In an alley in Shriekpot...
As Sigmund and Scott "discuss" a "plan", Niklas goes ahead and tries some interesting experimentation.
"Hmm. So that didn't work. What if I work with an existing material?"
He concentrates on the wall, trying to form a chair out of it! However, try as he might, he achieves absolutely nothing! How wretched, he decides. In fact, he's so disappointed, he-
Wait, why is Sigmund feeling him up? That's a bit creepy.
"Erm... Niklas? Should I be... worried?"
However, before Niklas can process this latest development, Sigmund disengages, giving him a look of profound sadness as he is robbed of the joy of a personal rubber man. Uhm... okay. Niklas would question this, but Sigmund is then distracted by Kevin, who makes a peculiar request.
"We could always charge at them. It's 4 versus one, and me and Niklas are pretty strong. That reminds me, could any of you throw a rock or so at me? I want to try something."
Sigmund shrugs and looks for a rock of some sort. He finds some unidentified gravel and supposes that's good enough, at which point he throws it at Kevin's proudly-displayed chest. The gravel hits him, it seems, and Kevin is slightly disappointed when it doesn't go on miraculous adventures through the nether dimensions. Instead, it just kinda feels very unpleasant for a moment, then falls off. Mostly. Some bits get lodged in his flesh, and require a little bit of picking to be removed. Both of them shrug, and Sigmund continues his discussion with Scott, which concludes promptly when Scott willingly hands over his crossbow and, after a brief reminder, the quiver of bolts.
In the den of the shrieking ship of Shriekpot...
Morton, guessing he might as well could finish the work he began, goes on to try and finish that handbook.
The fourth chapter is about the fact that all demons have a gimmick of some kind. It is a common rule that they will name themselves after said gimmick - the Demon of Logic, for instance, will be exactly what you expect - a highly logical being emphasizing rationality in dealings, while the Demon of Love most commonly deals in what some experts call "brides for sale", essentially perfect replicas of the ideal romantic match for any given person that feel a personal, intimate, unbreakable bond to them, all for the price of one soul. The Demon of Fear works along the lines of designed nightmares, and the Aspect of Greed... well, you get the idea. However, one shouldn't assume that this is all that a demon can do - in fact, a demon can take any form and do virtually anything at will - they merely choose to remain thematic for an unknown reason, possibly to provide mortals with a chance to tell the difference between them or because they feel it suits their personality. Also, as a consequence, you can ask any demon for any kind of favor, and it is likely that they will be able to grant it, though they may choose not to.
The fifth chapter deals with gods. When speaking of demons, it is good to define how they differ from the Five Gods, as they seem quite similar once you do a little bit of research. Though it is difficult to say for sure, several things are clear, chief among them that the gods do not require your soul for any reason, as one can easily find out through prayer to particular deities. Gods do have a tendency to grant quests of self-improvement, though they frequently may be wrapped in something else, such as the retrieval of a particular item, vanquishing of a villainous individual and so forth. In addition, the relationship between gods and demons is not entirely clear, and both the divine and demonic powers refuse to speak on the matter. Tradition holds it to be highly antagonistic, and it appears to be such at first, but there is no known ideological conflict between the gods and demons, and they do not appear to encounter each other on a regular basis, or at least such things have not been observed on the mortal world aside from apocryphal and anecdotal accounts.
The sixth chapter provides a catalog of known demons, which has eleven entries. These are the Demon of Love, the Aspect of Greed, the Demon of Logic, the Demon of Fear, the Lord of Lies, the Demon of Fire, the Demon of Pain, the Demon of Light, the Demon of Secrets, the Demon of Hate and the Demon of Unusual Tastes. Nothing particularly tea-related, Morton is afraid to say. Or fabulous things. And the Demon of Fear entry just tells Morton things he already knows - responds positively to quality entertainment, quiet type, ones who try to reach it must prepare to go through a barrage of horrors. It also contains a footnote that tells Morton to look back to a particular section of the first chapter to find suggestions for portals to the Realm of Fear.
The seventh chapter explains how to traverse a demonic realm in case you're ever there - namely, that you shouldn't try. If you're there, it's most certainly been noticed by the resident demon, and you'll be seen to momentarily. If you do try to traverse a demonic realm under your own power, it is rather likely that you will either get underfoot, annoy a nigh-omnipotent creature or merely get lost in an alien dimension. Since none of those alternatives are very pleasing, one shouldn't do it. One possible exception is the realm of the Demon of Fear, where the demon in question prefers to mess with you before seeing you, presumably for fun and research, but that still doesn't mean you should fly about within.
The eighth chapter tells of the concept of demonic aspects. Apparently, both demons and gods have the ability to split off a chunk of themselves to act independently from the rest of them. This diminishes their capabilities a bit, though this does not matter terribly much in the face of near-omnipotence. There are certain reports of demonic aspects appearing in our world occasionally - the truth of them is yet to be ascertained, but it hardly seems impossible. It stands to reason that one could deal with this aspect similarly to an actual demon, though the author has no real evidence to back up this idea.
And then, after a long list of contributors and people the author feels require special thanks, the book concludes, telling Morton to always remember that the world of demons likes nothing more than a good deal.
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Topic: Life Begins At Death - Epilogue: We Live And Live Again (Read 562533 times)