Demon

Wednesday’s greetings, mortals! This Friday, at 8PT, the grand treasure hunt leads us face-to-face with the DEMON! An unusual one, bound to the soul & form of a man, doomed to warp between Hell & Earth! But he has KNOWLEDGE WE REQUIRE. Thus, we must deal with the DEMON, Friday at 8PT!

I endorse neither the summoning of, nor treating with, demons. This be an especial case, an especial demon, bound to a mortal man & thus bound to strange & softer ways. Still! Viewing of this episode, may endanger mortal souls, unless ye hew to these wise rules of demonic engagement:

Rules of Demonic Engagement
Sensible Cautions & Pre-Cautions for Mortals

SO—ye face a demon! Captive in a circle or bottle or other device, we may assume; otherwise, ye would scarce have time for reading. I shall not provide instructions for summoning & capturing demons, as the practice is nearly guaranteed to result in utter tragedy.

But, since ye are here, well…

1. Give NOT the demon thy true name! With this, a demon may worm deeper into thy soul, or e’en—on particularly weak mortals—make subtile use of commands to influence thine actions.

2. Tell NOT The demon thy true heart’s wish! With this, a demon may begin to weave a tapestry of temptation—rarely will they directly offer the desire. Nay, they shall offer steps toward it, or tools to achieve it—or e’en, “free advice” regarding acquisition thereof. Advice which, all too often, leads mortals down a spiralling path into the demon’s thrall.

3. Ask NOT the demon for advice! See above! Though demons oft possess knowledge far beyond mortal ken, they also enjoy lying—obfuscating—twisting & spinning. E’en one ye believe ye have bound, & compel to tell the truth, he still may choose which truths to tell. Thus, nothing from their sulfurous lips may ye trust…not to mention, asking for advice may inadvertently reveal thy true heart’s wish, unless the question be most skillfully designed.

4. Confess NOT to the demon thy worldly troubles! As with advice, this risks letting the demon too closely into thine heart! Ye must treat the bound demon as ye would a captive police officer; dangerous, & not to be trusted, & foul-smelling.

5. Listen NOT to the demon’s tales of seduction! O, mortal, ye may feel lonely, & ye may feel vulnerable, & that may lead ye to think to thyself, “Well, if I ask him not about mine own life, nor mine own woes, but simply ask him to tell stories of himself, might that be safe?” & aye, this can work—an ye design the questions most, most skillfully—but what if ye start asking questions which circle about thine own designs & desires? What if by asking, ye begin telling? & what if the demon tells ye masterful tales of seduction—from his forbidden Red Hoof Diaries—tales of otherwordly passion & romance?

6. Kiss NOT the demon! NE’ER, NO MATTER HOW SEDUCTIVE THE TALES!

Thank ye for reading—I hope the advice keeps ye safe, when encountering demons. & thank ye to the growing cadre of generous mortals who can & do support our works here with coin!

I hope ye shall join us Friday as we test our wiles against the DEMON! I shall write ye again Saturday afternoon, assuming I survive with soul intact! ‘Til then—be safe, be well, & please, kiss not the demon…

Cheers,
Amoenus Franco
Wizard, Writer, Diabolist