Demons
When I think of demons in the Helena Hawthorn series, I can’t help but see creatures that are from another, parallel plane rather than the monsters from the Bible or other religion’s scripture. I did try to keep some ideas like them having to consume souls to live, creating contracts with mortals, and being able to possess vessels. Every culture out there has believed in demons since the ancient times. Many fear them. And, I couldn’t exactly turn my demons into fluffy bunnies. Every story must have realism, in my opinion. There has to be enough to make you wonder, “What if these things really existed?”
When I was creating the lore for the Demon Realm, I spent a lot of time comparing it to the other two realms. If you must know, the Demon Realm is the oldest of all realms, then came the Human Realm and the Angel Realm.
Definitions:
Demon ruler: a King or Queen who controls the Demon Realm. The reigning monarch may be challenged for their position at any moment, but not many tend to do this because the transfer of wings causes the collapse of the Dome (a powerful energy shield that surrounds the city to protect the demons from the lessers).
Nowadays, a male ruler is seen more as a curse due to Baal’s prosperous rule.
Nobles: demons that live in luxury and comfort, not knowing what soul-starvation is like. They are eager to gain favour with powerful demons like High Councillors and often play a two-faced game.
Feeding: a demon can survive on consuming a soul every thirty years. This doesn’t stop them from overeating, much like with humans. There are believers who think that the more souls they consume, the more power they will gain. Such practice was stopped once Queen Baal took the throne.
Feeding in the Human Realm is a different matter. A demon utilises a lot more energy to sustain their vessel. This is why their feeding schedule is drastically sped up to them having to consume a soul every fortnight. If they refuse, they could fade from existence but not before they turned savage.
Time: Time in the Demon Realm passes three times faster than in the Angel or Human Realms.
Demon Gates: Originally called Blood Gates by the Wiccan Circles. They are portals that can be activated with demonic blood. Since the first vampire, Arthemis, was created with the help of a curse from Queen Baal, vampires became among the select few creatures whose blood could open the gate. This was the main reason why such a deal was implemented in the first place—to give Baal more access to the Human Realm.
To maintain the soul collection ratio throughout the Demon Realm, the Oracle bound the previous Demon Kings to create these gates. Their eternal life force is what is keeping the gates active. Because they became forever trapped, these kings were muted and forced to maintain a protective barrier around the gate to keep lesser demons at bay.
One of the Demon Kings, Pejirr, was not a demon but a False God. He was the Oracle’s brother and wanted to rule the realm from the seat of power rather than from the sidelines. This angered the Oracle when he became the fifth monarch. She purposely produced a false prophecy to dethrone him. Unlike with the other kings, she couldn’t bear to mute him for an eternity.
Pejirr was the last of the male monarchs. Since then, Queen Baal ruled the realm with the Oracle’s guidance. He is also the sole archdemon who is not mute.
Archdemons: are powerful demons that used to rule the Demon Realm at one point. They can never leave the Demon Gate unless they create a contract with another demon. Yet, since they are unable to speak, the contract cannot be initiated.
Soul Collectors: the best-looking bunch of thenoble demons who were given the task of collecting souls for the Golden City. They report directly to the queen and must obey all of her commands.
Once they venture into the Human Realm to collect souls, they tend to carry a sack made out of their shadow. They can make it appear and disappear at will and store as many souls as needed.
High Councillors: are ancient demons who’ve gained a monarch’s favour. They are ruthless and often care only about the amount of political power they have. To secure more alliances, they marry multiple partners using contracts. Love is rarely a drive for one of these demons.
In total, there are twelve High Councillors in the Demon Realm. Their job is to make sure the Golden City functions without problems and the distribution of souls is attended to.
Lesser demons (lessers): demons who are unable to feed for centuries due to a personal choice, a form of punishment, or exile.
The Oracle: to demons, she is older than they are and has been guiding them selflessly without demanding the throne. She managed to gain their trust and respect throughout the centuries while controlling the realm with subtle changes here and there. Her prophecies are able to start wars or bring times of peace. The fact that she is one of the False Gods is only known to the oldest of the demons that retained their memories when she began feeding early demons souls to see if they could become anything more than animals. Her experiment was a success, proving to the other False Gods that her Realm was not to be underestimated.
Author May Freighter 