Demons

The hunters approach the three men. Whispering to one another, each makes a motion to hush. It takes a few moments before they realize neither of them is speaking. It seems some malicious spirit wants to distract them from their quarry, mocking them with sounds identical to their own voices. Discouraged, the hunters look at one another and then start to turn– but at that same moment, the whispers abruptly silence. Then a single raspy voice echoes in their minds, ‘I see you.’ The two men and fire disappear. The other turns and faces them. It peers at the hunters and grows like a shadow, then its maw splits its dark featureless face from end to end. The hunters freeze in place as the eyes of the huge dark form glimmer like lanterns…

Demons have a long history entwined with the creatures and kingdoms of Rhen. The fae refer to them as shadow. Not many know of the relationship between the fae and shadow. They are rarely mentioned in stories, though sometimes they are mentioned cryptically or by other names. The Galdru sometimes call them púca. Outside of the fairy world, those practiced in the arcane arts sometimes elicit a demon's help (at their own peril) usually as a means of acquiring information.

Demons come in all varieties. Like the fae, they are enigmatic, willful, and governed by their own laws, including physical ones. They are very alike. Discerning their motivations and following along is nearly impossible, and as they say, people fear what they do not understand. Do not make the mistake of thinking all demons are evil and motivations malicious. Demons are extraordinarily complex creatures as well as interesting resources. You may never fully understand what drives them but like the fae and their seemingly uniform affinity for riddles, demons are unable to break a promise, at least not directly. One of the oldest stories ever told concerns the Horned King (also called the Demon King). In the long forgotten story, the Demon Hing is banished from the world for fulfilling a promise. Interestingly, the promise was to a mortal man and to fulfill his promise the Horned King had to stay his execution.

Creating a Demon: Demons typically have high Intellect, Intuition, Will, and Luck scores. All demons speak Dalriatan and most also speak Prydian, the language of the fae.

Size and Type: Demons are planar creatures. A demon’s Intellect, Intuition, Will, and Luck ability scores, skills, Resistance Die, and Acumen bonus, regardless of their form. A demon has no true shape. They can change form. Their size and shape changes according to their form; see the special quality, Shapechange below. In the Shadow Realm demons possess additional magical abilities unique to each individual demon.

Speed: Demons have the speed of their shapechanged form. If that creature has a swim or fly speed, the demon gains these capabilities while in that shape.

Armor Class: Demons gain a bonus to natural armor equal to their level.

Attack: When manifested on the Material Plane demons exist in both the Shadow and Material; demons can interact with incorporeal creatures as if they were solid.

Special Attacks: Demons are summoned to the Material Plane in a guise of their choosing. They gain all the special attacks of their chosen form (see Shapechange special quality) and the following attacks.

Spell Drain (M): On a successful attack, demons drain 1d4 Power, no matter its form.

Special Qualities: Demons exist in the Shadow Realm. When summoned to the Material Plane, they are still anchored to the Shadow Realm, existing in both places simultaneously.

Planesvision (M): Demons have vision that spans the planes. Demons see through magical impediments such as magical darkness. When manifested on the Material Plane, they are able to see into the Shadow Realm and the Material Plane simultaneously.

Return (M): Demons are able to spend 1 Power and a movement to return to the Shadow Realm. If a demon voluntarily returns to the Shadow Realm it may not return to the Material Plane, unless summoned again or by some other means. 

Shapechange (M): Demons are shapeshifters. A demon has no true form. It may spend 1 Power and a movement to assume any form of equal or less level. A demon retains its Intellect, Intuition, Will, and Luck ability scores, skills, Resistance Die, and Acumen bonus, and gains the physical attributes of its new form. A demon’s Life does not increase or decrease with its Strength score, but it does gain the magical qualities of its new form. If it dies, it is exiled from the Material Plane and returns to the Shadow Realm in a weakened state. Regardless of a demon’s shape in the Material Plane, it appears cloaked in shadow and fire in the Shadow Realm.

Spells: Demon magic.