Demons

Demons, or Kul'gesi, are the Aetherial fiends who inhabit the myriad planes of the Abyss. They are creatures of inherent violence and destruction, spawned and fueled by the power of the Shard of Evil, which drives them to spread corruption and ruin across the planes. They are among the greatest threats to the cosmos, having once nearly brought the gods to their knees, and to this day, are constantly eating away at the order of reality, attempting to pull it apart and plunge creation into chaos and despair.

## Variations

Demons come in nearly every shape and size imaginable, but certain forms and archetypes are so well suited to the Abyss's eternal war upon creation, that a large portion of demonkind take their shape. Generally speaking, demons can be classified into five categories, which denote their range of power.

### Minor Demons

The most common and weakest of demons, such creatures are usually unintelligent and feeble creature which the average mortal warrior has little trouble defeating. Their danger comes from the fact that they usually travel in great, seething hordes, and even alone, a minor demon is capable of spreading the corruption of the Abyss with their presence. In the hierarchy of the Abyss, minor demons are expendable shock troops, hurled in droves against the foes of their masters, and often tortured and killed for the slightest reason, be it failure, betrayal, poor performance, or simply for the amusement of their leaders.

### Lesser Demons

Lesser demons are a step above the repugnant hordes of the minor demons, though that step is admittedly somewhat short. Whilst nowhere near as stupid as the average minor demon, none would call any lesser demon clever, although some are possessed of a certain low cunning. Most are slightly below average mortal intelligence, but considerably above an average mortal in power, with a single lesser demon often being able to kill numerous mortals on its own, provided said mortals are not extremely proficient fighters or magic users. For this reason, they are the most commonly summoned by mortals, as they are powerful enough to actually be useful minions, yet not strong or intelligent enough to be likely to escape their summoner's control. In the Abyss, lesser demons often serve as high quality shock troops, not so callously thrown away as minor demons, yet still spent freely when needed. Some lesser demons also are given the task to keep minor demons in line, being given free reign to do so by whatever depraved means they see fit, allowing them to engage in their favorite activity: slow and deliberate torment.

### Major Demons

Major demons are very clever, very powerful creatures who typically end up being summoned by mortals to forge demonic pacts. They, and all demons who rank higher than them, are capable of engaging in warlock pacts, granting mortals access to their considerable power. They are often juggernauts upon the battlefields of the Abyss, serving as lieutenants to greater demon generals, corralling weaker demons in the general direction of the foe and ensuring that order and cohesion (at least what passes for it in the Abyss) is maintained within the demonic hordes.

### Greater Demons

Greater Demons are the generals and leaders in the wars waged both inside and outside the Abyss. They command numerous hordes of weaker demons, often being charged by their perspective demon lords with ruling sections of their Abyssal layers. Greater demons are terrifyingly powerful, bestriding battlefields like forces of nature, bolstering their own forces through fear and force of will, whilst sending enemy units fleeing in terror. Combined with their great power, demons of such potency are also extremely intelligent, like their demon lord masters, often weaving intricate schemes to further their power.

### Demon Lords

Demon lords are titanically powerful entities who are often worshiped or reviled as gods by various mortal cultures. Each and every one of them is a unique and potent creature of the Abyss, with no other demon being the same as them. Every demon lord rules personally over a layer of the Abyss, with more powerful demons ruling over larger layers, which were often forged together from smaller realms that they had previously conquered.