H2: Portal of Praevus · the New Herione of Thyrion

The Demoness

The Demoness is a unique creature, the only one of her kind. Through powerful wizardry, she was created by Eidolon as the first of a new race of magic-wielding minions. The Demoness was to be the mother of her kind, but the Serpent Rider never had the opportunity to complete his work. The Demoness considers Eidolon to be her god, so for Praevus to control the eternal soul of her master is seen by her as an abomination.

Profile of the Demoness

Born through magical means, the Demoness is not old in actual years. But Eidolon taught her the equivalent of many lifetimes of lessons. Often the lessons were harsh and painful, for the powerful Serpent Rider wanted his creation to be hardened, disciplined. She tasted his wrath many times, but inherently understood its intent. The race to which she would give birth would be greater for the suffering she endured.

But then the so-called heroes came, destroying her master and displacing her destiny. The Demoness, at the time only recently given the ability of magic, was in no position to prevent the demise of Eidolon or to punish those responsible. Though devastated, she knew in time her power would grow to a strength sufficient for her to exact her revenge.

Yet, as pleasurable as that day would be, there would come a day that was sure to surpass it. That day, whether in ten years of a hundred, would be the day she finally succeeded in summoning her master back to Thyrion.

The arrival of Praevus and the imprisonment of the Serpent Riders' souls was wholly unexpected and sent the Demoness into an unholy rage. She reduced her abode to little more than a ruin before finally regaining control of herself. With forced patience, the Demoness went to her laboratory to use the arcane artifacts therein to seek news regarding Praevus. Her plans would still go forward, she decided. But here was a quest she would need to undertake first.

The Demoness' Abilities

Beyond her magic, the Demoness can gain two additional abilities to aid in her quest. The Demoness possesses a pair of small, underdeveloped wings. Though it is likely that Eidolon had intended to expand them into full-fledged wings, he never got the chance. As they are, the wings are not large enough to enable flight, but the Demoness can learn to use them to slow a fall. When this skill is mastered, the Demoness can jump from any altitude and float gently to the ground below.

The second ability takes longer to develop than the first, but is surely more beneficial. The Demoness can acquire the ability to absorb mana from an enemy's attack. This is purely a survival measure and occurs only when her health is low. Absorbing mana permits the Demoness to fire an extra shot or two, thus giving her a better chance to escape a potentially deadly situation.

The Demoness' Weapons

	Blood Fire As a being of magical origin, the Demoness possesses the innate ability to summon potent magic from her very blood. From her fingertips, she is able to cast forth a magic bolt at her enemies.While not especially powerful, using the Blood Fire causes no drain on her store of mana, allowing her to cast the bolts repeatedly, without a second thought. The range of the magical projectiles is limited, however, so more distant targets will take little or no damage. The Tome of Power will triplicate the effect of this weapon, causing three projectiles to be emitted. In addition, these projectiles will ricochet off solid objects such as walls and ceilings several times while seeking a victim.

	Acid Rune The Acid Rune is a hand-held object that acts like a "power conduit", focusing and amplifying the inherent magical ability of the Demoness. The object belonged to Eidolon and is covered in green runes. The Acid Rune allows the Demoness to fire a green projectile that explodes in a cloud of acid, burning its target. When used with the Tome of Power, the explosion of acid is larger and more deadly. In addition, sizzling particles of acid will fly out of the explosion to inflict more damage.

	Firestorm The power of the Demoness is even more intensely concentrated through the use of the Firestorm. Though similar in appearance to the Acid Rune, the effect of this magical object is more spectacular. The Demoness can use the object to produce a fireball that explodes in a burst of flame upon impact. The Tome of Power enhances the projectile, creating a larger fireball that leaves a spinning trail. When the fireball hits an enemy, a more powerful, though brief, firestorm ensues as several small, flaming meteors pummel the victim.

	Tempest's Staff The most powerful weapon available to the Demoness is the Tempest's Staff. Rumor has it that Eidolon himself forged the staff for his newest minion before his defeat. The Staff discharges a ball of lightning which has a limited ability to track its target. When it hits, the ball explodes and several bolts of lightning strike the target, doing significant damage. The Tome of Power causes a profound change to this weapon. Instead of a ball, a stream of lightning will arc from the Staff to the target. If there is more than one target in the vicinity, a chain-lightning effect may occur whereby the lightning will arc from the first target to a second, from the second to a third, and so on.