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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 849815" data-attributes="member: 5137">The arcanist is an immensely flexible role, with plenty of specialist archetypes available to them. Kyriotes, for example, is a summoner of unparalleled finesse, although he knows squat about binding earth spirits into people or drawing raw energies from other planes - if it requires some sort of creature, he's the man for the mission. Greppa's mentor Hurath, on the other hand, was a non-specialist, and for a time it seemed Greppa would be, too, until he made a sacrifice and became a kind of "light bringer" archetype for Allas...Quite some time ago, I mentioned, somewhat in passing and largely off the cuff, that one of the "darker" paths of specialization an arcanist can tread is that of infernalist. This little bit talks about that.Academia: The DiabolicalThe popular history of the gods is that the young gods, suited better to humanity, overthrew the dark and primal gods and freed humanity. Gods are hard to truly kill, however, and for the most part they were simply banished to the infernal realms, where they could have minimal impact on the material plane or the celestial heights. Most bad things in the world, from hydra to monstrous spiders to soul-eating dreamstealers, are blamed on those gods who were sent to the infernal planes of existence, leaving the remaining gods clean of any real crimes against humanity.That's even truth, mostly.Where arcanists enter the picture, is in the very nature of their magic. Where espers and healers draw upon inner reserves and enhance the natural powers of humanity, and where illusionists focus their will upon the ethereal and shadow realms to create quasi-real effects and images... the arcanist rips open holes in reality between the planes and brings forth that which lies on the other side.Not just this plane, or that plane. Any plane of existence can be plundered by the arcanist for its useful qualities. Most arcanists, by nature, become somewhat indifferent to the shady morality of the planes. Often, they do not see the various planes as any different - at least for the purposes of the arcanist, that which can be summoned can be commanded, and then sent home, so no harm, no foul. And an infernal spider summoned to achieve a good end... is a good spell.Some arcanists differ on this, of course. There are those who refuse to truck with anything moral at all, drawing only from the elemental realms; and there are those who eschew only the evil realms, or focus their powers upon the celestial realms (as Greppa does).There are those who, finding the infernal realms to lend greater advantage, work exclusively with them... often even establishing longterm relationships and contracts with the denizens therein. And where a necromancer might be reviled for any and all of the magic he practices, the infernalist, so long as he does not bring about ruin, is simply tolerated among arcanists, sometimes with stiff looks and stern disapproval, but not action.Infernalists, you see, are a lot better about not getting caught.And even in this, there are gray areas. The gods and spirits and creatures and elemental forces that have been consigned to the infernal realms are not all evil. Many were merely on the wrong side of a lost battle. Others were sympathizers to the wrong god, or merely got on someone powerful's hit list. Being in the infernal realms does not guarantee that someone is evil... it's just a likely indicator.Belial(this is OOC; the PCs are on their way to a library to find this stuff out, because of things that happened last session)At the dawn of the current era, many of the old gods were cast from the celestial courts into the infernal pit. Among these were the gods of spiders, of hate, and of ichor... but also among them, was the former goddess of Light, as written below:And here:</blockquote>

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