Demonic

Spirits who can be summoned, bound, and infused into objects or substances are typically called "demonic." At least, they are by humans. These spirits tend to refer to themselves by names derived from their legendary ancestors, i.e. the Asmodean descend, in the complicated way of immortal beings, from Asmodeus, the Beelzebite from Beelzebub, and so on. To themselves, demonic spirits of different ancestors are as different from each other as humans consider demonic and phantasmic spirits to be.   Those selfsame humans drove demonic spirits into what they refuse to call "hiding" but is, at the least, a diaspora. Humans seek True Names of demonic spirits in order to summon and bind them with maximum efficiency. Since the invention of The Demon Drink, this has become an entire industry, with diastrous consequences for the spirits. Some clans have attempted to stay together, other demons wander the realities alone. Sometimes clans join with each other to create settlements where they can live apart from humans (most notably Ars) but these settlements are often raided or otherwise attacked by enterprising representatives of the liquor industry. The industry, for their part, denies any such activities, claiming that all spirits invoked and infused into their products are criminals who have been released into the industry's dubious "care."

Naming Traditions

Family names

The most basic, and final, family name for any demonic spirit is that of their legendary ancestor: Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Mammon, Belphegor, Lucifer, Seitan, and Abaddon. Typically anywhere from three to seven other family names precede the basic ancestor name and correspond to particularly famous spirits of their line, even if they were not directly involved in that demon's "birth." A number of these are well-known, though popular knowledge has bastardized these family names into something like a species classification, i.e. Incubus, Succubus, Drude, Fury, Judge, Calamity, Fairy, Leviathan, and so on.

Other names

Demonic "True" names are strongly guarded secrets because they can be used to greatly strengthen summoning and binding spells. As a result, they hardly ever use their real names in day-to-day life. Instead, demonic spirits adopt what they playfully but pointedly call "False Names." These vary, but individual demons often pick a particular theme for themselves: for instance, one noted Asmodean picked a different red bird name for every human lifetime she lived, going by "Cardinal," "Tanager," "Finch," "Ibis," and even "Flycatcher" at different points in time. Demons must be careful, however, not to keep a particular false name for too long, lest it begin to resonate more powerfully with their essence and become a second kind of true name.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Perhaps the only thing that can be said about demonic spirits' ideas of beauty, overall, is that each broad clan (ie Belphagorian, Luciferan, Mammonite, etc) has a distinctly different take.    Here again, humans' self-centered view of the world asserts itself. Regions in which particular clans of demons are prominent will often assume that those demons' standards of beauty are true for all demons, leading to serious culture shock and no end of embarassing incidents if they travel.

Gender Ideals

Gender is of only middling concern to most demonic spirits, with the exception of those of Incubi and Succubi families. Incubi are always male and Succubi are always female. A significant proportion of demons have the ability to shapeshift between genders, which renders the whole idea of gender ideals a bit moot. There are no differences in status between male, female, and non-binary demons.

Relationship Ideals

Demonic spirits, on the whole, do not set romantic or sexual love apart as a unique category of relationship. (Note the exception of Asmodeans in this respect.) Instead, they prize relationships based on how intense they are. A great friend or longtime business colleague is significantly more important than a brief fling. As such, they value relationships where all parties invest deeply in the bond.    Breaking a promise made to someone you have a relationship with is deeply frowned upon. This is, of course, not to say that it doesn't happen. But the stricture is such that demons relatively frequently draw up contracts which clarify the terms of their relationship, both between each other and in instances of relationships between demons and humans or demons and phantasms. Demons take these contracts extremely seriously, though there is also an expectation that contracts can be re-negotiated if a relationship changes.

Major organizations

The Ars Council is perhaps the most famous demonic organization that is officially recognized by human governments. The Council controls the city of Ars, and smaller demonic settlements often take its decisions and policies as a guide for their own. They have generally adopted an isolationist approach to dealing with the liquor industry.   The Burners are an undercover guerilla military group dedicated to wiping out the liquor industry and, more broadly, erasing the knowledge of demonic summoning and binding magics from the world. They operate across Flimflam, wherever both demons and the liquor industry can be found. Their name comes from the iconic burning of books listing demonic True Names, but they are also well-known for burning down liquor factories and transportation networks.
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Cover image: by ButNoCigar

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