Sub-Creations
aka Man-Made, Artificials, Cursed, Science Projects, the Made
Sub-Creations covered three types of beings: infernal creations, cursed beings, and altered or made by humans. Infernal sub-creations are mockeries (or demonic "improvements") on Heaven's design for creation. They are rarely very intelligent, and are thought of as servants or pieces of art at best. They often are all bark with no mystical bite, as their markers are not known for bestowing powers upon them.
The cursed sub-creations are physically or supernaturally altered by a spiteful power. Usually their physical forms are the main target of the curse, altering them into monsters or destroying their former beauty. Some spiteful beings will give an occult spell that empowers the cursed being with an ability that is hardly a gift, such as uncontrollable flames.
The human made or altered beings often describes those affected by Occult Science. Usually they are created with extremely above average physical capablities, often including a supernatural ability as well. Most look human, but a few were changed to appear frightening or awe inspiring. The majority of these 'science projects' were created for military use, either as weapons or solutions to a postwar apocolypse. Dis would not be able to support as large of population as it does without the support of the military-created sub-creations, who provide fresh water and resources for food and construction. Other sub-creations from human sources include those made by demonkin or other subcreations. Their abilities are less practical and their purposes poorly defined, as many were made or altered for the sake of recreation. The Occult Science sub-creations are the most powerful, as even the oldest demon tends to not want to test the limits of the science projects' abilities. The cursed have little identity as a separate unit of beings, and are generally not looked down upon for their offenses (the score is assumed to be settled if the cursed is altered enough). The infernal are never respected or allowed any signifigant role in society, which they hardly have the intellect and individually to notice or dispute.
Pictured are the werewolf pup and Victor, both of whom are human made subcreations.

The Heirs
aka First or Second Generation, Brats Born to Sub-Creations and humans, demonkin, or other Sub-Creations, the Heirs are those lucky enough to get powers passed down from their parents. Most Heirs are not as powerful as their parents, but sometimes, they outshine the previous generation in a fluke of Occult Science.
Some live (willingly or otherwise) in the shadows of their Sub-Creation parent(s), while others strive for an identity other than "Junior". The power and respect of their parents often sets them as well-off in society, and have little concerns.
Insanity is not uncommon among the Heirs, who express the blessings and curses of Occult Science. The mystics that made their parents are distorted in them, leading to mental, emotional and physical defects in some.
Heirs can be extremely dogmatic and proud, especially if their parents use their powers for a moral cause.
Pictured are Niabi, a second generation, and Xan, a first generation.

Ghosts
aka Spirits, Arch Heretics, Fodder, Original Citizens, Old Souls
Dis originally housed the burning coffins of arch heretics, who burned and suffered in their damnation. When the demons changed Dis, most of the souls were sent to other realms in Hell. Some remained, overlooked or perhaps (in rare cases) respected by the demons.
The ghosts are extremely vulnerable to spirit magic, which is a common ability of demonkin and demons. They are not recognized as citizens, and are protected only by the rare bleeding heart spirit seer. Often, they experience unimaginable pain as "ingredients" for rituals, or simply tortured at a demon's whim.
Despite the inherit threats, they do not leave Dis, because they are bound to it. They elsewhere on earth, because no place is supernaturally charged enough. They refuse to return to the true hell, as they would rather take their chances in Dis than return to inescapable torture. They also feel a pull towards the living. The heretics were often prone to highly social lives, and in death they still feel the desire to be near people.
Spirit seers are often annoyed by ghosts who feel a pull towards nothingness. Ghosts have a superstition that if they completely lose contact with the living, they will cease to exist, so they sometimes cling to those capable fo acknowleding them.

Demonkin
aka Kin, Demon Blooded, Spawn, Brood, Halflings, Lessers, Mutts, Psuedo-Demons
The label, "demonkin", is incredibly broad, spanning those with mostly human blood to those who are practically full blooded demons.
The most human of the demonkin are called weakblooded. Many could pass for human, but some have physical or mental flaws from their mixed bloodlines. It is not uncommon to have mismatched demonic features or extra limbs. Formerly, it was a sign of disgrace to be so far removed from any pure demon, yet distinctly not human. Currently, it's a fashion craze in Dis to have that unique feature. Designers work hard to tailor to the wide variety of needs of the strangely shaped weakblooded kin.
Between weakblooded and halflings is a great number of demonkin who are still close to their infernal relatives on the family tree, but remain closer to humanity. Because of the interbreeding and intermarriages of demonkin, infernal bloodlines mix into strange percentages of human and demon blood. Powers and abilities, filtered through the generations, still appear among this level of demonkin.
A 50/50 "halfling" is extremely rare in Dis. Few are born in recent years because the only humans that are "strictly human" are the Sub-Creations of Occult Science, who rarely wish to have children with pure demons. No new immigrants have come into Dis for about 10 years because of increased isolation and estrangement from the rest of the globe. The halflings are considered the most elegant of all the demonkin, as they are considered the balance between the earthly and infernal races. Their abilities are often significant among humans and demonkin, but rarely would cause a true demon to blink.
Some demonkin are the product of a bloodline that has breed most of the human out. These beings are far closer to their infernal relatives, and often keep to infernal social circles. They are almost always born with powers near that of their parents, and with such abilities can command a certain level of respect. These so called "psuedo-demons" have been known to have the ability of true demons, to shape shift between an infernal form and a human form. A lucky few are recognized by their true demon relatives and given titles or small spheres of influence in the true Hell.
It is said, among demons and humans alike, that there is no point at which the legacy of the demonkin's ancestors can be completely breed out of the family tree. There will always remain that fraction of demon blood (or, in the case of the psuedo-demons, human blood) that generations cannot separate from the family.
The oldest categories of demonkin are the Lilim and Nephilim. The Lilim are the spawn of Lilith and her brood, and their numbers rank the greatest of all of Dis' populace. The Nephilim are the products of the Watchers, a fallen group of angels, and their human wives.
The most admirable trait for a demonkin is to be born with is fully functional wings. The weight of an adult body does not lend itself to flight, but some demonkin either possess the magical ability or the impressive anatomy to glide or even soar. Lilim are most likely to be capable of flight, because of Lilith's association with winds, and the Nephilim, although frequently born with wings, are never so lucky, because of a curse on the fallen Watchers.
Pictured is Helena, a Nephilim weakblooded demonkin.

The pure demon races are generalized as Lilin, Grigori, Fallen, Devil, and Imp.
-Lilin- the brood of demons born to Lilith, a demon goddess, and other demons. Frequently, Lilin are succubi and incubi. The sister race to the Lilim, they do not look down upon their human brothers and sisters. The Lilin are the second most numerous race in Hell and Dis. Their numbers rise and lower in the hundreds on a daily basis, as Lilith births hordes of these monsters a day, while angels slew almost the same number. The surviving Lilin are either lucky or tough, and band closely together. Many Lilin have wings, flight ability or command over air currents, as Lilith is also a goddess of storms and winds.
-Grigori- Also known as the Watchers. A category of Fallen angels all their own. Originally, a choir of angels assigned to observe Earth, they became tempted by human life and took human wives. Their children were sinful abominations, and eventually caused enough of a stir that Heaven took action to wipe them out. The Grigori fell from Grace, and took their places in Hell or quietly on earth. Of all the demon breeds, these are the most regretful for their sins. They are cursed to never fly again, and many have since chopped their wings off to not be reminded of their former ability.
-The Fallen- Unlike the Grigori, there is no regret in these beings. They rebelled against the Will of Heaven, waged war against the Host, and would not turn back those events for anything. Most of the highest ranking beings in the True Hell are Fallen. No Fallen have taken permanent residence in Dis, but when one visits, the demons and higher demonkin of the city welcome them with fervor. Fallen also do not breed with other demons or humans. They are thought to choose not to, but be fully capable of it. The Fallen are easily considered arrogant, as their Pride influenced their fall.
-Devil- The majority of hell is populated with beings that the Fallen created, inspired by the original creation, but twisted to their desires and humanity's nightmares. Devils range in size, appearance and intelligence, and serve as the majority of labor in Hell, where as the Fallen serve as the leaders. The majority of the infernal population of Dis are devils who chose luxury and culture over the labor and torture they had done for eons. Devils can be very curious and independent, seeking to breed like humans or create like Heaven and the Fallen. They associate with the Lilin and Grigori, and hold nothing against either race.
-Imp- The lowest infernal being is the imp. Sometimes, these grunts rank below the souls of more influential sinners. The imps and goblins are the gears and screws that turn to keep Hell running, and are often overlooked because of their lowly station. They are rarely larger than a human child or a large pony, and their intelligence is comparable to such. They are given little independence. No demonkin are related directly related to imps. Some imps are related to Fae, and Fae have been known, in legend to breed with humans. None currently exist, as the Fae are now a weak, nearly extinct race.

The Fae
Formerly, a rival to hell. As hell gained number and power, a treaty was signed, settling that the Fae should pay a tithe to hell, which had to be paid in living bodies. Hell accepted humans just as easily as it accepted Fae to settle the debt. However, a curse fell upon them (and the lips that let slip the curse are still unknown) that made all the Fae barren. They had to steal more human babies to take into their lands and raise to become one of their own. They struggled to keep their numbers and pay their tithe to Hell, but ultimately failed. The tithe hasn't been paid in nearly a century, and hell is not interested in waging a war against the dried up, dying kingdom of Fae. The rivalry is over, and hell has lost interest in Fae. The remaining Fae cling desperately to the fading light of their magics and their lives, and try to reach out to pull more humans into their realms, but the continue into darkness.
The Fae seen around Dis are usually Unseelie, or Dark Fae, or simply individuals who choose Dis to the rotting kingdom.

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©2004 E. R. Riggs.