Name Singular: Demon
Name Plural: Demons
Lifespan: Immortal
Powers/Abilities:
- Soul Eating — Demons devour the souls of other creatures (which includes mortal beings, such as humans, as well as the supernatural and immortal — including other demons) for sustenance and to increase their strength (more on this later).
- When living on earth (or another physical realm), most demons make a habit of devouring entire bodies along with the souls that they hunt for. A demon can digest nearly anything, and consume practically infinite amounts of material in one sitting. This leads to easy clean-up for demons who hunt humans on earth.
- General Invincibility — Demons are generally invincible against physical attacks from mortal beings. As a general rule, the most effective weapon against them is magic. It is worth noting, however, that demons are capable of harming each other by physical means — and this ability to physically combat a demon can apply to other ethereal beings, as well.
- Shapeshifting — Demons can take on a variety of monstrous forms to suit their needs, or they can make themselves look like an ordinary human or animal if they wish to remain inconspicuous. Shapeshifting has limits, however, in regards to size. A demon can shapeshift into something as small as they wish, but they cannot grow to be much bigger than the size of their true form. Also, in regards to fitting through portals (more on this later), a large demon cannot shapeshift into a small form in order to fit through. A demon’s ability to fit through a portal will always be dependent on the size of their true form. Similarly — in the eyes of any being that can sense the presence of souls and/or powerful magic, there is nothing that a large demon can do to make themselves appear small and weak. Their large souls and the powerful magic accompanying them will always be plainly obvious to such beings.
Physical Appearance: Even without shapeshifting, demons take on a wide array of monstrous forms. They can look like almost anything. The only limiting factor is that the size and complexity of their forms are directly linked to how powerful they are. All demons start out small — only as big as a cat or a small dog. Their initial forms are typically very simple-looking, sometimes even
cute, depending on who you ask. As a demon consumes more souls and grows more powerful, they will become physically larger, and will take on more complex forms — becoming more monstrous and grotesque over time. Some demons may have some distinguishing features that allow them to remain recognizable over time (for comparison, think of the evolution lines in Pokemon, or any other monster-collecting game), but, as there is no limit to how large a demon can become, there is also no limit to how far their appearances may deviate from their original forms.
General Description: Demons are driven by their hunger for souls. The larger the demon, the greater the hunger. A small, weak demon may only need to eat once a week (or perhaps even less often), but a much more powerful demon may need to feed many times a day. If a demon does not eat enough to sustain themselves, they will grow weak and eventually starve. Eating in excess, meanwhile, creates a thrilling sensation that can be described as an exhilarating high — which is sometimes intense enough to trigger an out-of-control feeding frenzy. Because of all this, demons are naturally driven to consume more and more souls in order to chase that high. Another benefit is that a demon who regularly consumes more souls will gradually become bigger and more powerful. The downside, however, is that a demon who increases in size and strength will also increase their own appetite. They will find themselves needing to eat more and more in order to merely satiate their hunger, much less achieve that thrilling high. In this way, a demon’s hunger is comparable to a drug addition. The more they consume, the more they need in order to achieve the same effect. As a result, demons who grow larger will appear to become more monstrous in both body and mind — as the largest of demons may spend the rest of their existence doing nothing but endlessly eating, and searching for more to eat…
While it is theoretically possible for a demon to "reverse their tolerance" by gradually eating less and less, it is nearly impossible in practice. It is difficult enough for the average human to overcome a powerful substance addiction — but for demons, there is the added challenge in that souls are still
food. They can’t just quit cold turkey and proudly declare years later that they’ve been clean ever since. No matter how long they hold off their hunger, they will have to eat again at some point. And when they do, a crushing relapse is almost guaranteed — especially since prolonged hunger and starvation will severely impact a demon’s impulse control. Most demons who attempt this sort of fasting will go into a feeding frenzy as soon as they try to eat again.
Demons can eat the souls of mortals or other demons (or really any other being with a soul), but consuming another demon (or other powerful creature) has a stronger "kick" to it than a mortal soul, and therefore "counts" as consuming a greater number of souls. For this reason, it is not uncommon for large demons to prey on smaller ones, especially in Hell, where other demons are easier to come by. It is also true that larger demons will "count" as a greater number of souls than smaller ones.
There are some demons who — wary of what they may otherwise become — will try to hold themselves back from consuming more while they are still young, and their hunger is still small enough to control. They seek to eat only enough to survive, resisting the temptation of eating more for pleasure, so that they will not grow into out-of-control beasts. Some of them may even abstain from preying on other demons entirely, consuming only mortal souls. With diligence and firm self-control, this is not impossible to achieve. Difficult, yes, but certainly within the realm of possibility. These demons often seek each other out for support and companionship, and some of them even dream for the day when their numbers become great enough that they can build their own society, where demons won’t have to live like animals. The problem with this, however, is that a demon who consciously avoids growing bigger and stronger will remain nothing but a bite-sized snack for the monstrous creatures that they are surrounded by. These demons have little choice but to live like refugees, constantly fleeing from the monsters that prey on them — and their numbers are often kept pitifully small.
Creation of a Demon: The origin of a demon can be difficult to discern. It is theoretically possible for a mortal soul to become a demon, but this is extremely unlikely. It would require a mortal soul to devour its own kind — not to mention, survive long enough to even think to do such a thing. It is unlikely that this is the origin of most of the demons that continuously repopulate Hell. Most demons, however, have no memory of their origins. The most likely explanation is that most demons are the result of incomplete souls — tiny, tiny pieces that fall off the lips of existing demons as they feast. It is believed that these tiny scraps of soul energy — in the company of others — come together to form a new consciousness. And this new being then hungers for more souls in a desperate attempt to complete itself, thus driving it to feed and behave like any other demon before it even has any awareness of what it is or where it came from.
Realm: Hell
Realm Description: If Heaven is a utopia, then Hell is anarchy. A cruel, uncaring anarchy. Hell is a dog-eat-dog world where every demon’s concern is survival, satisfying their hunger, and amassing more power. Think of it like the classic fish-eats-other-fish-to-grow-bigger video game, except that every fish is a player character. Every demon seeks to feed on those who are smaller and avoid getting eaten by those who are bigger. As a result, Hell is an overcrowded, chaotic mess, where, all around you, all you see are monsters, fighting and devouring each other.
Of course, Hell contains more than just demons — there are mortal souls, as well. Souls who do not reach Heaven or any other, preferable afterlife are then, as it is often told, "thrown into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:42). The blazing furnace, however, is only metaphorical. Hell is not a land of fire and magma. It is a cold, rocky place — lifeless, save for the damned souls that land there and the demons that feast on them.
The demons are the furnace — a constant inferno that devours everything it can, even cannibalizing itself. Hell is a tank full of piranhas — a scrap of meat thrown into it will barely last a second. This is the fate of most mortal souls in Hell. Many are devoured immediately — and those who survive longer, typically only experience a short existence of fear and terror. Some demons may feel inclined to
play with their food, so to speak — torturing mortal souls for entertainment before devouring them — and it is possible that this is where the notions of Hell being a place of eternal torment at the hands of demons comes from, but it does not serve as a place of truly eternal torment for each soul. Instead, the mortals who land there have simply been denied the paradise of Heaven, and deemed unworthy of a proper afterlife — and so they are thrown into the wild where the demons may do as they please.
Most demons are trapped in Hell forever. It is possible to escape, but only through a portal out of hell — and these portals often only exist temporarily, created by beings in earth or other realms who are trying to summon a demon intentionally. All portals come with a size limit of some kind. A smaller demon will have a much easier time fitting through a portal than a larger demon. This is just
one of the reasons why most demons existing on earth are smaller and less-noticeable. The other reason is that large demons who draw too much attention to themselves are more likely to be quickly eradicated by any entity that wishes to maintain peace on earth.
Other: After giving everyone else's race sheets such a close read, it feels weird to not have anyone to check mine. If anyone has any questions or wants me to clarify something -- please, don't hesitate to speak up!
Short Description: Cannibalistic monsters driven by their hunger for souls. The more they eat, the bigger their bodies -- and their hunger -- becomes. Most demons only exist in Hell, but some manage to escape to other realms.