(stats)Tied up, on the floor, and at his mercy.

As the magic faded, she realized that she was in a room.

She sensed souls nearby, bubbling and brimming over with upbeat joy. Not just aroused, but engaged. Eager to please.

There they were! Shiroe and his lady friends. Look at him, his soul an interlocking puzzle of heat and cool, carefully ticking over and adjusting as the world around him changed. Look at them, kneeling before him, fawning over him, basking in his forgiveness for some past squabble.

And that cake. That poor, miserable, pathetic excuse for a cake.

Xylyra knew what that cake meant. It was written all over their emotional history. That cake was a metaphor for their apology. No-- for themselves as individuals, and for the team as a whole. Imperfect. Flawed to the core, even. But still sweet. Still edible. And as wretched as it looked, it was baked with love.

And so, as a peace offering, she used her power of tangible Illusion to make that cake complete, before making her grand entrance.

She couldn't wait to see how their souls lit up when they realized that the cake-- the symbol of their love-- had changed into something so beautiful.

Next, she decided, she would add herself to the Illusion. She could fade into visibility as she sashayed over from the darkest corner of the room. The Illusion could look every bit as beautiful and as powerful as she wished she felt right now. Then, she'd have it say something devastatingly cool, like--

"Ensnaring Terrain."

Vines of magical energy shot up from the floor, wrapping around Shiroe and his party members... and also, a fifth, invisible figure that had been standing near the cake. From the look of things, they'd started scrambling backwards when the vines first appeared, and then they'd tripped and fell, ending up on the floor, completely wrapped.

"Err... sorry for messing with your food," the invisible intruder said, "but when I saw the emotions in your souls, I just couldn't resist." This wasn't quite the grand entrance she'd hoped for.

"Xylyra? Is that you?"

"Why were you spying on us!?"

"And after I made an exception for you..."

"Now, calm down," Xylyra said. "It was never my intention to deceive you. The only reason I'm invisible is because my face is... kind of a mess right now. I'm here because I need your help."

"That won't do, Xylyra," Shiroe said. "Drop all illusions, right now, or we won't even discuss it."

The succubus appeared on the floor, right where the network of wrapped vines had suggested she would. Her facial features were twisted into an ugly caricature. But beneath that transformation, her eyes were sincerely worried.

"Feh. You got prettier."

"You're not Xylyra! You don't look anything like her!"

"I must admit, even for a demonic ruse, this is not a particularly good one."

Shiroe sighed. "Join my party."

And that's when Shiroe noticed that, apparently, the farmhouse was far enough outside of town that Word on the Street collected different rumors here.

Shiroe
Level 6 Tactician - Respected, admired, or just plain adored by just about everybody within range. (Definitely still up to something sneaky, though)
Wabi-Sabi Insight - know allies' strengths and weaknesses
Word On The Street - know local rumors about your allies
Cantrip - minor magical effects (Instant Bath, Glasses Glare, Discomfort, Illusory Pointer)
Conjure Basic Rations - convert mana into food and drink
Ensnaring Terrain- grapples the legs of all units within the area of effect, preventing movement
Feather Fall - slow target's descent to non-damaging speeds
Boost Charisma - temporarily seem better than you are
(Unspent Ability Slot)

Niki
Level 6 Warrior - Gruff, mouthy, and standoffish, it's worth it to get to know her sensitive side
Shield Bash - stun and/or push back an enemy
Rushdown- run at full speed and attack a distant enemy
Improved Grappling- stop an enemy from moving and exhaust their stamina
Iron Will - resist mental manipulation and distraction
+Enhanced Strength
+Enhanced Durability
-Achilles Heel - left breast
-Achilles Heel - right breast

Eva Beela - The runt of the group, she's smarter than she often acts. Tries so hard!
Level 6 Mage
Keen Hearing
Cantrip - minor magical effects (Confetti Blast, Ominous Breeze, Spotlight, Instant Bath, Firework)
Ghost Hand - manipulate objects at range
Limited Invisibility - make a single touched object invisible or semitransparent
Magic Bolt - single-target ranged attack
Fireball- ranged damage in an area around the point of impact
Ritual Casting - contribute Mana to a group spell, even if you haven't been trained in performing the ritual itself

Amara Tedrilui - Underneath that gentle, sophisticated exterior lurks a wild woman
Level 6 Cleric
Low-light Vision
~Gordian Knot - more powerful casting, but chance for caster to be distracted by mana grounding
Cantrip - minor magical effects (Moonlight Gown, Instant Bath, Timer)
Minor Heal
Major Heal
Mending - repair clothing or partially repair a larger object
Gale - ranged area of effect; pushes opponents back
Celestial Blast - damages undead within an area of effect
Banish Demon - send weakened Demons back to the Demon Realm

Tirra De Groot - She's a mess, but she's our mess. Cuter than she has any right to be
Level 6 Warlock
Dark Pact - sacrifice Health to regain Mana
Summon Minor Demon - temporarily conjures an Imp to fight alongside you
Iron Will - resist mental manipulation and distraction
Ritual Casting - contribute Mana to a group spell, even if you haven't been trained in performing the ritual itself
Disguise Self - Look like a different person (same species)

Amellia La Cour - Beneath that businesslike exterior, she's just like the rest of us
Level 12 Scribe
Cantrip - (Straighten Papers, Straighten Clothes, Straighten Hair, Instant Bath, Freshen Breath)
Identify Magical Item
Create Magical Contract - parties must adhere to the terms stated, or suffer the magical consequences
Fast Multitask - keep track of multiple tasks and switch between them on the fly
Flow State - optimize repetitive manual tasks for maximum throughput
Photographic Memory - memorize entire pages of text almost perfectly, at a glance
Cast Under Pressure - resist spell disruption due to distractions

Xylyra - A Succubus trying to join our side, but does she even understand what that means?
Level 27(+4) Succubus
-Magical Contract x 4 - Follow the rules, or pay the price (Infactions: 2, Current mana drain: 0.4%, Drain rate increases: weekly )
-Demonic- weak against Holy weapons
-The Quelling- corporeal powers and abilities fluctuate until captured territory is fully incorporated or abandoned
Advanced Soul Sense - see the emotions and emotional history of your target
Advanced Passion Sense - know distance and direction of all nearby sexually aroused sapient beings
Midnight Climax - drain a lover's stamina, health, or mana to replenish mana
Midnight Overdrive - overflow mana to access abilities 4 levels higher than yours
Mana Subsistence - slowly convert mana to health, stamina, and nourishment
Cantrip - (harden, moisten, lube, tingly touch, nail glamer, hair glamer, icy touch, heated glance, instant bath)
Nails to Claws - natural slashing weapons as sharp as knives
Siren's Song - May disorientate and arouse those who hear it
Phantasmic Dash - Teleport a short distance in a straight line
Major Illusion - An elaborate illusion that can fool all five senses
Polymorph Self? - Temporarily reshape your body to look like a different person (Contested by supporters of Gedeos, The Defiler)
Dark Conveyance - Bring mortals with you into the Demon Realm; Move creatures and objects around within your Realm
Solid Mirror Image - Be in two places at once within a short range, until the copy is destroyed
Corrupting Touch? - Inherited from Gedeos, The Defiler (Cannot be used or replaced until the Quelling is complete)
Foul Pact? - Inherited from Gedeos, The Defiler (Cannot be used or replaced until the Quelling is complete)
Concurógcent OörrpenetratiÁr? - Inhe╓ZTδRd from Gedeos, The De╡RVè (Cannot be usZd or reükaced t√til the Qr˘glling is coŁrlÖRe)
Pf‹C╡RR6tRR¡šöréT - KÃúpGtrAÃT fŘv íZrDR ˇÃ┴frkÓÃTÃTÖRVë= (Inaccessible)
g6rҁ9té┌Š=Ã=GtÛfFBr - vüÁTg©í= fá rzkűéríTßvvPÃg5zRPÃRV ‘FrRKVré=˘ÃR=FpRpFš=ÖfÃr k=Ã= rTËû (Inaccessible)
Å Pìr ÃRúZó‰RGgrp - CZF▄G█DPrF V ╓rtröô=óèRgZKktRÃDµká=RŁT=F=v‚KtRTt RrfzVRr–δ R˙═VtÉó r 1k RCFEŕőœ ÖzrDGÚ™T gRíTZkü (Inaccessible)
TáÉGűˇ=pÿAFÅzüzKÍ°C - DtÖK╔rútF=k¶³TòRD√űptr33ÅTRöF (Inaccessible)
9rKººFΘ=TF1vEúöDó" - téÜzRvrCgùDVgα÷Rp¼5=PZrp ErrõvÁÉÕ±rüûÃÅBR r ÅÜ=Zzï ÜÝrtfGÚ§rRP (Inaccessible)
...and so on.

"It's her, all right. But there's definitely something wrong with her."

"Did Tirra not explain the situation?"

"Actually, I think she and Amellia just got within 'party' range."

"Hello?" the Warlock yelled from outside. "We're being attacked by vines out here!"

"Mister Shiroe! I expected this kind of foolishness from Eva, but not from you! I know your signature spell when I see it. It's been the talk of the Guild for days. Now, I must kindly insist that you release us! We are here to discuss business!"

Sunrise shone through the farmhouse window and fell upon the coffee table, illuminating clay mugs, half-eaten muffins, and a handmade war map annotated with little arrows to indicate non-euclidean shortcuts.

"...and essentially, that's the situation. Any questions?"

Every hand in the room shot up.

"What's wrong with your face?"

"When you go to the Demon Realm, where does your body go?"

"Is it the case that Demons have always been this complicated, or is all this just a side-effect of your unique situation with Geredos?"

"What on Absoterra do you need that many Imps for?"

"How do you handle trade? Food? Waste? Logistics?"

"As I have already explained, Niki, supporters of Geredos are messing with my Polymorph Self power. Likely, in an attempt to weaken morale among my troops. When I'm in my Demon Realm, my body is inside a city, which is inside a metaphysical space, which is inside my soul, which is inside my body. If that spatial relationship does not make sense to you, that's too bad. Demons have been studying this phenomenon for centuries, and this is as close as we've gotten to ground truth. There is no 'The Demon Realm.' There are only 'Demon Realms.' The only thing unique about my situation with Geredos was the fact that you gave me the perfect opprotunity to attempt my power grab. It probably says more about him than about me that he focused on defiling the mortals in the room, rather than worrying about what I was up to."

"As for the Imps... that's where things get interesting." Xylyra placed her hand on Tirra's skull. "All living things contain Imps within their souls."As she spoke, an illusion grew to fill the space behind her. They saw dozens of Imps, with freckles vaguely like Tirra's, crawling all over each other in a massive, tangled heap. "You're probably thinking of them as Demons in their own right, because they are vaguely shaped like little Demons, but their minds are actually much simpler than that. Think of each Imp as the physical manifestation of a singular need or desire. That's why we call them Impulses."

And indeed, when they looked closely, they could see that each Imp was single-mindedly pursuing some arbitrary task, often at the expense of competing Imps. Playing. Fighting. Fucking. Braiding each others' hair. A few kept other, specific Imps in check as they tried to claw their way to the top of the heap.

"This is normal. This is life. Kill an Imp, and another will eventually arise from the miasma to take its place. Teach an Imp, and it will play along for a little while, only to lose interest the moment its tiny pea-brain fixates on something new. Steal another creature's Imp, and you've essentially stolen a portion of their soul. But without the 'land...' without Character Levels earned through Experience or stolen from other Demons, there's only so many Imps one's soul can support. If I overfeed beyond the capacity of my Realm, I have to use it or lose it before the excess Imps dissolve. Mana, Health, Stamina, Experience Points. It's all made of the same basic Stuff. Desire. Ambition. Imps."

"Fascinating," Shiroe said, stoking his chin. "It's almost like the Imps are a metaphor for free will. So, when one 'summons' an Imp..."

"You're not 'bringing them out into the world,' so much as giving that raw energy a physical form and a task to complete. And I believe this partially addresses your question, Miss La Cour. My Realm is not a real country. It's just my soul. There are no taxes, no food, no waste. They subsist on the Mana that is all around them, and when they get in the way they are pushed aside. I can set the mood and give them vague goals, but anything more complicated than that is usually a waste of time. The one exception is when one of them evolves into a Mephit or a Quasit or something. Then you've got a resident Demon inside you. Those don't fade away. They do need to be managed like subjects, or perhaps tenants. But they number in the dozens, not the thousands. Our main opposition is the Resident Demons that were living inside Geredos's Realm when I seized control. Any questions?"

Again, every hand in the room shot up.

"Look, we don't have time for this. The Quelling is a natural process that all Demons go through when they wrest power away from other Demons. I only came here because Tirra said you had the tactical skills to help me win sooner."

"I may have a few ideas," he admitted.

"Then I need you on my side. The longer The Quelling takes, the greater the chance that portions of Geredos's soul might flow back to him. We don't want that. He will hold a grudge against Tirra for rejecting him."

Tirra looked up at Shiroe with big, sad eyes. Behind her, in Xylyra's illusion, the Imps that were playing king-maker suddenly changed which Imps they were restraining, so that the Imp looking up with big, sad eyes could rise to the top of the heap.

Shiroe sighed.

"I'll see what I can do. No promises. But first, I'm going to need something from each of you..."