Demon notes for PQ

Notes on Demons

What is a demon?

-A demon is a supernatural being, bound to some plane of Tartarus, which is the largest and most influential plane of the spirit world. Tartarus is the underworld, containing ten layers, each corresponding to a particular sin that defines the demons, monsters and evil spirits that are trapped on that layer.

How does a demon come into being?

-Demons come into being when the forces of Tartarus infect and corrupt a pre-existing being. Most commonly, the agents of Tartarus seek to corrupt angels, gods, nature spirits, and pious or otherwise remarkable and well-respected mortals. The powers that govern Tartarus can only twist, mangle and corrupt, they cannot create something in the traditional sense.

-The most common method of creating a demon is to inflict said being with a Curse. A Curse is a powerful act of dark Magic, which bestows its victim with great power and influence, but also binds them to fulfill certain dreadful conditions to maintain their existence. If the bearer of a Curse fails to uphold said conditions, they will lose their power, and their bodies and minds wither away until they are nothing but a beastly, schizophrenic scrap of a spirit, unrecognizable in comparison to their former glory. The contents of a demon's Curse and the conditions they must fulfill are referred to as their "Soul Contract."

What are the properties and abilities of a demon?

-Like a god, a demon gains dominion over a limited aspect of reality. These may be very general, such as control over the weather, or very specific, such as dowsing for certain gemstones. Demons can allow themselves to be summoned by mortals using certain sigils, incantations and sacrificial materials. A demon is able to decide what rituals result in their summoning and what payment they ask for, so most demons offer their services to mortals in order to fulfill their Soul Contract's conditions.

-Demons have a degree of control over their appearance, and can morph into different shapes through a simple act of will. They also do not age, and have no need of food or drink, aside from pleasure. They are also, in a manner of speaking, immortal. If a demon's body is destroyed, but their Soul Contract is still in good standing, their soul returns to Tartarus for a time, where their physical body slowly reconstitutes. When their body is restored, they may leave Tartarus again, good as new.

-There are only three methods of truly slaying a demon. The first is to annihilate both their body and soul, but the power to destroy a soul is forbidden knowledge, known only to a handful of people. The second method is to prevent a demon from fulfilling the conditions of their Soul Contract long enough for the demon to suffer the consequences listed in the Contract. The third is to free the demon from their Contract, which will take away their power and immortality and return them to whatever form they had before becoming a demon.

How does one summon demons?

-To summon a demon, one must know the demon's true name, appearance, offering, sigil shape and the service that they offer. Lacking any of these components means that a summoning cannot take place. In order to aid sorcerers in need of demonic assistance, occultists who specialize in demonology have archived information on multitudes of demons in tomes and scrolls, categorizing them according to their general purpose. It is these works (and the occultists who wrote them) that witch-hunter guilds seek to exterminate, so as to prevent the proliferation of demonic power and influence in the mortal world.

-Because demons tend to be independent and prideful, the rituals for summoning them tend to vary; no two rituals are exactly alike. In general, however, the summoning ritual consists of the following steps.

1. Consecrate an area for summoning, typically an enclosed space with few ways for unwanted onlookers to witness the ritual.
2. Inscribe the sigil upon the floor in ink, chalk or other appropriate material to act as a gateway for the demon's entrance and a barrier to contain it.
3. Call upon the demon while holding up the sacrificial material (unless the demon's required offering is non-material). Extol their name, flatter them, humble yourself, and make a sincere request in the form of a prayer. Depending on their temperament, some demons may want you to berate, insult or mock them instead.
4. Should the demon arrive, answer their questions and negotiate the request until they agree to fulfill it.
5. The demon will then fulfill the request, at which point you should immediately turn over any payment they demand.
6. The demon will then return to Tartarus, unless you choose to release them into the world by breaking the sigil, which is a generally terrible idea and is more annoying than liberating for the demon.

*If two summoners attempt to summon the same demon at the same time, whoever's ritual completes first will summon the demon. If both rituals hypothetically completed at the exact same time, the demon would be able to choose which summoner to answer first, and they typically prioritize based on the aptitude of the summoner and how interesting the request is.

What demons can be summoned?

-The following is a list of commonly-summoned demons, but it is by no means complete.

Demon Name: Anogorom
Gender: Male
Appearance: A giant made of stone, covered with earth and vines like a rich and dignified robe.
Required Offering: To create and maintain a shrine containing a statue of his likeness.
Sigil Shape: Three concentric squares.
Services Provided: Constructs small (town-level) structures out of stone and earth; transmutates different kinds of stones into one another; Forewarns against earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and monsters that attack from underground.
Personality: Meditative and glacial.


Demon Name: Bainfrim
Gender: Male
Appearance: A lion made of tall, shifting grasses, with insects streaming from his mouth and eyes.
Required Offering: Blood mixed into a serving of red wine.
Sigil Shape: An X made of two overlapping, wide rectangles.
Services Provided: Summons insects to attack one's foes; Conjures vines and grasses to tear down structures or bind enemies; Calls wild animals to eat, steal or contaminate an enemy's food and water supplies.
Personality: Normally quiet and patient, but is quick to anger and chastice those he considers foolish in matters of war.


Demon Name: Caseiom
Gender: Female
Appearance: A crude caricature of a rabbit's head and upper torso, witha serpent hiding in its mouth, and the back half is two serpent's tails, intertwined.
Required Offering: Raw meat that has been poisoned.
Sigil Shape: A circle constructed out of tangent lines.
Services Provided: Bestows the ability to manipulate one's shape at will for a day; Causes all of one's strikes to poison their foe for a day; Grants immunity to poison and hyper-developed animal senses for a day.
Personality: Impatient, ravenous, impulsive, duplicitous.


Demon Name: Diasatran
Gender: Female
Appearance: A hybrid of a rodent and bear, that rides upon a great reptile that wears a shell full of protruding spikes.
Required Offering: She must be given half of what the summoner creates with her services.
Sigil Shape: An octagram.
Services Provided: Breaks down objects into the four classical elements that comprised said object; Transmutes the four classical elements into one another; Provides catalyzing substances to assist in alchemy.
Personality: Mercurious, amoral, easily bored.


Demon Name: Egolabus
Gender: Male
Appearance: A mass of interconnected earthworms, the leader of which has a mouth with great, yellow teeth and poisonous breath.
Required Offering: A well-prepared meal that one would hate to spoil (such as by feeding it to worms).
Sigil Shape: An outward-turning spiral that, after twelve loops, stops at the 12 o'clock position and goes straight back down to the center.
Services Provided: Spies upon the summoner's enemies and reports back to the summoner; Distracts one's enemies with doubts and fears about their plans; Steals small key objects from one's enemies.
Personality: Lascivious, crude; takes joy in spoiling things that are well made.


Demon Name: Fezoar
Gender: Male
Appearance: A scowling hobgoblin shrouded in a stormcloud that flows from his beard and head like hair
Required Offering: A bowl of sweet-smelling incense
Sigil Shape: Pentagon
Services Provided: Creating or halting storms, whether at sea, in the sky or on land; Causing lightning to strike at a target even on a clear day; Creating solid structures out of clouds that anyone can walk on, and which last for a week normally, but can be made permanent through magic
Personality: Boisterous, rude and short-tempered, but with a soft spot for the elderly.


Demon Name: Galutisons
Gender: Female
Appearance: An owl made of bark, with leaves for feathers and knotholes for eyes
Required Offering: A poem of praise, or a donation made to the poor or to orphans in her name
Sigil Shape: Triangle
Services Provided: Identifying all manner of plants and animals; Purifying poison or rotten food and drink; Curing a variety of sicknesses, mutilations and ailments, though not all
Personality: Compassionate and slow to anger, except against those who abuse the unfortunate or stir up conflict unprovoked.


Demon Name: Habiarhuem
Gender: Male
Appearance: At first glance, it appears to be an ancient red-figure vase, with winged beasts that have the heads of minotaurs inscribed on the sides, but the inscriptions fly off the vase, and are the actual form of Habiarhuem.
Required Offering: Wine, which is poured directly into the vase until it is half-full.
Sigil Shape: Four interlocking circles forming a cross shape.
Services Provided: Duplicates anything put into the vase; Destroys anything put into the vase; Can render anything put into the vase invisible and imperceptible to all but himself and the summoner.
Personality: Good-natured and amiable, chatty and intrigued by stories of the summoner's life.


Demon Name: Ragalaseab
Gender: Male
Appearance: A blue-cloaked hybrid of cat and crocodile
Required Offering: 200 pieces of gold
Sigil Shape: Circle
Services Provided: Discerning the locations of lost people and things if provided with an ample description; Guiding one to shelter during storms and natural disasters, or to the nearest port if at sea; Surveying areas and assisting with map-making
Personality: Short-tempered, biting and catty.


Demon Name: Vefamalin
Gender: Male
Appearance: A monkey with the head of a lion and the tail of a serpent
Required Offering: A small vial of blood, any kind
Sigil Shape: Square
Services Provided: Assisting with negotiations; Improving one's reputation and increasing one's fame or infamy, whichever desired; Training one in all manner of etiquette, social skills, manners, decorum and body language
Personality: Posh and dignified, but has little patience for those who do not listen.