Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer tells the tale of Johannes Cabal, a man who has never pretended to be a hero of any kind. After all, there is little heroic about robbing graves, stealing occult volumes, and being on nodding terms with demons. His purpose, however, is noble. All his research is directed towards raising the dead. For such a prize, some sacrifices are necessary.

One such sacrifice was his own soul, but he now sees that was a mistake. It's not just that he needs it for his research to have validity; he now realises he needs it to be himself. Unfortunately, his soul rests within the festering bureaucracy of Hell. Satan may be cruel and capricious, but most dangerously, he is bored. It is Cabal's unhappy lot to provide him with amusement.

In short, a wager: in return for his own soul, Cabal must gather one hundred others in one year. One year to beat the Devil at his own game. And isn't that perhaps just a little heroic?