Denizens of the Abyss
A study on the Aspect, Behavior and Character of Demons
These are some fascinating excerpts from this book on the use of demons, by summoning, binding and making deals with them. Several parts have been copied from different chapters, as found under the original titles.
Preface
This work focuses on the type of creatures known colloquially as demons. I presume all those who come into possession of this work have already heard of demons. For the rare few that have not I will begin the book with a short description of what exactly a demon entails.
Although demons are the stuff of nightmares for the average person, the subject of stories to scare children into obedience and grown-ups into the confines of a religious congregation, they have their uses for a wide variety of activities.
Obviously, any person knows that it is those weird and secretive arcane magic-users who generally use demons to make deals with, use as servants or just as target practice. But even to people in other professions or from other walks of life, such a variety of uses for demons can be meaningful and useful.
Firstly the histories and epics are full of regular citizenry making deals with demons, in order to further their own goals or gain access to some previously unattainable thing.
The second concept, that of using the demon as a servant or, more generally, a helping hand, comes definitely with great advantages, even while having it's setbacks and prerequisites.
Lastly, summoning demons just to destroy them can certainly also be used by anyone with access to a spell or magical artifact that allows one to perform the summoning, but is better not tried by those who do not have ways to deal with the anger and revenge that will certainly follow.
In this work we will delve deeper into these three possibilities. What deals could be made with demons and why should one choose to make such a deal? What does a demon want in return for his information, aid or service? How could I bind a demon into my service? What advantages and risks are involved with binding demons? What should be done to summon a demon? What preparations do I need to take? What advantages will I gain, or what can I expect? What consequences or results may I expect? All will be revealed in this practical field guide.
What are demons
First of all, let me remove a common misconception. Demons are not similar to devils. Many common folk have a tendency to consider both demons and devils as denizens of some outer plane of evil, and therefor pretty much the same. And admittedly, both can be made deals with, both can be summoned and both can be forced to do the bidding of the summoner. However, devils have a sense of hierarchy and obedience. The Nine Hells where they hail from is ordered and stable, because of this.
Demons on the other hand are truly chaotic. They fight each other continuously and the Abyss where they hail from is constantly in danger of being ripped apart for it.
Also, the way a demon comes into being is radically different from the way a devil does. Devils are formed from the corrupted souls of denizens of the mortal realm. To keep growing and strengthening the armies of the Nine Hells therefor, the Dark Lord send forth his devils to do the corrupting.
Demons on the other hand are formed out of the very substance of the Abyss, made from filth and carnage.
Remember that this work is about demons. If you are seeking for more information on devils, the uses they can have and the ways to work towards these uses, you should look for such works as “It came from the Nine Hells”, “The Asmodai” or “Satanry for dummies”
Demons respect no hierarchy or control. Demons only respect power. They live to fight and destroy and will only ever respect power. To control a demon, even to the demon lords, means making very clear that you have the power to destroy the demon you wish to order around, if he makes the mistake of disobeying.
Although the preface of this work mentioned the many uses of demons and the summoning thereof, most arcane magicians that readily deal with devils, have qualms about summoning demons. The chaotic nature of the demon and the lack of respect of hierarchy means a demon will invariably fight with conviction and fierceness against those foolish enough to summon them. It will throw itself against walls, forcefully rattle shackles and demand furiously to be set free.
Any summoned demon that manages to break free from whatever binds it will instantly seek out and turn against the mortal that bound it.
Dealing with the Demon
As powerful beings of the Abyss, demons possess many things that might be attractive to mortals. Demons may be holding dark secrets and vitally important information. They may grant magic powers to those who cannot attain these powers by other means. Demons may be powerful and near indestructible allies in battle. Or they may perform actions that only truly evil beings could perform. Whatever the reason one would seek out a demon's help, one would be wise to make sure how to deal with the demon once faced with it.
All demons have a strong tendency to want to find portals into other realms. (Mind you, this limits itself to the demons own free will. Under no circumstance will this craving abate the anger of the demon that is summoned involuntarily to a caster's location.) They like nothing more than to spread their corrupting influence across the multiverse, destroying all that was previously organized and wholesome.
In the end, if you are faced with a demon that you need or want a service from, remember that you need to be able to offer him a way to corrupt and destroy all that is good and healthy. If you have nothing else to offer, the demon will gladly take what you may not have put on the bargaining table. A demon loves to manipulate and corrupt those individuals stupid enough to covet his power, using you as long as he's still interested and discarding you when getting bored.
Boons of the Demon
As already explained, mortal beings seek the help of demons for a great many reasons. Ranging from simply getting your hands on more power or wealth, to gaining a powerful ally for long term military plans, or from simply seeking target practice that no one cares about being hurt of maimed, to seeking long forgotten forbidden secrets, dealing with demons can deliver a great many bounties. Of course the most readily available and easily attained is just that of a dangerously capable fighting monster in a given battle.
And than there is the demon lord Orcus, whose power over undeath is used by a great many necromancers and ultimately also by those who would crave the forbidden power of becoming a lich.
How to Summon Demons
The summoning of demons in itself is not that hard a feat. Just like other spells from the school of conjuration this one too is available for casters of the advanced level of learning. Of course the simple spell will only give access to the lower castes of demons, such as manes or dretches. Once one gets more trained in the summoning of demons however, one may advance to summoning the more powerful kind, such as shadow demons or barlgura. It only becomes sketchy if one aims to summon even greater demons. Demons of the legendary or epic variety not only have strong resistance to being summoned by mere mortals, they also have the ability of summoning the lesser and greater demons themselves. This means that even if a very powerful caster with the necessary skills and experience were to manage to summon a legendary demon, who would have to deal with a powerful adversary capable of calling in its own reserves. The solution to this problem would be to maintain enough control over the summoned demon to have him do your bidding. More on this later. As far as the details of the casting are concerned, we start with the somatic and verbal commands. Obviously these involve movements and wording that are foul and abyssal in nature.
As concerns the material components, we get to the really down and dirty of demon summoning. To those who seek to summon and control demons, it should be clear that even attaining the necessary components might estrange you from friends and society. Every level of summoning demons takes the blood of recently killed humanoids. In other words, you need to kill someone first, if you are to summon a demon.
And if you want to summon the truly powerful demons, be prepared to taking the life of an innocent. How such ingredients are judged in the casting I leave to the casters, but many are the stories of young virgin ladies, under aged children or similar victims that bring the ire of civilization come crashing down on you.
Preparations
When you decide to summon demons, it is wise to prepare well beforehand, if it is your wish to survive the process and have a reasonable chance of success.
First and foremost you should make sure to pick the demon you need for your specific purpose. Demons come in a great variety and they all have their own particular forte's. Such as Astaroth being best for providing information, Belial for success in your work, and Eligor for court cases... Secondly make sure that the request you have for the demon is well worded and clear. Demons severely dislike being ordered around of forced, so making a friendly and respectful request greatly increases the chances for success.
Following the carefully prepared request for the demon, is the offer you provide or present in exchange. Making sure beforehand what the demon might like to receive, whilst also being what you are willing to offer, not only increases the chances for success, but also prevents the nasty effect of having to pay the prize the demon itself will demand.
Clear your mind! Both demons and devils have a nasty habit to try to influence any mortal they deal with. Their powers of influencing, persuading and seducing are the stuff of legends for a reason. One should make sure to be prepared to deal with the summoned demon as much mental as physical.
Preparing the ritual itself. As has already been mentioned, demons dislike being forced to appear at the bidding of anyone, much less a mere mortal. There is little doubt that the demon will be angry immediately upon arrival and quite willing to attack anything in sight. If you have the possibility to summon a demon in a carefully prepared and secure area, such as a well protected laboratory, you should always make full use of all the details of limiting the risks involved with the summoning. This preparation involves both the physical and mental protection of the caster against attack, and the maximum amount of pleasing of the demon in question. The last bit of course to make sure the demon feels more at ease and might sooner calm down and open itself to your request. Such preparation exists of the following very important components: Demon sigils; every demon has its own sigil, which will focus the magical energy more readily and bind to the specific demon you are intending to lock onto. Incense; As discussed, you need to seek specific demons that fit your goal and request. These demons and their area of expertise are linked to specific types of incense. For influence on sexual and emotional relations, one might seek the demon Sargatanas, and use chamomile, lilac or jasmine. If looking for luck and success in procuring wealth, the demon would be Valac, and the incense should involve honeysuckle, nutmeg or cedar. Candles; Candles are a very important part of demon summoning in general, but their color is too often overlooked as an extra factor to increase chances of success. For instance, as Balam is connected to charisma and therefor the sun, your candles for summoning this demon would be of far more use being yellow, orange or gold. The name of the demon; Not to be mistaken with the name that belongs to a type of demon, there is a name for every individual as well. These names are not easy to come by, but once procured, they are a very powerful tool as well. In fact, this personal name of a demon is so important and has such a strong effect on attaining your goals of summoning, making the deal and controlling the summoned demon, that we will treat this in a different chapter altogether.
Finally there are the ways to protect oneself against attacks. These precautions may be left out when one is secure in convincing the demon to cooperate, because one has experience in dealing with the demon correctly, or has procured the demon's true name, but are utterly necessary to the less experienced or secure caster. Protective sigils, warding spells, magic circles impossible to pass through, us arcane magic-users know enough of such possibilities to use them correctly. Make sure to prepare any and all of these that you have at your disposal... Don't forget however, as you are warding the place of your summoning ritual, that the demon that is imprisoned in a small space will be angrier than normal and harder to calm down. Expect some extremes of aggression and violence. And come armed with a good amount of patience and time at hand.
The Name of the Beast
Demons may be a lot like wild animals whipped up to uncontrolled rage and anger, or pushed forward in a stampede, but underneath they are always vain. The carefully protected true name of the demon therefor has a huge effect on his disposition. The demon itself realizes the power that his name holds and takes great care to keep it secret. There are works though, hidden in the forbidden libraries of evil casters, that may list a long row of discovered demon names. If you can gain access to any such list, make sure you do so.
Most of all, a demon whose true name is correctly pronounced in the process of the summoning, will be forced into obedience for as long as the spell's duration lasts, without the usual aggression that usually comes with forcing a demon to do your bidding. Mind you, this does not ensure his friendly disposition once the spell ends. Quite the opposite. Once the spell ends, the demon will realize he has been charmed by the use of his name and being enraged something awful.
Type
Guide, Generic
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