Hi,
I'm trying to figure something out and am really "stuck".
My main source of information come from RoP:tI, notably page 46 box "roleplaying demons".
Let's say this.
A top ranked demon has been imprisonned for 300 years somewhere he couldn't get out. Due to his efforts, one of the few infernalist looking to save him finally succeed, while he has betrayed some of the other infernalists (who died trying), and let other infernalists behind him.
The major demon is "freed", but due to the PCs, the infernalist find himself having to hide in the prison where the demon is stuck, to avoid death or a fight he would probably not win easily.
Now I'm trying to decide if the demon would, or would not, send help to save the infernalist who helped him.
For context information: from what is known by the demon himself at the time he has to decide, saving his man would not be really hard. On a scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (dangerous), it would be a 2 or 3. (For comparison, to save him from the prison, it would have been a 9 for the infernalist). It's just finding some mundanes, using NOT magical means (payment, authority...) to push them in the prison, search the place - eventually kill the magi's soldiers if any is left - take the man, go out. The demon itself will not come close the entrance of the prison anymore but there are little risk the magi would check, because they do not know the prison holds the infernalit at the moment.
On the "wouldn't, obviously" side, I have those arguments (marked by "-" sign):
On the "would, of course", I have those (marked by "+" sign)
a demon cannot display caution :
- why would the demon be cautious and help one of his most loyal and efficient servants?
- right of course, but why would the demon not do something showing to his cohorts that they should indulge more in sinning and sell more souls to him to gain more power? saving one to gain potential soul-sellers customers is just good buziness, and a demon cannot think "bigger is not always better".
a demon can never act when doing so would benefit another
- the infernalist is trapped, that's his problem.
- right... but by getting his most skilled man, he keeps a useful tool for himself. So saving the infernalist is in fact a egoist act; and he is really "putting his needs before the needs of his loyal servant" (a contrario of "a demon can never put another needs before its own")
a demon can never remain loyal without coercion.
- That's say all.
- sure, sure, but the demon is NOT loyal to the infernalist, the infernalist is loyal to the demon : for 350 years, he tried to save him (for what knows the demon because both have only had 1 hour to speak before the demon got out of the prison, and the infernalist stayed in...)
a demon cannot exhibit a conscience.
- Why save someone even if he did help him?
- you say "saving" the infernalist... I, as demon, say "putting his life (and thus soul!) at risk once more time, for my own benefit". Saving him is thus not conscience, but plain evil.
a demon cannot acknowledge its own weakness
- the demon will win because he is a elector of hell, that's all. No chance of the ORder winning any day.
but a demon cannot act bravely in the face of a superior foe
- it's brave to go against those enemies without using all my human pets. Thus saving him is being coward and assuring the most power to win.
a demon can never request assistance against an inferior foe.
- First, the demon is not asking assistance, and secondly, his human foe had him - an elector of hell - imprisonned for 300 years, and has proven to not be an inferior foe. The man himself may be down, but the organization of which he was a member, the Order, is quite functionnal and is now the target of the demon's revenge. Getting back his human pet who has proven skilled is thus good for a revenge! (thus he is not showing control of his anger, which a demon could not do!)
Additional fact: if the infernalist stays in the prison, he will not die from old age and has few chances to get discovered and killed, which means the demon may never collect the soul.
At the moment, I'm really undecided and as you can read, I have both ways arguments.
What would you choose?