Mira Suntouched

7 generations ago

In a dilapidated hut on the outskirts of a particularly filthy village lived a lonely woman with nothing to her name, and no family. The only thing she did have was rage, motivation and a spell left to her by her father; a failed wizard who never amounted to much.

This particular spell was not really left to her on purpose, more like she found it as she was rummaging his corpse for the few valuables he did have. The origin of this spell was unknown, and the lonely woman did not care to know it, as she was not well versed in magic and had no idea what she was doing.

She had collected the reagents the spell required, with the hope that it would all be worth it in the end. It had to, she did many unsavoury and downright illegal things to acquire the ingredients, so it better.

She began casting, the spell scorching the rotted wood of the floorboards, the pure, uncontrolled, arcane energy lashing out. The ancient words tumbled from her lips, almost as if they were being pulled out. Smoke and ash filled the little room, the cracks in the walls and howling wind not being enough to keep the air clear.

Just as she was about to pass out from the sheer strain of the exercise, a shape appeared in the middle of the summoning circle, for that was what it was, even if she did not know this. The smoke cleared, the ash was blown away, adding another layer of grime to the already dirty walls. The shape seemed to grow infinitely, until it's presence filled every nook and cranny of the hovel.

"Who dares disturb me, what manner of being are you… mortal woman?"

The demon, for that was what it was, even if the woman had yet to realise it, seemed confused to be summoned by someone so insignificant and small, not to mention the décor. It inspected her with a disgusted interest, she seemed afraid.

"I-I- I didn't know." She said with a small voice, that puttered out to a whisper. Realisation finally hit her, she realised what was in front of her. At first it terrified her, but she was used to being afraid, her whole life was fear, but fear didn't scare her for long. After fear came that little treacherous voice that all desperate people have, telling her this was her chance, demons made deals with mortals.

"I want to make a deal, demon."

"You mortals are all the same, it's always something isn't it, 'I want this', 'Make me rich', 'kill this person for me'. Honestly, can't you do anything on your own?"

"I thought demons wanted to make deals with us?"

"Of course, I'm not saying I'm not going to, I'm just saying you're all useless maggots and I hate you. Now what do you want," he looked around, "A spring cleaning perhaps?".

"No! I want to be rich and powerful, I want a castle with servants and stables, I want fertile land, and most importantly I want to be able to shove it in everyone's face!" She was practically frantic, the demon felt maybe this was one of those you should just let slide. But he had to pay the bills so.

"Sure, but what do I get in return?"

The woman froze at that, what did she have to offer? What did she want to offer? Nothing of course, but that was not good enough. Then she smiled.

"When I am rich and powerful I will need a husband, and children usually come from that. You can have it; you can have all of them if you like!" She was not fond of children.

"What am I to do with a child of an ungifted mortal like yourself? No, I will not have any spawn of yours."

The woman's smile fell before the demon continued, it so enjoyed crushing the spirit of others.

"But I will have the firstborn child in the 7th generation of your bloodline, as long as you make sure every one of your decedents practice magic in some shape or form, and hone their skills. Then on the 21st birthday of that child I will come to collect. And in case you were thinking of not upholding your part of the agreement," a feral grin slipped over the demons face, "I will ruin your family, I will find your spirit, and all those of your family, and I will torture you all for the rest of eternity".

"Done."

The demon looked at the crazy woman with something akin to fear, the speed with which she had just agreed to doom her own future kin was astounding, and terrifying, truly the monsters were humans.

And so it was, the deal was struck and the woman got her lands, her riches, her power, eventually even a title of her own, and a child. A baby girl, raised by her cold unloving mother, sent away to the college of magi in Thay at the tender age of 4. At the age of 21 years the girl was told of the horrible deal her mother had made with the demon, impressing upon her the importance of continuing the bloodline.

"One day our descendant will pay the price girl, be grateful it is not you."

Further down the line

This became a tradition, the deal, the pressure of high society, the importance of having a child, even if it was undesired, and the horrible reveal to the next generation. That is, until the 5th generation matron; a woman who loved her children dearly, and she had many of them, even before her 21st birthday. She was devastated to hear of her ancestor's betrayal, and what it meant for her treasured bundles of joy. But what could she do? If she broke the contract it meant everyone in her family would suffer eternity, including her children. It was a source of great distress, and with age the resolve to take care of the one unfortunate soul that would bear their ancestor's sin, and prepare her for the nightmare that awaited her grew strong.

So the day came, her first grandchild born to the youngest, but most gifted of her children. Such a tragedy. There were no sounds in the bedroom but for the wailing child, the midwife horrified at the sight. The babe had no iris or pupil, and a little tail flailed wildly as she held it. The 5th matron had not expected that the sin would manifest in such a way, a tiefling child, and she had yet to tell her daughter the reason.

The girl wanted to drown the monster, kill it, get rid of it, it was not hers, it could not be, she had done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve this.

Atala looked on in horror as her sister's baby was revealed to those present. She knew about the curse; she had prayed to the gods for deliverance. Once she had heard her sister was expecting she spent an entire week at the temple, giving her thanks that it was not her future child that would have to bear that burden. But this was too much, it was not fair, if any of this could be said to be fair.

Atala and their mother sat with her sister, explained why this had happened, and impressed upon her the importance of keeping the child, keeping it healthy, happy and safe. As they now realised, that also meant keeping her hidden, away from the masses that would surely tear her apart given the chance. It meant she would not go to Thay to learn magic; they would have to teach her themselves, small blessings she supposed.

Humble beginnings

0-4 years:

Mirabelle was born to a wealthy family, not knowing why she was the way she was, her family kept it a secret, not wanting to burden her further. She was a bright child, if lonely. Her mother was distant and would often cry if Mira tried to bond in any way. Her aunt Atala and her grandmother took care of her, none of the servants were allowed into the same part of the castle as her, and she began her lessons in magic shortly after her 4th birthday.

4-7 years:

The older she got, the more questions she had, though after the first few times trying to get an answer out of any of the grownups she realised they would not be any help. She wanted to go outside, but that was dangerous, and so was not allowed. She wanted to learn about the cultures of the world, but Atala did not want to encourage her wanderlust, so those books were removed from the library. She wanted to play with other children, but the one time she snuck down to the stables to say hello to the stable hands, they screamed at the sight of her, and her mother locked her in her room for the rest of the day.

8-12 years:

She became silent and closed in, most of her time was spent learning magical theory, of many different schools, eventually graduating early to start on the practical spellwork at the age of 11. She didn't know what it was for, why it was so damned important to learn all of this if she was never going to go out into the world and use it. Bitterness and resentment started to fester and grow at too young an age, something most people don't have to face until they at least hit puberty.

13-16 years:

Ah yes, everything changed as she hit that special period in her life, where the body changes and becomes even stranger than what it was. Her horns grew, her tail grew, others things grew, it was a mess. Atala found her crying over a book in the library one day; she had found a book about demons, one they had missed on their first scouring, a picture of a horned, tailed, winged demon on the open page. She was scared that was what she was, and that she would also start growing wings herself, making her even more of a freak. Atala spent the rest of that day consoling her, and resisting the urge to tell her the truth of her destiny.

Nearing her 16th summer, Mira found a purpose in her studies. A spell that would let her look normal, even if it was just an illusion. Once she learned it she would perform it in front of a mirror, and just stare at herself, her normal eyes, her tailless back, her hornless head… until the day her mother discovered what she was doing, completely by accident. That was the drop that did it. Everything her mother had held back came charging to the surface, the disappointment, the betrayal, and after she had managed to swallow all that, the realisation that she could no longer conceive. She was furious, at herself, at her mother, and her great great great grandmother, and at Mirabelle, for mocking her so.

She summoned a thunderstorm right into the room, the most powerful spell she knew, cracking the floor tiles, shattering the mirror and windows… and then it stopped. Mira stood there, hand outstretched, the ball of pure energy she had just released into her mother's heart leaving small blisters behind.

She ran, she didn't know what else to do, so she ran, right out of the castle, past the shouting guards, down the streets of the city that had grown around the estate over the generations, and out, out and away, never looking back.

17-20 years:

After running away from home and the chaos she had left behind, she started to wander, to see the world, from behind a mask of magic. She wanted to learn, but on her own terms now, the things she wanted to know. She also looked for an answer, to what she was, why she was, but those are things you cannot easily find in books.

She met others like her. The first time she was in shock, she didn't know how to react, and so left before the other could try to approach her. Once she talked to one, he told her that tieflings, for that was what she was, were the results of some form of infernal magic, a deal with demons and devils, usually for power, revenge, or love. She had a hard time believing any of those things about her mother, or her grandmother for that matter. Then again, she had never known them outside of the castle, and she had never thought her mother capable of anything like what had happened the day she left.

Her 19th winter, she got snowed in in a cave trying to cross the mountains at a bad time. She thought she might die, she adhered to no gods, but that night she prayed, to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, someone was listening, a devil with a plan, who had had her in his sights for a while now. He came to her as she was about to fall asleep, probably unwittingly saving her life with only that simple gesture. He tried to convince her to make a deal, he would help her, if she agreed to take his masters gift, a terrible gift, promising power in return for being an agent of this fiend. She refused him, but she survived, if only out of spite.

Every so often the devil would return, she took to calling him Bob, as he would always bob his head at her, like a chicken. Plus, she had no hope of remembering his name, no wish to either. He would appear in situations where her resolve was weakest, when she was in danger, when she was hopeless. Ironically, every time he only succeeded in motivating her to keep going, to overcome the obstacle on her own, and every time he left, he had a grin on his face, as if he knew something she did not.

21 years:

When the day of her 21st birthday arrived she was in a small town on the peninsula of Velen. The clouds were coming in, a storm was brewing, but there was something about it, something not quite right.

As she sat in the tavern, getting ass drunk as she had gotten into the habit of doing on her birthday, the thunder rolled in and the sky opened up over their heads. She was too focused on her cup to realise how silent the tavern had gotten before a sinister voice boomed over her.

"I have come to collect on the debt."

She swivelled around precariously on her chair, coming face to face with a demon, like taken straight out of the book; big, with horns and wings and everything else. She took another sip of her whiskey.

"I've been drunk… but I don't think I've ever been drunk enough to make a bet with a demon." She took another sip. The demon looked at her as if she should pull the other one, it's got bells on.

"Surely you are aware of the deal I made with your ancestor? It's only been a few hundred years, if that even, you mortals and your short memories. No matter, a deal is a deal, you are mine, and your body will serve as my vessel on this plane."

She took another gulp before nonchalantly jumping of the barstool and saying, "nah". The demon deflated a bit at that; that was not exactly the reaction he was expecting.

"Your blood is on the contract, if you refuse this deal, everybody you love will suffer an eternity in the Abyss!"

"I don't love anyone, so ok."

"Your whole family, dead or alive, will belong to me!"

"Go ahead, you can have them, they're a bunch of assholes anyways." She went to take another sip, but the glass was empty, that was disappointing.

"I don't think you understand how this works, you do not have a choice in the matter."

At that she stopped short. No choice? Her? Was he trying to be funny?

"I always have a choice; you piece of shit!" She threw the glass at him, and a bit unsteadily, ran out the door into the rain.

She really shouldn't have done that. The demon was pissed, there were rules to this, not that he gave a shit about following them, but other people still should. There was nowhere for her to hide anyways. He would always find her, like a beacon in the dark.

She rounded a corner, stopping to catch her breath. She didn't really think she could outrun him, but she would be damned if she wouldn't try. Then she heard a more familiar kind of sinister voice. Bob, she thought. She turned to see his shit eating grin, like always.

"Get the fuck out of here, I don't have time for your bullshit as well."

"Now, now, don't be like that. After all, I'm here help you."

"Hah, I've managed to get out of worse things than this without your help. I'll just wait till I'm sober, then I'll defeat that bastard, and then, just for the fun of it, maybe I'll come after you next." She sounded confident, she didn't really feel it, more like a bit nauseous actually.

"Hmph, I'm afraid, as stubborn as you are, you won't be getting out of this one on your own. That contract is binding, perhaps you did not sign it, but it is your blood, you were the price your family had to pay for their life of luxury and comfort. It's not fair, it's just what it is."

She glared at him, he'd known, probably before he even came to her the first time, he had just been waiting for this moment all along. The worst part was that he was making sense. She couldn't get out of this one, there was nothing she could do, but she didn't really see how this scrawny, little imp could help.

"I know what you're thinking, and you're right. I can't defeat that demon, I can't undo the contract you have with him, but I can set up a new contract, with my master Duke Palpaleos, and he can grant you the power you need to slay that beast on your own."

"I don't have time to go over contract points with you, that thing is on its way!"

"I am well aware."

"You little shit!"

The booming voice of the demon rose above the heavy downpour.

"You cannot postpone the inevitable little mortal! I have no patience with games. Come to me now, or I will make you suffer before I take your body."

"Prff, haha, 'take your body' ah…eh, no wait, that's horrifying."

She looked up before taking a deep breath.

"Fine, what's the deal?"
"I'm glad you asked." Bob said as he rolled out a comically long scroll that seemed to go on forever.

"The main points are the standard, in exchange for power we will collect your soul in 10 years yadayada. The important bit here is this section, which is why my master has been watching you for so long. A special circumstance, a way out if you can manage to pull it off before the contract expires. You see, you are the culmination of 7 generations of selective breeding and magical influence. You have an astounding potential, unfortunately you have not really had the chance to develop it properly, to no fault of your own of course."

She wondered if he was just so used to kissing up to his betters that now he just did it out of habit.

"Get to the point Bob."

"Yes, of course. You need to grow stronger, much stronger, and when the time is right, my master will call upon you to help him."

"Help him do what?"

"I really shouldn't say it out loud."

"You'll say it, or I'll make you scream it."

"Angry, I can see why the demon likes you. Don't worry, it won't be anything you have to do on this plane. This is a matter of Hell."

She really didn't want to do this, but what other choice did she have. She could see the shape of the demon, it looked like it was starting to tear up buildings, that was not good.

"Make it 15 years, and you have a deal."

"10 years is standard."

"I'm not standard, 15 years or you and your master can both go fuck a mindflayer."

"Fine," he sighed, and started scratching something down on the scroll.

"Now, just sign here with your blood, initials here and here, your name here and an extra dot there just to be sure."

He rolled up the scroll and sent it to Hell.

"Good luck." And just like that, he was gone.

Mira didn't feel any different. Certainly not more powerful, but there was no other choice. If she did not face this demon, there soon wouldn't be much left of Velen. So she stood up, and remembered she was still drunk. I'm so fucked.

She approached the demon just as he was tearing an unfortunate townsperson apart, limb by limb. She felt her gorge rise again, but forced it down.

"Ah, finally, I was getting bored with these." He carelessly tossed the woman aside and faced her.

"Something has changed. Is that defiance I see in your eyes mortal? You think you can resist me?!" His already deafening voice rose to a crushing volume, she refused to cover her ears though.

"That's right bitch," she spat, "I'm not going down without a fight."

And so it was, that Mira, though unbeknownst to her, high on the new powers granted to her by her patron, actually, to everyone's surprise, defeated the demon, thoroughly. And then she passed out, and woke up on the outskirts of town the next morning. The towns people didn't want her there, but had not the courage to hang her either. Probably thought it wouldn't work.

21-31 years:

For the next ten years she continued her travels, continued to learn, earned money to buy tomes and spell books, preparing for whatever it was Pal… Palpou… she had no idea, that devil wanted with her. Every now and again Bob would bring her tomes, or point her in the right direction himself, he seemed almost like he was rooting for her, probably not though.

As the years ticked by, she actually made some friends, or acquaintances who didn't want to kill her out of hand. One of these were Gundren Rockseeker, a dwarf who occasionally hired her on his caravans as a mercenary. This time the rest of the crew he had hired was a bunch of nincompoops.