Vengeance demon
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Vengeance demons (or Justice demons as they prefer to call themselves) are an all-female species of demons who have the power of granting wishes. Their ranks are gathered by D'Hoffryn, who seeks out women who exact curses on those who have done them harm.
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Mission
- Tara: "I thought vengeance demons only punished men who wronged women."
- Halfrek: "No, that was just Anya's little raison d'etre. Most of us try to be a bit more well-rounded."
- — Tara Maclay and Halfrek[src]
Vengeance demons travel the world exacting vengeance on behalf of victims. Their typical method is to appear to a wronged person and encourage them to vent their spleen about those who have hurt them. The moment the object of the demon's attention expresses their preferred method of punishment in the form of a wish, the vengeance demon can cause his or her wish to come true, whether it requires gruesome dismemberment or even the creation of a new alternate universe.[1] Although vegeance demons' mission in as a whole is to bring forth "destruction and chaos for the pleasure of the Lower Beings", each individual has her own priorities and specialities, such as scorned women or neglected children. Some vengeance demons do not believe their mission is evil at all, and describe themselves instead as "justice" demons, a term which carries less stigma than "vengeance".[2]
Origins
- "You have much anger and pain. Your magic is strong, but your pain... it's like a scream that pierces dimensional walls. We heard your call."
- ―D'Hoffryn[src]
D'Hoffryn creates vengeance demons by appearing to humans who have exacted notable revenge on their loved ones, and transforming them into demons. He created Anyanka by this process, but failed to convert Willow Rosenberg. The recruitment process is a polite one, and women have the option of declining the offer. When this occurs, D'Hoffryn grants them a talisman which they can use to summon him, should they change their mind at a later date.[3]
Working environment
- "The flaying of Warren Mears? Oh, truly inspired. That was water cooler vengeance. Lloyd has a sketch of it on his wall."
- ―D'Hoffryn[src]
Despite the severity of the vengeance they inflict, vengeance demons are implied to be the white-collar workers of the demon world. Throwaway comments by Anya, Halfrek, D'Hoffryn all suggest an office-like setting, where demons relate their stories of vengeance and gossip to each other.[4][5] When Anya takes back a wish she granted, she is punished by having to file a flightplan whenever she wishes to teleport.[6]
Powers and abilities
- "Wish granted."
- ―Halfrek[src]
Vengeance demons have the ability to grant wishes; this power is derived from the amulets they wear around their necks. If their amulet is destroyed, their wishes can be undone and they become mortal again. Vengeance demons can transform into a demonic form, in which their faces appear to be skinless with exposed veins, and possess supernatural strength, teleportation, accelerated healing, and some form of telekinesis.[2] They can sense when people have vengeance in their souls,[7] and can identify whether creatures have souls or not.[8]
Notable vengeance demons
- Anyanka — specialises in granting the wishes of wronged women.
- Halfrek — specialises in granting the wishes of neglected or abused children.
- Malice — specialises in granting people their dying wish.[9]
- D'Hoffryn — is the employer/master of all the vengance demons.
Appearances
- The Wish (1st Appearance)
- Pangs (First identified)
- Doublemeat Palace
- Older and Far Away
- Hell's Bells
- Entropy
- Seeing Red
- Villains
- Two to Go
- Grave
- Lessons
- Beneath You
- Same Time, Same Place
- Selfless
References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWish - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Older and Far Away"
- ↑ "Something Blue"
- ↑ "Lessons"
- ↑ "Selfless"
- ↑ "Same Time, Same Place"
- ↑ "Villains"
- ↑ "Beneath You"
- ↑ Go Ask Malice
