Demons are diverse members of extraplanetary creatures. The species is commonly divided into the subfamilies Highborn and Lowborn though archaic literature may use other classifications (Greater Old Ones and Lesser Old Ones). It is currently unknown when the species originated, but references to their existence can be found in art and literature as early as ████ ██ ███████████.

Biology

In humans, a body and soul are separate properties, woven together at conception and inseparable under normal circumstances. Demons manifest a body from their soul, crystalizing their energy to form something corporal and able to interact with the physical world.

This makes demons psycho-responsive creatures. Long-term exposure to strong emotions can direct their evolution, including their own.

To oversimplify, a demon’s being is ever-shifting, primordial chaos while a human is fixed and arguably order to that chaos. It is no surprise that when one seeks to strengthen themselves, push themselves to greater power, they seek the other.

Behavior and ecology

Demons navigate their relationship with the world primarily through strength and hierarchy. Social status and place in the world is affirmed through challenging others or being challenged. This behavior may differ between Highborn and Lowborn, with Highborns favoring higher levels of domination (plotting, conquering, and enslaving) and Lowborn favoring survival-focused domination (food chain clashes and territory disputes).

Depending on the species, demons may play with their kin—teaching and reinforcing hunting and socialization behaviors. Older kin may let the younger “win” or “practice dominance” to encourage confidence.

Like bats, some species participate in mutual grooming to aid and strengthen bonds with one another. Even closer demons may share blood in the form of bloodletting. This behavior is largely reserved for spawn, mates, and close kin. It is an incredibly intimate act for the provider, increasing their vulnerability and making them prone to attacks in the process.

Cambions

Unique Biology

Intended or not, the pairing of a body with a soul insulates the later from outside properties.

They are in some ways more stable, I think. But they may be more susceptible to their OWN emotions. the meat acting as something of a barrier which full demons lack. Their own blood as a sort of magical Faraday cage, insulating them from outside forces.

The increased complexity of their own emotions Jumpstart their evolution and also acts to insulate them from outside influences. Their human forms are fairly stable. Their demonic forms are more influenceable.

Behavior

Cambions are a mixture of genetic traits making them less predictable than demons or humans. Even third or fourth-generational cambions produced by human partners and genetics; mannerisms of an individual cambion can be predicted, but the species, by large, cannot.

If the cambion denies indulging in their non-human instincts for a time, they will enter what is colloquially termed a rut or heat. During this time human inhibitions cannot keep the cambion in balance resulting in feral behavior.

Which of the two a cambion may enter depends on their environment and hierarchy instead of sex or gender. The stronger cambion of a species in an area will enter a rut (“to conquer”) while a weaker cambion will enter a heat (“to be conquered”). This is not fixed behavior. A cambion can switch behaviors should they lose or gain status in their clan or environment.

Misconception

Despite the colloquial name and appearance, demons are not to be confused with the man-made theological idea of demons. Occult scholars believe that the descrepancy between demons as they are and in theology was born from humans rationalizing their nature as apex predators.