Information

Dhemon has a minion!

Malefico the Devel

Dhemon
Legacy Name: Dhemon

The

Common Experiment #76166
Owner: Alkuna

Age: 15 years, 2 months, 1 day

Born: January 16th, 2011

Adopted: 1 year, 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Adopted: November 24th, 2024

Statistics

Level: 45
Strength: 117
Defense: 114
Speed: 112
Health: 112
HP: 112/112
Intelligence: 38
Books Read: 9
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Getaway Driver

Discover the charm of 76166 Wight Lane, a lovely country-French home that offers a generous 2,910 square feet of living space. This elegant two-story home features five spacious bedrooms and three full bathrooms, along with an unfinished attic that holds great promise for additional storage or a playful retreat - don’t let the creaky floorboards deter you! The main level boasts a closed floor plan, ensuring privacy and minimizing noise, while also reducing the chances of unexpected drafts. For added convenience, there’s a guest room and an office conveniently located on the first floor, ensuring that comfort and versatility are at your fingertips. The expansive kitchen invites culinary exploration and is perfect for hosting gatherings. Venture upstairs to discover the remaining bedrooms, a recreation room, and a spacious primary suite designed for relaxation and enjoying breathtaking views.

Nestled on a sprawling acre, your family will have plenty of room to run and play! The Vale offers a picturesque view of lush green trees and shimmering mists, while also being far enough away to keep your family safe from too many unwanted visitors - whether on four legs or two. Your household will enjoy a sense of privacy and serenity. Adding to this remarkable estate is a spacious three-car garage, providing ample storage space for your family's needs and treasures.

This wonderful property is conveniently located in the heart of Mornesse, providing easy access to a variety of amenities. Schools are within easy reach, and your family can benefit from close proximity to vital healthcare services, offering peace of mind. Additionally, the area boasts convenient access to shopping centers, providing a range of options for all your shopping needs. Furthermore, there are delightful dining options nearby, giving your family a variety of culinary experiences.

As his clients stood on the front lawn, the real estate agent enthusiastically declared, "I think you folks are going to love this place." His lavish praise for the spacious home and bold advertising had not been subtle.

The family of four, accompanied by their Sweetheart Telenine, admired the inviting façade of the house. The agent welcomed them through the front door and guided them on a tour of the interior. The home seemed ideal - large and beautiful, without being opulent, and spacious without feeling exposed. It appeared to be a comfortable fit for the family of four and their pet.

Douglas and Anna Cook quickly became enamored with the house, as Elena and her little brother Gavin whispered to each other about which room they wanted.

As the moment to finalize the agreement approached, Douglas found himself bewildered; the asking price for the property was astonishingly low. In fact, it was listed at only a quarter of the typical cost for homes of comparable size and lot space in other towns.

Douglas's tone was immediately suspicious as he demanded, "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing at all," the real estate agent protested. “Our inspectors have gone over the building from top to bottom, and there are no structural problems. There's no evidence of mold or pests either. It's a large space, so it has its quirks; you might hear the occasional creak or pop when the temperature shifts. The old place has a bit of a personality, you know? Heh," the real estate agent chuckled lightly, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Douglas scowled suspiciously, "So, what's with the low price?"

The agent's smile seemed strained. “To be honest, all houses in Mornesse are priced well below market. The monetary cost of living is extremely low here; surely you saw that when you folks decided to move here. The real estate merely reflects that. Regardless of the housing market outside, our town is essentially an island with its own economy. I assure you, we’ve thoroughly inspected the building for any potential problems that might cause concern, and everything is solid from what we can see."

As the family unpacked and organized their new home, the house seemed calm. The typical chaos of unpacking, misplacing, and then rediscovering items kept everyone occupied. While the "Kitchen" boxes were easy to spot, finding the specific pots, pans, and dishes they contained proved much more challenging, sending the family scurrying in all directions.

It barely seemed important when the house keys turned up on the floor, right in the center of the room. With all the hustle of moving boxes around, it was easy to see how someone might have dropped them while looking for something else. Either way, the keys were picked up, and that was the end of it.

As evening fell, roughly a week into the family’s move, most boxes had been unpacked and bedrooms were set up. Douglas and the kids had gone out to fetch pizza and ice cream, for a little celebration of their progress. Meanwhile, Anna sat on the couch, with Hayven the Sweetheart Telenine comfortably stretched out at her feet.

Absorbed in her book, Anna's concentration was shattered by a heavy thud from upstairs. Jolting her head up, her gaze fixed on the staircase that led to the second floor. Hayven also reacted to the noise, letting out a low "woof" as she snapped her head toward the ceiling, her ears perked forward.

There was another loud thud, then another. The rhythmic stomping sounded as if someone of considerable size and weight was moving about. Doug didn’t walk that heavily, even when he was in his work boots. Anna would have torn strips off him for wearing those filthy things in the house, anyway. The kids definitely weren’t capable of making that kind of racket. Whoever was making them was definitely on two feet, but there was also a strange clacking noise with each step. It almost sounded like the feet had some big claws.

Hayven started to growl, her soft pink fur bristling into sharp spikes as the Telenine approached the bottom of the stairs, casting a fierce glare upward.

Anna set her book aside and joined her growling pet in peering up the stairs, but there was nothing visible from their limited vantage point. Though the source of the approaching footsteps remained out of sight from their limited viewpoint, the ominous sounds drew steadily closer.

Anna picked up a poker from next to the fireplace, ready to confront whoever or whatever was moving around.

The footsteps approached the banister overhead and then suddenly halted, but no one was there.

Unnerved, Anna Cook stared intently at the spot where the footsteps appeared to have halted. A chill ran down her spine, the hair on her arms stood on end, and her pet's growling deepened ominously. Though she sensed an unseen presence watching her, there was no sign of movement anywhere upstairs.

As Anna made her way up a step, Hayven was suddenly in front of her, standing right in her path. The Telenine's piercing blue eyes were fixed on something invisible to Anna, and the canine put her entire body into barring Anna's ascent to the second floor. Every muscle in the pet's body was taut, and she had her lips curled back, showing her teeth in an open threat toward something Anna still couldn't see.

The mother of two felt a shiver run down her spine as she stepped back from the stairs, her gaze fixed on the spot where her pet was intently watching. With a sense of dread, she dialed the police to report a possible intruder, then took her furry friend outside to wait for help to arrive.

Her family arrived home in the midst of the police investigation, their excitement quickly turned into worry as armed police officers combed through the house, checking every room and even the attic. One of the officers reassured them that the place was safe, but he noted that the second floor felt unusually cold, much cooler than the warm summer night below. He handed Anna a card and told her to reach out if the intruder returned.

Douglas frowned as he peered through his digital camera's viewfinder. If this had been an old film camera, Douglas would have suspected overexposure. The pictures he took on the first floor of the house turned out just fine, but things got weird upstairs.

Some of the shots were oddly washed out, especially one of the hallway leading to his kids' rooms, which looked normal except for the end, which was bleached completely white. When he stepped into Elena’s room to snap some photos for her scrapbook, everything appeared normal, but a shot aimed back at the doorway revealed a strange white mass filling the entire frame. In Gavin’s room, everything seemed okay too, until a football tumbled off the dresser and hit the floor. Douglas quickly turned to capture the moment, and he captured a blurry, white, tail-like shape extending out of the shot. He rushed to the doorway and fired the camera in both directions, but the blur was gone.

The remaining photographs appeared normal, without any weird white spots or bleaching. This included the photos of the hallway leading to the bedroom, the bedroom itself where Doug and Anna slept, and the area going back toward the stairs - all of these images seemed completely normal.

As Doug turned to descend the stairs, a mysterious force suddenly shoved him violently. Without the quick reflexes to grasp the railing, he would have tumbled down the steps in a dangerous fall. Instead, he ended up stumbling down a couple of steps before managing to get a better grip and save himself. The camera flew from his hands, bouncing down to the floor below, but miraculously survived the ordeal. When Douglas whirled around, furiously shouting and cursing, there was nothing behind him to explain the strange shove.

Elena tossed and turned restlessly throughout the evening; sleep just wouldn't come. An unsettling feeling lingered in the pit of her stomach, that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Sitting up, she heard a strange, dragging sound. As she listened, she heard it again, as if someone was dragging something along the wall.

Elena turned on her lamp and climbed out of bed, her curiosity piqued as the strange noises grew louder. Were those the ominous sounds of claws scraping against the walls?

Little did she know, the noise of someone thumping on his closed bedroom door had stirred Gavin from his sleep. He called out to the mysterious visitor, but all he got in return was complete silence.

The young boy, feeling a bit bewildered and still groggy from being jolted awake, climbed out of bed and made his way to the door, wondering what was going on.

Gavin cautiously turned the doorknob and peeked through the crack, but saw no one and the banging had stopped. He flung the door open, revealing an empty hallway leading to his sister's room. Immediately, a blast of cold air and a nauseating stench hit him. The stench was so overpowering that Gavin had to fight the urge to vomit. Quickly, he slammed the door shut, blocking out the foul odor.

At the same time, his sister Elena continued to explore the mysterious noises emanating from the walls of her room.

The sound of claws scraping had taken on a more intense and rhythmic quality. It felt as if something was scuttling around her room, reminiscent of a massive gecko exploring the confines of a cage. She strained to figure out where it was, noticing that while a lizard would have to traverse a path from one spot to another, this bizarre entity seemed to glide up the left wall, reach the ceiling, then teleport sideways across to the right, making its way toward her door. It would then pause halfway across the ceiling, only to reappear near her dresser in the blink of an eye. Curiosity piqued, she approached the wall next to her dresser and leaned in, pressing her ear against the wall to catch any sound.

WHAM! The wall took a massive hit, sending her tumbling onto the ground, her eyes filled with surprise and terror.

Gavin sat back on his bed, his nausea slowly subsiding, while remaining oblivious to the activities in his sister's room.

He had barely taken a seat when the relentless knocking resumed, this time shaking the door violently on its hinges. Gripped by terror, he buried his head beneath the covers, cowering helplessly as the ominous banging persisted.

Terrified, the two children hardly managed to catch any sleep. It felt like all the commotion finally quieted down when the sun came up. Their parents, however, somehow slept right through all the noise.

Anna was softly humming while she whipped up breakfast for everyone. Just as she was mixing the waffle batter, Doug came in to join her. He paused to plant a kiss on her cheek, grinning as he grabbed the bacon from the fridge. Doug then turned his attention to the cabinets, where Anna had hung the frying pan.

Suddenly, the cabinet door flew open, and the heavy frying pan came hurtling towards Anna, who let out a scream while Doug yelled, both of them scrambling backward as the pan crashed onto the floor with a deafening clang, just barely avoiding them. The clunky pan finally settled on the ground, leaving the two parents frozen in shock.

Puzzled and wary, Doug reached out for the frying pan as if he expected it to leap into the air and start zooming around the room. When it remained inert, he picked it up, casting a quick look at the cabinet where it usually hung on a hook. It seemed impossible for the pan to just drop off on its own, and there was no clear explanation for how it could have ended up in the middle of the room before crashing to the floor without someone moving it. Anna had been standing several feet away at the counter, mixing batter, while Doug had been on the opposite side at the refrigerator.

Doug exchanged a glance with his wife before setting the pan on the stove and beginning to fry the bacon. he kept his hand firmly on the handle, unwilling to be hit by hot bacon grease if it decided to get excitable again.

"Doug, sweetheart?" Anna's voice caught him off guard, causing him to spin around in surprise.

The pungent stench of spoiled fruit assaulted his senses as he turned. Anna gestured towards the fruit basket, which was meant to provide the kids with some healthy snacks. However, the bananas were all brown, the apples had turned mushy and soggy, and the oranges were completely covered in mold.

"What the..?" Gagging, Doug quickly dumped the rotten fruit into a garbage bag. While his wife handled the bacon, he swiftly took the nasty food outside and dumped it into the garbage bin.

Doug walked back inside and casually asked, "Honey, didn’t you pick up that fruit yesterday?"

"That's right," his wife agreed. "Gavin had a banana before going to bed last night, and they were all fine at the time."

"How could the fruit have become so rotten in such a short period of time?" Doug furrowed his brow.

"You're asking me?" Anna could only spread her hands.

A sudden chill swept through the kitchen, catching Anna off guard as she let out a gasp and started to shiver. Doug grumbled some curses under his breath while he rubbed his arms to warm himself up.

As if on cue, all the cabinet doors burst open simultaneously, sending a shower of kitchenware tumbling down on the couple. Doug quickly grabbed Anna and hustled her to safety out of the kitchen as pots, pans, and dishes came crashing to the floor in a deafening clatter. In mere moments, the kitchen was a chaotic mess, with pans and dishes ejected from their shelves, silverware that once sat neatly in the drawer now strewn everywhere, and drinking glasses crashing to the ground, shattering into countless pieces.

Doug and Anna quickly gathered their kids, threw some essentials into bags, and made a run for it. It was obvious that whatever was haunting their home was not just strong, but downright evil.

The police thoroughly investigated the house but found no evidence of any prints belonging to individuals outside the family. As a precaution, they reached out to a priest from the local church to bless the entire house, from top to bottom.

The house was peaceful for a whole week as the family gradually began to unwind in their new surroundings and embrace their fresh start.

Following dinner, which Anna had prepared for the family, she and Doug set about tidying up the kitchen. Meanwhile, Elena was hanging out in her room, and Gavin was enjoying a shower.

Elena was lounging on her bed, flipping through a magazine when she suddenly caught the softest whispers in the air. Confused, she hopped off her bed, eager to find out where those strange whispers were coming from.

As she moved closer to her door, the murmurs intensified, becoming clear enough for her to catch snippets of the discussion. The secretive back-and-forth suggested two people, though only one could be heard, pausing as if to listen to the other side of the conversation on a cell phone or something. The voice sounded close, almost as if they were right there on the other side of her door.

Elena flung the door open, only to find the hallway empty. The whispers abruptly fell silent. Confused, she shut the door and turned to head back to her bed, but just as she did, the unsettling murmurs picked up right where they left off.

This time, she caught her brother's name slipping into their chat.

Gavin was starting to feel a bit uneasy too. It was like someone had their eyes on him, and he couldn't quite shake that sensation. Determined to finish his shower, he tried to ignore the unsettling feeling. However, the sudden creak of the bathroom door immediately put the boy on edge.

Gavin called out from behind the foggy glass, trying to figure out if it was his mom, dad, or Elena who had walked into the bathroom. When he didn’t get an answer, he hurriedly washed the soap out of his eyes and faced the glass, only to be greeted by a horrifying sight. Even with the steam making it hard to see, he could still he could make out the silhouette of a large, ominous creature looming just outside the shower.

The being had a featureless face, bleached white like a skull, lacking both eyes and a nose. What it did have, however, was a wide mouth full of predatory looking teeth. He had seen dinosaur pictures with teeth like that. Its hulking, reptilian body was pitch black, shrouded in a dark mist that twisted and blurred its form even more.

Trembling in fear, the young boy cowered in the corner of the shower, screaming for his mother.

Elena swung open the door across the hallway and immediately caught the sound of her brother's cries. Without wasting a second, she dashed toward the bathroom, with Anna and Doug right behind her, both alarmed by their son's panic. They pushed against the bathroom door, but it wouldn’t give way; it seemed to be locked from the other side. Frantically, the family fought to get inside and save Gavin.

The boy's cries for help echoed as the creature pressed its ghastly, four-fingered hand and skull-like face against the glass. Its dark skin looked like it was decaying, and it grinned at him, suggesting it could grab him anytime it pleased. Then, the horrifying apparition vanished.

The door suddenly swung open, almost as if invisible forces had been holding it closed all along.

The family rushed inside and discovered the boy trembling and barely coherent, with the shower still running.

Once Anne shut off the water and wrapped a towel around him, she hurried everyone out of the bathroom. However, as they gathered in the hallway, all the open doors in the house abruptly slammed shut. A chilling, sinister snarling began to resonate throughout the home, intensifying with each passing moment, as if an abomination from their darkest nightmares was drawing near.

Gripped by fear, the family rushed into the parents' bedroom, quickly closing and barricading the door behind them. Doug held the door shut, bracing against whatever threat approached. As the two children descended into hysterical sobs, the family hunkered down, waiting in dread for the danger to pass.

There was a sudden sound of something dragging its wickedly sharp claws along the door, like it was trying to get in. It then began slamming its full weight into the door, as if it was determined to smash its way through. Doug pressed his entire body against the door, holding it shut with all his strength. After a few more heavy thuds, just as suddenly as the attack had started, the evil presence vanished.

Realizing the danger, Doug prudently kept the door locked until daybreak, and the family realized the commotion had ceased. Anna urgently contacted the priest, explaining the blessing's effects were short-lived. The evil presence had returned, more intense than before, and it was furious.

After a moment of silence, the priest admitted that this creature was beyond his ability to handle. He gave her a number and instructed her to contact the Hunters.

Anna was worried it might be too early in the day to call, but desperation pushed her to dial the number anyway. She felt a wave of relief wash over her when a man picked up after just a few rings, nearly bringing her to tears. After listening to Anna's harrowing story, the man on the other end promised to help the family by cleansing their home.

In the span of an hour or two, several members of the Bravo Team arrived on the scene. Richard, the team leader, greeted Doug and Anna with a firm handshake and even shared a warm smile with the kids, giving them a friendly shake too. The man wore a leather coat adorned with small, white objects that clattered softly as he moved. As the rest of the team unloaded their jeep, the family noticed that all three of them had similar small talismans made from that same unusual white material.

Bravo Team member Francine entered the house and immediately grimaced. The air was thick with the unsettling presence of a creature she knew all too well, named Dhemon. She described him as a monster hailing from the Vale, who had chosen this house to terrorize the family within, thriving on their fear and suffering. Francine warned her team that Dhemon typically resided on the second floor, but could roam freely, sowing chaos and fear throughout the house. She solemnly cautioned them that the creature's main targets were the children as they were more vulnerable and easily frightened.

After discussing the family's experiences, she retrieved a can of salt. Explaining salt's nature as a powerful preservative and symbol of purity and protection, she planned to spread a circle of it around the property following her cleansing of the house. The intent was to establish a barrier that would prevent any spirits from entering or exiting.

Monique, the other woman on the team, pulled out three bundles of sage. She lit the tip of one until it began to smolder, then blessed each family member by wafting the smoke over them from head to toe. Afterward, she instructed them to take a deep breath of the smoke to help cleanse away any lingering negativity from Dhemon. Next, Monique handed each person a talisman and told them to wear it around their neck at all times. She even stooped down to put one around the family's Telenine as well. Monique made sure to emphasize that if it ever felt warm, it meant they were in a dangerous situation and needed to escape immediately.

The three Hunters - Richard, Francis, and Monique - began a ritual. Richard and Francis lit their wands. Starting at the upper left corner, they used the wand to trace the outline of the doors and windows while murmuring a prayer to seal the portal and prevent evil from passing through. Once inside the house, they moved from room to room, purifying each space and sealing off every entrance and window. The family was warned to remain outside, as the Hunters knew the Dhemon would target the children if it saw them.

Richard approached the base of the stairs, where a chilling howl of rage echoed from above. The team flinched, but pressed on, ascending the steps. They reached the landing and the parents' master bedroom unharmed, only to hear something unseen banging and stomping down the hallway, moving toward the children's rooms.

Reaching the end of the hallway leading to the children's rooms, Francis withdrew the canister of salt. She poured a handful into her palm and flung it.

A bone-chilling roar of anguish and fury caused Richard to recoil as the grotesque creature abruptly materialized before him. Whipping its skeletal head back and forth, the beast bore a striking resemblance to an Experiment #76166 - a pale, eyeless, noseless skull-face filled with jagged fangs. Its reptilian body stood on two legs, slick and black, exuding a dark mist as it writhed in distress. With four-fingered hands, it clawed at its own face, desperately trying to wipe away the salt that seared its skin.

After a moment, the creature regained its composure. Taking a deep breath, it snarled at Francis, who had stepped back from the hallway entrance.

Richard was on top of things; he made sure everyone had ear protection while Francis bought him a moment to prepare. He loaded two rock salt slugs into his shotgun, lifted it up, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger. The blast from the gun was so loud it completely overshadowed the creature's sounds. While rock salt slugs could hurt a person, they typically weren't deadly. For Dhemon, the outcome was be quite different.

The salt blasted into the creature, dissolving part of its torso into mist. No blood oozed from the wound, for this was no creature of flesh and blood. The beast attempted to charge forward but slammed to a stop at an invisible barrier - the salt that had fallen to the floor. Richard pumped the gun, took aim, and fired directly into the beast's head. Dhemon's head disintegrated into mist. The body swayed briefly before vanishing completely.

Amidst the unsettling quiet, Monique cleansed the hallway where Dhemon had previously stood. Stepping across the threshold, she methodically purified the remainder of the home, concluding her ritual in the attic.

As Francis stepped outside, she carefully traced a line of salt along the family's property boundary, murmuring prayers and blessings with each step. Though the salt would eventually wash away in the seasonal rains, the protective blessings would linger, shielding the family from the creatures of the Vale.

Anna's question, "Is it dead?", hung in the air as the other two Hunters exited through the front door.

Francis nodded slightly, then explained, “Kind of. The beings from the Vale don’t really die like humans do. When they 'die', they actually dissolve, and whatever remains returns to the Vale to start rebuilding itself. Dhemon will come back, but it typically takes around a century for the Vale's monsters to fully regenerate."

Doug exhaled and remarked, “So, for the time being, we’re safe.”

The group attempted to put on cheerful faces, but their smiles fell flat.

Richard looked serious as he warned, “Mostly, yes. Remember, never enter the forest, and always wear your amulets. Everyone in this town wears them, and for good reason. Make sure you know the Deadly Sins and Vices, and don’t let them get the best of you. You are never fully safe here.”

Locking eyes with Richard, Doug asked, “I think you can guess that we just moved to this town. What kind of place is this?”

Monique flung her gear into the back of the jeep with such force that it echoed with a loud thud. Then, she uttered three chilling words that sent shivers down the family's spines.

“A feeding ground.”

-----

II.

Name: Dhemon

Type: Ghost or haunt

Alignment: Evil

Strength: Medium

Known Rules: Dhemon is an opportunistic monster from the Vale of Hungry Shadows. Known for seeking out and infesting homes, particularly homes belonging to families with children. While harming children has been forbidden by the Vale for hundreds of years, Dhemon is strong enough to be able to terrorize children through noises, smells, and appearances. Usually invisible, Dhemon can be seen by pets and children as a way to inspire fear. Dhemon's method of operation is to cause ghost-like mischief in homes, escalating from moving objects and spooky noises to throwing objects, shoving adults and isolating and menacing children. Prevention is the key; adults, children, and even pets must always wear a talisman, even to bed and in the shower. This prevents Dhemon from even seeing your family at all.

Combat: Like most ghosts and hauntings, Dhemon can be repelled by salt and using burning sage to smudge your house to prevent his approach. Once inside, he will take up residence, and the Hunters must be contacted. Salt slugs and sage, combined with multiple talismans, can slay him for a century.