King Novik

King Novik is a minor supporting hero in the Doom franchise, namely in DOOM Eternal and its DLCs. He was the last king of Argent D'Nur, and a former warrior in the order of the Night Sentinels, under whom the legendary Doom Slayer served during a war against Hell. In DOOM Eternal, Novik had long died, but his soul lingered in his old secondary palace of Exultia, and his voice narrated both the opening and ending of the game. Externally, while living, Novik resembled a muscular, yet aged Caucasian human, dressed in armor resembling that of Sentinel apprentices, but bearing a small crown in place of a helmet. As a ghost, Novik appears as he did in life, but transparent and glowing blue, also seemingly able to summon flames of Sentinel Energy.
Novik was voiced by Piotr Michael. His physical appearance was based on Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, such as three distinct boils on his left cheek. Additionally, the voice that narrated the intro of DOOM 2016 was retconned to be Novik.
==Biography==
===Early life===
At some point in the ancient past, Novik became a Night Sentinel of Argent D'Nur, a world of technologically advanced magic-sensitive humanoids who had been vassalized by the Maykrs, an extradimensional race of incredible power. The Night Sentinels themselves were formed as both the military force of the Argenta and the guardians of the Elemental Wraiths, primordial beings who had first seeded life on Argent D'Nur, but like all Argenta during the time of the Maykrs, Novik and the Sentinels served the Maykrs rather than the Wraiths. Novik, presumably through exceptional service during war during Argenta expansion, became king of the Argenta, as only a true warrior, namely a Night Sentinel, was deemed worthy of becoming king. Despite his advancing age and new position, Novik remained active as supreme commander of the Night Sentinels, leading from the battlefield and not the throne, as was expected of a warrior king. Argent D'Nur remained prosperous under his reign, expanding far into the depths of space, but at some point during his reign, a mysterious human man, a marine from Earth, emerged on Argent D'Nur after crossing through time and space, rambling about demonic forces and impending doom when he was discovered. Like all other off-worlders, he was sent to the arena to fight for his freedom, defeating all his opponents despite his injuries, and was promptly placed in the Argenta infantry.
===War against Hell===
Soon afterwards, during an event known as the Black Star, the demons the marine spoke of invaded Argent D'Nur through rifts from Hell, where Novik led the Night Sentinels in defense of the world. The sheer power and numbers of the demons began overrunning Argenta defenses, the Argenta clergymen and scientists being unable to find any weaknesses to the demons, but the Sentinels noticed how the marine survived every battle he was sent in, and knew exactly how to kill demons. While first suspicious of him, King Novik saw just how valuable the marine could be, and in defiance of all Argenta traditions, personally commissioned the marine to join the Night Sentinels, assigning him to Commander Valen, the keeper of the keys to the Wraiths. Many Night Sentinels first scoffed at the idea of the marine joining them, but Valen trained the marine nonetheless, teaching him both Night Sentinel combat and traditions, and soon, after accompanying them on three battles going directly through the rifts and into Hell, the marine was accepted as a brother-in-arms, gaining the trust and loyalty of Valen, Novik, and all the Sentinels he fought side-by-side with. With the marine, and with the Deag Priests, the top Argenta clergymen, discovering the source of the demons' power and reconstituting it into Argent Energy, a more potent substance that they could use to power Argenta weaponry, the Night Sentinels turned the tide of the war, Novik and his commanders leading more successful campaigns deeper into Hell. Argent Energy was also distributed to the general populace, turning them immortal and allowing them to enter an age of development never before seen, although no Sentinel, Novik included, ever took the energy. Despite their advantage and sudden boost, the war soon stalled again, making Novik more restless.
Sometime during the war, the demons launched a direct assault on Taras Nabad, Novik's palace, spearheaded by a colossal demon known as a Titan. The Titan, named The Dreadnought, was impervious to all Sentinel weaponry, but Novik regardless fought against its advance with his soldiers, which included the marine. However, during the battle, the marine was pulled aside by a renegade Maykr Seraph, who used a Maykr device called the Divinity Machine to grant the marine superhuman power, making him the fearsome Doom Slayer. The Doom Slayer then took up a Crucible, a weapon only able to activate in the hands of a true Sentinel king, and single-handedly killed The Dreadnought. The Slayer was immediately promoted to a commander and named heir to Novik, and with his new power, the Argenta ventured further into Hell than ever before, clearing demons out of great swaths of Hell's land, seeking the Dark Lord of Hell to end the threat forever. However, unknown to the Sentinels or the Slayer, the Maykrs and Deag Priests had betrayed Argent D'Nur to the Dark Lord, exchanging the souls of Argenta for Argent Energy, which the Maykrs and their loyalists could use to be immortal, and secretly used Argenta slaves to build Argent-producing factories in the very patches of Hell land that the Sentinels had cleared.
Eventually, the Slayer and the Sentinels discovered the truth, but found that the populace was so intoxicated by Argent Energy that they refused to listen. Novik, however, remained loyal to the Sentinels, and on his command, turned their worship away from the Maykrs and back to the Wraiths, and attempted to lead an uprising against the Maykrs, only for some Sentinels, later known as Marauders, to defect to the side of the Maykrs and start a long and bloody civil war. The Deag Priests, still hiding their true loyalty to the Maykrs, pretended to stay on the side of the Sentinels, and found out that the Sentinels had plans to both destroy the Argent plants and reawaken the Wraiths, knowing that seeing their creators active again would sway the people away from the Maykrs. Deag Grav, knowing Valen guarded the keys to the Wraiths, and knowing that Valen's son had fallen in battle, began sending him nightmares and visions of his son's soul in torment in Hell, driving Valen mad with grief. Confronting Valen in private, Grav then revealed himself as a Maykr loyalist, but rather than execute or imprison him, Valen begged him to resurrect his son. Grav agreed in exchange for the keys to the Wraiths, and in his desperation, Valen accepted, allowing Grav to trap the Wraiths in Hell. At the same time, the other Deag Priests opened slipgates into Hell that they claimed led right to the Nekravol, the central Argent production plant, but when the Slayer and his loyal battalions went through, they were instead scattered throughout Hell, right in the center of demonic hordes. With no reinforcements, all but the Slayer were killed. With the loss of his forces, Novik and his surviving followers were forced to flee to the city of Exultia, many of them splitting up and scattering across the mountains as the Maykrs took full control of the planet, several cities being dragged into Hell. Novik eventually died, ending the presence of a king, but his spirit lingered in the now-deserted Exultia, resigning himself to the loss of his world.
===DOOM Eternal===
Novik's spirit remained in Exultia for eons, until the Doom Slayer eventually returned, seeking a Celestial Locator to track down and kill the Deag Priests, now known as Hell Priests, who were invading Earth under Maykr orders. Novik, sensing the Slayer arrive, asked him why he came, and tried to say that the locator was not his to take as he reactivated torches down the hall. Novik then manifested in his throne, where the Slayer respectfully knelt. Still lost in grief, Novik ordered the Slayer to stand down, reciting old Sentinel codes, that it is forbidden to spill the blood of any Deag Priest, regardless of their transgressions. The Slayer then stood to retrieve the locator, and Novik then told the Slayer that Earth's destruction had been foretold, and that the Slayer was just one man who could not hope to stand against the full might of the Maykrs. When the Slayer turned his back to him, Novik called out to him that the humans were no longer his people to save. The Slayer then turned back to Novik, but found that Novik had vanished.
While not seen again by the Slayer, Novik's ghost seemed to sense the Slayer's eventual victory over both the Maykrs and the demons, culminating with the salvation of Earth when the Icon of Sin was killed. Novik then took up hope again, his voice echoing across space to the Slayer, declaring that the Slayer would be savior of mankind, his strength acting as their shield while his will was their sword, and that the Slayer remained unbroken, for his fight was eternal. With that, Novik presumably passed on, as his ghost was not encountered again.
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