Demons (Shannara)
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In the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, there are several creatures known as Demons. They call themselves Jarka Ruus, which means 'banished peoples'. These creatures were long ago sealed within the Forbidding, a realm of darkness where only the cursed dwell. This Forbidding is maintained by the Ellcrys, a sacred Elven tree. The Demons first threatened the Four Lands when the Ellcrys began to die in The Elfstones of Shannara, but were defeated by the united efforts of the Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, and the Bordermen of Callahorn, aided by the magic of Allanon and the Elfstones of Wil Ohmsford. They later played a role in the High Druid of Shannara series, in which they attempt to escape once more.
In addition, the prequel novels of the Word/Void and Great Wars series contain demons (uncapitalized in the texts) of an apparently different origin. They are humans that have sold their souls in service to the Void.
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[edit] Dagda Mor
When the Ellcrys begins to fail, the Dagda Mor, then leader of the Demons, used his sorcery to escape The Forbidding with two of his subjects. Seeking to gain revenge on those who imprisoned him, he set out to ensure his victory by slaying the Chosen. He also set his sights on Allanon, for only Allanon could match his power. Sending his Demon brethren after the Druid, the Dagda Mor prepared for his assault on the Elves. When the Ellcrys' rebirth was close at hand and the Demons were halted, the Dagda Mor mounted a giant Northland bat to do battle with a Roc-mounted Allanon. Both mounts perished, and the two matched their sorcerous powers. Despite the Dagda Mor's strength, he was bested by the Druid, and his body was disintegrated by Druid Fire.
The Dagda Mor takes on a humanoid appearance, but has a massive hump on his back, green fur and scales on his lower legs and forearms, a catlike muzzle, and dark eyes. He channels his magic through his Staff of Power, an object that he uses for several purposes. Although the term was unknown before his destruction, it can be assumed that the Dagda Mor was a Straken.
[edit] Changeling
When the Dagda Mor broke out of the Forbidding, he brought two Demons with him. One was the Changeling, a Demon that could mimic any living thing in appearance. The Changeling infiltrated Arborlon, eventually taking the form of Eventine Elessedil's wolfhound Manx. For a long time afterward, it fed information to the Dagda Mor regarding Allanon's plans. However, the Changeling eventually decided to get rid of Eventine, but was killed by Elven rescuers after being struck a mortal blow by the aged king. King Eventine later died of injuries inflicted by the Changeling.
The Changeling, as its name suggests, could take the form of any living thing. Its true form, if it ever revealed it, was most likely the form in which it battled Eventine: that of a lean, black Demon of incredible speed.
[edit] The Reaper
The second of the Demons freed by the Dagda Mor, the Reaper is also the most feared. Ten times more dangerous than the Changeling, the Reaper served the Dagda Mor out of whim rather than fear or respect. The Reaper was known for killing: it enjoyed it, and did it purely out of instinct. The Reaper was dispatched by the Dagda Mor for several missions, among them killing the Chosen. In the process, the Reaper killed 6 of them, a patrol of Elven Hunters, a band of Rovers, and the mutant Elf Wisp along with all the elves that were at the outpost in Dreywood. However, it was finally overcome when Wil Ohmsford used the blue Elfstones to seek out its face, destroying it.
The Reaper's appearance was that of a tall, dangerous figure clad in a cloak and hood the color of damp ash. It had clawed hands, and despite its appearance moved with the speed and grace of the best Elven Hunter. The only part of the Reaper never seen by anyone alive is its face, which it only reveals to its victims just before their death.
[edit] The Moric
The Moric is a variation of the Changeling, capable of assuming not only the form but the personality of those it imitates. However, its most potent ability is to possess its prey. Its true appearance is thus far unknown.
When Grianne Ohmsford was sent to the Forbidding, the Moric took her place in the Four Lands. Setting out to end the Forbidding once and for all, the Moric assimilated an Elven Druid and set out to manipulate the Federation into destroying Arborlon. However, despite its possession of Sen Dunsidan, the Moric was defeated and returned to the Forbidding, where it seems to have met its end in the jaws of a hungry dragon.
[edit] Tael Riverine
With the death of the Dagda Mor, Tael Riverine, Straken Lord, is the most powerful Demon within the Forbidding. Using lesser Demons as Trackers, he would collect many different Demons to be placed within his castle. He ruled the Forbidding with an iron fist, but seeking a way to escape the realm of the Forbidding, he manipulates several treacherous Druids in the Four Lands opposed to the current Ard Rhys (High Druid), Grianne Ohmsford in an attempt to break down the walls of the Forbidding. He provided Shadea a'Ru with a powerful magic known as 'Liquid Night', which he convinced her would send Grianne into the Forbidding, where she could not escape from her banishment. However, he withheld an aspect of the magic; that by sending Grianne to the Forbidding, a demon would be transferred to the Four Lands, where it would find a way to destroy the Ellcrys, which would free the Demons. He then sends out his Trackers to find Grianne Ohmsford, and they capture her and bring her to him. After testing her several ways, he deems her fit to bear his children; he plans to mate with her. Unluckily for him, she manages to escape his castle with the help of an ex-tracker. Though he searches for her, he is unable to find her before she escapes the Forbidding.
Tael Riverine is a Straken, and as such, is a powerful wielder of magic, perhaps even more powerful then Grianne Ohmsford. His appearance is that of a tall, muscular man with dark black skin. Spines extend from his body from everywhere but his head, and he wears an outfit of several weapons strapped to his body. He has cold, ice-blue eyes.
[edit] Demon Species
Aside from powerful demons such as the Straken Lords, there are also Demons that are far more common, and exist in larger numbers. These various species include:
- Furies
- Demonwolves
- Dragons (rarer then most other Demon Breeds, and far more powerful.)
- Harpies
- Ogres
- Goblins
- Imps
- Kobolds
- Gremlins
[edit] Demons of the Word/Void and Great Wars series
In the prequel novels of the Word/Void and Great Wars series, an apparently different version of demons seek to destroy the world. These demons are humans who accepted an offer of service to the Void, and are described in the novel Armageddon's Children as being a "new demonkind, one born of the human race", and distinctly separate from the "demonkind of Faerie". When they first accept the offer to join the Void, they begin to shed their human-form, becoming less and less human. Eventually, they are stripped down to a hard, winged husk similar to a bat, which becomes their 'true-form'. In the Word/Void series, set in the late 20th century and early 21st century, demons covertly work to cause discord among humans, striving to set into motion the events that will cause the Great Wars which will eliminate most of humanity. Eighty years later, demons dominate the planet, enslaving and experimenting upon the remaining humans. These demons command legions of once-men, humans who choose to join the demon's army and began to grow insane, changing mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. The Demons even began to breed new demons by experimenting upon human children. Most demons retain their human appearance and have the power subliminally influence the minds of those around them in addition to a greatly extended lifespan.
However, Demons have a number of weakness. To effectively complete their work, they are forced to use magic to craft disguises resembling humans. However, in a desperate need to escape their former lives, they prey on humans, not out of hunger, but a desperate need to kill. Unfortunately for them, this existence of constant need to kill humans and yet co-exist with them eventually tears them apart, and they succumb to their own personal madness. Eventually, they self-destruct. Another weakness is their consuming desire to possess the magical energies of other creatures; they often confuse this need to possess with love, and it can further confuse them and add to their madness.
A special form of Demon is a Changeling, which are identical to regular Demons, albeit their unique ability to effortlessly and rapidly change forms; they can shapeshift in a matter of a few seconds.
Some demons prefer to cast away their human appearance, assuming a more lethal demonic form but forgoing the ability to blend in amongst the populace. In this form, they take on a dark, liquid form and blend in with the shadows.
The most notable of the demons of this era is Findo Gask, who is unlike his contemporaries in that he kills and triggers chaos out of pure curiosity, not hatred. He is the primary antagonist of the novels Angel Fire East and Armageddon's Children. Other notable demons in these series include Delloreen (Armageddon's Children); Penny Dreadful, Twitch, and the Ur'droch (Angel Fire East); Stefanie Winslow (A Knight of the Word); and the otherwise nameless titular demon of Running with the Demon.
