43. The Demons

[k_a_webb]

It wasn’t long after the creation of the first worlds that the first demon was born. When the fae found her, and the other children born after her, they decided it was better to be in control. Letting anyone travel around the web without the knowledge they needed could be dangerous, so the fae weren’t being purely selfish, but at the same time it was important to the world creation council that they were in charge of everything to do with the web. Having people out there who could travel around the web freely wasn’t a part of the plan – they didn’t plan for anyone to travel around the web apart from the fae, and even that wasn’t going to happen regularly.

The World Walkers Council was created to control the newly named World Walkers and the first rule they made was that the walkers shouldn’t get involved. Every walker was meant to watch what was happening on each of the worlds, staying completely detached, because that was what the fae wanted. Instead the fae got empathetic people from many of the different races who wanted to help their race and, occasionally, other races that they felt close to.

Eventually the fae realised that giving rules to a group of people who had the freedom to move around the web without needing help was never going to work. The people had once been the walkers were demonised and the fae created a new way for their chosen walkers to travel around the web. However the demons didn’t stop being born. Sometimes they were caught travelling from world to world, which, in the beginning, led to executions. Later they created a way of stopping the demons from travelling, a tattoo much like the ones the walkers used, but it didn’t always work, because the doors chose who they wanted to travel through them.

Most demons have a choice to make. They can either keep themselves safe by not travelling or they can take the more dangerous path and choose to travel the web. Some make the choice because they want to do the right thing and help those who need help while others just want to travel the web. Other demons aren’t given a choice because they come across a door, end up walking through it, and then have no way of getting home again.

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

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[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>The people had once been the walkers<<

That should say "who had" above.

I really like the tension here, between what the fae want and what happens, between the demons and the world walkers.

Another choice the demons face: whether to walk the worlds openly or secretly, if they do leave their home. For some, just being off their world is a dead giveaway. But for others, well, anyone who is or could pass for human would blend in many places. Some other races have spread too. So they might meddle but pretend to be local.

How easy is it to tell whether someone is a demon? Do you have to see them use a door? How do you distinguish between random victims (like Zoe, or the Nox Gadael refugees) tripping through a door that wanted them vs. demons who could go through any door? I suspect that demons must have a different magical signature, but it's probably subtle -- something that not everyone could notice, and would require a close look to find. It might also vary by species or world. Can demons, or could they if they knew to try, do anything more than travel between worlds? They'd make a very plausible magical safety valve, to help keep the power flowing between worlds or fix problems in the magical web.

Do the worlds get peeved with natives and/or the fae killing, binding, or otherwise controlling demons? This seems likely, because the demons weren't made by the fae, they just started appearing -- and they can get to the naturally spawned worlds that nobody else can reach. Since some of the worlds are sentient, it makes sense that they would create their own guardians, people to help manage the web. The fae may have created the web but they're also the ones who messed up magic so badly as to make the whole thing necessary. I can see how some worlds might consider them untrustworthy and want replacement guardians. Then if the fae interfere, well, that would be aggravating. The fae might find themselves getting a hostile reaction from the natives and/or having a hard time accessing the magic there.

Also worth exploring is the role of demons within individual cultures. Some are very accepting and even protective of their native demons. Others are wary, hostile, or even murderous. Some would be dependent because there are places that only the demons can connect. So it's worth exploring the range of different reactions and how or why each culture comes to theirs.

Okay, that's it off the top of my head; must go click "write more" now.