Post by Ice on Sept 27, 2011 19:43:28 GMT -5
Demonology
Demonology is the study of the nature of demons and how to summon them.
History (Not publicly known.)
The sixteenth century was a high point for the magical community. Wizards were still free to live in the open, serving in the courts of great kings. Great Alchemists made fantastic discoveries, putting magic to it's limit. It was during this time that many dangerous discoveries were made - and the foremost was the summoning of the first demons. The first demons were unintelligent, capable of following only the most exact orders, and their power was that of a small child. Each demon stayed only a short time, and then vanished into nothingness. Over the years, however, the art of demon-creation advanced, and demons became more intelligent, more powerful, and more durable. The ultimate goal was the production of a demon that was equal to a human and permanent, but it was considered little more then a pipe dream.
One man, however, succeeded. By himself, in a dark room, he successfully created and bound five demons, each more then equal to a single human. He produced one for each of the five elements, and bound each in it's own way. Wind was bound to a glass jar, Water was bound in a jug, Fire was bound to a coal-bucket, and Earth was bound to a pot. The fifth, Void, was bound to a gem, and while his fellows were kept in his masters house, Void was paraded around to show his success. Void, however, had other plans, and while he was bound to obey each order his master gave, he eventually discovered that he was not bound to the intention of the order, but to the wording. The flaw proved fatal, and he had not been bound a full month before Void managed to 'interpret' his master's order in a most fatal matter. Despite what was expected, neither Void, nor the other four demons faded - instead, they were freed, and fled their home into human society.
The wizarding community, seeking their friend, found only his corpse, and the demons gone. In their folly, they assumed that the demons had slain their master - and then had vanished into nothingness. It was the first time a demon had slain it's master, and it resulted in the complete ban of demon summoning within the European wizarding community until the present day. The statute of secrecy was created a few decades later, but by that point, the story had already circulated into muggle hands, painted in a religious light as Wizards vanished from the muggle world. That story was the tale of Doctor John Faust.
The five true demons have no firm shape. They change freely, delighting in being their own masters. They have traveled the world a million times over, staying in touch with each other only occasionally. Any one might know where one or two others are, but not them all. It was Void who first sought out a human to produce children, seducing a woman who bore him a son - the first half demon. From there, the other demons began their own lines, breeding rarely to keep their lines strong.
Half-demons are rare, and almost unknown to the magical community. Half-demons are born with their demonic traits fully formed (horns, tails, etc), but when they reach maturity, are able to hide them for as long as they wish, taking true human forms. They are also able to enhance their demonic traits, taking an appearance similar to that of their demonic parent. Half-demons can be killed, but doing so is extremely hard, and they do not age.
Quarter-demons are becoming more common, and are produced by a half-demon taking a human mate. Quarter-demons are fully human until they finish puberty, at which point their demonic features appear. Their demonic features are more understated then a half-demons, and while their features can be hidden via magic, they are unable to take a fully human form. Quarter-demons often hide in public, and are not officially recognized. More often then not, quarter-demons are mistaken for vampires, werewolves, or other half-breeds. Quarter-demons have normal wizard lifespans.
Summoning
Summoning a demon is not like casting a simple spell. Careful preparation and a strong will is required to summon any level of demonic creature.
PREPARATION | Many demons require special materials to be brought to this reality. Some are simple (like ashes), while others are less so (like the wing feather of a phoenix). Some material, depending on the element and power of the demon being summoned, should be placed in a circle on the ground to temporarily contain them.
SUMMONING | Demons are summoned with incantations and rituals varying in complexity depending on the power of the demon. The energy it takes to form a demon from magic is rather large, and will leave the creator physically exhausted. If the caster is interrupted, their ability to use magic will be temporarily damaged and require time to recover. The amount of magic necessary varies depending on the power of the demon(s) being summoned.
BINDING | So, now there's a demon standing in front of you. It's no use to you if it won't follow your orders, now is it? First, the caster must bind the the demon to their will. If they are too weak, the demon, which is not fully formed until bound, will dissipate and return to nothingness. However, if the summoner does manage to bind the demon, the demon must follow his or her commands. Just be careful how the commands are worded; most demons can find loopholes in anything.
Power Classifications
Demons are classified by how powerful they are and, consequently, how difficult they are to summon and bind. The levels are I, II, III, IV, and V (in increasing power and difficulty). Students are only permitted to summon tier I and II demons, and then tier III demons their final year.
I | The easiest to summon, but least powerful. They are only useful for performing small tasks, such as lighting all the candles in a room. Also, the materials required to summon them are relatively simple and easy to find. For example, a circle of ashes is needed to summon a fire imp.
II | These demons are moderately difficult to summon, but are within the reach of most students. They are relatively good for doing anything that, say, a house-elf would do, but due to time limitations are rarely as useful as an actual house-elf. A sample task would be fetching something from a locked chest in their room. A sample material would be a mixture of three herbs in a bowl.
III | These demons are difficult to summon, but moderately powerful. Students at Hogwarts are not allowed to summon demons any more powerful than this due to the possible danger, and only students in their final year can summon a third level demon. These have the power and intelligence of a child, and are capable of doing standard magical tasks. A sample material would be a semi-rare spell ingredient prepared in a specific way.
IV | A fourth level demon is above the abilities of most students, and summoning one will get you into plenty of trouble. This level of power, however, is considered standard for adults who have studied demonology. Demons of this variety are around four or five feet tall, and can do almost anything a teenage wizard could do, within reason. They are extremely useful, and becoming more common as demonology becomes an accepted practice.
V | Only expert demon summoners should even think about summoning a fifth level demon. The rituals required to summon them are complex, and the materials required are quite rare. They are incredibly crafty creatures which are aproximately the size of a half-giant. While these demons are temporary, they are just as crafty as any human, and the hardest to control.
Element Classifications
There are five different elemental categories which all demons fall in to.
EARTH | Bestial creatures often resembling feral animals rather than humanoids, they can also appear as creatures made of the earth itself, resembling golems.
FIRE | Creatures who often have red or ash-colored skin or hair. At times they will appear to by physically on fire, although the fire will not actually burn someone, since it is not true flames.
WATER | Aquatic beings, often resembling some sort of fish, sea serpent, or merperson. They are capable of surviving on land, though it is often impractical.
AIR | Winged creatures or ghost-like spirits, almost all air demons can fly.
VOID | These creatures don't fit into any of the other four categories, representing magic itself rather than a natural element. They tend to be more humanoid than the rest, but often have something that marks them as noticeably demonic, such as a tail, long ears, or horns. They are more apt for non-elemental magical tasks, or mundane tasks that cannot be properly emulated by magic.