Intro: Agalia, The Empire of Sin

—On the history of the world.—

“The Church of Endless Heavens preaches the world was made in six days by the grace of Mother, each of which lasted an aeon.”

“On the first day, Mother came from the heavens, and pulled the earth from the depths of the endless sea. The sun is the spot from which Mother descended.”

“On the second, Mother’s breath flowed over the world, creating the sky and wind.”

“On the third, Mother’s blood was cast on the land, giving birth to the plants and animals, and for a day they lived as lowly beasts.”

“On the fourth, Mother gave the sky, the winds, the earth and the life that lived upon the Earth, souls, hence creating The First People, the Spirits. Then, Mother created the laws that bind the Spirits, and hence, the laws of the physical world.”

“On the fifth, Mother crafted The Second People, us, Man, from blood, ashes, and clay. We too were granted souls, and with them a gift. While we lacked the power of the Spirits, we were not bound by their laws. In fact. We can shape and change a Spirit, with effort and knowledge and faith.”

“On the sixth, Mother cautioned the People from breaking her laws, and then ascended back to the heavens. It was a glorious farewell, with a promise of an eventual return.”

“On the seventh, the Beast, the Ur-Satan, crawled forth from the depths of the sea. A terrible demon, that desired nothing less than to devour everything.”

“For seven years it rampaged, corrupting and devouring everything in its path. It’s hunger gnawed at the laws of the world, threatening to undo Mother’s work. In its wake came a horde of demons, made in it’s own image.”

“At the end of those years, six heroes, chosen by Mother, three of each People, banded together to defeat the Beast. With holy wisdom, they wove the laws of the world into a prison for the Beast. However the prison is not perfect.”

“Should the rites sustaining it fail, or some maddened fool cast the gates open, then the Beast will be free. And so the cycle of history forms.”

“The faith in the rites and their meaning fades, till the gates weaken. Demons slowly but surely flood into the land. Then, the Beast elects a Satan, who rallies the Demons and declares a crusade against the world. The Church gathers heroes, and throws them on the rampaging horde as kingdoms fall and lives end. Until the Satan is slain, the rites are re-established, and the Beast is firmly trapped within its prison.”

“Again and again this has happened. Again and again it will, until either the Beast or the world meets its end.”

“The next turn of the cycle is soon. The Empire of Agalia has grown fat and decadent, choking on laws that are bought and sold with gold and blood. The rites have been neglected, the prison weakened. Demons crawl forth from the West, where the sea turns to sand, and from within, as Sin sprouts like vile weeds. A Satan has risen, but their identity is unknown. The Church is calling for heroes and fools, for the faithful and the heretic, to go west. Go west, and find riches and glory in the slaying of demons. May some brave souls ensure that the Satan falls, and the Beast remains within its prison.” -From the personal diary of Sage Traila, Ex-Priestess of the Church.

—What is a Demon?—

“There are three kinds of Demons, though the lines between them often blur and twist. What they all have in common, is that they are formed of or shaped by the Beast’s hunger. Silver burns them like acid, and the foolish often harness their souls as a source of power.”

“The first is the Spawn of the Beast, sent to devour and kill to feed their sire. They are the most simple form of Demon, driven by mindless hunger.”

“The second are the Living Blights. When enough hatred, malice, suffering, or greed gathers, it may give birth to a demon embodying those, clawing forth from, corpse or earth. In the wake of the other two types, the Blights will sprout like vile weeds.”

“The third and most dangerous are the Abominations. They are born when a Person, be they Man or Spirit, are utterly consumed by Sin or Curse. Sin, in this case, refers to an all consuming obsession. Something that eats and eats and eats at one’s self until it is all that remains, twisting one’s flesh and one’s form as it empties out the soul. The touch of a Demon, too, can set one on the path to Demondom. Many of the most terrifying Demons have been fallen kings and demonslayers.”

“And a Satan.. A Satan refers to a Demon, no matter the type, who has become a Herald of the Beast. If left unchecked, they will release the Beast from it’s prison.” - Demon Slayer Vladdin’s notes for his apprentice, dated seven months before he became a Demon and laid waste to his home kingdom.
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Author’s Note:
I‘m basing Agalia off of the Roman Empire in the age of it’s decline. If the Roman Empire had flintlock guns, magic, and had to deal with both nature spirits and Demons.