The First Ones

The First Ones are the race of powerful pure-blood demons that dominated the World of Mythos before the arrival of Illyrians. Only a small number of First Ones are left, for most of them were killed off during the Demonmachy. Each First One belongs to a different dimension outside of Mythos where their hordes of hellions exist and rule. The demons commonly found in Mythos are the descendants of generations of inter-species breeding between the First Ones and lesser beings from their dimensions.

History
Before the tiniest ounce of life could be found in Mythos, the world was barren. Mythos was a planetary body of rock, first discovered by Okysus the Changer, a First One from the dimension of Hieronym. Cast from Hieronym, Grigori brought with him his children and populated the world. It's unknown why, but more First Ones and their hellion hordes of children followed them into Mythos, and they too began population the world. Land was claimed by First Ones and those who didn't accept their claims were challenged by their children. Until the arrival of the Illyrians, the world of Mythos was in a constant state of war with demons from different dimensions fighting each other over land. When the first storm came, the First Ones took it as a sign to stop fighting, so they drew their new boundaries where their armies were and became peaceful with one another. Then the Illyrians came and drove them First Ones and their hellions out of Mythos.

Many of the First Ones were killed in the conflict against the Illyrians, now known as the Demonmachy. One of the major reasons the First Ones lost in the conflict was because their pride prevented them from fighting alongside other demon forces, something the Illyrians would later learn from. There were two of the First Ones who betrayed their own kind by siding with the Illyrians, Izalith and Grigori. Fearing their return to their home dimension, where they would face retaliation from other demon forces, Izalith and Okysus asked mercy from Malchor. Malchor gifted both of them a piece of Mythos each for them to live with their children, so long as they did not rise up against the Illyrians. Agreeing to these terms, Izalith was given the Starklands and Okysus the Tritsteine Rocks.

Overview
The First Ones are from different dimensions where they either rule or live under other beings. It’s imagined that the First Ones that came to Mythos were either banished from their home dimensions, were refugees from war against other demonic forces, or were looking to expand their reach. Because of this, it can be predicted that in other dimensions, there are stronger First Ones with larger and stronger forces.

Currently, the only First One present in the world of Mythos is Izalith, as Grigori was killed for his crimes against the Illyrians, and other First Ones are not allowed in Mythos. The First Ones still however play a minor role in Mythos; they are the ones who command demonic forces to enter Mythos and cause as much destruction as possible in their names, from which they get power.

Abilities
The First Ones draw their individual power from deces, a dark form of estus. Like the Illyriads with estus, the First Ones have an unlimited reserve of deces which is depended on those who serve them. Whereas prayers and worships strengthen the Illyriads, death and destruction committed in the name of a First One is what strengthens them. The life of those that die turn into deces which is sent to the First One, however there is a limit.

Demons aren’t considered proper life because they lack a human soul and morality, therefore when they are killed they don’t have much deces to offer. However, mortals in Mythos possess souls and when they are killed in the name of a First One, they offer greater strength. This is why demons are constantly entering Mythos, because their proper life gives more to the First Ones.

The First Ones come in many shapes and forms, therefore their abilities are limited to their genetics. Like other living beings, they are able to perform magic, though they do this by using deces. They have tremendous strength and speed as well as reflexes and are nearly indestructible. The First Ones can never truly be destroyed: upon their death their bodies are desecrated but their spirit lives on forever. Many of the First Ones found in Mythos were killed during the Demonmachy and their spirits still live on to this day. In many cases when someone mentions that their is a voice in their head tempting them to do evil, it is a First One doing their bidding.

Weaknesses
While demons have a natural vulnerability to estus and seraphic energies, the First Ones have a greater threshold against them; sometimes these will cause discomfort rather than death. Weapons used to channel an aura of estus will always be stronger than seraphic energies, which are weapons marked with the blue runes worn by the Illyrians, however the surest way to have First Ones defeated is by striking them in the neck or the heart. Of course, there are other, harder ways to kill the First Ones in some occasions, such as forcing one to use up all their deces before striking, or assaulting the source of their power. The First Ones are also vulnerable to sunlight, though it’s a natural weakness, not something that’ll kill them.

As mentioned previously, the most powerful of the First Ones cannot completely be destroyed, though this only applies when estus and seraphic energies are used. The only sure way to kill one of the First Ones is to strike them with heavenly fire, which burns the impurity of someone until only the good is left in them.

Known First Ones

 * Agramon
 * Castamere
 * Lilith
 * Leviathan
 * Moloch
 * Izalith the Dark Witch
 * Grigori the Glagolitic