Demons
To speak of the demons of Vaira, one must first speak of the ‘dark’ Elves, and the opening of the Hellgate. Once, the area north of the Great Desert of Al-Nhamli was a series of frigid mountains, home to dragonkind, known as the Maw of Dragons. During the Great War of the Mages in Kriterra, both human and Elven refugees fled to the east, and one particular group of refugees landed in Al-Nhamli. These elves, bitter about the war in the west and blaming humans for their troubles, refused to settle in the desert alongside the humans and instead ventured north, building a modest home in a valley amongst the peaks.
Rather than eschew conflict like their cousins, however, the Elves of the north were set on a path of vengeance. After many years of study and practice, the elven refugees planned to summon an avatar of the goddess Vaira herself to purge the humans from the lands. The ritual, however, did not go as planned. Rather than summon Vaira, a rift was permanently torn between Vaira and another world entirely, Hyirzm, the realm of ‘Demons’, or the Dypal as they refer to themselves.
Their world was totally unlike Vaira, it was a land awash in mana of such high concentration that the demons, and all other life in Hyirzm, needed very little nutrition. The ambient mana in the environment was their primary form of sustenance. When the portal was torn open, Hyirzm’s mana blew through the portal like a hurricane, blasting the Dragonmaw mountains and everything in them, rapidly changing the environment in the process.
The elves responsible had their mana corrupted almost instantly, many dying agonizing deaths, with those who managed to survive ending up permanently changed; birthing a new caste of demons, the Succubi and Incubi. The land itself was drastically affected, with the overflow of mana into the earth setting off a series of volcanic eruptions that turned the frigid mountains into a hellscape of molten magma and ash.
At the same time, Hyirzm was not unaffected, with many demons pulled into Vaira suddenly experiencing hunger for the first time. The elves turned demon were likewise wracked with the same hunger and had already begun to consume the mana of what little life was left in the area. The Dypal would follow suit, learning how to sate their hunger, and of the euphoria doing so would bring. To demons these new sensations were addictive, and it was not long before the newly christened Faryugylr would use their local knowledge to point to a rich source of Vairan mana: Nham. Thus began the Hellgate War.
Demons can be broken down by their caste, which roughly determines their physiology and intellect. Demons typically have skin in shades of blue, red, or purple. Their eyes are typically bright colors and often glow faintly. The castes, and indeed the name ‘demons’ itself comes from old myths, the demons do not refer to themselves as such.
Ipe (Imps)
The Ipe are the lowest caste of demons, typically small winged creatures around 60cm (2′) in height. Imps are weak and unintelligent, driven primarily by simple urges and are easily trained by other demons, who treat them sort of like a mix between a pet and a child. They act as servants to other demons, taking care of simple tasks such as cleaning.
Fuylv (Fiends)
Fiends are the most common caste of demons. Originally they served as laborers and artisans, but since the opening of the hellgate are more often used as warriors. Fiends are powerfully built and typically stand around 2 meters tall (6’6″). Unlike Ipe, they lack wings, but do sport prehensile whiplike tails. Fiends have broad shoulders and long arms, giving them an apelike appearance and sport prominent horns on their heads.
Faryuqlyr (Succubi/Incubi)
The demonic name for the Succubi literally translates to ‘foreigner’, though the common tongue nickname seems to have caught on even amongst the Dypal themselves. This caste of demons is borne from the corrupted Elves of the north who ripped open the Hellgate in the first place. Succubi and Incubi are thus similar in build to elves, retaining their short stature and long pointed ears. Succubi skin tones are typically blue to purple and they sport demonic horns that grow longer as they age and consume more mana.
Succubi are known to absorb mana from sexual intercourse and it’s said they can drain a man to death with a single orgasm. While it is true that succubi can feed on another person’s mana via sex, the same is true for any demon. While it is likely true that men have died having sex with a succubus, it’s unlikely that it was from having their mana depleted after a single orgasm. Perhaps the blame can be laid at the feet of elderly men wishing their fantasies fulfilled by insatiable, nubile demonettes.
Klasulq (Warlocks)
This caste of demons is much more rarely seen than the others, serving primarily as advisors to the demon lords, archivists, architects, and other roles of high authority. They are less commonly born than other castes and are a great deal more intelligent than the lesser castes. These demons are noble of bearing and look a great deal similar to humans, though with prominent arched horns, refined appearances and prominent canine ‘tusks’ that jut out from their lips. These demons are quite skilled in the manipulation of mana and can use that ability to act as spellcasters on the field of battle, rivaling even renowned Elven mages in skill and competency.
Dypal Larv (Demon Lord)
A singular caste whose name translates literally to ‘Lord of our People’. This caste is made up of a single family line which inherits the rule of all other castes. Only one has ever been seen, the Demon Lord that was slain on the field of battle a century ago by the combined armies of Nham and Kriterra. The Demon Lord’s body was never retrieved, but reports state he was around the size of a human, though his skill in both magic and battle was leagues above the other demons, having taken dozens of skilled warriors down with him before the combined efforts of several mages as well as a platoon of plains Zev gladiators finally brought him down. A new Demon Lord has since been crowned, though it is unknown what his plans for the future are.