Belial-Demons

General Information

Demons are powerful and immortal creatures. The first of them, the so called Great Demons, appeared 2500 years ago for the first time in Assiah. Their true origin is still a mystery but because of the obtrusive date, many historians believe that there is a connection to Eden’s downfall. There are a lot of different theories but there is no evidence for any of them.

Despite their mostly human appearance, a demon's anatomy is absolutely different from that of any known lifeform. Almost their entire bodies consist of a unique form of solid Mana instead of blood and flesh. This is the source of their enormous magical powers. While human magicians need a huge amount of willpower and concentration to controle their magic, demons can feel the Mana around them and easily form it like a kid playing with clay. Additionally all demons are very resistent, the Great Demons even almost completely invunerable, towards anykind of magical or physical damage.

The appearance and behaviour of demons differ a lot, mostly depending on the characteristics of one of the four Great Demons who created all other demons in Assiah. Some look like ordinary humans while others lost any sign of their old form and became monstrous creatures.

Despite common believe within the empire, it'd be utterly wrong to say all demons would be "evil". Most are just selfish and egocentric while there is even quite a large number of demons that try to use their powers for good purposes. Of course there are still a few demons that can honestly be called evil.

Nevertheless all demons have become a part of Assiah's cultures, either as helpful element or dreadful scourge.

The Great Demons

These demons are the creators of all other demons and the most powerful ones among them. There are only four of them: Freya, Karma, Horus and Mammon. Although there are old legends about a fith demon.

Each of them has an unique personality and each one is source of uncountable legends within Assiah. Many scientists already tried to find out more about those magical beings but without any success. Their origin and their very nature are absolutely mysterious.

Avatars and Half Demons

Beside the Great Demons there are only their avatars, also known as "General Demons" or "Lesser Demons".

It's unknown how many really exist but scientists believe it could be more than 200.

Once each avatar had been a normal human until he proved being worthy to become a demon himself in one of the Great Demons' eyes. Only those are able to perform the transformation and replace the avatar's former body with pure Mana. Nonetheless the transformation is not perfect. Each avatar has a biological core, his weak point which limits his powers dramatically. Even the oldest and mightiest avatars are far weaker than the Great Demons. Furthermore an avatar will die if his core is badly hurt or destroyed. It's quite fitting that this core is mostly known as "Demon Heart".

Actually Half Demons are not really demons. They are humans whose bodies have been filled with Mana to increase their magical sensibility and so their powers. Although half demons can be very powerful and even mess with some avatars, they are absolutely mortal. The number of those beings has always been very small. Most of them are or had been upcomming avatars who first had to show that they are able to handle such powers.

The Great Demons

Freya

Freya is the most powerful of the Great Demons and the only female one.

She lives in an enormous temple in the south, close to the city of Frey and is the mistress of her own realm where she is praised for her support and her blessings. Some people of the empire believe that mental manipulation is the reason for Freya's popularity but in truth its just her

kind heart. There are evidences in form of ancient textes and reports that the Realm formed rather against Freya's will. It was the people who made her their mistress as thank for her help and of course to ensure her permanent support. And her support is quite effective. There are no major illnesses in her realm, the ground is fertile and the number of natural catastrophes is near zero.

Freya loves her people and the people love Freya. Although she is a very kind hearted and motherly person, she is also well known for her nymphomanic personality. But the people of her Realm do not mind. No wonder, Freya is not bad looking for her age. Yearly hundreds of young men and women come to her temple to be chosen as new servants.

Freya's Avatars

Almost all of Freya's avatars are female and share many of her characteristics. They are friendly, helpful and warmhearted. Additionally some are a little nymphomanic, too. Most of these avatars had once been Freya's favorite servants.

It's tradition that every town or community in Freya's Realm is protected by one of her avatars. Although they do not govern the town, they are powerful patrons who help with every problem that cannot be handled by the citizens anymore. Furthermore Freya's avatars are a symbolic connection to the Great Demoness herself and loved by the people.

A small number of avatars decided to leave Freya's Realm and enter the empire. Usually they are fanatic idealists who want to bring love and happyness.

Karma

Karma is the most terrible of the five demons and everybody in Assiah fears him.

He is the source of innumberable nightmares and horror-stories. He wanders around, aimlessy and mostly far away from the towns but where he appears, he causes terror and mutation.

Although many demons like to alter humans' anatomy by magic, Karma became a real fetishist.

Nobody who meets him will reappear normally and only the lucky ones are allowed to keep their sanity. He has a truly perverted creativity and always tries new ways to torment his victims who are left behind when he is finished with them.

If there is something Karma loves more than transforming human beings, its to transform animals into hidous monsters. Almost all stable races of demonspawns had been created by him.

Despite his coldhearted doings, he always appears as courteous and elegant gentleman.

Some legends tell that he once had his own realm in the north of Assiah. A perverted reflection of Freya's Realm, inhabited by terrifying creatures which were neither human nor animal. But more than 2000 years ago his Realm had been destroyed by the united powers of the freshly founded Kingdom of Grave and Freya's avatars. But up to now he never showed any sign of revengefulness or hatred towards Freya or the people of Grave.

Karma's Avatars

Most of Karma’s avatars are male and as perverted as he is.

Nearly all of them live as wanderers and make the forests and mountains of the Empyrian Empire very dangerous. Some even travel disguised as ordinary humans directly through towns or villages. They are the ones who influenced the general image of demons within the Empire. The image of cruelsome devils who kidnap and torment innocent people. Though their tastes are very different and not all of them like to mutate anykind of living being, they are all cruelsome and don't know any mercy when they feed their perverted lust. Many young adventurers and soldiers follow the way of the demonhunter to decrease the number of those dreadful creatures.

It's well known that Karma likes choosing a new avatar in secret contests in which the willing (or unwilling) aspirants can show their cruelest fantasies which the Great Demon loves so much.

Horus

Horus is also called “The Beast” because he is more animal than demon.

He dislikes human cultures and prefers living in the wilderness. Although many people fear him, due too his bestial appearance and his wild nature, Horus is neither evil nor good. He is neutral like nature itself and won't hurt anybody who does not disturb or tease him. There are even cases in which he helped hikers and adventurer who got into unexpected danger.

There is no forest where Horus permanently lives. He was already seen everywhere on the continent and it seems he frequently wanders from forest to forest. There are legends that Horus' home is a cave somewhere in the mountains of the province Ganzrune.

Despite his rather peaceful lifestyle, young girls should fear him nonetheless.

The reasons are unknown but from time to time Horus kidnaps a young girl which he transforms into one of his pets, a hybrid of human and animal. Legends tell that Horus adds them to his "Harem" within his cave. Those legends also tell that despite his forceful behaviour, Horus cares well for his "pets" and loves them as if they were his children.

Horus' Avatars

Horus only has two avatars - Freki and Geri, also known as "the Hounds".

Twinsisters who live in the form of two giant, anthropomorphic dogs. A saga from Ganzrune tells that those demons had been found by Horus more than 1600 years ago. They had been babys, left behind by their mother during a time of cruelsome wars. The Great Demon felt pity for them and decided to adopt them. He cared for them and taught them how to survive in the wilderness. He loved his daughters, so he blessed them with the gift of demonhood when they had grown up. Now they are his beloved servants, his demonic daughters.

Mammon

Mammon is the businessman among the demons.

He doesn't use his powers for his own enjoyment but he sells them to people who want to be transformed or who want Mammon to transform others. He usually won't use other kinds of magic expect for magic meant to heal. The spells to summon Mammon are very simple and can be bought in every good magic-shop but Mammon’ services themselves are incredibly expensive..

Usually Mammon’s fairylike servant Demi makes the deals before Mammon does his job. He never shows any emotions and seems to be absolutely neutral towards humans.

He will heal a critically ill person as well as he will transform an innocent girl into a hidous beast.

It just depends on the money. Why he actually wants it is a secret.

If a person cannot pay his services, he can gamble with Mammon. If Mammon loses he will do the job for free, if he wins, the person will lose his bet, probably a limb, a precious item or his house.

Mammon's Avatars

Up to know there are no known avatars of Mammon.

In history he had transformed a handful of persons into half-demons but only in exchange for an incredible amount of money or gold.