| “ | Hard to believe that behind that hard exterior was a desperate soul in need of direction. She and I weren't so different after all. | ” |
| — Melbogathra regarding his thrall, Becky. | ||
Thralls are the mortal servants of demons. They come in two varieties: the thralls of the Fallen, and the thralls of the Earthbound. Demons choose thralls from among the ambitious, vengeful, crippled and bereft; men and women who feel cheated by the world, deprived of the lives they deserve.
All Thralls
All Thralls may communicate verbally with their demonic masters, but normally only the master can initiate contact. This communication is not limited by distance, but requires spoken words.
Thralls of the Fallen
The Fallen enter into rather symbiotic relationships with their thralls, despite the moniker given to these mortals. Fallen thralls are gifted with several supernatural or enhanced mundane abilities by their masters, and in turn serve them either by deed or by delivering Faith to them every morning (this is a function of the thrall-master link and automatic). Thralls who donate Faith can also be ravaged for extra Faith to fuel evocations and make them more powerful, at the cost of the thrall's willpower and eventually his health and sanity as well. The master-thrall relationship cannot be altered by the mortal, no matter how he violates the pact. Demons may cancel their pacts at any time, and break them automatically if they violate their conditions. Fallen thralls retain their free will. This may be dangerous, as the thralls can work against their masters. Additionally, it is possible for a thrall to become a ghoul as well.
Demon-Thrall Relationship
As vital as thralls' contributions of Faith is to the Fallen, the infernal gifts that the angels of the Abyss bestow in return are nothing short of life-changing. From curing a disease to granting the power to predict the future, the effects of a Faustian bargain profoundly affect the way a thrall conducts his or her life. All thralls face a moral dilemma: They may use their newfound health or prosperity to live responsibly, or they may succumb to the temptation to take advantage of their gifts at the expense of others. They may grow wealthy, revenge themselves on those who wronged them, or seize the reins of power and change the world to their liking. Some thralls can cope with the challenges and problems that these infernal gifts bring, while others fall into misery and pain brought on by the unintended consequences of their actions.
Thralls of the Earthbound
Earthbound thralls are seen purely as slaves both by the Fallen and the Earthbound. The ceremony of enthrallment causes permanent psychological damage and the reshaping of the mortal soul by its monstrous master leaves physical deformities as well. Earthbound thralls become totally subservient to their masters and lose their free will. They cannot offer Faith to their masters, but they are much more powerful than Fallen thralls at the cost of their sanity.
