“It is a commonly held belief that spells are demons, bound in leather & parchment. Wizardly grimoires then are highly valued because they are difficult to obtain & likely unique”
“Most magic advancement comes from stealing a spellbook from a deceased wizard, either long dead or recently murdered”
“Wizards seeking unique spells must seek demons to either slay or barter with. A slain demon will transform into memetic information and fly into a binding vessel rather than let itself dissipate. Typical binding vessels are spellbooks, though crystal spheres, wands & staves can be fabricated for a similar function”
“Seeking a demon to acquire a specific spell works well if players are looking for keys to specific obstacles. Especially in designing a Metroidvania style-megadungeon with hard locks or gates, players can reason “We need to kill the demon of water breathing if we want to get through the underwater tunnel.””
“Demons as personifications and manifestations of spells take those spells to the extreme. They find and cultivate environments to maximize their spells.”
“If spells are both rare and dangerous to acquire, most rival wizards may only learn 1d4 spells in their careers.”
“Creating spellbooks as encounters shows players what they can do with this power and makes treasure active instead of passive. Far cooler to win your magic through tricking a demon than off a the moldering corpse of a mage.”