Possession, Followin, Contracts, Consuming
Possession
Following
Contracts
Consuming
Differences in Cultures
Possession
Possession is when an entity in habits a host, taking partial to full control of that host. Except by spirits and ghosts possession must be accepted by the host, meaning that the host must be living and sentient. Like a parasite, it is beneficial to keep the host alive, but often the host has no control. Possession can happen through summoning or it can happen seemingly at random. Ghosts, spirits, and entities are capable of possession. Disgraces are only capable of it when they are stripped of physical form. Sometimes, possession is used as a purposeful method of removing an entity from another person or place. Resistant mediums can allow themselves to be possessed and then become vessels, either physically harming themselves or having a team work with them to eventually drive (or trick) an entity into a benign vessel. Although most possession is partial, it seems that demons and entities have the ability to fully possess or consume their hosts, resulting in death.
Following
Although similar, Following is not possession. Following is a behavior displayed only by Entities. The Following Entity won’t live off of or inside of a host, but will occasionally appear to their subject for interaction. Because an entity does not merge with a host it is impossible to tell if they are Following others as well, so it does not have as powerful a connotation as possession. Thus, the bond between host and Entity is thought to be weaker, although some believe that Following is a first step toward possession. There are many theories as to why Entities display this behavior and other sentient energies do not.
Contracting
Although it is unknown if Entities truly partake in this behavior or merely mimic it, the contracting behavior is certainly displayed by disgraces. A basic principal of magic, these contracts are utilized by demons to achieve the goals of their summoners. Payment can range from the carnal to the spiritual, but contracts must always be completed. It is unknown if a demon can manufacture more than a single contract at one time. Regardless, their contract magic is powerful, making them much more immediately dangerous than the average practicing witch or Entity.
Consuming
Less common than possession but a far more devastating a behavior is Consuming. Disgraces seem to be the only being capable of this behavior, although old demons are often similar in practice to Entities. Consuming entails a demon being forcibly, purposely placed into a host in a process called 'burying'. This is normally done to prolong a natural life or accidentally during an intended possession. Once the demon is 'buried' within the host, it will attempt a slow and involved process that eats its host from the inside out, destroying the physical body in an attempt to free itself. While it remains contained in the body the host will not appear to weaken or age from natural causes, but Consuming behavior always results in death. It can be controlled, but not cured, by specific medications.
Cultural Differences
Reports of behaviors of supernatural energy differ vastly in Ioriurus and Marcwith.
