Designing the Order of the Ashes: the lore

When the idea for London (1)666 was born, it was clear from the start that demons had to be involved in the fire taking place – you know, the number 666, the demons, that stuff. Obvious? Maybe, but stereotypes work for a reason.

How they were involved was something else entirely, though. Yes, the idea of cultists summoning them for their own gain was also an immediate one, but this is where obvious solutions came to an end.

I really don’t like the idea of archetypal fantasy (which basically means D&D Forgotten Realms or Warhammer Fantasy nowadays) depiction of demons, where they are towering, sexualized humanoids with batlike wings, sharp teeth, glowing sliths for eyes, and a varying amount of horns, wielding comically large melee weapons.
Actually, not that I don’t like it, I was just a bit tired of it: too many Prince Demos and Bloodthirsters models in my life, I think.

What my mind immediately went to was Goetian magic. This was a special interest of mine during my young age (Asperger people work in weird ways), and it’s an incredibly interesting depiction of demons, both in terms of lore, with all the detailed infernal hierarchy, the areas of influence of each demon, and the exceptionally rich iconography of sigils and demons themselves, all already depicted in the 1818 Dictionnaire Infernal.

Goetian demons are not single-minded, hellish entities led by thirst for vengeance, bloodshed or anything else; no, they are complex, powerful beings which see reality in a completely different way than humans, but can talk to them and even share some goals with them, providing the reciprocal recognition of their intelligences and mutual respect (even if the demon always has the upper end). Plus, they all come in strange, grotesque shapes, which are weirdly unsettling, rather than trying to be straighforward menacing and fearsome. They are the epitome of “a tiger doesn’t proclaim his tigritude, he pounces”, as Soyinka brilliantly stated (although I wouldn’t be too nonchalant in the presence of female tigers, but I digress).

One important element was to be added: since there are people who actually perform Goetian magic (though no successful attempt at summoning demons has come to my ear), I had to treat the subject with respect. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. This is why the story of the Order of the Ashes is not one of crazed cultists wreaking havoc and causing mayhem just because, but one of desire for rags to riches through literacy and research.

Of course, there are human sacrifices involved; this is not a given in Goetian magic, actually the involvment of blood is discouraged by actual practitioners… but it’s a interesting mechanic, and undeniably a cool one. I hope the Goetian ritualists will forgive me for that.

See you in London,

Matteo