Sigfried A. Tudeau

Matteus cursed under his breath, withdrawing his hand as hot wax from a nearby candle splashed onto his hand. Writing by candle-light was already something the man despised. Doubley so when he had to do so below the deck of a ship that rocked back and forth on the waves.

"Seraph guide me..." he muttered, sending up a silent prayer for patience to his patron. He looked down at the paper and sighed defeated at the long black streak that now ran across the page. He threw down the quill in exasperation and crumpled up the paper, tossing it over his shoulder, where, unbeknownst to Matteus, it landed at the boots of his ship-mate, Sigfried.

"A pleasure to see you too." Sigfried said in his typical drawling fashion, in an accent completely alien to Matteus. Matteus turned, startled at the intrusion. How anyone dressed in such finery could move so silently, on the creaking boards of the ship no less, was beyond Matteus. Everything about Sigfriend was beyond Matteus.

Some things made sense, sure. It was clear he was from wealth or nobility. He had the quiet easiness of someone with a childhood of plenty, and the calm demeanor of someone who's never had to struggle. The way he spoke with a cutting wit told of his education. Often times outright insulting people to their faces and laughing along with them as it sailed over their heads. Not Matteus though. He could see straight through the man's smile and personability. But what he saw was a void. He didn't know what exactly it was that lay beneath the personna he put on, just that it was a facade. And this not knowing always put him on edge around the man.

"I see you're back. Where'd you pop off to this time?" Matteus asked, turning back to the desk and reluctantly pulling out another sheet of parchment. Sigfried chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, I thought I'd pop over to the pub, have a drink, maybe find a place to take a hot shower."

Matteus tried to distract himself with writing but found it impossible to. He turned and looked at Sigfried, who stood in the shadows of the room. Even obstructed by the darkness as he was, Matteus could make out the handsome features of the youngman. His auburn hair was almost unnaturally red. A deep hue that reminded him of rubies. Or blood. His face was clean shaven, a feat in and of itself considering they had been at sea for a week now. The silence was broken as Sigfried cut it, raising an eyebrow at Matteus.

"I was above deck. Where else would I be?" He asked, gesturing to the wooden hull around them.

"I almost find your other excuse more believable. I can't imagine there being anything up there interesting to you." Matteus said cutrly, turning back to the blank sheet infront of him.

"What? I was craving some fresh air and conversation. Is that so hard to believe?" Sigfried asked, feigning innocence.

"I imagine you'd be hard pressed to find either up there, considering our ship-mates." Matteus said, rolling his eyes. "Then again, I don't know much about you. For all I know, you feel perfectly at home here among pirates."

"Privateers." Sigfried said.

"Right. Privateers. And what, pray-tell, is the difference?" Matteus asked, more annoyed at his having to be here than with Sigfried himself. In all honesty, it was refreshing to have someone learned to speak with, not that Matteus would ever admit it.

"This. Right here." Sigfried said, leaning down to pick the paper up from the floor. He let the answer linger in the silence and soon Matteus found Sigfried at his side, perhaps a bit too close.

With Sigfried looming next to him, Matteus could see the features of the young man better illuminated, his eyes glinted almost golden in the light of the candle. He absentmindedly unfurled the parchment in his fingers and smoothed it out. 

But what really struck Matteus, more so than the otherworldly glow in his eyes, or the way he stood dangerously close, was his scent. Here, on a ship that smelled of salt and sweaty bodies, Sigfried smelled of... citrus? A luxioriously pleasant scent, tangy and refreshing emmenated from the young man. A week into their voyage and somehow, he'd managed to remain well groomed and smelling of Lemon Verbana.

"A piece of paper. Some writing. A signature and a seal." Sigfried said, breaking the silence between then men.

Matteus' vision snapped up to Sigfried as he snapped out of his thoughts. 

"Excuse me?"

"The difference between a pirate and a privateer. It's paper. A contract. Someone with power somewhere decided to endorse them. That's the difference." Sigfried said with a smirk, before putting the edge of the parchment into the flame of the candle, watching as it cindered and burned away, rubbing his fingers together and scattering the ashes.

Matteus couldn't help but watch as Sigfried stared at the smoldering paper, only letting go of the burning page as an afterthought, as though the flame approaching his hand was nothing more than a trickle of water.

"You're terrible at penmanship, by the way." Sigfried said.

"Yes well, it was never my strong suit. Less so on a moving ship." Matteus replied, hiding his offense. "I've never been particularly good at writing.

"Strange." Sigfried said. "You struck me as a learned man. I meant no offense."

"I never said I wasn't. I dislike writing. It's a bit too delicate for me. And I'm no good at putting words to paper. My mind doesn't work eloquently. I prefer reading. I'm much more at home, escaping into fictional worlds of other's minds. I am a consumer, not a producer."

"You shouldn't cut yourself short." Sigfried said beaming. "That last bit was almost poetic."

"Poetry. Why am I not surprised?" Matteus asked, shaking his head and smiling bemused.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Sigfried asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I'd never deem to offend..." Matteus replied.

"Well now I'm definitely curious."

"Well... some folks would refer to your type as... well."

"A dandy? Ostentatious? I've heard it all before, much worse, frankly..." Sigfried said shrugging.

Matteus was quick to jump in, "Oh! No, no I'd never say something like that, it's so crude..."

"No, no. It's quite alright. I know you're a man of the church. You'd probably say something like... oppulent. Frivolous. Obsessed with the pursuit of materialism." Sigfriend said with a flourish, playing the last bit up.

"We all have our vices." Matteus said, looking down at his letter.

Sigfried pat the man on the back, making Matteus feel uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "Yes. We do have our vices, but I can assure you, materialism is not mine. Well, not entirely."

"And what is it then?" Matteus asked, sitting up and looking to the man.

"Wanting." Sigfried said. "Simply put. It's wanting. Greed. But not just for objects, or fineries. I want oh so much. Knowledge. Experiences. Pleasures and pains. Power in many forms. That is my vice. To want without end."

"Avarice is indeed a powerful vice." Matteus said calmly, deferring to the teachings of his church. "Of course, we can all free ourselves through persev--"

"Free myself? Why would I want to do that? It is that yearning desire that drives me my friend. It's what drags me across the... world." Sigfried said, stopping himself before he gave away too much. "But, I showed you mine, so why don't you show me yours? What's your vice then?"

"I am a man of the church." Matteus said incredulously.

"Yes, and in my experience, the ones who seek out religion are the ones who need it the most. You don't expect me to believe you've never been tempted?" Sigried replied.

"My vices are my burdens to carry, and none one else's." Matteus said finally, shaking his head and returning to his writing.

"Aw, come one, that's no fun! At least give me a hint.... oh, are let me guess." Sigfried said stepping away and pacing about behind Matteus. "Is it gambling? No... you'd be terrible at gambling... The drink? Oh, are perhaps it's a desire of the flesh..." Sigfried cooed, leaning close the Matteus.

Matteus shooed him away with a hand. "You should consider yourself lucky it isn't my temper."

Sigfried laughed. "See? You can be funny when you want to. Fine. Keep your secrets. There are more than enough sinners on this ship to keep me occupied."

"It's my curiousity." Matteus said calmly.

"What's that?" Sigfried asked.

"My vice. My curiousity. I crave knowledge. Even when sometimes I shouldn't. I perhaps delve too deeply into pursuits of knowledgde." Matteus said, blushing at the admission.

"Boo!" Sigfried jeered.

"Excuse me?"

"That's not a vice. The pursuit of knowledgde is always a noble pursuit. It's the hoarding and censoring of knowledge that's a sin." Sigfried said with a certainty. 

"Never let anyone stifle your curiousity Matteus." It was strange seeing Sigfried like this, Matteus thought. The guy seemed aloof most of the time, but he seemed sincere now.

"Alright then..." Matteus said, turning back to his work. A silence lingered between them as his quill tapped away at the parchment.

"You smell pleasant." Matteus said, breaking the silence once more. Sigfried was surprised. He turned, an eyebrow cocked, "Ah, well, thank you." He said politely, nodding.

"It wasn't meant to be a compliment." Matteus replied.

"You'll excuse me if I find it hard to be offended by that accusation." Sigfried countered, bowing his head in mock modesty.

"It wasn't meant to be an insult, either. It's just me stating a fact. A particularly strange fact." Matteus said, scribbling with the quill again. "It's strange that a week into this voyage, you managed to remain so well groomed. Your clothes even seem freshly laundered. Is there a washroom on this ship that I, and everyone else seem not to know about?" Sigfried laughed heartily again. "No, afraid not. Although, we are surrounded by water. And, assuming one comes prepared with the right provisions, bathing ones' self isn't particularly difficult."

"You mean to say that you've been bathing in the ocean?" Matteus asked, pressing the line of questioning, if for no reason other than to distract himself.

"Nothing quite that exciting I'm afraid," Sigfried said, knowing in his mind that the truth was actually much more fantastical than even that. "But there are buckets and I know how to tie a knot. It doesn't take much imagination to figure the rest out from there."

"So you're bathing in cold, salty sea-water? Why? I'm sure you've noticed that no one else is bothering to..." Matteus asked confused and a bit self-consious now that he realized that he too, must smell just as bad as the rest of the crew, and noting how shabby his vestments were becoming.

"I never said it was cold, but it is a small price to pay. I consider it the least I can do for my shipmates." Sigfried said. He continued as he saw the confused look in Matteus' face. "Everyone else on the ship smells the high-heavens. The least I could do is to not add to that. And if I can make conversing with me any more pleasant for our ship-mates, then it was worth it."

"How thoughtful of you. Which leads me to my next question. Sigfried, why are you here? On this ship? I hardly know what I'm doing here, but you. I can't find any worldly reason that someone like you would want to be here." Matteus asked, a bit emboldened by their conversation.

"Now, if I didn't know any better, I'd say I'm starting to grow on you..." Sigfried said in that enfuriating drawl, a smile crossing his lips.

"Don't let it go to your head. It's just if I must converse with someone on this ship, better it be with you than with..."

"Pirates?" Sigfried cut in.

"With you, than with people that proudly wear their sins on their sleeves." Matteus ammended.

"You know, for a second there, that was almost nice." Sigfriend said, rolling his eyes. "And simple. I'm here because they're sailing somewhere that I need to go. And it's pretty obvious why you're here."

"Is that so? Then how about you tell me, since I have no idea why I was told to come here." Matteus said, standing, frustrated, thinking back to his meeting with the bishop. He wouldn't tell Matteus why he needed to accompany this ship, but he was adamant in that Matteus needed to go.

"Really, it's not hard to figure out. You're the most famous exorcist in the country. Why would they send you out to sea?" Sigfried asked, shaking his head, then looking around. "Tell you what. Come by my cabin later and I'll show you something. Maybe it'll fill in the gaps for you."

With that, Sigfried was gone before Matteus had a chance to question him further. He shook his head and rest it in his hands before going back to penning his letter. He didn't like not knowing something someone else clearly knew and wasn't telling. The fact that Sigfried of all people knew made it even worse. Who was he? What was he on this ship for, and why did he know the purpose of this voyage and he didn't?

How does he use the seal? Well, in the same manor that souls bound to items carried by planeswalkers are safe from the blind eternities for a time, so too are the souls/essence stored within the seal. It functions similarly to how the chain-veil contains the many souls of the long dead Onnake ogres. The demons he makes pacts with effectively become indentured servants for a time, and in exchange, Sigfried offers these demons safe-passage to any plane they desire. While this isn’t always enough for particularly powerful demons, there are many lesser demons out there who think that the idea of being unleashed onto an unsuspecting plane is worth the price. Other demons want to escape from a threat, and others still want a plane where they can be the top demon, away from their betters and peers.