Demons
The catch-all term for anything that natively originates in the Otherlands, demons are less a single species so much as many that share certain overlapping traits. Though they can bestow power upon those that deal with them, most want nothing more than freedom and chaos and aren't to be trusted.
Mute demons who resemble a giant, chitinous spider with a vaguely human face and a host of sharp teeth. Deepspiders are on the more animalistic end of the spectrum for demons, and seem to often serve as mounts or beasts of burden for powerful demons. DEMONSPAWN
The collective term for young demons of any naturally reproducing type, most demonspawn have a standard 'look' before growing more varied in maturity. They're bipedal but move in a hunched, crouched fashion that often involves using both arms and legs for locomotion; the spine and head have small horns, with a long tail tipped in more prominent spines that can be lashed in self-defense. Demons have sharp teeth and a sharp-angled face. Their eyes are typically a solid, dull rust color and faintly luminous. Demonspawn range from approximately the size of a small cat to a human toddler, growing as they age. HALFDEMON
Demons are capable of reproducing with mortals, and the resulting offspring will typically have the appearance of the mortal parent but exhibit the characteristics of the demon parent. Halfdemons have little opportunity to survive in the Otherlands, but occasionally manage to grow to adulthood if birthed by a mortal mother. They're vanishingly rare, due to the fact that most demons have little sexual interest in mortals and halfdemon children are considered dangerous, unstable abominations. HELLHOUNDS
A common subspecies of demon, appearing like a large, emaciated canine with a strangely human cast to their features. Despite their animalistic appearance, hellhounds are known for being viciously intelligent and more cooperative with one another than most. They're discerning pack hunters and often refuse to answer the summons of a Binder unwilling to call and handle several at once. FEAR DEMON
A rare but well-documented subspecies of demon, quadrupedal with membranous wings and long, pronounced spines down the back. They have a distinct boney 'visor' that covers whatever eyes they may have, long scythe-claws on their front legs, and a tail that splits into three long, boney spurs. Fear demons produce an aura of fear and panic similar to the Bloodfear of a vampire, thought to make it easier for them to hunt their prey. They're given a wide berth, even by other demons. LORDS
Falling just shy of the status of major demons, Lords are the ruling class of the demon-infested areas within the Otherlands. While not yet strong enough to venture further into the depths of the plane and make domains of their own, they're more than strong enough to dominate their bretheren. They have enough power that most take on unique forms of their choosing, but tend to resemble mortals more than most demons; a human or elven form supplemented by horns, wings, and sharp teeth and nails is most common. Lords are known for being extremely intelligent, experienced, and are almost uniformly strong spellcasters. They're a dangerous subject for any Binder to try and summon. NUCK
Humanoid, emaciated demons with long arms and a towering height, nucks are most unsettling due to their skinless appearance; they seem comprised of nothing more than bone and muscle fiber, and have a tendency to leave a trail of bloody footprints in their wake. Nucks are intelligent but near-mute, very rarely choosing to speak. SERVITOR
A common demonic subspecies, relatively human in appearance and surprisingly willing to work with mortals. Servitors are collectors of knowledge and enjoy the opportunities offered by the material plane to do so; they're far less treacherous than other mature demons and often form lasting partnerships with Binders. While they're still as dangerous as any other demon and become far more monstrous in appearance and demeanor when angered, they're considered one of the safest and most reliable mature demons to summon. STRIX
A relatively small, birdlike demon with little intelligence to speak of. Strix are found swarming in most demon-populated areas of the Otherlands, and are a common food source for other demons; they're viciously bloodthirsty, but only really pose a threat when acting as a concerted group against an intruder. Individual strix are a common subject of practice for young Binders learning summoning, since they're not really intelligent enough or strong enough on their own to pose much of a threat. SUCCUBUS/INCUBUS
One of the only subspecies of demon that regularly shows sexual interest in mortals, succubi and incubi are capable of draining lifeforce and magical energy from a victim through the expression of physical desire and intercourse. Though they rarely kill outright due to the pragmatism of keeping a potential food source alive, repeated exposure to a succubus or incubus can have a permanent debilitating effect on the victim's longevity and magical strength. Succubi and incubi are pleasant and receptive to potential summoners, but are also potent spellcasters who take violent offense to being slighted. Despite the obvious dangers, summoning these demons is a common indiscretion among young Binders to the point where most have done it at least once.
Defining Characteristics
Though their form can vary wildly depending on what 'type' they are, demons share a number of common characteristics. First and foremost, they're fundamentally a being of the Otherlands and largely incompatible with the material plane; it takes a Binder mage to open a pathway for them to cross over, and only the most powerful demons can stay on this plane without the stabilizing force of their summoner's magic. As a result, a demon can be banished back to the Otherlands either via destabilizing the magic keeping them here or killing the Binder providing the necessary energy. Doing so doesn't kill the demon outright, but costs them enough power and energy that it does make them unlikely to risk crossing over again in the immediate future. Another defining trait of demons is their need and desire to feed on magical energy. Magic is crucial to their growth, and the singlemindedness with which they seek this out makes them a constant danger; they'll consume other demons or attack mortals for the lifeforce contained in their blood, which they can feed on in a way similar to a vampires. Even without actively feeding, demons passively leech off of the magical energy of the world around them. In the Otherlands where unbound magic is plentiful this is less of a concern, but in Genesis or the Old World they're thought to actively damage the very fabric of the world around them unless carefully managed and sustained by a powerful Binder. The older and more powerful a demon is, the more aggressively they draw power.Creation Process
Demons are very much the product of the magic-rich plane they call home, more literally than one might assume; some of the more unique beings who fall under this category are thought to have spawned spontaneously from the intense magic saturation of the Otherlands themselves. For the most part though, common demons reproduce and proliferate in the more standard way. The vast majority of the Otherlands are inhabited by the same few types of demons who have prodigiously high birthrates, despite the fact that the majority of their offspring will be killed or consumed before ever reaching maturity. Demons lay vast clutches of eggs throughout the plane they call home, which passively absorb magic until they're ready to hatch... if they don't end up as a meal for another demon first.Life Cycle
Immortal unless killed violently on their own plane, demons age at an exponential rate; they take a relatively short time to mature, and then have a long period where they grow ever more powerful by soaking in the magic-rich environment of the Otherlands themselves. Their relationship with mortals and the material plane changes over time, with the prospect of being summoned fluctuating depending on what part of their life cycle the demon is in. From hatching to thirty years of age, life as a demonspawn is nonstop danger. Demons at this age are small and the bottom of the food chain in a world with little else to serve as prey, and the vast majority are killed and eaten during this time; they're sentient but not particularly intelligent, and have little ambition beyond survival. During this period of their lives demons are eager to be summoned to the material plane. It's far safer versus the predation they face in the Otherlands, and the magical sustainment that most Binders offer gives them far more potential for growth than they'd be competitive enough to obtain for themselves on their own plane. From the age of thirty onwards, demons have typically grown enough in size and power that they can hold their own and aren't at immediate risk of being consumed by others of their kind. They're more intelligent, crafty, and less driven solely by their basic desires; they're also far less eager to be summoned, and those that do answer a summons pose a far greater threat to the Binder who seeks to make a pact with them. This phase of a demon's life is also the point at which they can begin to mate, which most do prolifically. Demons that survive to be centuries or millennia old are considered major demons, though there's no distinct age at which they gain this distinction; their power is based on how much magic they can take in as much as it is on age, and a major demon can be comparitively young if they've had access to powerful sources of magic. Major demons tend to leave the often-crowded areas of the Otherlands where most demons like to live and seek out their own domains far deeper and further from reality, taking advantage of their strength allowing them to survive far more 'pressurized' and magic-saturated depths where they can continue to increase their own power at an accelerated rate. These demons are a significant risk to summon; in addition to deliberately living in the deep Otherlands, they're powerful enough to sustain themselves on the material plane without the assistance of a Binder and therefore have every motivation to turn on the mage who brought them over. If demonspawn are eager to be partnered with a mortal, major demons are distinctly not. Those who have been brought to the material plane have often been the death of their Binder and left deep scars on history.Known Demon Variants
DEEPSPIDERMute demons who resemble a giant, chitinous spider with a vaguely human face and a host of sharp teeth. Deepspiders are on the more animalistic end of the spectrum for demons, and seem to often serve as mounts or beasts of burden for powerful demons. DEMONSPAWN
The collective term for young demons of any naturally reproducing type, most demonspawn have a standard 'look' before growing more varied in maturity. They're bipedal but move in a hunched, crouched fashion that often involves using both arms and legs for locomotion; the spine and head have small horns, with a long tail tipped in more prominent spines that can be lashed in self-defense. Demons have sharp teeth and a sharp-angled face. Their eyes are typically a solid, dull rust color and faintly luminous. Demonspawn range from approximately the size of a small cat to a human toddler, growing as they age. HALFDEMON
Demons are capable of reproducing with mortals, and the resulting offspring will typically have the appearance of the mortal parent but exhibit the characteristics of the demon parent. Halfdemons have little opportunity to survive in the Otherlands, but occasionally manage to grow to adulthood if birthed by a mortal mother. They're vanishingly rare, due to the fact that most demons have little sexual interest in mortals and halfdemon children are considered dangerous, unstable abominations. HELLHOUNDS
A common subspecies of demon, appearing like a large, emaciated canine with a strangely human cast to their features. Despite their animalistic appearance, hellhounds are known for being viciously intelligent and more cooperative with one another than most. They're discerning pack hunters and often refuse to answer the summons of a Binder unwilling to call and handle several at once. FEAR DEMON
A rare but well-documented subspecies of demon, quadrupedal with membranous wings and long, pronounced spines down the back. They have a distinct boney 'visor' that covers whatever eyes they may have, long scythe-claws on their front legs, and a tail that splits into three long, boney spurs. Fear demons produce an aura of fear and panic similar to the Bloodfear of a vampire, thought to make it easier for them to hunt their prey. They're given a wide berth, even by other demons. LORDS
Falling just shy of the status of major demons, Lords are the ruling class of the demon-infested areas within the Otherlands. While not yet strong enough to venture further into the depths of the plane and make domains of their own, they're more than strong enough to dominate their bretheren. They have enough power that most take on unique forms of their choosing, but tend to resemble mortals more than most demons; a human or elven form supplemented by horns, wings, and sharp teeth and nails is most common. Lords are known for being extremely intelligent, experienced, and are almost uniformly strong spellcasters. They're a dangerous subject for any Binder to try and summon. NUCK
Humanoid, emaciated demons with long arms and a towering height, nucks are most unsettling due to their skinless appearance; they seem comprised of nothing more than bone and muscle fiber, and have a tendency to leave a trail of bloody footprints in their wake. Nucks are intelligent but near-mute, very rarely choosing to speak. SERVITOR
A common demonic subspecies, relatively human in appearance and surprisingly willing to work with mortals. Servitors are collectors of knowledge and enjoy the opportunities offered by the material plane to do so; they're far less treacherous than other mature demons and often form lasting partnerships with Binders. While they're still as dangerous as any other demon and become far more monstrous in appearance and demeanor when angered, they're considered one of the safest and most reliable mature demons to summon. STRIX
A relatively small, birdlike demon with little intelligence to speak of. Strix are found swarming in most demon-populated areas of the Otherlands, and are a common food source for other demons; they're viciously bloodthirsty, but only really pose a threat when acting as a concerted group against an intruder. Individual strix are a common subject of practice for young Binders learning summoning, since they're not really intelligent enough or strong enough on their own to pose much of a threat. SUCCUBUS/INCUBUS
One of the only subspecies of demon that regularly shows sexual interest in mortals, succubi and incubi are capable of draining lifeforce and magical energy from a victim through the expression of physical desire and intercourse. Though they rarely kill outright due to the pragmatism of keeping a potential food source alive, repeated exposure to a succubus or incubus can have a permanent debilitating effect on the victim's longevity and magical strength. Succubi and incubi are pleasant and receptive to potential summoners, but are also potent spellcasters who take violent offense to being slighted. Despite the obvious dangers, summoning these demons is a common indiscretion among young Binders to the point where most have done it at least once.
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