Spirits and Demons

In most cases even the most uneducated of Thedosians is moderately aware of the denizens of the Fade, or at least their existence. How much they know is usually left up to their level of education. For the mundane residents,this is generally not a concern. However for apostates, the lack of knowledge can be and is often met with fatal consequences.

The Chantry (and thus the Circle of Magi) has two terms for the denizens of the fade: Spirit, for beings of either passiveness or benevolence, and embody positive traits, and Demon, for the malefic and wicked creatures that seek to manipulate and possess hosts (primarily mortals and mages) to enter the physical realm. Typically people are more aware of demons than they are of spirits, and to be fair, more is known on the former than the latter.

Spirits are creatures native to the Fade and commonly take forms based on the virtues they find themselves affiliated with or, in the case of demons, the sins. The strange, frightening and obscene nature of the Fade may often seem alarming and confusing to dreaming mortals, but it is commonplace to the Fade dwellers, who will even go as far as to twist and shape it to their leisure. Often if a Fade spirit encounters a mortal, they cannot help but mine through their mind for thoughts and memories. Sometimes this is a harmless act. Other times, often in the case of demons, it is for the purpose of trickery and manipulation, which is what makes them so dangerous. Demons (and spirits alike, although they often do not choose to do so) have the ability to shape a dreamer's perceptions and trick them into thinking their dreams are reality.

Spirits embody and latch onto singular purposes, often emotions or feelings. These purposes can be perceived as good, such as spirits of faith or valor, or evil and sinful, such as the case of demons. When a spirit is twisting the Fade, it will typically reflect the nature of it. A rage demon's territory may be filled with cracked coals and bubbling geysers whilst a spirit of peace will have something calm and serene, and so forth. A spirit's form can also be changed at it's will, though typically it will also reflect it's nature. It can be as consistent or as inconsistent or as irrational as it pleases. Often to further manipulate mortals, a demon will give itself a name or allow a mortal to give it a name in order to come off as amiable and benevolent. Spirits do a similar thing, though it would be more for the convenience of the mortal, or to show or gain trust.

The denizens of the Fade has only one need, and that is to fulfil it's purpose, often a carnal desire reflecting the typically obsessive nature of their embodiment. A hunger demon strives to consume, a desire demon wallows in debauchery and greed; a spirit of peace strives for serenity and calm. For all technical purposes, the only real thing that separates a spirit from a demon apart from the moral opposites of their fascinations is how they go about them.

In a sense, all demons feed. They must live and revel in their associated affinities and will strive to do so in whatever possible way they can. For the typically benign spirits, they tend to observe dreaming minds and the world through it, although there are cases where a spirit is so brazen to try and intervene with the mortal world through the means of a host. Often this is the case with spirit healers, sometimes befriending or aiding mortals in some way or another, though spirits are typically wary. It is not uncommon for a spirit to become curious about other facets of the psyche and trail into more darker elements, resulting in a corruption or mutation of the spirit into a more selfish, aggressive being; a demon. That being said, demons can also warp into even worse horrors by means of this corruption. More complex, powerful, and less known demons such as envy and obsession are a result of this. The more a spirit or demon 'feeds', the more powerful it can become. Although the Tevinters tried and the Circles still try to this day, it is impossible to apply a label such as 'desire' or 'faith' to every spirit within the Fade. It is simply, without a doubt, beyond complete mortal comprehension.

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