Lands of Tyranny
Day 1 of The Philosopher, Year 414
Demons
or (‘The Corrupted’)
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Demons are humans that have been touched by a deity’s will and influence at birth. Their very instincts and needs are warped to pursue what their god has created them for, and while they do not know what their gods want and are as any mortal unable to speak directly to the gods, their desires and needs are filled with nothing but their gods demands. while being common human beings, these ‘urges’ they feel shape their whole lives: making them often struggle to function in their society, or even to keep the normal kind of relations which their human side would crave, making their lives the most miserable and filled with struggle and contradictions.
Aside from Light Demons, all demons only show their nature only after coming of age, some time between their 16th to 20th birthday, after already developing an appetite towards their gods wishes during puberty. Once their true nature breaks through however, they find themselves in a constant need to hide it. Their desires and needs drive them to do what their gods demand of them, which in turn gives them the power to hide their true form, and to do small miracles in their god's name. Scholars speculate that Demons are more commonly born into noble families and into influential families than into peasants families although neither is unheard of.
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Having been raised in the Empire society leads to them wanting to live normal lives and judge the world through the morals of humans and of the empire.
Often this leads to strong self hatred and to desperate attempts to hide their corrupted nature, as what their instincts and needs dictate they do are so at odds with the morals and beliefs they were brought up with, especially as most Demons still have strong family ties and sentimental attachments to the people they love.
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Yet within the empire they are under constant threat of being discovered and to bring them a swift end, as well as a great many troubles to their families, making some Demons decide to live in exile in remote communities, or, with great risk, with non-humans. And as such even Demons living within Beastkin tribes or among the Ilthir aren’t unheard of, especially as their inert divinity and magical abilities create a special allure among many mortal races.
Light Demons on the other hand have barely any human qualities from childhood on, feeling little attachment to their parents, and having little regard for human morals and beliefs beyond what their gods dictate. As children of the Empire and as worshiped beings they are usually brought to martial or religious schools in early childhood, where they are taught to use their abilities in the name of the Emperor and The Three. Their lack of sentimental attachments being furthered through this process of schooling and drill, at the end of which most of them exist only to further the Empire: their need to have people worship and mindlessly follow their every word becoming one of the most powerful tools in the Empire's arsenal. At the end of that education, they often enter the high ranks of the Empire's military or bureaucracy.
A Brief History of Demons
The beginning of the Empire is only remembered in the chronicles, and by the eldest of the Elves, but all remember the angels that lead humankind to its creation.
The Light Demons were the first Demons: Humans imbued with the will of the gods themselves. Legends say that the Emperor was the first of their kind, a beacon of light and a disciple for the new gods. Some even say that he was the child of Valthos himself, and that he is the highest of all Light Demons. Some others say instead that the Emperor is none other than Valthos, and that he never left.
But no matter what Legends someone believes in, historians all agree that the Light Demons, or as they are known, ‘Angels’, greatly contributed to the initial phases of the creation of the Empire. Their nature itself makes them patient, yet strict leaders, with absolute loyalty to the Empire, the new gods, and to their duty.
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It was almost a hundred years after the conquest of the Empire began, before the second type of Demon first appeared, when the first of the old gods realized how these new gods sought to undermine what they stood for, and the natural equilibrium of things. And so it is no wonder that the god of warfare, and judgment by combat, Balthazar, was the first to create his own Demon. Seeing a stark conflict between his ideals of honor, and judgment by the blade and the law and order subjugation of the Empire. And so he did, what made sense, creating his own disciples, the Fire Demons. In tow, the deity of domination and order, Dominium, created his own version of the same fierce fighters.
Fire Demons are in many ways distorted versions of Light Demons.
Where Light Demons seek to unify and eradicate dissidents, Fire Demons seek to divide and sow dissent. They seek to fight to solve any disagreement, often even to the death.
Instead of a noble impossibly beautiful figure engulfed in light, Fire demons instead are huge, powerful creatures with burning wings and eyes that leave ashen ground wherever they step. And yet they are largely similar looking, a human figure adorned with horns and wings. Both kinds of demons acting as beings imbued with the will of the gods that created them, they soon started to fight.
​Balthazar’s and Dominion’s Fire Demons have sought to oppose and destroy the Empire before it even started. But even then the young Empire’s army was more powerful, organized and disciplined than the impossibly strong Fire Demons, defeating them soundly alongside the angels.
Thousands of people were ready to give their lives to fight alongside the Angels that led them against the fiery attackers. And as is the right of the stronger, the defeated demons kneeled before their conquerors. Ever since, there is a begrudging acceptance on both sides: Fire Demons are still despised and thought to be the creatures of corruption they are, yet some people in the Empire, especially in the Army, often turn a blind eye to them, as long as they conceal their identity, keep their violent nature at bay, and fight for their means. While Fire Demons know that even with all their might, they have no way to oppose the empire.
It was about 200 years after the foundation of the Empire when accounts start testifying the appearance of other types of Demons.
All created by the Old Gods, that now see their domains of the world in jeopardy.
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Bog Demons being created by Boggereth imbued with an instinct that drives them to achieve positions of power, just to be slothful in them. As they seem to try to freeze the progress of the Empire in place, and try to solidify structures and positions. Corruption and Inefficiency follows them wherever they go.
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Discord Demons created by Fortuna to sow discord among the people, and destroy established institutions.
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Blood Demons as the wrath of Lilith, the goddess of sexual freedom, beauty and fertility seek to indulge in debaucherous sex, undermining the values of chastity and closed family preached by the Empire.
The Night Demons created by Astaroth and Umbra seek to govern the knowledge of the world. To create scientific progress and to halt moral restrictions on the pursuit of it. To create mysteries, rumors and secrets around the high spheres and the religious beliefs of the Empire.
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All of these new Demons are direct answers of those gods towards tenants of the Empire, with the exception of Silk Demons, created by The Weaver, the deity of purity, to compensate for all the corruption that was being spread in the world by all other deities.
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Exaggerating aspects of these gods' domain just to oppose the Empire itself, these Demons can never exist within the Empire in their true form or pursue their needs and desires freely, being instead under constant threat of being lynched, or killed by the inquisition just for what they are, having to hide their true self for the whole of their lives, and while quite able to, they are still forced to pursue their innatural urges and desire to gain the strength to even do so.
A Brief History of Demons
How to Play
Demonic Urges
Every Demon has specific urges that the player should act on in RP. These urges are specific to the Demon type and the god the Demon is blessed by.
Specific details of this are to be discussed on character submission.
Urge to spread corruption
Every Demon has a natural, most often unconscious tendency and urge to spread the corruptive influence of their deity to spread that to those that hold some form of power or authority, or even just high importance in a community, in a way to undermine the foundations of society and the values brought by the New Gods. Their 'corruption' is however often extended to those particularly close to them, adding only more to their suffering (and risk). Demons might at times feel as if subtly, mostly unnoticeably 'relieved' after having been in contact enough with someone to 'corrupt' them, acting as an unconscious incentive to do so (OOC: they lose a tiny bit of Stress)
Empire loyalty
Consider that every Demon (with the exception of Silk Demons) is born and raised in a family within the Empire, and that they are raised as Humans. All Demons are therefore grown within the Empire culture, owing to their families and to the morals of the imperial society, which in most cases creates moral dilemmas and internal conflict for those troubled people.
Hiding True form
Aside from Light Demons all Demons have to conceal their true form if they want to live within the empire. Blood, Night, and Bog Demons can do this at will, and transform into a human form. When hidden, Demons have no access to their magical abilities save for their Rank I spells and the ability to transform back into their true form, this does include performing their demon-specific rituals. In their Human form though they still have their demonic urges.
In addition to that, every Demon type has specific conditions that force them into their true form, when they are exposed to them.
Who has IC knowledge about Demons?
Common people already are unlikely to ever have seen anything uncommon outside of the outskirts of their town and village, let alone know something about rare creatures.
Only Inquisitors, a Sage (as in Khemani), or a very cultured Ilthir Scribe can have some knowledge about Demons, if they want.
Otherwise, only characters that In Game (IG) had access to specific RP Items (books) about Demons or other creatures, can have knowledge about them.
The only other way to know something about these legendary creatures is to learn from in game experience
Special Mechanics
Demonic Rituals
Every Demon has instinctive knowledge of some rituals only they can perform. For the Demon this is as natural as any other instinctive drive.
They also have a clear understanding of which types of sacrifices their god prefers, which ones they hate and what the best conditions are to perform a ritual for their god.
Weaknesses
Each Demon has one or more specific mandatory flaws/weaknesses, plus, they are asked to pick 2 out of a small list of weaknesses and must specify them at character creation.
Demon's 'blessing'
Demons may grant part of their powers to a character, but in doing so, the character will also inherit one of the Demon's main urges (that is, one of the publicly described ones in each Demon's page)
For more info, check the Blessings section in Magic
Demon's Corruption
Every Demon has a natural, most often unconscious tendency and urge to spread the corruptive influence of their deity to those around them. But even more so, likely to follow the design of the gods, they tend to spread that to those that hold some form of power or authority, or even just high importance in a community. Demons would at times feel as if a little 'relieved' after having been in contact enough with someone to 'corrupt' them, acting as an unconscious incentive to do so (OOC: they lose a tiny bit of Stress)
Note: spreading a demon's corruption does require being accompanied by some RP, and should not just be used after one or two brief emotes, as otherwise the OOC feeling of the 'victim', might be just as if a random character throws a fireball at them for no apparent reason, and just leaves.
Note: a character can receive only one type of corruption at the same time, however, a demon has no particular way of knowing whether a character has already been corrupted or not.
A Brief History of Demons
FAQ: Demons
Am I bound to the God that corrupted me?
In a sense, yes: the God which ‘spawned’ a demon has permanently tainted them with their corruption. This is as far as the relationship needs to go. However, Demons can worship other gods, and given they are (with the exception of Silk Demons) raised in imperial society, they usually are raised with the worship of The Three.
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Can I become a 'Chosen'?
No. Demons are in a way already 'chosens' of a deity.
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Can I ‘sense’ other Demons?
No.
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Can I join the Legion?
In most circumstances yes.
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​Can I join the Tribunal?
No. The process to join the Tribunal specifically encompasses weeding out the supernatural.
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Note: Demons are High Risk characters. They may be killed more easily given their nature by certain other character and races (e.g. by the Inquisition). Opening a ticket before a possible death however is still mandatory.
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NOTE FOR CHARACTER CREATION: Demons are not available at character creation unless the player has been playing on the server for at least 1 month.
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Note: This race is for a restricted number of characters, before submitting a character, check for availability by opening a Character Creation Ticket.
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Authors: Maya, Rashan