A Treatise on Evil

The daemonic creature, as we have referred to as “the Dae’” earlier in this lexicon, represents one of the most powerful creatures of not only their native realm of Hell itself, yet of the Mortal realm as well. They are beings of pure, unadulterated evil, whose biggest pleasure come from indulging in the suffering of other creatures and races, namely that of the human kind. The Dae’ are an ancient and mysterious creatures, its origins believed to date back to times before even our own human kind walked the surface of Eden. While divine cannon from the Church of Decus define the Dae’ to be creations of the Thirteenth Archangel, the true origins of these diabolical creatures remain a mystery to many. What little we as humans know, collectively, is veiled and kept hidden from public knowledge, no doubt locked away in clerical archives and libraries. It is my duty, however, to relate as much information as I possibly can about the mysterious creatures that dwell below us by providing to you information and facts never before released to the general citizenry of the Republic.

There is little that is known for sure of the creature dubbed “The Daemon”. Some speculate that the creatures we know of as demons, daemons and Dae’ are simply physical manifestations of true daemons, with their true essences being limited to their native realm, that of Hell itself. Others believe that these daemons are, in reality, flesh and blood creatures whom roam the far reaches of the Eden. Whatever the differing opinions of experts and scholars may be, not one can dispute the ungodly power that such a creature wields. Ancient reports of Templar happening upon rogue daemons during the early expanses of our Republic detail epic encounters. Battles between early clergymen and these foul beasts often resulted in numerous casualties. Described as wielding colossal strength, a wide library of magical powers, and the ability to sustain true fight, it is thought that a daemon is a worthy match for any army of decent size. It is with this power that many speculate they rule over both their enemies along with their kindred with an iron fist.

Opposing viewpoints aside, a somewhat concrete perspective of the origins of the daemon’s power has been accepted in nearly all research circles since the founding of the Venerated Republic. It has been a widely accepted theory that the Dae’ draw their power from, surprisingly, our own Mortal realm. How is this possible? It is through the commission of certain actions and deeds by those within this physical domain of existence that is thought to actually strengthen the Dae’. Many scholars and priests within the Church of Decus have defined these actions and deeds as vices, polar opposites of the Virtues in which the Decusian faith is based upon. Per Decusian cannon, it is believed that with every action and deed performed by we as men that goes against the sacred eight virtues of the Decusian faith, we inhibit ourselves as a race from “ascending” to a new era of existence. Some within the Church believe that these misdeeds not only inhibit ascension, but also work to fuel the denizens of Hell (namely daemonkin) with the sustenance they so lustfully crave and require.

These misdeeds, or vices, have long been the object of study by many of priest and clergymen. The most modern and common belief currently within the circles of the Decusian Church is that these misdeeds can be literally defined, specifically as thirteen separate ideas and beliefs that the Dae’ gain power from. Curiously enough, these commissions usually come in the form of spiritual ideas rather than physical acts, as do most of the eight virtues of the Decusian Church. The process of Daemon empowerment through the commission of vices is more complicated than I would lead you to believe, dear reader. The commissions of these thirteen vices, in fact, is thought to only fuel a particular breed or classification of daemon. How does this work? As mentioned previously, the vices in which daemons gain power from are separated and classified into thirteen specific ideals. Rallying behind each one of these ideals is a collective of specific daemons whom draw their power from the commission of only the specific vice that they are bound to. A commission of the act of murder, for instance, may “feed” one daemon of power, but not another. It is this precarious balance and ordering that we now take a closer look at.

In short, it is believed that the daemon’s most important task in life is to simply manipulate and persuade those of the Mortal realm into committing these acts in order to fuel their “breed”, or similar daemonic entities that draw power from the same sort of vices and misdeeds. How does a daemon manipulate and persuade we of the living breathing world, you ask? This idea is a heated and debated subject amongst all professional circles. Per the cannon of the Decusian Faith, it is believed that our universe as a whole is protected by a series of rules, known to us as the great Doctrine. Within our lore and religious liturgies, it is said that those of both other-worldly realms, Heaven and Hell, cannot directly influence our own mortal realm due to the rules set forth within the Doctrine. The idea of free will, the freedom of our kind to make our own conscious choices, is the principal rule of our universe as defined by the Doctrine. Those within the Church that view the story of the Doctrine to be an unquestionable truth argue that it is for this fact, and this fact alone, daemon-kind cannot and do not affect our will and decisions as human beings. If the dae’ cannot physically alter or manipulate our own realm, how does it ever conceivably gain power from us? The most accepted theory amongst most all professional scholars and priests is the rather disturbing belief that we, as humans, both inadvertently and purposefully provide the denizens of Hell power with every vice we commit. The murder of an innocent person, for example, works to fuel the powers of Hell, even if the murderer took the victim’s life out of simple spite and without intention to strengthen an unseen deity of another realm. On the flip side of this, it is believed that other individuals of our world and race purposefully commit and manipulate others to commit vices to fuel the legions of Hell. Be it a warped belief they will be somehow compensated for their actions, or otherwise, it is a known fact that such “devil worshippers” exist.

Representing each of the thirteen vices which empower the Dae’, a disciplined order stand as symbols of their significance and power. Each of the thirteen vices are represented by either a matriarchal and patriarchal system of rulership, or simply a “Throne”. These Thrones serve to fulfill two roles; they act to classify each of the thirteen vices from each other, and the ideas in themselves, and to also offer a form of command and subjugation amongst the Dae’ races. This is achieved through the mythical “Throne Bearers”; daemons of immeasurable power and control who claim absolute dominion over the rest of their race and kind. Each Throne Bearer is responsible for both all Dae’ under their specific vice, or “throne”. For example, a Dae’ commissioned under the Throne of Murder would be strengthened from a murder committed by an inhabitant of the mortal realm. This particular Dae’, for all intents and purposes, would be considered a “Daemon of Murder”. While not ever specifically executing the actual murder of another living creature, the Dae’ none the less draws power from the misdeed.

As we have mentioned numerous times before, it is believed that the thirteen thrones represent that of thirteen ideologies, polar opposites of the eight virtues in which the Decusian Church is founded upon. These ideologies are known as vices, and are listed and precariously defined below.

Falsehood

(the telling of untruths, unfaithful actions and deeds)

Hatred

(feelings of intense dislike, anger, hostility, or animosity, and the acts committed from them)

Cowardice

(lack of courage, or behaviors that shows such a lack; a father leaving his son to die out of lack of courage is a prime example of this vice)

Enlightenment

(the enlightening of somebody or a cause of the enlightening of somebody through the means of dark pacts with the throne bearer of this vice itself, i.e. the signing of one’s soul for monetary or other gains)

Sacrilege

(the disrespectful or irreverent treatment of something others consider worthy of respect or reverence, i.e. the defacement of a holy symbol by a follower of its faith)

Covetous

(having a strong desire to possess something that belongs to somebody else, and deeds committed out of this desire)

Shame

(negative emotions that combine feelings of dishonor, unworthiness, and embarrassment)

Pride

(haughty attitudes and actions shown by those who believe, often unjustifiably, that they are better than others)

Murder

(the committing of murder, tried and true)

Chaos

(a peculiar vice, one whose deeds are most often than not dictated by the throne bearer itself)

Wrath

(the vengeance, punishment, or destruction wreaked by somebody in anger, and the fury often marked by a desire for vengeance which causes such other deeds to be committed)

Lust

(the strong physical desire to have relation with somebody, without associated feelings of love or affection, i.e. the conductance of adultery or forced acts)

Hubris

(inordinate pride in oneself or one’s achievements above the Eight Virtues, Decus, and Creation.)

As a collective, the thirteen thrones are referred to as “The Pantheon of the Thirteen”.