Adventure seed: The Devil Double-Bind

Adventure seed: The Devil Double-Bind

Somewhere out there in the multiverse there is a continuum where the forces of supernatural Good and Evil are locked in a nigh-eternal struggle. Neither side wishes to provoke a final battle, because neither side is confident of victory.  So an armed and often threadbare truce barely holds, but is bitterly resented by both sides.  Both sides scheme and plot and hatch byzantine plans to gain momentary advantage. Often the plans are subtle and complex, as befits the machinations of immortals…

And sometimes there’s just a disaster in the paperwork.

Short version: a misplaced comma in the boilerplate of a fairly straightforward apartment lease agreement has somehow eventually managed to result in the Forces of Good ‘selling’ the rights of about two hundred human souls to the Forces of Evil as part of a subsequent mundane real estate deal.  To clear up something from the start: these souls were not actually sold to the Forces of Evil.  The Forces of Good did not actually legally own the souls, which means that the Forces of Evil could not legally purchase them (the actual mechanism by which Good or Evil can ‘legally’ do anything in a meaningful sense is beyond the scope of this scenario – and, indeed, human understanding).  So that’s not the problem. Evil can’t collect the souls.  But it can ‘sue’ Good for wrongfully offering those souls for sale, and it’s highly likely that arbitration will not go well for Good.  Good is at least guilty of not doing due diligence when writing up its contracts, and that’s worth a hefty penalty or two.  Possibly even an agent or two of Good being handed over to Evil in order to make restitution.

So that’s where the party comes in. The respective heads of the two organizations are not really interested in pushing this particular quarrel, but there’s enough mid-level interest (and barely-suppressed desire to start a war) on both sides that they can’t just squash the damned/blessed lawsuit.  Or, rather, can’t be seen to.  If trusted agents – either immortal, or, really, mortal ones would be more convenient – can somehow complicate the case to the point where arbitration is impossible or inconclusive… well, that solution can be managed away.  Any solution that doesn’t involve firefights in the streets over a bad ruling (like, say, anybody being handed over to anybody else) can be managed away, really.
And no, the party does not have to explain their plan to anybody.  There’s no need. The plan simply has to work.