Devils

Devils are an ancient race of beings who were born from The Chaos in the beginning of the universe, but were attracted to and corrupted by the the Perfection. Devils are evolved chaos beings which have adjusted to the Perfection and established a new species which, though primarily composed of chaos, contains traces of perfection within. The beings, now able to survive in the Perfection, would later spread and establish themselves in all Eight Realms. Devils fought against the gods of these realms for thousands of years, striving to increase chaos in order to remake the perfection in their image. They also fought to undermine the authority of the gods, who continued to try to root them out. Devils are also hunted by Dragons because they are considered corrupted (which they are) and therefore a threat to creation. However, everything changed following the Realm War. Kyvos made a pact with the most powerful devils from all eight realms and granted them control over the new race of Demons. In return for fighting alongside Kyvos, the Devils were promised a new realm, the ninth realm. However, due to Kyvos' defeat, the devils were unable to secure this new realm and went into hiding. After the other gods of the eighth realm warded the realm and blocked migration into and out of it, the devils inside crept out and began enforcing their will on regions. Ultimately, most devils were defeated, but there remain many holdouts. In these places, the devils practice their traditional hierarchy, which has included demons since their inception.

The devil hierarchy is a complex system which organizes the devils who have maintained their loyalty towards their original plans to work with Kyvos. They believe that Kyvos is the only way they can obtain equal power to the gods and stand on even footing. These devils, despite their fractal nature, continue to think big- seeking to control the perfection itself rather than focusing on the eighth realm. The devils within this hierarchy have a rigid caste system which determines the place of each devil within the greater whole of the movement. However, internally, within the ranks, there is much infighting in order to obtain favors, gain influence, and eventually power. This means that even though the hierarchy appears outwardly united, it is actually a very unstable and ineffective organization. Due to factionalization, sabotage by independent devils, and the majority of its strength being scattered across the Shadow Dimension, the hierarchy is unable to influence the rest of the Eighth Realm to the degree which it should. This is in addition to the leadership caste of the hierarchy being highly focused on dominating the perfection, meaning that efforts to actually take control of the Eighth Realm are given to lesser devils.

The rest of the devils are organized into loose factions which constantly merge, break apart, and dissolve. Because devils are so focused on themselves, most devils can't even trust their own blood relations, instead joining forces with those who share similar values. Over time, devils who work this complicated system of betrayal and intrigue can amass great amounts of power and influence, eventually rising to become an independent devil lord. These are the most powerful and driven individuals known to the realm, who have gained their position through centuries of evil acts, including violence, manipulation, betrayal, and scheming. These are also the most likely devils to attempt to take their domain outside the shadow realm into the mortal plane, in part because all this violence has made them paranoid. Most independent lords have legions of lesser devils and demons under their control and constantly feud with one another and the independent factions.

The primordial devils, while infected with perfection, were not born of other devils. They did not have lineages, though they were identical to modern devils otherwise. However, after invading the First Realm, these devils became infatuated with certain aspects of chaos within the perfection; in other words, the eight sins. Subsequently, they would give birth to the first generation of devils, thus cementing their lineages, which all modern devils are descended from. The devils would also go from incomplete, generic beings to adapting the features of their prey- mortals. In the Eighth Realm, diversity is very high, so there is no easy standard of features to adopt in order to maximize manipulation. This forces the devils in the Eighth Realm to be closer to their primordial forms, and thus more monsterous. Hence, they must work harder in manipulation, expanding their tactics of glamor and shapeshifting to adapt to new circumstances. Any newly formed devil, which has not yet gained a lineage, will almost immediately do so upon interacting with mortals for the first time. These lineages allow the devil gain power by manipulating certain emotions felt and actions done by mortals. Even though most devils are born to two separate lineages, one for each each parent, only one of these will manifest in the devil. This is a completely random chance between the two parents, and despite supersition, is not able to be influenced by outside factors. All devils also gain power through inducing terror and fear. The eight lineages are lust, wrath, avarice, acedia, sorrow, disorder, deceit, hubris.