ZEITGEIST How did the demonocracy begin?

[Echolocation]

I may be missing something obvious, but I'm confused about the founding of the demonocracy. How did demons found their empire on the world (tm) several thousand years after the axis seal was established by the Ancients? Specifically, the demonocracy rose –1117 B.O.V. [1] whilst the axis seal was completed roughly "thousands of years before Risur was founded" [2]. Risur was founded -1200 B.O.V. [1].

Do demons come from another plane? Were there stowaways, like the Gidim?

Sources:
[1] Player Guide
[2] Ancient History Appendix

 

[Fallen star]

Spoiler

I assumed they flew in with their big flying spaceship fortress. The axis seal only blocks planar travel. There is also the fact that the primitive tribes that made the seal worshipped the demons. Maybe that's a part of it.

 

[arkwright]

My theory is that the demons were former invader Golden Legion devils leftover on Lanjyr after the Axis Ritual. From book 12 we know that the Legion use gold to convert humans and outsiders into devils. After the Ritual the gold transmutation wore off, the devils turned back into their original forms, the demons killed all non demons then founded the demonocracy.

 

[skotothalamos]

My assumption was Golden Legion as well, but this may have been caused by an accidental conflation of demons and devils at some point in the past.

I think it’s intentionally vague enough, like the Clergy gods, that you can fill in the blanks with whatever works best for your table.

 

[RangerWickett]

Various immortal extraplanar beings trapped on the world but the Axis Seal gradually unified. Warlords conquered, enslaved, and ruled feudal realms, and had an easy time of it at first because they're really hard to kill. And if you did kill them, their evil essence would just corrupt something else.

Not all of them were demons by D&D parlance, just a variety of nasties.

 

[Echolocation]

So the 'demons' were already around? And one day join they joined forces and decided to form a formal empire under the demonocracy rather than own their share of Lanjyr as warlords and feudal rulers?

 

[RangerWickett]

It was less 'one day' and more 'over the course of centuries.' But yes. Originally there'd have been a lot of demons/devils/etc each running their own tiny realms, which eventually got strongarmed into working together under some greater warlord.

 

[hirou]

Side note: "demonocracy" was named by Crissillyiri. I'm pretty sure the definition of "demons" in Triegenis books was "anything powerful which is not a god (by our standards)". I find it easy to believe that some ortodox priests still believe Risur to be a living remnant of demonocracy - a whole nation praying to execratory demons they call "Titans".

 

[Echolocation]

Thanks everyone, I think I have my head wrapped around it now.