Demon Lore (Patreon)

This is much less organized than my typical lore documents. There is no structure here, and it's essentially just a shotgun blast of different data meant to serve as a general overview of how (Karnallian) Demons work in my setting. Sorry for that, the next lore thing will be more structured like usual. 

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Demons are creatures that dwell in the mystical Realm beneath Karnalle’s surface, the Endless Hells.

The Endless Hells were created in the early days of Karnalle, intended to be the place where the souls of the wicked are punished according to the whims of Tenebris Primis. Being a Goddess of fickle attention span, however, she didn’t oversee the punishment of mortals for long. She thought it would be more fun to make a mockery of what her sister was doing on the surface, so here in her domain she created a race of her own to amuse herself.

The landscape is exactly what one would expect a traditional, if cartoonish, depiction of ‘hell’ to look like. Rivers of blood, burning pits, brimstone, tortured souls and volcanic mountains. While not truly endless, the size of this Realm is many times the size of Karnalle and it seems to stretch on forever. Unlike Karnalle, whose borders simply end in the blackness of the void, the Endless Hells are surrounded by a sea of swirling smoke with jagged pillars erupting out of it.

Human souls are funneled here after their death, and depending on the severity of their sin they may spawn in the domain of more wicked demons. Not all sinners are given some ironic form of punishment- hell is what you make of it. Some souls might find salvation and ascend to the Supernal Skies, others could become tainted and morph into demons, while others still might resign themselves to their endless torment.

Traveling to Karnalle is an incredibly difficult affair for all but the most powerful of Demons. The ‘simplest’ method is to reach the rocky ceiling and break through the barrier between Realms, something that has only been achieved several times in history.

Otherwise, Demons are reliant on the summoning magic and the rituals of Karnallian Mages, and there are typically great limitations on these methods.

The stronger a Demon is, the stronger the Mage has to be to bring them to Karnalle. Through remote viewing magic, many powerful Demons actively keep an eye on promising Mages and approach them with whispers and promises of power in order to develop them into useful tools. There are a lot of other obscure ways to travel between the two interconnected Realms, but these are so rare that it’s not much of a guarantee and few demons take them seriously.

There are some Demons who live in Karnalle who have never lived in the Endless Hells. These are typically the surviving remnants of the armies of former Demon Lords who followed their Lord to the surface world and then outlived their reign. Given that they stick to the dark and hidden corners of Karnalle, Realmborn Demons are often more feral and primitive compared to their Hellborn kin.

A Demon’s lifespan is directly tied to their power and the strength of their will. Typically a mid-level Demon might be able to expect 500 or so years, while a Demon Prince might last for thousands. Life expectancy is quite short, however, due to the environment which sees constant infighting and betrayal.

Half-Demons with a human parent typically see an extra century or two depending on the power of their Demon parent, though this can scale much higher in the rare case of a Demon Prince siring a crossbreed.

Demons are a reflection of humanity’s negative aspects exaggerated to the highest degree possible. They are not inherently evil, nor are they incapable of positive aspects or changing their views, but they are predisposed to darkness. Demons who live in the Endless Hells are subject to a constant battle for survival, and it’s hard to come out from a lifetime of conflict among such peers smelling like roses. Demons that are born and raised in Karnalle among Humans are a different story, but again, it all falls down to what sort of Demon they are, how they are raised, and so on.

Karnallian culture takes a strange stance on Demons. The official doctrine is to worship the Twin Goddesses in equal measure, and as the Demons are the creations of Tenebris Primis, the faith sees them as neighbors that need to be tolerated. Given that Karnalle is not a theocracy and the impact of the Luxist Church and Tenebrist Coven varies depending on the area, this stance is not always enforced. Furthermore, there exists extremists on both sides. There are Luxists who believe Demons are a blight on Lux Ultima’s light and swear to eradicate them, while there are Tenebrists who work to further the agendas of powerful demons in the mortal Realm.

The most tolerated type of Demon are Succubi, and to a lesser extent, Incubi. In the modern age they are a fairly common sight in all the largest cities, and you practically can’t visit a brothel without seeing a handful of them. Half-Demons see a modicum of tolerance as well, especially the more Human looking ones.

The highest honor for a demon is the status of Demon Lord, a title that implies ultimate power and command over the Realms both above and below. When there is a Demon Lord, practically all Demons bow and respect their might. These are powerful individuals so unthinkable in their might that had things gone a different way, each could have destroyed all of Karnalle. There have only ever been seven Demon Lords, and each one came to power because of drastically different circumstances.

Below the Demon Lord is the Demon King, who holds the capital city of Gehenna and who has the most influence. The difference between a Demon King and a Demon Lord is primarily power and territory. There is usually always a King, but a Lord only appears every now and again and sweeps the near entirety of the Endless Hells into his control. A King can be contested and overthrown. A Lord is absolute.

Below the king are the Demon Prince and Princesses, individuals who control a large faction of supporters and territory within the Endless Hells. Title has nothing to do with age. Each one rules a different region, and all of them are unique individuals with their own goals and motivations. Some care a great deal of current events in the mortal Realm, others are content to simply do their own thing.