| Demons | |
|---|---|
 A group of Succubi with their Archdevil, Sin | |
|
Type |
Mortal |
|
Nature |
Chaotic |
|
Homeworld |
Hell |
The denizens of the realm of Hell, demons come in a wide variety of shapes and a diverse range of power. All races of demons trace back to various Old Ones, the first and most powerful generation of Devils. When the Universe was taking shape the Old Ones entered the Midplane and became rulers of vast territories. They commanded enormous armies that worshipped them and constantly made war against each other.
However, with the emergence of the first generation of Gods, these demons were forced out of the Midplane and sealed into the Underplane. Afterwards the Old Ones set up new kingdoms in Hell and resumed their wars against eachother, all the while worshipping the frozen Satan.
Even though they were unable to manifest in this dimension on their own, the Old Ones could return if a portal to the hell dimensions in which they dwell were opened. Also, they are capable of infecting reality and causing severe deformities, mutations, and insanity if summoned via artifacts. Lilith (who was not originally a devil but rather became one through corruption) for instance, was able to regularly influence her cult, the Horde.
Races of demons range from centaurs, to giants, to beasts. Generally with demons the more humanoid their shape the more powerful they are. It is discovered later that the sarans are actually a race of demons which had evolved in the Midplane.
Physiology []
While demon is a catch all term for any intelligent life dwelling in the Underplane, there are many similarities that tie the disparate breeds of demon together. Like the devils that spawned them, demons have bodies made from hellfire and generate Auras of the same. They possess extremely hardy bodies which have evolved to deal with living in Hell, and finely tuned senses. The strange flow of time in Hell notwithstanding, demons in general live far longer than their Midplane counterparts. Despite this they are not immortal, and are vulnerable to injury, age, and disease. Demonic bodies are widely varied in shape and color, with humanoid being a common shape. However, countless other shapes, ranging from the giant Oni who stand roughly 30 ft. high, to the four legged Centaurs, to the terrifying winged beasts called Strigoi, to the blob-like masses of the Thog. Most demon breeds possess a male and female sex, though some are unisex, others are hermaphrodites. Various breeds will give birth to live young, while others will have a clutch of eggs or duplicate through mitosis. Because their bodies are made from hellfire, when demons die their bodies disintegrate into ash rather than leaving behind a corpse.
Powers[]
Unlike the Midplane, every demon in Hell is able to channel their Aura to some degree. Demon Aura works exactly the same way as the Spirit Aura used by races on the Midplane, but is much easier to generate and more enjoyable to use. Using their Auras, demons can fly, enhance their speed, strength and durability, project energy attacks, manipulate matter, etc. Demons are classified by how much Aura they can generate, and are recognized as either Low, Middle, or High Class Demons. Low Class Demons correspond to D and E Class on the SENTINEL Power Scale, Middle Class demons entail those with C and B Class power, and High Class demons would be ranked in the A and S levels. Demons, through use of artifacts or training, can transcend their mortality and join the ranks of Devils. Devils are the most powerful form of demonic life, immortal and of vast (SS-Class) power.
Personality[]
Demons are virtually universally of an excessively violent disposition and share an innate love of chaos. Though many breeds engage in a profound exploration of knowledge and wisdom, most find it impossible to fight their baser nature and indulge in all manner of excesses. As a general thing they are violent, wrathful, lustful, and deceitful, though different breeds will possess these traits to varying degrees. More than anything, demons respect strength and despise cowardice. They enjoy fighting, and will typically engage in mortal combat with eachother out of sheer boredom. Almost without exception, demons are casual with violence and are not greatly concerned with death or injury. They can be remarkably fatalistic, caring little for their own lives, but will typically bow to the will of one stronger than them.
Culture and Society[]
Demons exist in a remarkably diverse range of societies, though most live in tribes or clans ruled over by their patron Archdevil. Oftentimes demons will live in grand cities built around a central citadel or palace where their Archdevil dwells. Rule over lesser demons is handled by a proxy handpicked by the Archdevil himself, as few demons ever see their Archdevil in the flesh. It has happened on occasion that the Archdevil does not appear for so long that the demons serving him no longer believe he is real and that he is an object of fear used by their governors to keep them in place. However, when they rise up and gain too much success, they learn to their peril that the Devil they have been forced to worship is all too real. Demons who rise in power and transcend their mortality become Devils, and especially powerful ones can rise to the rank of Archdevil. Occasionally Archdevils will take newly evolved Devils as lieutenants so that they may keep a closer eye on them in the event they become a threat, or on rare occasions name a worthy devil as their successor so that they can retreat from demon society.
Unlike the Midplane, where travel between planets is only possible for most races in advanced space ships, for demons movement between the various spheres of Hell is comparatively easy. While most rely on portals to move from one sphere to another, stronger demons are able to teleport between spheres, though doing so taxes them far more than their Devil masters.
Many are aware of the Midplane, but ultimately unconcerned with it because the barrier separating the dimensions keeps all but the very weakest demons from being able to manifest there. Those demons that do, typically fail to hold their shape for very long and fall back to Hell after causing various degrees of mischief. Sometimes stronger demons and their Devil masters will use these weaker demons to contact servants in the Midplane, as more ambitious Archdevils are always looking for ways to circumvent the Barrier and reclaim their old Kingdoms in the Midplane.
Religion[]
Most demons are forced to worship the Archdevil that rules them, and follow him with unquestioning loyalty. Since an Archdevil is able to extend their consciousness over their Sphere, the demons typically engage in arcane rituals and orgiastic devotions to them. Demon worship typically stops at their Devil masters, though some learned demons know of an older breed of Devils called Old Ones who have long since removed themselves from Devil society, and they pray for their return. While most demons know the legends of Satan, they regard him as a myth. Those who believe in him, typically regard him as just a very powerful Old One, completely unaware of his origin as a Celestial and ignorant of even the existence of the Highplane.
Demonic Races[]
Centaurs[]
Centaurs are a breed of demon who are humanoid of shape except for their lower half which resembles a horse. They are known for their sadistic personalities, and enjoy torturing lower denizens of Hell.
Faustians[]
The Faust demons of the Malebolge are the children of the Archdevil Mephistopheles. They possess the unique ability to grant any wish in exchange for someone's life force. It should be noted though, that the benefits of whatever the wish was will be temporary or different from what the requester had intended. Like their master, Faustians are master manipulators and love to play with their target's emotions, particularly fear, greed or guilt. As they rely on their cunning to survive and outmaneuver those who use them, Faustians are not particularly strong fighters. However, they are also notoriously sadistic and enjoy entrapping their foes. They take the deals they make very seriously, and will always obey the letter of whatever deals they make (though they are mind bogglingly adept at creating and exploiting loopholes). Not surprisingly, Faustians are not trusted or well regarded by other demons, but are sought out anyway for their wish granting powers. In appearance Faustians are completely humanoid with green skin and red eyes. They are often richly dressed and project a charming demeanor that instills an undeserved sense of trust.
Succubi[]
Succubi are a particularly nasty breed of demon that claim the Old One Sin as their mother. A succubus in its natural state is in the shape and form of a beautiful humanoid woman with purple skin, dark purple hair, and demonic features, such as tiny horns and a pointed prehensile tail. However, the succubus may shape-shift into many forms. They often appear in the guise of a human woman sans demonic features. Succubi are among the most powerful fighters in Hell, but their primary talent lies in their ability to seduce and enthrall opponents. When rendered complacent, the succubus will then mate with their prey and feed off their life force. Almost all victims of succubi end up as lifeless husks.
Sarans[]
While they have the unique distinction of being from the Midplane, the sarans of Kazan are actually a subrace of demons. On their ancient planet a bleed opened between the Midplane and the Circle of Hell known as Inferno. The infernal energies pouring through the rift twisted the planet and the life on it to resemble the Burning Kingdom. Through this Rift the Saran Clan of Devils came and they sired a race of demons. When the rift finally closed and the Sara and his tribe vanished back into Hell, the demons they left behind called themselves sarans and remembered their Devil forefathers as deities. Sarans possess a humanoid shape with several feral features, including sharp yellow eyes and fangs. They have tan skin and thick black hair. As demons they possess a profound love of fighting and conflict and are natural warriors. Like the Devils who made them, sarans are fire elementals able to channel Hellfire.
Oni[]
A group of Oni confronting the Devil, Sora.
The Oni are a race of giant demons who claim descent from the Devil Moloch. They are humanoid of shape, but stand 20-30' tall on average. They have blue skin and have long horns that sweep back from their foreheads. Their Kingdom is the sphere of Moab, a bleak cold world where they live in stone palaces on high mountains. The Oni are very warlike and rowdy, and are notorious for their raids into other spheres where they devour those they capture. However, they are very fearful of their Archdevil Moloch and will do anything to placate him, since when he's enraged he will eat whatever Oni offended him.
Thog[]
The Thog are a race of demons who take the form of intelligent piles of slime. While they are not known to be descended from any Devil, they are recognizes as being among the oldest demonic race and are generally sought out for their far reaching wisdom. This wisdom comes at a price though, as the Thog are highly carnivorous and will just as soon eat a demon who comes to them as the will help him.
Imps[]
Among the weakest of the demonic races, imps are also among the most numerous found on nearly every Sphere of Hell. Physically they are diminutive with small, frail bodies, digitigrade legs and long thin tails. Tufts of thick black hair will cover their hips and upper thighs and often the tops of their heads. Their heads seem overlarge with glowing yellow eyes, small horns and their mouths are full of sharp, chomping teeth. Standard imps will have green skin and are able to channel weak flames, but there are subraces which have taken on the traits of the Spheres where they live like Fire Imps, Stone Imps, Ice Imps, Dust Imps, etc. They are cowardly and servile by nature, but also nasty to anyone they think they can get an advantage over. Imps are known to be natural tricksters and deceivers, and many of their powers are geared towards shapeshifting or illusions. While it tends to be dismissed by other demons and devils, imps believe themselves to be the direct demonic children of the Devil King, Satan. According to their own legends, they were born from the flames of his footprints left behind when he first fell to the Underplane and trudged across the plains of Pandemonium. It was a great surprise to the collected Archdevils when upon his release, Satan did indeed resemble an imp.
Trivia[]
- Because of the barrier between the Midplane and Underplane, only weaker demons can slither through and enter the Astral Plane. From there they will attempt to contact or possess mortals to further their own ambitions or those of their Devil masters. Because of this, most in the mortal realm do not understand the nature of demonic life or Hell and often mislabel demonic projections as evil forms of ghosts or spirits.