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''Demons'', also known as ''Nightmares'', are supernatural beings in Aivintian folklore typically associated with evil and terror, prevalent historically in and around Derrim and Asluagh. There is no mythological consensus for the origin of such Nightmares, and tales vary from the ghosts of Vampires and Werewolves to a portal to Hell located deep underground. Demons are traditionally associated with demonic possession, an act in which the demon controls the body of a mortal and channels their power through it, Anusually exampledamaging or killing the host and others. While most people fear demons, others willfully attempt to summon them for knowledge, assistance, or power. The ceremonial magician usually consults a grimoire, which gives the names and abilities of demons as well as detailed instructions for conjuring and controlling them. Nightmares in some stories, however, mainly the texts of Howard Phillip Augustus Smith, Percy Wheeler, and Tobias Hedley Varmo, are unfathomable monsters, with varied and often horrific appearance, who appear in the flesh to feed on the fear of tormented souls. In Westhafen, the myth of the Nachtkrapp, a giant nocturnal raven with no eyes that brings terrible illness, and sometimes death, is one such Nighmareexample. isOthers include the NachtkrappVoid Spirits, malevolent entities bound to pitch black armor, from which thick tentacles emerge, burrowing into the minds of their victims, and the Osem Rutse Uzhas, a flesh monster which eats children. Both these tales originate from Derrim. Some port cities, such as Waerham, have tales of Nightmares lurking in the fog. Nightmares are supposedly injured by salted blades and bullets, and cannot cross lines of salt. Consecrated weapons burn them, and some flee when exposed to a bright light, but most are virtually invincible. Some have the ability to control the dreams of their victims.
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