Demon
Otherworldly abominations from the other side. They are the natural consequence of high amounts of Malice festering within the Astral Plane. Demons are categorically evil and are incapable of acting in benevolence. Any perceived act of benevolence is for the purpose of a greater evil.
A demon is a supernatural being created out of Malice, within the Astral Plane, through the imaginations of individuals who produce a lot of Malice. The exact nature of a demon is determined by the nature of the people who were source of its Malice, particularly their imagination, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and sensations, while its power is determined by the intensity and overall quantity of malice.
The core desire of a demon is to cause pain destruction and death purely for the sake of it. However, demons can also align themselves with the Great Opposition, fighting for control of the universe against The One.
Demons are not composed of physical matter, and therefore cannot physically exist within the real world. However, that doesn't mean that a demon cannot invade the real world. In places where the barrier between the real world and the Astral Plane is thin, a demon can pass into the real world as an incorporeal entity, and possess the body of a willing individual. While in an incorporeal form, a demon can also be seen by and communicate with individuals in the real world. A demon who encounters a sleeping person can invade their dreams, and extract information about other people who might willingly allow themselves to be possessed. When the demon finds what they believe to be a suitable individual, they will either possess them, or manipulate them into willingly allowing the demon to possess them. The demon will use any tactic that they think the potential host will find convincing, usually the promise of supernatural powers, while lying about the drawbacks.
When a demon has a willing host body, they become a force to be reckoned with. The demon will eventually be able to exert its will upon the real world, and it no longer needs to locate and consume Malice to preserve its Astral Storm. For the host, the demon has given them the power to do whatever they want, as long as it is within the demon's power. However, it is a parasitic relationship, and the demon will slowly consume their soul. As the demon consumes more of the hosts soul, it gains more and more control of the hosts mind and body, gradually overriding the hosts identity. These changes typically go unnoticed by the host, who will simply see their actions to be the result of their own choice. When the demon has finished consuming its soul, it continues its search for more Malice, to add to its own strength. The destruction of the host body will force the demon back into the Astral Plane.
Over time, demons eventually become bored, and begin to search for deeper meaning behind their indulgences. Most exist unaware of The One, and the Great Enemy. When a demon learns of the existence of the Great Enemy, it gains a new sense of purpose, and vows to do more acts of evil in his name.
Demons are very difficult, to kill. While killing a host body of a possessed individual will send a demon back into the Astral Plane, this is only a temporary defeat. In order to kill a demon, its true form within the Astral Plane must be destroyed directly. The best-known way to destroy a demon is for an Angel to challenge and defeat it since both beings exist within the Astral Plane. Another way to kill a demon is to shatter its resolve making it give up on its goals, and therefore its life. A demon with no desire to live will cease to exist.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The appearance of a demon is defined by the imagination individuals who were the source of the Malice that spawned it.
Biological Traits
Demons are not composed of any biological matter, and have no specific appearance. The appearance of a demon is determined by the nature of the Malice it was made of or consumed.
Genetics and Reproduction
Growth Rate & Stages
At the start, an demon is simply a metaphysical mass of Malice floating within the Astral Plane. Over time, the unconscious thoughts of individuals who emit Malice can shape it into a metaphysical being with its own will. Since demons are created by the thoughts feelings beliefs and emotions of real world beings, they are "born" with knowledge of the real world.
Ecology and Habitats
These beings simply float around the astral plane, searching for sources of Malice. In the real world, they typically live in host bodies feeding off of the soul until the body is theirs.
Behaviour
Demons will often work with other demons in order to accomplish a common goal, (usually the invasion of the real world, and possession of hosts). While each have their own separate will, they will willingly merge into one if they believe it to be beneficial for their cause.
Demons do not require sustenance. However, they naturally enjoy causing destruction pain and death purely for the sake of it, and use the resulting negative energy (Malice) to boost their power. The best way for a demon to do this is through possession. In areas with lots of Malice, the barrier between reality and the Astral Plane is weak. Demons use these weak areas to push into reality, causing a phenomenon called an Astral Storm. Within an Astral Storm, demons can exist in an incorporeal form, and interact with people in the real world.
Once a demon has temporarily entered the real world, the next step is to search for a host who will willingly allow themselves to be possessed. However, demons cannot directly interact with the real world in this form, and searching for a willing host by simply floating around and searching is a fruitless endeavor. In order to make the search easier, demons search for sleeping individuals, and invade their dreams. The amount of control that a demon has over their dreams depends on how powerful the demon is. Most of the time, demons cannot directly control the dreams of a sleeping person much. They can only appear within the dream, chase, and communicate with the sleeper. However, the inability to directly control the dreams of a sleeping person is usually not a problem, since the appearance of the demon within the dream will almost always trigger the dreamers imagination to run wild, and become a nightmare. If the sleeper ever wakes up, realizes they are dreaming, or is brave enough to fight the demon in their dream, simple observation of nightmares won't work. While causing nightmares is fun for a demon, the true goal is to locate someone who will make a good and willing host. Demons can do this either by simply observing the nightmares created by the imagination of the dreamer, or if they are a particularly powerful demon, by directly interrogating the sleeper.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Demons are somewhat social with each other. They commonly work together to achieve greater acts of evil. Demons lack any real sense of self, and can merge with each other and become singular more powerful demons, if they believe it to be beneficial.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Within the astral plane, the demon can sense the Malice of its surroundings. When the demon invades the real world through an Astral Storm, it cannot directly sense its surroundings, but it can sense the souls of individuals within the vicinity of the Astral Storm. When it has possessed a host, it has use whatever sensory organs on the host body, as if it were the host.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
The are parasitic towards any being that is willing to serve as a vessel.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
While not every demon is necessarily aware of the existence of the Great Enemy, they categorically align with the Great Enemy when they learn of its existence.
History
Demons have existed ever since Malice energy existed. They are simply a natural consequence of the projection of Malice into the Astral Plane. Most sentient beings remain blissfully unaware of their existence, but they have always lurked in the Astral Plane waiting to strike, purely for the joy of it.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Demons use willing sentient beings as hosts, in a parasitic relationship disguised as symbiotic relationships where the demon provides the host with its immense power, and in exchange the demon slowly consumes its soul. Demons can use Humans, Kairothians, and Celestials as hosts.
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