Chain Demon

An animated predatory Chain used by summoners, or any arcane practitioner with flexible ethics, to capture prey and bind prisoners. It is possessed.
A diabolist creation, each link is made from a mageiron alloy of freeze dried demon flesh and bones. Arcane runes are inscribed on each blood-red link as well, in order to entrap and enslave the demon's soul.
The chain demon is capable to draining PPE and ISP like a psi stalker but does not need to cut its victim. Instead, the chain demon needs only to wrap around the victim or one of its limbs. A single wrap is all that is needed but the wrap must form a complete loop, touching itself, in order for the drain to occur. For this reason they lend themselves to and are the preffered method for restraining other practitioners of the arcane and even psionics.

Basic Information

Anatomy

A chain demon can take the shape and form of any chain according to the design of the diabolist who made it. A chain demon may consist of a single length of chain links or a chain demon may consist of multiple lengths connected at a central point. Chain demons may have branches, loops, or look like a web. It is extremely rare for more than one chain demon to be connected together, as they will compete for dominance and become one.
Due to the nature of diabolist creations, they may sport vestiges of the creature whose soul was sacrificed to make them. Chain demons are no exception and may be covered in leather, fur or scales, have protruding horns or fangs or possess links that look like they are made from fingers or bones. Some may pulse like a beating heart and even bleed while others may even sport eyes and have the ability to see.
All chain demons radiate pure unadulterated evil and hunger.

Growth Rate & Stages

The size of the links is limited at one end by the ability of the crafter to inscibe them with runes and at the other by the amount of material available to forge the links.
All chain demons have the same ability to drain PPE regardless of size.
The chain grows with every power point it drains. The demon itself determines whether it grows by girth or by length if not given directives by its master. The demon also has the option of saving up the power points it drains, and for every ten accrued points it can possess a new link. Larger links need more and smaller links need less. It is up to the diabolist to prepare the new links for the chain demon, but the demon is capable of attaching the new links on its own.
Of the largest chain demons, one consists of thousands of finger-sized links organized in several strands off a central ring, each strand almost a hundred meters long. Another is several hundred meters of enormous links fit for a ship's anchor. This one is currently employed by the The Federation of Magic to restrain an alien creature the size of a mansion.

Behaviour

To control a chain demon, it's master need only give it instructions. A master capable of telepathy may give mental commands. Chain demons without instructions will hunt down and attempt to drain the soul of the nearest entity to satiate their unending hunger.
Any chain demon who kills its victim and drains its death PPE also drains its soul. And while it is theoretically possible for a chain demon to consist of more than a single soul, no chain demon is known to exist without a dominant soul that consumes all others.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

A chain demon can sense any soul within 10 meters and will attempt to stretch out towards it if permitted. Those with eyes or noses or tongues or ears may be able to act on those senses as well. All chain demons can feel.
Chain demons can telepathically communicate with their diabolist creators or those whome the diabolists appoint as their masters. More powerful chain demons can communicate with their victims, and the most powerful can communicate with any sentient creature.

All chain demons are mega-damage beings. How much damage they can withstand is in direct proportion to the size of the links in their chains. As a general rule, each link has a toughness of 10 plus 1 for each centimeter over 1. Only a single link needs to be broken to break the chain; however, every link needs to be destroyed to destroy the chain demon. Chain demons are capable of healing and reforming broken links, but obey the same rules for healing as any other being. In this regard, every broken link is considered a separate wound.
Every link in a chain demon's chain contains the full sentience of the chain demon. They have no vital points and therefore suffer no penalties due to wounds received. The only penalties a chain demon suffers is due to the loss of reach and length when individual links are broken. A broken link is considered dead until it is rejoined with a live link and reformed by healing.

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Chain Demons have a pool of their own PPE and possess the following powers, as granted by the diabolist's runes:

• Detect/Conceal Arcana
• Drain Power Points (touch only)
• Entangle (using ownself) Duration 3(1/round)- Note, as this is an arcane ability, the range is not limited to the length of the chain demon's chain. For the purposes of this power, the chain demon is capable of magically adjusting its length and number of strands to reach the target(s). However, once the spell duration ends, the chain demon returns to its original configuration, releasing any targets its original configuration can not entangle.
• Healing (touch only)
• Telekinesis (self only)

There is a story of one chain demon that was dominated by a soul it had consumed. As the story goes, a Cyberknight had been captured and drained by a chain demon. The cyberknight's soul was much more powerful than that of the demon and it took control and eventually destroyed the possessing demon. This is a tragic tale, however. The cyberknight's soul possessed the chain for years, dedicated to the causes of justice and protection. But over time, it fell victim to its own hunger, becoming a near-bestial danger to those around it. In a moment of clarity the cyberknight's soul pleaded to be destroyed. It is said that Lord Coake did so personally.