Demons

Demons are a species of evil magical beings, most of which are born and reside within the the Underworld. Demons primarily exist to fight the forces of good, harm and kill innocents and spread evil throughout the world.

In the hierarchy of evil, nearly all demons serve the leader of the Underworld, the Source of All Evil. However, most demons know no true loyalty and will seek to claim power for themselves. Because of this, various sub-species of demons are often involved in internal struggles for power and territory.

Demons do not possess souls and therefore cannot truly experience and handle emotions. However, demons do feel negative emotions such as anger, fear and hate. While nearly all demons are inherently evil, a few have been able to overcome their nature and desire to be good. When demons are vanquished, their essences are sent to the Demonic Wasteland.

Levels[]

Lower Level[]

Lower-level demons do not rank high in the demonic hierarchy. They often possess limited and common powers. Most low-level demons are under command of upper-level demons or operate in groups or tribes. Some low-level demons possess unique powers and operate individually. It is possible for a low-level demon to rise in power by collecting powers or being granted a higher position by other demons.

Upper Level[]

Upper-level demons rank high in the demonic hierarchy. They possess more and stronger powers. Upper-level demons are often leaders in the Underworld and command lower-level demons. Most upper-level demons are loyal to the hierarchy, but some operate independently and only seek to fulfill their own needs and desires.

Becoming a Demon[]

There are several ways how mortals and other magical beings can become demons.

Infection[]

Several species of demons, such as Vampires and Furies, can infect other beings to turn them into demons. These infections are often sealed when the newly turned being kills an innocent. Furies can infect witches with unexpressed anger and the transformation is completed when the witches make their first kill. However, if the anger is expressed before that, the transformation will be undone. Vampires can infect other beings with a bite and the transformation will be complete upon the first taste of human blood. This transformation can be undone if the Queen is vanquished before this happens.

Garuda Demons can transform other beings into members of their own kind through their flames. They are the only demonic species known to have irreversible demonic conversion right from the start.

Conversion[]

There are two types of demonic conversion. A mortal can become a demon by entering a demonic training program. This program is designed to suppress their humanity. Mortals will earn chevrons with each step they take. The sixth and last chevron is earned upon killing an innocent, at which point the conversion is complete. However, the soul is not fully destroyed in this process, but merely suppressed.

Conversion is immediate if the soul is given up and then destroyed as happened to Talia. Even a process of cancellation of emotions if interrupted can transform into a demon.

The second form of conversion is limited to half-demons who seek to become fully demonic. A half-demon can become a pure demon by killing all their living mortal relatives. They will earn new powers with each kill and may undergo physical changes as well.

The Eternals[]

The Eternals are some primordial demons that have existed since the beginning of time and that will exist forever as purely immortal. Even if their bodies can be destroyed they can never cease to exist, as they are linked to concepts or places that will be there forever. The Eternals are necessary for the Grand Design, which could not exist without them.

Demonic Children[]

Demonic Children are the pure demonic offspring of upper-level demons. These demons look like mortal children, but are pure evil and possess powerful demonic powers. These children often roam the mortal world to create chaos and harm innocents as they grow older. However, they can be trapped by the Ice Cream Truck, which houses a pocket dimension where the Nothing can destroy them.

Demonic Humans[]

Demonic Humans, also known as Demonic Doubles, are a creation of the demon Nanta. She created her doubles by infusing a demonic egg with the blood of a mortal child, creating a copy that is essentially a demon in a mortal body. These demons possess no powers, except for immunity to the powers of witches, and will age as regular mortals.

Hybrids[]

Half-Demons[]

Some upper-level demons infiltrate the mortal world with the sole purpose of giving birth to a hybrid. This allows demons to take a foothold in the mortal world by placing these hybrids in positions of power. Other demons, such as Manticores, breed with mortals to allow their children to blend into the mortal world. Half-Demons possess a soul, meaning they can reject evil and choose to become good.

Demon-Witches[]

Julian1 — Julian Turner the first Demon-Witch.

Demons-Witches are a hybrid species born from the union of a witch and a demon. These hybrids possess the basic powers of a witch and can develop powers typical of both species. They possess a soul and can be good, but unlike other witch hybrids they are not eligible for Whitelighters or Familiars due to their demonic half and the potential evil it entails. There are currently two known demons-witches, Julian Turner and Ivy.

Examples[]

Eternals

Individuals and groups

Species

Hybrids

Notes and Trivia[]

Demons are the only known species capable of transmitting immortality to a hybrid conceived with a non-immortal being.
- Demons are also the only known species in which all members have different types of teleportation.
Demons-Witches are not entitled to a Whitelighter due to their potential evil.
It is not clear how the regeneration of the Eternals works: if in some cases it took a year or so to come back to life, in others it took decades. One possible explanation is that too many deaths in a row slow down the process.
Half-Demons although possessing a soul do not have past lives, because a pure mortal soul is required to reincarnate.
When demons and demon hybrids die, they combust spontaneously. However, Hellhounds are an exception to this rule.
It's possible that unlike full demons, half-demons don't end up in the Demonic Wasteland if they die, because otherwise it would be rather strange that only Cole Turner escaped because he possessed a soul. Presumably Cole's case was unique, because he died while he was possessed by the Source.
Strangely, demons seem to tend to hybridize only with mortals and not with other magical beings; Elizabeth Turner and The Source are the only demons who have chosen to breed with another type of magical being.
Presumably the particular nature of the Eternals makes them immune to the power absorbation and extraction, because absorbing the powers of the Source means becoming his host, while the Source itself had to trap Barbas in a cycle to contain him and Mephisto limited himself to hold the Source captive.
Mephisto revealed that without the Eternals the Grand Design cannot exist. The true meaning of this has not yet been revealed.