SETTING
HEAVEN KILLERS is set in an alternate universe in a time similar to Victorian London. The city in which characters will be focused in is called SAN CIRCA--a cathedral city that still has cobblestone streets and stone and wooden buildings. Technology is at Victorian London (mid 1800's) level. So there's horse-drawn carriages, revolvers and rifles, typewriters, etc. (If you have a question on if a certain tech is acceptable, please feel free to ask.) The cathedral is large and gothisc in style. Inside, it has a Catholic feel, and The Church within this world is definitely based off of a romanticized Catholocism (I am not Catholic and I can guarantee that it will not accurately follow Catholic customs). Most people within this cathedral city are of faith, but you will also find those that are not.
During the day, it is safe to wander around. No demons have been known to attack while the sun is out. However, it is possible to see small spore or soot-like particles floating in the air. What could be mistaken for sulfer coming from chimneys and workshops may actually be a type of minor demon called UMBRA. It is almost bacterial, and will collect on stationary surfaces to create plant-like organisms. If left alone long enough, it will grow into a garden worth of these black sooty plants. They are harmless to humans in small doses, but long-time exposure can cause halucinations and deleria. If a person remains in contact with the umbra too frequently, it may even cause mania and severe physicall illness leading to death. Even still, most daily life activity happens during the day due to the safty of daylight.
At night, the umbra is more abundant. It also attracts lesser demons who feed off of it when no human flesh is accessible. Lesser demons prowl the night and like the beasts they take the forms of, they lack sentience but are clever and lust for survival and to feed. They lurk in shadows, and some bolder demons may even walk the streets. Any human they may sense, they will go after. It has been discovered that demons will devour both the flesh and the soul of a person. It is possible to survive a demon attack, but you will be marked and may be suceptible to future attacks. The Dark Chapter uses this to their advantage.
INFO
The Dark Chapter
The Dark Chapter is the name of the demon hunting Order that was created and approved by The Church a couple hundred years ago. Their purpose was to use magic combative skill to fight off the demons and protect nearby villages and towns. The Church had discovered that holy magic and weapons embued with holy power would effectively kill demons, and so began to sanction weapons and spells for these demon hunters to use.
Fields of Expertise
Within the Dark Chapter, there are four "classes" to pick from called a Field of Expertise. Each Field utilizes different weapons and techniques in order to fight and exterminate demons. These Fields are Ensis, Tempesta, Exorcismo, and Domare. Each member is decided to follow one, and rarely changes Fields unless necessary. Each Field of Expertise is present in a squad, allowing a rounded out and balanced team.
ENSIS - The Sword. Traditionally, Ensis were members that used swords that have been blessed and sanctioned in order to slay demons. Swords were commonly inscribed with verses and hymns and enchanted to have holy or fire qualities. Today, Ensis use any melee weapon of their choosing. Weapons continued to be blessed, sanctioned and enchanted, and may or may not have holy and fire qualities. It does help, but so long as they have been blessed, they do their job. Ensis are usually trained to use one or two types of weapons, but they are not limited to that if they are able to learn more.
Examples of weapons: swords, shields, lances, halberds
TEMPESTA - The Storm. Bows and arrows were the traditional weapon for Tempestas. It was said that the spirit of God carried their arrows strong, allowing them to cut through the winds and hit their mark. Like the Ensis weapons, Tempesta's long-ranged or projectile weapons are required to be blessed, senctioned and enchanted in order to effectively kill demons. Tempesta must be prepared at all times. Nothing is worse than a Tempesta that runs out of ammo.
Examples of weapons: crossbows, guns, rifles, bombs
EXORCISMO - The Exorcism. A field adopted from The Church, this member is capable of using holy relics, artifacts, and objects to spellcast in various ways. They were traditionally used to protect, but as demonic activity worsened, more and more Exorcismos decided to utilize their magicks for offense. Now, the field is versatile, capable of using their magicks for offensive, defensive, support, or utility. Through objects they are capable of spellcasting through voice activated, scribed, or movement.
Examples of weapons: tomes, hymns, crucifix, rasaries, cencers
DOMARE - The Tamer. This is a relatively new field, and is seen as the more taboo of the three. To fight fire with fire, some members are actually studied in demonology in order to use lesser demons to their advantage. Instead of using holy magic, they use what is considered unholy (not necromancy, mind you). This is a very tricky field to deal with and takes an incredible amount of skill and training to use it successfully. The more successful one is, the more hesitance they may be met with by the common people.
Example of weapons: runes, sigils, grimoires, blood
DEMONS
Lesser Demons
Lesser demons are monstrous things. They take on the form of beasts. Anything from animal-like to things you could only imagine being from the depths of Hell. They are usually black in color, shadowy. Some have a fleshy charred appearance to them, or are glossy or ashen or swollen purple looking. It really depends on the type of lesser demon you encounter. Lesser demons vary in intelligence level, but none of them are sentient enough to be human-level. They all are driven by their need to feed, and will always find a way to attack humans. Smaller, weaker lesser demons will first feed off of umbra until they grow enough to take on larger prey. If you find umbra, surely you'll find lesser demons nearby.
Greater Demons
Greater demons are rare to see. But if you ever see one, you better not be alone. There are many of them. So far records show there may be sixty-nine of them. They are incredibly clever, and often use logic to try and fool their opponents before even attempting to lift a finger to fight. If even possible, it would take a full team or two to take one down. They are intelligent, sentient, and have hundreds of years of experience under their belts. They do not show themselves often, so if you are graced with their presence, it means something very, very bad is going to happen.