Invoking Demons

Invoking is the secondary, more precise part of summoning demons, the ignorance of which is the cause of most failed summons. Invoking means that the summoned demon is securely tethered to the realm and won't randomly be banished back to the moon. 
== Mechanics of invoking demons ==
Invoking requires that a pact be sealed with the demon or that certain conditions be met. Invoking demons is tricky business. Each demon has conditions for being invoked, some require specific conditions to be invoked, others require pacts in order to grant their gifts.
Pacts and conditions can be fulfilled after the demon has been summoned, but demons generally prefer to be summoned after the conditions are met. If the demon arrives after having been lied to about the conditions and/or the pact it agreed to, it will most often be banished. 
=== Tethering ===
Tethering a being to a realm means that the warp fungus it has ingested won't randomly warp the entity back to its original realm. In order to be tethered, an entity must produce faith sentiment, which delays the warp fungus' effect. A demon that has many devoted followers that produce faith sentiment will not have a great risk of being banished back to the moon. as such a demon will require a large and ever growing population of thralls in order to maintain its tether. There is a limit however, warp fungus has a limited lifespan and will eventually die out. Whether the warp fungus will warp the entity back when it dies is variable and poorly understood. 
==Conditions==
Conditions are what the demon requires in order to be tethered to the realm and to give its summoner its powers, these are different from rituals and are more tied to a demon's gifts rather than its arrival into Welt. Conditions ensure the demon and the summoner(s) produces belief sentiment in order to facilitate tethering.
===Examples of conditions===
Not all demons are summoned equally into Welt. For example, 
* A demon may require a simple sacrifice in its name, some may require murders taking place during a fog, some may require a lover's broken heart, and not always literally.
*Some demons are unable to interact directly with the World of Welt, even after a successful summoning. Their role is often that of a teacher or protector when hosting isn’t the objective of the ritual. An example is that of night terrors who urge their charges not to move in their sleep for fear of their discovery by an even worse fate.
*One ritual works by uploading a conscience or a spirit to an unwary host that is afflicted with memory loss as a side effect.
*One ritual consists of several generations venerating a demon and beheading family members of the host in order for the possession to take place.
*One cult brought a dead serial killer to life to perform murders. In order to spread belief in his return. The demon in the end will take host either in the killer, or in the body of a vehement opposer.
*One ritual’s objective is not to spread belief in itself, but doubt in another. This cult organizes and executes smear campaigns against those who believe in the target.
*A ritual where the Demon is summoned when the summoner shoots itself in the head.
*A ritual so powerful it is kept under watch. requires three murders over three days, ending on all hallows eve. The murders must happen in a cellar of a house whose inhabitants have been tortured (but not killed while the ritual is ongoing) surrounded by goat skulls, candles, and pentagrams. If correct the demon is summoned from a crack in the earth. The first person to cross the threshold into the cellar is possessed by the demon.
Respecting conditions is important as a demon that isn't appeased can lead to destructive consequences as seen by the famous desert amazons.
=== Examples of conditions: The desert amazons ===
The story begins with a family that stays rich as long as it forfeits its first born son to a demon. They enjoy the immense riches until the demon wants its due, they kill the child to appease it. Eventually a few generations down the line they refuse to kill the firstborn, who displayed incredible powers. Enraged, the demon attacked the homes whenever a son was born and the boys soul is taken by the demon. Trying to move to another house brings the demonic attack with it. The surviving rebellious women fled into the desert, creating a tribe of females only, with men seen with suspicion, treated as breeders and left out of their cities to ward off the demon.
==Pacts==
A pact is an agreement for a demon to give its powers to its host in order to tether itself to the target realm. The act of the pact itself is a small yeast colony hosting in the summoner, the colony isn't powerful enough to disassociate from its parent colony's will but can grant a limited portion of the demons power.
The Demon has to approach the mortal in question and offer him one or more gifts. These can range from special insight into the mysteries of the world to wealth and charisma, but it has to be in the range of power of the demon. Experienced Demons take time before accepting a summoning to observe their potential targets for a long period to find what would be of value to them. Most demons use their innate abilities to fool the hosts, appearing as angels to the devout to persuade them to sign pacts. Exact words can also be deceiving, as most Demons are masters in finding loopholes in these agreements.
A Pact can only be sealed after both parties agree to its tenets. Most Demons seal the Pact with a short ritual corresponding to their summoning conditions. All hosts may communicate verbally with their demonic masters, this communication is not limited by distance, but requires spoken words.
===Third parties/Thrall===
A Pact between a Host demon and a third party is possible without loss of power to the former. This is in fact how summoned demons grow in power, by harvesting belief from followers in exchange for a small portion of their power (not unlike pruning).
In exchange for these gifts, the host or third party has to worship the Demon on a regular basis, offering its belief sentiment, which it will dutifully collect, becoming a Thrall to the Demon. This belief can be directly claimed by the Demon, or used to enhance the third parties abilities, making him a more useful agent. worship in this case is a form of Sentiment. Often, these hosts find themselves drawn into more pacts once they have a taste of the infernal power a Demon is able to grant.
Category:Demons
Category:Pages with red links
Category:Concepts