[CAUDA]

The castle of the Underdark brightens with torchlight.
Royal banners of the Demon-King roll off of the dark tower's walls,
and his Moonfallen make it their homes and halls.
Dark spirits filled with unlight.

---

Hyakki Yagyo

Illysander's seclusion into private studies was followed by a year of infighting and conflict in the Crescent Fortress (Gloomlight's razing also resulted in poor morale). As one of the Seven Unstoppables, he kept the Atrellyans in check with his presence and without him, their mission begins to fray of purpose. With no satisfying conclusion to outside eyes (perhaps to inside eyes too), the split boils over into a schism.

From the remains, one group splinters off. Some may call it a hidden sect. It goes by the name "Hyakki Yagyo".

They reside within the Underdark, preferring the darkness where black magic thrives and Demonkind had risen. This sect takes a grassroots approach, similar to the original Eclipse (Moonfallen) Coven when they summoned the Abyssal Demons. Demonology, [REDACTED] and knowledge for the Abyssal Dragon categorizes their goals as different from the Crescent Fortress.

Most importantly, a desire to uncover the mystery of why they had been sent to Meranthe.

[CAUDA]

Before her untimely demise, Asenahime was visited by the Demon Sage of Tomorrow (another of the Seven Unstoppables) in her nightmares and instructed the sect.

A gateway to the homeland of Atrellya is created and a scrying crystal links the two, providing a way to carry information from Meranthe to the Demon-King.


The Underdark Castle is filled with bitter dark spirits, some belonging to Asenahime's bestiary. They mourn her death, the death of the Sage of Tomorrow's student.

---

Sect Lore/Theories: Despite Kraus banishing his failed rendition of Akuma, they lurked within the nightmares of mankind. Passed down in stories until Amalia Elaide plucked them from psyche and gave them physical form once more; improving on Kraus' creation with the fears of mankind. Abyssal Demons are her refined example of this. These Demons in particular have a familiarity to humans, given they resemble predators of man (dragon, snakes, spiders and why elephant/turtle/etc demons are not seen). This resentful energy and terror as natural predators is what makes the Abyssal line perfect subjects for Demonology, or as Sheng calls it 'Demonic Cultivation'.

All Demons of Atrellya descend from Indras, an Abyssal Demon Lord, hence the Demon-King's title 'Abyssal Dragon'.