Demons are beings measured against the gods rather than among monsters: the greatest of them are “as powerful as gods” without being gods. Most are generated from the souls of dead mortals, and all die the same way, dissolving “into a kind of disgusting mist”.
| Type | Creature |
| Origin | Mostly souls of dead mortals |
| Spanish entry | Demonios |
Description
There is no single demonic body, only families. The first the records remember has “little horns and a face that looks blue”, and wears a pendant. Others appear as “red glows” that can go out and fade again. There are shadow demons and fire demons; the latter tear out other beings’ hearts. In battle they are called “bugs, because they are definitely bugs”, and they grapple hand to hand with Angels.
Presence precedes the body: one possessed “is looking with very intense eyes, licking his hand”, and those who can read it feel “a strong demonic presence in him”.
Origin and abode
“There can be demons in this world”, and there are. They gather where there are portals — through them they invade the Mount, and fighting continues “so they do not keep invading” — and where there is war. Devils once “dominated all of Europe”; today a devil “has its main embassy in London, in Informal London”. An unnamed demon alone guards access to the Demiplane: “he is the only one who knows the access to this place”.
Hierarchy
Demons are ordered by substance — shadow, fire, war — and by rank: the highest “have names”; the rest are an anonymous mass generated from the dead. Shadow demons attacked cities during the Second War of the Shadows.
Combat
Light opposes them, fought by the dark force fed by the portals, and so does the clergy: priests recognize them as the true enemy (“the fight against the demon was more real than I imagined”). “All the weapons are sanctified against Devils.” Some demons “who were generals” were defeated by a company on leaving a tower.
Dealings
- The Demon of War was given as an ally to the chronomatic travelers to eliminate the Uchronia.
- A fire demon enables travel between stars: “then you will be able to connect with the other stars; from here to there you will not be harmed”.
- The “demons of war” advocate for those about to fall in combat.
- A demon’s action leaves verifiable contamination; a specialized investigation can determine “whether the demon’s action was there”.
Awakening
The demons “have now awakened” and “will not be conciados again”: the awakening is irreversible and permanently changes Antiterra. They sustain three functions no one else does: access to the Demiplane, interstellar travel and the gate of the Mount.
Demons and devils
The world distinguishes them — “we have to choose between the devils and the demons” — though both occupy territory (Europe then, Informal London now) and share the same remedy: sanctified weapons and priests.
Open questions
- How demons and devils actually differ is not established.
- When and why they awoke, and what conciarlos meant, are unknown.
- The Demiplane guardian’s name and price, and what “Informal London” is, are unknown.
- How a dead soul becomes a demon and what sets its rank is unclear; whether “generals” is a species or title, and which tower, is uncertain.
- A link between fire demons and miracles or divine interventions is mentioned but not explained.
- Their numbers, size and the duration of the Mount’s portals are not recorded.