Over a century has passed since the Ubuyashiki line defeated Kibutsuji Muzan, the original demon. With the sacrifices of numerous slayers and Pillars, the greatest threat to humanity was finally put to rest. Or so everyone thought. In spite of the Ubuyashiki line wishing to disband the organization, work remained for them.
In the years following Muzanโs death, the various demons that had been under his control emerged from hiding, ripe from slaughter and brimming with power. The inferior demons driven mad by starvation were easy prey for the demon slayers to clean up, but the smarter ones hid away, biding their time. The demon slayers had lost too many in the final fight against Muzan and in the gaps of their reconnaisance hid the deadliest of Muzanโs demons, ones clever enough not to covet the fickle positions of Lower and Upper Moons. Instead they cultivated their own powers in secret, learning eventually as Nezuko did the art of strengthening their Blood Arts with minimal reliance on devouring humans. Several of them worked in tandem to steal a copy of Tamayoโs formula, initially intended to turn demons back to humans. With a researcher of similar caliber in their ranks, they eventually found the secret to reversing the solution and with that the secret of Muzanโs power.
From there it was an uphill battle for the Japanese demon slayers who had suffered innmurable casualties and found too little in reinforcements and demon slayer initiates. Distant branches across the seas slowly fell to other demons as well, unable to effectively control regions of the world that were out of human reach and where many demons began gathering for safety.
It would be two generations later before the Ubuyashikis finally replenished the ranks of slayers to a formidable degree and another three decades before technological advancements progressed to the point of globalization. By then the demons had amassed armies and grown powerful in the distant, uninhabitable wastelands of the world, utilizing Tamayoโs half-finished research for their own means and supplementing those gains with metered consumption of the rapidly expanding human population.
Before long, though, even the demons had to assimilate and form communities strong enough to fend off human conquerors and slayers alike. During this period, many demons were slain, but many more flocked to the protection of now-infamous demons that would become the modern dayโs Upper and Lower Moons. From there the domains formed, lasting through the rigors of modern advances and forcing mankind to contend with the truth that humanity was not the apex predator.
This status quo worsened with time until the modern era, some decades after the Ubuyashiki family had come forward as the only hope for the world against the encroaching demon hordes. Now officially recognized by the governments in most countries, the demon slayers could move in less restricted patterns and were able to make use of government resources.
The different Breath Arts, however, remained the single most important tool in the demon slayer arsenal, allowing slayers to reach demonic levels of power and beyond for brief periods of time without becoming monsters themselves. In contrast were the demonsโ Blood Arts, which could stand toe-to-toe with the strongest Pillars in many instances. These clashes became more widespread as the Pillars began moving more openly, resulting in devastating battlefields and oftentimes severe collateral damage. Public opinion on the demon slayers remained mixed in the aftermath, with most people realizing the necessity, but condemning the violent clashes and brutal training regimes. To the slayers these complaints were little more than misdirected fear. People with no power against the demons merely needed someone more visceral to blame.
In the midst of the chaotic modern era were the factions of humanity allied with the demons, providing them with fresh food and labor for their city-states in return for demonic support or sometimes for the chance at being a demon themselves. Granted permission to invade and attack by most countries, slayers entering hostile human territories were free to execute demon sympathizers, though these areas were also ample grounds to find demon co-conspirators. Despite their dedication to eradicating demons from the world, the demon slayers organization readily sought information and support from friendly demonsโtheir lessons learned from the days of Tanjiroโs valor and Nezukoโs critical role in defeating Muzan. This didnโt necessarily sit well with many slayers, however, and tensions remained high even with official approval.
The story starts here, at the peak of modern civilization with much of the known history of humanity fairly intact, though with hints of demonic influence throughout time. Otherwise, though, the demons have not been known to take part in any of the part major human wars (at least, not officially) and have been recorded often as taking advantage of the chaos to entrench their territories and powers in more remote regions.
So far, what is known of the current 12 Moons has been referenced from much older archives of past encounters and by now all semblance of the Moons' real names have long been lost. These days, the 12 Moons are reclusive at best and impossible to simply run intoโnot unless they were looking for you. There is, at present, a desperate need to update the information profiles on each Moon, and an even greater need for Demon Slayers talented enough to perform the ultimate task of taking their heads.
โค UPPER MOON I:The First Moon is equal parts fearsome and enigmatic, able to shroud the whole of their domain in Eastern China under eternal night and allowing the demons there free rein to move about. This Moon's domain is particularly dangerous as a result of this effect, and rumors abound about particular enhancements that demons within this field receive, though the details are scarce. No attempts have been made to breach the First Moon's territory for over a hundred years, ever since the Ubuyashiki's records note 10 Pillars sent in only to be lost forever. Past records indicate the First Moon controls some aspect of night and darkness with several testimonies of slayers' own shadows rebelling against them.
โค UPPER MOON II:The Second Moon, in contrast to the mysterious shroud of the First, is a prominent figure in the drug trade with a territory deep in the heart of Brazil, calling herself "Marzanna" and openly mocking governments and media alike with her brazen presence. She is known as a shapeshifter whose forms vary depending on her mood, but whose preference seems to be for busty, female forms scantily clad in the latest fashion of the time. Her domain claims to be "open to all" and indeed looks the part of a city in perpetual feasting and festivities, ripe with narcotics in plain view and a jubilant populace. People are lured often to her territory, and most never seem to leave. Aside from records of both drug and human traffickers entering and exiting her domain, there has yet to be a successful attempt to convince any human currently in her realm to leave of their own volition. Anyone forcibly removed are driven to manic homicidal tendencies within days and have shown no improvements over time.
โค UPPER MOON III:The Third Moon may not have a human form, ancient as they are. Arguably the oldest of the current Moons and the most inaccessible, records of the Third Moon's appearance suggest some chimera-like entity with varying animal parts. Some accounts claim the standard human-headed lion sphinx while others yet detail an array of identifiable animals that substitute for head, body, legs, and tail. The connecting detail between the various forms is merely a broken, golden bell tied around the necks of each form. The residents of this Moon's ambiguously marked territory in the Amazon jungle are mostly demonic animals, though the occasional mad human can be found there as well. Nothing else is known of this Moon's power as survivors fled at the sight before witnessing any abilities.
โค UPPER MOON IV:The Fourth Moon looks like an androgynous, brown-haired child in a long shift dress who sits quietly atop the Andes mountain range. The position differs from time to time, but they are found wandering mainly in this area. Though this Moon has no real town or subjects, so to speak, reports of increased frequency of supernatural phenomena in the area has driven off many of the towns nearby along with the animals in the region. The location now is eerily still and silent, with only weather patterns to create any noise. The vegetation has become strange in the years this Moon has settled, the soil and flora becoming poisonous to the touch and the earth unable to support normal life.
โค UPPER MOON V:A brazen character for a Moon, the Fifth Moon has held a large swathe of land in the Canadian wilderness and often sends emissaries to nearby towns to collect his fee in humans. Having depleted many of the nearest towns by now, this Moon is looking to expand his territory. Current records have no notes on his powers, but past records from the 19th century indicate a multi-armed, male demon equipped with a vast combination of Blood Arts ranging from spatial manipulation to high damage, large-area effects. Details are unknown at this time as surviving witnesses never lingered long enough to observe carefully.
โค UPPER MOON VI:The Sixth Moon has made his home in the Siberian wilderness, terrorizing settlements and trade posts now and then. Several attacks had been mounted against him, but all have failed. His power seemed to be related to the element of earth and his surroundings, allowing him to travel undetected and appear whenever he pleases. No further information is known at this time.
โค LOWER MOON VII:The Seventh Moon is located somewhere out in the Navajo desert, though not much else is known about him. His territory is fiercely guarded by an army of demons and, unlike the rabble of thralls his fellows often cooked up, his forces are extremely coordinated and well-versed in combat. Also unerringly loyal. His agents have also turned up in major cities and states as well, though capturing them have never yielded much information about their master. Even current agents kept in captivity are mindlessly silent.
โค LOWER MOON VIII:The Eighth Moon resides off the south Pacific coasts; his Blood Art seems to give him power over the waves and tides. He attacks errant ships now and then, and most assaults against him have been futile. There has been talks lately about trying to lure him out of his element, so to speak, but no operation has been mounted for lack of information regarding what this Moon looks like and the specifics of his powers.
โค LOWER MOON IX:The Ninth Moon is one of the more insidious demons out there. His current location is unclear; he has been documented to move around quite often. His appetite for blood and carnage is unmatched, whenever he surfaces. It appears that his Blood Art is related to changing his appearances, because he has been documented to have many. He also seems to have a talent of evading death, with various reports of hunters taking his head before only to have him escape or kill several of their comrades in return.
โค LOWER MOON X:Dubbed the Iron Wolf, the Tenth Moonโs territory is centered around the ruined city of Norilsk, where he occasionally accepts challengers for his life or his position. According to reports, his Blood Art allow him to harden his skin into an impenetrable armor. So far, he remains undefeated and for lack of direct confrontation against most of the other Moons, he is relegated a lower slot on Leviathan's unofficial hierarchy.
โค LOWER MOON XI:A red-haired demon with poisonous blood arts. However she has been missing for several decades now. Insider intel suggests that she might be dead.
โค LOWER MOON XII:The lowest moon has been a casualty of a recent Leviathan operation in the South East.
