Angels , Demons, Ascended Demons, Fallen Angels, Half Demons
The idea of Angels is one that's been in most culture's history and lore nearly universally. Whether they're called spirits or any other name, they are generally thought of as forces of good. Now there's also the flip side of angels also dealing out things like vengeance and wrath.
First and foremost the thing to understand about the angelic species is they are not here working for The Man. They're not even here working for The Wo-man. They're not here working for anyone but the balance of the universe and abstract concepts don't dole out orders. They're the opposite of demons. Demons aren't here because the devil sent them, they're merely a race of creatures with a bent towards evil and spreading it, and angels are their polar opposites. They're creatures with a penchant towards good and they're bent on stopping evil (or spreading good).
Angels do exist here, and while they're not the messengers of the gods, that doesn't mean they aren't a force of their own to be reckoned with. They also don't quite fit into the fluffy image people have of many angels, though some do.
Generally speaking, most angelic types do not stay in one place for very long. Most of them are travellers by nature, going where they are needed as opposed to setting down in one place.
-All angels have wings. They may not all be huge white feathery contraptions, but they all have some form of wings(to be chosen at character creation). They are generally unseen by everyone around them, only those with special sight can view them unaided. These wings can be 'stored' when they're not in use. The result of that is either tattoo looking markings resembling their wings on their body, scars, etc. A mark of some kind will appear when the wings are being 'stored'. (Note: the wings of angels can only be seen by those with the special ability to view them. They cannot be seen by fae or dreamwalkers, unless they also have the ability to see through angelic seemings)
-Angels have the affinity of the light, meaning they can bless objects, areas, people, etc.
-Angels alternately are extremely susceptible to dark affinity. They cannot walk on cursed ground, any direct exposure to it will have a burning effect and poison as well.
-You cannot become an angel. Angels are born, just like everyone else and no matter how much people want to die and become an angel, it isn't going to happen.
-Angel's specific types do not run in families.They are specific to every angel. For instance, two Guardian angels have a child. Their child is no more likely to become a Guardian angel as it is an Angel of Wrath.
-There are no half-angels. Angelic lines breed true through the female line. A female angel can breed with a human and their offspring will be an angel. Males who breed with human females have human children. Two angels breeding have angelic children.
-Angels are not immortal. They can be killed, just like everything else. They don't generally die of old age, but it is not at all true immortality. They're harder to kill than your average human certainly, but it is more than possible to kill one.
-Angel's blood is actually blessed. So vampires would be ill advised to attempt to drink from them.
-Angels hate demons - they are natural enemies
There are several different types of angels. They all fulfill a sort of calling of their own, which fits them into the categories.
Guardian Angels
Guardian angels are very similar to how they are generally viewed by popular lore. They protect people. Specifically, they protect one person or one family, depending on the angel. They often take roles that are close to the family or person. Friends, neighbors, nannys, maids, servants of any kind, coworkers, teachers, etc.
Abilities
-Guardian angels have the ability to tell when a person(s) they have specifically assigned themselves to are in danger and can always find them when they're in need.
-They have the ability to sense hardship or danger shortly before it happens to their specific family/person.
Drawbacks
-Should the person(s) the angel is trying to protect die, the angel will suffer extreme illness most often resulting in death.
-Because they are so tied to a person or family, the angel has to remain with them. This means they are highly one-track when it comes to their subject and has difficultly leading their own lives. They are restless and unhappy when they do not have a person or family to protect.
Angels of Renewal
Angels of renewal are drawn to areas or people that need to be purified and reborn. A great lot of environmental activists are angels of renewal. They're out there to try to save areas and ecosystems from oblivion, or from unchecked taint.
Abilities
-purification of any tainted subject, area, etc. ie they can cure poisons, etc.
-they can uncurse land or objects,etc. It's a trying process, using up a lot of the angel's strength and energy.
Drawbacks
-While they can purify cursed land or objects, it kicks their ass. They can't do it very quickly, and it takes a lot out of them. So generally speaking, if they're undertaking uncursing something, they have backup of some description since the process alone will have them laid up for a while.
-They are very set in their ways - angels of renewal have trouble seeing new things as 'better', even though they may be. It takes a lot to convince them that something new fangled and untried is good.
Angels of Grace
Angels of grace's main purpose is to try to harmonize the world around them. They're the angels that bear good tidings, and generally spread love peace and happiness everywhere you go. These are the people in the world who work charity causes. They're the people who give up their seat on the bus.
Abilities
-while all angels have the ability to bless things, angels of grace can bless things much more strongly. they can also bless certain things permanently as opposed to the temporary effect other angelic blessings have.
Drawbacks
-these angels are particularly effected by dark taint. They have twice the normal effect of any dark attack against them, and if poisoned by it they're much more likely to succumb and die as a result.
-They just cannot see when something is a lost cause - they will just bang on at something until someone drags them away from it and even then they want to run back and try resus. The world just died in an atomic explosion? Let's go look for survivors! That guy just got dismembered by lions? It's not too late!!
Angels of Wrath
Angels of Wrath are the ones who take out entire populations. They are responsible for a lot of natural disasters. Personality wise, they are the purists of angels. They're strict traditionalists, and will not pull a punch. They're the ones who do not see any shades of grey.
Abilities
-They use their abilities by using what's around them. They're highly interconnected with nature, since that's the tools of their trade. They know where fault lines are, they know how to trigger everything from seismic events to hurricanes.
Drawbacks
-Angels of wrath are difficult to wind up. Mostly because they're not there to give a damn about your petty little bullshit. They've got the larger picture to care about here, people. However, that doesn't mean they have the patience of saints. Everyone cracks. And if one of these guys does? Flee. Try to reach minimum safe distance for a nuclear warhead as soon as possible, or you'll be the consistency of movie butter by the time they're through with you. What this means is in a rage, these angels are likely to take out the people around them along with everyone else.
-They are not too concerned with specifics. If you're not the bad guy? If you just happen to be in the same area as the bad guy? Oh well. Tough luck. 'Innocent bystander' is not a phrase these angels think too much on".
Avenging Angels
Like the title suggests, these angels are out to avenge those wronged. They generally have a specific group of people they cater to. They aren't just out there running around at random looking for people to drum up vengeance for. No, they have their own special groups. Such as children, mothers, homeless, crack addicts...you name it, there's an angel out there for them.(to be chosen at character creation)
Abilities
-Forgiving and forgetting is not a part of these guys' perspective. Even if you've forgiven someone for their trespasses...they know what they did...and that's got to be paid for. Granted, these angels are going for the major wrongs. Accidentally giving someone the sugar instead of the salt doesn't hit their radar. They only get envoked when the reaction against their group is incredibly strong. If someone's truly been hurt and wronged. Their innocence plays a part as well. You can't be wronged if you were a guilty party as well, after all. Their particular brand of justice may not occur immediately. It may take years for things to backlash on the target, but rest assured it will happen.
Drawbacks
-Because they're so specialized, sticking solely to their own group of chosen people to champion, it means that they can't help if they see other wrongs going on around them that have nothing to do with their group. That's someone else's job, or it should be. It means that their hands wind up tied quite a bit. So even if they witness people mugging some sweet old lady...they would be helpless to avenge her if their chosen group happens to be underprivileged children.
-There is no going back. It may be hard to get these guys pissed, but once you do it? There's no redemption here, no forgiveness. You cannot get off the hit list and you are going DOWN.
Angels of Karma
Angels of karma are those who dole out the punishment when you've gone too far. They're the payback bitchslap at the end of the day when you've wracked up enough karmic debt. Those seemingly random events? Not so random.
Abilities
-Karmic angels can see auras around people. Judging by the color of it the worse the specific individual has karmic backlash coming to them.
-They also have the ability to control some entropic forces to aid them in their task. However it only works in regards to specific targets. for example, they can't just randomly have some poor passerby's bike chain break for no reason. But if he was a pulsing red beacon of bad karma, that could most definitely happen, and just maybe, his front tire will go careening off without him as well.
Drawbacks
-The vast majority of karmic angels get very jaded very fast. They have the highest rate of burnout and fallen because they're there seeing humanity at it's worst. And they're not only taking out specific terrible people like Wrath or Avengers. They see all the varying shades of badness people accumulate. They're most well aware that the world sucks of all the angels.
-Of all the angels, these guys fall the most. They see the worst, they see the badness, they can't get away from it. A lot of fallen angels were at one time angels of karma.
Guiding Angels
Guiding angels are those who seek to give the directionless direction. They're teachers, psychiatrists, physicians, personal trainers, police officers, counselors, etc. They're the people who touch your lives because they're the people who're around you.
Abilities
-they are able to enact a mild empathic and telepathic link with their intended target. It's not true telepathy, but it does give them a good idea specifically of what areas they need guidance in. They are only privy to that information, nothing else.
Drawbacks
-they're guiding angels. It's what they do. Which means that they have real trouble stopping doing that. Which means they tend to annoy the people around them, considering not everyone is some lost little lamb that needs rescuing.
-they are often too focused on individuals, which mean they have a problem seeing the bigger picture - world events? Ha! Forget it - even town events can pass these guys by.
Valkyries
History
Back when the world was filled with spears and swords and the clash of armor, the world teemed with beings who had been created to usher the souls of the dead into the afterlife. They existed since time immemorial, a bastardized cousin to the angels who'd also been around since forever. In one specific war-like culture -- the Norse -- they became known as Valkyries, and that's the name that's stuck down through the ages. It's not a perfect fit, as they don't answer to any gods. Nor do they thunder down on winged horses in shining armor to escort the dead warriors to Valhalla. At least, not on a regular basis. It depends on who's dying, really. They're mysterious creatures, even to themselves. Much of their actual history has been lost, as the numbers of elders has dwindled in the past couple hundred years, and it's fairly rare that two valkyries will cross each other's path and share stories. They have enough darkness in their lives as it is.
There have been times in history when certain groups believe that valkyries held the secrets of eternal life or could divulge information that could be used to their advantage (i.e. when kings were going to die, etc). Many valkies perished as a result of these pursuits, when they couldn't give up the goods. Though it's their lot in life to be there to make the transition between life and afterlife easier, they aren't any more In The Know than anyone else. They don't know what goes on After.
In any case, they exist all over the world even today, though their geographical location has not a thing to do with where they're called to. As such, since a lot of their time is spent on battlefields and in war zones, most of them choose to live in quiet, peaceful places. The majority of the world at large doesn't believe in or know about them, and they're perfectly fine with being left in myth. They've got jobs to do, and they'd rather do them quietly.
General Characteristics
- Every valkyrie has a set of wings. They do not have to be feathered, any type of wing is possible. Whatever type they are, they afford the valkie with pretty speedy flight. A natural sort of glamour keeps these hidden from everyone except other valkyries, angels, those with the ability to see through angelic seemings, and people who are in the process of immediately dying. Like angels, their backs are marked somehow where their wings should be.
- All valkyries are female. There's a woman there when you're born, and another there when you die. They are born valkies, not made. The genes are maternally passed down; if a valkie has a daughter, she's a valkie too. If she has a son, he's a normal human. There are no half-breeds.
- While some don't consider this really an advantage, valkyries live for a long time. Not many of them know, but their lifespans have even been extended in the past few hundreds of years, due to their declining numbers. They aren't immortal by any means, but they can naturally live to be about 500 years old. There are very few who are that old anymore, but it's possible. They can be injured and killed only through violent means; they simply don't get sick.
- They age in appearance to about their mid-to-late twenties and more or less stay that way until they die. This of course doesn't make all of them beautiful; they are normal-looking by all accounts (not counting the wings), and as varied in race as humanity itself.
Special Abilities:
- A valkyrie can see if someone is going to die violently within the next week or so. The person in question's head is surrounded by a sort of shadowy halo that gets bigger and darker the closer they are to death. This does not apply to people who are dying of natural causes, as that's not the valkyrie's area. The cause of death is unknown to the valkie; it can be caused by anything from suicide to a freak grand piano accident, and they have no way to tell. They just know that Mr. Jones is gonna die in a very unpleasant manner in three days.
- None of them are quite sure why anymore, but valkyries have a couple of psychic-like abilities to those people who are crossing the line between the living and the dead. They have an empathic projection: they can shoot soothing waves at dying people. The people who look off into the middle distance as they're dying and get a peaceful look on their face? Probably seeing a kind valkie. This can go in the opposite direction as well; a valkie of a more evil bent can project more horrible, damning feelings. Also, only to the person dying, the valkie can change her appearance. This is not a conscious decision. She will take on the form most comforting/terrifying to the person, depending on what she's trying to accomplish. Be that the face of their mother, an angel-angel, a demonic visage, etc. The possibilities are as varied as humanity itself. This is a shared trick from the dying person's mind, as the valkie has no idea what she looks like to them, only good or bad. It's not entirely under her control. These abilities are absolutely limited only to those who are immediately dying of unnatural causes. They can't go make rounds terrorizing nursing homes or cancer wards, or shapeshift into the Big Good/Big Bad at will.
Advantages:
- Flight Speed. Flight for valkyries isn't like flight for anything else. If they have to be in Katmandu before their charge completely expires? Normal physical flight wouldn't get them there in time. Their wings can propel them at insane speeds, getting them to wherever they're going in a matter of minutes.
- Sense of Direction. It simply never fails. A valkyrie is magically incapable of ever being lost. She can find her way to her target and back without fail.
- Conditional Invisibility. When a valkie is "on the job", no one but the dying can see her. That's how the world isn't filled to the brim with stories about weird random women who show up whenever someone's dying. It's why murderers who stick around don't see them and why they're never called to trial to be a witness. They're there for the soul that's about to move on only.
Drawbacks:
- Tied Hands. A valkyrie knows when someone is going to die soon and terribly. Be it a stranger on the street or their best friend. They can see it, but under no circumstances can they interfere. No warnings, no throwing themselves in front of the car instead, no written notes, no playing charades, no telling anyone else. As much as they might want to, there is nothing they can do. They're not here to keep people from dying. Whether the knowledge depresses or delights them, they're helpless to change the course of events. There are no exceptions to this rule.
- No Vacations. Death is a part of life for everyone, but it's especially a part of life for a valkyrie. Every unnatural death draws one in, and as their numbers are very few these days, they're all seeing a lot of work. There is no limit to their sensitivity. When the call comes, they may travel hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye. The selection of who goes -- as there's ever only one present -- seems to be completely random. Knowing the dying person does not guarantee that a particular valkie will be the one present at their death. There's no denying the call, and it can come at any time, no matter what they're doing. If they're in the middle of something, they have no more than five minutes to get out of sight and hit the skies. Whatever they're doing, they have to leave it behind. Death doesn't wait.
- Death Sensitivity. If something horrible has happened in an area? A valkyrie can't help but know it. She can feel the energy, though unlike death elementals, it doesn't restore her. Instead, she feels echoes of the pain that occurred there. Some (but not all, depending on the individual) get residual confused visions of what happened.
- High Burnout Rate. Valkyries see terrible things almost daily. They're as close to angels of death as you can get, and they're not immune at all to the psychological effects of having to lay hands on a severed head's last few seconds of awareness or watching a mother drown her baby in a bathtub. Living with all that, compounded with their inability to help, is a tightrope-balancing act between contempt for all things human and soul-wrenching compassion for the victims. Many of them fall off on one side or the other. Valkies have a pretty high suicide rate, not many of them last very long.
Demons
Where there are angels, there are demons. Demons are in the world to spread badness, each in their own specific way. Whilst they do not take orders from any 'Devil'-like figure they do have an over-arcing reason for being down on earth: to disturb the balance and tip things in the favour of evil, mayhem and madness. Demons are not there to be 'good' or 'nice' - they are not built that way and any demon who does turn out as such runs the risk of ascending (much like a fallen angel, but from the opposite side).
General Information
- Demons are evil.
- Demons are not immortal. Demons do have a longer lifespan than humans, but they can be killed and they are mortal
- You cannot become a demon. Demons are born, not made.
- The different types of demons cannot interbreed. A Rakshasa and a Succubus, for example, cannot have a child of any description.
- Any of the demon types can breed with a human and the child will be a half-demon with some traits and abilities of their demonic parent mix and diluted by their human blood.
- Demons have the affinity of the dark, meaning they can curse objects, areas, people, etc.
- Demons conversely are extremely susceptible to light affinity. They cannot walk on blessed ground, any direct exposure to it will have a burning effect and is poisonous as well.
- Every demon must have a 'tell' - something that, no matter what they do, who they possess, what form they take etc remains the same and could betray them as being a demon. The 'tell' is individual to every demon and must be chosen at the time of application. A list of suggested tells is available here, but if you wish to come up with your own, feel free. However, the tell must be something clearly weird.
- Demon blood is actually cursed. Therefore if you're allergic to curses, no touchy.
- Demons hate angels, they are natural enemies
Suggested Tells
This is not an exclusive list, if you wish your character's tell to be something else, that is fine.
-extra nipples down the torso
-red eyes(or oddly colored eyes)
-cat/snake eyes
-horns
-clawed toenails
-pinky as long as the ring finger on both hands
-extra finger
-forked tongue
-tail
-fangs
-sulfur scented
Incubus/ Succubus
The incubus is a male demon who visits mortal women in their sleep for the purpose of having sex with them. In the process, they drain energy from their victim, which is something they need for continued survival. The succubus is its counterpart, a female demon who visits mortal men in their sleep.
Abilities
-They can put someone into a trance-like state, making the world seem like a dream to minimise resistance to sexual intercourse.
Drawbacks
-It is ironic, perhaps, that an incubus/succubus cannot have sexual intercourse for the sake of mere intimacy. They have to use their given power to lull their partner into intercourse. For the incubus, any suggestion that their partner is willing will mean that they are impotent, whilst the succubus will simply gain no sexual pleasure from any intercourse will a willing partner.
-Incubus/ succubus' are the only type of demon which cannot interbreed with humans. No matter what, no amount of sex with a human partner will ever produce offspring.
-Incubus/ succubus' cannot change someone's sexual orientation. If someone isn't wired that way? It ain't working.
Rakshasa
Rakshasa live to bring death and destruction. They live off a diet of meat and have a particular liking for human flesh. They are drawn towards places of religion and tend to target priests, clerics and other representatives of religious groups. They are constantly testing the theory that they cannot walk upon sacred ground without injury - just to see whether there's a loophole to that particular law. So far, they haven't found one, but it's not uncommon so see a Rakshasa with severe injuries because of some failed attempt or other. In their natural form, Rakshasa have inky black skin and long black hair which falls in waves down the back. Their eyes are either red or yellow and they are generally shorter than people – never exceeding 5 ft in height.
Abilities
-The fingernails of the Rakshasa are long and pointed and they are also poisonous. A scratch from a Rakshasa, whilst not deadly, will make an adult human weak and will paralyse a child, rendering them unable to move for one hour. If a Rakshasa actually manages to get their claws into an adult human, they can paralyze them, but only for a short period (5 minutes at the most).
-The Rakshasa have minor glamour ability and are able to pass themselves off in human form, though theirs is the most inexpert of the demonic shapeshifting abilities. As well as the individual demon tell, Rakshasas can never lose their long, pointed, claw-like fingernails (though some Rakshasa tend to paint them with nail polish to try and disguise them). They also are unable to maintain their glamour for very long and must return to their true form at least twice a day - during sunset and sunrise.
Drawbacks
-Unfortunately, Rakshasas really do lack intelligence (hence the fact that they haven't got the idea that they cannot walk on sacred ground after several millennia of trial and error).
-Rakshasa unfortunately also must avoid reflective surfaces. Not because they lack a reflection, but because their reflections do not show the disguised seeming, they show their true form.
Shedim
Some say that Shedim have no natural form, that they are spirit demons, but this is not actually the truth. Shedim do have a 'normal' form, though it is almost as insubstantial as mist. Shedim live and work by possessing their victims. What they do with their host then varies from Shedim to Shedim. Some choose to use the host's body to live a 'normal' life (though the term 'normal' is a relative one), others take pleasure in destroying the host and their families before moving on to their next victim.
Advantages
-When within a host, a Shedim is nigh-on impossible to kill. If attacked when in a host, the host takes the injuries. If the host is killed, the Shedim escapes unharmed - the Shedim can only be hurt or killed when they are without a host.
-When without a host, a Shedim is twice as fast as normal, due to its largely insubstantial nature.
Drawbacks
-When not inhabiting a host, Shedim are incredibly weak. If they are expelled from a host, or the host dies, the Shedim must find another host within a week or they will perish. During this time, the Shedim will become increasingly weak themselves.
-The Shedim are more susceptible to religion than most demons. They cannot face being touched by any sacred relic at all, whether in their natural form, or within a host. Equally, the touch of holy water, or of a religious representative burns them. This is true for all religions. The Shedim are susceptible to belief. They can be exorcised from the host by a representative of any religion who knows their religion's exorcism rites.
Please note: due to the nature of Shedim and the fact that they move from host to host, we will not approve popular or high profile PBs for this character-type.
Scrios
These demons come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are found all over the world. At one point they were the most common type of demon and they have adapted their form to suit their environment, evolving to suit the particular needs of the area. A Scrios' form will actually change depending on their focus and their success in their role. The Scrios' purpose is simply to cause havoc and strife and there are many ways of doing this. Some choose to work small scale - it is not uncommon to find a Scrios in a small town where they are most likely masquerading as the town gossip. Scrios such as these tend to be smaller than most and neater and more withdrawn, their natural form reflecting the seeming they take on (though no Scrios would ever pass in any way for human without their seeming). Others head for war zones - the warring factions in some parts of Africa have long been prey to Scrios, together with concentration camps, refugee camps, unstable governments and - somewhat strangely - TV talk shows.
Advantages
- The Scrios is a master at adaptation. A Scrios can and often will change its natural form over its lifespan, though this is a fairly slow process to complete. The Scrios can however and for example, change its skin colour over a number of days to alter its appearance. Total skeletal reformation requires a couple of weeks, however within a month a Scrios can change its appearance completely.
-The Scrios has an extremely tough skin which is as thick as leather. This will stop most 'traditional' weaponry (knives, arrows etc) making the Scrios very difficult to injure. The skin will not stop bullets, but it will reduce the damage caused somewhat.
Drawbacks
-Scrios are solitary creatures, they cannot stand other demons, including other Scrios. They will go out of their way to cause havoc amongst demonkind even over and above doing the same to humans. They look down on the entire world with a disdainful air, seeing themselves as superior to all. Whilst this aids them in their role to create trouble - since they rarely have bonds with any other living creature - it makes the life of a Scrios a lonely one and means that if they are ever faced with odds they cannot combat, they do so alone.
-When changing their appearance, Scrios always shed body parts, be it hair, teeth, fingernails (choice of player), but there is always something. If another collects some of this shedding, they can use it to track the Scrios for the rest of their life cycle, no matter what they do to alter their appearance.
The Seiirim are shapeshifters and have the ability to assume the form of any living animal (including humans). Their natural form is slim, gray and typically non-descript. Seiirim, though, spend little time in their natural form, reverting to it only when injured or sleeping. Seiirim are deceivers and manipulators, their purpose is to spread mistrust and misinformation. They are the demons who speak in your ear, they are the ones who encourage people to do things they normally would not. They work by convincing others to do evil acts.
Advantages
-A Seiirim can take on the form of any animal or human, though this does have limitations – for example, they could become a 40 year old woman, but they couldn’t become someone’s mother, or sister, or friend. They cannot take on the form of a specific person, any more than they can become a specific tiger, or rabbit, or hamster.
Drawbacks
-Seiirim spend so much time being something else that they often lack a coherent personality of their own. They are consummate actors, always planning their next role and, as such, they find it hard to maintain social relationships long term.
-Seiirim have a long lifespan, as do most demons, however they are so focused on their task in hand, on their latest 'mission' that after a number of years they simply forget what has gone before. Their past is, for older seiirim, a mystery to them. Their long term memory is, in effect, shot to shit.
Shabiri
Shabriri are the harbingers of disease. They've been known to spread epidemics through countries, and trigger violent seizures in those in their near proximity. In more recent centuries, they have started branching into the human scientific and chemical engineering fields, as well as medical sciences. They enjoy the irony of having a credo saying they are trying to aid in the research against diseases when they're simply refining their own abilities. Being researchers and doctors also affords them to sit back and truly watch the destruction from a front row seat.
Advantages
-Shabriri have control over rats. One of the biggest disease carriers throughout history, they can command them en masse to spread whatever bug they want to into new areas incredibly easily.
-Shabriri are highly intelligent and have a natural grasp of the sciences.
Drawbacks
-Shabiri are incredibly unemotional. They simply are incapable of feeling the pain of others. They lack empathy of any description.
-They have a god complex - every shabiri actually believes that they are the shit and that nobody could possibly out-smart them. They are the guy that when faced down by the hero will monologue for hours about why they are going to win, rather than simply killing said hero and getting away with it all. They cannot possibly not gloat, even when they should know better.
Oni
Oni are the largest of the demons and in their natural form are giants. They always have horns and their skin tone is always an unnatural colour (most commonly, but not always, red). Oni are the ogres of legend - they are the ones found in the wilds, in the woods, in the remote places (and no, they don't enjoy the joke about them living under bridges. Try that one and you're likely to get your head torn off for the privilege). Oni have adapted least well to modern life and although some Oni can be found in cities, a large number of them still live in remote woodland areas in family groups, preying on campers, walkers and hunters. Many of these Oni don't bother taking on human seemings as they have no need to and instead live in their demon forms dressed only in animal skins and carrying a club (the Oni traditional weapon). Oni take pleasure in causing accidents - the hunter who thinks he's shooting a bear and actually shoots his friend, the walker who thinks there's a path ahead and walks straight off a cliff. Oni are always on the lookout for the opportunity, that one moment where they can twist things for the worst. They are not planners, but they are great opportunists.
The Oni that do choose to live in towns do so for their own reasons. They do, however, still retain a connection to the community which they came from. The familial bond in Oni is very strong.
Advantages
-Oni have the ability to deceive. They can make people see what is not there. Whether this is used defensively as a form of invisibility (ie, they see the area where the Oni is standing, but not the Oni) or offensively (for example, making them see a deer instead of their friend when taking aim, or a path instead of a cliff) this does have limitations. Oni can only fool one person at a time, so deception only works where there is one person. Deception will not work on groups of people, or in populated areas (no, not even in the unlikely event that everyone else is looking in the opposite direction). And deception only works for a few moments - it has to be used at just the right time, to tip the balance, to allow the Oni to move away, to hide, or just as the victim is aiming, or choosing a direction.
-Oni are unnaturally strong and are good fighters in their own right. They are always giants (generally around 8-9ft tall) and are heavily muscled.
Drawbacks
-Oni are hugely strong traditionalists and they don't quite keep up with the times. They have a big problem fitting in with modern life and even the Oni who choose to move to towns and cities have trouble with basic things such as electricity, never mind gadgets, cars, credit cards etc.
-Of demonkind, they are the most family orientated and they will die for their family. Their familial bonds are their strongest weakness. It is hard for an Oni to move away from their family and if their family is threatened, they will drop everything to help.
Fiends are bitter demons. They abhor their lack of magical ability, and resent anyone who does have it. If given a chance to take out a magic-user, they are highly inclined to do so. They are all flesh eaters. Human flesh is best, and they will only eat animal flesh if they have to. Human flesh is very clearly more nourishing than that of any animal, more satisfying. (Note: the flesh does not have to be fresh.) They also have a tendency to hunt out any beings they see as being aligned with light, and if they can't hunt down magic users or angels, they'll hunt down things that belong to them. Familiars, charges, family, friends. If caught with no hunting to do, they'll go out of their way to cause tragedy around them. As a species they're generally loners, unless they're around their own kind.
A fiend has two forms and must physically change from one to the other:
- Its first form, or true form, varies wildly from one fiend to another. It will be the most comfortable in this form, and will revert back to it at any good opportunity. A fiend must transform into its true form for at least 3 hours in every twenty-four. This transformation can be put off for up to 72 hours, but if this happens, the fiend must then transform for six consecutive hours.
- Its second form is human. A fiend can pick only one human form and can never morph into any other. This form will also age at the same rate as their real form. They can't just create this human form from nothing, either. Once a fiend reaches the early stages of adolescence, they will start being drawn to young humans that match their current stage of life. The fiend must then choose one and perform a ritual in which every bit of the victim's flesh and bone is devoured. It may then take anywhere from days to a month before they can fully transform into that person. Until this ritual is performed, a fiend will only have its true form, and it may not be performed multiple times. As they are so unnatural looking, fiends will generally remain hidden away by their parents in deep places such as caves until they are drawn out to look for a potential body. This is not a glamour.
They are long-lived, but not as long-lived as most other demons - possibly because they can be so easily found out. They feed on the flesh of, well, anything. (Some choose to live only on human flesh, despite the hazards involved.) Anything that isn't a meat of some sort isn't at all palatable to them.
Advantages
- When in their natural (ie not human) form, fiends are highly resistant to most types of physical damage as well as to fire. Any item or weapon intended to be used on one should be blessed or spiritually enhanced.
- They are very agile. While flight among fiends (no matter what their form) is extremely rare, many will take to jumping a good several yards while hunting/escaping.
Drawbacks
- They are prone to some of the most obvious tells and their transformation to their human form from their original might not always be perfect - especially if they are distressed at the time.
- Injuries received in one form will transfer to the other form. There is no healing offered through the transformation, and the process while injured would be very painful.
- Fiends cannot control magic or spirit energy of any sort. No one will ever receive a curse from a fiend.
Babaels are demons who are not necessarily demons like the rest of their kind. Like the Valkyries, they're more like strange cousins to the demonic line, and as such they also lack the ability to curse objects. They are tied in with Valkyries far more than any other two sets of demons and angels. The lines are tied, a balance to the other on a level that's deeper than simple good and evil. For every Valkyrie there is a Babael. For every one that dies, their opposite dies as well. For every one born...so on and so forth.
What they are, what they do is they cut people down before their time. Through violent or 'accidental' means, they orchestrate death. This doesn't always have to be often. In fact, some Babaels may only take down a handful of people in their lives, outstripped by some serial killers. They focus in on their target, and orchestrate what they consider to be the perfect death for their intended. And nothing will stray them from their cause.
General Characteristics
-They are all male.
-Oddly enough, a lot of Babaels have an appreciation for beauty and artistry. While most demons don't necessarily find anything to truly appreciate in the world, they do. Perhaps it's a side effect of being able to see all those tiny details, but it's a little quirk of their kind.
-All Babaels have a tail. The tail can be of any description from prehensile and barbed at the end to small and curly like a pig's. Like angelic wings, most people ignore this. A seeming covers it up, unless direct attention is paid it. (Like if you're putting books away in a book store like Nightcrawler, people are going to see Crazy Tail Man.)
- Like their counterparts, Babaels live for a long time. Their lifespans have even been extended in the past few hundreds of years, due to their declining numbers. They aren't immortal by any means, but they can naturally live to be about 500 years old. There are very few who are that old anymore, but it's possible. They can be injured and killed through accidental or violent means; they don't fall ill.
-Their age appearance eventually stops, though unlike their counterparts, it can be anywhere from teen-years to late life before it ceases.
-Like Valkyries, they aren't nearly as involved with the actual battle of good and evil as others of their kind. They are highly specific, and most of the time, the war gives them a miss.
Abilities
-Babaels can see the connections. The lines of probability lay out before them as easily readable as the morning paper. They can see if they leave a chair slightly out of place in the lobby of a hotel, that someone will trip on it, crash into a bell hop, which will tip over a baggage cart onto a sweet little old lady who'll fall and crack her head open on the marble floor. Everything they do has to do with probability, so they can manipulate events in their favor.
-Sense of their target. They have a sort of built in radar that allows them to know where their target is at all times, followable anywhere. They may not know exact street addresses (though give a Babael a few days in down and they will) but they will be able to find their target no matter where they go.
-Conditional Eidetic Memory. Babaels remember. All those details that are being filtered into their heads all the time they don't forget about. This only pertains to details that have to do with their target, however, so other memories will fade like normal.
Drawbacks
-Once locked into a target, they cannot let it go. They can't stop death either, never able to pull anything back once things are set in motion.
-They can never take part in the death of their target directly. Even if it takes decades to take their target out, they can never just walk up and shoot them in the head, or anything of the like. They have to do it through manipulating events around their target.
-All Babaels have a rather extreme form of obsessive compulsive disorder, but it's all directly to do with their targets. This means that some of them do wind up completely burning out with dogged obsession on their intended to the exclusion of all else. More than one Babael has died because of the tunnel vision this can cause, along with the extreme attention to detail around them--they often miss the bigger picture.
Violent, blood thirsty, sadistic, and rather egomaniacal, the Gekai race has always had a bad reputation to them. Known to have quite a taste for not only human blood, they’ve been called the cattle drivers of the human race, enjoying the taste of not only blood, but flesh, muscles, organs, and some even say their favorite part is the hard to eat bone marrow. In desperate times, they’ve also eaten other meats, but they would rather partake in a fresh human than a cow any day.
Personality wise, the Gekai do have horrible egos. They think them the greatest and oldest of all demonic species, and think others are subpar to their own. However, unlike most demons, they do not go bragging around town that they are the crème de la crème. After centuries of doing just that, the younger generations have finally figured out it’s better to keep such thoughts inside. Reason being is that Gekai are also known for being horrible manipulators. They love to play and toy with their minions, their food, and basically anyone they come in contact (including own family members.) A cunning tongue, intelligent outlook, and a charming personality is their most outward appearance. They do this in the want to have people trust them, to make allies of people they want to use, and trick their enemies to put them at their weakest. If they have any type of sex appeal, they will use it, and will even use it against the same sex if it will get them what they want. They will act, lie, be whatever they need to be and appear as if they are working for someone and is completely on their side. But Gekai are always working on a selfish agenda, and will not stop until they get what they want.
With their main element of power being the element of death, they are mostly made of insomniacs who prefer night-time hours to day, which also causes them to have rather pale tones. Gekai are also known to have a second element to them, which depend on which of the origin demon they are descendent of - these family lines differ from each other in various ways, including their demon form.
Gekai transform from their demon form to their human state (much as werewolves and fiends do). One thing that is the same about the demon form no matter what the family is that in this form Gekai are up to two inches larger than in their human form. The actual amount of the difference depends on how much the individual Gekai work at making themselves physically stronger. Those who work very hard at this will be two inches longer, so long as they maintain this work. Ceasing this work will decrease the difference between the forms.
The families
- Family Chinuru: Their element is that of fire, unable to be burned and able to manipulate it at their will. Older members of the family sometimes have the ability to use their own energy to spark it from their body, but the young and untrained need some sort of previous flame to make it grow. Their demonic forms usually have dark, almost onyx skin, long hands, large feet with a dew claw on the back. This was once the largest, violent, and most powerful of the families. They were known to be the highest class and controllers of the other Gekai, which resulted in their own downfall.
- Family Viedma: Their element is water, preferring cooler places, rain and snow, and are known for having a lower than normal body temperature. They are able to manipulate water into different structures, and some of the elders have been known to cause it to freeze and use it as a more solid weapon against their enemies (though they do not have the ability to, for example, freeze the water in another's body). Sometimes, Viedma members in desperate times will actually cut their body in order to use the water in blood to strike against their enemies. This is considered a suicidal tactic. When in full demonic form they tend to have grey skin, and sometimes have bits of frost that attract to their hair. This was the third largest of the families, known to be the second family to rebel against the Chinuru line.
- Family Lacroix: Their element is of pure death. They are the masters of shadows, and usually are the most cunning and verbally twisted of the other families, being well versed in convincing others with their words. Their full power in death made them quite the reapers, and were known to be able to draw the energy of someone dying to make them stronger, and sometimes use it to kill their enemies. Many of the elder Lacroix are known for completely hating daylight, and prefer to stay in the shadows. In full demonic form they are 100% black, and the only color is in the iris of their eyes. The Lacroix family line was the smallest of the families, killed mostly by the Chinuru line, due to arguments of rumors that state once upon a time the two ancients were lovers.
- Family Vepres – They are called the ‘Mother Nature’ family, due to their element being that of Earth. This was considered the healing family of the Gekai, due to the fact they were rather good at using plants and herbs to make wonderful lotions for cuts and other wounds, usually used to either aid their own, or use as a source of interrogation or helping to keep their meal alive and fresh a little longer. They were also masters of poisons, and were able to use plants such as thorns and leaves as their weapons. In their full demonic state, they tend to have a darker brown tone to their skin, sometimes with their preferred weapon growing from a certain part of their body. Out of fear, the Vepres joined the Chinuru line in full allegiance, but were completely destroyed by other families for their ‘betrayal’ and their own weakness as healers instead of fighters.
- Family Jubrai – There are rumors that there once upon a time was a fifth family line, the first to strike out against the blood thirsty Chinuru line. However, the only thing known is that it was completely eradicated by the Chinuru lineage, and that none survived the slaughter. The name itself is but a whisper on the wind.
No matter the family though, the Gekai tell is always the same. Every Gekai have crimson color iris', and each family present their strength and their honor in the same fashion: tattoos. At the age of 10 for both males and females, the children are brought to what is known as the ‘Marker’. This specially trained Gekai will use a special sort of black dye to make the first marking tattoos of their family and the child’s special ability. (Such examples: A Vepres that likes to use thorns will get a ring of thorns somewhere. A very fire loving Chinuru will get a flame of some sort. A Lacroix will get something like clouds of darkness.) No matter what, the tattoo is always pure black, and no other colors. It’s common that Gekai however, will get these later on in life more and more, and sometimes overdo the symbols all over their bodies. This tends to be their largest tell, since its so clearly noticeable. However, the easiest way to tell a family apart is usually a connection to their element, which they will usually carry around with them: Chinuru will carry lighters, Viedma will have bottles of water, Lacroix will have parts of bones (sometimes as jewelry), and Vepres will have maybe some plant material or soil on them, as well as bottles of poisons or potions.
Recently, the Gekai are considered completely extinct. Due to interspecies warfare, several family lines attempting incestual breeding, as well as being caught in a horrible bottleneck evolution effect, and have been recorded as extinct for the past 50 or so years. Though their numbers through their decline had remained at 1:1, during its last few generations the pregnancy chance was 35%, and the chance of the child surviving was less than 15%.
There have been no current data stating that the Gekai were living amongst others…
Special Abilities:
- A Gekai’s control of the elements really depends on what family they descended from. Their strength in said traits depend also on how old they are, and how well practiced they are in their manipulation abilities. This can be compared to learning an instrument. Over time, they have to continue to practice or use it so that they become better. One must cast and interact with their family element, and those who are too lazy will slowly lose their elemental grasp and would have trouble controlling them. The downgrade is slow though, and a complete loss of control would happen within one to two months. This usually is found out though in the middle of battle, and those who were too lazy to practice, of course, are killed off. Those who realize their mistake are able to re-learn their traits and find their center with their elements once more, usually by being in constant interaction for days and weeks, and some will not even separate themselves from them. This is why one of their tells is carrying items that represent their main element.
- Gekai also have a very good balance with that of shadows. Though they cannot manipulate it to their will, Gekai are capable of standing in thick shadows and still their body, heart beat, and breath just enough that they ‘appear’ to have disappeared into the shadows. (IE. Ninja vanish.) This trick is usually used when attempting to find information and sneaking upon prey, and of course be completely broken when introduced to light that ruins their shadows, like a flashlight or a blinking street light.
- Though Gekai are of demon decent, they are usually more powerful in elemental and spell tactics, rather than physical being. They use more of their brain and their powers in order to defeat an enemy in battle. This means that, though they can be killed almost as easily as any human, getting through their tactful quick minds can sometimes be difficult.
- Abilities for Gekai by family:
* Chinuru - Though Chinuru cannot make fire from anywhere, they can manipulate flames and project them and move them in directions they need. Very skilled masters can actually make flames much larger and manipulate them to make forms (Example: A fire dragon, a fire ring) by will alone, though this form does not have any independent thought of its own (for example, a Chinuru may make an image of a dragon from flames, but that dragon cannot act independently, it is purely the puppet of the Chinuru). Also, constructing a creature from flame takes a lot of energy and is considered a 'master' skill, but even then this could not be sustainable for any longer than a few minutes. Their skin does not burn easily, and they enjoy very high amounts of heat. They also spend much time studying different pyrotechnics as well as chemistry to ways, through science, make better fires, as well as much better attacks and defensive techniques.
* Viedma - Can manipulate water and create forms from the liquid for defensive and offensive tactics. These tactics depend on the creativity of the Gekai, but they cannot make water from nowhere, but can draw it from places and combine it to make large amounts (IE Rivers, Lakes, Puddles, Fog, Rain, Ice, Body Sweat, Blood.) This pull range is limited to their own strength in these abilities, but no Gekai has ever drawn any farther than 7 yards from a water source, and can only carry as much as their body weight. Elder Viedma members after much practice have learned to manipulate it well enough under water to create currents, whirlpools, and create air bubbles that they can keep with them to help breath underwater for a short amount of time.
* Lacroix - Use the pull of death to their advantage, and feed off death energy to make themselves stronger. This does have a backlash in the end, and will make them feel sick after they've used up all the ingested death energy, but it does give them a boost in physical and magical strength. Practice and age dictates how much a Gekai can absorb and use, and have learned to limit themselves or force themselves into an early grave. Elder masters have been able to preserve the sensations of death energy and can use it almost as poison to give to people, and slowly rot themselves from the inside out. They tend to carry dead material on them (bones / flesh / graveyard soil) to help channel the energy much better.
* Vepres - Have a large mastery of botany and a vivid understanding of plants. The more learned a Gekai is of botany, the higher and more powerful amounts of poisons and healing potions or salves they can make. They also know how to help a plant grow in not just soil but in difficult environments and some elder more learned Gekai have even learned how to grow their favorite plants in their own flesh. These Gekai have also learned the best ways to use nature as a weapon as well (Harden the structure of leaves and petals to make them into throwing daggers, strengthen the grip and dexterity of vines and thorns to make them into whips, keep cactus needles dipped in poisons, ect. Depends on their creativity.)
Advantages:
- Though mostly sadistic, all Gekai hold very masochistic qualities. They actually enjoy pain upon themselves, giving a thought they are invincible. However, this is just a mental state. If they were injured in any way (IE: Shot, stabbed, hit with something) the body does act accordingly. They will simply moan, or act like it was nice, and continue on. They are not impervious to any sort of damage though.
- They are really good at being able to butcher a humanoid, and have certain tastes to different muscles of the body. Their sense of taste is very high as well, to the point they can almost taste if their victim is an alcoholic or a drug user. But, if they do taste a lot of alcohol or drugs in the system, they can sometimes be effected by said drugs or alcohol as well.
Drawbacks:
- Since they are of such dark and deathly energy, angelic qualities tend to be rather strong against them. This means that Gekai tend to avoid Angels at all costs. Even a simple bless from an angel would cause their body tremendous amounts of pain that is far past their own mental limitations. The Lacroix family line is considered the most fearful of Angels, and will explain that the pain from a bless is so terrible that they think they are actually dying. For some Gekai though, like ones who are very weak or are already wounded (like with wounds that could have been fatal but survived) an Angelic Bless could actually push their already wounded bodies to a painful limit. The brain in a defense moves to shut down the body to try and save it from the pain, but in an uneventful twist actually stops its mechanics so far it kills the Gekai.
- Because the Gekai are considered rather part of their family elements, they tend to have weaknesses to opposing elements. It is much like how the 'actual' element (Fire, water, earth) interacts in nature. In these cases, Gekai would also try to stay away from people with the following elements, due to the fact that they would be weak against them.
o Chinuru fear having their flames put out. This means they will avoid those of water or air, because they do not want to have their fire put or blown out. If a Chinuru Gekai was soaked with, lets say a hose, or put in a very cold place, they would be unable to create a flame, which would make them feel almost completely defenseless. If they cannot make a fire, they cannot attack.
o Viedma are very water based, and those that can put defense to it make them rather uneasy. They do not like those of earth elements since water cannot destroy rock so easily, and it can be absorbed by the soil. If a Viedma Gekai was restricted from their water source, they would also be almost unable to attack, and will sometimes be so desperate as to force themselves to bleed in order to get some sort of water to defend themselves.
o Lacroix, as discussed, are extremely weak against that of Angelic blessings, and can feel like they are dying when blessed.
o Vepres tend to interact more with plants than that of soil or rock, though they are of Earthen elements. This means that they fear being burnt by fire, or having their plants burned away by flames, which would be their number one source of attack. They also tend to be against very industrialized areas, because there isn't as much interaction with the Earth, and will tend not to enter out of fear of being caught without an ability to use their own element.
- If it doesn't have flesh, they don't want to eat it. Any sort of plant of any kind, even spices on some meat, make them sick to their stomach. Sometimes it's a little, but if they are force fed their broccoli, they will vomit hard. The only real spice they can have to any of their meat is salt, because it does not come from a plant. This makes them completely carnivores, due to the fact that they actually cannot digest anything but meat, which is why they grow so sick.
- They're very bad at hiding their tells. Most of them don't care, or simply give up on it.
- Elder Gekai, by law, can put younger family members to death. If by doing wrong, or just… because they don't like them. However, Elder Gekai must surpass the other by at least 20 years, and they must be from the same family line.
Fallen Angels and Ascended Demons
Of all the type of beings found on earth, none have such harsh alignment constraints as angels and demons. To an extent, angels and demons have less ability to exercise free will than anyone else. Angels must act for good in the world, demons must act for evil. If either type does not follow their preordained alignment, there are serious and potentially permanent repercussions.
Angels can fall - they can become Fallen Angels. Demons can ascend and become, yes you guessed it, Ascended Demons. They have no control over this - who falls and who ascends is decided by Mourning Star, the judge of their behaviour. And she is watching. Whether or not an angel or demon has ever even seen her doesn't mean that she's blind to their actions. She does in fact know what you're up to. Angels and demons can only control their day to day activities and work ensure that their actions does not give her any reason to pay them a visit.
Ascending and falling is not something to be recommended. As well as the character's pre-existing weaknesses, the angel/ demon will find themselves with a whole new set of weaknesses and they may also lose some of their strengths!
Common Mark--all Ascended and Fallen bear the mark of the Mourning Star somewhere on their person. This mark is faint and often times overlookable, but it's very clear and you can't get rid of it. (even if the fallen/ascended say, removes the flesh it's located on, the mark will merely appear elsewhere) Most commonly, it's on their palms, though not universally. It's something that is in fact hideable if one attempts to do it, and they might want to look into it--if an angel or demon can recognize it for what it is, that just makes them want to go for the whole killing the bearer thing.
Weaknesses common to both Ascended Demons and Fallen Angels
- Loss of extended lifespan. That nifty longevity you had? Is now totally gone. You have the lifespan of a normal human and are 100% mortal
- You are a target. Both angels and demons hate you - the opposing side because you are one of Them, your previous side because you are tainted, an abomination. Any angel or demon who comes across you? Will go out of their way to take you out.
- If you had any increased strength, any speedy healing ability or other physical perk? This no longer applies.
Fallen Angels
- Loss of wings, though the markings which indicate 'stored' wings are still there. There just aren't any actual wings any more.
- Fallen angels can no longer bless anything
- Althought fallen angels keep their 'drive' (ie, a fallen guardian angel will still feel the need to protect etc) they will not retain any of their powers to do so. This drive will also be easier to ignore if they so wished.
Automatic Fall
- Personal vengeance - ie, using their status to do something against another being which isn't karmically required and which is outside the remit of even vengeance angels.
Ascended Demons
- As a note, Ascended Demons do get to keep their seeming.
- Ascended demons can no longer curse anything
- Ascended demons retain their drive to cause chaos but lose any powers with which to cause this chaos. This drive will also be slightly easier to ignore.
Automatic Ascent
- Falling in love
Half Demons
Some would say that the term ‘half demon’ isn’t strictly accurate. It is true that, in some cases, it really isn’t. A half demon is a human who has demon blood as well. Sometimes this is because they have one parent who is a demon, or an ascended demon. Sometimes the link is more remote than that – a grandparent or ancestor. Obviously, the closer the connection, the stronger the ‘demon’ in the half demon will be, though even in the offspring of a demon and a human, the demon blood runs stronger in some than in others.
Abilities and Traits
The possibilities for a half demon are wide and the traits and abilities they have cannot always be predicted by reference to their parents. Some half demons demonstrate almost none of the traits of their parents, some appear to be almost totally demon. Most are in the middle – however it is impossible for the offspring of a demon and a human to be either entirely human or entirely demon. One way or another, their blood will be watered down.
The half demon has a multitude of different abilities, or the possibility of them. For some it's physical perks like strength, speed or resilience. For others it's mental abilities or claws, wings, a tail.
Half demons appear to have a greater potential for developing special abilities. No matter what type of demon blood they have in them, or who their human parent was, it is definitely the case that physical, mental and magical powers are more commonly found in those with demon blood than in the general population. What abilities they do develop do not always bear any relationship to genetics or inheritability. They also often develop more than one special ability.
Drawbacks
Although a half demon may develop more than one special ability, these abilities are always a watered down version of what would be found in a pure demon or pure human. It is generally more that they have affinities for things rather than high level abilities. A half demon, for example, may have an affinity for fire, but they are not and never will be a fire elemental, or be able to gain the control and power that goes with being such.
Half demons have a mortal life span – they never inherit the life span of their demon parent/ ancestor.
Half demons still have a ‘tell’, however this is less obvious than a true demon tell and it is the case that the more powerful the demon blood in a half demon, the more obvious their tell is. Most tells are permanently in place - on very rare occasions they only show up at certain times, for example at night, or with a phase of the moon, but this type of thing is a rare exception, rather than the rule.
Some half-demons take on a greater demon form at different times of the month. This is not generic to half-demons though and is actually fairly rare. Most half-demons simply have a tell and no alternative form.
