You have been a denizen of the Abyss for hundreds of years, and have seen many ages of Erth come and go.

You have been summoned to Erth by various Sorcerors, Wizards and other persons of Power 246 times. You have always fulfilled your charge with exactitude and as a result, have gained regard among the other Baatezu, and attracted the favorable attention of your superiors. You have accomplished much, and suspect that you may soon be selected for promotion.

Yet this all leaves you empty. You have pondered the reasons for centuries, but have always remained mystified. What more could you possibly do? To fight the emptiness, you have set very stringent and difficult goals for yourself. Yet, accomplishing your goals does not address the emptiness inside.

On your 247th assignment to Erth, you were conjured by a lonely, elderly Wizard. This has happened before, and you guess that this master will most likely be charging you with the fulfillment of his carnal desires. Sometimes you are called forth to wreak vengeance upon enemies, to raise a King, to raze cities and change the history of a region: other times simply to help a lonely man fill the long empty hours brought on by the solitude of his profession. In some ways, you prefer this type of assignment, it is of course distasteful, but it precludes the carnage and destruction of many of your tasks, and you often leave your master, somehow, better for the experience. And the emptiness fades, if only for a moment.

But this particular master, Jereod of Garn, surprises you. It seems that there is an upcoming conclave of the wizards of his order, and there will be a grand ball. Jereod is up for promotion too, and wishes to make a splashing impression in his appearance and bearing, and of course, the lovely woman on his arm, as he feels this will seal his chance for advancement. His instructions are simple, yet impossible: teach him what he needs to know to be dashing and charming and virile. Accompany him to the social occasions of the conclave, and most particularly, the grand ball. Make the others jealous of him with your appearance and actions.

The conclave is a week away. Your skills and abilities are tested to their very limit, as Jereod is somewhat of a toad in manner as well as appearance. In the end, you weave many delicate glamours to reinforce the lessons you have been giving him, and at last he seems nearly presentable.

The conclave is, as such things tend to be, dreadfully boring, yet as always, you discharge your duties with flair and distinction. You are the belle of the ball, so to speak, even before the grand ball begins. Jereod is quite pleased. You are not able to charm them all, many are female, but the subtlety of your spells is sufficient that no one seems to be the wiser as to Jereod's sudden transformation or your own supernatural nature.

But this most unusual assignment takes an even more bizarre twist during the ball itself. It seems that the guests are determined to remove a year's worth of wear all in one evening. Apparently even evil wizards need to let their hair down occasionally. All are drinking and socializing with great zeal, and gradually, you realize that the ball is surprisingly fun and everyone is enjoying themselves immensely. At this moment a new guest appears in the midst of the revelry. The other guests seem oblivious, but the intensity of the party cranks up immensely, to levels beyond the tolerance of mortals, and you quickly realize that Faresta, the goddess of revelry, has somehow gotten wind of the soiree and sent her personal Avatar.

She is drunk of course, as always, but her presence has an immediate effect. Drink flows like water, but there is no longer any water in the room, only alcohol and other soporifics. Conversations are stunningly witty, laughter is constant and hearty, food is plentiful and amazing. You know that Faresta is a goddess of a Good pantheon. She is known to crash unusually good parties, but it is very strange that she would choose to appear at this particular party. It is, after all, a party of evil wizards. For once you have no idea what to do, and cast about looking for a dark corner in which to hide. But to no avail. While Jereod and the other guests continue their hyperactive festivities, Faresta turns and looks directly at you. She beckons for you to approach. The other guests take no notice of either of you, and without any better ideas, you walk up to Faresta to see what she wants.

"You seem out of place", she says, using your name even though you have not offered it. Her words are slightly slurred but you are easily able to make them out. "There is something missing in you. I sensed it, and I think I know what it is. I came here to find out for sure." She flashes a dazzling smile, and then looks at you quite intently. Your telepathy flares up a warning that you are being probed. For some reason, you choose not to block whatever it is that Faresta is doing.

"I see that you did not choose to be what you are. But how unusual, you have a yearning to be something else?" As she says the words, certainty floods you – you know she is right, and you suddenly gain insight into the emptiness that has haunted you for so long. Before you can stop yourself, you blurt out "I don't want to be me anymore. I don't like the slaughter and the treachery and the domination and one betrayal after another and I HATE the Abyss!"

You are stunned by the words you are speaking, yet you know they are true.

Faresta wobbles a little and puts a hand on your shoulder while she regains her balance. Her touch is warm and speaks to you, somehow, of a gentle breeze. Then she tosses back her drink, belches, and reaches to a nearby tray for another. "I can offer you a way out. I won't pretend that I am doing this for you, though I do already like you, but I owe your father a special favor and he won't like this one bit." She smiles again. "Oh yes, this will be perfect. But it will be hazardous for you. If you choose to make the attempt to change yourself, and fail, you will return to the Abyss, and all will know that you made the attempt. Are you still willing to go through with this?"

You find yourself agreeing, without even knowing what the attempt will be. "Then it is done. Jereod and the other wizards will be busy partying as they never have for the next seven days, after which they will fall into deep sleep for another seven days. They will awaken remembering nothing except that they had the time of their lives. Jereod will remember the time you spent with him before the party, but will assume that you returned to the Abyss when the party ended, as his conjuration would have expired then anyway."

"We have a lot of time to go over the specifics." Faresta throws an arm around you, turns you towards the party, and begins walking the two of you over to the main group. She sways a little as she walks, and the arm on your shoulder may be for support as much as to show camaraderie. "Let's have some fun while we can."

You find yourself liking Faresta, in fact liking her a great deal. You suspect that she has charmed you, as you have done to so many others, but a detailed examination of your psyche and mental state finds nothing unusual. You are an old hand at the charming business; it would be very difficult to fool you. Maybe you are just genuinely fond of her. This is a new emotion for you, and you find it strange, but also surprisingly pleasant. Even more strange, you find yourself looking forward to the next seven days that you will be spending carousing with the Avatar and learning the details of your new situation.

It has been a long time since you looked forward to anything. You are changing already.

At last, the emptiness is gone.