Daemon
Daemons are unusual beings who serve as the tangible representatives of the Rakh'vash, Entropy Incarnate. Shapeshifting creatures that range from cutesy and humanoid to monstrous and incomprehensible in form, they are the ultimate expression of chaotic spontaneity. Such is their chaos that the Rakh'vash doesn't even bother to monitor their experiences, as it believes that divergence and chaos is the ultimate beauty of existence. It does, however, ask of each daemon's experiences once they die.
Upon death, daemonic souls merge with the Rakh'vash (which they were a fraction of to begin with) to be mixed up with other souls and split off again in a variant of not-quite-reincarnation. Some retain their memories, while others are brought into the world as oblivious as a newborn with only consumption instinct to drive them. Due to an agreement with the Soltelle Empire brokered by Rakh'dor ge Nu'ei, daemons may only spawn at the City of False Faces, from a well of processed mortal flesh known as the Daemonic Fountain.
Daemons all seem to share a fascination with deep sea life, in particular cephalopods. It's thought to be that the Rakh'vash's initial bets on intelligent life on Sekai were with cephalopods due to their general quick-wittedness, only for Kakajuan and Malassaian influence placing primates ahead of them. As such, the daemonic template, designed to negotiate with and invoke chaos within intelligent mortals, was hastily shifted from octopoid to humanoid, leading to an unusual default humanoid form which incorporates elements of both; instead of hair, humanoid daemons have coloured tentacles, and often their pupils are unusually shaped.
However, daemons are composed of processed humanoid flesh, and with hunting that exceeds the basic maintenance cost of their bodies, they can grow to significant sizes. The larger a daemon becomes, the less likely it is to be humanoid, often becoming asymmetrical, overrun with tentacles, and in possession of beaks and eyes in seemingly random spots. Like all immortals, the Thread is toxic to daemons, able to swiftly spread through and render inert their divinely-processed flesh in moments.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
While non-humanoid daemons tend to avoid having faces altogether, humanoid daemons tend towards the overly cutesy or the grotesque, depending on their aims. Rakh'dor ge Maman, for example, wishes to appear intimidating to nautical pirates while friendly to his beastmasters, and so adopts a kraken-like face, being known as Old Squidbeard. Meanwhile, Rakh'dor ge Nu'ei has a smooth, youthful face akin to a human-elf hybrid, instead styling her tentacles into a close approximation to hair that can be weaponised in a pinch.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Daemons are mostly endemic to Arkhera due to the extent of the Thread-wielding Soltelle Empire, their annihilation only prevented by Rakh'dor ge Nu'ei's diplomatic efforts. Their only major city is the City of False Faces. Despite this, the preservation of chaos-speakers in Ilazar means that briefly summoned daemons occasionally appear in Ilazar, to be quickly returned to the chaotic realm.
Average Intelligence
Daemons vary sporadically in intellect by mortal standards. Some are near-mindless killing machines that invoke chaos the best way they know how; by indiscriminate murder and collection of bodies for their forms. Others are capable of discussion and even manipulation of mortals for their own ends. Rakh'dor ge Nu'ei is intelligent and empathetic enough to be in love with a mortal, as befitting an advanced diplomatic daemon.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Daemons assign their own names, and so they run the gamut of unusual sounds and noises. However, when referring to each other, daemons use the honorific 'Rakh'dor ge', a title that roughly translates from Chaostongue as 'Our kin in entropy'. Sometimes, daemons too entrenched in their act as mortals will drop this honorific voluntarily.
Daemonic name examples: Rakh'dor ge Nu'ei, Rakh'dor ge Krehan, Rakh'dor ge Maman, Rakh'dor ge Krazdan, Rakh'dor ge Luzma, Luna Riversong.
Major Organizations
The City of False Faces
Daemonism
Ilazari Maltheism
Plague Empire of Ilazar (historical)
Daemonism
Ilazari Maltheism
Plague Empire of Ilazar (historical)
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Arkheran daemons are generally regarded with wariness and fear, a reputation that's hardly unearned. Their need to consume mortal flesh is good reason for most humanoids to stay away. Despite this, some mortals, especially chaos-speakers and other daemonologists have come to realise that not all daemons are made equal, and so plenty of more diplomatically-minded daemons are accepted as part of society. Some daemons, such as the Riversong Sisters, are cultural icons.
In Ilazar, daemons are seen more as summonable monsters or tools; recognised and feared for their divine representation of chaos while not attempted to be befriended. As such, they're unsummoned as soon as their purpose is fulfilled. This is despite the culturally important Plague Emperor openly having a daemonic lover who was his brief successor prior to the Plague Empire's collapse.
Scientific Name
Deus chao
Origin/Ancestry
The Rakh'vash
Average Physique
Daemonic physiques are fluid and inconsistent. Their only constant throughline is that when their form is shifting or structurally compromised, their flesh resembles a black, inky fluid, and as a rule, daemonic appendages default towards tentacles and tendrils unless they're actively attempting to imitate humanoids. The larger a daemon is, the less likely it is to adhere to a humanoid form, becoming less organised and covered in eyes and tendrils. Daemons absorb mortal flesh to compose their bodies, so depending on how many humanoids they kill, they could be as small as a lizard or as large as a house.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Daemons, being free to express their forms however they wish, can mimic humanoids of all colourations and even become unnatural tints such as blue and purple. Their tentacles tend towards being purple and red, and in eyes which aren't part of their humanoid guise, such as tentacle-bound eyes, the default colour appears to be red.
Geographic Distribution
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