Velare

The Velare, or “lesser demons,” are the beings created by Valoe and Anachel to aid them during the First Divine War. Many sub-species of velare exist, and this is merely a catch-all term for the beings. Surprisingly—and this is disbelieved by many—not all the velare are evil. Those on the mortal plane simply consider them so because the majority of velare…those who wish to conquer the other planes, those who wish to cause mischief…they are the ones who cross the planar barrier and are seen by the majority of mortals. The velare are most often called “lesser demons” by mortals, a colloquialism from the old days used to reference an evil being.

That being said, velare can also be created through the tainting of another sentient race. There are numerous ways one can become one of the velare, and none of them are pleasant.

The most common transformation into a velare comes from forcible possession. An infernal soul, basically one of the shadow plane's "grunts" may force itself into the mind of a weak-willed being. Indeed, even a stronger-willed person may have trouble resisting possession if the velare is strong enough. Once possessing a host, the velare can and will guide the poor thing's every action. It is as if watching one's life through one's own eyes and being unable to control any action whatsoever. If the host is strong enough they often may retake control for a few moments, but it is unlikely. The velare also can mimic the host precisely, and it is only the physical attributes that often give any sign at all that the person is not who they once were.

For you see, the touch of a velare comes with more than just mental anguish. Small horns are often grown as the influence of the velaren soul increases, and are impossible to remove past a certain point. Even if the velare itself is exorcised, the horns will likely remain in place for the rest of the host's life. Of course they may always be cut, but it is nearly impossible to completely destroy them.

Aside from velaren possession, a host may willingly offer themselves to the velare. This is usually done with promises of some kind of power on the velare's part, and usually is a fate befalling people down on their luck. The velare know who to tempt, and strike right at the heart of a troubled individual, promising whatever is needed in order to turn them. These velare are often stronger than forcibly possessed hosts, as the velare has no interference when exerting its control. At times, the velare may even give the host control of their body back in exchange for the voluntary assistance.

Next, a velare may be created merely due to heritage. Whether from a pact made, a union with an “archdemon”, or some other cause, a child may be born as a velare. These children are not possessed, but their soul is fully velaren in nature. However, unlike velaren souls that possess hosts, velare with human or another species in their genetic makeup do not always turn out evil. While they are always blighted by their velaren heritage, they have the same capacity for good as any normal being might. These velare do not always grow horns, though it is common, and there is always some other physical trait that distinguishes their true nature. Usually this is something related to the “archdemon” that sired them.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, a velare may be another being fully velaren in nature. These include the usual creatures such as imps and other specific, shadowborn creatures.

No matter what their origin, velare should never be taken lightly. Very, very rarely will an encounter with one of these creatures ever be a thing to look forward to.