Another fun must-see is Ares’s Greek island in the Aegean Sea. You won’t be able to get inside his sprawling white manor, but who needs to? There are miles of beaches to enjoy, vineyards to stroll through, and hellhounds to play with. Ares is rumored to be starting up a small winery, and everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what the label will be called.
There are literally millions of sights in the supernatural world, so try not to gape if you come across some of the more fantastical settings and beings. Most people don’t know what to do with themselves when they see an angel, for example. It’s also advisable to carry an extra set of underclothes. You never know how your bowels will react when you come face-to-face with a Soulshredder.
Regions in Sheoul
Sheoul, like the human realm, is divided into hundreds of regions with their own characteristics, populations, and climates. The largest region includes Sithbludd, Dread, Six-River, and Horun. The smallest, Soyl, is a hundred-mile-long, three-hundred-mile-wide chunk of uninhabited fire swamp. The most popular is Carnage, which, with its endless stretches of black-sand beaches along the River Acheron, is a favorite vacation spot.
Weapons You Might See in Use
Gargantua-bone dagger—Very, very rare, and coveted by pretty much everyone. Once the dagger’s blade tastes the blood of an enemy, its aim is always true when used against that enemy.
Heavenly light—One of the most power weapons an angel can possess. The light shoots from an angel’s pores, destroying nearly all evil beings within a certain radius (radius depends on how powerful the angel is). While this is a very lethal weapon, it has extreme limitations. It can only be activated in Sheoul, and because it uses up most of an angel’s energy, it’s often invoked only as a last resort.
Hellfire—As nasty as it sounds. Most often used by fallen angels, hellfire can be streamed into a thin rope of molten lava, it can be hurled as a ball, or it can spray in a fan of flames. A very versatile weapon of midlevel power.
Hellhound saliva—Good luck getting a hellhound to give up his saliva, but if you can, it is one of the few known substances that can neutralize a Horseman by temporarily paralyzing him or her.
Holy fire—This is an angelic weapon, used on low-level evil only. Angels possess an arsenal of low-level weapons that vary depending on each angelic order. Battle angels, for example, are the most well armed and have the widest variety of weapons available to them.
Infernal fire—Known as “underworld napalm,” infernal fire is extremely powerful, burning everything it touches. Fire spirits infest the flames, hunting down every living thing within range of the fire’s heat. Forbidden to use in the human realm.
Qeres—Aegis potion that can be used to coat weapons for use against fallen angels. It was originally developed by the ancient Egyptians, but the recipe has been lost, and what little there is… is all there is.
Scythe—Signature weapon of Memitim angels and Thanatos. In use in Sheoul for thousands of years before it made its appearance in the human realm.
Shear-whip—This is a whip with a white-hot scourge. Angel weapon forbidden to use against another angel.
The Demons
List of demons taken from the Demonica: A Demon Compendium, and updated with new demons discovered in the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance world.
Note: Most demons are invisible to humans unless they want to be seen, the humans are trained to see them, or the humans possess either magic or some inherent ability to see them. The notable exceptions to the invisibility rule are ter’taceo—demons who, by nature, look like humans, or who can take on human appearance. Seminus demons, for example, are ter’taceo.
When any non-ter’taceo demon dies in the human realm, it disintegrates within moments unless it dies in an area specially designed to prevent disintegration, an area built by demons, or some underground locales.
Most demons spend the majority of their lives in Sheoul, the demon realm deep inside the Earth. When demons die, their souls are sent to Sheoul-gra, which is, in essence, a holding tank where souls wait to be reborn. Sheoul-gra is also where evil human souls are sent to either serve demon souls waiting to be reborn, or to be reborn themselves… as demons.
All demon species and breeds can be classified by their Ufelskala score—a number ranging from one to five on the scale of evil, with a score of five being the evilest. It is important to note that the Ufelskala judges “evil” by a species or breed’s love of pain, suffering, and death, as well as on its self-awareness of its own behavior. So a demon animal that eats its prey alive, causing great suffering, may only score a two on the Ufelskala, while a demon that doesn’t kill, but instead merely torments for fun, might score a four.
Humans, for the most part, are unaware that demons walk among them, and that is the way most demons—and most humans—like it.
Acid sprite—Delicate, rat-size, moves faster than a human eye can track. Winged and colorful, they can be seen by human children who believe the sprites are fairies. They inhabit very dense, very wet European forests, where they hunt small rodents and make the most of their mischievous natures by tormenting human travelers. A favorite game is to ensure that campers and hikers become lost in the woods. While rarely fatal, an acid sprite’s bite is toxic to humans and is often mistaken for a spider bite. Ufelskala score: 2
Alu—Rare, ghostlike demon who appears to humans in the shape of a black dog. They have been known to carry diseases such as bubonic plague and leprosy. Usually found haunting graveyards. Ufelskala score: 4
Angelgoth—Fallen angels who have done something to earn being turned into winged, skeletal monsters. Living in a constant state of misery in hellish dungeons, angelgoths serve Satan with ruthless abandon when they are called to do his bidding, for an assignment means a respite from their prisons. Ufelskala score: 5
Baruk—Wrinkled, white-skinned creature that feeds exclusively on Umber demons. They inhabit caves worldwide, where they can hibernate for centuries until an Umber demon moves in. Though humans rarely encounter the baruk, when they do, the results are… messy. Ufelskala score: 3
Bathag—Mine dwellers, violet eyes, pale skin, silver-white hair. They possess power over the Earth and can cause earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mine collapses. They like to live deep in gem and mineral mines, where they cause minor accidents to feed off the energy of those in pain. Ufelskala score: 2
Bedim—Very attractive, sensual humanoid race. Dark skin, dark hair. Males keep females in harems. When harems grow too large for one male to service alone, harems are often shared with friends or “rented” out in order to keep females sated and calm. Ufelskala score: 1
Bone devil—Three feet tall, carnivorous. Lives in forests all over the world. Eats its prey (usually deer) alive. One of the few demon species that exists exclusively in the human realm and never enters Sheoul. Ufelskala score: 2
Charnel Apostle—A race of demon born into the Charnelist religion that celebrates pain, violence, and bloody sacrifice. All Charnel Apostles top six feet tall as adults. Gray skin, black eyes, and hair composed of porcupinelike quills that extend down their back and along their broad, flat tail. They make their home high in the Mongolian mountains, using their magic to conceal their existence from humans. Ufelskala score: 5