Démon

*A ne pas confondre avec daemon.*
*"Démonique" redirige ici. Pour le talent de chasseur de démons, voir Démonique (talent de chasseur de démons).*

Les **Démons** ou **dae'mons**, et **démones**, sont des êtres immortels liés au Néant Distordu. La plupart se nourrissent de magie et de vie et aiment infliger des souffrances, corrompre et détruire tout ce qui est bon.

Originellement, un "démon" correspond aux races nées dans le Néant distordu ([[annihilan)), sayaad, nathrezim, ...), par opposition aux races de la Ténèbre de l'Au-delà (comme les humains). Un démon est fondamentalement une créature dont l'âme est liée au Néant Distordu, et ainsi y retourne suite à la mort du démon. Ils ne peuvent être réellement tués qu'au sein du Néant Distordu, ou des endroits où il y a des fuites de énergies chaotiques.

La plupart des démons étaient autrefois mortels. En effet, les créatures mortelles peuvent devenir des démons en étant infusées par de grandes quantités de magie gangrenéé, souvent sous la forme d'un don ou d'un cadeau comme celui offert par Sargeras aux érédars.

Tous les démons ne sont intelligents, de nombreux animaux ont été transformés en démons par exemple, et certains sont des constructions comme les infernaux. Même si la plupart des démons ont une connection importante avec la magie gangrenée, ils ne l'utilisent pas tous, comme les démons qui ont rejoint Illidan Hurlorage et qui se nourrissent plutôt de ses sources d'arcane, ce qui les libèrent de l'addiction à la magie gangrenée, ou Lothraxion, un nathrezim infusé par la magie de la Lumière. Tous les démons ne sont pas non plus mauvais, de nombreux démons sont neutres comme les observateurs, qui servent n'importe qui leur permettant d'observer les mystères de l'univers et de se nourrir de toutes sortes de magie, ou les démons servant les Illidari et la Moisson Noire contre la Légion.

Cependant, la majorité des démons ont rejoint le Titan déchu Sargeras et sa Légion ardente, avec pour seul but de détruire toutes les âmes-mondes de l'univers.

## Origines

As the universe formed, the most chaotic energies unleashed by the clash between Light and Void coalesced into an astral dimension known as the Twisting Nether. Light and Void bled together at the borders of this realm, throwing it into turmoil with chaotic magics. Life would arise in the Twisting Nether too in the form of the first demons, born as a result of this clash between the two energies. The Twisting Nether became home to an infinite number of demonic beings, most of whom sought only to destroy life and devour the energies of the livings. Where the Twisting Nether bled into the the Great Dark Beyond, demons would pour and destroy civilizations and worlds.

To combat the demonic entities that made their way into the titans' worlds from the Twisting Nether, the Pantheon elected their greatest warrior, Sargeras, to act as their first line of defense. Sargeras, the most powerful warrior among the Pantheon, carried out his duties for countless millennia, seeking out and destroying the demons wherever he could find them.

After realizing that the demons he defeated did not truly die and simply returned to the Twisting Nether to reform, Sargeras created the planet Mardum, the Plane of Banishment to which he would bind all the souls of all the demons he'd defeat so when they would return to the Nether, they would reform on Mardum and remain imprisoned for all eternity.

Eventually, Sargeras learned about the fundamental flaw in the universe, a flaw that made his primary purpose an impossible goal. As long as the Void lords tried to corrupt nascent titans, there could be no peace. Under these circumstances, the struggle was futile. The universe had to be destroyed utterly and remade without the underlying defect. World-souls needed to be gone or there would always be a risk for a dark titan to awaken. Only then could true order be achieved. Thus, Sargeras conceived of a sweeping campaign to bring about the end of all things: the Burning Crusade. To carry out his plan, he shattered Mardum and freed the demons to create the Burning Legion, an infinite army who would annihilate all life in the universe.

## Caractéristiques

Demons transcend all realities, destroying their possible worlds. Their spirits are tethered to the Twisting Nether and, as such, when demons are killed, their souls are sent back to the Twisting Nether, where they await for some time to be reborn in new bodies, with all the knowledge of their previous lives. Thus, demons can only be destroyed in the Twisting Nether, in places where it bleeds into the world of mortals, or in places utterly saturated with fel. Not all of a demon's power returns to the Twisting Nether, however.

Physical death for a demon is not a pleasant experience however for it still causes pain, even though they're temporary, as multiple demons have expressed anger and despair about their deaths. Since the recent story development of demons being immortal and being able to reform and return from the Nether, phenomenon that is now often reflected through their quotes, this behavior has been more and more diluted. It is very common now for demons to refer to their future return or virtual defeat, and some demons have used this fact as a taunt. When a demon is killed in the Great Dark Beyond, their soul drifts calmly in the Twisting Nether, which Lothraxion describes as a pleasant experience, before being dragged by Argus and reborn, although not before their soul is punished severely for failure.

Most demons' hunger for life and magic can never be sated for long. Their innate cruelty makes a moot point of whatever temporary satisfaction they can know. As a result, destruction tends to follow these demons, whether or not they are part of the Legion. If a demon cannot maintain a source of magic, they will weaken and perish.

Chaos, however, does not come easily to all demons - some struggle with the ways of the Burning Legion. That is why some carry an enchanted orb that invokes the rage required of any good demon. It is not known how the orbs are made, or who makes them. Others decided to not follow the Legion at all and serve their own agendas, or band with like-minded people such as the Shivarra serving Illidan Stormrage against Sargeras. However rebellion against the Legion is heavily punished, normally with eternal torture, as was done to Lothraxion, submission as was done to Ner'zhul, or death as happened to Gul'dan.

#### Mort démonique

The souls of demons killed outside of the Twisting Nether and fel saturated worlds shall merely return to the Twisting Nether to be resurrected. Sargeras sought to hasten this process by using the World-soul of the titan Argus to serve as a resurrection engine to hasten their demonic rebirth. However, demons who experience true death become nonexistence.

There is contradicting information regarding demonic regeneration on Argus:

* In *World of Warcraft: Illidan*, Illidan stated that Argus was so saturated with fel that a demon's death there was permanent. Illidan also said that Argus is situated on the brink between the Nether and the Great Dark.
* Likewise, *Chronicle Volume 1* states that demons die permanently when slain within the Twisting Nether, or in areas permeated with fel energy. This was already the case before *Chronicle*.
* The audio drama *A Thousand Years of War* says that if a demon is killed within the Twisting Nether, it dies for good. It also states that Argus is fully shrouded by, and situated within, the Twisting Nether.
* In the Patch 7.3.0 trailer, Illidan can be heard again stating that "every demon that dies here dies their final death".

However:

* In Talestra the Vile (quest), Talestra the Vile in Krokuun says "I will be reborn by Argus' flame! I will never... stop... fighting." Turalyon then states that "her soul will return to Antorus to be reborn, but not without punishment. Sargeras does not take kindly to failure."
* After slaying Vagath the Betrayed in the Antoran Wastes, Illidan states that "his punishement in Antorus will be severe."
* Upon dying in Krokuun, Quartermistress Kl'azz exclaims "By Argus' flame I will be renewed."
* Felbound Drudges, after being freed in Krokuun, exclaim "There is no fighting them. With each death, they return!"
* After hearing about Argus' world-soul in Storming the Citadel (quest), Turalyon says "A titan... the Legion must have harnessed the power of its soul to regenerate its armies in the Twisting Nether! If we can destroy it, the infinite army..." to which Alleria adds "... would become finite."
* According to Antorus, the Burning Throne: The Death of a Titan, the Legion is harnessing the world-soul's power to "fuel the Legion's infinite army". Striking down the heart of Argus would sever the "Legion's connection to the world-soul", and defeat the Legion.
* Lothraxion describes his experience as drifting calmly through the Nether after he was killed in the Great Dark, until Argus brought him back.

##### Conclusions

It thus seems that demon souls do survive even after being killed on Argus, which is situated in the Twisting Nether. When asked about this, Jeremy Feasel replied that "[we were] free to speculate", which was likely in reference to the audio-drama published not long after the tweet and which answered some questions.

In the end, this is what we know:

* Demons killed in the Twisting Nether (thus including Argus) should die permanently, but Sargeras has used the world-soul to bypass this, allowing him to revive them through Antorus.
* Demons killed in the Great Dark can be brought back from the Nether through Antorus as well, as Lothraxion describes it in *A Thousand Years of War*, or by themselves, as Kruul can be seen regenerating in the Nether in a Mage Tower scenario.

##### Conjectures

Modèle:Spéculation
The only plothole left is that of Turalyon, Alleria and Velen stating that severing the Legion's connection to the world-soul would equal to the Legion's defeat, or that without it the Legion's infinite armies would become finite, since demons were already able to regenerate in the Twisting Nether long before Sargeras even discovered Argus. However, one could imagine a few reasons why that may be so:

* Argus seems to serve as an anchor point for demonic regeneration, not unlike Mardum used to serve as an anchor for the demons Sargeras killed. Without the world-soul, the demonic forces would be spread out through the Nether regenerating individually, heavily crippling the demons as a united and organized force - even though they could still move throughout the Nether in spirit form (as Illidan does in the demon hunter campaign).
	+ However, Antorus shows that the Legion possessed a great nexus of portals connecting many of their worlds - including Nathreza, Xoroth and Rancora - which Khadgar even compares to the Dark Portal, so while the loss of a universal anchor point would indeed be hindering, it may not be as much as one would've thought thanks to their network of dimensional gates.
	+ The world-soul of Argus could perhaps have been powering and stabilizing these portals, allowing large numbers of them to be open, while also avoiding a catastrophe like on Draenor.

### Traits

Les démons ont des traits spécifiques et typiques, mais ne possèdent pas toujours tous ces traits.

* Les érédar ont une variété de couleurs de peau, dont des peaux bleues, marrons , oranges, rouges et vertes.
* Les diablotins corrompus ont des ailes, alors que les diablotins basiques n'en ont pas.
* De nombreux chasseurs de démons sont connus pour avoir des écailles.

## Mondes

* Argus
* Xoroth
* Nathreza
* Mardum, les Abysses brisées
* Niskara
* Nihilam
* Un monde de la Légion sans nom montré par Etraeus, l'augure céleste.

## Altération

Some demons that were not born demons can be redeemed from their demonic forms into who they originally were. While there has long been speculation on this topic, one recorded example of complete demonic redemption exists: the satyr Avrus Illwhisper. After assisting the player in curing a sick girl in Astranaar as a toll, Avrus was purged of his demonic shell by Elune's blessing, turning back into a night elf and being renamed Avrus the Redeemed. Based on Avrus' experience, it seems possible that someone who is truly repentant and is willing to earn a powerful enough blessing can regain mortality even after corruption.

Demons can also be altered magically, for example Lothraxion, a member of the Grand Army of the Light under High Exarch Turalyon and Lady Alleria, is a Light-infused nathrezim. Demons altered by this way are also capable of traits such as altruism and compassion. There are also void-infused satyrs and imps in service of the Old Gods and the Nightmare. Illidan freed many demons from the fel corruption of the Legion's magic by feeding them the arcane energy held within the Shrine of Lost Souls.

## Warcraft I et II

In *Warcraft I* and *II*, demons were referred to as daemons, which is a variation of the term demon.

### Daemons of the First War

 **Le contenu de cette section est exclusif à *Warcraft: Orcs & Humans*.**

*Article détaillé: Daemon (Warcraft I)*

#### Human description

*Denizens of the underworld, these creatures are the most powerful entities to ever exist in the lands of Azeroth. Their aptitude in the arts of deception and combat are only equaled by their sadistic nature, and the puissance they possess in the black arts of magic. They command the searing fires of Hell as if it were their plaything. They are the true lords of chaos, wreaking havoc at every step and destroying what they wish. There is rumored to be a gateway that appears every thirteenth full moon that bridges the gap between Azeroth and the underworld, and it is during these brief moments that the daemons can come to this place. Legend also states that some have the power to summon these creatures and control them, but if this is so, none are alive to tell the tale of how it is accomplished.*
#### Orc description

*These hellspawn are evil incarnate. The ability to summon these dark minions of the underworld has long been lost, though the Warlocks seek to find those secrets once again. Breathing flame and wielding a blade forged in the fires of Hades, destruction and death are their greatest desire. These daemons possess cruelty beyond the imagining of even the sickest mind, and delight in the execution of their plans. If there is a way to send these monsters back into the pits that spawned them without the loss of many lives, it too is a secret locked away in time.*
### Daemons de la deuxième guerre

 **Le contenu de cette section est exclusif à *Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness* ou son extension *Beyond the Dark Portal*.**

*Article détaillé: Daemon (Warcraft II)*

*Daemons are the ancient and corrupt denizens of the lower planes. These winged creatures of fire are legendary for their fondness of destruction and brutal cruelty. Daemons harbor a lustful hatred for all mortals and hunger for any chance to bring pain and death upon them. It is rumored that Gul'dan has entered into a pact with a sect of Daemons loyal to the Daemonlord Sargeras who are willing to aid the Warlock in finding their master's tomb.*
## Dans le RPG

 Le contenu de cette section est exclusif au RPG Warcraft et ne constitue pas une référence.

**Demons** (aka the **demonspawn**) are evil creatures that inspire dread and fear in mortals. Almost all demons are members of the Burning Legion, a group with phenomenal power, that roams the cosmos preying on worlds. All demons are evil.

Most demons were once mortal creatures found on the worlds conquered by the Burning Legion, but have been transformed by their conversion into demonic beings. This change includes a powerful command of arcane energy. They define and control this arcane power with the force of their will, much as sorcerers and wizards do.

The demonic usage of magic will deploy fel magic, which uses the blood of demons to create the most corrupt and ultimate type of arcane magic. This type of magic exists naturally in demonic blood. As a result, "fel" and "demonic" is often considered the same, and the trait of being affected by "fel" is one of the most distinctive attributes of the demonic. Fel magic used by other creatures (often acquired by drinking demon blood) will grant demonic powers and, if enough is applied, even transform them into demons.

In *Monster Manual* there is a distinct breed of demons which use the "demonic" subtype. This kind of demons are described in *Manual of Monsters* Appendix Three and as told before the description doesn't match the demons described in the Warcraft universe. Throughout the *Manual of Monsters* the term "demon" refers to the minions of the Burning Legion, but in the section of "demons" of the Appendix Three they refer to the demons of D&D. However, the validity of the Appendix Three is disputed.

## Faits

Game mechanics
* Voidwalkers and other Void creatures are considered demons for gameplay reasons, but are not demons in lore.
* Demons cannot be skinned except for felhounds, darkhounds and their variants.
* Medium level (24+) demons can drop Silk Cloth.
* Higher level demons in the 50-60 range can drop Felcloth.
* Enchanters can enchant weapons with Enchant Weapon - Demonslaying which gives the player bonus attack power against demons and also causes their weapon to become engulfed in flames.
* Some can be banished or enslaved by warlocks.
* Hunters can locate demons on their minimap with Track Demons. Prior to patch 4.0.1, warlocks could do the same with Sense Demons.
* Prior to patch 7.0.3, paladins could afflict them with fear by using Turn Evil.

Lore
* All creatures who use the power of fel magic, willingly or otherwise, slowly take on the appearance of demons. This is particularly notable with demon hunters and certain warlocks.
* Knowing the true name of a demon can grant a certain amount of power over that demon. A weapon can hold this power if it is forged with the demon's true name.
* They can also be undead, as was the case with Mannoroth at Hellfire Citadel.

Other
* Before *Warcraft III* really solidified, Chris Metzen envisioned demons as shapeshifters who used magical illusions and deceit, and this version of demons was initially planned to be a playable race in classic *World of Warcraft* alongside naga and goblins. According to Johnathan Staats, this was likely a relic from when the Burning Legion was planned to be a playable race in *Warcraft III*. However, as *Warcraft III* developed, the demons got a lot more brutish, and on the development side, having a shapeshifting race proved too expensive as it would effectively entail making a whole additional race with its own animation sets in addition to the base race. Thus, playable demons were cut from classic WoW.

## Références

1. ↑ *Rise of the Horde*, pg. 464
2. ↑ Wanted: Malicious Instructors
3. ↑ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1
4. ↑ 4,0 4,1 et 4,2 The Warcraft Encyclopedia: Demons
5. ↑ It does tend to sound informal
6. ↑ Infiltrating the Black Temple
7. ↑ Jubeka's Journal
8. ↑ 8,0 et 8,1 Mythology of the Titans
9. ↑ *World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1*, pg. 18
10. ↑ 10,0 et 10,1 *World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1*, pg. 21-24
11. ↑ Sargeras and the Betrayal
12. ↑ Afrasiabi on twitter (2015-05-06)
13. ↑ *World of Warcraft: Illidan*, chapter 9: This time he saw not just one universe but a near infinity of them, a complex fractal structure, where new worlds were born each minute from the decisions made a heartbeat before. Everywhere the Burning Legion marched, destroying world after world.
14. ↑ 14,0 et 14,1 *World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1*, Introduction, "Denizens of the Cosmos"
15. ↑ Banish the Demons
16. ↑ 16,0 et 16,1 *World of Warcraft: Illidan*, chapter 25
17. ↑ Jeremy Feasel on Twitter (2015-06-06)
18. ↑ Blizzcon 2015 - WoW Lore Interview with Dave Kosak
19. ↑ Skull of Corruption
20. ↑ During the War of the Ancients, the demons feared for their lives during the confrontation with the Wild Gods and the devastating might of the Demon Soul.
21. ↑ Dread Commander Arganoth: "The master will mend my flesh again and again. You have not won. You cannot win. We are endless! We are Legion!"
22. ↑ Brutallus: "Agghh! Well done! Now this gets... interesting..."
23. ↑ A Thousand Years of War
24. ↑ *World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2*, pg. 169
25. ↑ Orb of Inner Chaos
26. ↑ 2019 Interview: Steve Danuser & Frank Kowalkowski - Story and Systems | The Lost Codex
27. ↑ *World of Warcraft: Illidan*, pg. 249
28. ↑ The Path to Argus
29. ↑ Vagath the Betrayed (quest)
30. ↑ A Thousand Years of War
31. ↑ Jeremy Feasel on Twitter
32. ↑ *Chronicle Volume 1*
33. ↑ 33,0 et 33,1 Battle for the Exodar
34. ↑ Demon hunter character customization options.
35. ↑ Xorothian Satyr
36. ↑ Shackled Ur'zul
37. ↑ Strike Back
38. ↑ Démon abject
39. ↑ Ravencrest's Legacy (quest)
40. ↑ He Who Would Be Forgiven
41. ↑ Xavius
42. ↑ Infiltrating the Black Temple
43. ↑ It does tend to sound informal
44. ↑ It does tend to sound informal
45. ↑ Warcraft II manual#Daemons
46. ↑ Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 17
47. ↑ 47,0 et 47,1 *Monster Guide*, pg. 188
48. ↑ 48,0 48,1 et 48,2 *Manual of Monsters*, pg. 112
49. ↑ 49,0 et 49,1 *Manual of Monsters*, p.191
50. ↑ Dave Kosak on Twitter (2014-03-07)
51. ↑ Ask CDev Answers - Round 4
52. ↑ The Maker#Adventure Guide
53. ↑ Shadow Lord Fel'dan (quest)
54. ↑ Illidan's Pupil
55. ↑ Not Just Any Body
56. ↑ The Name of the Beast
57. ↑ Fel Wolf
58. ↑ 58,0 58,1 et 58,2 MMO-Champion 2018-09-24. John Staats Interview - The World of Warcraft Diary (1:11:30). *YouTube*. Consulté le 2018-09-24.
59. ↑ 59,0 et 59,1 Countdown To Classic: Episode #63 – The Making Of World Of Warcraft With Vanilla Dev, John Staats (2:23:50) (2018-08-20). Consulté le 2018-09-24.