Realms of Power: The Infernal Chapter Four: The Infernal Legions

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The Infernal Legions

The whole earth has been corrupted through the works of Azazel: to him ascribe all sin. — I Enoch 10:12

This chapter describes the nature of demonic existence, the capabilities and weaknesses of such creatures, and their goals and schemes on earth. Any creature with an Infernal Might score may be properly called a demon, although a distinction is usually made between “true demons,” which have made a rational choice for evil, and “Infernal creatures” such as Corrupt Beasts, who, devoid of intellect, were made evil rather than choosing to be that way.

What are Demons?

Put on God’s armor, so as to be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil. For we have to struggle not with blood and flesh, but with the angelic rulers, the angelic authorities, the potentates of the darkness of this world, the spirit forces of evil in the heavenly sphere. — Ephesians 6:11–12

Demons are creatures native to the Infernal realm, although some have their ultimate origins in the mundane realm (infernal ghosts) or even the Divine realm (fallen angels). Demons are not only the tormentors of the spirits of the damned in Hell, but also suffer the torments of hell-fire themselves, in punishment for their rebellion against God. This punishment endures even when they leave the confines of Hell and roam about on earth. After the Last Judgment they will be never again permitted to leave the confines of Hell, but will be fully imprisoned for all eternity.

Demons do not have a single origin. Some angels — the mightiest princes of evil — joined Lucifer in his original rebellion, and fell into the bottomless pit of Hell with their suzerain. More angels (the Watchers) joined the ranks of the fallen when they cohabited with mankind and were corrupted by the Devil. These two groups of angels are the celestial demons: those who once inhabited Heaven but chose to reject it. This is now a closed group — all angels have now made their decision to remain in Heaven. In contrast, the terrestrial demons never knew Heaven; they are either infernal ghosts or the progeny of demons. Legends say that after Adam and Eve were cast out from paradise, Adam took the demoness Lilith as a consort, and to this pair were born many terrestrial demons. Yet more were born to mortal women when the Watchers fell from grace, and even more demons have resulted from copulation between demons, and between demons and humans. Those damned souls who manage to return to Earth to torment sinners are also counted among the terrestrial demons. A further group might be the “Infernal angels,” who claim to be angels working in Hell at the command of God, although those who study demonic lore are divided as to whether these beings truly serve God or the Devil. There are no functional differences between any of these groups.

The Spiritual Form of a Demon

When demons fell from the grace of God, they were cast into the mundane world and their formerly pure angelic bodies were infused with mortality. No longer were they solely beings of spirit — eternal and unchanging. Instead, they became beings with a foot in both the spiritual and the material world, and suffered the perils of a mortal form. It is thus possible for a demon to die, something impossible for the angelic race from which they originated. The same rules apply to all the terrestrial demons, who have the same duality of spirit and matter as the celestial demons.

However, demons have several advantages over most of the inhabitants of the world. All demons (except infernal ghosts, see below) may adopt either a spiritual or a physical form; in the former they are divorced from the effects of time, but they require the latter to interact with the physical world. The spiritual form of demons is so thin and rarefied that it cannot normally be perceived by mankind. It is not just that demons cannot be seen; they are not sensible to vision, hearing, smell, touch, or taste, although Supernatural Abilities such as Second Sight are able to perceive them. Some animals naturally possess this ability, and react strongly to the presence of demons.

The spiritual form of a demon may be likened to invisible smoke, or an odor (though by analogy only; they are not affected by the Form of Auram). It lacks strength to exert force on any physical object; thus, demons cannot manipulate matter while in this form. Objects moving into the same space that a demon occupies push the demon aside, but physical barriers are no hindrance to them. Being composed of spiritual substance rather than elemental matter, spiritual demons are not affected by the centripetal force with keeps dense objects attached to the ground; thus their usual mode of transport is flight, and spiritual demons may travel ten times faster than a human. Spiritual demons cannot acquire wounds by any non-supernatural means, although they do suffer from any wound penalties they have accumulated from magic, or while in physical form (see The Physical Form of a Demon, below). Spiritual demons are restricted to interacting with the things and beings around them through the use of their Powers.

While spiritual, demons are not affected by the passage of time. They do not age, but neither do they recover from injuries they have sustained. They must assume a solid form and wait out the appropriate amount of time if they wish to get rid of physical damage. However, demons in either form are able to regain Might Points. Demons in their spiritual form possess all five modes of sensation of other physical beings, but are also able to sense spiritual beings as if they had the Second Sight Ability, using their Perception + Awareness total. A demon in spiritual form can only be slain be effects that deplete its Infernal Might (such as Perdo Vim spells); once its Might is entirely dissipated it is dead, gone forever.

Its soul enters Hell as one of the damned, never to return to earth.

The Physical Form of a Demon

The majority of demons (celestial and terrestrial demons alike, but not infernal ghosts) can coagulate their substance into a solid form through the manifestation of a Power common to all demons. In this form they are as material and substantial as any other object. This allows the demon to interact with other matter, but also makes it vulnerable to that matter; in this form it can hurt, but also be hurt. Demons assume this form to eat, drink, and fornicate with mankind, all things in which some of them take a great deal of pleasure. This form is also often better than the spiritual form for the temptation of mankind. Only while in this form is a demon is subject to time, and so they must assume this form to heal wounds. While physical, demons do not suffer from natural aging, and thus do not die of old age. However, a demon is susceptible to unnatural forms of aging such as spells or Supernatural Powers. The matter that makes up the physical body of the demon does not belong to it, but instead is merely “borrowed” from the universe; demons do not therefore generate Arcane Connections of any sort from these bodies.

Demons can usually only create a single physical body of fixed appearance. Only if they have a Power that enables them to manifest a different form, or shapechange their current one, may they appear differently from the form described.

Demons in physical form can be slain. If attacked physically, with weapons or damage-causing spells, while in its physical form, then they may be killed like any supernatural being, and it is the demon that dies, not just its physical form. The demonic soul heads straight for Hell like all damned souls, to be tortured there for eternity. In this situation, a corpse is left behind, which often contains vis (typically a pawn for every magnitude of Infernal Might). A demon’s physical form does not possess any special resistance to particular types of damage (for example, fire or disease) unless this is specifically mentioned in the creature’s description. However, being wholly artificial, the body has no nutritional needs, and needs not eat or drink (although it does need to breathe).

Demonic Traits

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. — II Corinthians, 11:13–15

All demons share certain traits, to do with their natures and innate corruption. However, each order of demons also shares certain characteristics, including maximum Infernal Might levels, inherent Powers, and consistent Personality Traits. Note that the details given here are intended to assist the storyguide in creating demons with which to challenge their players; it is not the intent of these rules to allow players to run demonic characters.

Updating the Bestiary Due to the new rules presented here, some small changes need to be made to the demons presented in Chapter 13 of Ars Magica Fifth Edition. Those demons do not necessarily follow the rules for Characteristics presented below, so you may wish to alter them to fit with these rules. Furthermore, each needs to be assigned to one of the nine demonic orders, and given the general characteristics (Personality Traits, Virtues, Flaws, and Powers) of those orders, as well as the Powers shared by all demons. Michael is a Tempter, whose Obsession is Sensitive to Mockery. Bartholomew is a Spirit of Deceit with an Obsession of Avarice. While Polandrus has the shape of a wolf, he is not a Corrupt Beast, for he has true intelligence, which those unfortunates lack. He is instead a Fury, and has the Obsession of Secrecy.

Common Demonic Traits

All demons possess at least 1 point of Infernal Might and may not be affiliated with or belong to any realm other than the Infernal realm.

All demons possess at least one Personality Trait that defines the particular sin that they represent. This Trait can be generic (“Pride”), or specific (“Envy over Hair Color”), and powerful demons tend to have more general Traits.

No demon is capable of displaying any form of virtuous Personality Trait of its own free will, but may be forced to simulate virtue by those that can control them. Specifically, demons cannot display faith, hope, charity, prudence, temperance, fortitude, or justice (see Demons in the Saga, below). A demon automatically fails personality rolls (ArM5, page 18) if succeeding would make it act in a virtuous manner.

Demonic Might

The Infernal Might of a demon is determined by two things: its order and its rank. All demons are divided up into orders; conventionally there are nine orders, mimicking the nine choirs of angels (see The Infernal Hierarchy, below, for details of these orders). Orders group demons by function but also by Might; those demons who are charged with the corruption of individual humans are weaker than those who have whole nations under their purview. However, there is also a system of rank, in that some demons are made (in order of increasing power) masters, lords, dukes, or princes of their order. Each rank grants an increase in Infernal Might on top of that allocated by order. (It is also theoretically possible that a demon may be demoted, or even stripped of all rank, and thereby lose Infernal Might.) These two sources of Infernal Might are indistinguishable in play, but the higher ranks are more common in the more powerful orders; it is very rare to find a demon with a low Infernal Might who is also a Prince of Hell.

Demonic Might The Infernal Mights of the nine demonic orders, and the frequency of different ranks within those orders, are as follows: Order Might Range Masters Lords Dukes Princes Tempters 5-20 unusual very unusual impossible impossible Accusers 5-20 unusual unusual impossible impossible Furies 5-20 uncommon unusual very unusual impossible Aerial Powers 5-25 uncommon uncommon unusual very unusual Deluders 5-25 uncommon uncommon unusual very unusual Avengers of Evil 5-25 common uncommon unusual very unusual Vessels of Iniquity 5-30 common uncommon unusual unusual Spirits of Deceit 5-30 common common uncommon unusual False Gods 5-30 common common common uncommon The additional Might granted by the titles is given by the following table: Rank Additional Infernal Might Equivalent Reputation Score Master +5 3 Lord +10 5 Duke +15 7 Prince +20 8

Demonic Reputations

In addition to order and rank, demons may also have Infernal Reputations. These Reputations are known amongst other demons and amongst infernalists, and represent the perceived power that the demon has in Hell’s hierarchy. It is often the case that rank and renown go hand in hand; most powerful demons are known to be powerful. However, sometimes a demon’s Reputation may not match his Infernal Might. This may come about through a number of routes. Demons are creatures of deceit, and the power that they claim to have might bear no resemblance to that which they actually possess. Reputations tend to change over time at a different rate from the demon’s actual power; a celestial demon who was an important figure in the rebellion against God might have a great Reputation, because demons have long memories, but actually have little rank in Hell. Alternatively, a demon might deliberately avoid gaining a Reputation so that it may go about its business with the subtlety engendered by anonymity. Many celestial demons claim titles related to the angelic choir to which they first belonged (see Realms of Power: The Divine, Chapter 2: Heaven and Earth).

In addition to the usual rules for Reputations (ArM5, pages 18–19), the score in an Infernal Reputation affects the summoning of a demon by an infernalist (see Chapter 11: Ars Goetia, Summoning). The Hierarchy score of a demon is the highest of any Infernal Reputations it has, including the equivalent Reputation score for any rank the demon possesses. Thus, a demon with the rank of Lord (equivalent to a Reputation of 5) and an Infernal Reputation at 3 has a Hierarchy score of 5.

Example Infernal Reputations

Reputation	Header text
0 – 1	Tempter of Virgins, Demon of Medicinal Herbs, Finder of Lost Objects, Servant of Lilith
2 – 3	Herald of Prince Astaroth, Baron of the Choir of Potentates, Captain of 7 Hell Legions, Knower of Things Past
4 – 5	Lucifer’s Secretary, Marquis of the Choir of Ofanim, Count of the Choir of Seraphim, Commander of 31 Legions of Hell, Demon of Sciences
6 –7	General of Hell’s Legions, Lucifer’s Standard Bearer, Duke of the Choir of Angels, Co-Signatory of Pacts
8 – 9	Prime Minister of Hell, King of the North, Prince of the Choir of Thrones, Demon of France

Demonic Characteristics

Demons have lost the state of pure intelligence possessed by the angels, and instead are shackled by their intellect, and forced to resort to reason rather than wisdom. Demons therefore tend to have physical Characteristics (Strength, Stamina, Dexterity, and Quickness) which are higher than their mental ones (Intelligence, Perception, Presence, and Communication). The more powerful a demon, the more the more disproportionate its physical Characteristics are to its mental ones, and powerful demons are not necessarily smarter than their weaker cohorts. Demons have a number of Characteristic points with which to buy physical Characteristics equal to their Infernal Might. Negative points may also be taken to gain an equal number of positive points, but the minimum value for any physical Characteristic is equal to the demon’s (Infernal Might / 5) – 10. There is no maximum Characteristic score for a demon, and no Virtue or Flaw is needed for extreme Characteristics. Use the Art Advancement Table (ArM5, page 32) to determine the cost of Characteristics above +3. Non-physical Characteristics are normally bought with up to 7 points, although particularly powerful demons have more than 7 points to spend in these four Characteristics.

Demon Physical Characteristics Points

Infernal Might

Demon Mental Characteristics Points

0 – 7 (Possibly More for Powerful Demons)

Demon Minimum Physical Characteristic Score

(infernal Might / 5) – 10

Demonic Size is determined by the physical form of the demon, and is not always associated with the power of the demon; it is more likely to represent its role in corrupting or tormenting humanity.

Demonic Powers

All demons have the following Powers:

Coagulation, 1 point per 10 Might (or fraction), Init –1, Corpus: This Power allows demons manufacture a solid body from the ambient, unformed matter of the universe. They may only take a single specific form with this Power (the one described under Appearance in the demon’s statistics) unless they have another Power that allows them to alter it. Manifesting a physical form takes a round for every point of Infernal Might possessed by the demon; those with a high Infernal Might have more power to collect and force into solid form. The demon can end this effect at any time, allowing its body to become finer and more rarefied, and return to its natural state. Dissolution of the solid form is almost instantaneous, taking only a round of concentration from the demon, although this concentration may be disrupted (use the rules for Concentration, ArM5, page 82).

The game statistics of a demon do not change regardless of whether it is in its physical or spiritual form, although a demon in spiritual form may not use its physical Characteristics. This Power may not be a Corpus effect if the demon’s body is naturally of a different substance, such as composed of elemental matter, or in the shape of an animal. Demons in Christian lands are forced to abandon their coagulated form on Holy Saturday (see Religious Limitations on Demons, below).

Obsession, 1–3 points, Init –5, Vim: Every demon possesses a particular sin — called its Obsession Trait — which it may attempt to impose upon a mortal whenever the mortal indulges in a venial sin. A demon can only use this Power when there is a chink in the armor of virtue; that is, when a person is indulging in sinful thoughts or deeds. At such moments, the demon can impose its Obsession Trait, if it penetrates Magic Resistance. The victim is assailed with sinful thoughts, and acquires a Personality Trait to represent these thoughts, with a score equal to the number of Might Points spent by the demon (maximum of 3). When the victim is next presented with the opportunity to act on the Obsession Trait, the victim’s player must make a simple roll and add the Obsession Trait; the result must be lower than a simple roll + any other suitable opposed Personality Trait to successfully resist the impulses. (A second trait which is similar to the imposed trait may act as a penalty instead). If the Obsession roll fails, then the demon’s Power has failed and the Obsession Trait is lost. If the Obsession roll is higher, the victim gives in to sin, permanently acquiring the Obsession Trait at +1 (or increases it by one if he already possesses it). Any further succumbing to this trait counts as sinful, rather than as an action forced by a demon.

Each demon can inflict only certain traits, representing its particular role in the corruption of mankind; these are listed under the creature’s Powers. Due to its low initiative, it is unusual for demons to use this Power when in physical combat.

Example of Obsession Bartholomew (ArM5, page 197) has the Obsession Trait of Avarice. He sees a nun collecting alms for an orphanage and bumps into her deliberately on the street. The nun’s flash of anger over his apparent clumsiness gives Bartholomew the doorway he needs, and he imposes the trait upon her, spending three points from his Might Pool. When the nun is counting her pennies later that day, she has an opportunity to act on the demonically induced greed, so is forced to make an Avarice personality roll. She rolls a 5, +3 for the Obsession Trait, for a total of 8. Her opposing die roll is only a 6, but she also has the Generous Personality Trait, for a total of 9. She resists the impulse to steal, and resolves to pray harder, shocked that she even considered such an act. The next day, Bartholomew observes a reeve fleecing his lord of taxes, and imposes his Avarice trait on him, again spending three points. The reeve is immediately presented with the opportunity to be even more larcenous, so must make a roll. He rolls 3 and adds the Obsession Trait of +3 for a total of 6. The opposing die roll, a 6, is penalized by the reeve’s own Greedy Personality Trait of +1, and so the reeve steals even more money from his lord than he was intending. The reeve’s Greedy trait increases to +2, and Bartholomew makes a note to return here again soon.

Envisioning, 1 or 5 points, Init +0, Mentem: This Power allows a demon to appear in the dreams of a sleeping target (in which case it costs 1 point), or make the target experience a waking dream or vision (in which case it costs 5 points). A demon cannot instantly make substantial changes to a dream, but instead gradually twists it to take on a darker and frightening tone, and can speak through any figure from the victim’s subconscious. A waking dream is more obvious; the victim suffers an immediate and powerful hallucination of whatever the demon desires. This may be so frightening that the victim is stunned for a round, and must make a Brave Personality roll against an Ease Factor of 9 or have an extreme reaction, such as retching, convulsions, or abject terror. This is the only way in which a spiritual demon can communicate with mortals.

Many (but not all) demons also have the following Power:

Possession, variable points, Init +2, Mentem: To possess a human, the demon may expend any number of points from its Might Pool to create a Possession Might Pool; these points actually enter the possessed creature and are not be regenerated by the demon until the possession is ended. The more of its Might it expends to use this Power, the more the demon can do with its host (also called an energumen), but the weaker the Penetration. If the target’s resistance is overcome by this Power, the victim is possessed by the demon, and falls under its direct control. If the demon uses all of its current Might Pool in a possession then its spiritual form effectively enters the victim and resides within (forcing the loss of any physical form). Alternatively, a demon may divide its consciousness by only placing a portion of its Might within a victim, allowing the possessing part of it act independently from the rest (which remains in spiritual or physical form). In this situation, the separate parts of the demon’s consciousness may only communicate information learned since the split when they are within sight of each other; otherwise, they should be considered independent copies of the demon’s mind.

The demon may use any of its Powers that it has sufficient points in its Possession Might Pool to use, but these points do not regenerate until the possession ends. The demon may choose to extend its power over its host to give it Magic Resistance equal to the Possession Might; if it does so, then the host is excluded from wards against supernatural beings just as if it were the demon itself. The same is true if the host is currently under the effects of one of the demon’s Powers. In all other situations, the demon can “hide” within the host, and walk through such wards with impunity.

If the demon attempts to force the victim to act contrary to his nature, or to use any of the energumen’s own Supernatural Powers, the demon must spend points from its Possession Might Pool. A Supernatural Power (including spellcasting) requires 1 Might Point per magnitude (for a spell or similar effect); 1 Might Point per point of a Supernatural Ability (such as Entrancement); or Might Points equal to the Might Points expended by the energumen. A questionable action which is contrary to the nature of the host requires the demon to exceed the possessed being’s Personality Trait roll on a stress die + Might Points spent. The storyguide may give a modifier to the Personality Trait roll based on the nature of the command. Over time, exercise of the demon’s Obsession Power on the host may result in a reduced resistance to such questionable actions. Note that use of a Supernatural Power might also be contrary to the victim’s nature, in which case both costs must be met.

Once the Possession Might Pool placed into the victim reaches zero, the possession ends. Note that a being can be possessed with as little as 1 Might Point, as long as the demon does not wish to do too much with its host. Furthermore, a demon may possess more than one host simultaneously, and can direct each independently. Vim spells may be used on the energumen to target the demon rather than the host; these must overcome the demon’s Infernal Might in the usual way, but drain the Possession Might Pool, not the Infernal Might (see Chapter 12: Black Magic, Demon Hunting).

Demons and Magic

Hermetic magic cannot pierce any deception produced by a demon, although other varieties of Supernatural Powers (particularly Divine Powers) may well be able to do so. A demon’s lie is not detected with Frosty Breath of the Spoken Lie, a demonic illusion does not show up as false with Discern the Images of Truth and Falsehood, and a shape-changed demon appears to be a mundane creature if Sight of the True Form is used. Even if a magus casts a spell of compulsion on a demon, he cannot force it to tell the truth. This “protection” from truth-revealing magics need not involve an active deception on behalf of the demon; the presence of a demon’s Infernal Might is invisible to Hermetic magic, as is the stench of Hell in their Infernal Powers. However, only Infernal Powers used by demons are immune to detection; use of Infernal Powers by humans may be detected with Hermetic magic.

The Ease Factor for the Second Sight Ability to detect naturally invisible things (such as spirits) is normally 9. However, the sheer deceptiveness of demons is such that this Ease Factor is increased by the magnitude of their Might. If this Ability derives from non-Divine sources, then it may not pierce illusions created by demons at all; in the case of Second Sight of a Divine origin, use the normal Ease Factor of 6 + magnitude of Might to pierce these deceptions.

A Hermetic magus must be able to sense his target to affect it (ArM5, page 80; Limit of Arcane Connections), and a demon in its spiritual form cannot be sensed through mundane means, nor may it be sensed through Hermetic magic due to its inherent deceptiveness. If a spiritual demon can be tricked into using its Supernatural Powers (and a magus is able to detect the Power’s effect without the use of Hermetic magic) then he can target the demon with his spells. Otherwise, he must rely on other resources such as Second Sight, Sense Holiness and Unholiness, or Divine Powers (his own or another’s) to reveal the demon.

Demons can be warded off by the Form listed next to their Infernal Might, and, if in physical form, may be affected by magics corresponding to that Form. Thus, in addition to the Rego Vim spell Ward Against Demons, which affects all demons, there is a Rego Animal Ward Against Animal Demons, a Rego Aquam Ward Against Water Demons, and so forth. Demons are mostly intelligent beings and may also be targeted by Mentem spells.

The Infernal Might of a demon may be manipulated with the Art of Vim. Demons may be attacked with Perdo Vim spells such as Demon’s Eternal Oblivion (or its non-Hermetic equivalents) in either form, assuming the target has been sensed. The Infernal Might of the demon is reduced by a successful casting of this spell, and the demon also loses any Might Pool points that exceed its reduced Infernal Might. As the demon’s Infernal Might is reduced, subsequent Perdo Vim spells penetrate more easily, and have greater effect. The demon’s body is actually eroded using these magics, and a demon that is reduced to an Infernal Might of zero is destroyed, leaving behind no corpse (and thus no vis). Demons in either spiritual or physical form may be attacked with these spells and the result is the same.

All demons are entirely immune to magic that would cause them to act in a contrary way to their Personality Traits.

Demons may be summoned and compelled by Hermetic magic, although the Oath of Hermes specifically forbids it. Knowing a spell that will either summon or compel a demon is grounds for expulsion from the Order and a Wizard’s March (see Chapter 12: Black Magic).

Demonic Weaknesses

All demons are vulnerable to expressions of God’s power, whether these are the sacraments of a faith, prayers from devout followers, or the relics of saints. Relics, as supremely holy items, are anathema to demons. They all have a Power called Scourging the Infernal, which means that they radiate an aura over an area with a radius equal to their Divine Might (i.e., their Faith score multiplied by ten) in feet. Demons may only enter this aura if their Infernal Might exceeds the Divine Might, and even if they manage to be within this aura, they take a number of points of damage equal to the relic’s Divine Might each round, burnt by the holy fire which emanates from the relic (this damage may be soaked as normal). For more information on relics, see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 43. A character who has a focus for her prayers (such as a rosary, a phylactery, or so forth) and who successfully invokes God’s aid to defeat a demon (see Realms of Power: The Divine, page 41) gains twice the usual bonus. Any object which is an intrinsic part of Divine worship, but not actually a relic in its own right (such as a church bible, the Host, the scrolls of the Torah) is a Vulnerability (see below) of all demons.

All demons have an additional, individual weakness. These may place limits on what a demon can and cannot do (in any form), or it might cause wounds in some circumstances, in which case only the physical form is affected. A character with Infernal Lore who has had some prior exposure to knowledge about a given demon (for example, through study of a catalog of demons) may make a roll determine whether he has learned that demon’s weakness; this is an Intelligence + Infernal Lore roll against an Ease Factor of 9 + (Might / 5). Subtract 3 from the Ease Factor if the demon is a member of a family, for all members of a family share the same weakness. Failure indicates that the character does not know the weakness of this demon, but can make another attempt to discover it once his score in Infernal Lore increases.

Weaknesses should be chosen from the following list:

Abhorrent Material/Circumstance: The demon cannot abide a particular type of object or substance, or a particular circumstance. This may be a common material such as light, salt, or garlic (for weak demons); or a reasonably uncommon, such as iron horseshoes, objects that have been given names, or charms made of rowan wood, for the more powerful demons. The material or circumstance inflicts no actual damage, but should such a thing come into the demon’s presence, the demon must flee, or else spend a Confidence Point to remain for two minutes. If it is unable to do either, then a brave or foolhardy soul may be able to strike a bargain with the demon using the advantage he has gained. A demon in the presence of its Abhorrent Material or Circumstance cannot regain spent Might Points. This weakness affects demons in both spiritual and physical form, but demons possessing a human are more resistant to their weaknesses, and may make a Stamina roll against an Ease Factor of 6 to remain in the presence of the abhorred material. If the roll is failed, the demon must either make its host flee, or if this is not possible, end the possession and flee itself.

Compulsiveness: The demon is compelled to enumerate randomly scattered objects; if, for example, a jar of beans is strewn in the path of this demon, it must count every one before it can proceed. The objects must be purposefully scattered in sight of the demon to hinder it.

Ordering: The demon has no power over anything that is sealed, counted, measured, or tied up. It cannot open sealed vessels, steal grain from a bushel (although it can falsify the weighing in the first place), and so forth. Many demons in Jewish lore have this limitation.

Protected Group: The demon cannot act directly against a particular, reasonably common, group of people. It may not be able to affect children, or men with beards, or female Muslims. None of its Supernatural Powers work on this group, and if they face it in combat, it can only defend itself. A person who is not a member of the protected group is safe from the demon if he remains within a defined group of at least nine others who are protected from the demon. Likewise, two vulnerable people can hide within a group with a total size of twenty, and so forth.

Running Water: The demon cannot cross running water. This must be fresh water deriving directly from within the earth — spilled water from a jar will not hinder it.

Vulnerability: A certain substance (see Abhorrent Material for appropriate examples) causes a Light Wound to the demon merely by touch. The more powerful the demon, the rarer this substance should be. Any weapons made of the material to which the demon is vulnerable inflict a Light Wound to the demon on a successful attack in addition to any damage inflicted as a result of the attack, even if the demon’s soak absorbs all the other damage. Light is a common Vulnerability of weak demons.

Religious Limitations on Demons In Christian lands, all demons are forced to abandon their physical form at dawn on Holy Saturday (the day between Good Friday and Easter Day); furthermore, no demon may spend Might Points from this point until dusk on Easter Day. This is a reminder of Christ’s victory over Satan and subsequent descent into Hell to bring the good news to the souls trapped there. For Jewish families, if all sins committed in the past year by the adults of the household are atoned and forgiven in the five days between the holy days of Yom Kippur and Sukkot (in September–October), then all demons who are currently affecting their family must flee the household and not return for a year. No demon can use any Infernal Might to directly affect a Muslim who has completed the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) within the last year. The hajj must be properly and devoutly performed to grant this immunity.

True Names

Demons, like angels, have secret names that act as a mystical connection to their spiritual essence. Names such as Adramelech, Nithael, and Polandrus are just demons’ common names; these secret names require a special formula of strange incantations and gestures that takes only a few moments to recite, but is very difficult to learn. These unusual rituals are called True Names.

Since angels and demons don’t have physical bodies, True Names are the only form of Arcane Connection to them that magi, infernalists, or other characters can obtain. This makes True Names very valuable to those who wish to summon demons, as well as those who wish to destroy them, since they are of indefinite duration and give a character a +5 bonus to the Penetration Multiplier when penetrating an Infernal creature’s Magic Resistance.

There are many grimoires found throughout Mythic Europe that describe the True Names of demons, and characters can also learn True Names from other characters versed in the powers of the Infernal realm. To represent this knowledge, characters can convert experience in Infernal Lore into spell-like abilities, each one called “True Name of (Being).” Each True Name costs 5 experience points, and these points can come from Practice, Exposure, or Adventure, or from any Advancement Total entirely dedicated to Infernal Lore. You can spend experience towards multiple True Names in one season, and you always receive 1 free experience point in Infernal Lore whenever a character learns a demon’s True Name completely.

Example: Moratamis of Guernicus has found a book on Infernal Lore, which includes instructions for summoning Gaap, a Demon Prince. Suspecting that she will encounter this demon one day, she studies the book for a season, gaining 8 experience points in Infernal Lore, and Erik (her player) decides that she will spend 5 of these points on learning to recite Gaap’s True Name. The rest go into her Infernal Lore score; Erik increases her Infernal Lore by 4 experience points (3 remaining points, +1 for learning a True Name), and writes “True Name of Gaap” on her character sheet. If Moratamis encounters Gaap, she will be prepared.

Some magi who have been initiated into special Hermetic secrets understand how to use formulas called synthemata (see The Mysteries Revised Edition, Chapter 9: Theurgy), which are similar to True Names but not exactly the same. A magus who is seeking a synthemata for a being whose True Name he knows may use that True Name as an Arcane Connection when researching the synthemata in the lab, and may add five to his total when he attempts to intuit or research the demon’s synthemata through non-Hermetic means.

Demons and Free Will

All demons possess free will as an essential part of their nature, but they have already made the choice for evil (or, as Judaism would have it, are doing God’s will by being evil). Because demons are dominated by their evil inclinations, they always act according to their selfish and wicked impulses. Demons are wholly corrupt, so the free choices they make are also wholly corrupt.

Confidence is an aspect of free will, representing the ability of demons to put aside their base impulses and act in a rational manner. Not all demons have Confidence, so some demons are incapable of acting against the dictates of their passions.

For more information on the personalities of demons, see Using Demons in the Saga, below.

Demons, Auras, and Regiones

A demon’s Might Pool usually refreshes at a constant rate such that that all Might is restored in a day; i.e., at a rate of Infernal Might / 24 points per hour. In an Infernal aura or regione, however, Infernal creatures recover spent Might Points more quickly, at the following faster rate:

{{ArsMformula|Number of Hours To Restore All Might in Infernal Aura| 24 – (2 X Infernal Aura)} Template:Might Points Restored Per Hour in Infernal Aura

Thus, a demon with an Infernal Might of 25 resting in an Infernal aura of 6 regains 25 points in 12 hours (approximately two points an hour), which is twice as fast as usual.

A demon cannot regenerate any Might at all in a Divine aura. In all other auras they refresh their Might at the usual rate.

The Infernal Hierarchy

Disgrace upon you, Azazel! For Abraham’s lot is in heaven, but yours is upon the earth. Because you have chosen and loved this for the dwelling place of your uncleanness, therefore the Eternal Mighty Lord made you to be a dweller upon the earth, and through you every evil spirit of lies, and through you wrath and trials for the generations of ungodly men; for God, the Eternal Mighty One, has not permitted that the bodies of the righteous should be in your hand, in order that thereby the life of the righteous and the destruction of the unclean may be assured. — Apocalypse of Abraham, chapter 13

Some scholars divide the fallen angels into orders that mirror the nine angelic choirs from which they originated. Others claim that all demons originated from a tenth order of angels, which fell in its entirety. Sill others say there are more (or fewer) orders, or no orders, or orders which have different names and functions. Naturally, the only beings who can sort out this mess of human demonology are the demons themselves. However, every demon asked tells a different story, and no one who would ask is equipped to know a truth from a falsehood when spoken by a demon. The consequence is that there might be individuals or groups of demons who do not fit into the hierarchy detailed below, and a storyguide should never feel constrained by it.

Each of the nine orders listed below has a name derived from Jewish lore and from Christian teaching, and fulfills a specific function in the corruption of man. Each order has certain features in common, such as Personality Traits and Powers (which are listed below), but each individual demon also has features that are unique to it. Furthermore, some of these orders may contain “families” of demons who share traits with each other and with the order as a whole.

The Demonic Orders Each of the nine orders described below has a number of different names, depending upon the language of the source. The names given below are translations of the Latin terms, but each order also has a Hebrew name. False Gods: Pseudothei (singular pseudotheus, Latinized Greek); Teraphim (singular teraph, Hebrew for “Obscenities”) Spirits of Deceit: Spiritus mendaciorum (singular and plural, Latin); Sheqerim (singular sheqer, Hebrew for “speakers of falsehoods”) Vessels of Iniquity: Vasa iniquitatis (singular vas iniquitatis, Latin); Rephaim (singular rephah, Hebrew for “weakeners”) Avengers of Evil: Ultores scelorum (singular ultor scelorum, Latin); Malakim Habbalah (singular malakhe habbalah, Hebrew for “angels of punishment”) Deluders: Praestigiatores (singular praestigiator, Latin); Memunim (singular memuneh, Hebrew for “appointed ones”); also called the Juggling Impostors Aerial Powers: Potestates aeriae (singular potestas aeriae, Latin); Gibborim (singular gibboreh, Hebrew for “mighty ones”) Furies: Furiae (singular furia, Latin); Enim (singular eneh, Hebrew for “terrors”) Accusers: Criminatores (singular criminator, Latin); Mastinim (singular mastin, Hebrew for “accusers”) Tempters: Tentatores (singular tentator, Latin); Maligenii (singular maligenius, Latin for “evil spirits”); Shedim (singular shedeh, Hebrew for “demonic spirits”); Kakodaemones (singular kakodaemon, Greek for “filthy spirits”)

Infernal Ghosts Sometimes, when a human’s soul joins the damned in Hell, its spirit is allowed to roam the earth as an Infernal ghost. This is due to a special arrangement with Hell, usually with the agreement that the ghost gain more souls in exchange for the ghost’s own. However, the ghost does not escape the fires of torment; its soul remains in a state of perpetual punishment and the ghost feels the pain of it even on earth. The distraction of earthly matters is a tiny relief compared to the magnitude of eternal torment, but it is a relief nevertheless. Infernal ghosts retain their memories of their lives as humans, and they retain their passions, although they can only act on the sinful ones. These evil spirits are members of an order just like any other demon, and have Powers in common with those orders. The role that the ghost takes on earth determines the order to which it belongs: angry ghosts driven to chaos become Furies, tormenting ghosts wanting revenge become Accusers, and Tempters are trapped souls who bewail their fate. Infernal ghosts should be designed like any other demon, except that they have no Power of Coagulation, and as such, they do not have any physical statistics. Story A wicked enemy defeated by the characters is returned to earth as an Infernal ghost. He desires revenge, but has been charged by his demonic master with the corruption of the magi who sent him to his doom. Reconciling these two missions will be hard for a creature that lacks self-control and obedience.

False Gods

Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness, “All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” — Gospel of Matthew 4:8–9

The False Gods usurp the name of God by requiring worship, sacrifice, and adoration. They encourage mankind to break the basic and most important tenet of the Christians, Jews, and the Muslims — Thou shalt have no other god but Me. It is a hotly contested point among magi just how many of the pagan gods were actually demons of this order, and for that mater, which ones.

These demons appear in a physical form that is pleasing to the eye, in human shapes designed to put their viewers at ease; thus they are often handsome, beautiful, or kingly. They are always accompanied with an animal when they manifest; this is not a separate being, but actually part of the physical form.

• Infernal Might: not more than 30 Ranks: Master, Lord, and Duke are commonplace; Prince is uncommon
• Personality Traits: Proud +6
• Powers
  • Shroud the Stench of the Pit, variable points, Init +3, Vim: This Power may be used in two manners, both of which affect the expression of other Supernatural Powers. First, the demon can conceal the Infernal nature of any other Supernatural Power, making it appear to be magical or faerie instead. This Power is used on an overt expression of a Power, to prevent spells from recognizing it as Infernal in origin. Secondly, it may be used on more subtle Powers to remove all stench of the supernatural, making them appear wholly mundane. This Power costs Might Points equal to the original cost of the Power being concealed, or Might Points equal to the magnitude of the Infernal effect if it does not cost Might to use. This power lasts for as long as the Power it is masking.
  • The Wealth of Nations, 3 points, Init 0, Terram: The demon can summon riches; each use of this Power can create wealth equivalent to up to pound of gold for every point of Infernal Might possessed by the demon. This wealth can be of any form — gold, gems, rich tapestries, ivory, etc. — but it always has intrinsic value, rather than being valuable because of its utility (a roomful of grain, for example). This wealth is not created, it is instead summoned from somewhere else, chosen by the demon, usually for the greatest corrupting effect. This might be a royal treasury on the other side of Europe or the purse of a man standing nearby.
  • His Master’s Voice, variable points, Init +1, Vim: The demon can summon other demons or corrupt beasts to its current location. This costs one Might Point for every point of Infernal Might of the being summoned, so is used sparingly. The demon has no control over the demon he has summoned.

Stories

• False Gods love to gather cults about them, particularly when they consist of worshipers who are not aware of the true corrupt nature of their religion. A False God without a worshiper is like a dog without a tail. So when the characters discover one of these demons haunting a deserted locality, devoid of humans, let alone cultists, they should become suspicious — and rightly so!
• The characters come into possession of some material wealth created using a False God’s Wealth of Nations Power. How can they explain this away when the original owner of the goods recognizes his own possessions?

Spirits of Deceit

... And the spirit said, “I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” The Lord said, “Go and deceive him. You will succeed.” — I Kings 22:22

The Spirits of Deceit are the embodiment of lies. Although all demons are liars, this order is the source of all lies. More particularly, they propagate the sins of the wolf, the malicious sins which all involve the abuse of the specifically human faculty of reason. These include the socalled “simple frauds,” which betray the confidence of humanity in general, and the “complex frauds,” which betray the confidence of those who had special reason to trust. Thus, these demons promote thievery, hypocrisy, forgery, seduction, and evil counsel (all simple frauds) as well as treason, oath-breaking, heresy, and willful treachery (complex frauds). They have been accused of deluding men through divinations and predictions, and being the voices of pagan oracles. It is certainly true that they are more gifted at prophecy than other demons; however, they are also the most gifted liars, to the eternal frustration of those who would compel them.

The Spirits of Deceit take the forms of serpents or dragons, often with human features, such as faces or arms. However, they are also the most skilled shapeshifters among all the demons, and few see them in their true forms.

• Infernal Might: not more than 30
• Ranks: Master and Lord are commonplace, Duke is uncommon, Prince is unusual
• Personality Traits: Trustworthy –5, Deceitful +6
• Powers
  • Change Form, 0 points, Init 0, Corpus or Animal: These demons can change the shape of their manifestation at will, to whatever human or animal form they desire. Weak demons (Might 1–20) are limited to changing form into one type of creature (any human male form, any bird form, or any hoofed animal form, for example), but more powerful demons may adopt any shape. The Size of the altered form is limited to whatever is natural for the species, so a demon taking adult human form must be between Size –2 and +2. This transformation is not akin to a magical spell; it is a direct manipulation of the matter that makes up the demon’s body, and, consequently, physical attacks from a shapechanged demon are not stopped by Magic Resistance.
  • Trust of the Innocent, 1 point, Init –1, Mentem: The target of this effect loses all judgment and believes a specific lie (as long as it is passable) until presented with evidence to the contrary. An Intelligence roll against an Ease Factor of 6 is allowed to resist the effect.
  • Forked Tongue of the Serpent, 3 points, Init –1, Mentem: The target believes any lie, no matter how preposterous, until he relates that lie to someone else. At this point he realizes how ridiculous the falsehood sounds, and the demonic Power is broken. An Intelligence roll against an Ease Factor of 9 also reveals the lie to be false, with the first roll allowed an hour after the effect was used, and further rolls permitted once every subsequent hour.
  • The Serpent’s Oracle, 2 points, Init –3, Vim: The demon can duplicate the effects of any Intellego spell for the cost of 2 Might Points. It may also gain a morsel of future knowledge, understanding the most immediate consequences of any one specific action.

Stories

• The youngest son of a nobleman begins to spout prophecies that presage evil things for his father’s enemies. As these prophecies come true, people begin to consider the child a miracle worker, and the Spirit of Deceit that is the cause of his foresight (and the success of those predictions) rubs its hands in glee.
• A member of this Order has convinced a faerie court that it owes a tithe (called the teind) of one mortal soul to Hell every seven years. Six years have passed since the teind was last paid, and the faeries are seeking a victim.

Vessels of Iniquity

Simeon and Levi are brethren; Vessels of iniquity are in their habitations. I will not join in their secret talks, nor will I take part in their meetings, for they killed men in anger and he crippled bulls for sport. A curse be on their anger, because it is so fierce, and on their fury, because it is so cruel... — Genesis 49:5–7

The Vessels of Iniquity are the inventors of all evil things and all wicked arts; all malice and deformity proceed from them. They have little interest in the petty sin or the minor crime; they are the embodiments of the vices considered the most heinous by man — hatred, cruelty, debauchery, and every negative emotion extrapolated to its most extreme. For example, the vice of lust is too simple for one of these mighty powers, which instead might represent the all-embracing, obsessive lust that consumes the soul and destroys lives. Similarly, anger is too narrow in its scope; instead, a Vessel of Iniquity might embody the mass hysteria which produces riots of destruction. Their natural forms have no true shape, but are inchoate matter bearing the substantial form of their chosen sin. The appearance of such forms has been known to drive men insane (thus they have a special variety of the Coagulate Power, see insert). However, they can cloak themselves in human form as they wish.

Every Vessel has a particular emotion or vice which is their specific province, and their appearances on earth are targeted at promulgating that sin in mortal beings.

• Infernal Might: not more than 30
• Ranks: Master is commonplace, Lord is uncommon, Duke and Prince are unusual
• Personality Traits: Hateful +6, Depraved +6
• Powers
  • Form of Wickedness, 1 point per 10 Might, Init 0, Mentem: This Power is a special variety of the Coagulation Power, and it replaces that Power for this order of demons. The demon assumes a physical form that has no shape or dimension, or other accidents of form; even though it is composed of matter, it is pure sin made visible to mankind. This form is indescribable, and provokes an extreme response in viewers, who indulge in the sin until they drop from exhaustion. The ten closest people to the demon when it uses this Power, should they have insufficient Magic Resistance, succumb to the sin that the demon represents. A Stamina stress roll against an Ease Factor of 6 is needed every hour; a failure means the loss of a Fatigue level, while a success ends the Power’s hold. The Power also ends if the victim falls unconscious. A botch indicates temporary insanity, and imposes a Minor Personality Flaw appropriate to the sin. This form can be main tained for only one round, after which time the demon must take spiritual form or human form (using the Form of Man Power, below).
  • Form of Man, 0 points, Init 0, Corpus: After assuming physical form (see Form of Wickedness, above), the demon can shapeshift to the form of any human being. If it chooses a specific human being, the demon must have seen that person to mimic her successfully. The demon can assume spiritual form directly from human form, dissolving the matter in the same manner as described under Coagulation.
  • Contagious Obsession, 1 point per victim, Init 0, Mentem: Any human who succumbs to the Obsession Power of a Vessel of Iniquity becomes a carrier of that Power, and can pass it on to anyone who becomes a victim of their sin. Obsession is resolved in the usual way, except that if the target fails his personality roll, he becomes contagious. Any other person who suffers as a result of his new personality trait must himself make a resistance roll against the initial Obsession Personality Trait, or succumb himself (and become a carrier himself). Thus, a man inflicted with Wrath by a demon infects his wife when he lashes out at her for burning his dinner; she then inflicts her neighbors with Wrath when they come to complain about the noise, and so on. For every victim who comes under the sway of the Obsession, the demon loses a point from its Might Pool, no matter how far away it is from the victim. When the demon has no Might Pool left, the obsession ceases to be contagious, although those who have suffered it remain inflicted with the Personality Trait, as usual. The contagion also ends if a day passes without a new victim succumbing to the Obsession. Powerful Obsessions can quickly go out of control, as the rate of infection of new victims exceeds the regeneration rate of the demon’s Might Pool.

Story

An outbreak of apparent religious hysteria is caused by a Vessel of Iniquity, both to presage and conceal the birth of a child who is fated to be a powerful force of evil. If the characters recognize the outbreak of Obsession for what it is, they have a chance to stop the evil before it is too powerful.

Avengers of Evil

No doom is ever executed on the world, whether of annihilation or any other chastisement, without the destroying angel in the midst of the visitation. — Zohar I, 63a

The Avengers of Evil also call themselves the Angels of Punishment, and it is their task (or so they say) to inflict punishment on sinners in both this world and the next. They claim that they work for God; the rabbinical writers claim that they are truly angels rather than demons, and serve the Devil in the punishment of the wicked with the permission of God. They fulfill their duties with a grim determination, showing no pleasure in the punishment and torture of mortal souls. The danger is that those who have suffered by their hand before mortal death may not seek redemption, feeling that their penance is done — which surely damns them to Hell to be punished for the same sin again. The Avengers of Evil appear as immense angels, perfectly-formed human forms with massive outspread wings, but their bodies are forged out of chains of solid fire. They reinforce their selfdeclared roles as agents of God by adopting names that resemble those of angels — for example, Kushiel (Rigid One of God), Shofiel (Judge of God), Makatiel (Plague of God), Pusiel (Fire of God), and Rogziel (Wrath of God). Each of the Angels of Punishment has a particular evil that it revenges, or a particular mode of punishment.

• Infernal Might: not more than 25
• Ranks: Master is commonplace, Lord is uncommon, Duke is unusual, Prince is very unusual
• Personality Traits: Merciful –3, Relentless +5, Passionless +4
• Powers
  • Punish the Sinner, 5 points, Init +3, Corpus: An Angel of Punishment can inflict wounds upon a victim that are commensurate to their level of sin. If the target has committed a mortal sin for which he has not atoned, then he suffers a Heavy wound if this Power penetrates his Magic Resistance. If he has an unrepented venial sin on his conscience, then he suffers a Medium wound. A victim with no outstanding sin on his conscience suffers a number of points of damage equal to a simple die plus the sum total of all his sinful Personality Traits, ignoring negative signs as necessary. For example, a character with Lewd +2, Greedy –1, and Peaceful –3 suffers +5 damage, +2 for the Lewd trait and +3 for the negative Peaceful trait. Greedy is a sinful behavior, but this character is not greedy. The soak total for this damage is a stress die plus Stamina. The physical manifestation of this Power varies from demon to demon; it may be a blast of fire, a rotting disease, or a strike from a weapon.

Story

A character is singled out for the attentions of an Angel of Punishment, although he believes that he has done nothing to merit such attention. Even confession of the minor sins he knows he has committed does not cause the demon to leave him alone. All authorities on these demons state that they only punish wrongdoers — why then is this demon pursuing an innocent?

Demons of God or Infernal Angels? Two orders of demons, the Avengers of Evil and the Accusers, claim to be angels rather than demons. Of these two orders, the claims of the former are more believable than those of the latter, but the tasks that both perform are certainly in line with their stated aim to pursue the wicked and punish their crimes. They claim that they work for God, or that they work for the Devil with permission from God. Indeed, this latter position is the “official” position of Rabbinical Judaism on all demons, although mystical and popular Judaism both allow for the existence of evil demons. Naturally, it is impossible to determine the truth of a demon’s protestations of doing God’s work, and an angel would of course be telling the truth. Characters will therefore never be able to be sure whether an Avenger of Evil is really an angel or a demon. From a game perspective, however, both Avengers of Evil and Accusers are demons, because they have Infernal Might rather than Divine Might. They share all the characteristics of demons rather than angels, and act in a manner consistent with a demonic viewpoint of the world, although this need not be obvious to the characters! The Five Angels of Punishment The Midrash Tehillin (a Jewish mystical text) tells of the five angels of punishment that Moses encountered in the Second Heaven, the location of the Jewish Hell. These angels punished the sins most heinous to the Jewish people: Af deals with murderers, Hemah revenges idolatry, Meshabber punishes incest, Hesmed is the angel of annihilation, and Mashith punishes the wicked through the death of their children.

Deluders

This second beast performed great miracles; it made fire come down out of heaven to earth in the sight of everyone. And it deceived all the people living on the earth by means of the miracles which it was allowed to perform in the presence of the first beast. The beast told them to build an image in honor of the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived. — Revelation 13:13–14

The Deluders (unlike the Spirits of Deceit) trick and deceive mankind in very specific ways: by imitating the miracles of God, granting false visions, and serving conjurers and witches as familiars. Some scholars, Rabbi Eleazor for one, who lives in the city of Worms, insist that the memunim (as they are known to the Jews) are deputy angels and the dispensers of dreams. This is a testament to their ability to deceive. The natural form of a deluder is a jagged rent of darkness, filled with eyes, teeth, and pulsating organs, although they are able to fashion cloaks of delusion to allow them to appear in any form. They make extensive use of the Envisioning Power to grant false visions and dreams to their victims.

• Infernal Might: not more than 25
• Ranks: Master and Lord are uncommon, Duke is unusual, Prince is very unusual
• Virtues and Flaws: Puissant Guile
• Personality Traits: Credible +3, Sly +2
• Powers
  • Delusion, 1 or 5 points, Init +3, Imaginem: The Deluders are the consummate deceivers, and they can create elaborate illusions. A minor illusion which affects an Individual amount of material (such as the demon itself) costs one point; a larger illusion which fills a room costs five points. These visions always have a flaw, however (they smell wrong, can only be seen by one target, etc.).
  • Duplicate the Magi’s Creation / Perception / Transmutation / Destruction / Control, variable points, Init +1, variable Form: Each Deluder has one or more of these Powers, of which there is one for each Technique of Hermetic magic. The demon may duplicate any Hermetic spell of the appropriate Technique. This costs the demon 1 point of Might per magnitude. It cannot create any effect with a level greater than its Infernal Might, or duplicate Ritual effects.

Story

A Deluder is revealed as having posed as a member of the Order of Hermes for over eight years. Every action that magus has taken must now be re-examined to discover the intent of the demon. The “magus’s” apprentice is in great peril of being slain by hoplites. And what of the real magus? What was his fate? Does he still live, and was he really an unwilling participant?

Aerial Powers

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or against any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east with the seal of the living God: and he called out in a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea. — Revelation 7:1–2

Aerial Powers take the form of huge human figures, often composed of or surrounded by elemental matter. They cause thunder and lightning, corrupt the air, and cause pestilences. They are responsible for storms at sea, earthquakes and avalanches, blizzards and firestorms; in short, all natural disasters that can beset mankind. These demons are notoriously hard to control, and indiscriminate in their destruction.

Despite their name, the Aerial Powers are not confined to tempests, winds, and other weather phenomena. Each Aerial Power has command over one particular natural calamity; thus their ranks include the demon of landslides, the demon of wildfire, the demon of hail, and so forth.

• Infernal Might: not more than 25 Ranks: Master and Lord are uncommon, Duke is unusual, Prince is very unusual
• Personality Traits: Untamable +5
• Powers
  • Elemental Control; variable points; Init +1; Aquam, Auram, Ignem, or Terram: Each Aerial Power has control over one aspect of the elemental forces of nature, which it uses to wreak destruction on the earth. It may create any Creo, Muto, or Rego effect appropriate to its chosen elemental Form (Aquam, Auram, Ignem, or Terram), at a cost of 1 Might Point per magnitude of effect. The demon cannot create any effect with a level greater than its Infernal Might, nor duplicate Ritual effects.
  • Recalcitrance, 0 points, Init constant, Vim: Any attempt to control (but not destroy) an Aerial Power with any form of Supernatural Power (magical, Divine, or otherwise) treats the demon’s Might as if it were one-and-a-half times its actual Might, or otherwise has its Ease Factor increased by 50%. For example, a Circular Ward Against Demons of 30th level is needed to stop an Aerial Power of Might 20.

Stories

• As a massive storm threatens to devastate a coastal village, the characters rush to banish the demon that lies at its heart.
• A diabolist master of Aerial Powers can be a mighty foe to the Order. At first, magi may be unaware of the demonic presence, for natural disasters, while unfortunate, do occur. However, when the third magus from the same covenant meets with an unfortunate accident while away from home, even the most cynical become suspicious.

Michael Psellos A Byzantine philosopher and theologian who died in 1079, Psellos is best known for his dialogue on the nature of demons. He described six different types of Aerial Powers. The igneous demons (also called the aethnici) have their habitat in the upper air. They appear in diverse forms and shapes, such as flames, firebrands, and lizards. The aerial demons inhabit the air about us, and have the power to form bodies from the air. They are vicious beings concerned mainly with destroying the human realm with tempests. Terrestrial demons are, according to Psellos, the fallen angels who delight to live in secret alongside mankind. The fourth kind are the aqueous demons who dwell in lakes and rivers; they are racked with anger, and full of turbulence and deceit. The subterraneans are confined within the earth, dwelling in caverns, pits, and mines, and cause earthquakes. Finally, the heliophobic demons are those who hate the sun and never appear in the daylight; thus they are also called lucifugus (“fly-the-lights”). They have the power to kill by means of their breath or touch, and alone among the demons have no dealings with evil sorcerers; they may not be kept at bay with charms. De Operationes Daemonum Dialogus by Michael Psellos, Summa on Infernal Lore, Level 5, Quality 12

Furies

Frowardness is in his heart, he devises mischief continually; he sows discord. — Proverbs 6:14

The seventh order of demons consists of the disseminators of strife, discord, war, and devastation. They represent the sins of the lion, that is, human reason subdued by animal passion. These flaws are also called sins of violence or bestiality, consisting of perverted appetite. The Furies embody those who submit to their impulses; not anger itself, but anger taken to an extreme, anger directed against one’s self, one’s belongings, against nature, or against God. The profligate who dissipate their goods for the sheer wanton lust of wreckage and disorder, the gossip who destroys another’s reputation, the cruel child who tortures animals, the suicide who inflicts his anger on himself, the heretic who rails against God; all these are inspired by the Furies.

Fitting their nature, the Furies take the form of mixtures of brute and human. They delight in pushing mankind to the limit, driving them to the crisis point where passions take control and their victims lash out at those innocent of crime, such as those whom they love. To the rabbis, they are called the enim — the terrors — for nothing is more terrible than the passion that lies beneath the surface of every rational person.

• Infernal Might: not more than 20 Ranks: Master is uncommon, Lord is unusual, Duke is very unusual
• Personality Traits: Wrathful +4, Self-Controlled –6
• Virtues and Flaws: Berserk Powers Waxing Tide of Humors, 3 points, Init +2, Mentem: The Fury causes passion to overcome sense, and the victim must make a stress roll against an Ease Factor of 9, modified by appropriate Personality Traits (such as Calm or Level-Headed) to keep the emotion in check. This Power can affect emotions such as anger, lust, wantonness, maliciousness, and the like. It is often employed immediately following a successful use of the demon’s Obsession Power.
  • Beserker Rage, 1 point, Init 0, Mentem: The demon can grant anyone the Berserk Virtue, which persists until the target calms down.
  • Endurance of the Enraged, 0 points, Init 0, Corpus: The Furies do not suffer from wound penalties, except on Defense totals.

Story

A child who is Gifted but severely abused by his family and peers finds a way to unconsciously summon up Furies that enact his deepest desires for revenge. To begin with, his victims are those who have done him the most evil, but the satisfaction of revenge is too great, and he soon runs out of targets who have victimized him. By the time that the characters meet him, bumping into him in the street may well be a death sentence.

Accusers

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now God’s salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown from heaven, he whom accused them before our God day and night.” — Revelation 12:10

Like the Avengers of Evil, these creatures claim that they are angels, doing God’s work in Hell. The “accusing angels” confront mortals with the consequences of their sins, but, unlike their more powerful brethren, they seem to take delight in tormenting sinners. They often work with other demons, using their unique Powers to uncover the sins of mortals. The Accusers take the appearance of traditional fiends, human-shaped but naked, with skin of an unnatural color (scarlet, green, blue, and so forth), a beak-like face, horns on the head, and a pair of batlike wings.

• Infernal Might: not more than 20 Ranks: Master and Lord are unusual
• Personality Traits: Cruel +6
• Powers
  • Betrayal of the Heart, 2 points, Init 0, Mentem: The accusing angels can see into the hearts of mankind and draw forth the most secret thoughts — people’s fears and sins. Each use of this Power reveals to the demon one fact about the target to which he would never admit. Truly holy people may be immune to this Power, if they have no secrets, no matter how petty.
  • Whispers Behind the Back, 2 points, Init 0, Mentem: Just as the spell Pains of the Perpetual Worry, this Power gives the victim a nagging, taunting, painful emotion linked to his secret sins — a recurrent sense of anxiety that his secret will be uncovered and a suspicion that everyone already knows it and is taking about the target behind his back. This Power lasts for a month.

Story

The sinful acts of a magus attracts the attention of an Accuser that torments the character with misfortune and evil until he sets right the evil he has done. However, among so many sinful acts, how does the magus know which one he must set right?

Tempters & Evil Spirits

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. — The Lord’s Prayer

The ninth order is the largest of all, populated as it is with the evil spirits who are able to propagate themselves through intercourse with mortals. Consequently, they are the demons with which mankind is most likely to interact, and form much of the “rank-and-file” of Hell’s legions.

They hover around sinners like flies around rotting meat, but even good men can be assailed by them. Their natural home is in the lower reaches of the air; ancient Greek sorcerers referred to them as kakodaemones, to distinguish them from the kalodaemones, which was their name for the good spirits they used in their magical practices. Many superstitions among all peoples — Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike — are targeted at avoiding the harm that these myriads of demons can cause to man.

The Tempters as a whole most often appear as twisted mockeries of human beings, often black in color or daubed in filth. Many have a deformity, such as being blind, having the feet of a cockerel, or having their head at the bottom of their torso rather than the top. Those involved in the temptation of man usually have a deformity that can be concealed with clothing. Tempters are responsible for the propagation of sins of incontinence (that is, uncontrolled appetite). These are sins less of deliberate evil than of failure to resolutely choose good. They are the sins of self-indulgence, weakness of will, and easy yielding to appetite — the sins of the leopard. They provoke lust (that is, selfish indulgence of lust — usually mutual — rather than rape, which is a sin of violence), gluttony, avarice, sloth, and wrath (both ferocious and sullen).

The Tempters may be broadly divided into two groups, each fulfilling different roles. Those demons known as the tentatores are the Tempters who try to ensnare mankind in sin, whereas the maligenii are evil spirits who work against mankind by making life more perilous.

• Infernal Might: not more than 20 Ranks: Master is unusual, Lord is very unusual
• Personality Traits: Selfish +5
• Virtues and Flaws: Weak-Willed
• Powers None specific to the order as a whole

Stories

• A personal Tempter may feign friendship towards her mark in order to lure her into sin. The very jealousy engendered by the demon might be its downfall when her victim sees her “best friend” talking to another.
• A terrible disease affects a village, but all physicians and herb-wives who try to approach are waylaid by evil spirits. Why should these demons want to prevent the disease being cured? How does this win more souls for Hell?

Using Demons in Your Saga

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. — II Corinthians 2:11

The psychology of demons is quite different from that of humans, for demons are driven by their passions and are utterly immoral — they have no inclination towards good, in either thoughts or deeds. Furthermore, a demon’s entire being is driven towards the furtherance of one overarching goal, the corruption of humanity. This section describes the role of demons in an Ars Magica saga, and provides advice to the storyguide for including these beings as effective and dramatic elements of a story.

Evil is a serious subject. It is not recommended that demons be portrayed in a comical way, when the souls of human beings are at stake. While they display many of the characteristics of the stereotyped evil genius of popular culture, demons (the powerful ones at least) should not become caricatures of themselves. Rather, demonic villains should be horrifying because of their inhumanity. They are capable of acts of evil beyond the imaginings of humankind because they lack all the essential qualities of behavior that makes us human in the first place.

A Life Lacking in Virtue

The Devil and the other demons were created by God with a good nature; but they themselves through their own agency became evil. Man, however, sinned at the suggestion of the devil. — Fourth Lateran Council, 1215, Canon 1

Human morality can be viewed as a war between the inclination towards evil that is a product of original sin, and the inclination towards good, which is the Divine gift of God. Jewish theologians refer to these as the yezer ra and the yezer tov respectively. Free will is the capacity to choose between these two inclinations. Like humans, angels and demons also have free will. However, angelic thoughts are dominated by their good inclination, and they are never troubled by their yezer ra, if indeed they have one. They still have the option to act or not when prompted by their yezer tov, but their thoughts are uncluttered with evil. Demons, on the other hand, are the opposite. Their yezer ra dominates their intelligence, and the yezer tov is entirely absent.

Due to this lack of moral strength, demons are incapable of displaying any virtue; in fact, they are the epitome of vice. This profoundly affects how they are roleplayed, and how they interact with player characters. They cannot be treated as if they were humans with loose morals, for even the most evil of humans comprehend morality, experience the feelings provoked by the natural inclination towards good, and act upon these good feelings when it suits them — this is the very nature of human existence. Demons, on the other hand, are utterly deficient in the good inclination; instead they are the embodiment of their evil inclination. Specifically, they entirely lack faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, and the consequences of these faults are discussed in detail below. These failings may be overcome by a demon with Confidence Points; the expenditure of a Confidence Point allows a demon to simulate a virtue in a particular instance. This simulation of virtue lasts as long as the situation that caused it, so a normally cowardly demon is able to remain for the duration of a combat. Similarly, a child-hating demon might be able to resist killing the son of a human servant, at least until the human is of no further use.

Note that while this section is structured around the seven main virtues of Christian theology, these virtues are of central importance to all Divine religions.

Checklist for Roleplaying Demons

No demon can do the following: Admit its faults (lack of faith) Be swayed from its beliefs (lack of faith) Remain loyal without coercion (lack of faith) Show love for God (lack of faith) Acknowledge its own weaknesses (lack of hope) Persevere in the face of defeat (lack of hope) Request assistance against an inferior foe (lack of hope) Experience joy (lack of charity) Assist another to experience joy (lack of charity) Act when doing so would benefit another (lack of charity) Put another’s needs before its own (lack of charity) Most demons cannot do the following, except with extreme effort (and spending a Confidence Point, which not all demons have): Act with forethought (lack of prudence) Learn from past experiences (lack of prudence) Display caution (lack of prudence) Pretend to follow a Divine religion (lack of justice) Act in a fair manner (lack of justice) Distinguish right from wrong (lack of justice) Exhibit a conscience (lack of justice) Act bravely in the face of a superior foe (lack of fortitude) Persevere with an action when it takes a turn for the worse (lack of fortitude) Resist impulses of their passions (lack of fortitude) Act in an abstinent, sober, or celibate manner (lack of temperance) Display meekness or humility (lack of temperance) Control their anger (lack of temperance) Some demons can simulate some of this last set of behaviors without spending Confidence. Those specializing in the corruption of humanity can often simulate prudence and temperance, whereas demons of deception do not struggle so much with prudence and fortitude. The storyguide should determine whether a given demon needs to spend Confidence to perform a particular virtuous act, but no demon should have carte blanche with respect to a whole virtue.

Without Faith

Faith is the capacity to understand and to know God. In lacking faith, demons are not denying the existence of God — his power is clearly evident, and many demons were once angels in Heaven, with direct personal experience of the Godhead. However, they do deny the rightness of God’s rule. Demons espouse all sorts of heretical and blasphemous beliefs, mostly centered on how Satan and his followers are rightful objects of worship, and God and his angels are either usurpers or the unjust winners of the war in Heaven. Some of these beliefs they pass on to humans, and in the process found Infernal cults. Members of the demonic order of False Gods (see above) are most often the objects of veneration in such cults, if not the Devil himself. A lack of faith also entails a blindness of mind, making demons incapable of being swayed from their beliefs, whatever they may be. In effect, demons are lying to themselves, and as they are the consummate liars of the supernatural world, these lies are the hardest to disprove.

In lacking faith, demons also lack loyalty. Demons are only loyal to their masters for as long as their masters can exert effective control over them. Demons are natural rebels at heart, and only the threat of violence from a more powerful demon keeps them in line. For this reason, powerful demons rarely recruit other demons to do minor tasks for them, for as soon as these lackeys are out of sight of their bosses, they pursue their own agendas. This makes human followers and worshipers very important to demons; loyalty to a higher power (secular or supernatural) is second nature to most humans.

Without Hope

Hope is both a belief in one’s own potential for salvation, and in one’s need of that salvation. The chief vice of a lack of hope is the presumption that incapability for salvation is the same as a lack of a need for it. The lack of hope is the primary source of a demon’s overweening pride, causing it to forget its weaknesses. Demons are self-confident in the extreme, with an over-inflated belief in their own abilities, and an incredible self-reliance that prevents them from asking for help when they actually need it. If facing a foe whom they believe to be inferior to them, even if he is armed with powerful weapons (such as relics or objects relating to their Weakness), demons fight to the bitter end, convinced that they will prevail and lacking the wisdom (see Without Prudence, below) to retreat.

The absence of hope also makes demons prone to despair. If thwarted time after time, demons are more likely to abandon the effort than to persevere. They are all too willing to throw their hands up in despair and retreat, forgetting about their innate potential, and even their Powers, due to their crushing disappointment.

Without Charity

The virtue of charity grants wisdom, joy, peace, and mercy to mankind. Demons fill the void left by charity with hatred, envy, and discord. Being unable to feel joy themselves, Infernal creatures strive to ensure that no one experiences happiness themselves out of sheer envy. Envy can be a soul-destroying passion when a human is inflicted by it — demons suffer the pain of envy all the time, a perpetual aching in the soul that drives them to victimize those who have achieved happiness with acts of sheer cruelty.

Similarly, demons strive to destroy peace with strife, contentment with sedition, and delight with scandal. They cannot bear to see good prosper; whatever man has made, demons have an inclination to destroy. They often spend energy on small concerns, becoming distracted by their attempts to crush any sense of joy in humans they encounter.

In its more prosaic sense, charity is that aspect of the good inclination that causes man to be kind, and is the source of the contentment felt for an act of kindness. Demons have no such inclination; they are utterly selfish and prone to sloth, the sin of failing to act. Even when it would cause a demon no harm or cost, nor require any effort, to help another being, a demon does not display any tendency towards charity. This also limits their ability to work together; demons of equal rank do not combine efforts even if their goals are the same; only through force can they employ assistance from other demons in their plots (and even then their minions are not be loyal, see Without Faith, above). A more powerful demon rarely steps in to assist a weaker demon or a human dupe, even if it means the downfall of its schemes. Demons do not have allies, they have minions or masters.

Without Prudence

A lack of prudence means that demons cannot act sensibly. They rely on their numinous intelligence, rather than intellect or reason, which can make their plans seem erratic. Cause and effect are meaningless to spiritual entities such as demons (and angels, for that matter); they do not require the plodding reasoning of logic to understand a situation. Likewise, common sense has little say in their thought processes. A demon acts on the knowledge that it has available to it at the instant in which a decision is required. It is as if it were constantly acting according to the dictates of intuition and inspiration, which in effect it is; these two qualities are the glimpses of true intelligence to which humans are restricted.

Through the faculty of prudence, humans gain wisdom; that is, intellect tempered with memory and experience. Demons rarely take past experiences into account when acting, treating every situation as a new one. They are capable of remembering the past; it is just that they lack the ability to connect their memory with their intelligence. Demons are therefore prone to repeating their mistakes, and they do not learn from their errors with any speed. Caution is also a gift missing in demons. Caution is born of wisdom and experience, and demons are negligent in the extreme. This promotes rashness and foolhardiness, and because demons do not acknowledge the limits of their own abilities (See Without Hope, above), they are prone to complex plans, which they are incapable of following through. Even if such plans are within their power, lack of fortitude (see below) means they succumb to the quick fix too readily, and ruin everything with the desire for instant gratification.

The lack of prudence is a major obstacle for the long-term plans of demons. Success of grand goals is often reliant on the application of common sense, wisdom, and caution. Fortunately for them (and less so for humanity), demons have the intelligence to realize the need for such virtues (although they never admit that they are needed because they are qualities that the demon itself lacks). To improve the success of their more convoluted plots, demons often encourage humans to pursue their goals for them, while the demon takes an “advisory role” to ensure that it still has a hand on the tiller.

Without Justice

Justice is the virtue of religion, the source of piety, in that God made the world for mankind, and it is just that he should be praised for this. From justice also comes truth, and so its lack is the source of all deception within the demonic race. Justice doesn’t provide truth as such, but instead allows truth to be distinguished from lies. It is because of this profound lack of justice that demons are such consummate liars, as they do not truly recognize the fundamental distinction between a true statement and a false one. It is very hard to catch a demon in a lie, because the demon is utterly convinced of the rightness of its words at the moment of utterance. However, due to this inability to distinguish truth from falsehood, they can be surprisingly gullible for creatures who deal in lies and deception with instinctual ease.

Justice also distinguishes between what is right and wrong. Without this capacity, demons obey the dictates of their evil inclination with no opposing voice telling them what is innately right. Demons are therefore arbitrary, hypocritical, and quarrelsome.

Without Fortitude

The key gifts of the virtue of fortitude are patience, perseverance, and courage. Without fortitude, demons are cowards. They give up easily, and are likely to flee when pitted against clearly superior foes. This contrasts strongly with their unwillingness to abandon a fight against an inferior foe (see Without Hope) — demons are the quintessential bullies. Without the perseverance to tenaciously stick to their goals, they tend to abandon their plans if they become too complicated or grow beyond the demon’s ability to control. This is useful for storyguides who want a recurring villain; demons have the means to easily and quickly abandon a fight (by assuming spiritual form), putting them safely out of harm’s way. Demons exhibit no hesitation in abandoning their “allies” when their cowardice overtakes them.

Given the choice between hurting someone now, or damning him in a year’s time, a demon, lacking the patience provided by fortitude, would naturally choose the former. Most demons — the insignificant ones — do just that, acting on impulse and whim, with no long-term plans. The more powerful demons must struggle constantly to simulate patience, allowing them to fix their minds on future goals. Unfortunately, their pride tends to make them set up vast elaborate plans, unable to restrain themselves from that extra flourish. These plans then collapse completely when the planner seizes an opportunity for a quick thrill. This also explains why demons include mortals in their schemes, for mortals, no matter how corrupt, are still capable of forbearance and can keep a rein on the impulsiveness of their masters.

Without Temperance

Due to the fact that demons lack temperance, they are always in pursuit of instant gratification. They are prone to all the self-indulgent vices of lust, gluttony, and drunkenness, and practice all known forms of debauchery. However, their pursuit of pleasure is not limited to human forms of self-gratification, and what demons find fun is the stuff of nightmares. Without any social constraint on their imaginations, the unnatural pleasures of demons have been known to drive men mad.

Temperance is also the virtue that gifts meekness and humility to humanity, and as a result of its absence, demons are boastful, arrogant, and vain. They like nothing better than to inform others of how clever they are, and are likely to submit to this impulse at the moment of their apparent triumph. Thus, it is not unknown for a demon to utter a crowing speech belittling the characters’ attempts to stop him and revealing the full measure of his evil.

Temperance also reins in anger. The vice of wrath is never far from the surface with a demon. A thwarted demon may indulge in a rampage of senseless fury before succumbing to despair, even to the extent of killing valuable henchmen or disrupting long-term goals.

Human Assistance

As has been made clear in the previous section, demons require humans for the execution of their plans. Demonic subordinates are generally more capable than the average human, but they have a strong inclination towards rebellion; even if sufficiently controlled, they are distracted easily and tend to compromise greater schemes when presented with opportunities for self-indulgence or the destruction, deceiving, or corruption of humans.

For this reason, not all interaction between the Infernal and humanity is focused towards personal corruption of the human. Corruption is all the more satisfying if the human can be convinced to tempt other humans with sin. A promising candidate is approached with offers of power, knowledge, or both, in return for service. The human may even be promised exemption from Hell’s torment, although this is not something that is within the power of Infernal creatures to grant. In this, the Envisioning Power of demons is of great use, allowing the demon to influence the human through his dreams, perhaps leading to him concocting and initiating the demon’s own plots, believing them to be his own.

An intelligent demon places corrupted humans at key points in their plan, making them lynchpins that protect the demon’s plans from its own failings of impatience, impulsiveness, cowardice, and lack of common sense. Human warriors are less effective, but more reliable, than demon warriors. Infernalists are superior to demons with similar capabilities for the same reasons. Furthermore, humans are capable of overcoming the inherent limitations of demons, such as their specific weaknesses or difficulties with members of the church.

Powerful demons have made an art form of suggesting plans to humans and letting them corrupt themselves. The need for demonic involvement is kept to the absolute minimum, providing tweaks, pushes, and supernatural involvement where necessary, but by and large demons watch rather than do.

Story Seeds: Human Assistance A noble’s aged counselor, now blind, lives out his life in retirement in a manor house generously provided by his former employer. He receives regular visits from the noble’s son, and they discuss hypothetical issues of morality and politics. The ‘son’ is, alas, a demon, taking advantage of the human’s innate capacity for prudence to guide its schemes. A demon ensures the promotion of his clergyman dupe to high office. It guides his servant through dreams to achieve the its goals, but the clergyman uses his own tactics to achieve those goals. A False God gathers about him a band of devoted worshipers, tricked into servitude by a few simple delusions. Knowing how to manipulate a human’s loyalty with promises of wealth and eternal joy, it keeps the worshipers utterly loyal, convinced of their place in paradise even if they die in the service of their god. A demon uses two corrupted humans to further its plans of corrupting more. Each of the lackeys operates independently, in ignorance of the other’s existence. Inevitably, their plans overlap, and the demon encourages direct competition between the two — may the worst man win! A demon employs mercenaries as hired muscle. They are unaware of its true nature, but are loyal to its coin.

The Role of Demons

The powers of Hell have one goal in mind — the corruption of all humanity. However, it cannot be said that all demons have a common goal. In fact, it can be truthfully said that every single demon on Earth has a different reason for being there. In stark contrast to the Divine realm, which marshals God’s forces like a well-oiled machine towards the salvation of mankind, the Infernal realm embodies chaos, discord, strife, and schism. Demons are not natural team players due to their innate selfishness, and their main strengths are the sheer number of demons active on earth and the natural propensity for man to sin.

There are three major ways in which demons seek to ensnare humans in the interests of Hell. They seek to destroy, to deceive, and to corrupt.

Demons As Destroyers

The simplest and least complicated way of winning souls for Hell is to torment them during their lives. The demons who act in the role of Destroyers have a number of modi operandi. Some seek to simply kill humans before they have a chance to repent of their sins and achieve salvation. However, this is an ineffective strategy, for a demon who kills indiscriminately may well dispatch souls who are in a state of grace. Only an unrepented mortal sin damns a soul forever; venial sins entail only a stay in purgatory before entering paradise. Such concerns are beyond the weak demons who pursue these strategies, drawn mainly from the orders of Furies and Tempters.

Nevertheless, the death of a loved one can have a profound effect on those left behind, and meaningless and random deaths from natural disasters can go a long way toward making communities question the motives of a loving God who allows demons to cause these calamities, and thereby win more souls for Hell in the longer term. Such is the goal of the Aerial Powers, who inflict natural disasters in just such a random fashion.

An alternative tactic used by more subtle Destroyers is to destroy everything that mankind values — their homes, their families, their self-respect. This is a favored tactic of the Vessels of Iniquity, who most often ensure that in the end, their victims have the final choice whether to submit to sin, because only a willing choice for the evil action damns a soul.

Destroyers are those demons who have the least control over their basic instincts and passions, and are usually of simple motive. They are occasionally used by more powerful demons who employ them for strong-arm tactics, but they need to be kept on a tight rein. Destroyers are favored targets for infernalists to summon and control, and they use them for terror and violent revenge.

Chapter 7: Demons as Destroyers gives details of demons who are particularly suited to roles as Destroyers.

Demons As Deceivers

The Deceivers are those demons who aim to corrupt mankind through falsehood. Lies and trickery are effective ways to drive a human to sin. Naturally, the master Deceivers are the Spirits of Deceit, whose most common tactic is to warp the worldview of a person to such an extent that he believes that corruption and vice are a way to salvation. This can take a long time.

The order of Deluders are more about the simple, short-term delusion that provokes someone to sin, and then the maintenance of the belief that his actions were just. By manipulating the pride of a sinner, Deluders seek to ensure that he never regrets his actions, and does not seek repentance. The Watchers, who are among the most powerful Deluders, take a longer view; they seek to re-educate mankind into believing that the profane is mundane and commonplace.

The third order of demons acting as Deceivers is the Accusers. They use their Powers to root out the innermost guilty secrets of their chosen victim, then use that knowledge to make the victim fall even deeper into sin. They deceive their targets through misdirection, making them concentrate on their own selfish need for personal contentment, while ignoring the true path to salvation.

Deceivers are creatures of strategy and planning, when they can reign in their impulsiveness. They must be subtle and slow, and tend to be effective at simulating prudence and fortitude (normally through Confidence expenditure), although failures to be wise or patient are usually the downfall of their plans.

Chapter 6: Demons as Deceivers gives details of demons who are particularly suited to roles as Deceivers.

Demons As Corrupters

The Corrupters are those demons who directly tempt mankind into sinning. This can be as subtle a task as that of the Deceivers, for the choice to the evil path must be made without supernatural coercion. The Corrupters operate by making sin the easier, more attractive road; some might say that their task is more than half done, given the natural inclination towards evil possessed by mankind.

The False Gods corrupt mankind through wrong thought, making them abandon the roads that lead to redemption in favor of self-gratification and spiritual sloth. Those who abandon God have no hope of salvation, no access to the very power who could forgive them their sins.

The Avengers of Evil are also agents of Corruption. While their role in Hell in tormenting the sinners might be just, those who come to earth to punish the sinners are pre-empting God’s mercy, and providing a false sense of moral cleanliness. Those who have suffered under the lash of an Angel of Punishment (whether knowingly or not) often consider that they have suffered for their sins, and thus fail to seek redemption through God. They are made to feel that God owes them salvation because of the hard life that has been visited upon them through the agency of a demon who believes it is doing God’s work. It is hard to know which is the most deluded — the tormentor or the tormented.

The order of Tempters are clearly specialized Corrupters, in the main. From this group come the personal corrupters, the personification of a person’s evil inclination, who opposes his guardian angel and promotes a life of sin. There is no doubt that the choice of self-indulgence and selfish desires is more attractive than the austere route to personal improvement, but occasionally humans need a gentle push to show them the “right” path. These demons in particular stress the sheer ease and attractiveness of a sinful life.

Corrupters are usually able to rein in their impulses towards impatience, for corruption is played for the long game, but they suffer greatly from pride.

Chapter 5: Demons as Corruptors gives details of demons who are particularly suited to roles as Corrupters.

A Directory of Demons

Name	Might	Order	Family	Role
Adramelech, King of Fire	50	False God	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Aethnici (Family)	15	Aerial Powers	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Andrew	10	Accusers	Infernal Ghost	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Aqrab the Conjurer	10	Deluders	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Architechus, Demon Builder	25	Furies	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Ataf the Separator	20	Spirits of Deceit	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Baal—Peor, Lord of Filth	30	False Gods	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Bael, Destroyer of Nations	30	Furies	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Berith the Ennobler	25	Spirits of Deceit	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Bomburkhan	5	Tempters	Ruchin	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Bordelon, Personal Tormentor	15	Accusers	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Decani (Family)	30	Avengers of Evil	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Demons of the Fifth Trump (Family)	20	Furies	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Dibbukim (Family)	15	Furies	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Druia, a seducer	5	Tempters	Incubi & Succubae	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Enervators (Family)	20	Deluders	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Famuli (Family)	10	False Gods	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Fictiles (Family)	10	Aerial Powers	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Fimus, Warrior Demon	10	Aerial Powers	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Forcas	40	Deluders	Watchers	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Gaap, a Prince of Hell	10	False Gods	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Gavi, a dibbuk	15	Furies	Dibbukim	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Golab, Foe of the Seraphim	30	Vessels of Iniquity	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Gourmand the Sweet-Toothed	15	Vessels of Iniquity	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Guazzo, a Personal Punisher	10	Avengers of Evil	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Hulikang, a Rabble Rouser	20	Vessels of Iniquity	Merry Devils	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Hutriel, the Rod of God	25	Avengers of Evil	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Incubi & Succubae (Family)	5	Tempters	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Infernal Dragons (Family)	35	Spirits of Deceit	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Infernal Ghosts	varies	Furies, Accusers, or Tempters	—	—
Lickspitten, a famulus	10	False Gods	Famuli	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Lilin (Family)	15	Tempters	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Lucifuges (Family)	20	Aerial Powers	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Maggots (Family)	5	Tempters	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Mahonin	5	Tempters	Maggots	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Mazzikim (Family)	15	Tempters	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Men of Good Intent (Family)	5	Spirits of Deceit	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Merry Devils (Family)	20	Vessels of Iniquity	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Metathiax, Decanus of Kidney Diseases	30	Avengers of Evil	Decani	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Miser’s Pot, Bane of the Hoarder	5	Accusers	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Morrighu the Screech-Hag	10	Aerial Powers	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Naonhaithya	40	Vessels of Iniquity	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Nithael, the Great Leveler	25	Accusers	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Nitibus, Personal Corrupter	20	Tempters	Shedim	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Premnemosyne, False Prophetess	5	Spirits of Deceit	Men of Good Intent	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Rahab, Prince of the Primordial Sea	35	Aerial Powers	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Reveners (Family)	20	Vessels of Iniquity	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Ruchin (Family)	5	Tempters	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Sabaoth	20	Furies	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Shedim (Family)	20	Tempters	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Spirits of Solomon (Family)	20	Deluders	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Thaphaboath	15	Tempters	Mazzikim	Destroyer (Chapter 7)
Valefar, the Thief’s Demon	15	Tempters	—	Corrupter (Chapter 5)
Watchers (Family)	40	Deluders	—	Deceiver (Chapter 6)
Xaphan, Forge-man of Hell	15	Aerial Powers	—	Destroyer (Chapter 7)

Attribution

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