¶ Sayksumarahw
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|---|---|
| Female (Succubus) | Male (Incubus) |
The Sayksumarahw is a shapeshifting, winged demon that feeds on the vital life essence released during mortal climax. In folklore, its two primary manifestations are known as the Succubus and the Incubus. Seductive, highly intelligent, and fundamentally ruthless, they utilize powerful pheromones and psionic magic to secure a feeding.
Their natural anatomy varies wildly. Common traits include leathery bat wings, curled horns, cloven hooves, and taloned fingers. While some individuals retain a mostly human baseline, others appear entirely monstrous; the reason for this physical divergence remains unknown.
¶ Origins
The true origin of the Sayksumarahw is unverified. Abrahamic folklore claims the first succubus was Lilith, who transformed and consorted with fallen angels after fleeing the Garden of Eden. Conversely, esoteric traditions categorize them as opportunistic astral parasites drawn to individuals harboring intense emotional vulnerability.
¶ Behavior
Unlike lesser demons driven purely by hunger, the Sayksumarahw is solitary, calculating, and motivated by malice. They treat feeding as an exercise in psychological destabilization, often lingering in human society to dismantle marriages, lineages, or local politics. Historically, several have secured positions of high social standing to guarantee themselves a secure, rotating supply of mortal prey.
¶ Life Cycle
As immortal entities, they cannot die of natural causes but can be destroyed. Starving a Sayksumarahw of aetheric energy forces it into a weakened physical state; if trapped on the material plane in this condition, it becomes vulnerable to standard weaponry. Slaying the physical vessel and immediately casting a dispersion rite will scatter its remaining essence, permanently neutralizing it.
¶ Demonic Reproduction
Procreation requires two fully sated Sayksumarahw of opposite sexes. The mating process is a ritualistic trial of combat initiated by the succubus. To successfully transfer his stored essence, the incubus must overpower her in physical battle; conception only occurs if she deems his display of strength worthy of submission.
Gestation lasts a few weeks, and the newborn reaches full physical maturity within hours. While devoid of maternal warmth, the rearing parent subjects the offspring to rigorous, cruel trials in psychological manipulation. Once the juvenile masters these hunting techniques, it abandons its parent to establish its own territory.
¶ Mortal Reproduction
True biological hybrids are impossible. However, when an incubus deposits stolen mortal essence into a human woman, it triggers a phantom pregnancy. After a standard gestation period of nine months, the host delivers a Kelthubilaz: an incorporeal, malevolent spiritual parasite that attaches itself to her family bloodline.
Conversely, a mortal man who manages to force a succubus into carrying his seed will sire a Kelthubilaz that binds to his own lineage, specifically targeting the women of his house.
¶ Abilities
As living conduits of pure Aether, these entities can amplify the magic of mortal sorcerers willing to enter a pact with them.
Their shapeshifting is absolute, altering their vocal cords, mass, and internal biology to match their target persona. When fully sated, they can shift into an incorporeal state to pass through solid matter, spy unseen, or escape entrapment. However, this state carries a severe drawback: a starved Sayksumarahw loses the density required to hold a physical form, trapping it in an insubstantial state until it can siphon enough ambient energy to rematerialize.
¶ Feeding
Contrary to common superstition, the demon does not ingest bodily fluids; rather, it absorbs the burst of pure bioenergy released at the moment of climax. An incorporeal Sayksumarahw can feed passively simply by standing in the room during a mortal tryst. When starved, they will actively haunt brothels or use telepathic suggestion to drive vulnerable mortals into sudden acts of passion.
¶ Side Effects
The psychological toll on a mortal host splits into two extremes: acute revulsion toward the demon, or an obsessive addiction to them. Because the entity steals the vital essence meant to grant physiological satisfaction, the victim experiences an unquenchable arousal that accelerates mental degradation.
When an invisible Sayksumarahw feeds on two normal mortals, the couple will find themselves locked in an exhausted, fruitless cycle of passion, plagued by a lingering sense of profound emptiness.
¶ Dietary Preferences
While capable of gaining sustenance from either sex, they extract the highest yield of Aether from the opposite gender. Esoteric scholars theorize that the demons perceive different manifestations of mortal desire as distinct flavors, shifting their target demographics to suit their current appetite.