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 Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:41 pm
Please do not post here. "It is with a great fervor that I pursue the study of demons and the enhancement of my knowledge regarding such supernatural matters. Here, I catalogue the understanding I have amassed up to this point. I hope that the demons summoned through my shop will allow me opportunities for closer study, for I could hardly be expected to make so many demonic contracts on my own. There would not be enough left of my soul to hold a pen, let alone compile this knowledge."
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:05 pm
DEFINING DEMONS Named and Nameless Demons___There are innumerable thousands of demons with just as many powers, but for our means, they are separated into two main groups: the named and the nameless demons. Demons which are named in some mythological or religious source, such as the Princes of Hell, are significantly more powerful and more difficult to summon than more common, unnamed demons, such as banshees or djinns. It is possible to have a named demon of a common species, however. For example, Shaitan is a named djinn.
CLARIFICATION: To easily know if a demon is named or nameless... can you put the article "a" or "an" before their name? Ex, "a djinn", "a banshee" are nameless demons. But "a Shateiel" or "a Lucifer" would not work, therefore they are named. Species of Demons___When I talk about “species”, I refer to the distinct ‘types’ of demons that exist in world mythologies. To constitute a “species”, there must be multiple accounts of different demons sharing the same qualities and name. For example, there are many reported “banshees” and “djinns”. Charges and powers ___A charge is, as the name implies, is what the demon is in charge of. These may be ideas, locations, phenomenon, et cetera. For example, Shateiel is the demon of silence. When selecting the demon you wish to summon, it is important to consider why you wish to summon a demon, and what you want to get out of a contract with them.
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:14 pm
REASONS FOR SUMMONING A Caution To the Reader___There are many a reason people choose to summon and make contracts with demons. It is important to understand that, whatever this reason may be, dealing with a devil should be the absolute last resort one turns to. Demons are known to be fickle beings that will betray and devour their summoner as soon they get the chance. Hauntings___It is not unheard of that a person may already have attracted a demon before they visit my shop. Demons are drawn to traumatic experiences, feelings of intense hatred or sadness, murder, and such depraved things which humanity dreams up. Forging a contract with them is sometimes the only way to get them under a semblance of control. Sometimes, the spirits themselves are simply manifestations of a human's "personal demons", and making them corporeal through a summoning allows the summoner to work through whatever emotion or memory brought the spirit into existence. On Granting Wishes___Unlike the stories of genies who grant the ubiquitous three wishes instantaneously, most demons cannot bend reality as easily as that. It takes time and effort on behalf of a demon to grant wishes, so a wish-granting demon will usually require a long-term contract like other demons. Bringing Back the Dead___My information on these kinds of summonings is scarce. A colleague of mine took up necromancy in his youth...
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:39 pm
TERMS OF A CONTRACT Equivalent Exchange___Demons will only accept terms which correspond to or exceed the service that is expected of them in value. Immediacy of Compensation___A contract can "finish" even if only one party has fulfilled their end of the bargain. A handy example is the selling of one's soul: the terms of the contract may be fulfilled within the human's life, but the soul is only claimed after death. Trading Souls___A "soul" is hard to quantify. Depending on the demon's preferences and the summoner himself, signing away one's soul may bring immediate death, an empty existence, a blankness of mind similar to that of one in a vegetative state, or else a coma, a dryness of human creativity or eternal servitude in the depths of hell after mortal death. It is best to be clear on what the demon considers a 'soul' before signing it away.
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:59 pm
COMMUNICATION Demons communicate in different ways. They may use telepathy, a physical throat and sound, empathy, or they may not talk at all. Some demons are able to write and read... I have encountered great sages of demons! They are of an ancient intelligence, perhaps from the Tree of Knowledge itself, clever beyond human imagining. However, many demons consider human forms of communication such as writing beneath their notice. The banshee I bound to myself after Martel's death is able to communicate with human speech... her voice shakes the foundation of the rock and every crevice to the highest mountain top when she wishes it so, though I wish she did not. She is very useful though, in alerting me when a demon is summoned from the supernatural realm, as she is very sensitive to that kind of activity.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:56 pm
Summoners Who Did Not Seek My Help Not all of the summoners with whom I hold relations came to my shop to seek my help. There were some who conjured up demons entirely on their own, or those to whom demons came without being summoned. I find these types with the help of the banshee, for she is finely attuned to the comings and goings between the realms of the living, the spirits, and the dead.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:37 am
SUMMONERS AND APPRENTICES Beginning Your Apprenticeship___An apprentice of summoning, who intends to make a career from the summoning or studying of demons, most often comes from a family which already has a history of involvement with the black arts. For instance, it is incredibly rare for someone with no former affiliation with demon summoning to become a summoner, and even more so for someone with no attachment to the black arts at all to seek an apprenticeship. Length of Apprenticeship___An apprenticeship ends at age 30 or with the death of the master or apprentice. You may remove yourself from the contract, but you cannot terminate it with the full education and abilities of a Summoner without the death of your teacher or the requisite age to be a Master. Clarification___Though most master summoners refer to their clients as "summoners", they are not actually summoners but more, as previously stated, customers. However, the term "summoner" is used in order to keep things simple.
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 5:08 pm
RELATED CAREERS Arcane Researcher___The arcane researcher is a summoner without the power to back up the spells. They work to discover new ways of summoning, new demons, and new kinds of contracts, or else they study the workings of magic itself, black or white. Most of them are fluent in many dead languages, the better to translate and rediscover old arts with; nearly all of them possess no innate magical talent whatsoever. They nevertheless enjoy a certain prestige in the community and are often respected, if not admired. Arcane Resourcer___Usually someone otherwise unrelated to the social circles of demon summoning, these are the people that summoners must suck up to the most. Certain laws prevent anyone from obtaining certain items - unicorn horns and such - and resourcers know exactly where to look for these things. Usually, but not always, a resourcer will have their own bound demon. They are usually middle-aged humans who have prior connections to the black market. Currently, though, a seventeen-year-old half-angel is the preeminent resourcer, so that is by no means a be-all end-all. Sorcerer/Sorceress___A sorcerer is a full human who can manipulate the same sort of black magics as a demon. They're extraordinarily rare, as they require certain conditions to be met, such as a specific gender on a particular day at such a time, as well as the blessing of a demon before they reach the age of thirteen. They are often considered "freaks", and tend to continually pop up in the same families. For instance, the Crowley family has reliably produced one sorceress every generation or so. Despite this, most users of black magic are male. White/Gray Mage___White Mage is a catch-all term for someone who completely shuns the darker side of the arts. This grouping includes priests, Wiccans, and most groups believing in the rule of three. Someone who practices white and black magic is a Gray mage. Hunter___Edward-nim refused to write this portion, so I shall instead. A hunter is any humanoid who makes it his or her career to hunt down and destroy monsters, demons and those who summon or are possessed or aid them. They may be as high-tech as using advanced infrared and thermal imagery to detect lurking spirits, or as low-tech as charging in with an EFP senson made from an old Walkman and a shotgun loaded with rock salt. They are deadly against human beings, and effective against demons, and so must be treated with caution. I do believe that a group of demon hunters murdered Edward-nim's pare------
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 5:21 pm
THE "TAINTED" The Tainted___A "tainted" human is any human being who is able to manipulate "magic" without meeting any of the above terms for a 'related career', such as a sorceress or white mage. These include "Vampires", "Werewolves", "Witches", and "Halflings". Vampire___A "vampire" is any being that requires blood, willingly or unwillingly given, to survive according to a proper standard of life. They may be eternal; they may be immortal; they might even be enmortal, reincarnating over and over again as long as even one drop of their blood exists. Most vampires are vulnerable to sunlight, cannot cross running water, and if set on fire will die completely. Contrary to popular belief, they cannot be seen in mirrors and they do not sparkle. Currently the local vampire clans are all kind enough to grant Daemonolgie summoners a wide berth, provided we lead hunters away from Durem (which I am only too glad to do). Werewolves and Lycanthropes___A lycanthrope, or "werewolf", is any human being who changes into an animal in sync with the lunar cycles. They are somewhat unique in that they are usually forced into the change but do have certain periods of freedom from it, unlike vampires. They are generally solitary creatures, so I cannot share information about pack life, but they are certainly allergic to silver, for which I am most sorry about the doorknob. Though a lycanthrope is not a demon, they may more easily become one than any other tainted species. Witches and Warlocks___On the other hand, the only sort of witch who is not a demon is dead or fake. They are the most base of magic users, using bits and pieces of foul matter to build terribly harmful spells. Each witch is, of course, free to choose her own path, but the call of Hell is especially sirenlike to them and so most of them, no matter their intentions, end up among the infernal damned. They may be bound as demons, no matter whether they are Damned or not. (Hae-min is a specialist at this.) Halfbreeds___A half-breed is a man or woman with one non-human parent from outside our Veil. Rather angel or demon, they are equally strange to the homo sapiens - demonic halfbreeds show their roots in Hell, and angelic halfbreeds are often too kind for their own good. Many of them do not benefit from this celestial or infernal ancestry at all - in fact, most of them seem to have all the weaknesses and none of the benefits. Be that as it may, they do exist, though they are few, and must be noted.
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 5:23 pm
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 5:50 pm
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 5:53 pm
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 6:00 pm
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 6:05 pm
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 6:06 pm
Hereafter shall be a number of tomes that I found useful in my studies.
Read on, please.
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