Blackheart

**Blackheart**, also known as the **Prince of Shadows**, is one of the dreadlords. Blackheart is the demon lord of terror, shadows, regrets, bonds, and hatred. He is the corruptor of the Shadowfell and self-proclaimed arch-enemy of Kovar. He is the creator of dream-eaters and is credited with bringing the power of the shadows to the demons' side. His avatar bears the same name as his moniker. There are not many variations on the name Blackheart itself, but the Prince title may vary between 'Shadows,' 'Terror,' or 'Hatred.'

In Season 3 of *WovenRealm*, **Blackheart** appears to Oleander claiming to be the origin of faer necromancy.

## Blackheart

A sketch of Blackheart surrounding Oleander, by Puddins

### Type

* Dreadlord
* Fiend (demon)

### Titles & names

* Prince of Shadows
* Prince of Terror
* Prince of Hatred

### Symbols

A jagged spiral with spikes along the outside

### Home Plane

* Abyss
* Shadowfell

## Worship

### Associated domains

* Terror
* Shadows
* Hatred
* Regret
* Bonds

## Description

### Appearance

Blackhearts shape resembles the shadows he lords over, with his form betraying the eldritch origins of demonkind and the Abyss. He has a long, slender body that appears almost like a jagged skeleton, with ichory, ink dripping from the open chest wound Saint Orianna left when she killed his mortal avatar during the Sunless Era, with the wound Sun left still bleeding. Instead of a face, there is swirling pandemonium of shadows with some writing "the very face of terror itself" to describe what gazing at his face is like. He has four, long arms ending in slender clawed hands and two tails that resemble the tendrils that writhe from his head and back. Blacheart could also meld into shadows, often appearing as a writhing mass of shadowy tendrils.

### Personality

Blackheart is remembered for being especially cruel, using the fear and terror he would sew to reap the hatred that was born of his machinations. Blackheart hates the light, and therefore, has an extreme hatred for Kovar. Unlike other dreadlords, who may utilize brute force, intimidation, and an iron claw, Blackheart prefers to operate from the shadows and pull on strings with his tendrils like a puppet master, using fear and hatred to further his goals. He is manipulative, often playing on ones deepest fears and regrets or their animosity toward others to turn them into clay. He is a corruptor of the mind and psyche, making him especially dangerous. Blackheart was remembered for being very loyal to his demonic kin.

Blackheart is devoted only to himself and his Raven Queen, Absinthe Morrigan. Blackheart's loyalty toward the other demons only went so far, seeing that he proudly admitted to Oleander to plotting the downfall of his own kin so that he could usurp Deimos as the Sovereign of Demons in S5E5 'To the Moon...'

## History

### Background

Like the other dread lords and demons, Blackheart was born of the dreams of It That Slumbers after its defeat but is also considered the son of Deimos and Al-Sedexus. Born of the negative psionic resonance of mortals in the Abyss, Blackheart worked with his demonic kin to escape the Abyss and come into the material plane. As is the case with the other dreadlords, Blackheart was one of the progenitors of the tiefling people with his tieflings bearing marks of the Shadowfell such as tendrils and innate shadow magic. It is when he stared into the Font of Oblivion did Blackheart feel an emotion a demon was never meant to; love. For Absinthe Morrigan, matriarch of the DeRunes family, caught the eye of terror. He began his machinations to make her his bride, which led him to scheme against his own fiendish kin.

After descending to Evarencia, Blackheart quickly made short work of creating the ritual to blot out the sun. During this time, Blackheart crept into the Shadowfell and killed the previous Raven Queen, leaving her throne open for Absinthe's eventual ascent to the title. Blackheart is said to be responsible for creating the undead creatures known as *shadows* as well as the psionic dreameaters that invade ones dreams. As the Prince of Shadows, he declared himself the enemy of Kovar and swore to usurp the light from him, and thus, this marked Blackheart as St. Orianna's primary nemesis in her crusade to retake the realm. Blackheart's influence in the cosmos is moreso recognized in the Shadowfell than on the material with some mortals considering the invocation of his name a taboo.

At the Battle of New Dawn, the demon prince was vanquished by Orianna wielding Sun and banished forever to the Shadowfell. His beating heart, the Heart of Darkness, was left in the mortal realm. It is while trapped within the Shadowfell that he returned to the Font of Oblivion within the Fortress of Regrets hearing the call of her voice; Morrigan's. He married her and after her defeat at the hands of the Wrong Turns during the Unification Crisis, he waited for her to remember who she was and to assume the title he had laid the foundation for generations ago; his Raven Queen.

### *SteamSpell*

Dr. Branson's biomancy experiments on Corvus for *Project Blood Angel* saw Nora Lynn go on an expedition to find the Heart of Darkness and to harvest Black Heart's blood, transfusing it to Corvus. This allowed the raven-winged warrior to summon the blade known as 'Shadow.' This connection of Blackheart's bloodline with St. Orianna's has left the Sovereign and her children bearing the mark of corruption.

## Relationships

### Allies

Blackheart was more loyal to his demon kin than others that he shared his title with. He is married to Absinthe Morrigan, the Raven Queen, thus marking him as an ally of the DeRunes.

### Enemies

Blackheart is the self-proclaimed arch-nemesis of Kovar and light. He considers St. Orianna one of his greatest enemies, as she was Kovar's avatar and slayed him.

He is the primary fiendish figure in the faith of the Kovithian Church.

## Trivia

* Blackheart was primarily referenced in *SteamSpell*, especially in conjunction with Grey's narrative.
* Blackheart shares his name with a *Marvel* comic book villain, primarily of Ghostrider. His appearance is partially inspired by this depiction.
* Blackheart, along with the Astral Star, is one of the oldest parts of Evarencia's lore with the demon 'possessing the minds of PCs' since the beginning.
* Blackheart's appearance is inspired by mixing his *Marvel* comics representation with that of the Moonlight Presence from *Bloodborne.*