Read The Demonica Compendium Online
Authors: Larissa Ione
Underworld General Hospital (yes, that would be UGH)
is a medical center that sits beneath the streets of New
York City. Built by demons, it is part of the human realm.
The decision to erect it under human noses instead of in
Sheoul was one Eidolon, Shade, and Wraith argued about
for months. Ultimately, the decision to build outside
Sheoul came about because many of the spells needed to
protect the hospital function only in the human realm, and
because Eidolon knew he'd need to employ humans, and
humans couldn't use Harrowgates to travel to the hospital if it were located in Sheoul.
Underworld General uses the same modern equipment,
supplies, and techniques known to human medicine.
Eidolon stays as current as he can, and he actively recruits
ter'taceo
to attend human medical schools to ensure he
always has enough staff. Educated, trained staff mem
bers are responsible for training those who can't pass as
humans in medical schools. Because most demons can't
attend medical school—and because some demons are
natural or mystical healers—he doesn't require his staff to
have medical degrees to work at UG, but he does require
that they be adequately trained and skilled.
Demon medicine provides a challenge unlike any
other. Every demon species' physiology is unique, and
every doctor's talents and skills are just as unique. For the
most part, Eidolon and his staff are learning as they go.
To aid in the learning process, every new species or
breed that is admitted into the hospital is given a thorough
examination, X-rays, blood and genetic tests... basically,
Eidolon insists that every demon be catalogued and stud
ied. All demons are also asked to donate blood for the
bank.
Running an operation such as Underworld General is
expensive, as one would guess. Though Eidolon was able
to raise funds for the initial costs through his family con
nections, coming up with additional funding required
creativity... and Wraith.
Wraith's suggestion to "squeeze the patients" was
immediately met with resistance, but Shade had quickly
come around. Though most demons can't pay with
money, they can pay with favors specific to their breed or
their occupation. The barter system works, but it brings in
only a small percentage of the income needed to run the
hospital.
A large percentage of funding comes from a by-prod
uct of Wraith's job, which is to gather ancient artifacts
and magical items for hospital use. Extras and anything
that can't be used to cure patients is sold on the legitimate
and black markets.
Wraith's other suggestion, to "squeeze wealthy fucks,"
was one Eidolon agreed to right away. The human world
is crawling with
ter'taceo
who use their underworld con
nections to gain wealth and power, and after a little of
Eidolon's convincing and Wraith's "squeezing," they've
been more than happy to donate to a worthy cause like
Underworld General.
Eidolon
(EYE-duh-lawn)—Head of Underworld General
Hospital, a medical center he built with brothers Shade and Wraith. Born to the Judicia, demons who serve as
judge, jury, and executioner for all demon races. He was
bestowed with judicial powers and served with the Judicia
as a Justice Dealer for decades, until he made a choice
that changed his life forever: he attended human medical school and became a doctor in order to make the most of
his healing gift.
Hair:
Short, dark brown/black
Eyes:
Dark brown
Height: 6
4"
Profession:
Physician
Species:
Incubus
Breed:
Seminus demon
Identifying marks:
Tattoolike symbols extending from
tip of right fingers to shoulder
Personal Seminus symbol:
Set of scales on throat
Gemella Endri
—Raised by Sensor demon parents, Gemella
was expected to follow in their footsteps and destroy infants born to human-demon unions. Instead, she fol
lowed her own path and became a doctor, working in a human hospital in order to root out medical issues with
supernatural/demon origins.
Hair:
Length and color changes frequently. Usually
shoulder-length and black with streaks of blue, red,
or pink.
Eyes:
Green
Profession:
Physician
Species:
Half human, half Soulshredder
Identifying marks:
Pierced tongue, eyebrow, ears,
navel. Long-stemmed rose tattoo running the length
of her left leg
. Dragon tattoo on her abdomen.
Tat
tooed Celtic bands around ankles, wrists, and neck.
Kynan Morgan
—Former Aegis leader of the New York
City cell. Joined The Aegis after being injured by a
demon while on a mission as a United States Army medic
in Afghanistan.
Hair:
Short, spiky, dark brown
Eyes:
Navy blue
Height: 6 2"
Profession:
Aegis Guardian
Species:
Human
Identifying features:
Gravelly voice from vocal-cord
damage. Scarred throat.
Lore
—Born in 1880 to a human mother who believed he
was the son of Satan and raised by his maternal grandpar
ents, Lore never seemed to fit in. Fitting in became more
of a problem when, at the age of twenty, he went through
a strange transformation. By the time it was over, he'd
gained a tattoo on his right arm and had killed several
people with nothing more than a touch. Unable to control
his cursed ability to kill, he hid away in the mountains of
North Carolina, where he existed as a hermit until the day
he was forced into the life of an enslaved assassin.
Hair:
Short, black
Eyes:
Dark brown
Height: 6
6"
Species:
Half human, half Seminus demon
Identifying marks:
Tattoolike symbols extending from
tip of right fingers to shoulder
Personal Seminus symbol:
None
Luc
(Lewk)—Born in 1896, American-born son of French
immigrants, he joined the army when his father left his
mother and fled to France with a mistress. Luc requested assignment in Europe and was granted the assignment to
fight in France during World War I. Before he could locate
his father, he was bitten by a werewolf. He has spent the
time since trying to hold onto his humanity.
Hair:
Shaggy, black
Eyes:
Hazel
Height:
6' 6"
Profession:
Paramedic
Species:
Werewolf
Reaver
—A fallen angel who has never entered Sheoul
to complete the fall, Reaver is stuck between two worlds,
caught between a rock and a hard place. Without the
power of Heaven or Sheoul to draw on, he's weakened,
physically and mentally, and he's in a constant battle with
his baser desires.
Hair:
Long, to the middle of his back, pale blond
Eyes:
Blue
Height: 6
6"
Profession:
Physician
Species:
Fallen angel
Roag
(Rogue)—Roag, the oldest surviving brother of
Eidolon, Shade, and Wraith, grew up in true hell—in the
Neethul slave pits. Born to a Neethul mother who kept
him with the intention of selling him later as a slave, he
learned early to fight dirty. He made his first kill at the
age of four, when he slit the throat of a sleeping slave in
order to steal his food. Roag's mother, proud of the son
she'd intended to sell off, decided to keep him close, and it
wasn't long before he was running his own slave pit. After
his first maturation cycle at the age of twenty, he escaped Sheoul to live in the human world, where fragile humans
were easier to trick, brutalize, and kill. He never expected to like any other being, but against all odds, he developed
a fondness for Eidolon, who was the only person who has
ever been able to influence Roag at all.
Hair:
Shaved, dark brown/black
Eyes:
Dark brown
Height:
6' 3"
Species:
Incubus
Breed:
Seminus demon
Identifying features:
Tattoolike symbols extending
from tip of right fingers to shoulder. Irish accent.
Personal Seminus symbol:
Snake swallowing its tail
Runa Wagner
(RUE-nuh)—Grew up with her older brother,
Arik, in a volatile household with an abusive, alcoholic
father. When Runa was a teenager, her father left and her
mother committed suicide, leaving Arik to raise Runa. She
dated Shade during a hard time in her life. His betrayal led
to even harder times.
Hair:
Shoulder-length, caramel brown
Eyes:
Pale champagne
Species:
Werewolf
Serena Kelley
—Serena loves life, adventure, and danger.
She possesses an uncanny ability to locate anything she's
looking for, and someday she'd really like to take a stab at
finding the Holy Grail.
Hair:
Long, blond
Eyes:
Brown
Profession:
Treasure hunter
Species:
Human
Identifying feature:
Necklace she never removes
Shade
—Born to an Umber demon mother, and raised in a cave in Central America. Thanks to a curse placed on him
at the age of twenty, he avoided attachments, especially
with females, for years. Has a fondness for leather, Har
leys, and, until he met Runa, one-night stands.
Hair:
Shoulder-length, dark brown/black
Eyes:
Dark brown/black
Height: 6
'
3
1/2
"
Profession:
Paramedic
Species:
Incubus
Breed:
Seminus demon
Identifying marks:
Tattoolike symbols extending from
tip of right fingers to shoulder. Pierced left ear.
Personal Seminus symbol:
Unseeing eye on throat
Tayla Mancuso
—Tayla spent her entire childhood and
most of her teenage years in foster care thanks to a drug-
addicted mother who was unable to care for Tayla. Even
tually, Tayla's mother gained custody of her, but the happy
reunion was cut short when Tayla witnessed her mother's
torture and death at the hands of a demon. After that,
Tayla dedicated every waking moment to killing demons, and until she met Eidolon, she believed that the only good
demon is a demon with a stang buried in its brain.
Hair:
Red
Eyes:
Green
Profession:
Aegis Guardian
Species:
Half human, half Soulshredder
Wraith
—As a demon born to a vampire, Wraith is an
anomaly. A childhood of torture at the hands of vampires
gave him an intense hatred of the entire race, and he spent
his entire adult life killing them for sport. His horrific
younger years left him with a strange quirk: he won't feed
from or have sex with human women. All other females,
however, are fair game—a game he plays several times
a day. Unlike most Seminus demons, Wraith was born with the red-eyed glare other Sems gain around the time
of
s'genesis.
Hair:
Kept between chin- and shoulder-length, bleached
blond
Eyes:
Blue
Height: 6
5"
Profession:
In charge of acquisitions for UG
Species:
Incubus
Breed::
Seminus demon
Identifying marks:
Tattoolike symbols extending from
tip of right fingers to shoulder
Personal Seminus symbol:
Hourglass on throat