Baron Samedi
| Name | Baron Samedi |
| Race | Undead |
| Type | Loa Spirit |
| Faction | Dark Forces |
| Premiere | Desideratum: Blood Bonds |
| Relative(s) | None Applicable |
Contents
Baron Samedi
"Bonswa! You like mah big, long snake? Dis 'ere reptile be big too, no? HA HA!"
Biography
Pre-Desideratum: Blood Bonds
Raunchy, dirty, and crude, meeting Baron Samedi can be a hell of a time- good or bad. The exact moment of his conception is unknown, but his roots can definitely be traced to Haiti. There, practitioners of voodoo sometimes interact with him, and now, he finds himself conjured all over the world. Samedi is not an evil entity, inherently, but he is not a good spirit either. He walks a line, but if you do happen to anger him- and many necromancers have, you will regret it. He can sometimes be found wandering graveyards, and some vampire hunters, necromancers, and other adventurer types have stumbled upon Samedi by chance. He does not care for the undead, especially zombies, because they do not cross over into the other dimensions, as they naturally should. If you ever summon this Loa spirit, ensure that you bring suitable offerings. One must also always say the words, “Au revoir Baron Samedi!” when finishing with him, or you may face an interesting fate.
Generally, Samedi has no bedside manner, and most that seek him do so for the purpose of conjuration- intending to speak to the Ghede spirit. However, utilizing this spell does not require the Loa to be present, rather, the shadow caster calls to the Baron, who has no love for the undead, asking for him to bind the abomination with his dark powers. Samedi does not trust or tolerate the undead, for they go against the natural order, and it is his job to lead the dead to the places they belong- either the Inner Light or the Outer Darkness. Thus, he usually grants the boon, sending unbreakable chains of shadow that wrap themselves around the undead creature, trapping it. No known power can break the chains, and they will remain for some time before finally fading away. A few foolish mortals, over the years, have found themselves in a bad way, for they would dare cast this spell upon a creature not of undeath.
One particular instance involved a Haitian witch that had anticipated capturing a man to use him as a zombie slave- something the Baron would never condone, yet worse, she cast the Shackle Undead spell on the man while he lived. Instead of the chains appearing, shadowy snakes issued from her, wrapping around the witch and binding her tightly in front of her terrified would-be prey. Baron Samedi arrived, and scolded the witch for wronging him. He pulled a gris-gris (an amulet of sorts) from his staff, and handed it to the man that shook with fright. The Baron told the man to put it around the witch’s neck- and she would serve him instead. With shaking hands, the man put the charm around the cursing woman’s neck, and her eyes went stark white. The snakes faded, yet she stood still and quiet; her soulless eyes staring straight ahead. Baron Samedi told the man to use her for sex, cleaning, or any other purpose as she deserved no less for her trespass. The witch’s victim thanked the Baron for saving his life, and the Loa spirit tipped his hat and replied that the man was welcome for the gift, but to remember that Samedi would see him again someday- for no one can elude death forever.
Desideratum: Blood Bonds
In Desideratum: Blood Bonds, Baron Samedi is present in the Graveyard Hunt. Absinthe Van Gothen encountered Samedi in Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. She had come to aid the siblings, Arion and Ayana Bishop, in their fight against Heloise Laveau. Heloise had made a pact with the death god, Ah Pwash, and she had corrupted the very land of the graveyard. This diminished the Loa’s power, and after accepting tribute from Abby in the form of cursed gold that she had received on the ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman, he asked her to collect six souls from unclean undead in the cemetery as each would empower him enough that he could break Heloise’s magical seal and Absinthe could reach her. Absinthe managed to do this by slaying a gjenganger, a nachzehrer, a pontianak, a strigoi, a revenant, and a wraith. Once she managed to destroy these undead, Samedi gained enough power to open the way. After Heloise’s death, Samedi claimed her spirit for himself, surely angering Ah Pwash, and giving the Loa the chance to exact his revenge on her soul.
Appearance
Baron Samedi is a well-dressed spirit, with skeletal facepaint, a bewitching staff, and an accessorized top-hat.
Abilities
- Shadow Magic
- Soul Steal
Notes and Trivia
- Baron Samedi is one of the called upon spirits from a spell in the Book of Shadows.
