Lance De Leon

*Better The Devil You Know*

* Overview
* Sheet
* Background
* 'Ships
* Logs

Lance is an Old One, one of a number of ancient demons and former rulers of the world. This lifestyle of constant warfare wore on him, however, and he eventually shifted his approach and became one of a number of unified and powerful demons known as the Knights of Hell. Now walking the Earth, he pursues his own goals. Those who are aware of his superhuman identity or his accomplishments may know him as Demogorgon, a name regarded as being a formidable and fearsome figure.

## Personality

Lance has an assertive personality that also carries a strong appeal to it. He possesses a kind of charisma that especially tempts less strong personalities into following him. Although some may see him as a smart ass or unpleasant to deal with, he is undeniably perceptive and lives on his own terms. Those who encounter him as a foe may well be terrified by him, as he doesn't present a supernaturally formidable mien until the point where it serves him, or where necessary; most humans would be devastated to confront his full force of will. However, he is seemingly perpetually fascinated by humans and being in human form, and because of this he is prone to indulgence in consciousness-altering substances. His nature allows him to resist a great deal of their effects, but they nonetheless enthrall him and can not only impair his judgment but also affect his decision-making adversely in order to experience them. He can also, rarely, be swayed by connections made and loyalties formed through his affiliations with the facade he presents.

## SIGNATURE ABILITY

### Highway to Hell

After deciding to withdraw from prominence as a warlord-ruler, Demogorgon sealed off his palace and forces into a realm where time could not reach. Intent on leaving that pocket realm distinct and untouched, Lance nonetheless still resonates with it and, in time of strong need, can tap into it and summon his armies through. All inhuman warriors, they can fight in ways only imagined and long forgotten by even the world itself. Fiercely loyal, they will act decisively to cut down any foe of Lance's or address any threat.

However, Lance generally tries never to open any passage to that world or its inhabitants, because for every instant a door is open, time can exert its influence. From the moment his warriors manifest, Lance will try to return them to where they came from and close that portal, and consequently, they can only be in the world for a short time without endangering Demogorgon's timeless, peaceful realm. Because of this, they can only appear when Lance is genuinely in a very tight spot, and they never stay for long. After all, he genuinely cares about his people, and he would not risk the ravages of time intruding on his carefully-protected domain.

## SKILLS

Lance is an able combatant, both hand-to-hand and armed, although he greatly prefers to be armed and at a distinct advantage. Fortunately, given all of his abilities, he typically is at an advantage over most of his opponents; regardless, even if he were deprived of all his superhuman abilities, he could assert himself ably against a similar opponent.

Lance has plenty of knowledge, as well as practical application of that knowledge, in the field of horticulture. This extends to an awareness of botany higher than the average as well, but his main focus is horticulture, and specifically hemp and its relations. He is both informed and practiced enough to be able to cultivate most any flowering plant with a special degree of success, not to mention able to grow from cuttings, develop viable seeds, and put together a workable growing environment.

Lance is a generally knowledgeable and competent person in terms of academic and cultural knowledge, advantages and disadvantages evened out to an average.

Lance knows how to ride a bike, and he's aware of basic standards of maintenance. He is able to do a number of stunts and tricks, although on the whole he prefers simply employing a motorcycle for the purposes it was intended.

As a demon, Lance is highly knowledgeable in the various fields of the occult simply due to the nature of his existence. However, because of his history and essence, he's even more aware of cosmic connections and the networking of the magic world and able to employ magic at a fundamental level. Occult studies are simplicity to him, and his experiences have revealed truths most humans could not even comprehend. On a similar note, because of his nature and experience, things that would be incomprehensible or shatter the sanity of most humans don't even affect Lance slightly.

Lance is a devastatingly skilled strategist. He is able to maintain long-term plans that no other person is even aware of, buried beneath layers of other plans intricate enough to keep most anyone busy. Perceptive to a profound level, he is able to account for things that most would disregard or belittle; for almost any occurrence, he has a backup plan somewhere that allows for his survival at worst, or victory at best.

Lance is incredible with his ability to manipulate others, especially in undermining the authority of others. Whether using fabrication or fact, he can present his stance with such potency that it is often profoundly able to move those who behold the presentation. Other authority figures will often find it exceptionally difficult to command a greater degree of power than Lance, if he desires it.

## CASTING

Lance has a fundamental grasp of sorcery and can employ basic magic and even counteract magic in a basic manner. His understanding allows him to put the building blocks together for a more complex accomplishment or even counterattack, although it may take him a period of time to analyze and extrapolate what he needs from what he understands.

## POWERS

Lance is able to control every part of his body, even remotely. If dismembered, he is still able to not only control every part of his body, but also to give it enough energy to carry out its impulses. However, this would be incredibly difficult anyway due to his tremendously enhanced strength, stamina, and endurance. He does not require food, water, or sleep, and can easily endure ordeals that would kill any human. He is also immune to extreme temperatures and cannot be harmed by fire or ice, though his lack of sensitivity also means he is not always as aware of physical sensation as a human might be.

Lance is able to fly if disembodied and not attached to his host.

Lance is unable to be killed by conventional methods, and in fact he tends to find these methods unexceptional and not very painful at all. Certain supernatural attacks, however, he finds much more uncomfortable and tries to avoid. Overall he is not as attuned to physical sensation as a human would be, and his ability to heal his form means that he often doesn't have to be.

Lance is effectively immortal as an Old One, which also makes him resistant to things that would drive away or might even kill a lower-level demon: he cannot be banished by a ritual of exorcism, nor driven away by a cross, holy items, and so forth. Similarly, he can be in a church or have holy water or fire applied to his form, and it cannot defeat him, even if it might make him uncomfortable. As an Old One, Lance is not the average demon and as such, even demonifuges that would work against them cannot be guaranteed against him. Incidentally, his presence may cause the upset of animals and even elements; for example, his screams may cause thunder and his approach can cause seismic tremors of a serious level. This is not an effect manifested by force of will, but simply a side-effect from his very existence. As a demon, he is able to recognize others of his kind and can perceive the true form of not only demons, but also other supernatural beings in possession of hosts, including angels. He is able to perceive and to comprehend these forms fully and without any damage to his psyche. Outside of the wide array of angels and demons, most especially ones requiring possession to interact well with the physical world, he is generally able to sense other non-human beings, though he may not always know exactly what makes them non-human or their nature, especially if there is effort in concealing it.

Additionally, Lance is also able to perceive things that others might not, such as the flow of time and disruptions in it. His perspective on the world and the universe is grander than most other beings, and so he is able to put together details that may seem otherwise unrelated to others, or incomprehensible to them. If shifted in time, he is likely to be able to remember the experience and the timeline he existed in before alteration; he can also comprehend temporal manipulation and, given the opportunity, potentially trace it back to its source. This also applies to alterations of reality itself, though far-reaching and powerful enough changes may escape his notice.

Lance is able to communicate with plant life and control it to some extent. Essentially, he can encourage more robust health and even use some of his power to speed up growth, or conversely cause plants to wither if he should wish it. It isn't the most pinpoint-accurate ability, however, and he would find it very challenging to wither a branch or a leaf; generally it would have to affect an entire plant. Similarly, his ability to encourage growth and health in plants is best applied to at least one whole living plant, not just a single bloom or offshoot.

He is able to affect a space up to a sizable greenhouse, though the larger the space, the more his power is dispersed among it. The effects will be more potent if he applies his power to a more focused and smaller target, such as a single plant or a small group of them. Similarly, he can only communicate with plants in his immediate area, which would at most be that same sizable greenhouse in distance. It is difficult to translate plant communications directly, since they are so different from human life, but he can usually approximate the meaning if necessary. Most plants have a completely different sense of time than humans, which also factors into the difficulty of communication between them.

Lance is able to possess multiple targets, although one must be the main focus of his possession. He can only become corporeal through possession of a physical host, typically human; he can also possess an additional host, or even multiple further hosts, but with every additional possession, his power and focus are split and thus diminished that much more. Because of this, he tends only to possess additional hosts beyond his main host temporarily, and only for a very good reason. He is only able to possess hosts which he can breathe an element of his essence into, which typically requires being close enough for physical contact. Humans with particularly high willpower may resist this secondary possession.

By touching a possessed humanoid, Lance may exorcise them from the possession of a lesser demon. To perform this without risk, he must be able to touch the possessed humanoid at the throat, a traditional seat of the soul. However, this is not essential, and the more inferior the demon, the less risk it requires; menial demons are barely a consideration, though more major demons will present a greater challenge and risk to the host.

Through demonic power, Lance is able to assert his will through telekinesis, including the ability to repel multiple adult humans physically, which involves picking up a human bodily and propelling him away. This ability may be applied in a simple matter such as the repulsion mentioned, or in more biokinetic manners such as causing sensory overload leading to bleeding from the eyes or ears and even permanent disability. Generally he must be within close enough range to establish some sort of sensory fix on someone or something to accomplish telekinetic feats with accuracy; otherwise he can potentially accomplish them, but they may not be as effective and, in the case of biokinetic assaults, may fail entirely if not accurately targeted.

By breathing a modicum of his essence into another, Lance can perceive and analyze thoughts and memories relevant to his inquiry. This requires being close enough to breathe that essence into someone else, and naturally they will have to possess the memories sought, or else Lance will be unable to ascertain anything from their mind.

By force of will, Lance may traverse a considerable distance. While teleporting himself with objects on his person does not require a significant amount of focus, attempting to teleport himself with any passengers will require much more and can be disrupted far more easily.

## ADVANTAGES

Lance owns a motorcycle that is kept in good repair and a reliable source of transport.

Having been around for quite a while in one form or another, Lance knows people, both mundane and aware of the greater dynamic of the universe. He can call upon some of these sources reliably, others not so much. His status allows him to command lesser demons, and his name and reputation can also afford him the ability to influence the judgement and actions of others.

If he needed them for some purpose, Lance (as Demogorgon) maintained favorable relations with the Knights of Hell, including Abaddon, Illyria, and a very few others over the years. Though they have scattered to the winds, and some are currently indisposed, any Knights of Hell currently living in the world are highly likely to respond to Lance's need, though naturally, he would only do this in a time of great necessity; assembling such a powerful group of dangerous demons is not something to be done lightly.

Lance is fairly well off, not particularly needing to pursue any occupation in order to keep himself living comfortably enough, as long as he doesn't have any drastic costs incurred in his life.

## WEAKNESSES

Angelic power is a threat for Lance, and although not every angel would be able to match his ability or even threaten him significantly, virtually any angel could potentially incapacitate him for a period of time.

Being as ancient and powerful as he is, Lance generally tries to minimize the overt impact he has on the world. There are still at least a few groups, however diminished over the passage of time, that would like to see all of his kind sealed away and forgotten. Others might find out "just enough to be dangerous" and want whatever power he could give; information persists about the Old Times, enough to motivate the sufficiently ambitious. It is in Lance's interest to be selective as to his actions, because they are likely to always have a significant impact on the world around him, and no man -- or demon -- is an island; every action ripples out, and every major act carries with it the promise of some consequence.

Rituals able to "cure" a demon by turning them human can affect Lance, although they affect him differently since he is not of human origin. It's unknown exactly what the outcome would be if such a ritual were inflicted upon him, but it's likely that his powers would be reduced significantly, if not eliminated entirely.

Lance is unable to escape a devil's trap unaided and has his powers drastically diminished when caught within one, though he is not entirely powerless in its bounds.

Holy fire and water are extremely painful and incapacitating, although they are neither fatal nor able to cause grave injuries. However, they are significantly painful enough for Lance to flee them rather than endure them.

To say Lance has a reputation is putting it mildly, although only those who know of the Old Times would really understand the full power of that reputation. Most who find out things about him will merely see him as an entrepreneur who hit it big with the popularity of cannabis and its overwhelmingly positive social support. Those who dig deep and have the resources to do so may find out what he was up to in the Old Times, which can tempt all kinds of unfortunate things, from aspiring cult leaders to misguided crusaders for good wanting to try and stamp out demonic influence. Still others, who may remember him from those Old Times, probably fought Demogorgon and his forces at some point or another. If they're beings who are as long-lived as Lance, they may hold a grudge that they have held for eons and attempt to pick up old wars in the modern age. After all, even if the window-dressing has changed, it's still their world.

Lance may be incapacitated temporarily by certain potent spiritual weapons. These are typically weapons that have been dedicated to the specific purpose of fighting demons or in some way opposing supernatural entities. He cannot be killed or destroyed by these weapons, as lesser beings may be, but they can stop him long enough at least for someone to escape from his immediate area. Certain types of energy and spiritual connection in these weapons may cause grievous agony enough to incapacitate. These must be of a suitably opposed alignment to Lance's origin and unquestionably pure to have such an effect.

In the Old Times, the world was the domain of the Old Ones, demons of formidable potency who tended towards constant conflict. One such demon was Demogorgon, who commanded great forces against his enemies and savored the thrill of battle. At one point, he was involved with the formation of a group known as the Knights of Hell, whose membership included himself, Abaddon, Illyria, and a number of other notable figures; however, eventually Demogorgon grew tired of the carnage, tired of the violence and constant warfare, and quietly withdrew his presence and influence from the world, effectively disappearing after a point and only interacting with the world in subtle ways.

Eventually, the time of the Old Ones passed, and many either ended up in the Deeper Well awaiting some future golden age or in their various individual realms and sacred places out of time itself. Demogorgon, now known by the name Lance De Leon, carefully planned his moves and established a comfortable network of followers and business partners. Most recently, he was drawn to the town of Beacon Hills due to the curious surge of mystical power and interest, but he remains active throughout the West Coast in both business and personal interests.

*Maybe I'm A Little Bit Crazy*
I had so many *plans* when I came to Beacon Hills, and all of them changed the day I ran into Stiles in the coffee shop. We've had our ups and downs, but I'd trust him with anything and I'm pretty sure he'd trust me the same.

*Big Badass Wolf*
We have an understanding. I'm proud to be an ally of a powerful leader who, it must be noted, doesn't get all in my business. He also takes care of Stiles, so he's okay with me.

*BFFs 4evah*
Somehow, this unassuming human woman has all kinds of strength and wisdom. I guess you find surprises all over, even when you've lived as long as I have. There's something new every day, if you look for it. All this feeling business is pretty new, but I feel like I must like her as much as the people who call her "Mama".

*Stiles's Father*
The sheriff is actually pretty cool, at least as much as a cop can be, I guess. I've kindly avoided mentioning the fact around Stiles, but his dad is actually pretty hot. It's...more awkward now, apparently, than it was a few hundred years ago.

*Stiles's Friend*
Stiles is really tight with Scott. I haven't spent a lot of time with him, but he seems okay. Nice ass. Which is something else I avoid mentioning around Stiles.

*Abtacular Vampire Shining Knight*
He's weird for a vampire, especially one of his type. But he's kinda cool? I dunno, I like him. He just kinda goes with whatever. Respectful too, which I can't complain about. He does need to get laid. Like, desperately and probably repeatedly. But not by me.

Logs featuring Lance De Leon:

* 2019.02.27 - The End of the Apocalypse
* 2019.02.26 - Cutscene: The Demon is Back