Seals, Juveniles and Names.

After reading through most of your papers, I see our first great filter has past us.

I imagine most of you

noticed how many of your classmates aren't here.  As it always happens in demonic studies, research on Larvae has changed half of this class.  They decided they can't handle further studies in this field.  They found something they can't stomach, a truth that made them unable to keep going.

Is it because you have stronger stomachs?  Or is it because of costs?  I'll be honest with you, these studies have driven many away, regardless of field.  Interactions with demons have forced battlefield medics to commit suicide.  The most hardened emergency room doctors experience mental breakdowns in their situations with them.

I need you to understand.  Only a few can stomach this material.

Now, back to the next stage of the demon life cycle.  You've already dealt with the dark parts of the larval stage.  Now we move onto the phase where demons diversify.  The juvenile stage varies greatly.  Among demonologists, it is referred to as the Imp stage.

What defines demons at this phase is intelligence.  Larva are able to sense and form plans, but are animals in their thinking.  But demons that form groups and work together, they begin to do so as Imps.  A group of such demons is called a Host.

Upon entering a host, the host gives a larva or imp their first name.  A mix of ultrasonic, infrared and noises, a name has a critical importance.  The rest of the host can speak that name.  A demon's biology affixes to that name.  It serves as a call for them.  For demons, this forms the basis of their strategy and tactics as a Host.

But for imps, their names are still somewhat mutable.  Older demons have a harder time resisting their name.

But Imps are able to resist their own names.  Older demons can be bound or commanded through the correct use of their name.  Imps can resist that.  As they age into their adult and later stages, they become more and more controlled by their name.

Remember that by their nature, humans can't pronounce demonic names.  Being able to repeat them can be a useful defense.  But Imps can ignore that.

Imps, like most demons, grow in response to humans doing the evil acts that hatched them.  Imps and later demons are able to feed off more broad emotional stimuli.  But the stimuli must all still share the same root dark act that hatched their spores.

The Imp stage doesn't last long, not if the Imp finds a suitable Host.  When an Imp develops its own seal, that marks their transition to full adulthood.  A seal, unlike a name, is something all Demons have.   A host often will collect their seals together, as they can function like their names.  A seal can summon that demon, command them, as well as empower them.

The downsides to having a Seal is how it constricts a demon.  They all must obey their seal.  A few demons have attempted to erase their seals from existence.  But they failed.  Seals function the same as imagination does for humanity.  It is an inherent part of their psychology and lives.

Now, we will spend the rest of this lecture on how to identify and utilize seals.  With a bit of effort, they can help defend against demons.  But this is the riskier part of this work, as a misused seal can summon the wrong demon...