Demon-Blooded
Deposed and exiled from the world they
created, the Yozis brood and scheme in the hell-prison of their own tangled
being. Each claims and encompasses a multitude of souls and souls within souls,
all of which manifest as separate demons with their own personalities and
agendas. And of the least demons, the infernal spirit races spawned according
to whims and dread purpose, they comprise the bulk of fiends who dwell in the
It is not often that demons escape Malfeas
of their own volition. Most who visit Creation arrive at the behest of
sorcerers eager to bind them into servitude. Sorcerers usually win such battles
of wills, but every so often, a demon breaks free and slays its would-be
master. These rare free demons may roam Creation for quite some time before
their inevitable destruction or banishment. In that time, a wandering demon may
produce dozens of children born of rape, lustful seduction or even romance.
More powerful demons may even send out minions to retrieve mortal concubines
worthy of their attention. Abandoned Demon-Blooded spawned in haste or violence
are often mistaken for God-Blooded when they are known
at all, though spirits and the wisest savants can tell the difference. The
bastards of Malfeas either embrace their heritage in a vain search for meaning
or reject their blood — even to the point of hunting their kin. Though they
never entirely trust such defectors, professional exorcists will often pay
exorbitant fees to obtain Demon-Blooded aides.
Far more commonly, Demon-Blooded come into
being according to the will of sorcerers who summon demons for the express
purpose of spawning them. After all, the Half-Damned are more tractable and
less dangerous than full demons. They don’t need a constant diet of Essence to
maintain corporeal form, and they have less exotic diets and urges (at least
usually). Then, too, their part-human nature allows Demon-Blooded to roam
through Creation and mortal society without attracting the panic and magical
reprisal that a true demon would face.
Only a rare few Demon-Blooded actually grow
up in the Demon Realm, though the slaves of callous sorcerers might believe
otherwise for the unceasing abuse and outright torture they face. Many born in
Creation rightly fear Malfeas and work hard to avoid paying a visit to their
ancestors. This fear serves as yet another tool by which ruthless sorcerers
control their thralls.
The expected duties of Demon-Blooded depend
very much on their upbringing. Slaves of sorcerers often fulfill a specific
role that they can do better than mortal lackeys. They are the concubines of
legend, the most feared thugs in the brute squad and the most efficient
inquisitors in the dungeon. Yozi-Kin serving free demons often fulfill similar
functions, but they do so with greater dignity, as agents rather than slaves.
If autonomy is only a lie, then it serves the deception of Malfeas and remains
far better than the truth. Other Demon-Blooded working
directly for their parents act as merchants of sin and vice or as advisors to
mortal leaders. Some even give good advice, particularly to kings and
chieftains who have dedicated themselves to infernal masters. The greatest and
most esteemed Demon-Blooded act as the brokers of demonic pacts, collecting
souls and slaves for their masters in exchange for infernal blessings. These
unsurpassed artisans of deception go where their parents cannot, even into the
heart of the Realm itself to negotiate the creation of new Infernal Exalted.
Heritage Power: Demon-Blooded may attune their senses to infernal
energies as a reflexive action for a cost of 1 Willpower point or 3 motes of
Essence. This sixth sense allows a Demon-Blood to perceive and recognize demons
(immaterial or material), Infernal Exalted, Demon-Blooded, gates to Cecelyne,
artifacts from the Demon Realm, beings enchanted by demonic magic and all other
vessels or places of infernal power within the range of her normal senses for
one scene. The character’s mystical senses can infallibly pierce shapechanging
and mundane disguises. Only magic that cloaks emanations of Essence can hide a
source of infernal power from Yozi-Kin employing their birthright.
Associations: As creatures of inauspicious and accursed
parentage, Demon-Blooded are not truly natural to Creation and, yet, are partly
of it. As such, they are haunted by a lifelong awareness that they do not
belong. Most are restless, fitful creatures eager for any praise and community
that will claim them — though they are invariably disappointed that no such
acceptance ever fills the hollow in their Half-Damned souls. In spite of, or
perhaps because of this bleak unease, they resonate with signs and
symbols associated with the Demon Realm: the green sun, deserts, empty places
and the twofold principles of lies and pain that form the fundamental purpose
of all demons.
Sobriquets: Yozi-Kin, Hellspawn, Tears of Malfeas,
Half-Damned
Concepts: Sin peddler, seducer of sorcerers, master
torturer, priest of the Yozis, ronin demon hunter, negotiator of pacts
You look at
me with disdain
and heap
insults upon me. No
matter, for
I have crawled into
your heart,
and on cold and lonely
nights, you
will become mine.