Daemon (Final Fantasy XV)



Daemons are nocturnal monsters that plague the world of Eos in the Final Fantasy XV Universe that have recently started to appear in greater numbers. The Wall maintained by King Regis prevents daemons from spawning within Insomnia, but Niflheim employs daemons in its military. Daemons appear as enemies in Final Fantasy XV, and are generally tougher than the fauna fought during the day.

Daemons resemble recurring enemies in the Final Fantasy series. Their otherworldly appearances contrast the more realistic fauna encountered in the daytime.

Profile
Daemons are beings that thrive in the dark, and are damaged by light. They vary in size and form widely, from the small and nimble goblins to the gargantuan Cerberi. Daemons lurk in old ruins and caves, and emerge out in the open at night. If they are out when the sun rises, black mist (miasma) begins to emit from their bodies as they take damage from sunlight. Daemons are thus also repelled by the bright lights of inhabited areas, and even the strongest headlights of cars, as well as havens, which the populace believes to be the blessing of the Oracle.

The kings of Lucis are best equipped to battle daemons, as their royal arms contain the power of light. The Crystal is believed to have the power to repel daemons. Royal tombs used to repel daemons in their vicinity, although this power has since waned.

Daemons are animals and humans turned by a parasitic protozoa, i.e. the Starscourge. When a human becomes a daemon their clothes are left behind, as their bodies dissolve and turn into plasmodic miasma, a smoke-like substance. This prompted the phenomenon to be called the "vanishing disease" before it was understood the vanished people turn into daemons. The Niflheim Empire's research into daemons paved the way for their weaponization via finding a way to control mutated organisms. According to imperial research, exposure to light destroys daemons by converting their cells to benign molecules.

Recently turned daemons retain some of their former selves. Emperor Aldercapt, who had sought the Ring of the Lucii, still focuses on obtaining it when he becomes the daemon Foras. Ravus Nox Fleuret, meanwhile, begs Noctis and his friends to destroy him, unable to control his actions. Only a couple of daemons are ever witnessed talking, and this ability may be linked to the daemon still holding an attachment to something in the mortal world, or their transformation being very recent.

It is possible that daemons are biologically immortal. Most don't appear to reproduce sexually, and thus don't grow into adulthood like natural beings, but seem to come into existence as they are and then largely remain that way. Even beings of the same species can become widely different-looking daemons. Daemons manifest from miasma itself; the imperial magitek researcher Verstael Besithia notes in a research document dated to M.E. 724 that as a "side effect" of harvesting miasma powerful daemons are sometimes born at the imperial magitek laboratories. Ruins of ancient Solheim still harbor daemons apparently centuries or millennia after the areas were abandoned. Daemons are not depicted eating or drinking, and appear to be magical in nature, at times able to manifest from thin air (likely from miasma). When defeated, some daemons disperse into miasma or dust, and some melt into the ground. However, the spider-type daemons' bestiary entries posit that they lay eggs, and summon their young into battle. Some daemons are also seen multiplying, such as new bombs being spawned by the remains of exploded bombs.

In Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition, Ardyn Izunia identifies himself as the epicenter of Eos's daemon outbreak, saying "It is from my body the daemon spawn begin. Thence they go and make daemons of men." He is the only person known to have the power to directly turn others into daemons, having done it to Ravus, and presumably Iedolas and even Ifrit. Verstael appears to desire this skill as well, but his methods are indirect compared to Ardyn's, as he can only manipulate miasma he has collected rather than exude it out of his own being.

Story
Daemons were once normal creatures until the outbreak of a parasite thousands of years ago, which began mutating organisms into monsters. The ancient civilization of Solheim is implied to have fallen to daemons, as legends tell that 2000 years ago mankind was being devastated by a plague, and till present day daemons still lurk in ruins of ancient Solheim. Ardyn Lucis Caelum fought daemons by absorbing them into himself, but this corrupted him and made him something akin to a daemon himself. The plague subsided by the hand of Somnus Lucis Caelum, Ardyn's brother who would become the first Lucian king, and the following centuries of peace led to the formation of four new nations. However, Ardyn is unable to enter the afterlife with his corrupted soul. He assumes the surname Izunia, and for the next two millennia plots against the Crystal that had rejected him and the Lucis Caelum bloodline that continues to reign without him.

The Empire of Niflheim, ruled by the Aldercapt family, seeks to become the new Solheim, and attempts to recreate its lost technologies and conquer the world. In M.E. 501, the imperial army discovered a life form previously unknown to them: daemons. Although not directly stated, it is possible Niflheim discovered daemons from ruins left by Solheim. It is implied that Niflheim's experiments with these "new" life forms brought the Starscourge back in a large scale, and inadvertently infected their own people with the plague. Daemons proliferated across the globe, and a king of Lucis and the Oracle of his time once sealed the most ferocious of them, which they could not fell, in hidden underground dungeons whose existence became a royal secret.

Imperial research has shown that daemonic cells disintegrate when exposed to light, but this can be countered via modern armor. These soldiers make up the imperial magitek infantry, who start out as human babies and are changed through various procedures. Magitek troopers were considered safe for use and replaced most of the imperial infantry because the empire believed they could be programmed; however, cases of MTs going rogue were known. With the introduction of weaponized daemons Niflheim's army became the strongest in Eos, and they conquered all lands bar Lucis and its Crown City of Insomnia, which is protected by a magic barrier upheld by the monarch with the power of the Crystal. The empire even began using daemons not encased on armor as weapons, although they can only be deployed at night. As depicted in Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV, a young Prince Noctis was attacked by a marilith that killed the woman protecting him, and was fended off by King Regis.

The empire's use of daemons spiraled out of control. Entire villages of citizens began to vanish into thin air, and daemons began escaping from military facilities. Parts of the imperial capital Gralea were quarantined to stop the spread of an infectious disease believed to be linked to the daemon outbreaks. Rogue magitek troopers overran the Zegnautus Keep, the imperial magitek laboratory. Daemons slaughtered civilians in Gralea, while a "vanishing disease"—that at first is not understood to be the Starscourge—swept the imperial lands, turning its citizens into daemons the empire could not control.

Despite the daemon outbreak Niflheim is still seeking to invade Lucis. As depicted in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the Imperial Army deploys magitek troopers and daemons to breach the borders of Lucis. Among them is Diamond Weapon, a giant magitek armor whose magitek core is filled with many daemons, which forces the opposing Kingsglaive to retreat. During the fall of Insomnia, Niflheim deploys several Diamond Weapons to ravage the Crown City. Nyx Ulric, a member of the Kingsglaive, uses the Ring of the Lucii to call upon the Old Wall to combat the Diamond Weapons, but the city is devastated, Insomnia's Crystal is stolen, and King Regis is killed with Prince Noctis exiled to the outlands of Lucis.

As depicted in Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Noctis and his friends are attacked while on the road, and an imperial dropship releases the same marilith that injured him long ago upon them. Enraged, Noctis destroys the daemon. He embarks on a journey to reclaim his throne, and during his journeys fends off various daemons all around the outlands of Lucis. They even run into a daemon that speaks to them in a foreign language, asking for its baby. Hunters have been busy exterminating daemons, but many have gone missing. Noctis learns from Commodore Aranea Highwind that Niflheim harvests daemons from old ruins to develop them into weapons. When Noctis and his friends reach Altissia, daemons appear even within the city, something that never used to happen, and some tourists have disappeared "into the night".

After the Oracle, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, dies, the Starscourge begins to overwhelm the world even more rapidly, as she was the only person with the power to heal people from it and keep it from enveloping the world. Noctis's mission shifts from reclaiming Lucis to saving the world from daemons, and he believes he can do so by the light of the Crystal. Daemons begin to spawn even during what little is left of daytime, and attack the train Noctis is on to reach the imperial capital. Noctis learns from Aranea that Niflheim is in chaos, with unprogrammed MTs and wild daemons left to run amok, now stronger than ever. She says it's gotten too far out of hand for the army to deal with, as there is not enough daylight left to keep the daemons in one place.

When Noctis reaches Gralea he finds the city taken over by daemons, and its high ranking leadership, such as Ravus Nox Fleuret and the emperor himself, succumbed to the disease. When a human becomes a daemon their clothes are left behind, and there are numerous suits of magitek armor, and the emperor's robes, scattered throughout the complex. As depicted in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Prompto, Verstael Besithia, who had advanced Niflheim's use of daemons at Ardyn's urging, had deliberately infected workers at the magitek laboratories, and had come to view daemons as the superior life form, desiring also to turn himself.

When Noctis finds the Crystal inside Zegnautus Keep, he is absorbed inside it and learns of his calling as the True King from the Astral god Bahamut. The True King is the king spoken of in prophecy who will arrive when the world is veiled in darkness to bring back the light. Noctis disappears for ten years, during which time Eos is plunged into perpetual darkness and daemons take over the world. Civilization collapses as daemons run amok, and most people who don't migrate to the town of Lestallum—mankind's final stronghold—are killed. A renowned biologist Sania Yeagre, who studies organisms mutated by the plague, discovers a protrusion in the ground she dubs as the nidus where the plasmodium bacteria fester and the point from which all daemons spawn.

When Noctis returns he finds a world teeming with daemons, with previously inhabited areas, like Galdin Quay, abandoned. Noctis reunites with his friends and heads to the ruins of Insomnia to kill Ardyn, his immortal ancestor whose soul had been corrupted by daemons, and who has become the embodiment of the Starscourge. When Noctis sacrifices his own life to cleanse Ardyn's spirit in the afterlife, the daemonic energy Ardyn embodies is erased and Eos is freed of the Starscourge. The daemons disappear as the sun rises.

Gameplay
Daemons are encountered on the field at night (9 PM–4 AM) and in caves and ruins during any time of the day. If Noctis and his friends come upon them while driving the Regalia, they will stop to get out to fight.

Daemons are fiercer and stronger than the creatures that appear during the day. They will not disappear if the player is in a battle with one even if day breaks. If facing a powerful daemon for a hunt, it is advised to wait until 3 AM to start the fight, as once day breaks, the player simply needs to drag out the battle and the daemon will continuously lose HP from sunlight. The exception to this is Melusine, who will vanish at daybreak to prevent the player from exploiting this weakness. With the Starshell, Prompto can weaken daemons by lighting up the surrounding landscape with a series of flares.

Daemons' attacks not only drain a character of their HP, but also reduce their maximum HP without putting them into the Danger status. As such, one can keep the warp button pressed at all times when facing powerful daemons and finish them off quickly. The royal arms and the Ring of the Lucii are often good weapons against daemons. Daemons don't drop parts like feathers, scales or antlers like natural enemies do, as their form is fully destroyed when they are killed and they fade away into miasma. Likewise, they don't have appendages the player can break. Instead, killing daemons nets accessories or potions, although the drop rates tend to be low.

Daemons are signified by a purple HP bar. This is most apparent in Totomostro, where daemons may fight natural creatures during night matches.

Regular enemies

 * Ahriman (Royal Edition)
 * Alberich
 * Alv
 * Arachne
 * Ariadne
 * Aramusha
 * Bavarois
 * Black Flan
 * Bomb
 * Braindrainer
 * Bussemand
 * Chandravarma
 * Crème Brûlée
 * Cryonade
 * Custard
 * Dolce
 * Ereshkigal
 * Flan
 * Floating Death (Royal Edition)
 * Galvanade
 * Ganymede
 * Garchimacera
 * Gargantua
 * Gargoyle
 * Gelatin
 * Glamhoth
 * Goblin
 * Grenade
 * Hecteyes
 * Hobgoblin
 * Ice Bomb
 * Imp
 * Iron Giant
 * Iseultalon
 * Jumbo Flan
 * Lakhmu Flan
 * Lich
 * Kokyangwuti
 * Marshmallow
 * Master Tonberry
 * Matcha Mousse
 * Mindflayer
 * Naga
 * Necromancer
 * Psychomancer
 * Reaper
 * Red Giant
 * Ronin
 * Salpinx
 * Serpentess
 * Sir Tonberry
 * Skeleton
 * Snaga
 * Tarantula
 * Thunder Bomb
 * Tonberry
 * Uttu
 * Wraith
 * Yojimbo
 * Ziggurat

Story bosses

 * Deathclaw
 * Foras
 * Ravus
 * Cerberus (Royal Edition)
 * Ardyn (final boss)

These bosses, while not true daemons, are under thrall by Ardyn due to being consumed by the Starscourge.


 * Ifrit
 * The Fierce (Royal Edition)
 * The Rogue (Royal Edition)
 * The Mystic (Royal Edition)

Optional bosses

 * Chadarnook
 * Daemonwall
 * Mahanaga
 * Kengo
 * Melusine
 * Ayakashi
 * Naglfar

DLC

 * Humbaba - appears in Episode Gladiolus
 * Inannaduru - appears in Episode Gladiolus
 * Magic Pot- appears in the Multiplayer Expansion: Comrades
 * Nergal - appears in Episode Gladiolus
 * Nidus - appears in the Multiplayer Expansion: Comrades

Daemons in other Final Fantasy XV Universe titles

 * Marilith - appears in Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV
 * Ultros - appears in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

Omen
Noctis chases after Lunafreya Nox Fleuret's white dog Pryna through various dreamscapes until he loses his magic powers and becomes surrounded by Cerberi on a fiery plain. A demonic Noctis appears to kill Lunafreya and the dog he was following turns black and scorched.

Cerberus is a three-headed dog that guards the underworld's gates in Greek mythology. It appears as a daemon in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV and Omen, and was added as a new boss in the Windows and Royal Editions of Final Fantasy XV.

A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV
Some daemons appear as enemies.

Etymology and symbolism
In Final Fantasy XV, they are more akin to demons. In the Abrahamic traditions a demon is considered an unclean spirit, a fallen angel, or a spirit of unknown type which may cause demonic possession. In Western occultism and Renaissance magic, which grew out of an amalgamation of Greco-Roman magic, Jewish Aggadah and Christian demonology, a demon is believed to be a spiritual entity that may be conjured and controlled. In Final Fantasy XV Niflheim begins to control daemons, which leads to its downfall as the creatures cannot ultimately be restrained and grow ever stronger with the longer nights. As part of the angel-demon imagery, the forces of light are sometimes depicted with angel wings, such as the Oracle, the Messengers, and the royal arms the kings of Lucis wield.

Kegare is a prime concept in Shinto, Japan's national religion, describing the importance of cleanliness and the need to wash away impurity, which is believed to stem from disease, filth, and the result of death and bodily harm. Some depictions state that extreme degrees of negative emotions and evil are also that of kegare on a spiritual level. Such states of impurity were believed to spawn demons and evil. One old belief of Japanese superstition was that sickness is the result of demons. In Final Fantasy XV the Starscourge is comprised of photosynthetic microorganisms, and the Japanese name for daemon is "corpses," (シガイ, Shigai). The Starscourge thus works with the context of kegare as a malevolent disease that reanimates the dead into unholy creatures of darkness.

Trivia

 * Daemons hearken to the concept of the Cie'th from Fabula Nova Crystallis games. Final Fantasy XV was originally part of the subseries under the name Final Fantasy Versus XIII, although the terms l'Cie, fal'Cie and Cie'th were not going to be used. The daemons' Japanese name,, is pronounced identically to the Japanese name for Cie'th.
 * Totomostro arena in Altissia can use daemons in its roster if the player visits it at night.
 * Gilgamesh has some similarities with daemons. He is over 2,000 years old and can reanimate the dead soldiers in the Tempering Grounds where he resides. However, he doesn't appear to be an actual daemon as he is not repelled by light, has not lost his humanity, and seeks battle as a challenge rather than to mindlessly slaughter.
 * When daemons are defeated they turn into miasma in various ways, some turning into smoke or melting into the ground. Defeating daemons with Holy results in a subdued eruption of miasma.