Demons

Origin
Demons are the result of Angels becoming corrupted and their souls becoming dark. One way that it can be seen, is that an Angel's soul gives off a blinding brilliance of light, like a sun, whereas a Demon's soul is a void, wishes to consume everything that it can.

History
Demons fell long ago, in what is known simply as, The Fall. This event was on a massive scale, and one third of Heaven was lost to it, the corrupted Angels being forced out of Heaven after their leader, Lucifer, the Betrayer, was struck down by Michael, Archangel of War. It is known that this event happened some time between the creation of the world, and the creation of the first Humans.

Since then, Demons have become an ever present threat in the world, leeching in and using the negative emotions of others to bring their downfall. This is not, however, the only ability that these creatures possess, but that will be explained later on.

Today, while Demons are still an ever present threat, more and more have been popping up that do not follow the norm. Some have even been reported to hate what they are, and to hate Hell! These reports are unconfirmed, but the implications of it are worth further study.

Appearance
To exist in our realm, Demons must possess the body of an individual here. It seems that, for some reason, Humans are a favorite target. Demons have been known to possess animals, but for an unknown reason, they are unable to use their demonic abilities in these forms. As it stands, there is no physical difference when a Demon inhabits the body of another. As such, they look the same as Humans.

The difference is, however, that when a Demon transforms into its Demonic form, it takes on another appearance entirely. The form that the Demon will take can vary greatly, ranging in size (which, in some cases, is not even an accurate representation of power by any means), shape, and color. It can be a dark Dragon, or a grotesque monster. One thing that stays true, is that Shadow Demons are not attractive in these forms, a curse from when they fell into the dark pit of Hell, which was corrupted and warped by their hate.

Society
Hell is a place where power determines the rank of an individual. The Archdemons, Satan (Wrath), Lucifer (Pride), Mammon (Greed), Asmodeus (Lust), Beelzebub (Gluttony), Leviathan (Envy), and Belphegor (Sloth). Each Archdemon reigns over a section of Hell, with each section corresponding to a major sin in the world. They are fed by those that partake in these sins, growing more powerful the more that people are doing it.

Below them, power is the only clear determinate of rank, with Demons constantly scheming against one another to consume more souls, to slay one another and claim the souls of their brethren, etc. While this system keeps things in a constant flux, it also ensures that only the strongest individuals survive.

Abilities
Demons possess a host of abilities, making them potent in several situations. First and foremost, they possess the ability to use what is known as Hellfire. These black, dark red, or purple flames, are a warped version of Angelfire. It has lost its ability to heal, and instead gained potency in its damage potential. These flames, even without the input of their creator, will grow, consume, and spread, if not put out by an outside force. Also, water is useless against them.

Demons, in their normal form, are no stronger than Humans physically. However, they possess the ability to transform into their Demonic form for a limited amount of time. This form is stronger in all ways to the Human body they have possessed, being more durable, stronger, and more powerful. The downside is that this form is a major drain on the Demon's power, and cannot be maintained for long periods of time.

Demons have the ability to teleport short distances. This is known as Shadowstep. It is an instantaneous ability. The only limit on this ability, is the fact that they must be able to see or visualize the place that they wish to appear at. If they make a mistake, they can end up fused into a wall, causing instant death. Luckily, due to the defensive nature of souls, they cannot Shadowstep into another person, which would result in something far more gruesome.

A few miscellaneous, yet none the less useful, abilities that Demons possess, include the ability to speak directly into the minds of others, through a form of Telepathy, and to sense, feel, and amplify negative feelings in others, such as hunger, pain, hate, fear, envy, greed, etc.

Weaknesses
While Demons possess a potent array of abilities, they also possess some crippling weaknesses. First and foremost, is that they are easily sensed by those able to sense energies in others, such as Angels, Mages, etc. Next, is the fact that they must consume souls in order to survive. This means that they must always be on the offensive. A minor boon in this case, is that they do not have to consume the entire soul, meaning that they do not have to kill the individual, merely leave it in a weakened state.

The most notable weakness that Demons possess, is the fact that they have a curse set against them pertaining to salt. A Demon cannot cross, or even teleport across, a line of salt. While this can keep Demons out of an area, it is not full proof. Making a circle of salt around one's self may prevent a Demon from touching you, but it will not protect you from their flames. Drawing a line of salt around a Demon can actually serve as a reliable means of trapping them, though it does not prevent them from merely abandoning the host body and returning to Hell as a means of escape.

Diet
Demons primarily feed off of souls. Doing this can be a rather simple task, as they simply need to make physical contact with an individual to do it. However, the more powerful the individual, the more difficult it becomes for the Demon to feed off of them. A B rank Demon may have no problem feeding off of a C rank, but a B rank victim will be resistant to them, and an A rank victim may be downright unaffected.

Demons also cannot sustain the host body through their own energy, and as such, must eat normal food to sustain it. This may seem a trivial manner, but for a Demon unused to needing to eat in this fashion, it may come as an unwelcome surprise.

Lifespan
Demons are immortal creatures. They cannot die of old age, and often enough, their souls simply return to Hell after death.

Reproduction
It is actually a rarer occurrence for Shadow Demons to mate in this realm. That task seems to be left to their more lustful brethren, the Succubi and Incubi. However, it is not unheard of for Shadow Demons to do this. It has been calculated that they have a rather low fertility rate, at about 10%. Demons have been known to mate with various other species. For the most part, the resulting child will be a Cambion. However, in the case of Werewolves and Lycans, it seems that a Lycan will be the resulting child, if not a Cambion.

Death
Demons do not fear death. The simple matter is, death is little more than an annoyance for them, as in most cases, they simply go back to Hell, and return again in the future. They can, however, be killed permanently, if one can destroy their soul completely.

Ranks
Rank E - Imp - Weak Demons that have no power in this realm, as all of it is spent possessing and maintaining their body. They are often minions for other, more powerful Demons.

Rank C - Hellspawn - Low ranking Demons possessing a small amount of power in this realm. They have been seen to be able to use Hellfire to a limited degree, and can amplify hateful emotions.

Rank B - Darkling - Mid ranking Demons, they can use Hellfire to a greater degree, and possess most abilities, though they still pale in comparison to their horrifyingly powerful superiors.

Rank A - Harbinger - High ranking Demons that can use Hellfire to deadly effect, being able to ignite entire buildings with ease. They have numerous other abilities at their disposal.

Rank S - Archduke - Extremely high ranking Demons. When not holding back, their power causes the ground at their feet to crack and black Hellfire to flicker up from the earth. Only a select few are authorized to combat these individuals.