Well, “knowledge” is a very deep pool, no? The terms are technically met when I give you anything you did not already know.
[ It’s still playful rather than barbed, but he does feel the need to point out that it’s not so bold… At least if Sebastian chose to interpret the exchange by the letter. Yet it’s fairly easy to guess that it’s not his intention here. ]
Hm. It is an interesting this to request, though. And actually quite valuable, relatively speaking, for much of it I would not be able to share, were I bound by the rules of my world. So, I suppose that is as good a place to start as any…
[ He hums thoughtfully even so, since it’s a broad subject. Just like anyone else were they to be asked to explain their entire society, a starting point is difficult. But the rules that govern demons are a rather core part. ]
It is a realm of contradictions. It is chaos, for that is the natural bent of my kind, but it is far from anarchic. Order is strictly imposed, partially because of primeval accords, partially because it is the natural way to ensure our continued existence. Chaos is short-sighted, after all. Were my kind allowed to go unchecked, they would descend upon humanity like locusts and glut themselves. So, order must be imposed by necessity, and that creates the structure of our society as well as its castes, yes. And for those, I will use human classifications, but think of them as analogies more than directly equivalent.
At the bottom, you have our equivalent of children. A pure demon is not born, it simply is. From the primordial dark, all the evils of humanity, whatever it is you may wish to imagine, they are all true. It is the endless font from which we flow. They are barely thinking things, but as they consume each other, a ball of the dark will eventually be granted the right to “exist”. So, a step above them are the smaller, more bestial creatures. Sentient, certainly, but lacking in power. Imps are the best known, but your little friend would be at this rank as well. They are often familiars, for at this level they are still somewhat safe for humans to handle. But it is at this point they also gain their hunger.
Technically speaking, what all demons from my world feed upon is suffering and anguish. It is why our realm exists as punishment. Through that primeval accord, the souls of the wicked are sent to our realm to be tormented forevermore. Imps and the like begin to partake in this to feed themselves, but they also begin to know power and preference. You learn what you like from a soul. You learn how to extract it. And those that are skilled are named by their betters. Once a demon obtains a name, they can begin to play at the grander games of our realm.
Our realm is not purely one of human suffering, after all. It is one of politicking and war just as much, but those are our personal pursuits. For once you have a name, you may start to play at the grand game, as we call it. Those with names are recruited into Legions, and these Legions follow what you would expect from militaristic ranks. From undying cannon fodder to clever tacticians, a demon becomes wiser here. More dangerous. You serve your master and fight wars unending against their enemies, for here, it truly becomes about power. We feast on the flesh of our defeated foes and take their wisdom, their abilities granted by their master. You will find intelligent, clever demons here, as well as the half-breeds born from humans. [ shoutout to my man raphael ]
Yet, every demon that hungers for more than endless war wants the same thing. To kill and eat their master. There are but seventy-two demons who command Legions, and their names are synonymous with titles. Play the grand game for thousands of years until you find your master’s weak spot and strike. Consume them and steal their name, and you steal their power. It is demonic nobility, essentially. These are the enforcers of order in our realm, and the most dangerous and powerful demons there are. Within their ranks, they are subdivided further into everything from kings to presidents, but to human conception, they are all akin to gods. Our realm is shaped to their will, and their powers are vast. Nigh unkillable, unless you are clever enough to figure out their one, true weakness. So, these positions do no change often. I have seen entire Legions annihilated with a thought simply because one member was lucky enough to stumble upon the weakness without even knowing what it was.
And high above them all is the Light-bringer, Lucifer. The world of humanity knows of him and sees him differently depending on the religious lens through which he is viewed… But it is true that he is our realm’s overseer. Where he came from or how he came to impose order upon us, I cannot say, for I do not know. But if there is a being that we exalt, it is he, if only because he could unmake any of us with a thought. He is the sovereign, and every demon bows to his will. How lucky, then, that he is impartial and all-seeing.
[ It’s all explained warmly, with a panache that’s near hypnotic. Sebastian is an excellent speaker when he chooses to use the skill at its fullest, and its seen here. And similarly, she might notice that he doesn’t say a single thing about his position here. It’s all enticing, forbidden knowledge, since he’s telling the truth to imply that he couldn’t be so specific normally. But in the wealth of information, the specificities that could apply to him are lost. Only someone incredibly sharp would even notice. ]
…And with that, you know the truth of my realm more than any mortal or even any tome from my world! Why, our record keepers would be quite cross with all of the detail, but how fun that they are not here to enforce their will, hm?
no subject
[ It’s still playful rather than barbed, but he does feel the need to point out that it’s not so bold… At least if Sebastian chose to interpret the exchange by the letter. Yet it’s fairly easy to guess that it’s not his intention here. ]
Hm. It is an interesting this to request, though. And actually quite valuable, relatively speaking, for much of it I would not be able to share, were I bound by the rules of my world. So, I suppose that is as good a place to start as any…
[ He hums thoughtfully even so, since it’s a broad subject. Just like anyone else were they to be asked to explain their entire society, a starting point is difficult. But the rules that govern demons are a rather core part. ]
It is a realm of contradictions. It is chaos, for that is the natural bent of my kind, but it is far from anarchic. Order is strictly imposed, partially because of primeval accords, partially because it is the natural way to ensure our continued existence. Chaos is short-sighted, after all. Were my kind allowed to go unchecked, they would descend upon humanity like locusts and glut themselves. So, order must be imposed by necessity, and that creates the structure of our society as well as its castes, yes. And for those, I will use human classifications, but think of them as analogies more than directly equivalent.
At the bottom, you have our equivalent of children. A pure demon is not born, it simply is. From the primordial dark, all the evils of humanity, whatever it is you may wish to imagine, they are all true. It is the endless font from which we flow. They are barely thinking things, but as they consume each other, a ball of the dark will eventually be granted the right to “exist”. So, a step above them are the smaller, more bestial creatures. Sentient, certainly, but lacking in power. Imps are the best known, but your little friend would be at this rank as well. They are often familiars, for at this level they are still somewhat safe for humans to handle. But it is at this point they also gain their hunger.
Technically speaking, what all demons from my world feed upon is suffering and anguish. It is why our realm exists as punishment. Through that primeval accord, the souls of the wicked are sent to our realm to be tormented forevermore. Imps and the like begin to partake in this to feed themselves, but they also begin to know power and preference. You learn what you like from a soul. You learn how to extract it. And those that are skilled are named by their betters. Once a demon obtains a name, they can begin to play at the grander games of our realm.
Our realm is not purely one of human suffering, after all. It is one of politicking and war just as much, but those are our personal pursuits. For once you have a name, you may start to play at the grand game, as we call it. Those with names are recruited into Legions, and these Legions follow what you would expect from militaristic ranks. From undying cannon fodder to clever tacticians, a demon becomes wiser here. More dangerous. You serve your master and fight wars unending against their enemies, for here, it truly becomes about power. We feast on the flesh of our defeated foes and take their wisdom, their abilities granted by their master. You will find intelligent, clever demons here, as well as the half-breeds born from humans. [ shoutout to my man raphael ]
Yet, every demon that hungers for more than endless war wants the same thing. To kill and eat their master. There are but seventy-two demons who command Legions, and their names are synonymous with titles. Play the grand game for thousands of years until you find your master’s weak spot and strike. Consume them and steal their name, and you steal their power. It is demonic nobility, essentially. These are the enforcers of order in our realm, and the most dangerous and powerful demons there are. Within their ranks, they are subdivided further into everything from kings to presidents, but to human conception, they are all akin to gods. Our realm is shaped to their will, and their powers are vast. Nigh unkillable, unless you are clever enough to figure out their one, true weakness. So, these positions do no change often. I have seen entire Legions annihilated with a thought simply because one member was lucky enough to stumble upon the weakness without even knowing what it was.
And high above them all is the Light-bringer, Lucifer. The world of humanity knows of him and sees him differently depending on the religious lens through which he is viewed… But it is true that he is our realm’s overseer. Where he came from or how he came to impose order upon us, I cannot say, for I do not know. But if there is a being that we exalt, it is he, if only because he could unmake any of us with a thought. He is the sovereign, and every demon bows to his will. How lucky, then, that he is impartial and all-seeing.
[ It’s all explained warmly, with a panache that’s near hypnotic. Sebastian is an excellent speaker when he chooses to use the skill at its fullest, and its seen here. And similarly, she might notice that he doesn’t say a single thing about his position here. It’s all enticing, forbidden knowledge, since he’s telling the truth to imply that he couldn’t be so specific normally. But in the wealth of information, the specificities that could apply to him are lost. Only someone incredibly sharp would even notice. ]
…And with that, you know the truth of my realm more than any mortal or even any tome from my world! Why, our record keepers would be quite cross with all of the detail, but how fun that they are not here to enforce their will, hm?