Demon: The Fallen

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Demon: The Fallen
Demon: The Fallen cover
Designer(s)	Michael B. Lee (Editor), Greg Stolze, Adam Tinworth
Publisher(s)	White Wolf
Publication date	December 1, 2001
Genre(s)	RPG
System	Storyteller System

Demon: The Fallen is a role-playing game and a fictional setting from the World of Darkness line by White Wolf Game Studio. The player characters in the game are fallen angels, who were cast out of paradise after a thousand year war with "God".

1 History
2 Houses
3 Factions
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

The war began when an angel named Ahrimal foresaw a disaster in the future. The angels debated whether or not to act against God in order to prevent this disaster, or to do nothing, because action could cause the disaster. As the humans (Adam and Eve) were given gifts that they cannot use due to their innocence ("A child is happy because he is unaware"), they can neither wonder at the beauty of the paradise surrounding them nor develop their intelligence (Adam and Eve are portrayed to have the knowledge of primitive man, only concerned in their survival). Lucifer was the first to make a final decision, and he became the leader of the rebel angels, who revealed themselves to humanity (in order to bring them "the light" of knowledge and awareness.) In so doing they incurred the wrath of God (who had given them the potential to be aware of the word, the good and evil, yet he had not intended Man to have this kind of awareness). During the war that followed, the sin of Cain's murder of Abel taught the Fallen how to kill, and many grew twisted and evil. In the end, the Fallen lost the war, and were banished to Hell as a punishment for their transgressions.

Due to the sixth maelstrom (caused by other supernaturals in the World of Darkness), the Gates of Hell that kept the Demons from breaking free from their prison have begun to weaken, allowing Demons to escape. However, to continue existing, a Demon must find a suitable host for itself: bodies with weak souls, for example, comatose patients, severe drug addicts or suicidal people. The Demon severs the weakened soul from the body and takes its place inside the host, merging with the host's memories and emotions, and continues existence on Earth to follow its own personal agenda, sometimes hindered by the memories and feelings the mortal soul left behind. Some seek revenge upon humanity for being the primary cause for the war, while other Demons want to reconcile and repent for their sins, to be able to return to God.

Upon their emergence, the Fallen quickly discovered that they were not the first to escape the Abyss. Hundreds of other demonic spirits were summoned back to Earth in the intervening centuries through the use of sorcery, who were then anchored to objects in place of the bodies possessed by the Fallen. This unnatural connection had left them hollow and tormented, as well as possessed of alien emotions and thought processes, as these artifacts do not provide the buffer against the memories of suffering in the Abyss. The five Archdukes, lieutenants of Lucifer, were the first of the fallen angels to be summoned back to Earth. These included Asmodeus, Azrael, Dagon, Belial, and Abaddon, but were soon followed by hundreds of lesser known demons. These "Earthbound" are immensely powerful, having had centuries to practice their abilities to perfection, as well as having been worshiped as gods by deranged cults for milienia. The rise of organized religion, as well as the Age of Enlightenment drove them into hibernation, but the return of the Fallen has led to the awakening of many of the Earthbound, whom will then take steps to revive the cults which worship them, as well as enslave or destroy the Fallen. Every Earthbound possesses their own unique goals, but most involve the enslavement of humanity so that their potential can be harnessed to achieve the ends of that individual Earthbound.

All characters must choose a "house" and a "faction". The seven houses are similar to races in other RPGs, and to clans in Vampire: The Masquerade and similar groupings in other White Wolf games. The different factions are based on the demons' personal opinions and positions regarding the war. All demons can use special magical powers called Lores. All demons have an "apocalyptic form". This is a mirror image of their true nature, their form before they were forced into mortal bodies. They can be demonic, and horrible to behold, or angelic and beautiful (but no less terrifying to human eyes), depending on the Demon.