Armorling

"Armorlings" are minor Demons of the realm of War, allies of the Makhai spawn of Eligos, Demon Lord of War. They provide the Makhai with their suits if natural armor and weapons. Armorlings are insect-like creatures that the Makhai raise and bond with. When they reach a adulthood, the armorlings attach to the spine of their host, forming a symbiotic relationship. In their dormant state, they simply live on the host's body, but when the host is in danger, the armorling can cover their body in a shell of living armor and even weapons, mostly insect-like in appearance. While armorlings are mostly simple animals in nature and not inherently evil-spirited like true demons, they nevertheless only bond with demons, never with mortals - unless said mortal has some demon blood or other demonic taint. It is said to be very difficult to remove an armorling after it is attached. Usually, either the armorling or the host must be killed.