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alexandraerinStarted: 5/23/2011
Status: Begun.
Word Count: ~700
Hours Writing: 1
[General Note: I decided to make this a bit of a frame story, so I can use the character of Lorellon, who has made something of a study of the subject, to answer reader questions/misconceptions about demons.]
[1 hour in. Pretty much done with the demon question answering section, the rest of the present is going to be the direct bridge to the flashback where we'll set out to answer the "how we got from there to here"/"what happened?" stuff. Of course there's going to need to be some more scene-setting in the beginning, this is just disconnected dialogue right now.]
"So you're the expert, Lorellon... do you think it was a fire demon, then?"
"Excuse me?"
"The one who was besieging that town," Xylon said. "Or did the villagers try to burn it out of the barn? That wasn't really clear from the news reports."
"First of all, while I'm not about to go marching for demon rights, given the villagers had him surrounded and trapped in a barn, I'm not sure you have the subject and object of that sentence in the right place," Lorellon said. "Second, all demons are 'fire demons'. They were all cast through the elemental plane of fire into the infernal realm, or are descended from demons who were."
"Right, but some are more... fiery... than others," Xylon said. "Right?"
"In a way, I suppose," Lorellon said. "I mean, some will have spent a lot of time honing their control over their flame, and some will have spent more time suppressing it... though I have to imagine that some of those with the most control over how they use their flame will also be those who are best at keeping it in check..."
"But aren't fire demons just naturally better at it?"
"Xylon, I just said there are no 'fire demons'," Lorellon said.
"Well, actually you said they're all..."
"The idea that there are different types or classes of demons is the pet theory of a lot of armchair demonologists," she said. "But it's a mistake. It's based on the fact that this account over here has a demon who's clever and charming, or who's concerned with long-term planning, and that one over there has one who seems to only care about destruction, or immediate self-preservation. Add in the fact that some demons use magic or study various mundane skills and some don't, and you've got the makings of an imaginary infernal taxonomy... but the truth is that while demons differ from each other, it's the same way that humans differ from other humans or elves differ from other elves, not the way that humans differ from elves."
"Well, obviously saying that two demons were as different from each other as elves are from humans would be going too far," Xylon said. "But are you so sure that there isn't something to it?"
"To what? The tendency of people to try to classify everything into neat little boxes?" Lorellon said. "There are other classes of beings in the infernal realm, yes. Imps and hellhounds and things, stuff that was banished at various points or that may be native but no one really knows. But demons... demons were a mortal, created race like most of the races that live on this plane."
"Wow, sorry," Xylon said. "I feel like I've backed my cart over somebody's beloved pet peeve."
"I'm sorry," Lorellon said. "It is a pet peeve, I guess. I'm used to it from humans... we spend so much time for lack of a better word demonizing demons that a lot of important information about them is forgotten or obscured. I can see where some of it comes from. I mean, it's easy enough to understand why people might be more comfortable imagining that monsters who look just like humans might have some hideous and recognizable 'real form'. Or to understand why someone might want to believe that demons have some kind of magical-seduction-mind-control power... believe me, there have been times I've wanted to believe that."
"Oh?"
"Yes."
"That was the cue for you to elaborate on those times," Xylon said. "How did you get so interested in demons, anyway?"
"I didn't," Lorellon said. "Until one got interested in me."
"You're just going to keep saying things like that and then act all mad when it piques my interest, aren't you?"
"Believe it or not, Xy, I don't frame my statements with any thought as to how they're going to affect you," she said. "I just say what I feel comfortable saying. If that's more or less information than you'd optimally prefer, that's just too bad."
[0.5 hours in]
"So you're the expert, Lorellon... do you think it was a fire demon, then?"
"Excuse me?"
"The one who was besieging that town," Xylon said. "Or did the villagers try to burn it out of the barn? That wasn't really clear from the news reports."
"First of all, while I'm not about to go marching for demon rights, given the villagers had him surrounded and trapped in a barn, I'm not sure you have the subject and object of that sentence in the right place," Lorellon said. "Second, all demons are 'fire demons'. They were all cast through the elemental plane of fire into the infernal realm, or are descended from demons who were."
"Right, but some are more... fiery... than others," Xylon said. "Right?"
"In a way, I suppose," Lorellon said. "I mean, some will have spent a lot of time honing their control over their flame, and some will have spent more time suppressing it... though I have to imagine that some of those with the most control over how they use their flame will also be those who are best at keeping it in check..."
"But aren't fire demons just naturally better at it?"
"Xylon, I just said there are no 'fire demons'," Lorellon said.
"Well, actually you said they're all..."
"The idea that there are different types or classes of demons is the pet theory of a lot of armchair demonologists," she said. "But it's a mistake. It's based on the fact that this account over here has a demon who's clever and charming, or who's concerned with long-term planning, and that one over there has one who seems to only care about destruction, or immediate self-preservation. Add in the fact that some demons use magic or study various mundane skills and some don't, and you've got the makings of an imaginary infernal taxonomy... but the truth is that while demons differ from each other, it's the same way that humans differ from other humans or elves differ from other elves, not the way that humans differ from elves."
"Well, obviously saying that two demons were as different from each other as elves are from humans would be going too far," Xylon said. "But are you so sure that there isn't something to it?"
"To what? The tendency of people to try to classify everything into neat little boxes?" Lorellon said. "There are other classes of beings in the infernal realm, yes. Imps and hellhounds and things, stuff that was banished at various points or that may be native but no one really knows. But demons... demons were a mortal, created race like most of the races that live on this plane."
Status: Begun.
Word Count: ~700
Hours Writing: 1
[General Note: I decided to make this a bit of a frame story, so I can use the character of Lorellon, who has made something of a study of the subject, to answer reader questions/misconceptions about demons.]
[1 hour in. Pretty much done with the demon question answering section, the rest of the present is going to be the direct bridge to the flashback where we'll set out to answer the "how we got from there to here"/"what happened?" stuff. Of course there's going to need to be some more scene-setting in the beginning, this is just disconnected dialogue right now.]
"So you're the expert, Lorellon... do you think it was a fire demon, then?"
"Excuse me?"
"The one who was besieging that town," Xylon said. "Or did the villagers try to burn it out of the barn? That wasn't really clear from the news reports."
"First of all, while I'm not about to go marching for demon rights, given the villagers had him surrounded and trapped in a barn, I'm not sure you have the subject and object of that sentence in the right place," Lorellon said. "Second, all demons are 'fire demons'. They were all cast through the elemental plane of fire into the infernal realm, or are descended from demons who were."
"Right, but some are more... fiery... than others," Xylon said. "Right?"
"In a way, I suppose," Lorellon said. "I mean, some will have spent a lot of time honing their control over their flame, and some will have spent more time suppressing it... though I have to imagine that some of those with the most control over how they use their flame will also be those who are best at keeping it in check..."
"But aren't fire demons just naturally better at it?"
"Xylon, I just said there are no 'fire demons'," Lorellon said.
"Well, actually you said they're all..."
"The idea that there are different types or classes of demons is the pet theory of a lot of armchair demonologists," she said. "But it's a mistake. It's based on the fact that this account over here has a demon who's clever and charming, or who's concerned with long-term planning, and that one over there has one who seems to only care about destruction, or immediate self-preservation. Add in the fact that some demons use magic or study various mundane skills and some don't, and you've got the makings of an imaginary infernal taxonomy... but the truth is that while demons differ from each other, it's the same way that humans differ from other humans or elves differ from other elves, not the way that humans differ from elves."
"Well, obviously saying that two demons were as different from each other as elves are from humans would be going too far," Xylon said. "But are you so sure that there isn't something to it?"
"To what? The tendency of people to try to classify everything into neat little boxes?" Lorellon said. "There are other classes of beings in the infernal realm, yes. Imps and hellhounds and things, stuff that was banished at various points or that may be native but no one really knows. But demons... demons were a mortal, created race like most of the races that live on this plane."
"Wow, sorry," Xylon said. "I feel like I've backed my cart over somebody's beloved pet peeve."
"I'm sorry," Lorellon said. "It is a pet peeve, I guess. I'm used to it from humans... we spend so much time for lack of a better word demonizing demons that a lot of important information about them is forgotten or obscured. I can see where some of it comes from. I mean, it's easy enough to understand why people might be more comfortable imagining that monsters who look just like humans might have some hideous and recognizable 'real form'. Or to understand why someone might want to believe that demons have some kind of magical-seduction-mind-control power... believe me, there have been times I've wanted to believe that."
"Oh?"
"Yes."
"That was the cue for you to elaborate on those times," Xylon said. "How did you get so interested in demons, anyway?"
"I didn't," Lorellon said. "Until one got interested in me."
"You're just going to keep saying things like that and then act all mad when it piques my interest, aren't you?"
"Believe it or not, Xy, I don't frame my statements with any thought as to how they're going to affect you," she said. "I just say what I feel comfortable saying. If that's more or less information than you'd optimally prefer, that's just too bad."
[0.5 hours in]
"So you're the expert, Lorellon... do you think it was a fire demon, then?"
"Excuse me?"
"The one who was besieging that town," Xylon said. "Or did the villagers try to burn it out of the barn? That wasn't really clear from the news reports."
"First of all, while I'm not about to go marching for demon rights, given the villagers had him surrounded and trapped in a barn, I'm not sure you have the subject and object of that sentence in the right place," Lorellon said. "Second, all demons are 'fire demons'. They were all cast through the elemental plane of fire into the infernal realm, or are descended from demons who were."
"Right, but some are more... fiery... than others," Xylon said. "Right?"
"In a way, I suppose," Lorellon said. "I mean, some will have spent a lot of time honing their control over their flame, and some will have spent more time suppressing it... though I have to imagine that some of those with the most control over how they use their flame will also be those who are best at keeping it in check..."
"But aren't fire demons just naturally better at it?"
"Xylon, I just said there are no 'fire demons'," Lorellon said.
"Well, actually you said they're all..."
"The idea that there are different types or classes of demons is the pet theory of a lot of armchair demonologists," she said. "But it's a mistake. It's based on the fact that this account over here has a demon who's clever and charming, or who's concerned with long-term planning, and that one over there has one who seems to only care about destruction, or immediate self-preservation. Add in the fact that some demons use magic or study various mundane skills and some don't, and you've got the makings of an imaginary infernal taxonomy... but the truth is that while demons differ from each other, it's the same way that humans differ from other humans or elves differ from other elves, not the way that humans differ from elves."
"Well, obviously saying that two demons were as different from each other as elves are from humans would be going too far," Xylon said. "But are you so sure that there isn't something to it?"
"To what? The tendency of people to try to classify everything into neat little boxes?" Lorellon said. "There are other classes of beings in the infernal realm, yes. Imps and hellhounds and things, stuff that was banished at various points or that may be native but no one really knows. But demons... demons were a mortal, created race like most of the races that live on this plane."