crossroad demons.

[diabolis]

CROSSROAD DEMONS Soul-eaters who bring mortal souls to hell, or devour them, or sometimes both. Crossroad demons are so named because they dwell in the space that exists between worlds. They never take a soul by force, and instead take mortal souls in exchange for virtually anything that the human can ask for. Initially created by the Wardens of the Void as simpler demons that were tasked with dragging souls back to hell, when angels started to actively roam the Earth to protect humanity from demonic influence, they quickly found themselves outmatched. Each brother adapted their creations in different directions. Rasalaf, Warden of the Terrestrial Void, turned his creatures into silent horrors of the void, the Dread Witches. His brother molded his demons in a different route -- try as they might, even the most powerful angels can't really protect mortals from themselves. Since crossroad demons essentially involve a human willingly surrendering their soul, there is little that angels can do to interfere. They answer to the Warden of the Celestial Void and King of the Crossroads, the hellhound [IDK NAME HERE]. Also known as hell's crossing warden lmao SUMMONING At a crossing between worlds, draw and encircle the seal of the desired demon and utter their name while offering blood. Many different rituals for summoning a crossroad demon have been passed down through occult teachings over the centuries, but as those core conditions are met, a demon will be summoned. While some will journey out to an actual set of crossroads in the middle of nowhere, this isn't actually necessary, it is more important for the location to be somewhere that is somehow between worlds. Demons have been summoned at bridges, river fords, or road crossings between districts. The idea of being able to summon one at a computer is hilarious to me but IDK if it suits tonally. Areas of occult activity where other demons have been recently summoned or have otherwise passed through into Earth can also work. The seal has traditionally been drawn in salt, this again isn't neccessary, but is advisable. It must be drawn physically, and the completed seal must be visible. Each individual crossroad demon has a different sigil that must be reproduced accurately, drawing the wrong seal for the wrong demon will cause the summoning to fail. A circle of some cool occult significant size must also be drawn with the seal at its exact center. The exact means of offering blood is not strict, tradition involves slicing the palm with a silver ritual knife. Blood must be offered onto the drawn seal, standing within the circle but not on the seal itself (that would be bad!!). But I like the idea of silver being a part of it, and bc of the trickery that could be involved. Maybe anything silver. Or just a silver knife why not. When enough blood has touched the seal, if all other conditions have been appropriately met, the seal will absorb the blood and burn itself into the ground it was drawn in as the demon is summoned. The seal vanishes after the deal is complete. If a deal is not made even after the demon has been dismissed, the seal remains. LETS MAKE A DEAL When successfully summoned, a crossroad demon appears opposite from their summoner. Neither will be able to leave the summoning circle, and all time seems to stop around them. Even if the demon was summoned in the presence of others, this means that the deal is ultimately made alone. What occurs is literally a conversation, there are no strict rules regarding how it proceeds, though each individual demon may have their preferences or styles. When the terms of the contract are agreed on, the deal is sealed with a kiss??, and after time resumes the summoner will find the demon's seal burned somewhere on their body, marking them as the demon's bonded. It is possible to "exit" the negotiation after summoning a demon without actually making a deal, the summoner must break the summoning circle, upon which time will resume and the demon will vanish. This tends to really, really irritate the demon involved, who can sometimes take it on themselves to cause some havoc in the summoner's life. An attempt to summon another crossroad demon, even if it's not the same one, would go quite poorly. Making a deal with a crossroad demon always involves surrendering the summoner's soul on the end of their contract, but depending on the deal being made and the nature of the summoner's soul, there can be further costs. While individual crossroad demons do have types of deals they tend to specialize in, ultimately any deal can be made with any crossroad demon. The difference tends to be in these additional costs, which are negotiated with the demon in question and are set at the demon's whims. Their styles of "managing" a deal also tend to vary, some may interact with their bonded and check in on their lives regularly, others may simply watch from afar, and others will simply leave the bonded be until their contract is completed or broken. Crossroad demons can modify deals after they have been sealed, but unless the bonded somehow went against their contract, this must be agreed on by both parties whether it's a change desired by the demon or by the bonded. Contract extensions can be negotiated for when the demon arrives to collect, typically at a massive cost that is near impossible for the bonded to pay. Contracts have virtually no bounds, crossroad demon's powers allow them to bend reality essentially at their whim through a contract. Resurrection or even granting of limited demonic powers are well within bounds, but crossroad demons cannot offer anything in the realm of the divine -- it is unreachable to them, as it is to most demons. There is only one real hard limit: the contract must end, and it must end with complete surrender of the summoner's soul. It is possible, although very, very difficult, to trick or otherwise persuade a crossroad demon into an unfavorable deal. This isn't really advisable though, as the soul is always surrendered at the contract's end, and that crossroad demon is going to be very, very unhappy with you.