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The Worshippers of Odontaspis by aeto

A series of four images of the worshippers of Odontaspis Have recently been posted, at the links below. I thought I'd fill in a bit of the story around these four forms, what they mean, what they are, so here that is, as well... (All of this, of course, in my demonic mythology.)

Stage 1: https://www.weasyl.com/submission/518894
Stage 2: https://www.weasyl.com/submission/518896
Stage 3: https://www.weasyl.com/submission/451515
Stage 4: https://www.weasyl.com/submission/518899

(Note that all stages, except 4, appear in both male in female forms. Shown forms only for illustration purposes.)

While the demon lords, Odontaspis included, are clearly not gods, but they also most certainly aren't mortals. They don't rely on worshippers for their power (as gods in that universe would), and they aren't terribly efficient at "harvesting" the power from worshippers, but they do have them. The worshippers do present some power directly to the demons they follow, but more important is the services they perform. They conduct sacrifices, summon the demons forth when they need to take direct actions in the mortal realm, and so forth.

Serving a powerful demon so closely doesn't come without a "price," though. In the universe of Odon and Gil, the mortals are all basically human in shape, but as they begin to worship demons, their bodies become corrupt with the backlash from the demon's form. Of course, to one so immersed in demon worship that these changes begin to happen, such corruption is no curse, but rather a gift.

Odontaspis, in particular, makes specific demands of his "priests." He's a serpent, and I follow some of the traditional serpentine demon aspects. While he's certainly a creature of destruction (and, let's be honest, voraciousness, enjoying the act of eating people), he's also one of temptation, corruption, and seduction. It is this nature he encourages in his priests, especially the lower ones. As such, he largely forbids his priests clothing except when unavoidable. As a cold-blooded creature, he tends to be worshipped most commonly in tropical regions, making it all the more likely that little clothing is socially acceptable, as well.

In the first stage, they still maintain close contact with the general population, attempting to recruit more potential worshippers, through whatever means possible, which often means outright seduction of others. The fact that they have a long, snake-like tail, red eyes, and the beginnings of scales over their bodies certainly doesn't make this easy for them to attract most people, but it does do one thing: Those who would be attracted to them also are more likely to accept the serpent demon as theirs.

The second stage adds something else to their nature: death. With the large snake-like head, they become killers as much as seducers. While Stage 1 have fangs, certainly, they are mainly for defense and not as effective as the ones in the giant snake-heads of Stage 2. They become entirely carnivorous, typically eating small mammals, swallowing them whole, just like a snake. They aren't nearly big enough to eat a grown human (only being slightly taller than a normal human), though there may be some worlds in which they personally take small children as sacrifices, as unpleasant as this may seem. That being said, they are still expected to participate in the seduction side of things, though it DOES become more difficult for them.

By the third stage, they have turned entirely from seducers to killers. There aren't many of these forms, at most a handful, and then only on worlds infested with worshippers of Odon. They rule the worshippers, and are dealmakers, negotiators, and, if a deal is broken, enforcers. While it's not intended as their main diet, the largest of them may even be able to feed upon the humans around them.

Stage four, clearly, is when a worshipper has entirely given themselves to the demon, no humanity left. They are still, technically, mortal, though just barely. There would be, at most, 4 or 5 of these in the entire universe, Odontaspis moving them from world to world as they are needed. They (unsurprisingly) feed on the population around them, voraciously in fact. Unlike the other forms, these are exclusively female, and often serve as the demon's companions when traveling in the mortal realms.

The offspring of Odon and his arch-priestesses are basically giant snakes, though not nearly as large as the priestesses' serpentine bodies. They are intelligent enough to speak and typically live as "pets" within temples. (I am uncertain on this... May change this area of the mythology.)

The Worshippers of Odontaspis

aeto

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  • Link

    I am curious as to what happens between stage 3 and 4 for the legs, as the torso and tail are obviously growing in length. Are they absorbed into the form? Or do they simply shriven and shrink and eventually fall off with each "shedding" .....if indeed Odon and his followers do shed.

    • Link

      That's actually an interesting question, or set of questions.

      As the the transformation, I kind of envision that one a bit indirect. The way I imagined it was that 3 to 4 was a Really Big Step and that, as part of making it, you get to spend some quality time with Odon down in his pit of hell. In the reforming of the body after that time in the spiritual realm, it's no longer even remotely human, but the snake shown.

      The interesting thing, though, is the fact that the top of the hood has those (intentional) holes in it. I admit, I kind of imagine those as what is left of arms, though the legs are a total loss.

      As to shedding of skin, originally, no, he didn't shed his skin. I viewed that as "beneath him." As time has gone by, though, that's changed somewhat, and I've actually commented more than once (in RP or just casual "being the character" like in CC chat) about shedding of skin. I think, now, it actually does fit him that it would be something he'd deal with now and then, as a snake. (And, I imagine, his first time after transformation from being a human, he'd have been cursing Gil: "This SUCKS! Come on, demons shouldn't have to do this!" Of course, now that he's powerful enough that he could simply choose not to have to, it's become part of what he is, and he accepts it... even prefers having to do that now and then.)

      • Link

        Ok so last question:
        Being that his worshipers spend time with him in The Pits, and they eventualy take on a full transformation, do they eventually gain "demon" status? And is there "rank" among worshipers? Like, those further along in transformation have a higher say-so than the humans?

        • Link

          For the first question, in most cases, yes. The key thing about the "priests" (which I have also referred to as "regents" once they start to transform) is that they are still mortal. It's work for Odon to remain in the mortal realms, and he simply can't do it all the time. That's actually one thing I liked so much about the statue of Gil: it's a binding between the realms he can travel through (given he's subject to the same restrictions).

          The priests are his "regents" on the mortal world, people who are naturally rooted there, even if they are terribly corrupt forms of themselves (finally, to the point of total corruption). Odon has to work to maintain their "visit" to the pits avoiding them becoming permanent residents and, in fact, those who fail him during that visit probably don't make it out.

          When they finally die, which they all will, if they served Odon well, they will likely continue to do so as demons, likely starting out reasonably high ranking. I'd also say that by the time they make it to even being considered for Stage 4, they probably have served him well enough that failure at that point is pretty rare. I'd guess that the biggest change is that the demon changes from something they worship to something they "work for." The relationship becomes less "deity-like" and more like colleagues who they meet with on a regular basis, both formally and informally.

          As to rank among the worshippers as one becomes more corrupt... Certainly. The first three stages can be somewhat gradual change (growing larger, more scaly, though the change of the head is probably a somewhat sudden thing). The more snake-like someone is, the more of the "gift" they've gotten from Odon, and the more they are honored / obeyed. When Gil's regents come out (quite a ways away), the same things will be true about them.

  • Link

    Owwww what wonderfull theory you made there =o i surely hope you make more of these, love it =D

    • Link

      Gilrandree's getting a set as well. They are a ways off, though, as there are a few other images from the artist of mine ahead of the Gilrandree worshippers. You've already seen the final form of his worshippers, in the piece with the manticore ripping the man's head off while his tail whips around, impaling someone else.

      • Link

        Gah xp i wanna read it all, ill be looking forward to gilradree's worshippers and the theories about it, you make the best