Demon

Almost entirely evil aligned, demons are the corrupted and monstrous inhabitants of Avernus coming in all different shapes and sizes and sometimes even finding their way into the world of the living. They fall into four key classifications: Demon Lords Demon lords are the most powerful demons that exist within Winval and were the first demons to ever come into being. They are evil deities with power that rivals that of their good aligned counterparts. The Demon Lords were created when The Mother of All Evil, Omien was killed by her husband, Oasis. When she died her soul created the realm of Avernus, and within it the souls of the most vile beings living and dead grew into powerful monsters known as Demon Lords. Among these Demon Lords are entities such as Bane, Lord of Tyranny and Yeenoghu, The Beast of Butchery. A Demon Lord cannot be killed as long as they still have followers and worshippers in the material plane, they can however be temporarily destroyed. A demon lord can only be summoned by speaking their name over the intact mortal body of said Demon Lord. High Demons High Demons are the result of a powerful and restless soul not being allowed to become a ghost, but instead being claimed by a demon lord and turned into a demon. Like demon lords their appearance is usually a twisted and monstrous version of the body they inhabited whilst alive. High demons are usually very powerful having been hade made by the evil gods, however this by no means guarantees loyalty. Many high demons become generals or lackies for their demon lord patrons but many also renounce this life and live a life of solitude trying to further their own selfish goals, usually through making deals with mortals. Lesser Demons Lesser Demons are the most common form of demon. They come in all shapes and sizes and are the children of the demon lords. They lack any real power beyond some mastery of magic and brute strength and so are usually seen to be infantry in the armies of hell or as every day civilians within the realm of hell. They have no soul as they have not been created by corrupting a mortal soul unlike high demons. Demon Spawns Demon Spawn are mindless husks puppeteered by demon lords to fight their wars for them, because of this they are very expendable and fight in huge hordes of savage monsters. They are nameless as they are merely a hive mind across multiple disposable bodies, because of this fact Demon Spawns cannot be summoned to the material plane.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Demons of all kinds can come in pretty much any physical form ranging from giant hyenas to abominations of flesh and limbs to vaguely humanoid figures. Common features include horns, sharp teeth, tails, discoloured skin and eyes and claws but it is entirely dependant on the demon's origins. Demon Lords and High Demons retain a more monstrous and distorted version of the body they inhabited whilst alive.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Demons are, for the most part, locked in an eternal war in Avernus, turning most of it into no man's land. Demon lords wage a constant turf war in order to increase their own influence on the world of the living and their minions and demon spawn all mindlessly exist solely to further this goal. Some high demons believe themselves to be above the conflict and lead a life of self service, often trying to trick mortal souls into furthering their own selfish goals. Demons are able to view and move through the material plane at will but are completely unable to interact with it directly. High Demons and Lesser Demons may be given the ability to interact with the plane if a mortal willingly and intentionally says their name three times in a row unbroken. Demon Lords are far too powerful to be summoned this way and as of yet have thankfully been unable to directly manifest in the material plane, they can however supply a small percentage of their power to mortals such as paladins and warlocks.