Devils Rise - Chapter 1 The Gathering
Our young devil hero James was with the rest of his clan in the Hudson devil clan’s main hall. It was filled to the brim with clan members. Members of the Hudson clan from all over the Xertzul Abyss had come back to the Hudson Estate for this special occasion. James didn’t know half of his extended family but he had to participate in the ceremony.
It was a time for camaraderie and celebration within the clan! Devils stayed busy but they would always make it home for this special day. Today was the Fel Awakening Ceremony for the Hudson clan.
Every five years his clan would have a Fel Awakening Ceremony for young devils reaching the age of maturity. These young devils would become devilry practitioners. Young devils from ages ten to twenty participated in this ceremony. Since it was such a crucial part of their growth and development some young devils waited for a second awakening ceremony to be available as they did not think they were prepared the first time it was offered to them.
Fel awakening was a very special process, it was the first time young devils would come into contact with the fel energy of the Abyss and attempt to make a connection with an Abyssal Dao. A Dao is a way, a path, doctrine, principle, or holistic belief, a road to greater strength. A Dao is the order of the universe who’s character one must discern to realize their potential.
The Daos in the Abyss were as endless as the Abyss themselves as the Abyss had existed since time in numeral. Fel energy would coarse through their veins awakening their latent potential and showing them which type of Devil Dao path was most compatible with them. Ones talent in Daos determined their usefulness to the clan.
It would also delineate the future clan resources allocated to these young seedlings. An example would be if the clan was say lacking a loyal skilled blacksmith. A blood descendant that was good at a Dao that was known to be great for blacksmithing would be nurtured. Possessing a useful Dao let the clan look favorably to young devils.
Devil Dao cultivation or devilry was broad and all encompassing. Any devil could practice devilry within the Abyss, however participating in a Fel Awakening Ceremony immediately let a young devil enter the Vein Opening realm. Vein Opening was the first official stage of devilry. Vein Opening Devil Esquire, a noble devil who has embraced the fel energies of the abyss into their veins.
Devil Esquires would have the fel energies of the abyss coursing through their veins at all times. They would slowly assimilate fel within their veins deepening their connection to the Abyss. Through this process they would deepen their understanding of Dao.
This is why it was so easy to notice creatures of the mortal planes who had been beguiled by devils. In their attempts to gain easy strength and power they would haphazardly attempt to learn devilry. And the only way to learn devilry was to go through the same process devils did. Willing accepting the fel energies of the Abyss into their veins, they would become corrupted and changed by the chaotic fel energies.
They would commit all types of chaos, strife, and atrocities since the fel energies would corrode their feeble minds. Creatures not born and raised in the Abyss such as devils could not properly acclimate such a chaotic power source. It would give them great power quickly but at a devastating cost.
By willingly doing such a foolish act they would have their souls forfeited to the Abyss to be later reincarnated as the lowest rung of abyssal demon. Beguiling mortal souls was a devil’s favorite past time. It was one of the ways for devils to increase their devilry as the Abyss would reward them for the sacrificed souls.
This story however is not about foolish mortals and their wanton obsession for power. This story is about devils. For devils connecting with a Dao was part of becoming an Esquire. Each Dao had it’s own strengths and weaknesses, however some were more sought after as they had a well known professional path.
A devil with delved in say Wood Dao would make a better apothecary than other devils. Basically the Fel Awakening Ceremony allowed devils to quickly leap over the dragon gate where by they went from being an ordinary devil to becoming a Devil Esquire, a true noble devil.
Devilry could be practiced without participating in a Fel Awakening Ceremony. However it would be much more difficult as one would have to arduously train and attempt to gain insights in an Abyssal Dao. This path was none ideal, Devil Clans would ensure all their young devils had the opportunity to participate in one as it assured even their weakest descendants would be Devil Esquires.
The Fel Awakening Ceremony could not be done without expensive resources, so devils that were not contracted to a strong power or born in a well off devil clan did not have an option to participate in one. These poor common devils would have to spend their younger years training hard for their own inspiration about the Dao while slowly absorbing fel to become an Esquire. As was the way of the Abyss, the weak dominated the strong and the noble devils lorded over the commoners.
Many devilish youths were gathered around the meeting hall presided over by the Hudson clan elders. James was the center of attention as he was the son of the Hudson clan patriarch. His parents had given him much knowledge and preparation for this day. James had trained since youth slowly acclimating himself to the fel energies of the Abyss.
He had even reached the peak of mortal devilry, the mortal devilry completion tier. Noble devils didn’t consider mortal devilry a real devilry realm tier even though it had its own strength delegations like other realms. It was simply too weak, having no connection to a Dao!
Only by becoming a Devil Esquire would devils have any standing in the Abyss. James parents had assured him that if he could connect with a useful Dao a bright future in the clan laid before him. James was nervous but his blood was boiling. He hoped to make his parents and the Hudson clan proud!
The House Hudson hoped to have more and more pillars in their noble house as their devil clan had a very short history. Noble devils were the upper echelon of devil society. The Xertzul Abyss was a place where the law of the jungle prevailed, however noble devils where the chief enforcers of the law of the jungle! Only noble devils or noble devil backed organizations were allowed to own land.
Outstanding merits for the Empire were required to be rewarded a fief. Once rewarded a fief a noble would rise up the ranks in society. Becoming a land holding noble gave them the resources and authority required to establish a noble clan.
The Abyssal realms were endless, Xertzul Abyss itself spanned countless miles. Fiefs rewarded by Empires were mostly long term reclamation tasks on frontier lands. Noble devils would have full executive powers when on their fief. Upstart devil clans would have to work hard to properly claim the natural resources of the frontier lands they were bequeathed.
These dangerous lands were abound with resources that would require generations of effort to properly claim. The Empire would then gladly send down Uncle Sam to take his cut for the clans efforts. All powerful devils in the Abyss hailed from devil clans. Even when they went out and made their own marks in the Abyss, they still held their clans dear.
Devils were a species that valued filial piety, blood ties, and familial bonds highly. It was simply ingrained in their culture and society. So the nurturing of strong blood decedents was of paramount importance to devil clans. Only through the work of many strong blood descendants could a devil clans lands and natural resources be properly managed.
First Viscount Vollmus presided over the ceremony. His first lineage was the ruling lineage of the clan. Vollmus’ son Samuel, James’ father, was the current patriarch. The patriarchs seat was just a position held by the strongest faction in charge of general management, distribution of resources, and negotiations with other powers.
It was voted for every twenty years and held by the person they thought most capable at the Knight or Baron rank. No one at the Viscount level wanted this position as they would be more concerned about improving their devilry or helping the clan secure valuable resources. The highest strength of the clan was the Devil Ancestor at the Count level.
Devils were called by their lineage and devil title within the clan unless they had a special position. With so many members of devil clans this was the easiest way to know someones standing in the clan. An example of why this was required would be Fifth Viscount Targmonik.
He was a talented descendant of the fifth lineage, the same generation as Samuel. He was a Viscount however and garnered the same respect as First Viscount Vollmus a son of the Devil Ancestor. The strong would always find a place in devil clans. What mattered most was a devils strength in devilry.
