Blog: The Keter Archives — Demons
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A few blog posts ago, I shared an overview of my literary universe, The Keter Archives. This week, I’ll introduce you to my favorite piece of worldbuilding I’ve done for the universe: my demons. They are the most in-depth part of my universe, and I’m excited to share them.
A History of Demons
At the beginning of time, Celestine, The Creator, split the universe into two forces: good and evil. They shared good between their archangels and gave evil to the demons. Ipsimus was the Creator’s first demon and was made the King of Hell. As the overseer of the balance of good and evil, Ipsimus can create other demons.
Lilith came after Ipsimus—the first human to become a demon. She didn’t stay in Hell long, instead opting to wander Earth among humanity. After Lilith, many demons were created from human souls, by Ipsimus’s power, by the power of other high-ranking demons, and—sometimes—out of nothing at all.
Lucifer, previously an archangel, fell from heaven after waging a war against the other archangels and the Creator themself. Aiperos followed him, falling from heaven and into Hell, and was gifted—by Lucifer—the power of a Prince of Hell. Lucifer was later imprisoned in the depths of Hell for trying to crawl his way back to heaven.
Forms and Possession
Every demon (except shapeshifters) becomes smoke on the mortal plane unless they are possessing a vessel. Their demon forms exist in Hell but cannot enter the mortal plane. Shapeshifters can change their forms at will, and they all have at least one human guise.
Hell: A Home
All demons are denizens of Hell regardless of whether they choose to call it home. Celestine created the first Hell. It was an endless, flat plane on the other side of the spirit plane. Once Ipsimus came into being, he created Hell in its current form: one territory for each of the four bloodlines with his palace atop the lake of fire at the center.
Hell consists of an infinite number of minor-hells—one for every soul who’s ever crossed over. All demons can travel between Hells and into the palace at the center. Every demon and soul sees a different Hell depending on their personality and expectations. For instance: Lilith’s Hell is a mansion overlooking the ocean.
Demon Ranks
There are five ranks of demons. Each rank is based on the demon’s power in ascending order. If a demon of a lesser rank defeats a demon of a higher rank, they ascend to the next rank and gain power from the defeated demon.
The five ranks are: lesser demon, greater demon, sin greater, alpha greater, and prince. There are only four princes. Each prince (except Ipsimus) has chosen an alpha greater to assist them. There are two sin greater demons per bloodline—one for each sin a bloodline oversees. Then there are infinite numbers of greater and lesser demons. Lesser demons are the most common demon despite being the bottom rung of the power ladder.
The Princes and Bloodlines of Hell
The Princes of Hell are the highest ranking demons. There are four Princes, including the King of Hell. Each Prince oversees a bloodline composed of eight sins: wrath, anger, vanity, pride, sloth, sadness, gluttony, and lust. The four bloodlines are Aggression, Illusion, Despair, and Desire.
Ipsimus oversees the Aggression bloodline which is the domain of wrath and anger. There are two kinds of Aggression demons: nightmare demons and storm demons. Nightmare demons can control dreams and project thoughts into the minds of those around them. Storm demons control the elements—fire, water, earth, and air.
Aiperos, the second angel to fall from heaven (after Lucifer), is the Prince of the Illusion bloodline which is the domain of vanity and pride. There are two kinds of Illusion demons: fallen angels and shapeshifters. Fallen angels come from heaven and have lost their wings, becoming demons. Shapeshifters are the only demons who have human forms and don’t need to possess a vessel to walk the mortal plane. They may also shapeshift into other forms such as animals and nightmarish creatures.
Vesuvius, the first suicide, is the Prince of the Despair bloodline which is the domain of sloth and sadness. There are three kinds of Despair demons: fire demons, ice demons, and collector demons. Fire and ice demons control their respective elements. Collector demons make deals with humans to collect their souls in order to distribute them among other demons. Souls are the primary currency of Hell. Other demons can make deals, but collectors make it their specialty.
Shyhlnom, birthed from Eve eating the apple, is the Prince of the Desire bloodline which is the domain of gluttony and lust. There are two types of Desire demons: incubi and succubi. Incubi have an aura which makes those around them do their bidding. Succubi grant wishes—for a price.
Conclusion
I’ll cover summoning in a future post about the magic of The Keter Archives, but it’s also an important facet of demons. Otherwise, that’s my demons! They appear across many of my stories and projects, including Serenity, Her Demons, and Sandalwood. They’re my favorite part of my universe, and I love playing with them.