Subject: Slark the Maleficient

From: tomz@writeme.com

System: Elric! and Stormbringer [and RQ]

Slark the Maleficient, Bound Demon

The Song of Slark

Oh Viscous Slark!
Demon of the Dark!
Cruel talons of the fight,
Bring us victory this night!

Spells: Hells Razor, Hells Armour [RQ Bladesharp, Protection]

Slark the Maleficient is a demon bound into a brooch of bronze. Slark has been bound into the object for millenia, and has become vile and crude, even for a demon. It has also achieved some independent powers beyond those normally exhibited by a bound creature. The brooch has mutable form. The character of Slark depends on how long since it last received blood, satiated it resembles a cultured intelligent personality, hungry it has the subtlety of a starving wolf, suggesting that it's owner slit the throats of small children, friends or lovers.

It often appears as a snarling wolf's head but also adopts the form of an eight pointed chaos star. Once picked up Slark will communicate to the new owner at night in dreams, conveying it's 'contract' of employment. It will serve a new master only if a sentient being is sacrificed to it, at night under a dark moon, and the blood of the victim poured onto Slark's form. Slarks's Song must be sung whilst this bloodletting is done. Until that is done it will serve no master. [Slark gains the full MP of the victim from this sacrifice, the owner gains 10 chaos points]

Slark demands that it's owner drip a thimblefull of it's blood onto it every day just after sunset. [The owner gains 1 chaos point each time] If done and Slark's Song sung then Slark will cast it's magic for the owner until dawn. Slark will not cast magic under sunlight, it claims it hurts it's 'eyes'. Slark enters into a brief spirit combat with the owner as the blood is absorbed into it's form, and if it beats the owner in a MP vs MP battle on the resistance table, it will drain 1d4 MP from the owner.

Slark is a rebellious and cunning demon and will bend and warp spell use if not carefully directed. It does love blood however, and if the Song of Slark is sung as it's owner slays, it gains 1MP for each victim slain and the blood smeared on it.

Slark cannot regenerate it's own MP as do normal creatures. Successive masters have been most careful never to let Slark lose all it's magic points since then it will be loosed from it's binding and return to it's home plane. It is possible that Slark may assume it's natural form before departing and wreak vengeance [it is suggested that the referee use a Cthulhu type creature similar to one of HR Giger's Aliens].

Slark's great power lies in the fact that it can cast it's two spells at any level of power. If it has enough magic points it can cast either spell at 5, 8, 10 or whatever level. This can make a warrior with Slark almost invincible. Note however that an impale against Hell's Armour will ignore all armour, magical or otherwise and still strike true. Whilst Hell's Razor is cast, the owner's weapon will appear bloody red and drip. Water and fire can strip the magic from a weapon that Slark has enchanted.

[For Stormbringer Slark can cast Hell's Razor and add points of damage equal to the MP used to any weapon attack as a damage add. Hell's Armour adds points of armour protection equal to MP cast. The MP used are Slark's]

Should Slark gain enough MP to risk it, it will attempt to gain possession of it's owner. If it succeeds in reducing the owner's MP to zero it can control the body for 1 whole day during which it will embark on an orgy of bloodletting and murder, singling out the owner's loved ones and colleagues.

Slark's True Name is long forgotten, and the fact that no-one possesses this key to controlling it allows it to act in such an unconstrained and rebellious fashion. Should the True Name be found then it could be commanded to do exactly as instructed, blood or no. Back to Eternal Index