Minion

In today's Evolution of a Monster creature feature we'll discover how a shadowy portrayal of a mysterious foe eventually became a savage grunt and one of Hellgate's most recognizable frontline fighters in the war for Earth.

The Minion wasn't always a mountain of thickly woven demonic muscle armored in evil and bidden to tear the limbs and life from men. Nor was it always a horrifying amalgam of hairsplitting fangs and raw flesh. Its uniquely paralyzing presence was once rather vague, actually. But the basic concept of the Minion has always been the same.

The original goal with this demon was to deliver an intelligent humanoid shock trooper -- an educated grunt to lead packs of the underworld's vile beasts against the failing forces of man. The simple description reads, "Humanoid Weapon User -- A humanoid covered in glyphs. Component guy. Uses demonic weapons and some human weapons. Commands lesser demons."

With that our artists came up with vague outlines that evolved into traditional demonic warriors, ghoulish champions and finally the Minion we know.

"Hulking, brutish creatures with a disturbing mouthful of razor-sharp teeth for a head, these demons have been tagged with the nickname Minions because of their deployment as shock troops of the underworld. Minions employ demon-crafted weaponry that attaches directly to the ends of their arms, replacing their hands in some cases. From an assortment of wicked melee weapons to a variety of ranged armaments, a group of these demons can make patrolling London an extremely dangerous endeavor.

"Certain Minions have rigid leather straps protruding from their shoulder armor. Long lengths of chain can be attached to these straps, allowing the Minion to keep control over several smaller beasts -- or worse. Also, as True Demons, Minions are sometimes overheard speaking amongst themselves. A few have even learned human speech, and to hear them calling out to their prey is not for the weak of heart.

"There are several factions of Minions, as well as clear distinctions between their roles within the armies of Hell. But all are deadly."