• DAEMONS

Overview:
A Daemon, generally speaking, is a being that was usually once alive, but has remained dead and in the afterlife for so long that death became their life. They can be any kind of spirit, typically, but have lived to the point where they begin to consume souls, who then become a part of them. The more souls they consume, the more powerful the spirit becomes, as it starts to take on characteristics in regions such as appearance, powers, and even personality. As such, a being who has begun to eat souls in this manner has become a Daemon, and therefore must 'balance' what they choose to devour. Consume too many demons or tainted souls? Become one. Consume too many angels or holy souls? Become one. The same goes for neutral souls or specific ones.

What makes the Daemons unique is the fact that their own personality can begin to become blurred the more they devour. They take on characteristics from other souls, though a single strong soul's personality can potentially become the dominant mind of the Daemon. This is why balancing is so important, and is also why weaker Daemons typically leave strong personalities and souls alone.

Behavior:
Death is their life, but how does one grow stronger? Daemons are beings with little to no influence or touch on the physical realm; most of them hardly care or even think about mortal affairs in their daily lives. As such, any Daemon who somehow touches or appears on the physical world is incredibly weak, and often susceptible to any dangers that could befall them. Daemons live on the Third Astral Plane, and even are weak if they manage to visit the Second Astral Plane of the deceased.

A Daemon's main strength is its nearly limitless potential for growth and gaining power. This is what a Daemon's true desire is- to grow stronger. It is a difficult goal that few Daemons every reach and fulfill, however, as they can easily be killed and eradicated by other spirit beings, destroyed by strong mortals with spiritual powers, or even end their own lives as Daemons by not balancing what they consume.
Should the latter happen, they will completely become what they have eaten, be it a demon, some holy being, or just a humble former-mortal spirit. Sometimes if this happens, they could still possibly retain their soul-consuming capabilities, but must 'restart'. By this point, the chances of them ever reaching their full potential are low.

Properly balancing the consumption of souls in a stable and steady manner can make a Daemon become a truly ambiguous creature, but alarmingly powerful, as they retain most of the abilities and strengths of what they have absorbed. A skilled Daemon is able to counter a certain consumed soul's weakness by absorbing something else that properly balances it and patches the weakness, without cancelling out any strengths. Being clever, smart, strategic, and calculating is how a Daemon truly becomes powerful, but most are unfortunately blinded by the promise of power, and make poor and hasty decisions.

Contracts:
A Daemon who has at least a fairly balanced 'diet' eventually has to find a way to leave the Third Astral Plane - The Spiritual World, in order to move down in the tiers to the Afterlife Planes, and eventually the Physical Realm. The easiest way to make this leap is by gathering enough strength to make a brief appearance to once chosen individual on the plane directly below. A completed contract results in the Daemon freely being able to either take, control, or consume the contractor's soul. If on the Physical Realm, they may take their body as their own; possession. The mechanic to these contracts include a Daemon placing a "claim" on a soul. This Claim is like a supernatural bond connecting the contractee and the Daemon. Once the terms of a contract are met, or if a contractee dies, its soul finds its way to the Daemon, and not to any sort of afterlife or void.

Contracting with Spirits
Generally, Daemons gather enough power to move to the Second Astral Plane - The Afterlife, in order to seek out a spirit looking to reincarnate. The Daemon may create a contract with the knowledge and consent of the contractee, or they may do it discreetly, with no formal appearance made to the contractee. Consent is not required, either. The spirit looking to reincarnate usually is returning to the Physical Realm for a reason; perhaps unfinished business, or a wish they want granted. Traditionally, the spirit may reincarnate under one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues or Seven Deadly Sins, for which you may read more about below. Other contracts can be formed with consent should the Daemon promise to grant a wish in life. The spirit must be specific with the extent of their wish; else the Daemon may twist the contract as they please.

For example, if a spirit wants to be reincarnated for social power, but does not declare to what extent, the Daemon may ensure that they are born into power, such as royalty. The instant they are born, the contract has been completed, and the Daemon may take/banish/consume their soul, whichever they wish to do, and possess the reincarnate's body.

Contracting with Mortals
If a strong Daemon eventually gets a tight hold in the First Astral Plane - The Physical Realm, they may contract freely with mortals and other various spirits they encounter. This type of contract is usually not for possession, but is to simply have an easier time gathering souls to feed on. Strong souls are nearly impossible to hunt or catch alone, but if a Daemon has a contract with one, the strong soul's fate is sealed; they will belong to the Daemon.

Often, the easiest way a Daemon will contract with a mortal is by once again offering to grant a wish, such as helping the mortal get revenge, destroy an enemy, complete a goal, etc. Once the goal is completed, the Daemon has complete ownership of the soul. Another type of contract is the promise of physical power, such as giving abilities. This usually is given from the Claim itself, as the Daemon lends use of one or more of its abilities to the person it is contracting with. In these types of contracts, the Daemon might not necessarily go for the soul right then, but perhaps ask for something in return, such as loyalty, servitude, or some sort of physical thing, even. Contracts like these often can be made for fun by Daemon, who are often sadistic by nature and enjoy watching the powers and Claim begin to potentially corrupt or despair the contractee.

These are the various ways that Daemons can contract, but just like the Daemon and their potential, contracts may be versatile. A strong Daemon may develop its own type of contract, or preferences in how they go about doing it. Some Daemons manage just fine without contracts, even though it generally is a harder path to take.

Sins & Virtues:
As stated before in creating contracts with spirits, one of the ways to contract includes having the contractee reincarnate under one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues or Seven Deadly Sins. This simply means that the reason or goal the reincarnate has falls under the category of a sin or virtue. Are they reincarnating for revenge? Wrath. For power? Greed. To prove themselves over somebody? Envy. To have a second chance at something? Diligence or Kindness, etc.

A Daemon may target a specific sin or virtue in their contractors to prey off of- often one that they find easiest to see the contract to a close. Should a Daemon rely on one main sin or virtue only for their contracts, they are often referred to as a 'Daemon of Sin/Virtue', such as a Daemon of Pride, Daemon of Patience, etc.

A unique thing about Sin/Virtue contracts is the fact that many times, a Daemon need not make its presence known to their contractor. They set the claim, and the reincarnate may live its entire time in the world with no knowledge of the Daemon stalking its steps. Often times, when this is done, the Daemon has set the terms on their own, and forces them onto the contractor with the Claim. Sometimes, the terms can be excruciatingly simple, such as fulfilling an act of Kindness, or perhaps falling to Lust, etc. The instant the Claimed one has met the terms, the Daemon has complete right and ownership to their soul, and typically devours the soul, kills the spirit, and possesses the body.

Naturally, any Daemon must be careful with their contracts, and choose their Claims carefully. Should a Daemon Claim too strong of a soul or personality, the soul may be able to ignore/stop or change the terms, or even break the contract.