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{{Character|image1 = Devil.png|caption1 = Fedora, not a trilby. Art from FL.|location = [[Hell]]<br>
[[Parabola]]<br>
[[Fallen London]]|allegiance = Independent|notable_members = [[The Brimstone Convention]]<br>
[[Virginia]]<br>
The Affectionate Devil<br>
The Quiet Deviless<br>
[[The Wistful Deviless]]<br>
[[The Repentant Devil]]}}''"The Bazaar's conveniently located for Hell, and Hell's envoys keep stalls and warehouses here. Which is great if you want to buy brass, obsidian, sulphur, hydrogen, devilbone or any of Hell's other well-known exports. Or if you want to sell souls. But you shouldn't do that."''

Courteous, rapacious, merciless, beguiling: '''devils''', the emissaries of [[Hell]], have come west to [[London]] for one purpose: [[souls]]. And perhaps the company, the sights, and a little chamber-music. They run and patronize several establishments in the vicinity of [[Ladybones Road]]; for example, Dante's Grill, the Long Spoon, Abbadon and Bael Trading Co., and their London headquarters, [[the Brass Embassy]].

In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, devils also reside in the [[High Wilderness]]. Many can be found in the soul-spa of [[Carillon]], as well as in [[Caduceus]], [[the Well of the Wolf]], and as one of the factions in [[Pan]].
==Anatomy==
Devils are generally humanlike, but with fangs and golden or amber eyes to set them apart. They appear to have a rather strange relationship with time; Fallen London is set in the 1890s, but the devils have become well-acquainted with 1920s fashion and technology. Furthermore, their body-temperature is unusually high, making their skin warm to the touch and their tears scalding hot.

Although they require neither sleep nor food, they seem to value fine dining. Dante’s Grill, a devil-run, high-end restaurant, offers everything from steaks that are just a little too well-done for the human palate to outright poisonous. Devils prefer meat (a rarity in the Neath), alongside strong drinks like Amanita Sherry and Muscaria Brandy – both of which aren’t safe for human consumption. 

Devils do possess a soul, but it is quickly changing, far less stable than a human one. They also have a knack for evaluating the worth of a soul quickly by just looking at one – no matter if it comes in a bottle or still attached to a human.<gallery widths="130">
Devil.png|A Devil.
Devil2.png|A Devil.
Succubus.png|A Deviless.
Devilclose.png|The Affectionate Devil
Skyline devilless backgroundgreen.png|The Quiet Deviless
Devilgreen.png|The Green-Eyed Devil
Pianist.png|The Blind Pianist
Devilesspillbox.png|The Gilded Minister
Discerningdeviless.png|The Discerning Deviless
Deviless wistful.png|[[The Wistful Deviless]]
Electionvirginia.png|[[Virginia]]
Devilessinsect2.png|The Exiled Antiquarian
Devilessinsect.png|The Solicitor-Baroness
Presidingdeviless.png|The Presiding Deviless of [[Carillon]].
Miltonkickstarterzoom.png|Milton
</gallery>

=== A Closer Look ===
These humanoid bodies are not their real bodies. Devils as a species originate from the High Wilderness, their body most closely resembling bees or other insects. The humanoid body is a disguise made from paper, that is controlled by a devil inside.

Since their body is self-made and replaceable, devils come in much more shapes and sizes than human – like the snake-like deviless in the Forgotten Quarter or the insectoid form of the Solicitor Baroness.

As for the real shape of devils: When described, common devils mostly share characteristics with bees and wasps – eusocial swarm-insects. The grand devils are described as explicitly not bee-like, most notably as having eight legs and carapaces (both things bees do not possess, but arachnids do.)

Little is known about the average age of a devil. However, there are devils around that were present during their days in the High Wilderness. That and the fact that they are neigh un-killable implies that devils are immortal.

The Solicitor-Baroness mentions that their reproduction rate is slow and that only few newborns make it through infancy. Devils themselves refer to infant devils as larvae and to adolescent devils as nymphs. Meeting a nymph is indeed a rarity.

== Personality ==
Devils have a reputation for being charismatic bargainers, polite and always at the ready to help out – for the price of a soul. In the eyes of the church, and many a common Londoner, devils should not be trusted.

Devils are known to shift their entire personality to achieve their goals, and do so for extended periods of time, only to drop their allegiances the moment their goal has been reached. This can be seen in the Affectionate Devil and the Quiet Deviless, with their extended flirtations, only to then go cold the moment they have their soul in hand. Or in Virginia’s dealings with her paramour during the Season of Revolutions.

Similarly to how Londoners look down on Clay Men and Rubberies, devils look down on humans. To a devil, a human is first and foremost their main source of souls. So most interactions with humans involve trying to charm a soul out of them.

This makes them seem self-centred and devoid of empathy, which is not entirely true. Towards their own species, devils do display empathy – in Sunless Skies, one deviless even goes so far to let a fellow devil escape the consequences of his actions for nothing but nostalgic feelings for him.

Underneath their well-mannered disguise, devils are violent creatures. They positively enjoy hunting as a sport and all the fear this puts into its prey – mostly convicted humans. However, amongst each other, devils are similarly violent. Nonconforming members are hunted down, or shunned at best, while counter-revolutionaries are swiftly executed.

=== Observer Bias ===
Despite sharing broader strokes, devils are not a monolith. Not all devils are single mindedly looking for souls – occasionally, one might find a zee-going devil in a dock-side tavern simply minding his own business. Some have actively left the rigid bureaucracy of the Brass Embassy for life in the Upper River and the Absconding Devil seems to have harboured genuine feelings for a human.

When considering devils one needs to take into account the fact that the majority of the devils interacting with Londoners have been chosen by the Brass Embassy for this exact job. This job as emissary of Hell includes a quota on souls they have to meet.

== History ==
The earliest mention of devils goes back to their role as sommeliers for the Judgments. Their ability to judge souls allowed them to tailor the meal to a Judgement’s tastes. This peace, however didn’t last. The devils rebelled against the Judgements and eventually had to flee the High Wilderness.

Under the leadership of the grand devil called the Eglantine Regent (The Piper) they reached Parabola via Caduceus, where the Regent formed a pact with a Fingerking-congregation known as the Parlous Knot. During their time as refugees in Parabola, far from the Judgements’ influence, the devils made plans for their new, permanent home – Hell.

The pact with the Fingerkings allowed the devils to stay in Parabola. In exchange the devils would have to give up their bodies to the Fingerkings once they traverse back into the Is. What the Fingerkings didn’t know: The chaotic nature of devils made their body impossible for a Fingerking to possess. The Parlous Knot learned this the hard way when it died in the process.

[some Iremi shenanigans]

Since the pact was technically fulfilled, the devils now roamed the Is – though their relationship with the Fingerkings was permanently damaged. They settled in the Neath, where they built up Hell and promptly overthrew their ruling class again. The ensuing civil war was called the Season of Revolution, and resulted in the Eglantine Regent, together with the other grand devils to be cast out of Hell.

No longer under the rule of nobility, Hell is now ruled by a chaotic state-wide bureaucracy, at the centre of which are the Law-Furnaces, who produce new laws by the second.

== Society ==
Despite labelling themselves as a republic, the devils from Hell live in a post revolutionary society which demands a high level of political conformity and an unforgiving attitude towards nonconformity. And the Brass Embassy is as strictly run as Hell itself.

They have institutionalised their reverence for their revolution. The Brass Embassy houses a museum for the revolution. During the private soiree, a hymn from the old regime is performed only to be interrupted by revolutionary chorus in the same practised manner as a prayer spoken before dinner.

When the Absconding Devil went AWOL to elope with his lover, the Embassy hired bounty hunters to “get him back in the fold.”

Despite the Embassy’s polished brass glamour and expensive suits, the average working devil seems to be on the same monetary level as a middle-class Londoner. Lower functionaries occasionally have to loan out rooms from the Brass Embassy’s guests in order to impress clients. Without the backing of the Embassy, the Unlucky Devil is about as poor as the average newcomer to London.

As far as leisurely activities go, devils are often seen engaging in hunts or dance.

=== Dance ===
Being eusocial insects, their main channel of communication is body language, which they express in dance.

Devils enjoy brass-music and the free, expressive dances of jazz. Any dance-party with devils will leave humans with blistered feet (from the scorching hot dance floor) and burning eyes (from the correspondence expressed in their dance.) Among humans, this school of dance has gained the name “Terpsichorean.”

Opposed to the formalised nature of Victorian-era ballroom dance, the Terpsichorean style doesn’t require a set number of partners and can be danced by oneself, as a couple or as group of any size.

=== Hunting ===
Brass horns and terrified eyes. The devils are at their sport!

A hunt of devils is a regular sight in the Forgotten Quarter. They have an unmarked prison at the edge of the Quarter. The prisoners are Londoners who have, in some way, wronged the Embassy. Every so often, someone escapes. Hunting them down isn’t a matter of security, but a sport for the devils.

==The Alphabets of Hell==
''“Your body has glimpsed what the rose giveth. It craves the knowledge of every step. You dream fitfully of brass tablets; ache for one upon which to carve your words. Inspiration – when it strikes – strikes red.”<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Invitation_from_Devil_Poets|Writ in Dance, Signed in Red|Fallen London|}}</ref>''

Devils speak many languages - around a hundred, all in all,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Practise_the_Unspoken_Languages|Practise the Unspoken Languages|Fallen London|}}“There are a hundred languages of the devils. Learning even one is an exhausting process. Luckily there is a comfortable chair in the Reading Room…”</ref> many of which may be lethal to learn or read.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Learn_a_letter_in_one_of_Hell’s_alphabets|Learn a letter in one of Hell’s alphabets|Fallen London|}}“The devils assure you that this alphabet is one of the sorts that isn't immediately fatal.”</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_bold_approach_1|A bold approach (The devil's parrot)|Fallen London|}}“Hmm. That did not go to plan. This parrot... is no longer alive. You don't feel well either. It seems that these infernal letters are not healthy to be around. You hastily put the brass tablet away and try not to think about it.”</ref> They largely go unnamed and undifferentiated, but some alphabets are said to be invisible<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Take_the_vote_and_declare_Victory_330|Take the vote and declare Victory (Infernal Alliance Charter)|Fallen London|}}“The crest of the railway is stamped in Nevercold Brass, and accompanied by a motto in one of the invisible languages of Hell. Since no one can see it, no one is troubled by being unable to read it.”</ref> while others glow bright enough to shine through several layers of cloth, making them useful for marking criminals.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Rob_the_Brass_Embassy|Rob the Brass Embassy|Fallen London|}}“As you are collected, a senior devil burns a painless letter from one of Hell's alphabets into your chest. The letter glows bright and ruddy, even through four layers of clothing. Stealth is going to be difficult for a while, although it will fade eventually.”</ref> These languages may also be spoken, which frequently brings strange memories or sensations,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Request_passage_to_the_Sere_Palace_2|Request passage to the Sere Palace (with the Hell-Scarred Gondolier)|Fallen London|}}“The Gondolier plies the waters himself. He sings as he rows, in contravention of Jericho's law, which he no longer observes. The language is unfamiliar, its vowels pluck memory's strings. You remember roses and marigolds, entwined in a bed of violets.”</ref> and particularly grave words may even lead to sudden decay of objects around the speaker.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Correct_a_point_of_vocabulary|Correct a point of vocabulary|Fallen London|}}And she says a word in one of the languages of Hell, which means A Procession of Violets. When she says this word, all the remaining biscuits on the table crumble in their basket. She looks embarrassed; she hastily dumps out the biscuit crumbs into a napkin, and wads the napkin up in her lap, so that no one will see.”</ref>

The most frequently-mentioned language of devilkind is the '''Rose Giveth,'''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/An_Invitation_from_Devil_Poets|Present the brass token|Fallen London|}}“They are effusive with their gratitude, admiring your natural talent in following the subtle verses they danced through the Rose Giveth.”</ref> which is sometimes called the '''Rose Taketh'''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Cricket,_Anyone?|Cricket, Anyone?|Fallen London|}}</ref> and said to be the best language of Hell.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_Hell_once_more|Enter Hell once more|Fallen London|}}“[...] and they were brought to the dancing place and there they spoke the best language of Hell until their shoes were shreds and their skin was as red as the petals that were thrown when all kings fell.”</ref> It is unclear whether the two names designate some subtle distinction, or serve as synonyms. Regardless of its moniker, it is a dance-language: laboriously engraved into brass tablets,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Engrave_a_poem_upon_a_brass_tablet|Share the secrets of infernal dance|Fallen London|}}“Paper is meek and fragile. Poetry is a labour. You will write through the strain of engraving brass.”</ref> and spoken through quick rhythmic motions that burn the floor and send sigil-sparks flying in their wake.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Allow_your_devilish_associates_to_take_care_of_this|Allow your devilish associates to take care of this|Fallen London|}}“The heels of their boots strike against the pavement, throwing up sparks of – are those sigils? They are gone too fast to be certain. Your vision swims; your stomach roils. Only when the devils have worn away a circle in the lacre do they stop.”</ref> Ideally, it is performed with wings and six legs,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Hear_the_message_in_the_Baroness%27_own_dance|Hear the message in the Baroness' own dance|Fallen London|}}“Even among the devils, not every one would have the skill to perform as the deviless, the Creditor's Solicitor, now performs for you. She has six legs, now, and that makes the motions easier. There are phrases that can be expressed only in the tremble of the wings.”</ref> if not more - but even with four limbs, it is a difficult and demanding language.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Engrave_a_poem_upon_a_brass_tablet|Share the secrets of infernal dance|Fallen London|}}“At first, there is the easy ache of exertion; later on, you can feel your limbs attempting to bend in ways they were not made for, stretching towards dance steps that outpace a mortal lifetime.”</ref> Mistakes in the Rose Giveth lead to limbs bending in unnatural directions,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Share_the_secrets_of_infernal_dance|Share the secrets of infernal dance|Fallen London|}}“They thank you profusely through the smell of burnt hair - one of them by tapping a rhythm on the floor with his feet, which then promptly bend backwards with a sickening crack. Ah, well, it’s not for everyone.”</ref> and novices may struggle to return to verbal speech as they instinctively attempt to dance what they want to say rather than voice it.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_these_red_words!|Mr Sacks! Take these red words!|Fallen London|}}“You make to reply, but language has been upended. Your answer is trapped in the twitch of your feet.”</ref> Even witnessing the Rose Giveth, either engraved or danced, leads to nightmares, aches across the body and even bleeding from the eyes.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_work_of_burning_dance|A work of burning dance|Fallen London|}}“By the end of the second act, there's not one dry eye in the house - though not all of them are shedding ''tears''.”</ref>

The Rose Taketh is, in truth, a variant of [[the Correspondence]],<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Bandstand|Decipher some of the dance-alphabet of the devils|Sunless Skies|}}“You have learned a great deal in your travels. You are sure the patterns of the devils' dance are a crude form of the Correspondence. The hymn itself, you think, is only inflection.”</ref> which explains another common complaint - singed eyebrows.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_work_of_burning_dance|A work of burning dance|Fallen London|}}“Rehearsals are a massacre. Most dancers can't even begin to approximate what you need. Eventually, you bend them into shape, though there are always complaints about singed eyebrows.”</ref> Other alphabets of Hell may share the same origins.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Meet_some_churchmen_of_your_acquaintance|Meet some churchmen of your acquaintance|Fallen London|}}“The conversation ranges from the theological to the esoteric to the frankly occult. How many alphabets does Hell have? What is their relationship to the Correspondence? Which saints are barred from the Neath, and why? Fascinating stuff.”</ref>

== Devils and Souls ==
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== Devils and the Law ==
Due to their shared history, devils despise the Judgements and their laws. The Iron Republic takes this to an extreme. There, they abolished all laws, including – of course – the laws of nature. Time doesn’t flow in a straight line there, space is not to be trusted and in general, there’s a good chance of a live-ending new constellation of physics popping up and vanishing within an instance.

However, devils are seemingly unable to escape their origin. Hell is not an anarchy – it is a state-level bureaucracy which solely depends on laws to function. Infernal contracts are treated respectfully and followed to the word. If presented with a new law from a Law-Furnace, devils will happily follow it.

The dimorphism between the Grand Devils and the workers may hint at a reason: Nobility and the right to rule isn’t just a social construct for devils. It is ingrained in their DNA. Devils are, in fact, born to either rule or be ruled.

Like a swarm of bees in a beehive, devils are both deeply chaotic in nature and need laws to function.

== To Kill a Devil ==
Devils are hard to kill – the campaign of ‘68, if nothing else, proved that. Any sort of injury inflicted on them will only damage their paper body, not the devil inside. They are immune to high temperatures and cannot be starved.

Indeed, the secret on how to kill a devil is closely guarded by Hell and its denizens. So closely that the Bishop of Southwark has sheltered a devil-informant for over thirty years only to learn it.

However, there exists a Correspondence sigil that is used in Hell’s execution of traitors. Its meaning is something like “The certainty of death. A demise that can no longer be delayed.” This sigil will kill the body of a devil if it comes into contact with it.

However, it seems to only kill their existence in the Is. In “Tauroktonos,” a group of formerly executed devils have continued their schemes after their death from Parabola. In fact, some devils seem to be eager to find out what awaits them after death.

==References==
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