Demons
For as long as there was life, Demons have long been represented as the 'great enemy' of all life. Whether they seek to destroy everything and anything caught within their unholy rampage, or to corrupt and despoil everything pure or innocent. To those of cloth and the common man, Demons have long been portrayed as the ultimate antithesis of everything 'good'. But to seasoned demonologists and Demons themselves, 'Evil' and 'Good' are seen as subjective things. Many of the 'unenlightened', as some Demonologists may call them, view demons as rampaging monstrosities that only seek to sow the seeds of chaos and despair, leaving them ripe for the harvest.
While wildly true in many cases, Demons actually all have one goal in mind: To spread their ideology, to spread their (often perverse) ambition so that others may rally beneath them. For worship of a demon is a dangerous thing; mere prayers can lead to incredible power, until they've grown so very strong that they wind up fueled into a state of outright divinity. Even worse; merely fearing or being taken under the tyranny of these creatures serves to make them stronger.
The Demon Shards
The 'Core' of all Demons, is their soul shard, or 'Demon Shard', as some call it. Upon transforming into a demon, the soul crystallizes into a solid object. If in the homeland of Gehenna, then flesh begins to sculpt itself around this shard over time, until a full fledged demon is born. There are many ways these shards come into creation; with the most common method being carried out by the various Abyssal Lords throughout Gehenna. As a Soul Shard harnesses the energy of those around them, it grows in power. This can be attained through absorbing residual power from the crushed soul fragments, but may also be strengthened through the harvest of mortal souls. Demon Shards are what make demons so powerful; they are unable to die as long as they carry it. Should they be slain, their body instead fades, only to reform around the shard at a later time. These crystal shards can be directly destroyed to kill a demon permanently, however, doing so typically requires enormous effort. The most common way a soul fragment is destroyed is through assimilation; a process where a carrier of a shard slays the other carrier. This leads to the defeated demon's soul shard being absorbed into the other, granting power to the victor. Demons are reluctant to invade Veska directly on the basis that soul shards become inert outside of their home plane.Birth of a Demon
Demons are born in a variety of ways, with the most common being from the transmutation of mortal souls into demon shards. This method is carried out by the Abyssal Lords, whose power is so immense that they're capable of manufacturing legions of servants so long as they've the harvested souls to do so. This is almost the exclusive way demons are born in Gehenna, however, demons can also be born in Veska through methods outside of this. Soul shards, left inert in the world of Veska, feed upon the despair and misery of whomsoever is unlucky enough to come into possession of one. Because this method generally results in more powerful demons at the cost of a longer period of time, they are often purposefully spread through Veska in hopes of finding a prospective person capable enough of transforming into a powerful demon. While in the possession of someone, grief, despair, and inner turmoil feeds it power, until they finally reach their breaking point. This great period of emotional distress leads to their mortal soul being absorbed by the soul shard, which then fuses with the mortal body to create a new demon.The Hierarchy
Because the power between each demonic ideology is greatly different from each other, the hierarchy is often skewed on that front. The lord of disease may be stronger over a period of time where the world is wracked with pestilence and plagues. The Lord of Fear may be particularly stronger when intense feelings of paranoia are shared by a full society. Whatever the case, demons seek to spread whatever embodiment they carry, for it helps spread their own will and provide them the power they need to grow stronger. There is a weakly defined hierarchy in their own way, which is simply categorized based on a demon's might. Dregs: Dregs are abhorrent creatures, so weak and repulsive that even they struggle to see their own self worth. They are the lackeys, stock, and sometimes, food, of the infernal legion. Countless dregs are culled and slaughtered by the hour, with very few rising further in the demonic hierarchy. Lesser Evil: The Lesser Evils are demons that have managed to distinguish themselves just enough to serve as infernal shock troops. They're the backbone of The Abyss, and while not even close to being considered weak, Lesser Evils are still minuscule compared to the above. Greater Evil: Greater Evils are incredibly powerful demons, whom have attained strength so great that they're capable of providing powers to loyal followers. Greater Demons are the war generals, the powerful leaders that guide the armies of Gehenna. The Nascent: The 'Nascent' refers to a Greater Evil whom has attained so much power that they are just on the cusp of achieving Godhood. These powerful demonic creatures are one step away from becoming the next Abyssal Lord; they need only depose another, or spread their cruelty wide enough to earn their place as a new Demonic Lord.Abyssal Lords
The Abyssal Lords, Demon Kings/Queens, all names for the insurmountably powerful entities that rule over The Abyss. They are beings of such great power that they are capable of bending fate to their will, with legions of worshipers doting for a potential of gaining power. The Abyssal Lords, aside from the Crann, are so powerful that they are often seen as the only example of actual Godhood. With the ability to create and manifest their own servants, Abyssal Lords only grow more and more powerful based upon the discord they spread. So long as their ideal keeps spreading, the Abyssal Lord will only gain more and more power. Example Demon lords are below. Savren, The Old Crow --Lord of Forbidden Knowledge and Magic. Vyzra, the Razor Princess -- Lady of Malevolent Traps and Cruel Invention. Shax, the Lord in Stains -- Lord of Murder. Sekra, Goddess of Tears -- Mistress of Sorrow and Suicide Araphel & Sephilia, the Silken Sins -- Twin lords of Debauchery and Desire Ahazu, the Siezer -- Lord of Fear, and Kidnapping. Nergal, the Frog God -- The Lord of Gluttony and Excess Lamassu, the Mother of Monsters -- Lady of Nightmares and Abominations.Basic Information
Anatomy
Demon anatomy is so widely varied that it's impossible to effectively pin down as a single being. The only thing that unifies demons, at least physically, is the fact that their souls are physical objects. (Crystalline shards.)
Genetics and Reproduction
Demons are actually fully capable of producing offspring; doing so creates what are called Cambions. Cambions, in the world of Veska, are born with a soul that teeters on the edge of crystallizing into a full demon. Cambions are thus always at risk of transforming of demons; should grief or suffering overcome their bodies, then their souls may wind up crystallizing into a full-fledged demon. Aside from this, demons do not technically reproduce at a genetic level; it's all based upon the harvest and manipulation of mortal souls, which are coalesced into soul shards.
Ecology and Habitats
Gehenna.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Demons actually do require sustenance. Unfortunately, this just so happens to be whatever raw meat they can get their grubby hands on; that includes mortal flesh, from time to time, but some demons happen to prefer any meal a normal man would.
Civilization and Culture
History
Demons are from a time immemorial; however, they all come from mortal souls. If they come from this, then many often ask: "Where were they before that?" Only a scant few are capable of finding the answer. The creators of all Demons are the malevolent Qlippoth. They're abhorrent monstrosities, long forgotten and mostly unknown across mankind. They writhe and slither from sight, hiding from the Demons and living only in the deepest reaches of Gehenna.
The Demons were originally slaves to the Qlippoth, created as an experiment with the mortal soul. In exchange for a harvested life, they could be reshaped into effective, efficient soldiers. Alas, the demons soon grew to loath their wardens, and broke free from their control, only to drive the Qlippoth deep into shadow. This great war lead to the world of Sheol fracturing into countless realities. What was once a single, simple world, was now destroyed, fractured into countless layers or sections that are now divided by dimensional rifts.
Demons soon became the dominant force on Sheol, and in time, their kind began to focus on spreading their cause and harvesting the countless souls in the world of Veska. In time, the sinister Qlippoth have long been forgotten, leaving the Demons to fight only amongst themselves, and the mortal men that would resist their corruption.
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Demons
Origin/Ancestry
Technically, the Qlippoth
Lifespan
Immortal
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