On Demons

On Demons

Volume 1

by Rolf Lonmort

Foreword by Grand Magister Bertrand Lafontaine

 Foreword 

When I first ascended to the position of Grand Magister, I had already heard of Rolf Lonmort. Lonmort's reputation precedes him wherever he travels and with good reason. Lonmort's past could fill tomes in itself, with his early escapades into the forbidden side of the arcane shaping much of his later work. This early period is a cause of great controversy, but without it Menune as a whole would be a lot less versed in the field of demonology. Lonmort is Menune's leading demonologist, having been a cultist in his early days, he eventually turned into an academic, shining light on the secret world of demon worshipping cults and the twisted form of magic they possess. The following text is a collection of Lonmort's findings and texts originally compiled to aid in my own fight against cultists here in Chalois, and later, with the permission of Lonmort and his colleagues at the Cendall College of Arcane Arts, published for wider circulation. It would be a truly impossible task to find a man more suited to write on the field of demonology than Rolf Lonmort and this text stands testament to that.

Bertrand Lafontaine,

Grand Magister of the Royal Council of Magi,

Kingdom of Chalois

 Danteleon  “Start with what you know.”

A piece of great advice given to me by my dear friend, Valgoth, when I asked how to begin a text like this. As a result, the opening chapter is on the Demon Lord to whom I was once in servitude to: Danteleon. The Demon Lord of plague, disease and mind control, Danteleon would seemingly be one of the most dangerous Demon Lords on Narador. Despite this, the number of cults to Danteleon is minimal when compared to others.

The folly of youth led me into a Leonite (as followers of Danteleon are known) Cult situated in the South East of the Craglands. As Leonites, we would evoke the powers of Danteleon and bring disease and plague to farmlands in the north of Chalois and the West of Cendall. The deaths of cattle and the destruction of crops meant victory to us. As a result, the location of Leonite cults is not difficult to uncover as Danteleon demands regular sacrifice in the form of the spreading of diseases and plagues.

Geographically, Leonite cults tend to be in the Eastern Centre of Narador, where rich farmland provides ample targets. My research has uncovered the location of a number of cults and the existence of others.

Known Cults: Children of the Plague – The cult to which I belonged, it is my belief that they are still operating in the Craglands, having lost their primary hideout following my betrayal.

The Plague Bringers – A cult on the Eastern seaboard stretching from the Southern tip of Valaeron to the Elrician border to the Great Expanse. Seemingly, this cult has no one leader but are a collective of semi-autonomous nomadic groups sharing teachings and information when they meet.

Disease Callers – A group that operated on the Chalois-Elricia border. Military efforts from both Chalois and Elricia means the group has been wiped out.

Speakers of Danteleon – Seemingly the primary Leonite Cult in Narador. Their existance has been confirmed by a number of documents discovered in the houses of known cultists and in the hideouts of other Leonite cults, but little else is known about them at this time.

 Hetzudoxiel 

If you have ever heard tales of the walking dead and Necromancy, then you have heard of Hetzudoxian practices. Hetzudoxians are by far the most widespread Demon worshippers, with rumours of their activities spreading across the entire continent. They are also the most violent and open cults, due to their obsession with death and undeath. Even the Leonite Cult to which I belonged spoke ill of Hetzudoxians.

Hetzudoxian Cults spring up wherever there is death, especially recent death. Tales tell of great battlefields being scoured by Hetzudoxian cultists, raising the dead soldiers to fight for them and mercilessly ransacking neighbouring villages with their undead hordes.

During my time within the Children of the Plague, I witnessed first hand the ego-driven nature of cults wherein a number of individuals would clash, both verbally and physically, over power and pride. Reports and studies reveal that this is true in a wide number of other cults, but not in Hetzudoxians. Having 'interviewed' a number of Hetzudoxiel worshipping cultists, I have to say that their most worrying feature is their unquestioning loyalty to their leaders. The hierarchical nature of the cults and their strict disciplinarian tactics results in them being incredibly difficult to infiltrate.

When the location of a Hetzudoxian cult is discovered, it must be destroyed immediately as I have found no other option to deal with cults of this ilk.

Known Cults:

Followers of the First – Possibly the first cult, ancient scrolls bare their name but I have yet to find recent evidence of activity. It is probable that they are defunct.

The Reborn – A group currently active in northern Sovrune and the Craglands. Forces from Sovrune have destroyed three hideouts but I believe the group is still active.

Servants of Death – A large group, active in Chalois, Elricia, Cendall and Valaeron. I have analysed a number of their hideouts and I have noticed they have a habit of maintaining a small number of members at one location, usually from 15-20 members. The largest I have seen was in the catacombs of an abandoned monastery in Chalois which had 50 members.

 Thag 

The Beastlord, Thag, is a relatively unknown demon lord. Due to my own history as part of the Children of the Plague, I have had encounters with worshippers of Thag. The Goatari, to be precise. From what I have uncovered, the Goatari worship Thag as a god, creator and protector. They war with each other to prove they are the most faithful, and attack outsiders to win his favour.

Each Goatari tribe holds an Idol of Thag, usually held securely in their camps. I have encoutered one such Idol. Thag is represented as a large Goatari with his features, such as horns, enlarged to abnormal proportions. Whether this is an accurate representation or merely consequence of the Goatari's primitive technology is unknown. Tribes take great pleasure in taking the idols of other tribes. If this occurs, the idol-less tribe is considered conquered.

Other than Goatari, the tribes of the Golkan Tundra appear to be the most numerous worshippers of Thag. I have only ever came across one human worshipper of Thag outside of the Golkan Tundra. A half-starved, crazed hermit living deep in the Craglands who believed himself to be part Goatari.

 Oxghu 

In the Golkan oral tradition, there is a tale which speaks of Thag's brother. Whilst I remain hesitant to believe many of the Golkan tales of history, this particular tale makes reference to a number of known and existing Demon Lords. Because of this, I am forced to admit that it may well be true. The tale goes that in a time before time, before the 'prince of death' (Hetzudoxiel) arrived, the 'warborn' (Xerxulaz) ruled over many demons. One of his most trusted lieutenants was Oxghu, who is also said to be Thag's brother. The tale states that Oxghu betrayed Xerxulaz, giving in to his savage nature. Unlike Thag, who embodies ideals held by Golkans, such as the right of rule by strength and the weakness of civilisation, Oxghu seeks only to butcher and kill. When I spoke to a Jymark tribesman about Oxghu he added that some Golkan clans still worship Oxghu. The worshippers massacre entire clans and feast on their flesh. The tribesman insisted that followers of Oxghu change in appearance as they give in to their instincts. They become hunched over, develop fur and gain sharp teeth. This makes me wonder if Oxghu has any relation with werecreatures, who feature heavily in Golkan traditions.