The Banished One

The story begins with the endless war that rages in the Abyss and the Nine Hells. Demons and devils arrange and organize, build fortresses and raise armies and attack one another. Sometimes, these hosts will choose wars beyond the fields of Hell, launching campaigns into the Heavens, into other realms, even unto the Nameless Realm.

Tirsar remains a known demon of great power: a towering lord with glossy purple skin, long black horns, and a wingspan to rival a great dragon. The blade it carried was made of a literal piece of the night sky, hammered and folded until it was sharp enough to split a hair or hew the wings off of a celestial. A blade such that if Tirsar could reach the Heavens and the face of the creators, it could make them bleed, maybe even slay them. The demon lord commanded seventy legions of warriors and held a fortress made of dark amethyst known as Arx Nemesis. This all being said, Tirsar was a powerful lord among its kind, but it was filled with a singular burning ambition, to murder the demon lord Usrar.

Usrar was not just a rival demon lord, it was as close to a biological brother as demons can be. Instead of purple skin, Usrar was a vivid blue, streaked with red, and possessing a hammer made from a burning star. Commanding fewer than twenty-five legions, and having no fortress, Usrar would seem to be decidedly lesser than Tirsar. They fought constantly, with Tirsar's legions advancing on Usrar's volcanic lair, or on the hellish cities, Usrar defended. Tirsar would initially do well, driving back Usrar's demons, but the tides would turn, and they would be beaten back. While Tirsar's numbers were greater, Usrar's demons were of greater quality. Usrar was also the greater tactician, superior strategist, and in one on one combat, the victor.

It was after the 13th Siege of Rexaatsiu, a large demon city rich with forges, slave pits, and mining operations, that the Banished One struck. 2nd Commander to Tirsar, the Banished One tired of the pointless fighting. Usrar never attacked, only defended, and when the blue and red demon lord did sally forth it was into the Nameless Realm, or in raids against Elysia, Celestia, and other worthy targets. Tirsar had fought Usrar in the skies above the city, and then in the streets. Both were sorely wounded. While Tirsar's 1st Commander, Tukarax, sought to carry its master's wounded body back to Arx Nemesis, the Banished One took the initiative. With blade, spell, and buffeting wings, the Banished One broke Tukarax's defense, and cast Tirsar's nearly broken body into Inan Gelidris. It was believed that the demon would fall into the bottomless frozen shaft of the Inan Gelidris until it froze solid and was forgotten. In a brutal purge, those minions of Tirsar who refused to swear allegiance to the Banished One were assaulted and their bodies were also cast into the Inan Gelidris.

The Banished One ruled from Arx Nemesis for ninety-nine years. Their forces grew to nearly ninety legions of lesser demons, built great black cities, and monoliths to the dark powers, and waged a dozen bloody crusades across the region. This was considered a time of great success, and even Tukarax knelt before the Banished One to serve as its second.

This came to an end.

Tirsar returned from the Inan Gelidris a changed demon. Its skin was pallid gray, the only remnants of its once gloss purple skin reduced to some shading along its wings and around its head and claws. The horns were broken away, and there was a terrible cold brilliance to the demon lord. It spoke that Tirsar perished in the Inan Gelidris and after a century of communion with the Dark Powers it had been reborn as Zelgsar. This was certainly unexpected, just as the appearance of Zelgsar's ten legions was. These were similar, having once been the demons who were also cast into the Inan Gelidris, and reshaped by the Dark Powers. The battle was brief, many demons were executed, facing the ultimate and final death. The Banished One expected to face this end, but that was not the case. Zelgsar instead smote the Banished One, broke their body, and reduced them to a wreck. When the Banished One rose again, Zelgsar repeated this abuse, smashing them over and over.

Tiring of this sport, Zelgsar bound the Banished One to a fist-sized piece of raw zomorrod. Once trapped as a spirit in a piece of demon emerald, Zelgsar cast the Banished One into the Nameless Realm, to fall, unclaimed, into a long forgotten and deceased corpse of a dungeon.

Appearance:

Initial - a weakly glowing piece of raw emerald that radiates moderate magic and strong evil

Activated - the Banished One appears as a humanoid female still bearing the bruises, cuts, scrapes, and general damage one would expect after several decades of physical abuse. In this form, the Banished One is very weak, has no magical abilities, but retains their intelligence, and is a deeply intelligent magic advisor, historian, and general sage of the occult and all things Hell related.

Restored- a restored and uninjured humanoid female, generally attractive to the interest of the person who holds and 'controls' the Zomorrod stone. If the master of the stone likes pale redheads, the Banished One is the palest reddest haired pale redhead. Likewise, if the holder of the Zomorrod happens to be female, the Banished One will appear as a tall, thin, masculine version of their personal interest. It will generally come close to their ideal race, but the Banished One is always tall, thin, arrogant, and sneering. In this form, the Banished One has the knowledge of a demon lord, but the manifested power of a mortal sorcerer.

Empowered - the Banished One can be summoned by the holder of the Zomorrod, and in doing so can assume a lesser version of their true demonic form. The Banished One has the basic body pattern of a demon lord, a strong body, long tail, and wings. But, the form is still humanoid, demonstrates its gender and characteristics, and retains its humanoid head, albeit with more delicate horns than a normal demon lord. For the duration of the summoning, the Empowered Banished One has the powers and magic abilities of a lesser demon lord but is under the command of the stone holder.

Awakened - if the holder of the Zomorrod can infect the Banished One with the power of friendship (insert demonic gagging) the Awakened form can be accessed. The mortal form from Restored is retained, but all stats are generally increased, making the humanoid form more strong and capable than most all humanoids, and gaining access to more of its demonic magics. The Awakened Banished One can be romanced. Summoning it in battle is also much easier.

Unfettered - If the holder of the stone wishes it, and they have access to magic power enough, the Zomorrod can be broken, and the Banished One can be fully restored to their demonic form. They have all of their demonic attributes, traits, and abilities, and can switch between their demon lord form, humanoid form, and whatever shapeshifting powers the Banished One happens to have access to. There is a catch to this, and it is part of Zelgsar's cruelty and planning. Whoever breaks the bond of the Zommorod becomes themself the new fetter for the Banished One. When that person dies, so will the Banished One. Thus, to continue to exist, the Banished One cannot allow themselves to be unfettered, but that is the only way to have their demonic power and existence back.

Zelgsar's fury knew no bounds. Ursar, it learned, did not survive the battle of Raxaatsiu. It was carried back to the volcanic lair and for a short time its lieutenants considered what would be done, and then in an orgy of violence, it was decided. Efax sought to rip out Ursar's heart and would consume it and become a greater demon lord as Ursar had been. Instead, Efax was struck back, and a demon of much lesser rank, Mizahl, captured the heart and consumed it. Not having been a demon lord of any form, the heart of Ursar did increase Mizahl's power, but not enough to make him more than the most powerful Warlord Demon known, just a step below the least Demon Lord. Learning this, and knowing that the Banished One had not just stolen Ursar's death from it but failed to smash Mizahl and its worthless band of followers, drove it into a rage.

Zelgsar swept down from Arx Nemesis and almost completely wiped out Mizahl's legions. A paltry twelve legions were left to resist Zelgsar's nearly four score legions. After being driven back into the volcano, Zelgsar one by one executed or savagely beat Mizahl's lieutenants and generals until they were ashes or swore blood oaths to serve it. Efax was dismembered and ripped apart with great deliberation so that its pain lasted as long as possible before it died the final death. Mizahl fought Zelgsar in the main hall of the volcano. When the battle was over, Zelgsar ripped all four of Mizahl's arms off and then tore its chest open to get to its prize. Zelgsar consumed both Ursar's heart and Mizahls. The new form of the Demon Lord was that of a four-armed pit fiend, and its strength increased greatly, becoming what many demons consider a Demon King, no longer just a lord.

For the most part, following this savagery, Zelgsar has largely discarded thoughts about the Banished One. That punishment is done, though if the Banished One is unfettered, it will know, as it will know if the Banished One dies the final death.

Usage:

In genre fantasy, the Banished One is a powerful lesser demon lord that has been banished to the Nameless Realm (material plane) and can be a source of tainted magical and occult lore, and eventually be leveled up into a powerful lieutenant/magical summon. The two angles to play this are Tool of the Villain and Dungeon Keeper. In the Tool of the Villain, the Banished One is a weapon the villains have. It could be good guys found it, and through time and corruption, the Banished One has turned them towards evil. It could also be that an evil foe simply has the Banished One and uses it as a literal weapon against the PCs. Congrats, the BBEG has a demon lord summoning stone, have fun.

The other angle, Dungeon Keeper, is the one I had in mind for this. The single player is the dungeon keeper, and the Banished One is part of their treasure trove, the task is to increase its power and unleash its summonable form so that it can be used as a champion defender or warlord to extend the power and prestige of the dungeon itself. In the Isekai fashion, this is where the Harem aspect comes into play, and the Banished One is a comely member of the opposite sex (or same sex if that is what the dungeon keeper is into, whatevs). The goal is to grow the relationship between the two, unlocking the Banished One's power while also forcing increasing levels of human empathy, compassion, and if not good ideals at least neutral ideals. In the anime sense of this, the Banished One is Albedo to Ainz from Overlord, without the simping.

Powers of Note:

The Banished One is a lesser demon lord (low-level pit fiend) and has the according spell abilities. Certainly, nothing to sneeze at, casting fireball at will. The rest of the spells can be whatever they need to be and would be fitting for the Banished One to know and use at the best of the stone holder. Where there is a difference is in Chain Summoning. With this ability, greater demons can summon their lesser demon minions to serve them, and those demons can also summon lesser demons via the chain. In the endless wars, often charges are led by powerful demons, and when there is an opening, they chain summon reserves, so a handful of demon warriors can suddenly become an entire legion to exploit a weakness in the enemy defenses.

The Banished One cannot chain summon lesser demons normally. As a high-level demon, it should be able to summon everything but Pit Fiends and such. This is not the case for the Banished One. It can still chain summon, but the spell only summons the least of demons, those considered unworthy of being counted in the legions. Thus, the Banished One can summon the following horrors:

Kochra - better known as demonic cockroaches, the Kochra are demons by only the fact they live in the Nine Hells. These insects are roughly the size of goblins. They do not use weapons, but they can fly. As demons, they have some solid elemental resistances and immunities, They can talk and can learn cantrips and first-level magic spells. They are horrific for their interest in eating rotting meat, feces, and torturing mortals. They do not dissipate after a summoning, so anywhere the Banished One regularly chain summons is going to have an ongoing infestation of three-foot-tall demon cockroaches. Unlike most demons, Kochra can reproduce sexually, and they like to have live hosts for their nymphs to feed on.

The Shameful Ones - coming from the same basic demon stock that makes up most of the legions of the Nine Hells, the Shameful Ones were once Bearded Devils and looked the part of fearsome if mundane and slightly reptilian warriors. Unlike the Bearded Devils, Shameful Ones are demons that are cowards, tainted with human emotion, or contaminated by being exposed to radiant energy sources. They brought shame on themselves, shame on their legions, and shame on the lords. Accordingly, they were mutilated. Their horns were cut away, their claws removed at the first finger joint, and their beards were burned away with boiling acid. Once so marked they are cast out of the legions and left to wander the Nine Hells, where most face a short life before being caught and enslaved by a different demon lord, slaughtered by a Devil incursion, or simply running afoul of the things that live in the Nine Hells that aren't demons. When chain summoned, the Shameful Ones appear as wretches, eunuchs, badly beaten waifs, and other miserable creatures. They have a few skills and limited magic ability, but their confidence is broken. Like the Kochra, they are in the Nameless Realm for the duration of their existence. A cunning Dungeon Keeper can rebuild these broken demons and return them to being loyal soldiers, perhaps more loyal than their kind originally are. Or, they can be used as slaves, be beaten for entertainment, or used as a food source if things are either too grim, or just boring.

The Lost - once the lowest form of demon in the legions, capable of no magic, no speech, just following orders like demonic children, the Lost come from the broken and scattered hosts of Demon Lords who were defeated and destroyed in battle. With no demon to call overlord, and remaining unclaimed, these demons have simply stopped. Once summoned by the Banished One, the lost are little more than nearly useless unmotivated minions. If reequipped with weapons and armor, and then given a suitable commander they could be reformed into a new legion. That is also a good deal of work.

Demon Tick - also known as a vampire imp, or blood bag imp, these loathsome creatures suck blood from the living until their bodies are bloated and distended in an obscene fashion. A single demon tick can suck all of the blood from an adult human and then be left barely able to move. In the Nine Hells, these are pests that feed on demons and anything else that wanders into the region. Some demons use them as 'health snacks', consuming the blood from the imp to restore their own health and then throwing the imp away to go find something else to feed on. They are small, disgusting, and frequently carry horrific diseases.

Midden Imp - these particularly vile creatures are, if possible, more disgusting than the Kochra. While the demon roaches do have their own distinct and unsettling scent, they don't stink the same way. The Kochra eat carrion and feces, so in a way, they are keeping things a bit cleaner. Midden Imps roll in both of those things, they hunger for the most disgusting things. Two Girls One Cup is a Midden Imp porno. The creatures stink, infest areas with their presence, and seemingly breed like flies, simply appearing around filth after the first few have been chain summoned. They create a sickening stinking cloud wherever they congregate, and demon ticks that feed on them 100% pass on diseases including Hemorrhagic Fever. Demons can barf up a lot of blood before dying.

Literal Demon Slave - once a living soul, the LDS is a pitiful thing wrapped in leather and chain so that it suffers constantly. It is difficult to motivate and requires constant beatings to keep it moving, but with a proper taskmaster, they can be used to power manual labor tasks, albeit slowly. They have demonic resistances and immunities, but no magic abilities. A LDS can be redeemed, but it takes an investment of time and energy on the part of the protagonist to remove their chains, heal their wounds, and then work to bring out the memories of who they once were. This can trigger a demonic evolution, allowing a literal demon slave to turn into a demonic version of who they were in life, possibly a major power increase involved. A once general who was slaughtered and taken by demons and made an LDS might flash evolve into a powerful Warlord demon, complete with four arms and the power to command. A once prostitute might become a succubus. A gambling gigolo might flash into an incubus.

The Flatulent Ones - rarely seen and barely known, farting demons were once mortals who were deeply ensconced into positions of bureaucratic power. They were the menial employees who lorded their positions over others, spreading misery and misfortune, and generally making anyone who dealt with them hate their own lives and any sort of organization. These lesser demons appear as hideously fat versions of themselves, with no bodily control. They pass gas, urinate, and defecate with no concern about their hygiene. Despite this, they can be passable administrators or obfuscators, tedious middle managers, quartermasters, or any other position that requires a degree of intelligence but little physical activity. The major downside is that the Flatulent Ones are thieves, embezzlers, and time wasters.

Lesser Succubi and Incubi - the greater forms of these demons have wings and impressive abilities even if they aren't terrifying spellcasters. As tempters and sadists, they tend to recruit and capture souls to deliver to the demon lords. The lesser versions are the 'bottoms' of the equations. These succubi and incubi are passive, the opposite of the dommes and masters, they are willing and deliberate victims, masochists, and pain seekers. This makes them rather useless most of the time, well at least for purposes other than acting as demonic furniture and willing whipping objects.