Help with an Emmisary of Power/sponsored spellcasting source

[riplikash]

Starting up a new campaign in New Orleans and one of my players has decided to be a cop that is Marked by Power. Basically made a bit of a deal with the devil. The campaign revolves around the wealth of old power in the area (lots of ley lines, wellsprings, places of power, and old artifacts), a long standing treaty that has kept the various power in the area from fighting for the past hundred year, and the recent instability caused by the rise in supernatural phenomenon and new groups moving into the area.

The devil in this case is some shadow creatures (think Princess and the Frog), who granted him the power to take someone down in exchange for becoming their Emissary. He doesn't know what they are, or what their goals are, and tries to avoid deepening his debt, but obviously the story going to make it a difficult choice. Basically he is Marked by Power and has some sponsored spell-casting abilities.

I don't want these things to be strait evil like demons, or wholly benevolent, and I need some ideas for their motives and goals. What kind of things are they going to compel him on?

I've currently got two lines of thought on the subject:

As I research Louisiana folklore the most likely candidates are the Loup Garoux/Rougoroux (not the were-wolves). Shadow creatures and tricksters. They are noted for helping shuck oysters (though they eat quite a few if they help), scaring people, and getting overly attached to a single person for years as a kind of silent stalker, though they leave if they are caused to bleed.

My second idea is that they are a manifestation of the id of the the area given life. Hundreds of years of conflict, pain, hopes and dreams combined with massive amounts of ambient magic, wellsprings, etc. have begin to manifest as a semi-sentient spirit. Being the id (emotions, lusts, and instinctual drives) they would compelling him (calling in debts) in accordance to the emotional drives of the denizens of the area (past and present): murderous vengeance (whether deserved or not), occasionally compassion, hedonism, etc. The city defending what it is, sometimes in 'good' ways (taking vengence on killers, etc.) and in 'bad' ways (moralists and politicians trying to 'clean up' the french quarter').

But the second idea (though I like it) feels like my own invention instead of an organic growth of traditional folk-tales, like the first.

Any thoughts? Ideas i've missed?

[bibliophile20]

Option 2 sounds almost like a genius loci; maybe make the city itself have a spirit of that sort, and it's starting to pick pawns/avatars to influence the mortals. 

[sinker]

I like number 2. Have more faith in your own ideas. Just because it's an old legend does not mean it's better than anything you can come up with.

[jadecourtflunky]

I like both, and perhaps you could mix them a bit. Maybe the folk legends were inspired by these things, but they were created like the second one suggests.

[Richard_Chilton]

Going with the first option you could have a faction from the Nevernever in the game.  Something beyond the normal fairies.  Things with their own agenda which aren't necessarily evil but are perceived as such.

They could also being inter breeding with humans - giving him some semi-mortal 'cousins' of the thing he serves.  That would give him extra duties to keep in good with the power he serves.  Or they might just be there making complications for him.

Richard

[Smith]

I like the second idea.
Here you have a cop, that has gone above and beyond to protect his city, by contacting some power to give him the strength and ability to take down some big bad. The cop believes he's basically made a deal with the devil, however in this instance it was the city itself giving the cop the extra juice to serve as it's emissary.

That could be epic. Hell, you could probably run a number of sessions just off of the cop trying to discover where his power comes from and what it means to him, not to mention the "Bad-Guy of the Week" sessions in between.

[UmbraLux]

Any thoughts? Ideas i've missed?

I like your second idea...the city's spirit so to speak.  May steal it someday. 

That said, there are a couple other ideas worth a look:

• Loa - perhaps Baron Kriminel, though several would work
  
• The Bohpoli or Nalusa chito from Choctaw myth

[riplikash]

Thanks for the input everyone, it is much appreciated. After reading some of the encouragement I think I am going to go with the second idea. The idea of a cop empowered not just by the city, but by The City is really beginning to grow on me.

Thanks again.