Soooo now comes the tricky bit. In the next chapter I'm going to be going into a bit more lore about demons in this setting, which is going to be a little tricky in itself. But luckily I think I've got it worked out, at least as far as this particular kind goes.
The really tough thing I have to work out is how our heroes are going to defeat Kairangi and Tuimana! To do that, they have to know some things about how the demonic pact they forged, the rules involved, etc. Unfortunately I'm still trying to figure a bunch of those details out myself! To defeat them, there's got to be some kind of trick involved. They can't take them head-on in a straight-up fight. I have on idea, but it's a little too... I dunno, bland maybe? I feel like I need to come up with something more clever.
I've already started writing the chapter, and I've got a good 2.8k in so far. But now I'm getting into the part where I need to have some answers about what the rules are surrounding these two antagonists' powers and weaknesses. Going to take some serious mulling over to figure it out, heh.
Following up on this, I want to go into a bit more detail about the lore of the setting that I could really use feedback and suggestions for. But be warned, there are some spoilers for things that will be brought up in the next chapter.
Spirits
Spirits in the setting are beings from, well, the spirit world. A lot of them (with the exception of things like ghosts, etc.) play a major role in how the natural (mortal) world works, and range a lot in power. Many of them are things like elementals, manifesting as beings made of, and able to manipulate, a particular kind of "element" (though there are more than just the usual fire/water/earth/air etc.) Ordinarily they stay at the same general level of power, size, influence etc., unless the spirit court decides to basically promote them for some reason. The most powerful spirits that are active in the mortal world are referred to as gods, while in the spirit world they're often referred to elder spirits or things along those nature, since it usually means they've been around a very long time.
But if mortals start to take an interest in them, they may start to worship them and pray to them, etc. If enough people start to do so, they'll start to grow on their own, becoming more powerful and having domain over a larger area. Ordinarily this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as many spirits will use the extra power to further stabilize the area they have dominion over against entropy and other hostile things, including wandering demons, as well as possibly help said mortals out in various ways.
But occasionally, they start to become addicted and crave more and more. Which leads to...
Demons
Demons are corrupted spirits. It's actually a bit more complicated than that, and as the current villain has indirectly pointed out, the term "demon" is technically a title more than anything. A demon is basically any spirit that has turned against the rules of the spirit world and the natural order. Many, maybe even most, do so for the above listed reason- a desire for more and more power. There are other types as well, including spirits that just plain go insane, but that's not really relevant to the current story arc, so I'll just focus on the power hungry ones for now.
It's usually not an immediate transition. The spirit in question will usually start off just trying to convince more and more mortals to revere and worship them, and make sacrifices to them, etc. They'll often resort to fear and manipulation tactics if necessary. When this isn't enough, some start looking for other options.
That's where a certain ancient, buried kind of power comes in. I still need to work out the details and come up with a good name, but the idea is that there's this 'framework' of powers and laws that underlies everything else in the mortal world, that is normally outside the reach of most beings, including all but the most ancient spirits. But through an odd loophole, two beings from two worlds- typically a mortal and a spirit- can form a pact that binds them together and allows them access to this framework (again, really need a better way of referring to it!). Doing so is extremely against the rules of the spirit world, and it is at this point the spirit in question officially becomes a demon. Again, this isn't the only way to become one, but it's one of the most common.
This ritual gives them various new, very potent powers, such as letting them suppress or banish other spirits from their domain. But it also binds them to the rules of their pact, which must be stated during the original ritual. This is because the (framework) is itself composed of metaphysical rules, and the ritual involves twisting them to incorporate the demon and their mortal partner into the fabric of reality in that area. The ritual grants them potent power, but if at any point one of them breaks one of the rules that binds them, their pact is severed, usually in a very devastating way.
Breaking the pact not only injures both, but it leaves them both vulnerable to repercussions from the spirit world. The spirit is usually immediately tossed into the setting's version of hell for a long time, whereas the mortal, if they survive, usually has to face down their former victims and their loved ones, and their soul will also be bound for the hells when they die.
As previously stated, there are also other kinds of demons. Some come from failed fusions/pacts, and usually result in monstrosities like the ravagers that have come up in the story a couple times. And at least one other will come up later on.
Needed Feedback
So, this is where I need some feedback.
- Is all of this clear and straightforward enough? Any areas it could use improvement or tweaking?
- I could really use suggestions for what to call the underlying energy/"framework" these pacts are based on.
- I specifically could really use some suggestions for what kinds of rules Tuimana and Kairangi might have that the protagonists and their new friends could take advantage of. Something they can trick them into breaking, or else some kind of vulnerability they can exploit.