Infernal Contract of Liberation

Parties:

This Binding Pact (“the Agreement”) is made and entered into between the mortals whose true names are inscribed below (hereafter collectively referred to as the Mortals), and Zerithrax the Shackler, duly appointed agent of the Infernal Hierarchy and servant of the dread master Chyraquol, hereafter referred to as the Infernal Patron.
By this Agreement the Infernal Patron extends certain services and assurances in exchange for the faithful completion of duties as herein described.

Article I: The Offer of Egress

The Infernal Patron agrees, upon the execution of this Agreement and the satisfaction of all obligations herein, to deliver the Mortals from the Nine Hells to the precise location, time, and planar coordinates from which they were so unceremoniously delivered unto Hell.
Such return shall occur without undue temporal distortion (±6 seconds), and without intentional bodily, spiritual, or mental harm inflicted by the Infernal Patron or through infernal transport.
The Mortals accept that complications may occur outside the control of the Infernal Patron.

Article I Subclauses

I.a - Any attempt by the Mortals to alter, deface, destroy, duplicate, or otherwise tamper with this Agreement after it has been duly signed shall constitute an immediate and total breach. Upon detection, the primary signer’s soul shall be instantly forfeit and collected without appeal. Negotiation, review, or amendment prior to signing is permitted and does not constitute breach.
I.b - The Infernal Patron is not liable for incidental loss, displacement, or transformation of mortal bodies, spirits, or possessions during transit. Such occurrences shall not constitute breach or negligence.
I.c - Should a Mortal arrive in a location not precisely identical to their departure point, this shall not be considered breach of contract, provided the plane and temporal sphere remain correct.

Article II: The Condition of Return

To activate said passage, the Mortals must ensure the termination of Chyraquol, dread master of the Infernal Patron and keeper of his bindings.
The cessation of Chyraquol’s infernal heart within the bounds of the Hells constitutes termination for the purposes of this Agreement.
Upon completion, the Infernal Patron shall bestow upon the Mortals a single chain fragment imbued with infernal power, to be used at their discretion. This link may serve as:

A key to open infernal gates once sealed to mortals;
A weapon or holy symbol of infernal dominion;
A tether to the Infernal Patron’s favour—or his summons;
An ingredient in certain works of magic.

Article II Subclauses:

II.a - Should the Mortals fail to fulfil their obligation within the period decreed by infernal law, or should they reveal the existence or nature of this Agreement to Chyraquol or his agents, the soul of the primary signer—or, should it be unavailable, the next signer in order—shall be immediately and irrevocably forfeit and collected without warning.
II.b - If any being other than the Mortals directly effects the termination of Chyraquol, the Agreement shall be deemed unfulfilled unless such act occurs as a direct result of the Mortals’ wilful intent, direction, or command.
II.c - Any Mortal or companion attempting to claim, forge, or utilize the chain fragment before official bestowal by the Infernal Patron shall forfeit their soul to the Infernal Patron, to be immediately collected.
II.d - Any use of the fragment in a manner offensive to the Infernal Hierarchy or the Infernal Patron shall void this Agreement and invoke instant forfeiture of the souls of the Mortals.
II.e - The Infernal Patron reserves the right to observe the Mortal’s usage of the chain through any means he desires. The Infernal Patron is under no obligation to admit to viewing such usage should the Mortals inquire.

Article III: On Refusal or Failure

Should any of the Mortals:

Fail to fulfil the agreed obligation within the agreed upon time;
Inform the dread master of the Agreement or of whom the contract is with;
Attempt to destroy or alter this Agreement; or
Engage divine, celestial, or otherworldly entities to intervene directly in the enforcement of this contract;

then, upon these conditions, the Mortal souls shall be immediately and irrevocably bound within the 178,639th link of the Dread Master’s eternal chain. Said souls shall be confined to eternal restraint, unable to be raised, resurrected, or reclaimed by divine or arcane means, without the explicit permission of the Infernal Patron.

Article III Subclauses:

III.a - Companions who knowingly interfere with, obstruct, or sabotage the Mortals' fulfilment of this Agreement shall be held in contempt of infernal law and may be seized as collateral at the Infernal Patron’s discretion.
III.b - Petitioning a divine being to void or alter this Agreement shall be deemed direct interference and will invoke soul forfeiture.
III.c - Breach, refusal, or failure of this Agreement shall result in immediate collection of the Mortals’ souls without negotiation, resistance, or appeal. Collection may occur immediately or be deferred under the discretion granted in Provision H.

Article IV: The Binding Clause of Continuance

The Mortals acknowledge that their souls shall remain under this Agreement until such time as their demise or until the Infernal Patron formally declares the Agreement satisfied. If the Mortals complete the task detailed in Article II without violating other terms of this Agreement, the Infernal Patron shall relinquish claim to their souls in respect of this Agreement (though other prior pacts may continue to subsist).

Article IV Subclauses:

IV.a - Should one of the Mortals perish before completion, all obligations and penalties shall immediately pass to the next surviving signer in the sequence listed below, until the Agreement is fulfilled or all signers have perished.
IV.b - Should all signers perish, the obligations shall pass by infernal right of inheritance to the nearest living blood relative or bonded companion.
IV.c - The Infernal Patron shall remain the sole arbiter of what constitutes “completion.” His judgment shall be final and binding.
IV.d - Should the Mortals escape Hell by means other than this Agreement, their souls remain bound to the Infernal Patron and this contract until proper release is declared.
IV.e - Should a Mortal attempt to sever their bond by divine magic or mortal contract, the spell shall fail and the caster’s soul shall be subject to collection.
IV.f - The Infernal Patron shall be entitled to claim the spiritual residue, essence, or full souls of any being directly slain by the Mortals while this Agreement remains active. Such souls are considered incidental compensation and do not affect fulfilment of the Agreement. In the event that any slain being is already bound under a prior covenant, pact, or compact, the Infernal Patron acknowledges no claim upon such soul until said prior agreement is rendered null, void, or naturally expired under its original terms.

Article V: Optional Considerations

The Mortals may, of their own free will, request additional boons from the Infernal Patron. Each such request may be made by one signer at a time and shall immediately reinstate the Infernal Patron’s claim upon the souls of the Mortals signatory to this Agreement. Acceptance of any boon appends additional clauses, which shall bind the Mortals as if part of this Agreement.
Examples include:

The Boon of the Iron Tongue — +2 to Persuasion and Deception when dealing with fiends or mortals. The voice gains a faint infernal undertone.
Cost: One day per month spent whispering in mortal dreams, spreading infernal influence.
2. The Boon of the Shackled Heart — Advantage on death saving throws; cannot die unless all chains binding them are broken.
Cost: A willing companion must bind their soul in shared service to the Infernal Patron.
The Boon of Hellfire Resolve — Resistance to fire or necrotic damage.
Cost: The soul burns hotter; healing magic restores only half its effect.
The Boon of the Devil’s Quill — The Mortal may telepathically contact the Infernal Patron once to request aid or information.
Cost: The Infernal Patron will determine an equivalent price—possibly a new contract involving the Mortal or their companions.

Article V Subclauses:

V.a - Each boon constitutes a separate infernal agreement, enforceable regardless of the Mortal’s survival or location.
V.b - Any act directly or indirectly against the Infernal Patron shall void all granted boons and result in immediate forfeiture of the Mortal’s soul.

Article VI: Infernal Signatures

By inscribing their true name in their own blood upon this page, each Mortal consents to all terms and forfeits all claims of ignorance, coercion, or duress. Should a Mortal be incapable of written word, they may appoint another to inscribe their name on their behalf in their presence, or mark the parchment with a thumbprint of their own blood, which shall bear equal infernal weight.
The order of signatures shall determine, in binding infernal law, the succession of obligation and ownership of soul should any signer perish before fulfilment. The first signer bears primary responsibility; upon their death, the next signer inherits all rights and penalties.
Upon signing, all marks, true names, and substitutes are sealed in infernal flame, rendering this Agreement immutable.

Signed
(True Names or Marks of the Mortals)

Signed and Sealed,
Zerithrax, the Shackler
Witness and Warden of Chains,

Infernal Provisions and Addenda

The following provisions, herein referred to as the Infernal Fine Print, apply in perpetuity to all articles, clauses, and sub-clauses of this Agreement. These terms supersede any mortal assumption, intent, or interpretation not explicitly stated within. All rulings, definitions, and ambiguities are resolved solely under infernal law, as enforced and interpreted by Zerithrax the Shackler, and are binding across all planes, times, and incarnations. Failure to acknowledge or understand the following provisions shall not exempt any Mortal from their effects.

Provision A — Hellish Insurance: In the event of mortal dismemberment, incineration, disintegration, dissolution, or plane dislocation, the Infernal Patron reserves the right to reconstruct the Mortal(s) using available materials, essences, or souls deemed appropriate. Such reconstructed forms may bear infernal alterations deemed necessary.

Provision B — Clerical Collapse: Should Zerithrax the Shackler be slain or otherwise rendered incapable of upholding this Agreement, the Agreement becomes null and void. Any souls already claimed shall pass to Chyraquol, dread master.

Provision C — Deeds and Words: Verbal statements may be considered binding at the Infernal Patron’s discretion. The Mortals are advised to speak with caution.

Provision D — Clause of Mutual Silence (Scope): Disclosure to celestial, divine, or sanctified entities constitutes breach unless consented otherwise.

Provision E — Clause of Misunderstanding and Deceptive Signing: All words, marks, and symbols bear their strictest infernal interpretation. Concealment of true name constitutes deliberate deception.

Provision F — Clause of Ownership by Blood: Any offspring conceived or born during this Agreement are considered infernal property until satisfied.

Provision G — Interpretation & Deception: Any attempt to deceive, conceal, or circumvent the Infernal Patron’s knowledge shall constitute breach.

Provision H — Discretion of Claim: The Infernal Patron retains sole discretion to determine timing, manner, and scope of soul collection under this Agreement.