Daemonic Manifestation

The Faculty of Daemonology At the University of Teutonia
An Essay by Professor Viktor von Geshalt Teutonic Sage of Daemonology
with updates from Professor Boris von Kaiserstein
Spring 1111 Edition

The Daemonic Life Cycle

A Daemon pattern, or its immortal soul, does not behave in the same manner as a mortal pattern or soul. Upon the destruction of the body, a mortal pattern will leave its home plane and return either to the plane of the Ancestors (if the body is properly dedicated or laid to rest) or to the plane of life. If the pattern returns to the plane of Life, then it loses its memories and experiences and becomes part of creation again, ready to create new life, as it is required. If the pattern returns to its Ancestors, it remains in the care of those Ancestors and does not return to its home plane again, save as a formless ghost.

A Daemonic pattern, however, follows a different path. When a Daemon dies, it pattern, or Dark Spirit, does not lose its memories or its sentience. Buried within the depths of the Void is a pocket dimension called the Plane of Dark Spirits. This plane is not a physical plane, but an incorporeal plane. Upon the destruction of its body, a Daemonic pattern will return here, fully conscious and aware of itself. Time spent on the plane of Dark Spirits is torturous for a Daemon, as they cannot touch or feel. Many Daemons lose their sanity completely, and this part of their life cycle is believed to be responsible for their aggressive and destructive natures.

As soon as it arrives on the Plane of Dark Spirits, a Dark Spirit immediately seeks a means of escape. It must find some way of rebuilding its body on one of the physical planes. The Faculty have been uncovering the different methods these Dark Spirits use to enter the Plane of the Living. Please note that Daemons are cunning and resourceful entities, and there are probably many more ways waiting to be uncovered. We originally only knew three ways, and now know many more through research and through talks with other daemonologists.

 

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Manifestation Methods
Reconstruction

Daemons can actually build their own bodies from within the plane of Dark Spirits, by exerting their will on the raw fabric of the void. Slowly and meticulously, they spin and weave their new form. Once completed, the Daemon can jump from the plane of Dark Spirits into its new body, and then begin its life anew.

There are several problems with Reconstruction. Firstly, not all Daemons are able to reconstruct, it is an art known only to the very powerful. Secondly, the process is long and arduous, taking centuries, sometimes millennia. Thirdly, the Daemon must expend a large portion of its power to create its new body, so the Reconstructed Daemon will be weaker than its previous form.

Reconstruction is practiced by very few Daemons. While most Daemon Princes and Daemon Lords know how to Reconstruct, the effort involved and the loss of potency is too much of a sacrifice.

Sacrificial Manifestation

This method of manifestation depends upon the Daemons influence on the Mortal world of the physical planes. Daemons, like Ancestors, are able to impart power to Mortals that worship them, granting them the powers of incantation. Many mortals will make Bargains with them to gain power, normally signing over their soul as payment. Cunning Daemons can also subtly influence Mortals from within the plane of Dark Spirit, visiting them in dreams and visions.

If a Daemon can attract sufficient mortal followers to worship him, then the Cultists can perform a ceremony to grant the Daemon a temporary body. The actual details of the Ceremony are not clearly defined, as every Cult and Daemon has different ways of doing things. Some have been known to be elaborate, weeklong ceremonies, with carefully timed chanting, the drawing of complex sigils and ceremonial robes. Others are primal and frantic, performed by tribes of primitives. But whatever the ceremony, a large blood sacrifice is always made at its conclusion. Sometimes this is a mass suicide, with dozens of cultists willingly giving up their lives, to give their Daemon life. Sometimes it is a sacrifice of something precious, such as the virginal daughter of the Head Cultist. Whatever the sacrifice, it must be a sentient being.

Once the Sacrifice has been made, the Daemon can build itself a body from the flesh of the victim or victims. This new body is immensely powerful, and the Daemon is able to access all of its strength and powers immediately.

Sacrificial Manifestation does have several shortcomings, however. Firstly, the Daemon must have sufficient worshippers with the strength and determination to perform the ceremony. Secondly, such ceremonies can fail, causing the Daemon immense pain and weakening its Dark Spirit considerably. Thirdly, a body created through Sacrificial Manifestation is only temporary. The longest documented time that a Daemon manifested in this manner has ever survived has been 1 year. The energies used to create the body, while powerful, burn away quickly. Once the body has failed, the Daemon returns again to the plane of Dark Spirits.

Despite the drawbacks of this method, many Daemons still try to use this method of Manifestation, as even a few short months of physical form is better than formless emptiness of the Plane of Dark Spirits.

Possession

The most common and preferred method of Daemonic Manifestation is the art of Possession. When skilled Daemonologists or powerful Daemon Princes perform the proper rites and ceremonies, a mortal body becomes the host to a Dark Spirit. Once inside a host, the Dark Spirit will consume the pattern and identity of the victim, and over a period of weeks, take complete control of the body. After the Dark Spirit has consumed all traces of the host, the body undergoes a transformation into the Daemons natural form. The amount of time this takes is dependent on the strength of Dark Spirit and the willpower of the host to fight the invasion of its psyche. There are few Mortals who have the strength of will to hold out for anything longer than a few months. Once the transformation is complete, the Daemon has a new permanent body and within a short period of time, will have access to all of its powers and strength. A Daemon that has manifested via a Possession will not lose any of its potency.

Possession holds many advantages over other methods of Manifestation. Firstly, the body is permanent and will not fade away unless it is deliberately destroyed. Secondly, the Daemon loses none of its potency. Thirdly, once the Daemon has consumed the pattern of its host, it gains all of the host’s memories, giving it information about the plane of existence that it has manifested on.

But as with every method, possession is not without its downsides. Possession is not an easy thing to do. Unlike Sacrificial Manifestation, the rites of possession require an immense amount of carefully controlled void energies, normally found within the confines of a ritual circle. Therefore the Daemon requires a powerful ritual team to begin the process. Possession also requires a direct gateway to the plane of Dark Spirits, a task that only a select few Ritualists are able to do, as it necessitates the creation of portal that tears its way through the void. And finally, Possession requires a carefully defined series of rites, including the chanting of different Daemonic tongues. So the entire process requires a capable Daemonologist, a powerful ritual team and access to the relevant texts and knowledges.

A Daemon must be cunning to achieve such a goal, as any Daemonologists capable of performing a possession rite, are also likely to know the consequences of doing so and what will happen to the subject being possessed. This is where Daemonic bargains originated. In exchange for a new body, the Daemon will often make contracts with the Daemonologists that summon him, offering them power and knowledge in trade for their services.

Possession also carries certain risks to the Daemon. In the time that it takes to destroy the pattern of the host body, the Daemon is vulnerable. Unable to access its full powers, it must protect the host body from being destroyed until it can fully manifest. Also, the host may try and find ways to have the Daemon cast out of him, before he is destroyed completely by the invading Dark Spirit.

Barralith Manifestation

This is dealt with adequately in “Daemonic Classification” by Viktor von Geshalt. However, a brief summary follows of the different ways this Daemonic Phylum creates other Dark Spirits:

Brood Mothers are Barralith Daemons that breed Imps in a prolific fashion. They seem to let the Imps evolve to a certain strength before their body automatically ejects (or rejects) them. Some Brood Mothers also have the ability to allow a Daemonic pattern on the Plane of Dark Spirits to create a new body, although research is still being done on this power.

Balestone is a by-product of many Barralith daemons that also creates Imps. This is covered fully in “Patterns of Darkness” by Severcles von Groshnik.

Some Succubi evolve to be able to create life, although these are usually of Cambian Daemons rather than Imps, which are essentially new Dark Spirit Patterns. Likewise Incubi may also impregnate, the chance of a Cambian Daemon is also high in this instance as well. However, some Succubi and Incubi utilise Gröt’sck to create new Imps, and some have the horrifying ability to steal the pattern of The Seduced and create a new Dark Spirit.

Suggested Further Reading:
"Daemonic Classification" by Archchancellor V. von Geshalt;
“Discourse on Daemonology” by Prof. D. von Trügelhof;
“Patterns of Darkness” by Prof. S. von Groshnik;
“Patterns of Darkness Appendices” by Prof. S. von Groshnik;
“The Art of Channelling" by F. Karrash-Morr;