Demons of Infernum

in: Races, Demons

## Infernum

The realm of Infernum is the land of warfare and destruction.  It is a fiery realm where regimented squadrons of fiends gather in mustering fields.  Creatures of hatred and a desire for battle and blood man the parapets of great fortresses of basalt.  They keep vigilant watch for enemies and guard the souls that fuel their dread master within their fiery, shattered realm.  The ashen land of jagged mountains and molten rock is covered with strategic passes and fieldworks that stretch out between fortresses guarding those narrow entries.  There is little to no plant life in this realm except scrub brush and weeds, and the animals of the wastes are strange things, though some burrowing beasts do dwell in the tattered realm of war.  Though wild beasts are almost non-existent, great stables of war beasts for unleashing and riding both exist, feeding on the remains of the enemies.  There are a few places of note in this land, and at least two powerful demons that serve as lesser lords.

## Places of Note

### The Black Fortress

A vast sprawling fortress of blackened metal is covered in spikes and battlements covered with the heads of felled enemies and skulls bleached by the fiery heat of the volcanic landscape.  The fortress itself is enormous, filling the space of a small city.  The Black Guard serve in this place, defending their Lord’s most sensitive locations.  Vaults of weapons, trophies of war, and coveted souls exist here, guarded by towers and ramparts and squadrons of demons well trained and ready for battle at a moment’s notice.

### The Crucible

An area of the wastes that is marked by the blood stained soil.  No area of the crucible is without the mark of battle and the blood of those killed within it.  While it belongs for the most part to Infernum, it is a highly contested area. The black metal fortresses in this area ring the Vortex itself and hold the keystones that could open it for the demon lord who controls them all.  Newly formed demons are sent here to blood themselves against the enemies of Apollyon and the attacks of the other Demon Lords.

### The Blood Pass

A jagged mountain passage between Infernum and Slyth, it is fiercely defended against the decadent hordes of Slyth.  Armies of demons seeking to obtain favor in exchange for pleasure and those who simply seek pleasure through pain and battle.  The demons of Slyth that enter this place are often the most warlike of their decadent kin and the passage is bloodied and stained with the remains of demons from both realms.  A forest that runs through it expands and contracts depending on which of the forces controls the greater part of it.  Demons of Infernum constantly push back against the deceptive growth and the Demons of Slyth spread it as they push forward.

## Greater Demons of Infernum

### Calraxeris Urtaux, Demon Lord of Domination

One of the most notable Greater Demons under the command of Apollyon,  the Lord of Domination is said to be the father of chains and conquest.  He is an extremely powerful demon, fueled by the trade of slaves and the domination of others and made all the more powerful by every slave captured in battle.  Rumor holds that Apollyon was fearful of the power he had gained and the rise in strength and notoriety that he gained through his own conquests.  As a result, it is said that he was locked away in his own Fortress at the edge of Nil and driven mad by his presence so close to the realm touched by the void.  However, the truth of the matter is that the demon is the fortress within which his personal armies reside.  Born from the touch of the void, the Living Fortress travels across the skies of Infernum on an island of obsidian.  The living metal of the Fortress that makes up his body forges unique weapons and armor for those Demons that serve as his caretakers.  Among the ever changing walls of the Fortress are vast slave pens and cells, rooms of chains and cages of varying size and make.  Those prisoners who are placed within however, are rarely ever seen again.  Where the fortress itself originates before it became a sentient being however is up for much debate.  It matches none of the architecture of Infernum nor any other realm of the wastes, though it does match ancient descriptions of the Eternal Bastion:  A place within the mortal world before modern memory that stood as a defense against some unknown armies long lost to time.  How it came to be in the wastes and how it came to obtain sentience to become the Lord of Domination is unknown.

Demons that follow Calraxeris are often grey or a deep black in coloration.  They are more solidly built than most of their demonic kin.  Broad shouldered and toned with hard skin often infused with bits of metal from the fortress.  In nature they are similar to other demons of Infernum, but often look toward slow and steady methods rather than quick and brutal.

### Ghor-Kuvak, The Lord of Rage

Powerful and hateful, the Lord of Rage is a reckless and dangerous creature often found among the fiercest fighting in the armies of Infernum.  A Greater Demon in service only nominally to Apollyon as he provides the opportunity for battle and bloodshed.  Ghor-Kuvak is the foremost of the caste of warriors in Infernum known as Berserkers.  A bestial demon who loves nothing else more than to fight and spread bloodshed.  He is a favored patron of Demons that seek bloodshed for the sake of bloodshed and mortals who seek only to be empowered by his boundless rage and hate.  Shunning the organized ranks of his kin and their master,  the Lord of Rage charges into battle with the teeming hordes of the abyss.  His body is a patchwork of countless scars, still embedded weapons, and often still bleeding, wounds barely held together with jagged lengths of steel to bind them.  His massive two handed axe, Skulltaker, is feared throughout the wastes for the power of its construction and the skill and speed with which Ghor-Kuvak wields it.  The Lord of Rage has been said to be able to slay a score of enemies with a single sweep of Skulltaker.  While he is unpredictable and wishes for nothing more than to battle Apollyon himself to the death, he has been a useful tool for the Lord of War to point toward his enemies with promised duels that never come.

Demons that follow Ghor-Kuvak are usually muscular behemoths.  Towering and vicious creatures adorned with many horns and claws.  They are almost always scaled and ever stained in the blood of their enemies.  In nature they are often brutal and full of rage and anger, seeking violent and bloody conflict wherever they go for the sake of battle alone.

## Appearances and Abilities

### Demons of Infernum

Demons of Infernum tend toward appearances that invoke both martial power and intimidation. They are often scaled, and vary in color from deep reds to occasionally pitch black. They are sometimes winged and sometimes not: their ability to fly depends on their role within Apollyon’s ranks. Tails are common, and they nearly always have horns, tending toward those varieties which are strong and overtly threatening in appearance.

**Special Ability: Hellfire Blade** - The demon is able to produce a weapon from thin air, summoned from the armories of Infernum even if they have been completely and thoroughly disarmed. This weapon is fully as capable as anything found in the mortal world, though a highly restrained demon may still have trouble using it as simply summoning a weapon will not undo a set of shackles.

#### **RPR Stats**

* **Target(s):** Self
* **Dice Modifier(s)**: Strength+Offensive Casting/2
* **Difficulty Class:** Target rolls Dodge+Magic Resistance/2
* **Cost(s):** 2 mana, 2 stamina
* **Effect(s):** The user brings forth a blade of flame to attack with.
* **Cooldown:** 5 Minutes

**Special Ability: Mark of Infernum** - By summoning up the roiling heat of Infernum’s fires, a demon of wrath and war can render themselves very temporarily immune to magical spells and abilities. They can use this in reaction to a spell being cast, though they must be aware of the spellcaster. This blocks only the next spell being cast, and will not block subsequent spells. This can only be used once every twenty four hours.

**Special Ability: Shrouded Form** - The demon may use its inherent magic to disguise themselves as a human version of their demonic form. Their demonic features are hidden and replaced with human characteristics. They have access to only this extra form, and cannot change its appearance with this ability. If they are downed in combat, the illusion breaks, and they are revealed in their full demonic splendor. Certain abilities and items are capable of seeing through or defeating this illusion. They must change to the human slider range while using this ability.

#### **RPR Stats**

* **Target(s):** Self
* **Dice Modifier(s)**: Disguise
* **Difficulty Class:** Fixed (1)
* **Cost(s):** None
* **Effect(s):** The user veils themselves with an illusion to hide their features as a human.
* **Cooldown:** 30 Minutes

**Weakness: Fiendish Nature** - Demons can never receive benefits from the benevolent powers of the Holy or Nature spheres of magic. They can still be negatively affected by these spheres, and may even be especially vulnerable to certain abilities.

**Weakness: Lingering Corruption** - A demon who has been injured cannot hide their nature any longer.  As per the Shrouded Form ability, when a demon is injured they are revealed for what they are.  While Injured a demon cannot make use of their Shrouded Form, nor do any of their racial abilities function until they are recovered from their wounds.  The nature of their corrupt blood brings chaos in the realm of mortals, even to the demon’s own power.