Okay, let's list off some likely demons for the mice.
DEMONS
Hoorooru: Death Without Warning, The Enemy of the Gods. Hoorooru is the white spectre of death. Never seen clearly, he is merely a rush of air and a terrified squeak as some poor rodent who was out after dark is snatched up and vanishes forever.
Hooroou is the Owl and represents all of the terror that they hold for mouse-kind. His children soar through the air silently in the darkness, and woe to the poor mouse-child who ignored his mother's warnings and strays from cover during the night. His name is often used in reference to any owl and, honestly, most common mice don't really realize that there is more than one owl in the world.
Rituals to Hoorooru normally take the form of prayers for mercy and burnt sacrifices intended as offerings. These rites have been banned by the Empire, but they are still practiced (or invented again) by mice on its edges.
On the rare occasion that an owl does enter the empire's territory and sticks around, the Emperor will dispatch a group of elite warriors and mages to track it down and ensorcell it into leaving and never returning.
Amongst well educated white mice, Hooroou refers not to just any owl, but to a dangerously intelligent (and possibly magically active) white owl said to live in the woods to the northwest. He was geased long ago by the White Lords, but was smart enough to remain as close to the Empire as the spell allows him.
"Hoorooru take you!" is considered a fairly vulgar insult, about on the level of saying "Devil take you!"
Sckzentic: Described as a huge, bloated tick, Sckzentic is the father of all parasites. Fleas, mites and ticks are all regarded as his children. Those who are particularly afflicted by these pests are often believed to have offended him. It's commonly believed that the smoke from ritually burning certain plants will keep him and his children away.
It's actually true, more or less. There are some particularly fragrant herbs which, if burned, put off a pungent smoke that is harmful to most parasites. It's not terribly healthy for any mice in the area either, but it can help clear an area of fleas and such.
Fleaman's Day is a twice annual holiday, wherein dried leaves are tied together in great bundles and the tops set aflame so that the smoke rises into the sky. This rite is believed to keep the town free of parasites for the coming seasons and is performed at the beginnings of Spring and Fall. Generally they don't use actual medicinal herbs anymore, but rather just burn whatever plants happen to be available that burn most cleanly. Mice gather and dance around the bonfires with much singing, food and merriment. By old tradition, no one gets married on Fleaman's Day, ever... it's seen as very bad luck and inviting Sckzentic to destroy the newlyweds.
The Ka'ats: During the early days of the Empire, it's said that the greatest danger were the terrible monsters known as Ka'ats. These gigantic predators were fierce and powerful and several White Lords were slain by them before the first Emperor declared war on these monsters.
Now it's commonly believed that Ka'ats are extinct, or at least banished to the underworld. None have been seen within the Empire's boundaries for at least a generation.
Most mice have only a vague idea what a Ka'at looks like... a gigantic four-legged monster with a long tail, glowing eyes and terrible fangs. The Imperial Ivory Throne is said to have been shaped from the skull of one of these terrible creatures, slain in battle by the first Emperor himself. His modern descendants, however, regard that chamber as excessively morose and unstylish and it is now only used on special occasions such as the trial and execution of traitors. The current throne room is an opulent masterpiece of glittering glass, paint and metal, displaying the riches of the Empire for all to see.
Ka'ats are not worshipped or even placated by modern mice; rather they are regarded as demonic beings that haunt isolated and forsaken places.
Posted by Kiz at May 14, 2005 10:43 AMCommentsPost a comment