The Book of Blood

[Maleficium]

Demons.


What is a demon you might ask? There is no simple answer to this question. It generically refers to malevolent nonhuman entities, but not all entities that are malevolent are demons. Typically speaking they have ties to the various realms of hell. Often in conflict with the Host, they have a multitude of different abilities, languages and cultures. Evil and corruption sustains them, and they are devoted by a need to cause suffering. Demons can be born, but demonic entities can also rise from the corruption of other beings. Truly powerful entities are capable of creating demons from the essence of evil, though this requires the darkest magic imaginable.







Shuma-Gorath, The Unclosing Eye. 

One of the old ones, the entity known as Shuma-Gorath rules over a multitude of dimensions. For a time, he ruled over ancient humanity. This monstrosity demanded human sacrifice from its' subjects but would eventually be banished along with its' kin from this Earth. There are records of him from the Hyborean age sustaining himself on sacrifice, and feasting on his own worshipers as well. Coming into conflict with the 'god' Crom, he was again banished but would also become an enemy to the Vishanti around this time. In modern times, my stepfather Stephen Strange would be forced to strike down his master and mentor The Ancient One to stop the return of Shuma-Gorath to this dimension. He would have more confrontations with this monster, at one point accumulating the most dangerous of dark magic to combat the creature on its' own terms. It is believed that Shuma also has ties to the Many-Angled Ones which are supposed to be extra-dimensional terrors that exist in between dimensions. 

Shuma-Gorath's power is frequently invoked by lesser beings. It is believed to be in slumber currently, and when it has manifested on this Earth it has only been an aspect of its' essence. A class three demon that is virtually unstoppable in its' own dimension with numerous acolytes that are still active to this day. Shuma-Gorath is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most destructive and powerful entities that I will be covering. It is also one of the images that I have tattooed for my half-sleeve. The embodiment of destructive chaos. Should it find its' way back to this dimension, it cannot be reasoned or negotiated with. It will just consume.

[Maleficium]

Etrigan, The Rhymer.


My second daddy. The source of my demonic heritage. (Well primary source anyway. It is a bloody long story.) Son of the fallen angel Belial, and brother to Merlin of Camelot. Etrigan is unnaturally destructive, even for a demon. He was unruly and uncontrollable to the point where his father conceived a half-human wizard of extraordinary magical ability to keep his son in line. His soul was eternally bonded to my father Jason Blood, a knight in Camelot who has since carried this unholy burden on his shoulders. The two influence each other, and Etrigan has fought on the side of good partly because of my father, but also because he really enjoys killing other demons. Make no mistakes though, there is no retribution for Etrigan. He has no desire to atone for the monstrous acts he has committed. To assume that he is anything other than a demon is to invite suffering and death. Etrigan is an extremely powerful demon. One with the physical might to combat nearly any threat. He is not only highly resistant to injury, but he is as masochistic as he is sadistic. His most frequent means of offense is the hellfire that he projects. One of the big things that is frequently forgotten about Etrigan is that he is a powerful magic user capable of impressive feats of sorcery. He just chooses not to as he is impatient. Etrigan is also fiendishly intelligent and his cunning is not to be underestimated.

My brother James looks far more like Etrigan in his demonic form with the strength to match. He is the spitting image almost, but I inherited everything else from that side of the family. The magical ability, the cunning and the capacity for great evil. Not saying my darling brother is an angel, he is not by any stretch of imagination. Daddy two as I have affectionately taken to calling him frequently states that James looks like him, but I act like him. He finds my misbehavior amusing and he encourages it. Of my three fathers, a demon is the most doting. They are terrified of me embracing that aspect of my heritage. Etrigan however is actually quite protective of me, and he will not allow any serious harm to come to me. I do not know whether that is from my father's influence or what. The demon considers me to be his daughter every bit as much as I am Jason's daughter.

[Maleficium]

Satana Hellstrom, The Devil's Daughter.

This entry hits close to home for a couple reasons. A magic using half-demon who is the daughter of a powerful hell-lord. Satana was tutored from a young age exclusively in the black arts by her father Marduk Kurios. Whereas her brother Damion has spent his life fighting against his demonic side, Satana has embraced it completely. She is also my older cousin, as her bloodline is descended from Satannish, the arch-demon 'son' of my great uncle Dormammu. Satana and I actually get along quite well. She has an impeccable fashion sense, she is a lot of fun and completely non-judgemental. I also know she gets an absolute kick out of seeing me behave in a less than innocent manner. I also make no illusions about her. Satana is dangerous. She was raised by her father in his circle of Hell. Evil is not a means to an end for her, but it is the end game. She has done some good in her time but it has always been to her own benefit. She is a succubus, and for a time her soul was bonded to a particularly nasty demon known as The Basilisk. She feeds on souls, transforming them into butterflies which she consumes. In addition she can also summon and wield soulfire and she boasts considerable magical powers. Satana is quite dangerous but she can be handled. I do not think her own ambitions will conflict with mine, and the only advantage she has on me at this point is that she is older. Otherwise, we share a great deal in common.

[Maleficium]

Angela Blood, The Mistress of Flames & The Princess of Darkness.


Simply put, there has never been anything like me before. To be honest, I am not even exactly sure of what I am. A Homo-Magi/Demon/Faltine hybrid. I am living, breathing black magic. The daughter of the Knight Jason Blood as well as The Demon Etrigan and Clea the Faltine ruler of the Dark Dimension. I have inherited much from both sides. As a child, I was relentlessly wicked and destructive. I would not learn what I was until I got older, and by then everything made sense. My mother would eventually marry the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Stephen Strange in addition to becoming the Sorceress Supreme of her own dimension. I have studied under the finest instructors in the mystic arts, and when the time comes, I will claim this planet as my own. My means shall not be through conquest, instead I want all of humanity to choose me. One thing I have learned is that it is better to attract bees through honey than vinegar and despite my formidable power and abilities, I do my best to avoid violence. There are numerous entities that would see this world fall from my grasp, so I have been recruiting acolytes to serve as my will and my hands against my enemies as I form my power base. Prove to be my ally, and see your deepest wishes become reality. Oppose me, and taste annihilation. It is that simple. 

[Maleficium]

Sabbac, The Amalgamation. 

Sabbac is a unique entry into this book of mine. Not a demon in the truest sense, but more a dark form of empowerment done by demonic entities to mock the light. In particular, they mock the mystical wizard Shazam and his champions. The name is an acronym, for the supposed beings that empower him. I know for a fact that The Morningstar is not one of them, but there are numerous demons that refer to themselves as Satan. Aym. My grandfather Belial is one. Beezlebub is another. Asmodeous. And Craeteis. They grant power to particular terrible human beings who then go out and commit atrocities in their name. This serves to sew seeds of chaos and to empower them, so they would naturally agree to this dark pact. Demons can be right wankers. This empowered being has a great deal of strength, they can withstand a lot of damage, they can fly, and breathe as well as emit fire. Notably the fire is not of the soul or hell variety, but it is quite intense all the same. Not a true demon, but hopelessly damned all the same.

[Maleficium]

Blackheart, The Black King

A truly unholy demonic terror that is the 'son' of Mephisto, the endless of Evil. Created from the energies of several centuries worth of murder and atrocities in a concentrated spot over time, Blackheart has no redeeming qualities to him. He corrupts, and he targets the purest of souls. Blackheart appears to be at his strongest in the Darkforce dimension. Vast strength, invulnerability, psychic abilities, size alteration, energy control, a stunning intellect and the ability to capture souls make Blackheart one of the more powerful demons in the pit. He has repeatedly come into conflict with various heroes on the earthly plane.

[Maleficium]

Satanus, Son of the Wizard.

Scheming son to the wizard Shazam, he is a hybrid who greatly resembles what one would expect from a demon, save his distinctive helmet. He is infamous for his trickery and machinations, which are his most dangerous weapons. He has a certain degree of power, although physically he is quite unremarkable for a demon. Unsurprisingly most of his actual power is magical in nature, and the other thing to be wary of when it comes to Satanus is his sister whom he shares a close relationship with, Blaze. The two wish to rule the pit together and warrant keeping a close eye on.  

[Maleficium]

Surtur, The Red Lord.

Often referred to as a Fire Giant, it is just a fancy term for an immensely powerful Fire Demon. For a time he was imprisoned within the depths of the Earth. Hailing from Muspelheim, he is the leader of the Fire Demons and an eternal enemy of the Asgardians. Destined to destroy Asgard, he wields a sword known as Twilight. He's proven to be a tenacious enemy to Thor & Odin. Standing over 1,000 feet in height, his strength is nigh-incalculable. He generates and manipulates intense cosmic flames, though he does have a notable vulnerability to intense cold. Were he to manifest on the Earthly plane, he'd be a monstrous threat on the order of, or possibly even more powerful than a Pantheon Head.

[Maleficium]

Neron, The Howling One.

Neron is a particularly powerful demon in the pit. Don't get me wrong, this nasty commands a great deal of power but as far as accomplishments and the like, he's a bit on the flaccid side. One of those classically Mephistophelean types that want to make deals for the souls of mortal. He particularly has a mad on for noble souls. This makes him extremely transparent and limits him, he is very beholden to rules and the like. Even more than other demons, and he is quite short sighted and not all that hard to predict and outmaneuver. Still his raw power is formidable. Vast strength, energy projection, powerful magical abilities and most notably the ability to distribute powers to others in exchange for their souls without any real drawbacks to himself.