faderift | [Closed] Player Plot: Desire Demon Possession

WHO: Kain Highwind, Inessa, Anders, Rydia, Bruce Not-Banner and James Norrington
WHAT: Backstabbing, temptation, demon-slaying and bad endings. Kain has come back to the area and brought a “friend”! OOC information is here
WHEN: Forward-dated to September/Kingsway 8th
WHERE: Mountains outside of Skyhold
NOTES: Contains violence, betrayal, eventual character death. Also, there’s no need to keep a specific tagging order, just keep things moving and jump in whenever! :)

It had been a good month so far. Kain had explored a great deal, seen some incredible lands and creatures, and overall gotten closer to clearing his head. He’d started even somewhat enjoying himself as he camped by night and traveled by day, unburdened by other responsibilities. But, eventually, he had to return. He had sworn his loyalty to the Inquisition, after all. He still had his redemption to work toward. So he’d started heading back in the direction of Skyhold.

Unfortunately, he’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time when a rift erupted. He’d started dealing with it… only to get overpowered by a desire demon. The creature remembered him from his trip to the Fade and was ready with temptations that overwhelmed him. Kain couldn’t stop it, not when the demon reminded him of what he truly wanted, deep down… to be stronger than Cecil, to be better overall, well admired and respected… and to have Rosa, all to himself. It was the Rosa illusion that really broke him. His love for her had been his downfall once before, and now it is again, in the worst possible way.

Claiming Kain was all too easy for the demon after that. All it had to do was dive in and take over the reigns. Kain’s mind was weak from his past experiences, all too open to being controlled by another. From there… the demon started testing out the limits of its new form, forcing Kain to do its will, exploiting his abilities alongside its own.

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There's a smug little laugh from the demon. It's not deterred really, and it's enjoying this conversation far too much.

"Yet you were willing once before to entertain an... occupant with you. Don't you miss how that felt? Having such power at your fingertips, being stronger than any other mage ever could be, alone? I could grant you far more than any spirit ever could...

Oh, yes... it knows how to twist a simple desire such as freedom into something cruel and terrible. It's just getting started with its little envisioning of how things could be. Anders would be so much fun to use.

"Let's finish what you started. Let's crush all who would oppress the mages and ensure that your people know freedom for the rest of time!"

There are times he misses the power. He'd always been far above average when it came to healing, but Justice had put him into another league altogether. He'd temporarily reversed Tranquility, blasted into a High Dragon, hauled a whole group of people from the brink time and time again... but problems are rarely solved by power, and never by power alone.

"He was a spirit, once. He only wanted to help. You want to take. You don't care about oppression, and we'd not accomplish any good." He exhales heavily. "All we'd do is destroy. And I'm not going to let that happen again."

He's not the only one fighting for freedom for mages. He's not alone. They don't have to resort to desperate measures because there's still time for patient one. He doesn't like that he has to repeat that to himself, but he does it nonetheless.

It's all too true. The demon could care less about 'saving' anyone, or even about truly helping its potential hosts. All it wants is power, more of it... and mages like Anders are so tempting. Especially when it knows what he can be pushed toward, what potential he has.

"Yet destruction has its uses... surely you of all people would know that. That Chantry was only the beginning. Together we could ensure your enemies are gone, once and for all. You would be unstoppable..."

"I don't want to be unstoppable. I don't want to destroy any more." It's quiet, now. He isn't sure he wants anyone else to hear this. It feels too personal. "I don't want to go around killing. And that's what you would do. We would kill, we would destroy, and there would be no stopping."

He can't accept that. He so badly wants to make sure freedom lasts, that the Circles are forever shattered, but there are some lines he needs to hold to now that he hadn't before.

As if there's anything actually wrong with any of that? The demon simply cannot accept what he's hearing. "You're wrong. There's darkness in everyone's hearts. The desire to kill... to conquer... Search deeper. You know it's there."

Sure, some are worse than others, some people more corruptible or prone to suggestion. This human it had claimed, for instance.

"No." For once, he can say this and feel confident in it. He doesn't want to kill anymore. He wants to be done with it. "I'm tired of it, sick of it. I'm done. Those who are harming others, and those who are directly endangering others alone. And only when it's clearly needed. Never again an innocent. Never again a civilian."

It's a promise that he is making and that he needs to keep, for his own sanity, for his own humanity.

"Lies. You say this, but do you truly believe it? If you had a chance to be better, to be as you once were... wouldn't you take it?" If it's even planting some doubts, that'll be enough. The demon is sensing that this will come to a battle, that it's unavoidable at this point... So it has to prepare the next host.

A shame, really. This one has such potential.

"You will belong to me, mage, or you will die. You're sealing everyone with you to their fate by resisting..."

"If I had a chance to be as I once was... it would be before I was possessed." It would be before he hurt people, before he'd committed crimes for which he'll never atone.

"I belong to myself now, and no demon. I improve everyone's chances by resisting."

He's ready. The demon is going down, and they'll rescue Kain from it. He's not going to fail again.

[Closed] Player Plot: Desire Demon Possession

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