upon a Lord of Hell, then seek out “The Book of A Thousand Names”.

As for the lesser demons, I will eagerly tell you how to call upon them and converse with them. What they want and what they can give. Read on, unfortunate reader, for now there is no way back for you.

Circles within Circles

Regardless of rank and species you seek to call forth, it will always begin the same. The ancients who sat in places of power where Winds of Hell churn and rage, have heard the faint whispers and learned the secrets of runes that hold the power to break the barriers that ward this world. These runes are like canals that carry water, like lenses that focus light, like smithies where raw metal is given shape.

Materials from which these runes are to be crafted vary, for many stones and herbs and ores of this realm hold great untapped powers in them. I have once heard of a spiral of lotuses, or a circle of snakes; but most widely-used materials are jade, shadowstone, amethyst, ruby, garnet, obsidian, black basalt, copper and iron that fell from the skies.

It all begins with a circle, for circle is the most perfect of forms. This circle will define the scale of every other rune; it will set direction and proportion. The circumference of this circle will dictate the difficulty of the ritual, and the power it will unleash. The greatest of known circles is an ‘Altar of Storms’, and it takes five powerful ritualists to conduct such ritual.

Upon this circle are inscribed runes and symbols to pick up the magic, to channel it, to amplify it, to give it shape and purpose and to focus it in the right place at the right time. The components are like letters of the alphabet that must be combined in the right order to spell out words. And in this sort of language-test, a spelling mistake will damn your soul for all eternity! A wrong angle may turn your limbs black and withered and useless, a wrong proportion twist your body beyond recognition, a less than perfect calligraphy inflict upon you a curse you will bear to the rest of your now wretched life.

[The pages are illustrated with depictions of grotesquely twisted mortals who were foolish enough to err with their runes. Somehow their pain and anguish can be tasted in those drawings. Small anecdotal cautionary stories are inscribed on the borderlines, for instance about a man who was cursed to see only the sins and the flaws and the wickedness in others and was driven mad by what he saw.]

Tracing the circle and the runes must always begin with a set of land-measuring tools and a simple stick. You will use those sextants and angles and measures to trace your runes in the dirt with a simple stick. Such circle holds no power, worry not of the mistakes, but be sure to correct them and perfect your work before proceeding. Even a master would need an hour to complete this process to perfection.

Next you will trace the runes with a ceremonial blade, while uttering incantations that define every rune. (For crafting of ceremonial blades, I direct you to the wonderfully-illustrated work by Lord Arouthon the Flayed “Sharp Edge of Power”). I provide but a single instruction for the crafting of the simplest blade, this you will find in the appendix. When this tracing is done, and you followed your earlier perfect pattern without fail (at this stage every mistake means you have to start from scratch, or pay the price), you must fill the runes with appropriate materials.

Now you must place ceremonial objects within the circle. These will be discussed in later sections. After that is done, you may trace whatever secondary circles around the first, for instance the circle of confinement to keep the demon trapped, or the circle of protection around the place where the summoner will stand to keep him safe from danger. Use the same method to trace those secondary circles too: drawing in the dirt, tracing with a magic dagger, filling with appropriate materials.

With that done, you must activate every rune in the right order with the right spell. Sometimes secondary reagents must be used to give power to the spell, more often than not it is blood. Beware, if you utter the wrong spell or miscast, you will pay for it later. How would you like to be merged with the demon instead of summoning it, or to fall in Hell instead of calling a hell’s creature forth?

[The book continues for many pages, depicting about eighty different runes and rune-fragments, describing with great precision their proportion, materials from which they must be made, what spells must be said upon tracing and activation. It gives detailed accounts and examples of where to place them, how to connect them and what they do. If your eyes are strained and your mind is slipping, and you think you have learned them all, inscription at the end will shatter your illusions: “Those who wish to master the ancient runes I direct to the work of Lady Illothé the Faceless ‘A sentence of a ten-thousand words’ “]

Roses for succubi

You must know the demon you seek to summon. Nature of the demon defines and shapes the ritual. Every demon can be symbolically represented in the ritual by different items, actions and even feelings. Likewise, a ritual can be utterly broken if a wrong item makes its way into the circle, or a wrong action is performed or a wrong emotion felt. Now I am at the crossroads, reader, do I tell you everything I know of this, or merely give you one glimpse and let you puzzle out the rest?

At first let me say this. The best you symbolically represent the demon, the more powerful connections you use, the greater the chance you summon a demon of a greater rank. If you know a Summoning Name of a particular demon (more in following sections), you can keep the power of symbols to a minimum and still succeed.

Imps are creatures of fire, treachery, deception, mischief and raw malice. They abhor things that mortals may consider ‘cute’, above all rainbows and kittens. Imps are chaotic by their nature, and cannot stand strictness, order and tidiness. If you are attentive, you will see that if you can symbolically represent fire, treachery etc and keep the summoning-area kitten-free, you will succeed in calling forth a powerful imp. (If you want to know what can wrong if a ritual is broken by a wrong item, action or emotion, I direct you to a highly entertaining book containing tales of unfortunate warlocks who had their summoning shattered, “Three kittens walk into a circle…” by Lady Irene the Willow)

Items must be placed in appropriate places within the circle, surrounded by special pick-up runes. (You can find details in previous section). Actions must be performed in particular places. Emotions are more general. Specific for an imp-summoning, you need either a small fire or simply some ash to represent fire. Provided the fire is not powerful enough to accidentally summon an Infernal, it should be enough to summon an imp. To increase the chances of a successful ritual and a powerful imp, you may consider messing up the surrounding area. Blood of a dishonest merchant, or a bratty mischievous (virgin) child, or a traitor or a psychopathic criminal can aid as well. You can use remains of a man who died of treason. Most powerful are daggers which a brother used to treacherously slay a brother. Such item is known as Catalyst, for it can assist the ritual but not be expended. It can be reused again and again. Let your mind wander freely and think in associations, and you will have no trouble discovering right items, right emotions and right actions!

Succubi are creatures of beauty, lust, desire, inconstancy, pleasure, pain, jealousy and great grace. They hate routine, purity, moderation, competition to their beauty, forbearance and chastity. The worst thing that can ever happen during a succubus-summoning is a beautiful, young female paladin entering the circle. Of course same paladin offered as a Gift is another matter altogether! (more in following sections)

Best ways to summon a succubus is by using items tied to tragic, obsessive love. For instance the bowl from which two lovers shared a drink of poison to escape the shame of their union. Especially good are skulls of those destroyed by love and passion, those can be fashioned into cups and used in the ritualistic action such as drinking of wine or virgin blood. Conducting this ritual while under influence of drugs, or madly in love, or wishing to inflict a great torture upon somebody is a good idea. Conducting ritualistic sex with a virgin upon the altar during the summoning is a sure way to call forth a powerful succubus. Succubus-summoning allows for countless actions! Whipping a drugged victim, holding a mad drinking-party inside the circle can all contribute. Succubi love poetry, and effect of every symbolic item can be furthermore increased by appraising it poetically during the ritual.

With this I hope I gave you an example of how this works, and you will use your imagination and insight to puzzle out the ways to symbolically represent other species of demons.

[The book continues for several pages with examples of completed ritualistic circles for Imp and Succubus summoning, showing location of items and actions for different set-ups.]

Greasing the Wheel

Sometimes the mortal may wish to interact with the demon, if that is the case it is usually wise to make the process of summoning as pleasant as possible for the demon in question, and make the creature feel welcome. In other cases, doing so will greatly ease the process of summoning and increase the chances of success.

Proper sacrifice must be offered to a demon to appease it. Most common is blood or flesh of mortals, or their souls. Blood of a kitten may be enough to summon an imp, but it is pauper’s stock and bread. A king would only attend a feast with several delicious meals served! Powerful demon is best appeased by a treat of several pure victims. How to best slaughter the sacrificial victim and offer it to a demon is described in highly graphic and most entertaining work of Lord Shayukh the Crimson, “A second smile”.

If you know the demon better, you may also appease him by performing beforehand certain deeds and then reporting on them during the ritual. A succubus can be enticed by a poetic account of a bloody, cruel bedding or torture. Or both at the same time. Such offerings of service are best done for a demon you have an established relationship with. If you know a demon well, other items may appease him or her. I have once heard an account of a warlock who had a long series of summoning of the same succubus, and at each he brought and showed her a new masterwork of an artist popular at that time.

In all you will find that dealing with demons is very much like dealing with mortals. Many of the same rules apply, and you should just follow your social instinct. (if you’ve spent your life reading in mother’s basement, you should check out Professor Simeon Frothing’s “A mathematician’s guide to the fine mechanics of social interaction” and Brother Martin’s “An introduction to charisma and manipulation”)

The Ritual

Everything is ready for the ritual itself. Now comes the easy part, for the key is in the preparation. Runes must be called in the right order by chanting out their name and empowering them with raw magical energy. Most rituals have a Magic-pick-up rune that allows the channeler to focus his power in one place, and let his runic set-up distribute it where it is needed. Magic-distribution is described in detail in a highly arcane and boring work by Professor Allistair Faraway, “35 Symbols of effective power-distribution”. At times some runes might need manual, targeted empowerment. For instance when chaotic magic leaks out and leaves them depleted. For this purposes the summoner must either use a Channeling Staff to access remote runes without leaving his place, or have assistance watch out for leaks on his behalf. For more on Channeling Staff design and creation, I refer you to the ancient standard text by Lord Kralnor “In staves we trust”. Beware, if you underpower a rune the ritual will break. If you channel too much power, the rune with be shattered, and the ritual will break. And if a ritual breaks, you will be sorry.

There other things to watch out for while you perform the ritual.
• Mana Implosion. As you tear the fabric of reality, it is possible that a certain spot will be twisted such as to contain a huge concentration of residue energy. This pocket will proceed to actively drain magic until it reaches critical point and implodes, most likely sucking out all your magic and your soul along with it. Whenever you sense (you can use Warning Runes for this) a strong leak, you must stop casting until the ripple in reality relaxes again.
• Backdraft. As window to Hell opens, it is possible to be exposed to the unpredictable and violent gust of netherwind. Unless proper protection is used, this can leave your soul severely damaged.
• Temptation. Hell is full of demons craving to enter our world, and some will try to deceive you into summoning them. This may prove both a curse and a blessing, but you must decide fast. They will whisper their summoning-names and make promises. If you utter the summoning-name, that particular demon will be called forth.
• Entropy. As you proceed with calling forth of a demon, entropic nether-residue will settle on your soul and take place of spent mana. It is your goal to focus on spending the power of that residue as fast as possible, channeling it back into the ritual. If any residue is left when the summoning is complete, it will result in permanent soul-damage and fel-taint.
• Notice. When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you. Promising warlocks may be noticed by powerful demons who will seek to make you their slave with promises of power or more forceful means. Some wards can keep you relatively safe and hidden.
• Soul-leak. Sometimes the rift grows unstable and will seek to devour your soul. If that happens, you must abort the ritual and run away as fast as your legs can carry you.
• Hellgate. Some rituals just go wrong. Magic is chaotic. Some summoning-portals can become true Hellgates that refuse to close and through which demons would pour in. If that happens, you will most likely be torn apart and devoured.

If you have avoided every peril and finished the ritual, you will feel a shock as great part of your magical energy is suddenly consumed, and a demon will be called forth.

Interaction

Now it is time to interact with the demon. If you have summoned him to communicate, it is polite to welcome him and let him enjoy the prepared sacrifice before moving to business. If you have summoned him to subdue, then you must attack at once for the demon is dazed a split moment after the summoning. Good thing to know is that most demons really don’t care, and will simply try to kill you right away and escape into the world. If your Wards of Confinement have any weakness, they will exploit it.

What business can a mortal have with a demon? Let us begin with what you want. You may want the demon to become your minion, you want its blood. May be you desire to learn some of the secrets of the nether, or learn the Summoning Name so that you can contact this demon again. Or even bargain for the True Name of some other demon, so that you can dominate him. You may simply want to request a demonic Boon, most cliché of which is Eternal Life. Or you want the demon to perform some service for you.

What does the demon want? Most lower-ranked demons want to gorge on mortal flesh and blood, or devour a mortal’s soul; especially yours. Generally speaking succubi will have more exquisite desires. Middle-ranked demons may aspire to having mortal minions, and will ask you to do various services for them such as making other mortals sell their soul to it, or bringing certain sacrifices and items. Higher-ranked demons have clear agendas in our realm, and will seek to enlist you in their service. For instance they can ask you to burn a local church and impale the priest right at the gates. At all times you must remember, that most demons want this thing: to break the wards, escape into the world, shred you to bits and devour your soul. They will make most wild promises to trick you into lifting the Wards of Confinement. Why? Rumor has it that a Demon can only truly take form in our world if he either becomes a minion of a mortal, or devours the summoner’s soul. From the demon’s perspective, second option is most attractive by far. Before a demon is made a minion, or devours the summoner’s soul, it cannot leave far from the circle and can be banished by every amateur straight back to the hell it came from.

You must be careful when bargaining with demons. All rules must be agreed on. A demon is fickle and chaotic, and will exploit every loophole. You must also keep in mind that at this point a demon can choose to return to Hell, and he will do so if your demands are too high and he sees no way of tricking or using you. You must also beware not to promise anything that can be used against you either. Most of the time the demon will then offer to swear a Bloodoath. Mortal and Demon will mix blood, and set the terms of the contract. Demon is magically bound by this pact and cannot break it, but a mortal is capable of breaking it. If a mortal breaks Bloodoath, he is struck by a terrible curse and the demon is released from the Pact. Such released demon must either devour the soul of his summoner or find a new master until it has seen two full moons, or be banished back to hell. It is an established tactic of a demon to make a mortal swear something minor and unimportant during the pact in hopes that the mortal will forget about it and break the oath. For instance a demon can try to make the mortal swear never to talk to any woman called Charlotte.

To subdue the demon, mortal must enter the circle and do battle against the demon, for as long as a mortal is inside the circle with the demon, the demon cannot escape back to hell. Only the most powerful can hope to succeed, most who try this are torn to shreds and devoured. Once the demon is beaten into submission, the mortal must force him to swear a Bloodoath in which the demon promises Eternal Servitude and mortal promises nothing at all. If you are about to fail and be slain by a demon, one who escaped or whose circle you foolishly entered, you can desperately offer to swear Eternal Servitude as well. If the demon accepts, he will let you live as his minion and take your soul hostage and drag it back to hell, while your soul-less shall may wander and do his bidding, unable to break the Pact. You can imagine that some demons that escape the wards, but have no interest in materializing in the world, can torture the unfortunate summoner until he accepts to swear Eternal Servitude. This is beloved tactic of greater demons who know that they can achieve much more by building a cadre of mortal minions, rather than entering the world in person.

To end this book, let me tell you a short story of two brothers. One of them has summoned a succubus and was powerful enough to force her into Eternal Servitude. The second brother grew jealous, but was a weak warlock, but nonetheless he attempted to summon a succubus. So great was his jealousy, that it has attracted the fabled Queen of Pleasure herself, a great lady among the succubi. Now, it is known that the Queens of Pleasure despise whenever their succubus daughters are dominated by mortals, so she stroked the mortal’s ego and made him grand promises until finally he relented and agreed to murder his brother and feed his soul to the succubus, so that she may be free. And this he did in the depth of night, unaware of the trick. For as soon as the succubus was free, she tortured the man until he agreed to Eternal Servitude, and agreed to break the pact he made with the Queen, forfeiting the rewards…and then she tortured him for 6 days. And so in the end the Queen of Pleasure received two souls, where in the beginning has she lost a daughter to mortal hands.

[The book continues with several appendices showing the most basic sacrificial dagger and staff, humble Channeling Robes and various enchanted trinkets. It lists properties of various materials and what effects they have on the runes. The book discusses wards and protections, charms and potions. It ends with a bibliography, directing the reader to explore a whole list of other works. ]

hrrmm... Very interesting, and quite a nice read! Might turn out to be very useful! (keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer!)

Exquisitely written as per usual Exaythe, a brilliant read and rather inspiring for my warlock..

Fucking brilliant mate makes me want to RP a lock well done you crazy russian

Thanks for kind replies. Yes, it is a bit of my personal view on demon-summonings. To me, they must be dangerous. Those who fail are more numerous than those who succeed. Dallying with powers of the Nether is not something you do in ten seconds upon presentation of a soulshard

Very good work indeed squire!

I'm surprised how a like you and I when it comes to rituals and demons over all, It was a good reason. Wish I had the will to write these kind of things down myself. Keep up the good work!

So I take it I'm the only lock out there who sadistically beats ,tortures and is worse than .....Satan to his demonic minions?
Well I'm only up to voidwalker and it didn't like what Bob was up to but after some heavy torture and rituals he saw the light .
(long but good story)
After a few dozen flayings , disections and a biopsy even the most unruley imp will calm down .... well not really calm down but it won't try and claw your face off again unless you ask him to do it.
"Isn't that right Zeppy"
*Forms a barrier around Zeppy .. Bob slowly clenches his fist causing the barrier to shrink around the terrified imp. The barrier crushes the Imp leaving blood and gore on the cave floor.*
The end needs some work but ehh that's how Bob roles
Of course there's Bob's favourite: "here hold this for a moment "
Imp: Bob impales Zeppy with his sword

Voidwalker: Bob stabs Omerok through the chest channeling his essence into the blade. *the blade hovers slightly off of the ground where Omerok once stood and gives off a shadowy glow*

There's more but ehh

*Disclamer
Bob's still trying to RP the good warlock thing....minion deaths and cruelty don't count as Bob's always hated said creatures and sees them as only tools to kick some arse with.

i love you bob

Lol I'm glad you said Bob and not Bill.
When Bob wakes up from helping Fayen.
^(see I am a good warlock reliving all my nightmares to help a friend in need)
I'm skipping succubus / felhunter ( due to Tabby and Bill having them) and I'm gunning straight for the dark portal where I'll beat my own felguard into submission getting the $hit knocked out of me and narrowly beating it Bob style.

Man oh man. Demonic rituals. How ive missed thee.

Stick this somewhere it can be found easily?^^

Thelos wrote:A sweet old lady who seems to be struggling with her groceries can be seen shambling trough the tightly-packed square of Stormwind's Trade District. A kind young man offers his help, which the old lady gratefully accepts. The young man, helpful though he might have been, was also notoriously clumsy, and as he near-skipped towards the old lady's home, the poor boy trips over his own loose shoelaces and hits the ground, the groceries spilling everywhere. As he rushes to pick up the old lady's eggs, bread and milk, his hands touch a crudely leater-bound black book. As his fingers rub the edges, an overwhelming sense of dread befalls him, and he quickly lets go. He shakes it off as a fluke, as a momentary spasm of the nerves, and regains her merry posture and leads the lady home.

The kind merry young man was never seen or heard from again.

((When a Death Knight is very lucky... *swallows*))

Great job as always, the guides you write are fantastic!

Quite an interesting read. Well done

(This is one of very few guides on this forum that also is stickied in the Helpful threads for RPers on the official, world of warcraft Role-Playing forums. So, basically, even the Blues like this.)