The ruiner's got a lot to prove, he's got nothing to lose, and now he made you believe
The ruiner's your only friend; well he's the living end, to the cattle he deceives.
The raping of the innocent - you know the ruiner ruins everything he sees.
Now the only pure thing left in my fucking world is wearing your disease!
-Nine Inch Nails, Ruiner
"We always thought he was such a nice guy."
Shedim, the Corruptors, are the sixth Band of demons. They oppose Kyriotates.
Resonance and Dissonance[]
Whereas Kyriotates move freely among many hosts, Shedim possess a single person...typically driving their victim to insanity one piece at a time. Their basic goal is corruption of the spirit, and they pursue it with vigor. Habbalah are vicious, and Calabim wreak havoc, but Shedim really take the cake as far as horrific demonic evil goes. When you read a coroner's report that lists the cause of death as an abdomen perforated by twenty seven unsharpened pencils in the shape of a pentagram, it's a reasonable bet that a Shedite was involved. People can be pretty fucked up without any help, but Shedim add that special touch.
Even other demons find Shedim pretty freaky. They don't all turn ordinary humans into clocktower snipers, but a considerable number do. They've got quite the stigma attached to them. From their perspective, other demons are needlessly indirect and hesitant. Just dive right in, guys!
Shedim are dangerous. Long ago, a Shedite called Legion gained the ability to corrupt multiple hosts. Legion nearly destroyed the entire Symphony. Heaven and Hell both attacked Legion. In the end, the Archangel Raphael destroyed Legion at the cost of herself.
Shedim must corrupt. It is dissonant for Shedim not to make progress toward the total corruption of their victim.
Aptitudes[]
Obviously, corrupting humans is their main proficiency...or, really, their defining trait. However, their ability to possess humans also makes them useful for a variety of schemes and assignments.
Celestial Appearance[]
In celestial form, Shedim are a whirling cloud of limbs, teeth, and so forth thrown together in a Lovecraftian horror show.
Stereotype[]
- Shedim are gibbering, bloodthirsty idiots.