Demons

Demons  are the prolific natives of Hell. The most powerful make up the massive souls of the Yozis, while the least are spawned and are not properly part of the Yozi. All demons are bound up in the prison Malfeas with their Yozi masters. They are divided into fairly well-defined categories of power and relationship to their Yozi progenitors, with the most powerful known as Third Circle demons. Each Third Circle demon has a set of Second Circle souls, and each of these are usually the source of First Circle demons. This arrangement is known as the Descending Hierarchy.

The Descending Hierarchy is the formal title for the way in which the titanic souls of the Yozis are structured. Though each such being is separate and independent, its soul is split into many parts that are themselves individuals, each sub-soul reflecting facets of the greater being. Manipulating the soul hierarchy of a Yozi causes changes in the arch-being to varying degrees, depending on the power and importance of the soul in question. It is so named because all power flows down, from the Yozis to their component souls, with those lower in the hierarchy given only what their superiors wish and retaining their gifts only so long as their betters allow. The strong rule the weak, as is the law of Cecelyne.

There are three main parts to the Descending Hierarchy:

= Third Circle Souls = The Unquestionable

Third Circle demons are amongst the most powerful beings in the universe, though within their ranks they can vary significantly in strength and purpose. These are the uppermost reaches of the Descending Hierarchy, the direct soul components of a Yozi. The death of such a being can cause drastic changes in the titan it belongs to. Third Circle demons are also known as "the Unquestionable," because none in Hell are allowed to question their decrees (though some leeway is provided to the new class of peers, the Green Sun Princes). Only another Unquestionable can contest with a Third Circle soul. Because there are so many and such varied Third Circle souls for each Yozi, each one is known by the number of its soul in relation to the Yozi to which it belongs (e.g., Fourth Soul of lex:Sacheverell ], Sixth Soul of Malfeas, etc.). It is unknown if this numbering system has any real significance.

Perhaps the most important Third Circle soul is the  fetich soul, also known as the "heart" of a titan. These Third Circle souls are usually the most powerful soul belonging to a Yozi, and represent some of the core principles on which the Yozi's power is founded. The death of these particular souls cause drastic, widespread change in a Yozi's nature.

= Second Circle Souls = Citizens of Hell

Each Third Circle soul is possessed of its own component souls, similar in nature to the Third Circle soul's own relationship with its Yozi. The destruction of such a soul does not have such a drastic impact on the Third Circle demon, but it will weaken the Unquestionable. Most Second Circle souls number amongst a selection of seven types, each of which represents that particular facet of the Third Circle demon they are a part of. The common seven are the Third Circle's abilities to reflect, communicate, protect, understand, gratify, express or define. These are broad and malleable categories, and some Second Circle souls exist that do not appear to fit in these classifications and instead earn different titles (such as Kimbery's Dawn, known as a "progenitive soul").

Where the Third Circle souls of the Yozis are known as "Unquestionable," all Second Circle souls are "citizens." Since the Unquestionable are more like forces of nature and are, as their title suggests, not to be contended against, the citizens fulfill more conventional roles of rulership, warring and politicking with each other.

= First Circle Demons = Serfs and Slaves

Unlike their creators and the Unquestionable, First Circle demons are not actually parts of a Yozi's soul. They are creations of Second Circle demons, born or built for some purpose. Uncounted numbers of vast arrays of species exist, many of which may have no purpose that can be discerned or remembered. Second Circle demons are not restricted to creating First Circle demons solely through their own direct actions, but may produce strange wonders and artifacts that produce demons.

Nearly all First Circle demons are serfs and slaves, the teeming throngs that make up the bulk of the population of Hell. They have no rights but what their masters give them, and those rights can be taken away. However, some exceptional, individual specimens of a First Circle race can rise to become citizens, joining the class usually reserved for Second Circle souls.

= Primordial Souls = The Primordials, of whom the Yozis previously numbered, have similar soul structures but it is not known if they are identical.