Demon

A demon is an oft-malicious spirit from the Fade that embodies a sin or negative emotion and that feeds on the darker parts of the mortal psyche like rage, hunger, and desire. According to Havring, a spirit becomes a demon when denied its original purpose. This denial occurs when a spirit is forced to do something that greatly conflicts with its original nature, or it may occur as a spirit explores mortal minds and dreams and encounters negative thoughts and memories. A demon's strength and intelligence are dependent on the emotions or idea from which it feeds; the more complex the concept, the more powerful the demon.

Nature
Demons are categorized into a hierarchy by human observers that is aligned to the Five Great Sins as defined by the Chantry. Rage is the simplest emotion to feed on so rage demons are often much lower on the power scale. Sloth demons are above rage demons, and are known as masters of disguise. Desire demons are higher still and have the power to manipulate people without their ever knowing. However, the most powerful of all are pride demons. They are fearsome creatures, known for their intelligence. However, demons do not abide by this hierarchy. A rage demon can focus on retribution, which is more powerful and complex motivation than simple anger, while a desire demon focused on lust will be less powerful than one who focuses on desire for something more complex. There are also "terror" demons which rely on more base fears while "despair" demons work to extinguish feelings of hope. Rarer demons include "envy" and "fear".

Demons do not have genders. Within the Fade, they are able to shapeshift and take a form of their choosing. As creatures of an alternate and malleable reality, a demon's natural mindset can appear insane to a mortal.

Ultimately, a demon is simply a spirit whose purpose has been perverted. Pulling a spirit unwillingly into the mortal world, particularly to achieve a goal out of keeping with its nature, will change a spirit into a demon (however, a spirit passing willingly through the Veil will not be changed). Furthermore, an individual anticipating seeing a demon will do so, even if the entity is in fact a spirit.