Dominons are akathartoi that have acquired a secret name and a place in demonological lore.[1]
Overview[]
The starting place at which demonic nature ceases to be ambiguous, all Dominions have some testament to their existence outside of Hell. This both permits them to escape the Inferno and ensures that they can be bound.[1]
Dominions are ever seeking further power, and do so by damning mortal souls.[2] To that end, they can utilize a number of powers, such as binding themselves to desecrated places and objects, becoming a Whisperer to rely more on subtlety, or outright entering a mortal's body, rendering him Possessed.[2] Should a demon succeed in growing sufficiently more powerful, it becomes a being known as an Archdemon.[3]
Categorization[]
There are two primary ways that demons tend to be categorized: one by sin and another by methodology. The former, also called the Binsfield method, divides demons by one of seven ruling princes, one for each sin.[4]
- Amon: Often identified with Satan himself. Prince of Wrath.
- Asmodeus: High chancellor of Hell and prince of Lust.
- Beelzebub/Baalzebul: Lord of the Flies and prince of Gluttony.
- Belphegor: Lord of invention and prince of Sloth.
- Leviathan: Great beast of the waters and prince of Envy.
- Lucifer: Also identified with Satan. Prince of Pride.
- Mammon: Hell's exchequer and prince of Greed.
The latter method, dividing by the demon's modus operandi, is separated into five categories[5]:
- Defilers: Defilers focus on desecrating the world around them, turning their surroundings into sick, desperate places. Defilers often begin life as Immundi.
- Nemeses: Nemeses torment sinners, making their lives as terrible as they can before killing them or arranging their deaths. Larvals often become Nemeses, particularly toward those who killed them.
- Slayers: Among the most commonly summoned akathartoi, Slayers simply kill as often as they can. They often can take material form and tend toward both agility and brute force. Other demons look down on Slayers.
- Subversives: Corrupters of the social order, Subversives strive to make evil acts acceptable in the eyes of the people. Unlike most demons, which focus on individuals, Subversives wish to lower the moral standards of entire subcultures.
- Tempters: The single most common of the Dominions, Tempters cater to their own instincts, attacking the morals of individuals. Usually, they focus on virtuous targets.
It is worth noting that few demonologists truly believe that the Binsfield method is anything other than a useful shorthand. In other words, it is unknown whether a demon known as Mammon rules over all Greed demons; it is, however, useful to be able to readily identify a demon as a "Mammon type".[4]
