Demons are diverse members of extraplanetary creatures of the esoteric kingdom Diabolia. The species is commonly divided into the subfamilies Highborne (Great Old Ones) and Lowborne (Lesser Older 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.
Diet
Humans are the primary diet for demons. However, demons can feed both on the physical remains of other demons as well as their aether released into the environment upon expiration.
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.[x]
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.[x] It is an incredibly intimate act for the provider, increasing their vulnerability and making them prone to attacks in the process.
Sexual Hierarchy
The stronger cambion of a species in an area will enter a Vincere or rut (“to conquer”) while a weaker cambion will enter a Vinci or 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. Which of the two a demon may enter depends on their environment and hierarchy instead of sex or gender.
In the early 14th century, human coined the terms incubus (“to lie above”) and succubus (“to lie beneath”) from observing these behaviors. The terms quickly became gendered despite gender not being a fixed concept, if at all, to demons.
Camouflage and hunting
There are certain activities where demons struggle to conceal their true nature, if choosing to conceal it at all. Much like a predator springing from their camouflage, partaking in battle, feeding or coupling often results in demons shedding their glamour. Hunters will often use this again the demons confirm their identity.
Cambions or synthetic, however, tend to hold onto their human appearance rigorously. When all else fails, a deep wound will often force their instincts to take over in an act of self perseverance.
Pacts
It is of no surprise that pacts are utilized by the hyper-aggressive species. Demon pacts are a complex language in and of themselves, their meaning ranging anywhere from a truce to ownership to a contract.
The concept of ownership is a broad term for demons, with their phrase translating more akin to you are mine. This being said, may things can fall under that language such as servitude, contracts, even mates. It is hard for a demon, let alone a human, to tell what another’s pact may be as the disposition towards owned can range from deeply coveted to uncaring humiliation. Determining who the pact belongs to is an easier matter which often informs others what the pact may be.
For example: Demon A may use their mark as a brand of humiliation (often uncaring), while Demon B may use their mark as a warning of their wrath (protecting a beloved).
The visibility of pact depend on the intention and may be clearly visible to all, invisible until flexed, or visible only to those that can sense magic. Placement may also vary, however pacts denoting mate are commonly placed near the neck while pacts denoting subjugation are placed in a visible spot of humiliation.
Cambions
Unique Biology
Intended or not, pairing a human body with a demonic energy or a soul insulates the latter from outside properties.
The human blood within a cambion acts similarly to magical Faraday cage, insulating them from outside forces. This causes the cambion to be more resistant and stable to outside forces than a full-blooded demon. However, they tend to be more susceptible to their own emotions.
Their complex emotions and mixture of demon and human blood act as an ignition and engine, respectfully. At resting, a successful cambion’s human and demon elements will find equilibrium. However, intense emotions will accelerate their active resulting in an evolution or mutation.
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 a rut or heat. During this time human inhibitions cannot keep the cambion in balance resulting in feral behavior (feeding, fighting, and fornicating).
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 discrepancy between demons as they are and in theology was born from humans rationalizing their nature as apex predators.
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