Demons are generally considered anything in Terra that is alien, or not native. Demons range from the mindless minion sort, to the almighty, malicious and cruel, to world-destroyers and infernal entities that desire Godhood

Most demons are theorised to come from Oroborous, which is described as the area surrounding Terra and other worlds that is infinitely vast, while Yashain and Yeresse are believed to exist on entirely seperate planes of existence.

Demons, to current knowledge, can be good. Nothing prevents demons from commiting good deeds or seeking to do the right thing. However, demons do not tend to do good deeds, as they always have a twisted version due to their chaotic nature.

However, at times demons can be suprising and even confusing. It is believed while a handful may genuinely seek to do some form of good with their existance they are still likely to commit many atrocities while attempting to execute such a desire. A possible reason for this is that many demons have shown a yearning to be worshipped, desired and freed; while this makes them seem almost human, they fail to really grasp the concept or how to really fulfil the yearning they feel which oft leads to chaotic results.

Demons do understand a twisted form of compassion. A common example would be if a strong opponent fought a Balrog or Jachyra it may brutalize them or mutilate them, instead of tearing them apart entirely.

Another example is of a demon offering to ‘allow’ a human to earn mercy and gifts from the demon if they should kneel before it in worship and devotion. While humans would see the flaw in this logic demons tend to see it as genuinely compassionate. This can probably be rationalized by the demons due to how almost all humans are comparable to small weak animals by at least more powerful demons, who would then believe permitting them to be treated ‘with consideration’ to be benevolent.

Demons are also masochists by majority; they are the sort of animals that prefer to play with their food before they eat it.

Demons can sympathize, and they may even show a desire to resolve a problem. But as above with kindness, demons remain ever confused on how to do such a thing. A hypothetical example would be if a wandering demon found a child depressed, because its parents treat the child poorly, and the child intruiged the demon. Said demon may then wish to try to earn its adoration by torturing, enslaving, or even killing the parents to show the child it wished to resolve its pitiable situation as a more befitting parent/master for the child.

Similar to the above points, kindness is not much different. The most common reason behind remote kindness shown by demons is their desire to be worshipped.

An example of the negative extreme of this is where a elder demon would offer a group of people a wish; in one instance where it was wished that ‘all the dark lorilee were purged from the lands’, the demon caused all the sleeping or docile dark lorilee to be awakened, and they then attacked the nearby city of Denshy as well as the Cea’than Isles.

On the positive side however, Maguun did various miracles along the lines of causing an entire field of crops to miraculously become healthy and prosperous; another time he cured an albino of the genetic faulting. But again, these things were all done in a hope people would adore the demon and accept it as their god.

Krasula was one of the three Gytevsha of Maguun, demons that the fallen Merchant of Death plucked from the deepest realms of the Abyss. An egotistical pest, Krasula was known as the “Hunter of Sleep”, designated with the delivery of nightmares. Often instigating madness in those he tormented, Krasula would often rely on trickery, persuasion and mind games to deceive and antagonise others. Illusion being a sort of specialty for him his best trick was to play on the fears of the man or woman he chose to torture, to vastly expose their weaknesses.

Image provided an interpretation of Krasula - by Ghost

Krasula would appear in many forms and was capable of taking any physical shape he would so please. His most common appearance was that of a young, blonde boy, unremarkable save for one of his eyes being a pale blue and the other a deep, solid black. This heterochromia carried over into Krasula’s demonic true form, as well.

In his ability to take a physical form Krasula did often seem to delight in pestering the denizens of Terra and made a good many enemies in his time. It also seemed he wished for freedom from his Lord, Maguun, and come the Dark Year Krasula made pact with the Sage Na’Krul that he would assist in banishing his Lord - though this unbinding came at the cost of Na’krul’s finger to the Oroborous.

When Barach was banished, his former cultists, the Fire Eaters, were left without a patron. Snatching up this opportunity Krasula took charge of the cult and set about trying to build his own divinity, falsely proclaiming himself as a true God. He too continued with his antagonising the people of Terra and Eridan, action that would lead to his downfall.

Of the many he pestered and plagued with nightmares, the Denshian Lathander Merinthire was one of them. This following an incident that personal offence was made to the Gytevsha by Merinthire and his ex-wife, Lorelle Armitage. Years of fighting between the two mortal enemies, let alone all the others that Krasula went out of his way to invade on the lives of, resulted in a siege by citizens of Eridan on Opharon, City of White - where Krasula had taken residence - led by Merinthire, in the year of 545. Exiled men, orks, Denshians, Aurelians, men and women united to bring the Gytevsha crashing to the ground.

In locating him, the attacking group were forced to his hiding place in the Godstone at the centre of Opharon, where Krasula had barricaded himself, in his true form, in an attempt at a last stand. Krasula fell to the combined efforts of the group after a long and bloody battle, the final blow landed at the end of Merinthire’s partisan. Krasula’s spirit spoke out, following his fall, announced banished to Yeresse by the Elder Gods; a final blow to his oversized ego as the demon was reduced to the punishment of the mortals he long thought himself above.

His head is the property of the imperial orks of Khalag, who had long suffered thanks to Krasula’s fire eaters. After Krasula’s demise, the fire eaters went rogue.

The Prophet; Angel of Death; The Dark Slayer

Machillenarius is an Ancient Demon, recruited by Maguun in times long ago forgotten. He was there when Zeal fell, and was trapped away with Maguun. The Obelisk of Kadash Nu’uab was the seal to Machillenarius’ prison.

The will of Machillenarius is one with Maguun’s, and no demon has ever served another as faithfully as Machillenarius served Maguun; as far as rumours go, Machillenarius was created by Maguun himself, and therein lies the source of this loyalty.

Machillenarius was known to Mala’tal. It is possible that, in the battle for Zeal, Mala’tal and Machillenarius faced each other. But that is merely a rumour.

Art by Jason Engle, found in http://digitalart.org

The appearance of Machillenarius in Eridan marked the violent beginning of the Shadow War. In a time when humanity, spurred forward by the trickster Nicholas Durai to destroy the Obelisks that bound his master Maguun in the Outer Chaos, began to reconsider their actions in the face of Mala’tal’s opposition, The Prophet was released. As the raiding party led by Troy Locke broke through the Desert Fortress and destroyed the Obelisk on the mountain cliffs of Kadash Nu’uab, so did they release this Demon upon the world.

It was not long after this that Machillenarius revealed the nature of his power. Appearing above Denshy, his flames engulfed the building that once was the Headquarters of the Priory, burning it and all who tried to put it out. Dozens died, trapped by the infernal flames, including the Grandmaster of the Eridanic Priory.

Over the course of the Shadow War, Machillenarius’ actions were sporadic, meant only to level the ground for the return of his Dark Lord. Eventually, when he had managed to infiltrate the Priory’s secret headquarters in the Jaded Withdraw, the trap Mala’tal had laid out for him worked. Machillenarius was trapped in the Withdraw, only to be released in the end of the War.

And when he was released, his power was threefold, his blind anger and allegiance to Maguun leading him into unspeakable slaughters amongst Humans, Lorilee, Orks and Ghoula.

It was only on the day of the Final Battle of the Shadow War that his victorious spree was put to an end. Seldorn Toiverna, Laranian Knight, backed by the Priory, confronted him in the ancient grounds of the Jaded Withdraw, denying him the right to join his Master. The Priory were but mere insignificant pawns in the hands of the Dark Slayer, but the same could not be said about Toiverna - for he, like Evans Reynard and Maarken Calador before him, had too been blessed by the fading sigh of Larani. And in this duel of demonic powers of equal proportions, the result was both a sparkle of hope and a day for future mourning. On that sunless day, Seldorn Toiverna’s existance was wiped away, never to walk again amongst his fellow men on the lands of Terra. And with it, so was Machillenarius’. The Dark Slayer finally found his end. Had he not, and the fate of Terra could have been very different.

Demons within Terra remain largely a mystery to many of the mortal or semi-immortal inhabitants of the lands; while some breeds of demon may show exceptional amounts of intelligence and some possessing enough to fill entire librarys; while many others may be unintelligent or feral in nature.

Below, the various ‘breeds’ of demons will be spoken about as well as the abomination versions that have happened due to various cults and cabals.

While shadows are, by some, considered elementals, they are suspected to either be formed by a disruption in the weave’s flow where there is a abnormally large concentration of grey or chaotic threads, or more commonly conjured by a demon as their servants.

A shadows touch is believed to feel like an unnatural form of cold, and can cause the flesh of the entity it touches to die and rot, becoming calloused, rough, then rapidly degenerating to a horrid appearing rash resembling leprosy. In severe cases, this causes necrosis - the blackening and death of tissue.

Shadows have no definite shape or appearance. Their more solidified forms are known as glooms, and the largest known shadows are Shadow Wyrms. Shadows can appear in many different forms or shapes but generally are assumed demon in nature. They are the favoured minions of Maguun and Sonen.

Picture from deviantart.com, by BenWootten.

The Scourge tend to come as a myriad of lesser demons. Their appearances vary greatly. Some have been seen akin to succubi, some akin to spined humans, and even as glowing gargoyle shaped beasts.

The Scourge are probably one of the most mysterious brands of demon known to humanity. Those who survived the Shadow War claim to have seen them in the apex of their power. Stories are told about humans whose body was infiltrated and possessed by Scourge, only to find their limbs and organs scattered around in a bloodbath within seconds.

These minion-like demons sometimes are favoured by demon lords, but lack much rank in demonic hierarchy.

Picture from deviantart.com, by Psycho-Claw.

Fire Eaters are not so much demons, rather a cult of humans who make pacts with lesser demons to garner power. They certainly show more authority, as well as power and ability, than the scourge typically do. Fire eaters range from appearing entirely human and not having yet been possessed, to ones that are always winged, but when angered appear even more demonic in nature and often hurl fireballs. It is also notable that they may often have Balrogs in their company and lairs. There are two known fire eater hubs on Eridan: the mineshaft in the Northern tundra, and the Black Caves in Khalag’s territories.

Originally, they were a cult that worshipped the Demon Lord known as Krasula; however, when they learned of his falling they struck out on their own.

Picture from Deviantart.com by Nadide

The true name of this demon species remains unknown and there are no known instances of one being intelligent. They tend to be sighted in the “kitchen” within the infernal citadel of Opharon.

Butcherers are assumed to be the harvesters of the demon species, gathering the flesh and organs of the killed to feed on. Their only known ability is to hit things with their large axes.

Picture from deviantart.com, by yty2000.

These hulking titan demons have little known about them. Appearance-wise, they possess four arms and tending to be quite slow due to their massive bulk. They tend to make up for their slow nature with incredible endurance and heavy blows. Giants have no known abilities, although some in history have been able to teleport and some have had near steel hard skin.

Picture from deviantart.com, by Kunkka.

One of the most infamous and hunted demons, a Jachyra is a widely feared demon within the heavy infantry of the demon armies. It is easily recognised by the bright, bloody red hue of its hide.

Jachyra enjoy instilling fear and pain into other creatures, but dislike being hurt themselves. This differentiates them from Gade’rel. They are also considerably smaller and faster than their bulky cousin. The greatest aspect most fear regarding a Jachyra is that of their venom. With the ability to strike a man dead in seconds, their poison is held in the claw of their larger hand.

The greatest joy in their existence is believed to be bloodshed. While they are intelligent and can communicate, they would rather just kill whatever is talking. Jachyra only rarely are ever found outside of Opharon and the Abyss. When they are, usually, they are summoned.

Gader’el are a odd breed of demon that have barbs and sharp spines on themselves, which they have been known to also shoot back at those who fire arrows at them. They are the most aggressive and mindless species of ‘heavy infantry’ demons and tend to serve alone or with other Gader’el and Jachyra.

The Gader’el is a demon that, while sentient, is focused almost entirely on pain. In other words, while the Gader’el has no qualms about killing its target, the demon prefers that it is either hurt by or hurting said target, to continue its relishing in pain and suffering. Unlike Jachyra, they are sadomasochists, over masochists alone.

Gader’el tend to be much stronger and bulkier than a Jachyra, being larger and more difficult to fight due to their barbs. While a Gader’el may miss its prey much more often its blows are far less forgiving, where even a single strike may prove fatal.

Picture from deviantart.com, by njoo.

Balrogs are often considered elder demons. They are beings of various strengths. Balrogs can make use of breathing and hurling balls of flame, or lean towards physical defences through their brute strength and enormous swords to cut their foes down.

Balrogs are considered among the most intelligent sort of demons, often proving to be the most malicious as well. They are the sorts that take pleasure in the suffering of even their fellow demons. Balrogs tend to play a guardsman role, such of vaults, bridges and other items of importance. This is because they are strong, but unlike a volatile Jachyra or Gader’el, they are less likely to strike at that that they guard.

Often, a Balrog may not appear as strong as a Gader’el or swift as a Jachyra. However, a Balrog not only possesses wings but is much more intelligent than the other two, resulting in Balrogs proving more dangerous at times.

Picture from deviantart.com, by Sara-lj.

There have been a number of Demon Lords to date. Rather than referring to a breed or genus of demons, they are demons who have attained a higher plateau of strength and have a large number of underlings. It is believed they achieve this point either from being very ancient and growing in strength naturally, or by devouring other demons, souls, or even other Demon Lords.

Appearance-wise, they do not really have one. Due to their vast amount of prowess almost all known demon lords tend to appear humanoid, to imitate another human or take on an avatar, and enjoy toying with or tormenting mortals. Demon lords rarely will expose their true form and will never speak their names, only their alias.

In history, more often than not, normal metals and weapons will either not at all or barely harm these creatures. Demon lords have been known to kill using just manifestations of their own shadow, or through their avatars; in true form, their power is even more immense.

Demon lords from history include Krasula after his freedom from bondage; the Prince of Darkness Sjloctys; Nicholas Durai before being entirely consumed by Maguun in the later parts of the Shadow War.

Picture from deviantart.com, by Johndowson

A demon king is a demon that is of immeasurable amounts of power to human beings and, if fully summoned, could most likely destroy an entire world on it’s own. Demon kings have been mentioned in legend as devourers of Eria as well as many other worlds, before reaching Terra.

They have no known limitations to their appearance and can also alter their size and use most forms of magic, as well as grant normally impossible gifts upon others such as returned youth or killing a human before ressurecting the victim intact.

The only known demon king was Maguun; Maguun managed to entirely guise the existance of the Eria from the natives of Terra, putting in their place three demon lords known as Larani, Myra, and Haelyn.

It is believed by some that demons that rival Maguun would exist in Oroborous. However, this is often dismissed as absurd by many others.