Post by Naga on Aug 19, 2024 14:42:25 GMT -5
Introduction
Demons exist for one reason—to destroy. Where their more lawful counterparts, the devils of Hell, seek to twist mortal minds and values to remake and reshape them into reflections of their own evil, Demons seek only to maim, ruin, and feed. They recruit mortal life only if such cohorts speed along the eventual destruction of hope and goodness. Death is, in some ways, their enemy—for a mortal who dies can often escape a Demon's depredations and flee to his just reward in the afterlife. It is the prolonging of mortal pain and suffering that fuels a Demon's lusts and desires, for it is partially from mortal sin and cruelty that these monstrous fiends were born.
Governance
Governance: Kraterocracy.
Head: There are countless regions in the Abyss which are governed by various powerful Demons.
Capital: None.
Population: It is unclear how many Demons there are in the Abyss.
Realm: The Abyss is the birth place of the Demons, a chaotic evil universe unto itself with uncountable layers of infinite variety connected haphazardly. It is a violent, malevolent place where the strong survived on the backs of the weak, the weak conspired to overthrow the strong, alliances only lasted while convenient, and the landscape itself tortured the mind and body of all who dared to pass. It could be considered over a hundreds times larger than Earthland. Without any logic, each region has its own characteristics, which were as varied as the Demons themselves. All types of terrain, atmosphere, weather, gravity, and material composition are represented.
Details
Languages: Demons speak the Abyssian language. Depending on their age, they might be capable of speaking multiple Earthland languages.
Religion
Religion: Demons do not have a religion. Instead, depending on how powerful they are, they are sometimes worshiped themselves. Some are schemers and manipulators of emotion and politics, others are destructive engines of ruin. Yet all Demons work to the same goal—pain and suffering for mortal life in all its forms.
Yet despite this, mortals have sought demonic aid since the start. Be it an instinctual draw to self-destruction or a misguided lust for power, conjurers to this day continue to draw forth Demons with forbidden magic. Some conjure Demons for lore, while others call upon them to serve as assassins or guards. Demons view such summoners with a mix of hatred and thanks, for most Demons lack the ability to come to the real world to wreak havoc on their own.
They depend on the mad to call them up from the Abyss, and while they gnash their fangs and rail against the commands and strictures enforced, most Demons find ways to twist their summoners' demands so that even the most tightly controlled demonic slave leaves a trace of ruin and despair in its wake. More often than not, a foolish spellcaster makes a fatal mistake in the conjuring and pays for it with blood, unwittingly releasing a terrible blight upon the world as his conjuration breaks free of his control.
The truly mad call upon Demons to offer themselves, both body and soul, in the misguided belief that alliance with the demonic can buy salvation and protection when the demonic apocalypse finally comes to call. Tales of desperate kings who sought to engage Demons to serve as generals for their armies or of lunatics who seek demonic sires to gift them with horrific children are common enough, yet worst are those mortals who worship the most powerful Demons as gods, and who pledge their lives in support of that which would bring destruction to all.
Biology
Physiology: Demons come in all shapes and sizes. Their appearances however are all monstrous and their size doesn't reflect how powerful they are. On Earthland, most Demons hide their appearance to not draw attention upon themselves.
Physique: The height and weight of Demons varies greatly.
Lifespan: Demons have lifespans far beyond those of humans. This is, of course, presuming they do not meet a premature and violent end, as many often do. Demons can live for centuries, with a natural lifespan of up to 10,000 years depending on how powerful they are. The weaker Demons often have lifespans ranging from 100 to 1000 years.
Psychology: Demons are inherently evil. They're either chaotic evil, neutral evil or lawful evil. They can not help it and will always act in a fashion according to these alignments. It is rare, but there are Demons out there who are not evil. However, when a Demon loses their touch with evil, they also lose some of their abilities. Some are schemers and manipulators of emotion and politics, others are destructive engines of ruin. Yet all Demons work to the same goal—pain and suffering for mortal life in all its forms.
Lore
Lords: Demon Lords, are those who gained great power and established a position of preeminence among demonkind. Over millennia, these Demons have amassed tremendous power and authority over their domain. Each Demon Lord has a unique appearance and set of abilities and commands over at least one domain of the Abyss. Demon Lords waged eternal war with each other, often seeking ways to expand their holdings into other domains and at the same time defend their personal domains from rival lords and scheming underlings. Most Demon Lords have secretive mortal cults who seek to elevate their lords to godhood through prayer and sacrifice.
Power: In terms of power, the Demons are divided as follows: Lesser Demon, Demon, High Demon, Great Demon, Demon Lord, Demon Kings and Queens, Elder Demon, and Ancient Demon. The reference of experience can be described as follows:
Lesser Demon: Usually a title given to newly awakened Demons. They are commonly found to be feral, or in rare cases to have a broken sense of identity. When a Lesser Demon consumes enough souls they tend to grow in both strength and intelligence to the point they become known as Demons.
Demon: The large bulk of the denizen within the abyss. Demons are primarily known to serve as rank and file soldiers within the various legions of the abyss. While their power tends to be comparatively superior to your average adventurer, they are constantly made aware of the fact there are far greater terrors than themselves within the abyss.
High Demon: Whether through age, consumption of lesser beings and experiences, these demons are often considered akin to leaders of small groups. They are by all means a formidable force to behold, and can often be found to be sought by higher demons in order to supervise lesser demons working for a legion.
Great Demon: When a High Demon has curried enough favor of a Demon Lord of one of the Demonic royals of the Abyss, they tend to be given a boon from their superior in exchange for their servitude. Overseers is one of the term mortals use for them. Great Demons frequently are found leading armies of demons and lesser demons.
Demon Princes and Princesses: An uncommon title for a demon to have, some demons are akin to royalty among their kind, tracing their lineage back to the very first of them. Old, powerful and intelligent, they frequently possess outlandish powers, and will inevitably accomplish feats that could affect the entire Abyss. The mere act of defeating one is enough to have one's name uttered with awe among the denizens of the Abyss.
Demon Kings and Queens: Sometimes when a Demon obtains such power that they shake the very foundation of Abyssal society, While some might lead legions and have their own armies like a Demon Lord, this isn't necessarily to be a must. These Demons usually rank near the top of demonic society and rarely care about the affairs or political games played by the lesser demons.
Demon Lord: A title commonly given to a Demon who not only possesses their own territory within the Abyss but also army/legion and devout followers. Demons of this level are frequently worshipped by mortal cultists, they usually recieve a title bearing a cardinal sin that defines their essence, but this notoriety also makes them prime targets for brave few who would try to harness their power.
Elder Demon: Strong enough to rival some lesser Gods, these demons posess unfathomable powers thanks to their old age, and its said that some might have even seen the beginning of creation. Power like this is one you're born with, and no matter how strong they grow, most demons will never reach this level. Few in number, they are frequently considered a urban legend by some of the younger demons who had yet the misfortune of encountering one.
Ancient Demons: Their very existence seen as a myth, Demons this ancient are said to have been around since the beginning, the very first generation of demons. If they even exist, they would likely slumber deep within the abyss, utterly unconcerned with their own realm. Even if few, if any have ever met one, simply uttering their name is enough to send down a chill across a demon's spine.
Culture: The Abyss is a vast (some say infinite) realm, far larger than any other plane. As befits such a vast and varied realm, the demonic host is likewise diverse. They're often at constant war with each other when they believe they're powerful enough to conquer a region. Each region is either in a state of anarchy with constant war or kept in check by a Demon Lord.
History: It is not sure when the Abyss came into existence, but it predates the creation of Earthland. Demons are the most prolific and among the most destructive of the fiendish races, yet despite what some lore might preach, they were not the first forms of life to rise in the pits of ruin and cruelty known across the world as the Abyss. With their inherent evil nature, they waged constant war against each other till they were submitted into service by a stronger Demon. They propagated and served to spread pure chaos, making them diametrically opposed to the Seraphim of the Lucent who stand for Order and fight for the Light. The never-ending war between Seraphim and Demons became known as the Eternal Conflict. Since the history of Demons in the Abyss is too vast, it shall not be discussed here for now.
