Flame Imp
True Demon
Hellions

Biology

Physiology

Flame Imps appear as short, fittingly impish humanoids with pink-red skin that constantly lets off heat, creating steam that rises from their body. Their eyes are yellow with black sclera and have horizontal pupils like that of a goat, while their teeth are pointed and sharp, with four prominent canines that are even longer and pointier than the rest of their teeth. Their tongues are blue and the back of their throat constantly glows a burning orange shade. Small horns emerge from their forehead, nubby and covered by their skin, and similar, but longer horns can be found on their shoulders and thighs. They only have four fingers on each hand, and their nails are pointy and black. They have two toes on each foot and have an overall inhuman look to said feet. They are rather thin and wiry, and overall can even look somewhat gaunt. Their internal organs are filled with fire and their blood literally boils, creating a hellish heat that surrounds an Imp at all times. Their bodies are nearly completely resistant to all sources of heat, and the heat they generate makes it so that not even cold regions are particularly hostile to them. Being that they produce such an intense heat, though do not sweat in the traditional sense, as it immediately is transformed into steam by the heat that surrounds the Imp. Imp blood will maintain an intense temperature for some time even after being shed, often leading to severe burns when facing an Imp without knowing of the intensity of their internal and external heat.

Intelligence

Flame Imps are fairly intelligent and crafty, and possess an intense sense of sadism and cruelty. They enjoy catching humans in traps or deceiving them with nasty tricks, and often act with the interest of causing as much pain and anguish as possible when encountering humans. Captured humans are likely to be savagely tortured or used as magical guinea pigs by Imps, regardless of age or gender. Despite their cruelty and tricky nature, they are not especially cowardly and will more likely retreat out of genuine tactical sense rather than fear. Their main weakness in intelligence is how bickering between each other they are, often fighting over banal things like who gets the last piece of meat or whether they can go and torture a captive right after they just finished. They are prone to entering arguments even in the heat of battle, often leaving them vulnerable. They appear to have an instinctive response to other True Demons of greater power than them, becoming submissive and completely loyal to them, and as such a strong leader can mostly neutralize their bickering - though not completely.

Diet

Imps are strictly carnivorous and prefer the flesh of humans before anything else, though they can and will consume the flesh of simple animals - they'll just be grumpy about it. The inside of their mouth often rapidly cooks anything they eat, which alongside their intense body temperature in general largely eliminates almost any pathogen carried on food they consume. They enjoy salting meat considerably, helped by how due to their status as torture fanatics they often have lots of salt on hand.

Habitat

While Imps can be found in the service of Demon Lords across the globe, their primary natural habitat is the region of the Nether known as Hell, a massive unearthly burning firepit ruled over by True Demons. The region is completely thick with Imps due to their method of reproduction and as a result human forays into Hell have often had to deal with hundreds of Imps no matter how stealthy they try to be. Outside Hell, independent Imps are most likely to be found in especially hot areas, such as volcanoes or deserts.

Reproduction

Flame Imps do not reproduce in a traditional sense, and instead come into being as a result of one of the many embers of Hellfire in the depths of Hell cool down, turning into a large egg from which an Imp, fully grown, will hatch from in time. Because of this, they do not exactly understand the concept of family, though are all too aware of what doing horrible things to the family of human will provoke in response - suffering and anguish. Because of this fact, combined with how remote and heavily fortified their home region is from Human lands, it's unlikely that the existence of Flame Imps will be put to an end any time soon.

Sociology

Community

Imps are almost unable to form genuine communities of their own due to their tendency to bicker and infight, though they can work together on the short term. However, their instinctual loyalty to stronger True Demons makes it so they are a hallmark of almost any Demonic force, both in Hell and on the surface. They often provide the rank and file soldiers of a Demonic army, fulfilling the role Goblins often play in the armies of other Monster Lords. They can also be found in considerable, though not quite as large, numbers in the forces of Monster Lords skilled with diabolic magic, allowing them to summon Imps from Hell and bind them to their services.

Technology

Imps don't exactly have the patience for active technological development, but they have obtained the knowledge of metalsmithing over time owing to the hellish environment they are born in and their own production of unbearable heat. They often cover themselves with metal chains, shackles, and simplistic metal plates here and there, and produce weapons such as daggers, axes, and of course, the iconic Imp trident. They also have some exceptional skill in coming up with and creating torture implements and traps, suggesting that had their personalities not been made so savage that they could have been skilled inventors.

Theology

As is the case with all True Demons, Imps are devout worshipers of Mon and spare no thought on other objects of worship. They most often supply worship towards the Demon God through sacrifices of humans and crusades against the surface in service of their masters. The traditional pitchfork that Imps often wield as a weapon is actually a sign of faith, as the actual fork at the top is based off the symbol of Mon and thus all Monsters.

Diplomacy

Imps, befitting their cruel and mean personalities, are terrible at diplomacy and never engage in it independently, and it's unlikely any Demon Lord that's come to lead a group of Imps will use them for such purposes either. All in all, an Imp diplomat is more likely to escalate tensions rather than de-escalate.

Hostility

Imps are extremely hostile towards humans and will attack them without any provocation, usually with the intent of inflicting a horrible fate of some kind on them. Their attitudes towards other Monsters is generally less hostile, but they can still end up attacking them if they feel provoked or just end up wanting to, and this is more likely against less devout Monsters such as Beasts. They will never be hostile to other True Demons unless they are in service of a Demon Lord who is enemies with another faction of True Demons.

Hunting

Range

Imps only have a natural range inside of Hell, and their appearances in other regions of either the Nether or the Known World is limited, though exploratory reports indicate they are somewhat common in the great western desert of the New World - but as with all information on the New World, this is uncertain and only included for posterity. In general, it is likely they are present in the range of other, stronger True Demons.

Magic

Flame Imps have a respectable of natural affinity for Fire Magic and can use it to propel orbs of flames at enemies and heat their weapons even further than the heat the mere mere proximity induces in the weapon. Some stronger Imps are able to access more advanced Fire Magic attacks such as flaming weapons or a fire shield, but this is uncommon. Flame Imps have little patience to become Sorcerers, but there have been a few historic exceptions.

Combat

When a Flame Imp enters battle, she will often be relentless in her attacks, often at great risk to herself, both due to her savage and bloodthirsty nature and how her heat aura and boiling blood make it somewhat safer to follow a berserker-like style of combat. If she is skilled with her own personal magic enough, she will often hang back and fling fireballs at her enemy rather than attack directly. Due to the tendency for them to show up as simple attacks in fantasy stories, I caution you to take care when facing an Imp with this capability - Fireballs are not simple or insignificant, and they can induce horrible long-term burns. She will often aim as well to induce great pain in her enemy by heating her weapons or attacking especially vulnerable parts of the enemy.

Strengths

An intense heat aura makes it difficult for the average human to safely fight a Flame Imp, and her cunning and cruel mind means she'll always look for the best ways to induce battle-ending damage and pain. Her skill with magic often lets her take the role of both a long range and close range fighter, and her heated weapons are painful and exceptionally dangerous.

Weaknesses

A combination of not wearing much compared to similar enemies such as Goblins and a distinct sense of bloodlust makes it more likely she will take a fatal wound in battle. Arguments with fellow Imps will often leave her distracted enough for her enemy to attack with initiative, which can in turn scatter her entire party.

Final Summary

When facing a Flame Imp, make sure to wear flame protective oils and avoid spending too much time in her aura to avoid fatigue. Defense is essential due to the likelihood a single good hit from her heated weapons can end an encounter, and one should always pay attention towards fireballs in flight so as to avoid being hit. If possible, try and further heat up any arguments an Imp is having, as she is unlikely to realize you're doing this to sabotage her.