The Demons

Demons are grotesque creatures that manifest from corrupted spirit energy. The corruption of their souls through the use of dark, demonic energy causes their distorted appearance.

Demons began to appear around a thousand years ago, the same time as the appearance of the 7 great sages.

The demons posed a great threat, slaughtering defenceless civilians and feeding on their spirits, slowly corrupting the world. After the demise of the sages, their forces were greatly crippled which has led to constant conflict and extermination by the modern day sages of the high council.

Appearance
Most demons are humanoid in stature with disproportionate limbs and distorted faces due to their corrupted souls. Demons usually have curled ram-like horns, wide mouths with a fierce set of fangs and thin, slitted eyes. However, some demons who have fed upon enough spirits take on a more sophisticated appearance as they gain power. The more they feed, the more proportionate they become, gaining speed and strength. Some demons have even been known to take on forms similar to ordinary humans and possess great power, known as Archdemons

Archdemons
Not much is known about Archdemons. They are very powerful demons who have fed upon tremendous amounts of spiritual energy. They take on ordinary human forms due to their intense focus and will and have extremely advanced control over shadows. They are extremely fast and have tremendous physical strength, while being able to manipulate shadow as well as a high sage.

Abilities
Demons possess great strength and speed, far greater than the average human. They are creatures of the darkness and warped emotions such as hate and despair and so their abilities are attuned accordingly. They can use shadows as a way of transport while more powerful demons can create tendrils of shadow to incapacitate enemies.

Shadow Travel
Shadow travel is the ability to move utilising darkness as a doorway. Using shadow travel exhausts the user during the day but is very effective at night, allowing demons to span long distances without much effort. Bright light nullifies the ability, as do certain protective spells that can be placed around an area to prevent shadow travel to pass through the area which was developed by the council to protect towns and villages.

===Shadow Attunement ===

Just as sages may manipulate the elements of the earth, stronger demons may manipulate shadows, creating tendrils which can wrap themselves around enemies and constrict them or throw them. With enough skill they are able to use shadows as offensive projectiles and defensive shields. Archdemons may extinguish lights and summon pure darkness which can engulf light completely, taking on the appearance of black smoke.

===Physical Abilities ===

Demons posess superhuman strength. Weaker demons are able to lift large rocks and throw them creating significant impact sites whereas stronger demons can dig their claws into the ground and dig up solid rock. Demons generally have very sharp claws which can slice through most solid materials. As well as extreme strength, demons also posess blinding speed. Shadow travel enables them to warp around very quickly but they are also have exremely quick reflexes and can travel unnaturally quickly on their own.

Spirit consumption
When a demon manifests, it is very grotesque and chaotic and has very little grasp on reality. They are driven to consume spirit energy and do so by slaughtering humans and sometimes each other. As they consume more spirits, they become more proportionate in terms of appearance, looking less mutated. They also gain more control over shadows and an increase in strength and speed. Ramparts

<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">When a demon consumes another demon, they gain all of their spirit energy. Sometimes, the consumed demon's mind can become conscious in the other demons mind and the demon can go insane. This demon then goes on to consume as many other demons as it can, slowly going more and more insane. It becomes addicted to spirit energy and is drawn towards areas of high concentration e.g towns or villages. Ramparts can sometimes consume enough energy to force themselves through wards set around villages, however, they have almost no focus or willpower so they are all brute force which makes them not as much as a threat as they seem

Nature
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;background-position:initialinitial;background-repeat:initialinitial;">Demons are generally aggressive towards humans. As they get more powerful they become less feral and primal gaining composure and intelligence. Archdemons have been known to organise other demons into groups and lead them to attack, whereas weaker demons act more like wild animals, ravaging whatever they can find.