Fildegard - Magic System (II): Demons

Demon Clans &  Marks of Sin

I guess I should start by explaining what Marks of Sin are and their origin. I will do my utmost to be impartial when describing demon society once we get to that, but for now...

Long ago, the gods looked upon the Old World and saw droves of faithless among their ever-dwindling followers. Fed up with the ingrate mortals, the Parent God of that generation declared to their council that they would cast a curse on humankind. This curse was meant to make humans disgusted with one another, to turn them against their own and propagate discomfort by strengthening the vices inherent in the faithless. That was the gods' intent. You might be able to gather that gods are not exactly known for their curses. Although the Seat of Death was put in charge of developing the curse, even the god and their court had never dabbled in curses so complex. Once it was cast... all seemed well. Those the gods considered "faithless" had their bodies marked with irremovable stains of their vice, doomed to become slaves to it in body and mind: demons. This is why demons consider both marked "humans" and demonbloods (also known as "demon-blooded humans" or "pacted humans") to be kin, part of their clans, since in truth they are either fated to become demons or have already become demons internally. I'll talk about what each of these categories mean biologically and socially in a moment.

First, let me introduce the seven most influential demon clans:

• Wrath
• Lust
• Greed
• Envy
• Sloth
• Pride
• Gluttony

Outside of realms with heavy demonic presence, the ones with less influence are the Judgement Clan and Hate Clan, though they are still important in their home realm. The names are self-explanatory. Victoria told us something about these vices being important to an Old World religion...? I don't know, I zoned out halfway through. Each and every one of these clans fulfills a purpose in the demon realm, which is where the great majority of the demon population lives, seeing as we are viewed with suspicion at best and are still persecuted at worst everywhere else. Young demons and marked ones have always fled their homelands in search of refuge after inevitable backlash from those around them. No other society can accommodate a sizable demon population, and the current political situation will not resolve the way outsiders are hoping it will, by the very nature of demonkind. I will endeavor to impart as much knowledge as I've gained in the past century of working alongside my kin for the first time.

One last important note is that by "human" I mean a specific kind of humanoid. For instance, dwarves are affected, yet vampires, as sacred beings close to the gods, are completely immune despite their similarities to other humanoids.

Biology & misconceptions

Demon biology is fundamentally different from human biology. We may look alike for the most part, but the mind and body of a demon are not comparable to what they were like as a human. A great majority of demons were not born as such; they were born as marked ones who then developed into full-fledged demons once their marks grew too large to manage. Marks of Sin look different depending on which vice they represent: a Mark of Lust is pink in color and may have more fluid lines, generally thinner and creating intricate patterns, while a Mark of Wrath is red in color and will have more jagged and thicker lines. Marks are not too dissimilar to colored tattoos, if considerably more vibrant, and they light up brighter during flares or when activated—the host's eyes do the same. They, however, grow and shrink according to how much they are "fed" (which is to say, how much their vice is indulged). The shrinking process is reported to be the worst kind of pain ever recorded.

Upon transformation into a demon, a human's skin will turn a shade of their vice's color, and the rest of their body will adapt as well. For a lust demon, this would mean growing a tail, gaining the ability to breathe through the skin, etc., while for, say, a greed demon, the most obvious change is growing a second pair of arms. Sloth demons are known for their claws, envy demons are known for the stingers in their hands, and so on and so forth. Biologically speaking, demons do not necessarily need the same sustenance as humans, and are able to live solely off of consuming vice, but a majority of us prefer to eat and sleep as we did when we were human. Demon magic is fueled by desire and emotion, and spirit animals are changed by this into what are referred to as "demonic beasts"—this denomination is misleading, since there are no behavioral changes in our companions stemming from this transformation. All it does is change their physical appearance and sever their connection with the Sidereal, meaning they cannot return to the stars and must live alongside us, day in and day out. An important behavioral change in newborn demons, however, is that while their marked vice is amplified, all others are either redirected, such as lust in greed demons being funneled into their greed, or toned down to insignificance. I will expand on this once we reach the society section of the lecture.

Unfortunately, the time has come to address what is maybe the most controversial consequence of being born with a Mark of Sin: flares. I mentioned that the mind of a demon and demon-to-be is different from a human's. Flares are a good indicator of a marked one's maturity and growth. In essence, they work much like any illness' flare-ups do, just by magnifying the host's vice to an unbearable extent. If not indulged, a flare can and will kill the host, and it will be a long and excruciating process. The first flare in a young demon or demon-to-be means that they are of age by their clan's laws—it is the final responsibility of their guardian to assist in quelling it by any means necessary. Failure to comply with this will result in the chieftain's elite taskforce being deployed to retrieve the young one and take over that responsibility for the foreseeable future. This is where the stereotype that demons are "child kidnappers" originates from. Demons will, indeed, venture out of their realm by order of their chieftain to pick up neglected kin having their first flare. A chieftain is connected to all their kin, thus they are able to tell when one is flaring for the first time, and they take action accordingly. It never goes ignored. By clan law, it is forbidden to push for demonic conversion in someone under the age of twenty, so marked ones having their first flare are heavily guarded by the chieftain's closest in order to ensure their wellbeing. Children are returned to their homes once they turn twenty if they so choose. This first flare, however, can happen as early as age seven. Unmarked parents are frequently ignorant or in denial about their children's needs, in spite of attempts by the clans to educate the Unmarked on the matter, and that is why children are often seized by force. The only other option is a slow, painful death for the child at the hands of their unquelled Mark of Sin.

In spite of this all, some would rather distance themselves from their kin. This is not well-known outside of demon communities, as for an outsider, the distinction matters not, however some find it to be deeply important. And by "some" I mean demonbloods. Their insistence on being referred to as either pacted humans or demon-blooded humans emphasizes their supposed "humanity" and stems from a desire to distance themselves from us. A majority of demons will disagree with this viewpoint and simply refer to them as demonbloods in order to distinguish between them, marked ones and full-fledged demons, since there is a biological difference. The nature of the biomagical balance they have found with their vice, known as a pact, makes them distinct from the other two categories, even in terms of physical appearance. It's a rather controversial topic, albeit less so than it was in the Old World, according to tales of yore. Lust demons are the only ones who will address demonbloods as they prefer.

History

No one remembers the first demon chieftains very well. Humans always hated us since we are living visual evidence of their vice, so they tried to hunt us down and drive us away, but the Asterknights were too few in number and, once we found each other, our strength grew. First, they tried to banish all our kind to the dream realm, which didn't go all too well for them—understanding of the realms may have just been the only thing scarcer than understanding of the demonic curse we derive our name from. Dream demons have since become their own sovereign state, one of the only in the dream realm. They have evolved separately from us and little is known about them; the split happened so long ago that they speak a language completely alien to even the Witness. However, it was around the time of this split that the nomenclature of clans was first established. New demons sought belonging, kinship, family. We would give each other the support we so badly needed.

The Council of Seven came together after a military operation to strike back at Welkin nearly succeeded. The chieftains were executed by the surviving gods, of course, but their subordinates were allowed to keep their hearts, and thus began the tradition of a new chieftain devouring the heart of the previous one to inherit their power. All seven clan leaders had stolen a piece of the gods' powers, and their kin refused to let that sacrifice go to waste. War between Welkin-backed humans and a newly united demonkind only intensified from there. The Mother Goddess of a past generation ended the conflict when she met with the Council of Seven at the time and offered them a safe home. Terms were drafted, and the seven major demon clans left for the newly created demon realm; the minor clans followed. Guardianship of the physical gates to the demon realm was bestowed to the vampires.

To our detriment, once we lost our common enemy, demonkind fractured again. The Council of Seven remained active, but less as a form of government and more as a diplomatic tie. Each clan created its own lair to be perfectly suited for their vice's needs. The outcome was a surprising era of peace and stability. We found new ways for the clans to support one another. That is also where the alliance of Wrath and Lust began, as our vices are compatible, much like Gluttony and Sloth or Envy and Greed often are. Pride has always been more of a jack of all trades, without any particular allegiance, yet not a truly neutral power like the Sloth Clan is. For a time, we were at peace.

The Unearthing changed everything. Demonkind only even found out human society had collapsed because some of our kin lived among them, either permanently or in long enough intervals that they had been there to experience it. Any mutations from the Core of Magic had no effect on those with high percentages of demon blood, our vices fiercely defensive against the power of the gods as they always have been—ironically, the same thing that made us weak to astral magic fought off the effects of any and all godly spellcasting. In my own experience, a vice will defend its host even against creatures made by the gods to target a mortal soul. That said, depending on a few variables, it may or may not ravage the host's body in the process, particularly if the host is not a full demon. With the chaos that came after the Unearthing, agreements were made and broken among the clans, isolationism was largely abandoned in favor of expeditions to find and rescue our kin, and with that, imperialist ambition returned. I know it's funny for me of all people to say that as a former empress, but I cannot stress enough how catastrophic the expansionist policies became for all demonkind.

First, it wrecked our relations with the vampires. Their job as guardians was not that of a prison warden, don't be mistaken. They worked to guide young kin to us and protect our realm's borders to prevent interference. I myself feel we owe them our utmost gratitude... Even when we were actively at war, vampires assigned to border duty never once ignored or failed in their responsibilities and would go as far as to turn their claws and fangs on the gods just as their original orders said they ought to. One day, I hope our kinds can return to the close friendship we had long ago, Vampire Queen be willing.

The second effect these policies had relates to the new nations humans formed after the Unearthing, the so-called New World. Decidedly different from those that had existed in the past. Unfortunately, most clans took this as a chance to wage war, with the exception of Pride, Gluttony, and Sloth. Gluttony in particular established well-respected trade agreements at the very inception of these new countries and are the wealthiest of the demon clans. The rest of the clans soon saw their numbers decimated by the increasing power of the Zerzuran Empire as well as the completely foreign abilities brought forth by the resurgence of the Yokai Federation. Population dwindled to a point many chieftains called off their wars, and only their successors restarted them. Chaos and bloodshed stained our kind once more. The violence overshadowed our progress, and ours became a tale of ruin in the mouths of our own wandering minstrels. I should mention, minstrels are an honored class among demons, as most of our history is passed down orally, and thus rests upon their shoulders. This has given them a rather interesting position in other nations, similar to the journalists of Zerzura—our bards have always been afforded the same kind of immunity.

I have my doubts that it will last, but the one to end this cold war (for the most part) was our current Mother Goddess, who also happens to be my first wife. She is responsible for showing us a light at the end of the long, long tunnel that is the Armistice. We can only hope that no one will squander her goodwill. She is a patient woman, but I fear she may reach her limit one day. And if there is anything I dread more, it is the repetition of the historical cycle; I have witnessed it one too many times since I was struck with the curse of immortality.

Geography

The geography of the demon realm is rather unique. As a nascent realm, it was malleable, so the Mother Goddess at the time gave the Council of Seven the power to terraform the land. It was a blank slate, after all. Each clan chieftain consulted their people and had their own ideas for the kind of terrain they wanted to build as a home. The Pride Clan used their temporary terraforming ability the least, preferring instead to rely on nothing but themselves to build their lair, and I suspect that bonding experience may have solidified the incredible work ethic that pride demons are known for. They are motivated by opportunity, the chance to contribute to something they can be proud of, and they're excellent at self-empowerment and empowerment of others, which is part of why they're often listened to and picked as group leaders. Their lair is therefore characterized by the artistry and uniqueness of their architecture.

As for the other clans... Sloth created a flat plains biome with a conveniently situated river and a nearby forest. Their foresters, however, are from the neighboring Greed Clan, as the Sloth Clan imports nearly all of its natural resources due to their "one task per day" system. The Wrath Clan's lair spans the largest mountain range in the demon realm because of our strong mining industry, common hobbies, and flare quelling sites, and we share with the Lust Clan; one lair has its settlements in the valleys and highest peaks, while the other guards the base of the mountains. However, the proximity of the two and the existence of the Coalition means that settlements are most often mixed, especially with how often the two clans intermarry. Envy made their lair under the thick canopy of a forest with the largest trees in the land, so as to obscure their vision and allow them to focus on the present and the immediate vicinity. Gluttony took the longest to figure out their plan because they were looking at statistics, and in the end they settled on a tropical area with plenty of freshwater, access to the sea, grasslands full of foragables, the most exploitable fertile soils I have ever witnessed, and of course, indecent amounts of space for growth. This might be why they've had so many population booms. Most of the time, however, gluttony demons don't do much of the work, they simply connect people with others and lease their land. They are odd in the sense that their primary goal is to create more bounty for all to consume, which means that they will, if it is in their best interests, give out food, homes, money or other resources, wanting nothing but a good word in exchange. Their ability for delayed gratification is impressive for a demon race. Lastly, the Greed Clan stands at the center of all the lairs, and theirs is a chaotic lair to be sure. The natural environment is overtaken by artificial structures, often made of stone and similar materials, and whatever the first settlers wanted the land to be is no longer clear. Towers and fortresses, underground homes and systems of tunnels... I could keep going. Since they are at the center of the realm, they also manage our railway system, which is a relatively new development because the trains have been altered from the blueprints the Witness provided and run on a brand new engine type designed by my granddaughter.

Culture & Society

Demon culture vastly differs from clan to clan, but social structure always has one thing in common: the chieftain. Every clan has one chieftain, and the chieftain may of course take as many spouses as they are able to support. Chieftains hold every political power in a demon clan, with their number one priority being the welfare and prosperity of their people. They are tasked with maintaining what is essentially a carefully-crafted utopia. Chieftains are also not quite demons, but rather devils: an evolved, more powerful form of a demon, recognizable by the unique crown-like horns on their head. The way the title is passed down varies, but traditionally, it will pass down to whoever devours the beating heart of the previous chieftain in order to absorb their power and wisdom. I can only speak at length about the Wrath Clan and the Lust Clan, for obvious reasons, but I will briefly cover the basics for the other five as well. Diplomacy between us and the minor clans is far trickier and doesn't offer as much information, so I apologize for the lack of intel.

The quick rundown is that Pride and Lust work in entertainment and morale as well as diplomacy, Wrath works in security and hard labor, Gluttony is full of generous investors and businesses—and likely the largest, most diverse metropolis Fildegard has ever seen. Sloth is the neutral party that facilitates negotiation, the glue that holds our alliance together. Envy works to point out unfairness and inequality, and Greed with its unmatched drive is the bulk of the workforce as well as keeper of the treasuries. Together, we are a well-oiled machine that ensures comfort for us all. We have two legal codes, one that gathers laws and rights for all clans, and one for each independent clan. A deeply treasured one is the right to roam. As respected as our borders are, we do not prevent kin from crossing them in any way, and they are free to live wherever they wish. Only the chieftain is anchored to their clan's lair. Due to the power seized from the gods by the Council of Seven long ago and passed down through the ritual gormandization of their hearts, chieftains of the seven major clans have a mantle of protection against the worst of their vice, allowing them to carry out their duty more effectively.

Now, as for immigration. The demon realm is rather difficult to gain access to if one is not kin, unless they are an honorary member of one of the clans, in which case they can be easily identified and allowed entry. Honorary members are those who have earned their place among our own, despite not being kin of the blood. This is not an easy task for non-demons, and it has been a point of contention in recent times because outsiders have made attempting to join our ranks into a trend. They believe that in our lairs they will find a paradise of sin. And sure, to some extent, they are correct; demon lairs are verifiable utopias built by kin and for kin. "By kin and for kin" is a common motto here. However, the outsiders, almost without fail, have little idea what they're signing up for. One is not allowed to even take the test unless they have a majority of their local demon community to vouch for them. So, it begins by choosing somewhere to settle. Capitals are often their first choice. A grievous error, by any other name. Most outsiders die or flee in a year's time. In the Wrath Clan, cowardice and dishonor are widely loathed, and disputes are settled by way of competition, most often wrestling or some other form of physical battle. So much so that our open entertainment district is nothing but arenas. Fighting is a core part of all relationships in that lair. It is considered distasteful for an adult to go all out in a duel against a minor, and it's deeply frowned upon to strike another outside of dueling conditions. These duels, of course, are in most cases informal, as formal fights outside of the arenas are rare and only happen as part of tradition or when one of the parties challenges the other for a perceived insult to their honor. Family is important to the Wrath-Lust Coalition, and the two lairs are closely intertwined, borders merged, to a point a unique culture has developed. This is the only place where demons may be directly born more often than they join from the outside. I'm sure I don't need to explain the proclivity of lust demons. However, though it may seem lighthearted, this cultural development was bolstered by every generation of chieftains of both clans because wrath demons have the highest mortality rate of any, while lust demons are actually capable of living among humans.

This combination of matters has led to an accelerated development of culture where it relates to children. To become a demon, in our society, means to be cut free of your strings. Whether the host did so voluntarily or simply lost the endless fight against their vice, the struggle is over. You are born anew and granted a fresh start. You can no longer pretend to be something you are not. Many people report feeling a sudden sense of freedom that prevails even after the initial typhoon of emotion subsides. And when you are born this way, that might affect your behavior. That's why the chieftain's recommendation is to wait at least a decade or two after your arrival before you consider having a child, you must not attempt to raise demon offspring with outsider values. In the Wrath Clan, children are encouraged to stand up to their elders and even fight them over disagreements, they are taught to be outspoken and never back down from a fight unless they know they've lost or cannot win. In the Lust Clan... That is quite a bit more complicated, especially if your family is part of the chieftain's harem.

But before I delve into what exactly goes on in the Lust Clan, I must stress the importance of contracts. A demon's vows are not magical; however, we all collectively agree that contracts are vital for our society to run properly, and as such they are the closest thing to sacred for us. A demon will never break their word, so long as it was a solemn agreement. Punishment for failing to fulfill one's contractual obligations can be as severe as death. Let's use the example of our esteemed treasurers: greed demons have guarded the vaults since the moment the Council of Seven created our lairs, and it is through a special contract that they pledge their lives as keepers of a vault. Treasurers report the highest happiness of any greed demon; to be a head treasurer is to be trusted in full, and for a greed demon, the trust of others is rare to come by. A treasurer will give their life on the line of duty without a second thought, I have to admit I have seldom seen bravery like that of a greed demon giving their last breath to protect something entrusted to them. Greed demons' biggest struggle is between their greed to gain more and their greed to safekeep what they already have.

Back to lust demons. It's important to note that entering a demon clan's lair means being subject to their laws, which means that in the Wrath Clan you might receive a punch to the face for a minor disagreement that would be ignored or solved with words anywhere else, you will have to witness fights in which one or more combatants are injured or bleeding and will not be allowed to interfere, etc., and in the Lust Clan, you will bear witness to nude or nearly nude people of all ages and backgrounds attempting to flirt with you in a variety of ways. Purchases at almost every establishment are semi-commonly done with the body, and you will see pairs and groups of people going at it anywhere. By anywhere I do mean anywhere. The streets, work meetings, stores, restaurants... the list goes on. Pay them no mind. Fortunately, there are safe spaces managed by the asexual community where you can take a breather if it's too much—they have better self-control and generally crave it less. These establishments are seen as valuable and necessary, and their keepers are given a great deal of respect, especially because for the Lust Clan, every good and long-lasting chieftain has been asexual. Sex and kink are a core part of the curriculum anywhere in the lair, a more common topic than the weather, and although not considered to be private affairs, there is emphasis on one's choice of whether to disclose information or not. The same emphasis, if not more, is put into one of the most important sets of laws the clan has: consent. Lust demon punishments for crimes are perceived by the rest of the clans as "lax" in every case except a violation of consent. They put it on the same level as contracts, and I shudder to think of the rare cases I've seen where some foolish foreigner thought the standard behavior and clothing choices of lust demons were an invitation.

And the harem... I think most outsiders misinterpret what it actually is. It's divided into circles. My fourth wife, the current Lust Clan Chieftain, has unfortunately abandoned hers, and I'm unsure where those families are or what they might be up to, but I have read up on it so that I'm able to pass on the information regardless. The inner circle are those closest to the chieftain, entrusted with secrets and intel no one else can hear, while the outer circle still live at the chieftain's home, but are in charge of comparably less important duties, such as childcare or looking after the home and everyone else in it, and dealing with local scandals. The harem is a tight-knit and highly trained group that answers directly to the chieftain. Yes, it's also considered a closed sexual relationship between the members, but you'd be surprised how incredibly well lust demons are able to focus in the middle of the act. A new chieftain may choose to discard their predecessor's harem in favor of a new one, retiring them and relieving them of their duties, or inherit it. They are essentially advisors and agents who ensure lust demon nobility is kept in line. It's not uncommon for lust demon nobles to get into petty squabbles, often involving their veritable armies of offspring, and the chieftain simply does not have the time to personally attend to every family feud. To be part of the chieftain's harem is to have status almost as high as a chieftain's spouse, and if they have the chieftain's children, those children have a stronger claim to their devil parent's seat of power than most others. The position isn't always inherited, technically anyone can be chieftain, but each clan has their own way of doing it. The Lust Clan is the one that passes it down to a child of the previous chieftain most often, while in the Wrath Clan, we do it through tournaments. The harem structure is deeply ingrained in the Lust Clan's inner workings, partially due to how common assassination can be at the slightest hint of a social blunder, which creates a need for more dispersed power distribution. It's popularly known that when a chieftain doesn't have an active harem for whatever reason, administrative power in the chieftain's absence falls on the shoulders of the previous harem, smoothing out the complications of frequent transitions and empty thrones.

Azath wants to turn this into a monarchy and have one of our two children inherit her position, but... I personally don't think we can change this society into a monarchy like the one she wants. Not to mention our children have disowned her. Having allies is crucial in the Lust Clan because—whatever you do—if you have tangible power, you have enemies. The smart snake hides its fangs.