(From Annalynne Tuckle's lesson plan for Iris Henrich)
Deejens are not mere bandits and villains though they occasionally behave as such. Nor are these men and women, though they look the part. Deejens are human flesh possessed by the spirit of pleasure itself. Everything they do, everything that drives them is in pursuit of pleasure. If it is pleasing to murder, they murder. If it is pleasing to rape, they rape. If it is pleasing to eat human meat, then they shall put you on a spit or consume you raw. And woe to those who ever cross a Deejen who finds pleasure in art. It is tempting to compare Deejens to animals in the bodies of men and women. But those who have confronted Deejens with this hypothesis snug in their skulls have quickly found those skulls hollowed-out and that hypothesis fucked.
In her widely acknowledged masterpiece, RIDDLING THE FERTILE WASTES: IN PURSUIT OF A MODERN PILGRIM’S GUIDE, Harriet Sneed accurately describes Deejens as those possessed by demonic forces (in the appendix, Harriet states that she hated labeling these powers “demonic”--preferring instead to find a natural cause for these individuals behavior--but the preponderance of evidence left her no other choice.) Since Deejens are demonic at their core they also possess an intelligence and cunning not found in wildlife. Yes, they raid and ambush like animals. But they also infiltrate and seduce.
Once upon a time there was a small community named MODEST GARDENS founded by missionaries of Appropriate Grace back when that religion still believed in spreading the good news about the divinity found in table manners and adhering to proper protocol. Two things happened after Deejens infiltrated this community: Modest Gardens disappeared, and The High Graces abolished missionary work.
Deejens possess no unusual abilities. They do not exhibit any abnormal levels of strength or endurance. They cannot see in the dark or change their shape. They are mortal, even if the spirits inhabiting them are not. The only truly unique characteristic of Deejens is that they are reviled even by the most wicked and vile creatures this land has to offer. The only time you will ever see a Tribal, a Skookum, and a priest of the Divine Prospect make common cause with a Norant or a Sturmblade, or even a coven of MURDER MAIDENS from Audacity Springs is to take up arms against a hive of Deejens.
It is more or less a foregone conclusion that those abducted by Deejens never return. And while liberation from their demonic whims is a rare thing, it does indeed happen. The most famous of those survivors is woman named Magil who called herself “Lil” but every legend records her name as NANCY. Not only did Nancy manage to escape their clutches but she was able to do so unmolested. She was abducted late at night from the schoolhouse where she taught. She had been putting the final touches on an original Holiday Story for her students the next day--a reward for their good behavior and excellent grasp of her lessons. And while she enjoyed the way her voice reverberated off the school’s walls as she practiced her oration, she did very much wish an audience was present. And so, after Nancy was taken back to the Deejen hive and they approached her naked and engorged with naught but lust and evil in their eyes, she closed hers and began, “Once upon a time....”
Nancy told them her story of THE LONELIEST SKOOKUM. There are those who are naturally gifted with the art of song and storytelling. Supernaturally so, even. Nancy was such an individual. She had not gotten further than the description of this tale’s hero when the Deejens paused their advance upon her body. And by the time she had recounted how the wind seemed to whisper “you are never truly alone” as this heartbroken hairy man trekked across a wilderness where the trees seemed to resemble those he had once loved who had long since passed, a most astonishing thing occurred: there were tears in Deejen eyes.
When she had concluded her tale the Deejens were inconsolable heaps of bittersweet misery. Whatever humanity remained in them Nancy had seem to touch. Or perhaps it was not even that. Perhaps even demons have within them the capacity to mourn for worlds that should be; to apprehend the power of hope. They cursed her and thanked her in equal measure as she walked quietly out of their cave. None dared impede her for fear she might once again “Once upon a time...”
Nancy never told her Holiday Story to her students. Though she had escaped the Deejens intact, the experience had indeed changed her. Once she arrived back in town, she packed her belongings and set out for Audacity Springs.
Less notables have also escaped Deejens. Our very own MARTIN PARKS is one such individual and it is said that he even managed to rescue another who had fallen into their clutches. But this story comes to us from JIMMY WEEN and it is a difficult thing indeed to trust the word of a pervert.
