3681A, 27th Ventosus Day 42.

It is our forty second day out from home. Home, there is a thought. I have been gone just over a month and already it feels forever. My children, my wife… I see their faces in my dreams but they seem distant even now. Childish I know, even dramatic perhaps. Even for me.

We have been underground in these ruins for days and I fear that the light will never shine on me again. I missed the meteor shower again, I fear I never will. I wish I could have seen the stars fall to the earth, I hear it is a sight like no other. Especially in the waning of summer when fall comes, the stars fall like rain and light the sky as if dusk was on the world twice in one day.

Is this trek smart? Is it worth it? My troupe and I were hired to navigate through these ruins looking for an item of ancient origins. I wasn’t even given a description, only Martic, our self imposed leader of this group. Arrogant yes, but not half bad in charge in a pinch. Anyway, he did mention it was some grand door or gate. I don’t know why we are looking for a door, we can not bring it back if it is big.

Our group of thirty is down to twenty eight, two days ago we lost one to a quake and a wall collapsed in on him. Joana. His cries echoed in the underground darkness for hours until he finally quieted. We tried digging him out but the more we dug the more collapsed on him. Martic said a prayer and walked off into the darkness. I stayed trying to comfort him, but I feel it was more for me so I would not be haunted by demons when I sleep.

The second one… his screams will haunt my nightmares forever. Marcus went walking off into the darkness last night to relieve himself. Martic told him to stay close but he walked off. I echoed his sound judgment but he still walked off into the dark without a light. The last words from him were distant in the darkness, but he mentioned something about the smell of death and then his screams awoke us. We ran to were we thought he was but could not find him, not even any blood.

We said a prayer to him and began walking. We have traveled far into this ruined structure. Once thought a place of worship, a large temple perhaps, it seems more of a city held within the walls of a single building. The topmost portion outside has crumbled to an indiscernible mess, but underground it has stayed mostly intact.

It would have looked pretty perhaps when people lived here. I have found some pottery and dry rotted clothing and tapestries. Few bones however so I can not determine what caused the people here to leave.

We have stopped for a break to rest our weary feet and drink more tepid water. It tastes old but you can survive on it. We will be leaving soon according to Martic. He said last night that after two deaths, if we do not find this item within the next few days we will leave and return home.

Garan just returned from scouting ahead. He claims to have smelled something like a dead body. Perhaps it is Marcus, we are on a lower level than we were when we lost him, perhaps he just fell down a fissure and died. What a terrible way. So we are off to check on this and then proceed.

My family, I hope to see them soon.

Stefan, Scribe and Teacher. Journeymen
Last journal entry.

Choke horrors are nightmarish creatures that give the most knowledgeable and adventurous pause. They are tall gangly bipedal creatures that have four whip like appendages instead of arms. These whips end in small, yet sharp claws that rake metal armor as would a sword. They have a white pallid complection and a smell of sweet decaying roses. This gives them a quick appearance of being a corpse if they hide their whip arms. Their black eyes showing no signs of intelligence or thought, but behind those eyes are primal predatory instincts.

The Choke Horror is a member of the Fel’Krethsh caste of the demon kind. They are animals and nothing more than that. They stalk their prey and feed, little else. Their masters use them for fodder on the battle field, occassionally leaving them with the dead to kill any straglers to a battle.

They have no speech or culture, but will occasionally hunt in packs of two or three. They are single minded and devious, wanting only to feed. They tend to lurk and hide in the shadows and jump out at a anyone or anything straggling behind for an easier meal. They will attempt to grapple their intended prey with two of their arms leaving the other two open for defense or attacking and try and strangle their victim to feed on at a later date.

They can only attack with three of their whips as the forth one is always left for defense or to grab anything close for defense or food. They are carnivorous creatures that will eat the flesh from their victims before their last breath escapes their lips. They will eat any animal they can get a hold of, but prefer humanoid and sentient beings for some unknown reason. They rest in dens hidden away from direct sunlight as the sun seems to hurt their eyes. It doesn’t harm them, but bright light seems to be an aversion to them.

Additional Information
The Fel’Krethsh are the slave caste of the demons. They are the workers that keep everything the way the masters want it. Should a need arise for more at the Pits, they gather hunts and bring them to the Pits, keeping them full for their masters. Most of the Fel`Krethsh are animalistic in intelligence. They understad command and the wants of their masters, but no nothing but to appease. They are the small imps in the night, the horrible shadows that stalk dreams and nightmares. They are what people fear in the dark with no name.

More information on this can be found here Hewdamian Demons

This setting is within my world of Hewdamia.

The dark God Caedmon came to the realm of Hewdamia with a purpose. What the purpose was, only he knew as he kept it close to him and took it to his oblivion during the War of the Gods. In his wake he left a swath of confusion that to this day holds a mystery to the knowledgable.

When the Gods argued, Caedmon began to work in secret. He slipped away and began building gates in remote places of the world, hidden from the questioning eyes of his fellow Gods, away from meddling mortals. These massive stone gates depict scenes of horror and terror beyond what anyone had seen. These gates were doorways to another place, possibly from where Caedmon originally came from.

These gates open to the world of the Demons and their kin. Caedmon had originally planned to open the gates and unleash a swath of destruction so encompassing, that the Gods would fail to stop it. The gates were dubbed the Demon Gates and they stood ready to unleash a hell on the world only Caedmon had ever seen before. He placed keys throughout the world to be used when he was ready, but before that time came, he was thrust into a war between the Gods that ended his existance.

It is thought, or rumored, that Caedmon traveled from world to world unleashing this hell on the worlds he visited. Some whisper he was a Demon God trying to usurp the power of the others. The truth, no one knows and can only be speculated by those insane enough to deeply study the dark God’s teachings.

Effects of the Gates
The Demon gates are not limited to operating only while open. A side effect that the God Caedmon had not foreseen was the amount of desire the demons force through the gates, even while closed. A few have been able to filter through over the centuries but that pales in comparison to the deadly power that flows through the closed gates.

Those who have stayed near the gates, whether aware or not, have come away changed. Even a simple evening spent in the shadow of foreboding gates changes a person forever. Thoughts and voices are often heard in the minds of those that are within 100’ of the gates. These voices are fleeting at first, but build up over exposure to the gates. At first, only a whisper of noise can barely be detected and will often be ignored as the wind or odd noise. The longer one spends around the gates however, the voices get stronger and more persistent. The voices become personalities of their own soon demanding the attention of those they infect. Silent words of death and murder filter through the mind turning into detailed visions and thoughts of death and horror, often dealing with loved ones or friends.

This is enough to make anyone crazy and desire to flee from the area. Spending a day away from the gates will clear the mind of the voices, but will never clear the thoughts that they had during their exposure.

Those sleeping near the gates for an extended period of time are not so lucky. Visions and detailed murders grasp at their subconscious, forever tainting their mind. As their exposure to the gates increases, so does the frequency and the detail of the horrible nightmares. Vivid nightmares about riding a cresting waves of Demons, surging out from the gates or towers frequent the dreams. Most often with massacres of entire kingdoms running with the blood of those murdered.

This begins to slowly change those who spend time near the doomed gates. They begin to become angry over the most mundane of things, arguing frequently with others, and coming to blows after only a short period of time has been spent near the gates. The images of murder and destruction begin to change their ideals and they begin feeling the urge to reproduce these vivid omens. No longer seen as nightmares or dreams, but omens or portents from a higher source, the fallen God Caedmon perhaps.

Eventually if not controlled by a stronger force, they will turn on anything to satisfy the bloodlust that fills their veins, and the anger and hatred that fills their soul. Any demon or being capable of withstanding the overwhelming effects would capitalize on anyone in this state in an instant, using their weakened mind to control for their own purpose.

Documents written in an old text tell a tale of physical deformation as well with extreme exposure to the gates. But the journal ends with indecipherable scribble as the scribe was obviously insane when the journal was completed.

Full Description
A flesh stalker is a member of the Fel'Krethsh, or slave caste. However, they have been elevated higher among their fellow slaves because of their faithful service to the nobles. They have a bloodlust that matches that of the greediest Ba'craht. They are occasionally sent out to deal with difficult enemies, and are usually deep with numbers.

They are humanoid shape with two arms and two legs; however, their body has many protrusions growing from their body. They wear no clothing or armor and can wield no weapons as they have no hands. These protrusions are hard and can be used to impale their victims but grappling with them. Their arms have sharp spear like ends in place of hands that drip a narcotic drug that paralyzes their victims in moments. Anything being struck by this must make a check suitable to the game system against a poison or fall to the ground unable to move for hours. If the victim survives the attack after being paralyzed they must make three checks or they will gain an addictive reaction to the poison and need something to replace it. Drug addiction usually follows.

Additional Information
They are often used to hunt down single victims for their masters. Often members of an enemies ranking military or leaders. If a Flesh Stalker is not expected, then nothing can stop it from entering an area unnoticed to seek out its mission. They do so willingly and with great pleasure knowing they are pleasing their masters, but at the same time satisfying their blood lust. Such is the way for a violent addicted demon.

Demon Society:
The nobles of demonkind are different from the rest of their kin. The top three demons of nobility are singular in nature. They have one ruler with two demons who reside below him. They alternate between the three of them constantly fighting with one another, but never to the death as their existence is unique. The nobles do not age so they are forever in their caste. The other nobles below them however, are born and raised to fight. Seldom do they fight one another, but have been known to try and supplant a brother or cousin above them for power.

Every noble demon born of a certain caste are all called by the same name, with an added surname of their choosing. These are usually to strike fear into their enemies or show of their deeds. Regardless of this self given title, they are all of the same blood and therefore of the same name. When describing these demons, singular tones will be used to describe them but only in the sense of their particular caste of demonkind, not them personally.

Full Description
Sarku is a demon prince of abject beauty. He appears as a 15’ tall black skinned male of unheard of beauty. He has black silken wings that fold at his neck and back to drape his shoulders like a cloak. His body is muscled and well defined, looking more of a proxy to the gods than a demon his angelic looks have often surprized those who he has come to pass judgement on.

He is often seen to be wearing nothing but chain breeches and carrying a maul of the purest black obsidian. His chain armor shines bright with a polished silver sheen as his maul soaks up the light of the sun and flames as well as the light of ones soul if standing to near. The Gavel of Judgement, as they are called, is cold to any who touch it not of the Sarku. It steals the soul of those who it defeats to add it’s knowledge to the wielder.

His demeanor is one of amusement at the rest of the demon kind as they rush about trying to better the next to rise in their position. Being of the Da’Sregt caste of the demons he stands above the others and looks down seeing where the next push for power will be, and then he crushes it. He sees their scurrying lives as pointless as eventually someone will push them to tetter on the edge of the chasm of their way of life and they will fall. he cares little for this as he knows he is above their pettiness and squabbles.

He has been given the task from his rulers of stopping any would be usurpers from taking control of their society. He is titled the Judge of the Three for the three that rule use him and his caste to purge the ranks of usurpers and quell any upstarts who think they are superior by numbers and skill. Very few times will he stand aside and allow a challenge of power to pass his judgement, but they do happen. The Three do not like to get personally involved as they do not age, they can still be replaced. Once every century they will accept a challenge where Sarku will reside as the officiating judge to be sure of no outside help, and to be sure that the Three prevail.

Additional Information
His greatest strength is his ability to use spell like powers similar to a mage. These spells function as they normally would but they are at double the potency the normal spell would function at. These are all innate abilities and do not require a focus staff as other mages would require to use. It is presumed that the maul he wields is the source of this energy that is needed to cast spells, but only the Sarku know, and they do not tell their secrets.

Little is known about the personal side to the Sarku, what they do when they are not passing judgement. They are rarely seen outside the folds of the Three unless they are judging an usurper. Very few who are judged survive, close to one every five centuries will survive the judgement of the Sarku, and they are never the same afterwards.

The Taurs are a cross breed of demon and sentient races of Hewdamia. Each one being different than the other races, but all having similar characteristics as others of their race. For this the demons have classed them into categories by their usefulness. While mostly considered slaves, there are a few who have broken from those bonds and aspire to higher positions. This breeding between demon and mortal races is always painful and the female usually always dies as the spawn is birthed and begins eating their way through before being released. This death brings life to the taur and a purpose. When they are born they have their demon blood coursing through their veins and intelligence comes within minutes.

While this intelligence is superior to a normal mortal child, it is still in an infancy stage where they learn quickly but know a feral purpose. They most always know who their parentage is and can usually detect them and find them regardless of distance. This bonded feeling dissipates over time but will last usually a year or two.

Breeding between demons and mortals is usually forbidden to the Da’Sregt and a few Ba’craht. The ruling noble Da’Sregt are the only few who can breed with the Olwynn however, the reasoning behind this seclusion is apparent in the half breed that is spawned. The others do not seem to be able to survive or are not a strong enough stock to attempt to breed. Unworthy flesh is not allowed and therefore the Fel’Krethsh are never allowed to breed. However, they have no rules regarding the taking of flesh, as long as they are sure that not offspring will come to fruit. This usually means the woman are killed afterwards, which is a blessing as the survivors are in pain the entire time and die at birthing horribly. Taur can not breed and can not have offspring as they all seem to be devoid of the urges to mate.

Their demon masters view them as nothing more than a tool to be used until it is broken and then to be thrown away and replaced by another. They are viewed with contempt and often as not, simply ignored until needed. A few have rizen above the ranks of simple tool and slave to be placed in a higher position, but these are rare and special cases.

The most important of these is the Atistaur, the half breed of Olwynn and demon. Only the demon rulers can breed with them to produce the half breed offspring. The resulting mating brings forth a very unique demon breed that has been elevated to that of a low noble, and respected even above true blooded demons.

While the birth of these half-demons is not an everyday event, it does happen enmass at times which is why they are able to flood their ranks with fresh bodies. They do not seem to age as mortals do so it is not known whether they can die of an old age.

Demon Classes
Da’Sregt - Nobility

Ba’craht - Middle Caste

Fel’Krethsh - Slave Caste