Daemonite

The Daemonites are an alien race in the Wildstorm comic books. They were created by Jim Lee and first appeared in WildC.A.Ts #1 (1992).

Biology
Daemonites are reptilian aliens from the planet Daemon, who are capable of possessing host bodies. The exact way the process works is unclear, but possession doesn't harm the host; should a Daemonite leave or be forced to leave, the host, while weakened, will remain otherwise unharmed. Daemonites need to possess a host to survive on planets with a climate different from Daemon, like Earth (though a deal with D'ahn eliminated this weakness from all Daemonites that resided on Earth at the time). When possessing a host, the Daemonite has access to all abilities that host has. A Daemonite can change his host into his true, Daemonite form, but can only maintain this form for a short period of time.

Daemonite's can survive for millennia and are possibly even immortal. They are capable of regenerating missing limbs and quickly recover from serious injuries.

The true form of the Daemonites seems to differ depending on artist, but all versions include long sharp claws, sharp teeth and a hunched posture. They normally have dark green skin. Usually Daemonites bear a strong resemblance to the Xenomorphs

History
Millennia ago, the Daemonites discovered interstellar travel and started to conquer the universe. Their ability to possess other species gave them a distinct advantage over most species, allowing infiltration and survival in almost any environment. Their rise to power was unoppossed until they encountered the Kherubim. The Kherubim were a noble race of nearly immortal warriors. Despite the Daemonites ability to possess the Kherubim, the Kherubim's technology allowed them to detect possessed individuals. The war raged for millennia.

A Daemonite vessel fought a Kherubim vessel near Earth, thousands of years ago. Both spaceships were damaged and crashlanded on Earth. The Daemonites decided to conquer this world and use its population as host bodies, while the Kherubim wanted to defend humanity. The Daemonite-Kherubim War inspired many tales of gods, demons, angels and monsters. Most of the Daemonites organised themselves as the Cabal and focused on the goal of Daemonite Reunification: a return to Daemon. They were opposed by the WildC.A.Ts

In space, the battle between Daemon and Khera was decided. The Kherubim won and imposed heavy war reparations on Daemon. Daemonite society went bankrupt while trying to pay and many Daemonites migrated to prosperous Khera, but once there they were confined to ghettos.

When the Daemonites on Earth found out, many of them ceased their quest for Reunification. Some settled down, others became mercenaries and others again, like Lord Helspont, now focused on increasing their own power and wealth.

Recently, the Daemonite Lord Helspont found a Kheran World Shaper Engine on Earth and looked into its databanks. There he discovered that the Kherans were like cuckoos, sending Shaper Engines across the universe to land on planets and turn them into ideal habitats for Kherubim. He also discovered that one such engine had landed on Daemon and had formed the Daemonites from the local population as a servitor race. The Daemonites rebelled and destroyed their 'Kheran' lords.

Culture
Little is known about Daemonite culture. The Daemonites on Earth are ruled by three Lords, but they are all ex-military and most of them are fanatics, so they could simply be following the chain of command. Most Daemonites on Earth are aggressive and completely devoted to the cause of Reunification. On Khera, the WildC.A.Ts encountered Daemonite civilians whose behaviour was very much like human behaviour. The Daemonites on Khera seemed to have a more tribal structure, but this could be a result of being confined to low-tech ghettos. After encountering peaceful Daemonites on Khera, the WildC.A.Ts have encountered several peaceful Daemonites on Earth as well.

The Daemonites on Khera showed WildC.A.Ts-member Voodoo, part Daemonite herself, rituals where Daemonites possessed other Daemonites. This ritual transferred memories, emotions and knowledge between Daemonites and forged a strong bond between Daemonites.

Technology
Daemonites prefer to use their own natural abilities in battle, but their technology is very advanced. They have spaceships capable of interstellar flight. Nanotechnology allows them to create highly advanced weaponry in a short period of time. Mister Majestic discovered a Daemonite-built portal into the Bleed, allowing them to enter alternate dimensions.

Daemonites on Earth often wear special stealth-suits, hiding them from most forms of detection. Others wear flash-suits which are armoured and possess built-in weaponry.

Notable Daemonites

 * Lord Helspont
 * Lord Defile
 * Hightower
 * Baron B'lial, once possessed Dan Quayle
 * Olympia Atreides, former member of the WildC.A.Ts
 * Mr. White, shapeshifter, deceased
 * S'Yrn, enemy of Backlash