Horned King

The **Horned King** is an ancient demonic warlord, with a thirst for spreading death and destruction through his army of the undead. His plan revolved around the Black Cauldron and use its power to unleash his army of warriors that he proclaimed Cauldron Born. In addition to his Cauldron Born, the Horned King was known to have trained several dragons, enlisted the services of the Huntsmen of Annuvin. He is cold and very composed, showing no outward anger until his plan fails at which point he punishes those who fail him. The truth behind the Horned King's origins are shrouded in mystery. In any realm he may stumble upon, his goal is to become "a god among mortal men" by wiping out the populace of a realm and bring forth kingdoms of darkness.

## Biography

### Quest for the Black Cauldron

In life, the **Horned King** sought the power of a powerful relic known as the Black Cauldron and use its power to unleash a vast army of undead Cauldron Born. He used various means to locate the Black Cauldron such as using mystical artifacts and even using a seer. After the Horned King unleashes his army of Cauldron Born at his Castle using the power of the Black Cauldron, one among a group of young heroes flings himself into the Black Cauldron to return the army to their previous state of death. In the final battle before his demise, the Horned King fought for the Black Cauldron against the young Taran, and by the end of their struggle the Horned King was consumed by the very power of the Black Cauldron he was trying to claim. His body was destroyed and his soul was sent to the Underworld through the Black Cauldron as punishment for his crimes of misusing the dark power. After his death, the Black Cauldron turned to dust with what little power remaining, tethering itself onto the Horned King's soul, sentenced to be trapped in the Underworld for eternity.

### Imprisoned in the Underworld

After his body was destroyed by the power of the Black Cauldron, the Horned King ended up in the Underworld, where unlike most of its inhabitants his soul took the form of a magically imbued skeletal demon with horns. The King's arrival interested the lord of the Underworld Hades, who invited the Horned King into his lair where he could see the wielder of death for himself. During the course of their talk, Hades told the king that he was known in the realm of Prydain as Arawn, revealing that he is the one who forged the Black Cauldron. Hades went on to tell the Horned King that even though the Black Cauldron was destroyed, its magic could not be destroyed completely as the magic now resides in the Horned King's soul. Hades then stated that because his property was within the King's soul, the Horned King now belonged to the lord of death. To reassure the king of his position Hades gave the king two options, either serve him willingly and be rewarded or refuse his authority and be truly imprisoned for eternity, to which the Horned King chose to serve Hades until he could escape his predicament.

Centuries after his servitude toward Hades began, a group of heroes from the town called Storybrooke ventured into the Underworld to free their friend Captain Hook from the grasp of a wrongful death. By this time the Horned King began using his real name **Cornelius** in every day life, along with being fashioned with a cloaking spell to conceal his true appearance from those who he has wronged. Also, Cornelius has grown to despise the Underworld and desired more than anything to leave it, but refusing to go to the "Worse Place". Cornelius knew the only way to get out was to claim a life for a life trade, but with little life in the Underworld, there was little hope until the newcomers came to rescue Hook. Among these travelers was the Dark One Rumpelstiltskin, infamously known for making deals when it suited his needs. Cornelius offered his services to the Dark One when Hades threatened the lives of his wife and unborn son, providing him with information from his centuries of experience working for Hades which led to the Dark One getting the upper hand on the ruler of the Underworld. In exchange for his assistance, Cornelius's price was that once Rumpelstiltskin returned to the land of the living, within three months he would provide a life that he could use to escape the Underworld to which the Dark One agreed.

### Regaining the Essence of Life

Several weeks that followed his return, Rumpelstiltskin began to be victim to his own dark impulses yet again as he did dark deeds to ensure that his unborn son belongs to him and Belle not run off. But the Dark One still upheld his deals, and he felt that now was the time to uphold his deal with Cornelius. One night, the Dark One captured a random soul from Storybrooke and brought him to the pond from which one could open a portal to the Underworld. Rumpelstiltskin then cut himself and dropped several drops of blood into the pond allowing the portal to be opened. Cornelius appeared and managed to steal the life force of the innocent soul by using the Mark of Charon spell which he acquired from one of the Dark One inhabitants of the Underworld prior to their departure. Cornelius restrained the civilian and would hold him prisoner until Charon came to collect his newly captured soul. Before they parted ways, in exchange for acquiring the body for Cornelius, the Dark One said that now Cornelius can not lay a hand on Belle or his child and if he does the Dark One will personally return him to the Underworld, with Cornelius agreeing. With there deal now complete, the Horned King was among the living once again, and with the power of the Black Cauldron placed within his soul, he will bring forth nothing but death and misery wherever he goes.

## Powers and Abilities

**Dark Magic:** The Horned King in life and even in death, was one of the most powerful practitioners of the dark arts whom had ever lived. The King wields many great powers that he implores in his quest for conquest, but one of his most famous is his magic revolving around the remolding of a dead corpse into a Cauldron Born.

* **Immortality:** As a Demon, the Horned King does not age, but can be killed by one who has the power to do so in the fields of light magic, dark magic, divine magic, and magical artifacts or weapons.
* **Knowledge of Magic:** The Horned King has been shown to have gathered a great deal of knowledge regarding the dark mystic arts, knowledge that was once rival to that of Merlin himself.
	+ **Teleportation:** The Horned King can teleport him self ,object, or others in an instant.
	+ **Pyrokinesis:** The Horned King can control fire with his mind.
	+ **Possession:** The Horned King can enter another persons body and control ther actions.
	+ **Telekinesis:** He can make objects move with his mind.
	+ **Heart Removal:** The Horned King can rip out the heart of his victims and magically control them
	+ **Potioncraft:** He has the power to brew potions
	+ **Enchanting:** He has the power to enchant any object, allowing them to do a wide variety of feats such as protection spells or restraining spells.
* **Resurrection:** When having access to sufficient power and with the magic of the Black Cauldron burned into his soul, the Horned King has the power to bring dead bodies back to life, but their souls are corrupted and molded into the form of undead beasts primed for war.
	+ **Healing Factor:** Since the Horned Kings body is neither dead or alive, he can reconstruct his form back to its prime state almost immediately after it is damaged.
* **Superhuman Strength:** The Horned King is incredibly strong, being able to lift his enemies and throw them a considerable distance.