Gloranthan Demons

[Darius West]

15 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

seems to me that in Gorantha, a deity could provide a dinivation spell but if they could be able to pull down mountains (or just a wall) by themselves, they weren't a real god but maybe a demon, thanks to the compromise.  thanks you, by the way, you teached me something today

Hey, np, glad to be of service.  My take on ancient theology is that the gods, being outside of time, were always able to predict events in advance, and keep themselves out of all but the most avoidable trouble.  Daimons however were just powerful, but the gods could always predict them into a corner they couldn't get out of if the Daimon became a problem.

[Bill the barbarian]

On 10/7/2016 at 10:56 AM, g33k said:

Erm.  What are they, actually?

 

Easy, it is not one of us, it comes from hell, it eats us... it's a demon!

 

[Shiningbrow]

One thing I want to point out is the distinction in definitions will depend on which angle one is looking from

If you're looking at it from within Glorantha, then the "Easy, it is not one of us, it comes from hell, it eats us... it's a demon! "  will work - but only for them!

However, if you're looking at this issue (as with many others, such as magic in general) from the perspective of a player or person here on Earth reading a fantasy TTRPG book, then the definition for a demon becomes a lot more specific. in this case, it's an embodied spirit from an underworld, with AP equal to HP equal to MP (according to the Bestiary).

One simple first test should be - can it be summoned as any other spirit (like elementals, ghosts, guardian spirits, etc)? If yes, then it's not a troll! (obviously bypassing the 'ghost of a troll'

[Shiningbrow]

On 10/8/2016 at 4:57 AM, jajagappa said:

Through the Guide, you'll generally find demon or demonic applied to something 'evil' or 'hostile' from the perspective of a given pantheon

I just did a search for the word, and I haven't found that to be the case in most instances. Only a couple of times does it appear to be less categorical, and on those occasions it's phrased in a way that they are called a demon by some, but doesn't otherwise imply that they are.

OTOH, the other uses of the word leave no doubts (unless one wants to add something that wasn't obvious... such as when they say "Demon Lord of...", or "Demon Lobster" etc.)

 

On 11/20/2021 at 2:28 PM, Pentallion said:

Are they spirits or are they flesh and blood?

Yes. Some (most?) are able to form a body in the material world (like a wraith or dryad), and so they'd have 'flesh and blood' (of a type). But they can be summoned as a spirit (the way that material world physical species can't be).*

 

(*Noting that those called by Summons of Evil are 'called' rather than 'summoned' in the magical sense).

[DrGoth]

14 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Easy, it is not one of us, it comes from hell, it eats us... it's a demon!

 

I thought if it wasn't one of us and looked funny it was Krjakli 😉

 

[Qizilbashwoman]

45 minutes ago, DrGoth said:

I thought if it wasn't one of us and looked funny it was Krjakli 😉

it's always amusing that demons are as much an enemy of Chaos as anyone else

[mfbrandi]

24 minutes ago, Qizilbashwoman said:

It’s always amusing that demons are as much an enemy of Chaos as anyone else

Ah well, we are all in favour of freedom and democracy over there — but at home, not so much.

[Gallowglass]

The bestiary describes demons of a spiritual nature, who originate from the Underworld. There also seem to be creatures like trolls who came from the Underworld, but are basically “mortal,” and don’t have any inherently magical qualities.

My own explanation for this is that the presence of certain runes like Man or Beast inherent in some creatures forces them to obey the laws of mortality. When I think of the Andins of the East Isles, I see them as a mix of spiritual creatures, and those who are basically mortal, like the Arandinni. I don’t think Andins=trolls, but I’d bet that there are some foreign trolls among them. And to the islanders, trolls would certainly look like just another Andin.

[Aelex]

Sorry for the noob question, but is there a collection of "Canon Demons" somehow somewhere?

[Joerg]

50 minutes ago, Aelex said:

Sorry for the noob question, but is there a collection of "Canon Demons" somehow somewhere?

Not really. There are too many underworld denizens or other monsters who may be called demons after certain definitions.

The Crimson Bat is a demon. A kaiju specimen of demon, really.

Cacodemon is a portion of the Devil, and the ancestral deity of the chaotic ogres. While this chaotic entity deservedly bears the name demon, it has no direct connection to Hell (the Underworld). Another part is the Devil's Hand, and a similar (possibly smaller) such entity roams Snake Pipe Hollow.

Trolls are refugees from Hell, and at least their ancestral Mistress Race can be called demons without any hyperbole. Using the name for ordinary dark trolls, trollkin or cave trolls seems to be over the top, though.

Dehori darkness spirits are "hellspawn" and can thus be called demons, even though they lack (much of) physical bodies. (Some may manifest elemental and to some extent tangible darkness.)

The Hound ridden by Sir Ethilrist and the demon horses ridden by his followers are entities from Hell that Ethirist forced into his service. His Cloak of Darkness may summon another Underworld species (called goblins) should he elect to use (up) this memento from Hell.

The various antigod races of the East (including the Huan-to from Kralorela, the Andins from the East Isles, and presumably the Gorgers who fled the destruction of Duravan to Kimos) could be counted as demons, and their demigod ancestors even more so. Compare the trolls, above.

Krarshtkids and their spirit kin Krarshtides may be regarded as demons.

There are various hill ranges in Sartar (Starfire Ridge) and Heortland (Aurochs Hills) where there are Fire entities bound into the hilltops that may assault visitors with their fiery magics. To the natives, these are demons even though they profess a celestial origin.

Elementals, especially unusual ones with intelligence, might be counted among the demons.

 

[mfbrandi]

1 hour ago, Joerg said:

Krarshtkids and their spirit kin Krarshtides may be regarded as demons.

Or daemons:

• spawned by Krarsht/init;
• running in the background;
• definitely not under direct control of the cult/users.

[David Scott]

7 hours ago, Aelex said:

Sorry for the noob question, but is there a collection of "Canon Demons" somehow somewhere?

Yes. See the RQ Bestiary. In addition to standard demons, it has nyctalopes, Hollri, and the Crimson Bat. This is with the caveat that The term “demon” encompasses a wide array of Underworld spirits.