Valentine Morgenstern

**Valentine Morgenstern** is a powerful Shadowhunter and the leader of the Circle. He is the husband of Jocelyn Fairchild, and the father of Jonathan and Clary. An advocate against Downworlders, Valentine led the Circle with the main goal of ridding the world of them.

Other Versions* Alt Valentine

## Biography

#### Early Life

Valentine Morgenstern was born to Oskar and Seraphina Morgenstern. He was raised in Idris and spent his childhood in a valley not far from Lake Lyn . His family was one of the most important and well viewed in Idris society. When he was old enough, Valentine attended the Shadowhunter Academy in Alicante  and excelled. His good looks, charisma and charm made him popular among both staff and fellow students.

As he was conducting his studies at the Academy, his father died in what was supposedly a werewolf attack. Following the incident, Valentine's already unkind views towards werewolves, and by extant, Downworlders, grew more extreme.

With his manipulative and charismatic personality, Valentine quickly gained many followers. Under his leadership, he and his friends formed the Circle. Though some of his friends and followers were not initially aware, his ultimate goal was the eradication of demons and Downworlders alike from the world.

Valentine's extremist beliefs intensified to the point that he came to believe that Downworlders were demons in human form who should be exterminated altogether to cleanse the world.

Through all this, Valentine became particularly close to Lucian Graymark, who soon became his parabatai , and the latter's best friend, Jocelyn Fairchild.

Valentine had a pair of kindjals made for them, gifting her with one of them as promise of future engagement and marriage, as is traditional in Shadowhunter culture.

At the young age of nineteen, he married Jocelyn and moved into the Fairchild manor to be with her. In the cellar of his new home, Valentine secretly conducted most of his experiments on Downworlders, demons and the angel Ithuriel, whom he somehow managed to summon, imprison and torture.

In his desperation to overpower Downworlders, Valentine began to experiment with Downworlder and demon blood. He injected himself with both, while he injected his first unborn child with demon blood as well while still in Jocelyn's womb. When the child was born, they named him Jonathan Christopher.

Watching as his wife and parabatai seemed to grow closer, enraged, Valentine set up for Luke to be locked up in a barn with rabid werewolves, ensuring his pain and ensuring he would Turn.

Following that event, to protect herself and her unborn child, Jocelyn took the stolen Mortal Cup and went into hiding.

Valentine then faked his and Jonathan's deaths, setting their home on fire with two bodies in their place. This let everyone believe that he'd perished then when, in fact, Valentine took on the identity of Michael Wayland and raised a young boy as Michael's son, telling him that he was Jonathan Christopher Wayland. Apparently, when his enemies began to close in, Valentine once again faked his death as Michael—"dying" right in front of ten-year-old Jace's eyes. He arranged to have him sent to the Lightwoods, knowing he would be cared for with them.

Unbeknownst to him, Jocelyn had been pregnant and had given birth to their daughter, whom she named Clarissa and raised in the mundane world—in New York.

### Hunt for the Cup

Valentine remained in hiding for almost two decades while continuing to amass his numbers and experiment on Downworlders. He and his men scoured the world for Jocelyn and the Cup. It was only that they found a lead when some of his followers saw Clary at a club in New York, and they recognized Jocelyn in her and found that she was alive. He ordered his men to bring Jocelyn back unharmed and with the Cup, but Jocelyn drank a potion that put her in a state of deep sleep, preventing him from extracting the location of the Cup from her, frustrating him. During this time, it became evident that Valentine still loved Jocelyn, in his own way. When he found out about Jocelyn's daughter, he told his men to bring her to him.

Valentine ordered his men to continue searching for the Cup, with their biggest lead being Clary, and their spy within the Institute: former Circle member Hodge Starkweather. Shortly after the Cup was finally retrieved by Clary and the Clave, Valentine once again took on the form of Michael Wayland, as part of his plan to get the Cup and get close to Jace once more. As Michael, he reconnected with Jace; he told Jace that he'd been a prisoner held by Valentine since he seemingly died in front of him. He then offered to help them look for Jocelyn.

During a battle when they were surrounded by demons, Valentine tried to trick Clary into handing him the Cup, but Clary found him out before he could. He cut his shape-shifting rune and revealed himself as Valentine to Clary and Jace. He then told Jace that he was his father, and that he had been glamoured as Michael all along.

Pushing Clary to choose between giving him the Cup and Jace's and Jocelyn's lives, he was pushed through a Portal when Clary chose to keep the Cup.

Hodge eventually made his move and stole the Cup for him, in exchange for breaking his Punishment rune.

Once he had the Cup, Valentine began letting his men drink from the Cup, making an army of the new breed of Shadowhunters. He was also able to blackmail Jace into joining him by threatening the lives of his friends.

### Building a Shadowhunter Army

As he tried to build his army using the Cup, Valentine tried to manipulate Jace into following his ideals.

When this continued to alienate Jace, he resorted to kidnapping Clary and brainwashing her through Dot's magic to force her to convince Jace of his role in his plans. This still failed, and eventually, both his children escaped. After they left the ship, he and his men abandoned it.

Then, he used a modified demon to break into the Institute, providing a distraction for his real plan. He infiltrated the City of Bones with his army, murdering many Silent Brothers to get the Soul Sword. He succeeded when Jace decided to give him the Sword so he could save Victor Adertree.

## Personality and Traits

Valentine is cunning, and manipulative. His stoic, charming, and confident presence allows him control over his many followers. To get what he wanted, Valentine executes anyone in his way, never thinking twice about it.

## Physical Appearance

Valentine is tall and has dark eyes, almost black. He is bald.

## Skills and Abilities

* **Nephilim physiology**: Being Nephilim , Valentine possesses a variety of enhanced physical and mental abilities granted to him by the blood of Raziel in his veins and also by the angelic Marks of the Gray Book . This includes enhanced strength, agility, stamina, and coordination, which only improves over time and practice.
* **Angelic and demonic empowerment**: While all Shadowhunters have the angel Raziel's blood in them. Valentine also reinforced this with the various experiments he performed on himself, particularly by giving himself injections of both demon and angel blood.
* **Enhanced condition**: While the blood did provide him with some strength and agility, its effects on him were less in comparison to the effect it had on Jace and his children, all of whom received the blood before birth.
* **Runic magic**: Due to the angel Raziel's blood in their veins, all Shadowhunters are all able to apply runes  on their skin without any real danger. These Marks, in turn, give varied effects that serve to benefit the wearer.

## Possessions

* **Morgenstern family ring**: one of many crafted rings for the Morgenstern family. Twisting the ring can be used to call for him.
* Basic Shadowhunter gear, including a stele , seraph blades, witchlight , and various other weapons.
* **The Mortal Cup:** one of the Mortal Instruments given by the Angel Raziel to the first Shadowhunter, used to control Demons and create new Nephilim.