Grimm

**Grimm** are a race of demonic creatures which possess no soul matrix. They are also drawn to feelings of negativity - such as envy, sadness, loneliness and hatred - often congregating towards the source of these emotions.

## History

According to Arfoire, the Grimm were created by the Demon King Mollem in order to destroy humanity and oppose the two goddesses which ruled the world at the time. The two Goddesses fought Mollem and his Grimm forces, and eventually suceeded in defeating him and sealing him and his forces away in the Demonic Realm. Many Grimm remained on the planet even after Mollem's first defeat and had terroized Gamindustri for many centuries, while being opposed and defeated by the next Four Goddesses. Eventually, their master returned from his prison to continue his campaign, this time, regaining control over them via the Grimm Cube and sent the world into a three year period of chaos. However, Mollem was defeated once again by all of the goddesses and was this time destroyed for good. His Grimm minions were again exiled to the Demonic Realm, and those that remained were completely destroyed.

Since then, Grimm has become a thing of legends and the intrigue around modern day sightings was created, with most being dismissed as fake or misidentification.

## Traits

While Grimm are initially mindless and heedless of risk during their youths, leading them to simply attack any humans on sight, some Grimm are so powerful that they have survived to live for hundreds of years. In that time, they have evolved and learned from their experiences fighting humanity. This leads them to exhibit restraint and the patience to avoid taking unnecessary casualties in futile conflicts; instead, they stay close to humanity's borders, waiting for the opportunity to come where they can finally strike.

Grimm come in a variety of shapes and sizes; the latter appears to be a factor of age. Grimm are very biodiverse as different individuals may be born with more or less size, armor, spikes, etc. They are said to be the only creatures without souls with strength, durability and savagery. Some Grimm even have special abilities such as possession or usage of lightning and fire. Grimm are stated to be attracted to generally negative feelings such as sadness, hostility, anger and fear, and even congregate in areas that, although Humanity has long since abandoned, still hold residual traces of these feelings.

This behavior will even lead to them to join in on an attack in progress if the Humans being attacked begin to panic. Grimm typically form packs or other types of large groupings with other members of their own specific species. While some lone Grimm may stray from the pack for hours or even months, they will inevitably rejoin their group to continue their instinctive drive to hunt the people of Gamindustri and destroy any artificial creations associated with them.

The longer a Grimm lives, the larger it becomes, with species such as the Nevermore growing from the size of an average bird of prey to massive pterosaur-sized beasts after hundreds of years. Although Grimm have a more reckless and aggressive nature during their youth, older Grimm who have managed to survive their battles have the tendency to learn from their experiences. While sometimes requiring hundreds of years, the Grimm's accumulated experiences over the course of surviving their battles with man can cause them to begin exercising caution.

This perverse form of self-preservation can even lead them to avoid unnecessary conflicts altogether. Yet, despite this ability to learn, their instinctual hostility still remains, as shown by their preference to patrol the borders of Nations for any weaknesses they might someday exploit. This demonstrates that for all their apparent intelligence, older Grimm simply use it as a means to become more effective in their singular drive and purpose of killing.

Grimm display no enmity towards normal animals, and they only clash during territorial disputes. Humans and Goddesses are the only races they attack on sight. Grimm can also choose not to eat, and it is commonly believed that they do not require sustenance. When Grimm die, their corporeal form evaporates, preventing detailed anatomical or biological studies. This also means that Huntsmen that kill for sport cannot stuff and mount Grimm bodies as trophies, making replicas instead.

Also of interesting note is that Grimm usually die off when in captivity if they cannot kill their captors or escape first, implying that they cannot be kept alive by normal means. If the theory of Grimm not needing to feed is true, it may be possible that they survive on negative emotions or the act of killing in itself.