Demonic Thrall

As the newly instated Greater Demons took their rightful places as rulers of Farcanith, they were joined by those they most valued to reside in their planes; the rest of the inhabitants were turned or wiped out completely. Each plane was broken down into its fundamental components and completely remade from the ground up in the image of those new leaders. As the layers of Farcanith were molded, so too were their residents, and so these most powerful beings in the realm created completely new servants in their liking. These creatures would be known to be the Demonic Thralls, and they serve their Greater Demons with utmost loyalty... whether they like it or not.

The following applies to all Demonic Thralls:

• Demonic Thralls are not branded individuals, but are instead souls tied and molded to serve one of the Greater Demons.
• The bodies and equipment of these thralls are manifested through the power of the Greater Demons, so when they die, both fall away into nothing but the respective element of the Greater Demon they serve.
• Demonic Thralls are inherently profane and will always appear to have a profane soul unless made to not appear like so from an external source.
• Demonic Thralls hold an incredibly small shred of the power of their Greater Demons, so while they may not hold aurums, they are all capable of using freeform, albeit weaker powers that Branded individuals are capable of using.
• They are created in Farcanith and when they die, the soul is brought back to be revived again in Farcanith unless halted by external forces.
• These thralls are often found to be like general servants for full-fledged Demons, often being summoned from Farcanith for any manner of tasks. While thralls may arrive from Farcanith in groups of five to ten with a Demon leading them, individual Demons living outside of Farcanith may only summon one thrall instead of two imps, and they last for six turns.

Thralls of Nobility: Astaroth’s Faithful

Description: Astaroth’s Faithful are a loyal legion of knights adorned to appear in the image of their Greater Demon. They walk the Halls of Astaroth defending what belongs to their master, believing him to be like a god of sorts. While they wear much the same as the Greater Demon, they are not allowed to wear the same royal purple. Instead, their typically steel armor is decorated in gold that, despite being detrimental to them as profane beings, is used as trimming and to not impact their skin when the armor is worn. They wield all weapons of war, including entire gilded siege weapons when required.

Mechanics:

• Astaroth’s Faithful are capable of summoning armor and weapons to their bodies at all times, though only that which belongs to them and they only ever own one set of armor and two sets of weapons.
• They are capable of summoning one imp as a sort of pet to their side, using them as fodder in battle.
• Their weapons (blades, arrowtips, etc.) are automatically imbued with Hellfire, though they may not use it in any other fashion. While cauterizing wounds immediately, this causes 2nd degree burns when striking flesh (3rd degree to Blessed individuals).

Thralls of Rage: Infernal Gladiators

Description: The Raging Storm is never without able-bodied fighters, and in its eternal path all across Farcanith, it is always picking up new souls. All individuals that are pulled into the Storm and are defeated in battle are automatically morphed and molded into one amongst the Infernal Gladiators. These fighters have thickened, metal-like skin but wear only bits of leather armor. Their weapons are more barbaric as they wield axes, halberds, javelins, and the like, and they fight in any way it takes to win. Fistfuls of sand in the face and blows against more undesirable places are not above the morals of these warriors, for they have no morals at all. They fight to win, and to win is to serve their believed immortal Greater Demon well.

Mechanics:

• Infernal Gladiators inherently have both tier 6 strength and speed.
• Their skin is as durable as steel and it naturally resists any attacks, mundane or not, that are not designed to pierce.
• When taking a lethal blow, Infernal Gladiators rise to tier 7 strength and speed in a final wind, surviving for 3 more turns before finally dying.

Thralls of Shadows: Buccaneers of the Deep

Description: Within the depths of the Shattered Sea, decrepit vessels sail endlessly in search of any and every material item existing in the shadowed, ruthless waves. Every demon captain, while just as ruthless in their own rights, always needs a crew to join them in every venture. While thralls are always expendable in some form or fashion, given how plentiful they are in Farcanith, these particular thralls are valued significantly more than any of those of other realms. It is because it is the will of Amona that each demon under her has more powerful and more trusted thralls under them.

The Buccaneers of the Deep are ghastly creatures, resembling humans but being far from it. They appear as if they’ve been drowned and slain over and over again, yet they still walk. Some lack a limb or two while some have no torsos, though are patched up by shadows that lack all details. While their weapons typically appear to be rusting or fractured, they still hold incredible durability as they are somehow bound directly to the Buccaneer’s very being. While appearing frail, these thralls are more versatile and survivable than most others.

Mechanics:

• Buccaneers of the Deep have no inherent resistances, though are only targetable in places they still have existing parts of their bodies.
• Anti-shadow abilities and materials have no effects against these thralls.
• They may become completely untargetable shadows as a defense for up to 6 seconds at a time, but not on 2 consecutive turns.

Intelligent Thralls: Seekers of the Unfathomable

Description: Stored away in Elbrieta’s Asylum, there exist floating creatures along the rows and rows of knowledge. These creatures are entirely fragile, often appearing with layered cloaks that both hide their frail form while giving some shred of respite from the tundra the Asylum exists within. The only weapon these otherworldly monsters wield is their minds, which are sharper than any sword. These Seekers of forbidden knowledge assault their enemies with what incantations and natural law-bending abilities they’ve committed to memory. These are masters of the non-mundane, though are completely insane and have little to no sense of anything but the demon they serve to the very last breath.

Mechanics:

• Seekers are capable of freeform telekinetic abilities with no need for [[Aethier Dictionary|concentration].
• They wield minor mind manipulation abilities, so their mental attacks often do nothing more powerful than a rooting ability.
• When they die, Seekers afflict anyone who successfully attacked them with 2nd degree frostbite the size of a palm at a random location upon the surface of their bodies (Attackers roll 1d20: 1-5 Arms, 6-10 Legs, 11-15 Torso, 16-20 Neck/Head).

Thralls of the Hunt: Hybrid Prey

Description: No thralls are cared for less than the Prey wandering Ukoru’s Hunting Grounds. In fact, they are seen exactly as they are named, and thus are used as the alpha predator’s game. Because of this, they constantly get stronger and more unnatural in form. Over time, they have grown to be almost completely animalistic, holding very few humanoid features any longer. One could expect to be faced with blighted monsters with, for example, a shark’s head, an eagle’s talons, an armadillo’s hide, a mantis’ oversized and plated claws, all while spitting and dripping venom of a scorpion or spider. No matter how much they evolve, the ultimate hunter is always one step ahead.. The same cannot be said for that which the Prey are sent to hunt.

Mechanics:

• Hybrid Prey hold many different animalistic parts (at least 4 different fauna) all in one, and all parts are resized and morphed to fit into place on a roughly human- to orc-sized body.
• They have no non-mundane abilities whatsoever, but may hold features of any fauna, including lore fauna up to monstrous.
• They are excellent hunters, so depending on the animal features they have, they could be incredible at tracking, hiding, actively pursuing, or any mixture of the three.

The World of Aethius • The Multiverse of Aethier