#Lore24 – Entry #69 – Fantasy Month #9 – Mazoku

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos:

Another general topic today, it seems.  Well, so be it. 

“Mazoku” is the name given to those of humanoid or near-humanoid ancestry who have visible signs of a demonic taint in their bloodline.  The term likely originates from the early days of the Demonic Incursion, when the first demons were coming through the dimensional barriers and sewing their seeds throughout the world, simply to distinguish between a true demon and those who were merely spawned from demons.  Records from the period are somewhat unclear on exactly what differentiated a Mazoku from a half-demon spawn, but there are distinct differences between the two that may be somewhat generational; the first creatures born of demon-kind upon the world were distinctly much more demonic and stronger in nature, whereas the Mazoku only share some of the same general features and only a fraction of the supernatural power of a true or even half demon.  Though the bloodlines have thinned, and there are reports of attempts to cleanse the taint from certain families, it still remains quite strong, with no indication of being cleared any time soon.

Mazoku are decidedly chaotic in their physical makeup and tend toward having a more free-spirited and chaotic nature about them, owing to their heritage.  An astonishingly high number of them are female, some estimates putting the number at well over ninety-five percent being born as such.  This is undoubtedly due to the heritage of the Demon Lord Suzu’Reitani and her Daughters (some theories indicate that every demon that came through during the Incursion were her children), the power of the demonic blood overriding normal reproduction.  Female Mazoku are commonly called ‘succubus’, whereas the ever-rare male examples are called “incubus”.  All, regardless of their original heritage (be it human, elf, dwarf, kobld, kerryn, orc, etc.) share similar physical traits in addition to those of the race which birthed them, namely unnatural skin colors, most commonly in shades of red, blue, white, purple, and black, as well as some form of horns growing from their heads, usually from the forehead or upon the sides of the head, and most usually have tails of some form.  They also tend to have sharper teeth, goat-like eyes, and claw-like fingernails.  Other demonic features seem to be rarer, including actual claws, cloven hooves, thicker scaled flesh, wings (some of which being actually capable of flight), and unnaturally strong resistances to certain elements, such as fire or ice or even acid and electricity.

Owing to their heritage as descendants of the Succubus Queen, Mazoku tend to be of exceptional, perhaps even supernatural, beauty, and are commonly described as being remarkably charismatic and persuasive.  Further, many have some limited inborn magical talents, tending most commonly toward emotional manipulation and charm-based effects, but in some cases presenting as elemental manipulation or the creation of illusions.  Many of them are natural sorcerers, and excel in the magical arts.

Socially, at least within the Empire, Mazoku remain a minority within the population, but prejudices here are much less severe (perhaps due to the kerryns generally being the lowest of the races, or perhaps due to their higher numbers here?) than other nations, and often they are just as capable of gaining powerful leadership positions through their own merits as anyone else (take the High Inquisitor Elvoix Vaktra Flamescale, a kobold-born Mazoku, for example).  Feelings on the Mazoku vary in other parts of the world, from ambivalence to outright fear and persecution depending on where you are.  Though I haven’t traveled and studied in the lands beyond the great oceans, enough accounts exist to safely assume that Mazoku are generally not as well tolerated beyond the Empire in most other places, but I would quite enjoy the chance to make determinations on the subject myself one day.