Demons

Demons

Demons are supernatural beings from outside the world itself, the terrible monsters of Christian mythology who were once divine angels but were hurled to earth after defying their god. Exiled for attempting to protect humanity from what they see as a cruel and unfair universe, most demons must possess humans to survive, creating hybrid creatures whose human minds sleep within them while they walk the world in their bodies.

While demons are not necessarily evil, many of them have become severely unstable and dangerous due to the psychological torment of their exile and their long confinement in the Abyss, from which most of them have only recently (in divine terms, anyway) escaped. Some are more like the fallen angels they began as, trying to shepherd and protect humanity, but more and more are slowly becoming vicious, tormented monsters who revisit their pain on everything around them.

The Fallen

Generally speaking, the Fallen refers to any escaped demons in the world who inhabit possessed humans to survive. As a result of the possession process, Fallen often pick up shreds of their human host's emotions and character, causing them to change slightly and become more human themselves (which can be either a positive or negative change, depending on the temperament of the human in question and the strength of the original demon's personality). The Fallen sort themselves into the Sebettu (also called the Seven Houses), the same ranks that they were once organized into when they were angels, each of which represents a particular divine role they were made to serve.

Anunnaki	Asharu	Halaku	Lammasu	Namaru	Neberu	Rabisu

The Chained

The Chained are demons who, through spellcasting by mortals, cosmic accidents, or dogged skill and determination, have managed to fully manifest on earth without taking a human host. Such demons are incredibly powerful, so much so that many would destroy a human host and are usually bound to inanimate objects instead, allowing them to be marginally controlled by the very careful (or foolhardy). They are extremely rare, with only a few handsful of them known to exist worldwide, which is probably a good thing for the continued survival of other living creatures on earth.

Earthbound	Nephilim

The World Beyond

While the World of Darkness has a distinctly Christian slant and therefore its demons resemble those of Catholic lore, they are not the only creatures of similar power in the universe. The Babylonian names of the Sebettu, for example, suggest that demons may be responsible for the legends of many cultures' supernatural terrors, as well as casting doubt on whether the Christian interpretation of their existence is accurate or merely the most popular one at the moment.

Various creatures that may be referred to as "demons" in other folklores may actually be other types of beings; in particular, sufficiently powerful Kuei-Jin and vampires are prone to being mistaken for demons or even gods. Unfortunately for them, only the most ancient and powerful of such creatures are likely to survive a confrontation with an actual demon.