Demons

Something else ejaculated from Queen Alissa's breast, straight into Kasyrra's waiting hand. It was small and smooth, not much bigger than my thumb, a beautiful pink gem that glistened in the light. "Oh! That was fast," Kas chuckled, curling her fingers around the gem and turning her full attention down to Alissa as the elf began to... to change. "I really thought you'd hold out a while longer. Disappointing."
—Caitriss Zethra, set to parchment in the 5th year of Sultana Nadia El-Qesirren's illustrious reign

Writer Credit

Savin
Demons Codex Entry

Codex

Name: Demon(s)
Sexes: Any and all.
Height: Entirely variable.
Weight: Proportional to size.
Skin: A spectrum of colors from red to blue. Perhaps others, more rarely.
Hair: The same as their original forms.
Eyes: In their natural state: black orbs, slitted.
Ears: The same as their original forms.
Lifespan: Gods only know.
Maturity: Not applicable.

Description

The legends about demons painted them as black, oily, formless beings of nightmare; shadows drawing forth from the abyss, the void between worlds. Yet the things calling themselves demons now? They're nothing like the legends! The first of them we encountered was Kasyrra, their so-called new queen: a statuesque crimson woman with traits mixing bovine, dragon, and fiend. She appeared to [pc.name] alone, tearing her way into our world through the portal in Hawkstone's temple... the same one my sister was flung through moments before.
She'd almost be beautiful if it wasn't for the black pit in her heart where her soul ought to be.
Kasyrra was the first and only of her kind in Savarra for a time, but now that we've seen what she did to Alissa... how many more broken souls has she torn from people? There will only be more demons across the Marches as we progress. One more reason we have to stop them!
After seeing Queen Alissa's transformation, there's clearly no consistent way to identify a demon... Kasyrra and her broken elven queen were wholly different beasts, though both were cloven-legged and had tails and horns. It seems evident that there's quite a bit of variety in what constitutes a demon's physical form. We can't be complacent in assuming we understand what demons look like... they may even be shapeshifters, as they can clearly change other peoples' bodies!

Reproduction

It seems that demons don't reproduce naturally. Kasyrra herself, and all her victims too, birth imps when impregnated — apparently they're some form of degenerated life form, what happens when a child's born without a soul. So much for the stories about vampires dad used to tell me! I think I'd have preferred spirit-sucking beautiful psychopaths instead, though, because imps are just horrid little balls of lust that attack damn near anything dick-first! Gathering evidence from Kasyrra's actions and words, it would seem that even two demons breeding together don't result in more of their kind.
So how does the Corruption spread? Well, dear reader, it seems to do so in a truly corrupted fashion of course! It appears that demons create more of their own kind by causing such overwhelming physical pleasure (doubtless coupled with acute moral decay or an outright mental break!) in a victim, which in turn causes the soul to violently ejaculate itself from the body, forming a pinkish crystal. I've heard them be called soul-stones in lore, but I thought such things were only made from the departed souls of great beasts and dragons!
The departure of the soul from the body seems to cause immediate mutation, turning the soulless husk into a demon. The new being is granted an immense boost of physical and magical power, though it likely takes some time to manifest judging for Regent Etheryn's dealing with her demon-ified sister with a few well-placed arrows! Personality and memory seem to survive the process, though empathy and compassion are almost entirely purged.
Can Kasyrra even comprehend the damage she's causing — the lives she's ruining? Only Mallach knows.

History

Impossible to tell! We know they come from another world... I believe Kasyrra called her home plane "Mareth," whatever that is. It must be some kind of hellscape to breed creatures such as she.
I have to wonder how long demons like Kasyrra have been around. Forever? I don't know... the demons of legend are so different than she is. Even first-hand accounts from the Godswar, rare as they are, paint such a radically different picture. I wish I had access to the Great Temple's library. Perhaps the lords of Tychris or Khor'minos might have better access to information, if I can get access to their palaces. But even then, reliable information about the demons of the Godswar is rare indeed.

Society & Culture

I'm not sure demons have a culture, per se, though Kasyrra has repeatedly mentioned some kind of original Demon Queen in Mareth. Are there demon courts and castles somewhere? They must overflow with sexual effluvia if so... I can't imagine demons like Kasyrra being able to maintain a society beyond constant orgy and excess. Even Mallach understands that moderation is a virtue. One mustn't overindulge in her passions, lest corruption invariably take hold.
Wait, was Mallach talking about demons? Did the Lord of Song know, even centuries ago...?
Maybe our demons and Mareth's aren't so different after all.