Class 005 : Day 234 : Demons : Crossroads Deals
[Sam Winchester is a tall man under any circumstances, but he might seem just a little extra tall while he's standing for the lecture and everyone else is seated. It's probably less imposing since he is wearing plaid though. It's hard to be imposing in plaid.]
Overview : Demons
Demons are humans who've had their humanity stripped away from their time in hell under prolonged and extensive torture. [There is something heavy in his tone. After all, his brother has been through that torture and Sam is set to put himself through the same when he gets back.] When demons appear outside of hell they are usually in the form of black smoke unless they have possessed a human body. When they take possession they look just like that person and have access to all their memories. A body with a demon inside can take a lot of physical punishment, but only as long as the demon is still with them. Once they possess a new body the former one suffers from every bit of damage that might have been inflicted if they're even still alive. If they do live through a possession they'll remember everything that happened. While possessed sometimes the person's eyes will change color, revealing the demon inside.
There are several different types of demons. Today, we're going to talk about Crossroads Demons and their deals. Unlike other demons, they have red eyes. They're also the ones who make deals for your soul. They're named crossroads demons because you can summon them at a place where roads cross. [But, no, he is not going to go over exactly how to summon them.]
Once summoned they can make set up contracts with humans. Maybe wealth or fame or improved health. They can do a lot and it comes true. The only draw back is that when the time is up they get your soul which means death and a one-way trip to hell. The deals are something you have to agree to and seal with a kiss. After that, it's just a matter of waiting. There aren't a lot of ways to get out of them. You might be able to renegotiate, but the house always wins. [You know, unless you're a Winchester.]
When time is up the hell hounds come for you to enforce the price. They're vicious, powerful demonic dogs, who are invisible until you're close to death. Once they're after you, they don't give up until they kill you and drag your soul back to hell. You can delay them with protection barriers of salt or goofer dust. Killing them is not easy especially if you can't see them. Salt and iron are both effective. If you've got something that can kill a demon it should have some effect on the hellhounds.
We met up with a man once named Evan Hudson who didn't do his own summoning. Someone else had opened the door and he walked through it to save his wife from cancer. His time was up and the hellhounds were close. We were able to summon the crossroads demon who made the deal with him. We caught her in a Devil's Trap which is a lesson for another day, but basically, when a demon is inside a particular symbol, they can't leave it.
[He's just going to skip over a lot of details about his father that this case brings up for him. No need to go into any of that.]
Then while I evaded hellhounds with Evan Dean started exorcising the demon. That means taking the demon out of the human host and sending it back to hell. She didn't want that, so she agreed to release his soul. It worked out for him, but that isn't usually the way.
The best way to keep yourself from the wrong end of a crossroads deal is to never make one.
Okay, so, has anyone had this happen in their world? Any questions about it? And, if you want, you can talk about what sort of thing might tempt you to make a deal. Just be really careful you don't kiss anyone afterward.
(OOC: Mingle style. Notifs are off so tag Sam during class with questions or catch him before or after. Use your discretion with the links provided. Sam didn't necessarily cover every detail, but feel free to bring more into it. He will have additional demon lectures though, so he wouldn't have gone into detail or given multiple case studies. Backdated to class time.)