[heading]
[i]Hell's minions follow the wandering preacher wherever he goes, seeking to claim his soul that he has promised the devil.
It is only a matter of time until they do.
Chase intends to make it take as long as possible.[/i]
[/heading]
[hr]
[heading]Chase's story[/heading]
[b]A prayer, answered[/b]
After becoming witness to the gruesome accident, the priest runs towards the maimed girl's body. Upon reaching her, he cradles the terrified child in his arms, whispering calming words into her ear while trying not to despair himself at the sight in front of him — her skin growing pale, her trembling growing weaker with every passing second. The white robes of the priest's faith are stained crimson with the youth's blood, heralding her impending end as he feels her life slipping away. Despite his best efforts to hold them back, tears run down the priest's cheeks while he attempts to console the dying child pressed against his chest. The words that come from his mouth fail in his own mind to make her premature exit from this world seem less cruel than it is.

In the dark of the night, he calls out a desperate prayer to any who would deem to listen, a distraught plea to grant him the strength to save the girl's life. In a twist of fate, it is at this moment that, for the first time in the priest's life, he finds his prayers answered. The irony, however, is lost on him.

"[i]Would you give your life for hers?[/i]" is the question that suddenly echoes inside his head. It feels less like a sound than an invasive thought that seems to deafen out all others during the moment it is spoken. The voice is devoid of any specific tone that would allow to guess at the age or gender of its owner, yet it drips with ominous portent.
"Yes! I would!" the ecstatic priest shouts at the moonlit sky with nary a moment's hesitation, and his tears of grief turn into tears of relief at being heard in his time of desperate need. "O Lord, take what you want from me, but grant me the opportunity to save this girl's life!"

For a few seconds, the only sound that can be heard in the night is the ragged breathing of the weakening child. The priest's wish is suddenly answered, however, when his right arm bursts into flames, the fire burning through his vestments and boiling the flesh from his arm in a sudden, excruciatingly painful act. Again and again the flames erupt from his limb, leaving behind an oddly regular pattern of seared flesh from wrist to neck, and the priest almost passes out from the intense agony. Yet he steels his resolve, for with the terrible scar comes the knowledge of the power it brings, and as the flames fade, he presses his right hand firmly against the dying girl's chest. He is able to feel the strange, new energy spread from his still smoldering arm into the near-lifeless body of the child beneath him, and tears of joy and wonder well up in his eyes when he sees the bleeding wounds close and the pale complexion of the girl become more colorful as life returns to her. He has saved the child's life, but as the sensation of immense relief begins to calm, he begins to wonder... at what cost?

[b]Branded[/b]
The unsightly scar on Chase's right arm is not merely cosmetic, nor is its pattern random. The scar is known to occultists as the Brand of Sacrifice, and he is not the first nor the last to bear it, for he has become one of the Branded. The Brand of Sacrifice announces to all who know its meaning that its bearer has agreed to give up his soul in exchange for an otherworldly gift — in Chase's case, the ability to heal wounds, mend broken bones and cure sickness. The usually firm coupling between a mortal's body and his soul has been loosened for the Branded, and needs only a proverbial tug to become entirely undone. In this way, the Brand acts like a beacon for the ravening forces of hell; the Branded are doomed to be pursued by evil spirits and demons until their soul is taken from them, and Chase is no exception. A fate worse than death awaits those whose soul is taken from them, for they are denied the sweet embrace of oblivion and the ascension to the Gates of Heaven. Instead, they become a thrall to the soul's new owner, an enslaved minion to serve its master in life and the eternal afterlife. There are scant few demons who would say no to the opportunity to pry a Branded's soul from their body and claim it as their own. Even if a Branded manages to escape having their soul taken from them while they are alive, their essence remains promised to the Underworld, and the Branded are due to serve an eternity in hell after their corporeal demise. The Brand is sensitive to the presence of demonic spirits, and the discomfort that the Branded feel at being near one of hell's minions can range from a mild tingling sensation to mind-numbing pain, scaling with the power of the demon in question.

[b]Man on the run[/b]
In addition to being pursued by the agents of the Underworld, misfortune and chaos seem to follow Chase like a bad smell that won't wash off. It is for this reason that he has chosen to leave his home parish and become a wandering preacher, and he continues to attempt to keep the effects of his curse to himself, wishing to keep others out of harm's way as best as he can. Yet Chase's reputation as a "miracle worker" and healer of the sick and wounded tends to precede him wherever he goes, causing many to seek him out for aid, much to his chagrin. His only relief is that none seem to know the dark secret behind his ability — or no human does, at least. Although everyone else considers his healing hands to be a divine blessing, he alone knows of their true demonic origin, and he prefers to keep it that way. Chase's views on religion have been shaken by what he has experienced, and he has taken a more lax approach at staying devoted to the tenets of his faith.

As if the constant demonic threat he faces wasn't enough, due to the spread of his reputation as a healer some of his own kind have become suspicious about the nature of his wondrous abilities. They have begun to track him down as well — most because they wish to know the secret behind his healing powers. But some few — demon hunters, mostly — are well aware of the meaning of the Brand, and seek to end his cursed existence, knowing that misery and human suffering follows the Branded wherever they go. Chase himself struggles with the morality of wishing to stay alive and attracting agents of Evil to each location he visits.

Although Chase has trained his body out of the necessity to defend himself against those who wish to claim his soul, resulting in a toned physique, he prefers to rely on his wit and charm to get out of any potentially threatening situations. Like any sane man haunted by literal demons would, he has developed somewhat of a drinking problem since he has shed his priestly robes. He prefers to sleep during the day and in public, knowing that demonkind are unlikely to attack him under such circumstances. Unfortunately, this tends to leave the impression of being somewhat of a lazy bum on regular people.
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[heading]Plot hook suggestions[/heading]
[small]Obviously not an exhaustive list! Original ideas always welcome.[/small]

• A demon catches up to Chase, wanting to claim his soul for themselves. This is the most obvious setup, and will usually lead to Chase attempting to talk, bargain or even fight himself out of the situation, at which he can either be successful... or not so much.
• Chase seeks to subvert his fate, at least for a while, by seeking the aid of a demon hunter. Usually, these will want nothing to do with Chase (or worse, be hostile towards him), as the Brand attracts the creatures they are sworn to kill. But perhaps Chase can gain the goodwill of one of these demon killers, either by offering his services as a healer, or performing less... chaste favors.
• In a similar vein, Chase might seek out a powerful mage or warlock for a spell that will grant him protection from evil. Of course, the magically inclined might want to keep him around for his "ability" to attract the supernatural.
• Chase feels morally obligated to use his healing ability for good whenever the need arises. If, for example, he sees a heavily wounded person lying in the street, he'll run over to help them out, with little regard for his own safety. This is a good way, plot-wise, to get Chase close, even intimately close, to someone that he'd otherwise would rather stay away from.
• Chase has developed several vices since he's been put on Hell's most wanted list. One of these is alcohol. Someone might exploit this by getting close to Chase while his judgement is clouded and his guard is down.
• A demonic spirit possesses an animal near Chase, such as a horse, dog or rat, and transforms it into a larger, and possibly anthropomorphic, version of itself to confront the ex-priest as! This is a good way to play with Chase if you play a feral or anthro without an otherwise "fitting" background.
• Chase is a wanderer and doesn't stay in one place for too long. Although he usually manages to at least rent a motel room if he needs shelter for the night, it might be that he's out in the countryside and there's no such lodging around. Instead, he might seek to stay the night at someone else's house, or barn, or really any other place with a roof.
• Chase hires an able bodyguard as protection from his infernal pursuers. During their travels together, the two are attacked by demons. Chase and his bodyguard manage to drive them off, but not without the bodyguard sustaining grievous wounds. Chase tells him to strip naked so he can apply his healing touch... which ultimately leads to more touching than intended.
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[heading]Final word[/heading]
I realize Chase's profile doesn't seem very lewd — but really, what I'm looking for is shameless smut! Don't be afraid to suggest outrageous plots and kinks if you want to work out an RP with me. The more kinky we can get, the better! And finally, if you've bookmarked me? Please send me a note! I'm not on F-Chat that often as Chase as I tend to hang out on other profiles more, so you might be waiting a long time if you're waiting for me to pop up there — so it's in both our interests if you're not shy about saying hi!