Demons

*The cultists would have us believe that there are a wide variety of demons; an infinite number of nether realms from which they spring. They would have us believe that not all of these abominations are evil creatures bent on destruction. And yet, were this true, if they were so innocent... why then would our Great Goddess have gone to such lengths to seal them away?

Do not be fooled, my children, for the greatest of lies always contain a grain of truth, to make the falsehood seem plausible to the ear. Make no mistake: There **are** a great number of demons, and many are their foul faces, but **all** are evil and we cannot rest - we **must** not rest - until all of their ilk are gone from this world! Suffer no demon to exist in our realm!*

## The Many Faces of Demonkind

 File:Demochibi.jpg
**Collected and compiled from various Vloz'ress Clan texts:**

The name 'demon' is perhaps a misleading one, for it brings to mind certain preconceived notions that are untrue or - at the very least - inaccurate. The only defining trait that one can guarantee from the word *demon* is only that the being referenced comes from a Netherworld; in truth, there are a great many "species" of demon, each one coming from a different Netherrealm. The true limits to the number of Netherrealms that exist is unknown, and could very well be countless, and as a result, no two demons are exactly the same.

Further, demons are - in their natural forms - ethereal creatures that have no presence on this plane. They are purely energy-based creatures that remain so unless they latch onto an aura-bearing being, consume its aura fully and take over that body. Once they gain a material frame, they are attached to that frame until they are killed, whereupon they are freed once again as ethereal creatures unless they are sealed away or sent back through a gate to the Netherrealms.

For the most part, demons are not visible to normal eyes. Like mana, demons are detectable by those with properly trained senses. Demons, and by turns tainted mana, are recognized by their unmistakable red glow.

A great deal of research has been poured into the realm of demonology, for only through the study of a subject can information be gleaned about it, and through knowledge can control be gained. However, for sense to be made of this vast and complicated subject, we must start at the beginning.

## The Identification and Classification of Demons

When demons take over fae, it leads to a partial assimilation of the host's memories. Whether the demon makes any use of it depends on its origin, the size and how long the two had been spending time together before the seed devoured its host. A quick takeover by a mindless worm from a netherworld will always result into a mindless beast.

Although the individual details of demons are as countless as the number of stones in the Underworld, through study two main trends are noticed. This is the first tier of classification, wherein the whole of demonkind are separated into two major categories. We term these "Ver'aku" and "Vel'akar". Beyond that, demons are often further categorized by their main defining characteristic, usually acquiring a nickname based on that trait. These names, however, often end up being whatever nickname sticks when referring to those demons, sometimes resulting in crude or irreverant names.

### Ver'aku

Ver'aku is a general term used to describe any demon that has a comparable intelligence level to animals, at best. These demons are the most common, for they are solely instinct driven and do not have very complex motivations. Thus, when a gate is opened between the Netherrealm and our world, the draw of mana on this plane serves as an attractive lure which such simple creatures cannot resist. Yet, for all their simplicity, they are also the most utilitarian, for they are unable to provide much willpower to resist the commands of a Summoner who brings them over.

This is the Ver'aku's greatest strength and weakness, in one fell swoop; easily controlled, but not likely to make clever decisions.

#### Examples

Although there is no guarantee that Ver'aku will all be alike, there are a few which result in similar configurations. Close enough to be grouped together, at least. Some observered examples of Ver'aku are as follows:

##### *The Glutton*

The demons we call "gluttons" have no understanding of form, limitations, or even the physical realm enough to sustain a material frame in any sort of logical or feasible configuration. These demons continue to absorb matter into their bodies, consuming any biotic material they come across, and continually growing in size. These demons are incredibly difficult to kill, because they have a tendancy to generate quickly, and they often have a number of the same organ; a redundancy which requires them to be dealt with in drastic matters which many consider 'overkill'. Completely crushed, fully burned or hacked to pieces, this is not a demon that can be finished with half-measures.

##### *The Devourer*

The second type of observed Ver'aku, these demons also hunger, and alter the body they take over in often-horrific ways. The flesh pulls back from the mouth, teeth elongate and grow sharp, claws and spines sprout from the body, all to aid the demon's goal of feeding. Incidentally, these demons resemble their ethereal forms; worms with many-fanged mouths that consume all mana they come across. As they are driven to feed, they tend to be rather brainless - and thus, easy to kill - but it has not been unheard of for a Devourer to retain some of the skills and knowledge of a possessed host, making them even more dangerous; these more fearsome versions of the Devourers are sometimes called "Hunters".

##### *The Horrors*

The third described variant of demon is truly deserving of its name. As best as can be construed, these ethereal demons are akin to living Nether Gates, and consume all mana around them; their presence can be detected by darkness, as mana-powered lights are extinguished as it feeds. When sensed through manavision, a Horror appears as a shapeless black mass with countless ever-staring demonic eyes. Horrors do not possess their victims; instead, they completely consume the aura they contact, resulting in that being's death. This ability to kill without wounds makes them some of the most feared demonic entities and, although it is one of the strongest known kinds, eventually it will consume all of the surrounding mana and die on its own, as it cannot survive without its food source.

##### *The Cyclops*

This demon variety is characterized with the face having only one eye, and is known to be a more docile demon that is good for servitude.

##### *The Goat*

Another type of docile demon, more inclined to flee than to infect. They are mainly seen in an ethereal form.

### Vel'akar

A Vel'akar is a rare treat; intelligent demons are not often come by, and when they are, there is no guarantee that they will even approach a gate. Given enough coaxing, with a suitable host, the creation of a Vel'akar is an accomplishment that few can claim, but all colleagues in the field of demonic studies can respect. It is impossible to further define Vel'akar, because their individual traits vary so greatly that each must be measured by their own merit.

While it is up for philosophical debate, a Ver'drowendar can fuse with their seed to become one with the demon, similar to a Vel'akar. The only difference is that the Drow is in control of the demon with this fusion (characterized by having white swirls for pupils), whereas a Vel'akar indicates the demon is in control. The evolution is incredibly rare; previously only Sha'sana and Kiel'ndia Vel'Vloz'ress have achieved this feat, but Snadhya'runes Vel'Sharen and her Nidraa'chal associates recently merged their own seeds, such as Kalki Nidraa'chal, Shodun Val'Illhar'dro and Sae'rali.

#### Shards

"Shard" is the term used to define a Vel'akar in it's larval or 'child' phase, although it is believed that this is the result of a Vel'akar that has been split or destroyed in some manner. These individual shards have above-animal intelligence, usually, but are always obsessed with - or 'lust' after - a singlular "something"; these shards are completely affixed on this thing at their basic phases, but as they consume more auras, they display the ability to grow, gradually constructing a new personality of their own.

#### Friend Demon

Friend Demon is the name dubbed by readers for the black and white conglomeration of demons surrounding Kiel'ndia Vel'Vloz'ress, an entirely unique type of demon only she can use. Running with the notion that Kiel often breaks the 4th Wall in the Moonless Age comic, Friend Demon is intelligent and comes from the netherworld the readers are in, thus imitating what they say on the forums and elsewhere on Drow Tales. The mass is able to speak and hold conversations with Kiel, but only she can hear what they're saying. Friend Demon is also able to split from the main body to form an autonomous demon mimicking male and female bodies, called Demon Prince and Princess; examples of these separate beings are Bast and Sindas.

#### Examples

Each Vel'akar is a differing creatures, each one as varied as anything else. As they can occupy any aura-based creature, their one unifying factor is their intelligence. Herein are a couple of individual examples of known Vel'akar.:

* Discordia - The succubus which has become known as Discordia is a Vel'akar, and the last Shard of a very ancient and powerful demon.
* Umpus Vel'Vloz'ress - Umpus is a Vel'akar summoned by Sene'kha.
* Khaless Sharen is a Vel'akar from beyond the veil, under the service of Snadhya'runes Vel'Sharen