Servants of the Aeunta
Lurking within the realms of
the Aeunta and out in the many realms of the expanse carrying out their will are the demons. Foul, wicked, and monstrous creatures who hunger for souls and inflict nothing but suffering on innocent mortals. Their eternal lives exist to serve their overlords until they are finally cut down forever. Demons come in many different shapes and sizes, though all serve the same purpose of harvesting Anika and souls from mortal creatures.
Creation
"The Azmadians never asked for their accursed existence. I wish to offer them a chance to make their own fate." - Insillimar, the Rebel Scion
Standard demons are created in one of two ways: Aeuntic Spawning and Corruption.
The first and most common is Aeuntic Spawning, the natural spawning within their Aeunta overlord's realm. The Aeuntic energies that permeate their realms coalesce into unholy lifeforms made to fit the will and personality of the realm's master. Spawned demons are unique to the realm they're created in, and most have an innate drive to serve their master. Some demons are animalistic and savage, wild beasts who only know violence and bloodshed. Other types of demons can be intelligent, though, forming their own societies and cultures within their master's realm.
Corruption is the method of demonic creation in which a non-demonic lifeform is exposed to enough Aeuntic energy to transform into something new. It is often a gradual process, where the body is twisted to match the persona of the eventual Aeunta master, and their mind becomes warped to better fulfill their new purpose. These corrupted lifeforms may eventually procreate and spawn more of themselves, creating a new species of demonic lifeforms until their forms become synonymous with their realm, leading to those demons being birthed from Aeunta Spawning.
Hierarchy and Tithes
All demons bound to an Aeunta are tied into their master's Anima Chain, a metaphysical link that connects all demons to each other and their overlord. The Anima Chain serves as a way to siphon and distribute the soul energy harvested by demons from the lowest levels of the hierarchy to the Aeunta themselves. Whenever a demon harvests Anika or a mortal soul, they will absorb only the necessary amount needed to sustain themselves; then, the rest is automatically distributed to the next demon up the chain, repeating this process until it reaches the top of the chain. The Aeunta and the highest-ranking demons receive the most soul energy from this process while lower-ranking demons only get the bare minimum to survive.
Aeunta Scions
"She is death, the blood soaked blade of damnation. The first infernal torchbearer and the final witness of dying worlds. Fear the Scion of Immora, for she marks the advent of eternal bloodletting." - Excerpt from the Somic Verses: Scions of the Aeunta
The strongest and most feared of all demonkind are the Scions, the direct offspring of the Aeunta themselves. These demons are only second to their Aeunta creators in authority, sitting at the top of their Anima Chains just before their creators. They are the greatest instruments of their creator's desires, the leaders of their legions, and the most devout disciples of their creeds,
This has been true for all but one. Insillimar, the Scion of Horda Sventai, discovered a way to break themselves off from their Anima Chain and create their own with them at its peak. With this knowledge, he escaped his creator's grasp and built a new realm of demons liberated from their masters. His domain, the Far Haven, is a pocket realm inhabited by mortals and demons freed by Insillimar who live in an unheard-of harmony managed by the Rebel Scion himself.
Summoning
"One must aware of the decent the Aeunta can send you down. One wrong move, and you'll be carrening into a pit in which you will never be able to rise from." - Rakita Moldovan
The most frequent way mortals interact with demons is by summoning them through magic. These spells and summoning are treated as an exchange by the Aeunta; they receive the Anika and other materials they demand from the summoner, and the summoner is given a demon bound to their will. Direct deals and exchanges with mortals are coveted by Aeunta, for it allows for a repeatable and direct source of the Anika and souls they require without distributing it to their subjects.
Demon summoning is a common and mostly accepted practice in most magical institutions, though those who practice it have been warned of the risks associated with interacting with Aeunta and their servants. Demonologists have spent countless years cataloging the various demons that stalk the
Comments