The Blood Cult/On Daimons

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Collected correspondences of Macal Kandurell and LouisJoseph Chenier

Roleplay from Louis-Joseph Chénier
Message sent to Macal Kandurell
Daimons, ah, that's a tricky subject, some would behead you for have a certain stance, others would for you not having it. In the end... Daimons are strong creatures, whose origins are still not quite clear to me, but by all accounts they seem to be lacking our gift of intelligence that the gods have blessed us with, and for the most part seem rather ignorant which leads me to believe they were not raised by the gods, or at least, not by Hiacaotl and Jacotl as humans were.

As for their coming here... I can only hope it was the renewal of the fourth cycle and the aversion of the fifth, the gods leveling out the balance for the ungiven blood of the last ages...

If they are to be helped or to be fought... I believe the decision to be a purely strategical and political one. If they remain, they will continue their bloodshed until we can establish regular sacrifices... If are repelled, many lives will be lost fighting them.

My personal experience shows me that when you offer them to further their goals, they can make great resources available to fulfill yours, so a mutually beneficial arrangement can be done with them, but then again, you can also gain the favour of the other realms by converting the daimon followers.

No matter the camp taken, though, we cannot bind our fate with theirs, as we will outlast them and we would not want to be targeted by the grand purge to come.
Louis-Joseph Chénier (Teocoatl of the Blood Cult)


Roleplay from Macal Kandurell
Message sent to Louis-Joseph Chénier
Information on daemons appears to be hard to come by, but after a brief study of all available works (as well as some practical research at a nearby Daemon Temple), I have revisited the copy of your manuscripts at the Temple of Rebirth and formulated this theory.

The Gods have had many attempts at creating true life - that is, humans - and as a result of their failures we see the animals around us today. It occurs to me that Hiacotl and Jacotl, those whose presence is most closely tied with the material world today, are perhaps offering them as a test of humanity. The Gods created many creatures throughout time; is it so surprising that all have not yet been revealed?

What interests me in particular is where the Xenotls went in their time of hiding. After being driven out by the Xelatl, they surely fled to some place. Is it not possible that the Netherworld, spawning pit of these daemons, was that hiding place? The Xelatl seemed to have an insatiable urge to create, and tried again and again even when their previous creations had failed. Now, the first records we have of the Xenotl attempting creation is that of true humanity. This was a success largely because it mixed Xelatl and Xenotl blood, it seems, rather than relying upon either. However, it seems surprising that for a first attempt, the Xenotl fared so much better than the Xelatl.

I propose that for the majority of the fourth age, the Xenotl hid in the Netherworld, waiting for an opportune moment to have vengeance. They surely must have experimented with their own creations - these were the daemons which Beluaterra is now plagued with. Obviously they failed; through envy, misfortune or otherwise I cannot say. Any guess I make would be mere conjecture.

Jacotl and Hiacotl now seem to be testing humanity with this invasion. It offers much opportunity for sacrifice, and allows us to prove our worth over these inferior creations. The daemons are, of course, lesser; they are not balanced by Xenotl and Xelatl blood, and have not had nurturing from Hiacotl and Jacotl.

In conclusion: Ultimately, the daemons are lesser creatures, and therefore should be destroyed where they hinder the progress of the Blood Cult. They are, however, creations of the Gods, and their existence provides much opportunity for sacrifice. They should be used to further the Cult wherever possible.

I would value your opinion of my research.
Macal Kandurell (Knight of Uhk)


Roleplay from Louis-Joseph Chénier
Message sent to Macal Kandurell
What you say is of great interest, and wisdom. It seems clear to me now that it is indeed the Netherworld that was the hiding place of the xenotl during their time of exile. However, your words have arisen ideas in me, they were of great inspiration... These daimons, they hold so little with us... Nor or speach, our culture, nor our looks, shapes, soul. They have next to nothing in common with us... That they be the creations of the xenotl seems doubtful. With my experiences, though, your account seems to best fit other creatures... Those who claimed themselves masters of the Netherworld, and allies of humanity of the distant past: The Undead, keepers of the defunct. With this taken into consideration, it would seem more probable that the daimons, indeed, are the creations of the xenatl, and it's their abilities to self-propagate and mortality (the daimons do appear to have some temporary mortality, it is unknown whether only their greater daimons revive or if they all do) combined with the undead's need for order and intellect that would have bred us. This would also explain why the daimon god (albeit a minor god) Arcane is a xenatl, unless I have misidentified his origins. With this reasoning, one would think that this is not a test at all. It would seem that, with the lack of blood, the xenotl have become weaker, and that this daimon incursion is indeed the xenatl taking over...
Louis-Joseph Chénier (Teocoatl of the Blood Cult)


Roleplay from Louis-Joseph Chénier
Message sent to (lost recipient)
That you ask such a question is not surprising, it is one which many in Fronen question themselves about, I believe. It is a pity that the priests here did not take greater initiative in the growth of the realm, but the past is the past...

I had a theological discussion on the matter with a now-deceased priest on the subject, and albeit a little old it can be found here: "On Daimons". Many myths further elaborate on the subject.

I highly recommend you read these letters, they are really not long and they great to see our feelings towards the creature and general stance. The myths I can condense, though. Though we have not yet covered all details about them, the myths speak of an ancient great deity, reffered to by others as either the Great Dragon or the Great Daimon, depending on the point of vue. When the Xelotl, the gods which are most worshipped and which Jacotl is part of, had to flee from the wrath of their newborn brethren, they came upon a great mountain where she lived, and cut a deal with her, which allowed them to pass through her gate to the shadowlands and indirectly attracted humans seeking a similar agreement to her as well. "Daimon", it is believed, is simply a deformation of the "Dragon's Laymen", which occured over the ages. While originally humans, they were transformed over time. However, they are not of the same batch as us, and even before their transformations they were not as we are now. This was derived from the fact that they possessed our two distinctinve characteristics from other living beings, the balance of the aspects found in extremes in the undead and in the monsters. To make a long story short, the Great Daimon was eventually beheaded and here we are now. To be honest, there is still a lot of historical data to analyse to fill the large gaps in our mythology.

However, I think you were more interested in "what do we do of daimons" rather than "where do they come from". However, this was necessary, as the Cult values knowledge and wisdom: the world has mostly forgotten of the way of the gods and it is only through careful research that we can bring them back. How can you react to something which you know nothing about? Personally, I've lived under them, next to them, and over them, and so have many others. We have determined that the daimons, just as they were once men, have the moral value of men. Strong and brutish, but they maintain many elements in their hierarchy that is similar, if not identical, to ours. Daimons are, unlike the undead, free-willed, and unlike the monsters, have the intelligeance to make rational decisions. Have we seen them do things we have not seen humans do? Though I have yet to share this with anyone else, even their magic I have seen from humans, but this is a secret you best not repeat. So if you don't worship men, why would you worship them if they are but men? If men attack your realm, you will react the same as if daimons attack it. Basically, daimons are judged on what they do, rather than what they are. The Cult's stance is therefore rather simple: exploit them if you can, destroy them if it benefits you. For example, if the daimons threaten to eventually return and sack your realm, then it is very understandable to launch a crusade against them when you can. The only nuance is that we expect our followers to understand the nature of this conflict, as blind hatred and self-righteousness is the reason why so many cultists have needlessly died to the hands of foreigners. The Cult is very relativist, we embrace a multitude of paths and ideas, absolutes tend to be frowned upon as they tend to be nothing but unfounded over-generalization of man-made concepts.

Does this sound logical to you?
Louis-Joseph Chénier (Teocoatl of the Blood Cult, Senator of Yermon)