Dealing with a devil

[Grogg of the North]

So, in the near future, it looks like the party is going to try and make a deal with a devil. In exchange for the soul of the one PC's brother, which we found trapped in a gem, they'll give us protection as we attempt to enter into the haunted capital city and seal the gaping portal to the abyss that's in the sky. Also, the devils have stated that they hope we'll take out the demon leadership for them, too.

Now, we were on a quest to prevent that portal from opening. But, time management wasn't on our side and we kinda screwed up. A lot. (Good job breaking it, Heroes.) So now in the sky over the capital of the empire there is a portal to the abyss, the nine hells, and the plane of shadow. Devils, demons and undead are spilling into the prime and doing bad things. Like driving down property values. And harvesting townsfolk for food.

There is a ritual we can do that will close each portal (Three portals, three rituals) and another one we can do that will banish anything stuck on the Prime after the gates are closed (Again, three portals, three rituals). We know the devils have, at the least, the ritual to close the portal to the abyss.

My character is a former pirate/smuggler that first hooked up with the party as an attempt to extort the refugees and survivors for wealth and power. (Why yes I can bring you fresh medicine and food. It will cost this much.) The prices were never too outrageous and I was always willing to accept favors or political influence as payment. However, as the campaign has progressed, I've started to care about the refugees, going out of my way to make sure their needs are met and to try and step up as a leader.

So I don't just want to seal the portal to the abyss. I want to seal all the portals, preferably at once, and banish everything stuck on the prime after the door closes. I'm also concerned that any deal we strike with the devils is going to wind up working poorly for us and that we're going to be double crossed at the earliest opportunity. I used to be a pirate, I've double crossed and been double crossed enough times to see it coming. Plus, trading in souls is something I have no desire to be a part of in any way. I may not have a G on my character sheet but my PC is trying.

The party, for the most part, seems open to the idea. The archer seems in favor of the idea so long as we can strike a bargain that will screw the devils more than it will screw us. The wizard, that's crazy, doesn't seem to care one way or the other. And the CN rogue (Yes, it's that type of CN), doesn't seem to mind trading her brother's soul away. Because ... reasons. So that makes me the odd man out.

How do I find a compromise on this? I don't want to be that player that makes a stand on alignment. (Ex: "I'm not murdering orc babies! I walk!" *Flips table*) I want to try and find some reason to go along with this at least for a little while. Having a backup character on standby is an option but not something I really want to resort to. Help!

PS: Sorry if this post seemed to meander. I had a hard time putting my thoughts to words. Also, I apologize if this should have gone to general RPG discussion. We're playing 3.5 but I suppose the discussion could be open to any edition/system.

 

[Dandu]

Can you provide info on your character build, in case it becomes relevant?

Let's talk about this soul gem. Is it possible to cheat the devils out of the soul somehow? A fake soul gem, perhaps?

What about taking the ritual knowledge from them by force?

 

[Grogg of the North]

Captain Tulak Vasquez
Chaotic Neutral-ish Rogue 10 / Dread Pirate 4 (Honorable)
"Duke" of Tenna Mit, Savior of the Ruby Vanguard, Gentleman of Fortune, Connoisseur of Rum

Stats:
[SBLOCK]
Includes magical enhancements:
Str 14
Dex 19
Con 20
Int 16
Wis 10
Cha 14
[/SBLOCK]

Feats:
[SBLOCK]
1 Improved Init
H Combat Expertise
3 Weapon Finesse
6 Deadly Defense
9 Quick Draw
12 Improved Feint (Despite having another rogue in the group, it's very rare that I get a flank set up. )
B TWF (Dread Pirate)
[/SBLOCK]

Skill Ranks:
[SBLOCK]
Appraise 8
Balance 5
Bluff 17
Climb 5
Diplomacy 9
Gather Info 12
Hide 9
Jump 5
Knowledge Local 10
Listen 13
Move Silently 9
Profession Sailor 14
Sense Motive 12
Spot 13
Swim 12
Tumble 17
UMD 17
Use Rope 5
[/SBLOCK]

I suppose we could try to use a fake soul gem. While the rest of the party was off talking with a sage about the rituals, the rogue went off to bargain with the devils in the city. The rogue has flashed it to the devils, so they at least know what it looks like. Also, the rogue came into possession of the gem because the devil's leader gave it to her as a peace offering. The gem is considered unique among the devils since the soul was extracted while the victim was still alive. We have a crazy wizard (all casters have been slowly going mad) but I don't know if he has something like Magical Aura in his spell book.

From what we know, the devils have, at least, part of the ritual with them in the old Wee Jas cathedral. The devils have pressed several citizens into being guards and servants. Also, inside the temple is one of the last sane priests in the city and the heiress to the throne, whom the Captain has been courting. Kicking in the door is an option but I am worried about civilians coming to harm. We also don't have the means to stop all the devils from teleporting away, regrouping, and coming after us later.

I would prefer thieving to assault if possible. Most of the group has means of stealth. However, I feel that the rogue's player isn't going to cooperate on that plan.

 

[Dandu]

Can you give the devils the gem, seal the portals, steal it from the devils, then banish the lot of them?

 

[Aenghus]

In some games, any deal with devils will backfire sooner or later, every compromise adding weight to the evil side of the cosmic scales and hastening the End Times. In others it never will and devils are more trustworthy and tolerant than paladins or angels. Most are somewhere in the middle on these issues.

These factors can make it very difficult to distinguish the how viable such deals are and what the consequences might be. Some referees won't discuss the metaphysics of their setting out of character but if they are willing to it helps to establish realistic expectations for cause and effect in that particular campaign. The devil's in the details, so to speak.

 

[was]

Being lawful evil, I have always understood that devils adhere to the exact letter of the contract..not the spirit. Thus, if there's nothing in the contract concerning relations following completion of main quest (sealing the abyssal portal), there's no barrier on turning on them afterwards. There's also no barrier to them turning on you either.

 

[Grogg of the North]

Can you give the devils the gem, seal the portals, steal it from the devils, then banish the lot of them?

That is a viable plan. Assuming we can find the rest of the rituals. We do know that each ritual takes an hour. We don't know much more than that. For all we know, attempting to close a portal or banish the devils may be like firing flares off into the sky.
[MENTION=24488]was[/MENTION] being turned on by the devils is what I'm worried about. I have a feeling that it will turn into a "You've out lived your usefulness" scenario.

 

[Dandu]

I imagine you could seriously inconvenience the devils if you got a Magic Circle Against Evil cast on the lot of you.

 

[Grogg of the North]

Magic is cursed. Most of the mages in this world went insane and were either put down or destroyed themselves. Those that are still alive have stopped using magic.

Edit: We don't know if sealing the prime will lift the curse on magic or not.

 

[Dandu]

Then it is clear that you must hold a fiddling contest.