Dreadlord

The Dreadlord, a character from the Blades of Light and Shadow series, was the leader of The Shadow Court. He made his first appearance in Book 1, Chapter 1.

Appearance
In his true form, the Dreadlord was a gigantic creature with gray skin, claws, spikes, and smoke coming out of his body. He had yellow and orange flaming eyes, sharp teeth, and flames and fire coming out of his open chest. While possessing Nia, he assumed her appearance, turned her skin, hair and eyes into a different color, and she had black veins and black smoke surrounding her.

Personality
The Dreadlord was a murderous, sadistic, bloodthirsty and power-hungry creature who seeked to escape the Shadow Realm and enter the mortal world. He was also very manipulative, cruel, and intelligent, as he manipulated things from the shadows and persuaded people to the side of the darkness either through corruption, or by exploiting their weaknesses and vulnerabilities and offering them unimaginable power.

Background
According to a story told by Kade, two thousand years ago, the Dreadlord attacked and destroyed the great elven empire. He went on to be the leader of what was to become the Shadow Court. When the Shadow Court was first founded and its members made contact with the Shadow Realm, the Dreadlord promised them immortality and power beyond their imagining if they chose to serve him. After they agreed to do so, they used the Onyx Shards to summon him and his armies, and destroyed the elven empire. With the help of Xaius and Ellara however, some elven mages managed to perform one final ritual that banished the Dreadlord and his minions back to the Shadow Realm, a ritual that left every last elf dead.

According to the lore tablet in Chapter 9, The Dreadlord is the monarch of the Shadow Realm. Very little is known about him, only that he's a creature of immense power and hunger, a terrifying force that controls all the Realm and its creatures. Unlike the Court who began life as elves in Morella, he had always existed in the Shadow Realm. The only time he was seen in the mortal world was at the battle of Cragheart, in the form of the towering, destructive colossus seen in the flashback scene. After his mortal form was destroyed, some believed the Dreadlord died with it. However in Chapter 14, Prince Aerin confirms his essence still remained, reforming, seeking a new host.

Book 1

 * Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins
 * Chapter 2: Of Loss and Legends (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 7: The Deadwood (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: A Tale Of Two Princes (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: The Queen, The Prince, And The Exile (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 10: The City of Glimmering Lies (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 11: What Lies Beneath (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 12: The Murderous Masquerade (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 14: City of Horrors (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 15: Into the Shadow
 * Chapter 16: Blade of Light and Shadow

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: Through the Looking Glass
 * Chapter 2: Coming Home (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 3: The Priestess and the Rogue (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 5: Into The Woods (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 7: Conflict and Compromise (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: The Hero Of Riverbend (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 11: Healing and Hard Truths (Mentioned; Determinant)

Nia Ellarious
"This vessel proves resistant. The will must be crushed!"

- Dreadlord

In Chapter 14, Aerin abducts Nia because she is a powerful magic user, and because her body is capable of sustaining tremendous magical energy, which makes her a good host for the Dreadlord. When the Dreadlord manages to possess Nia, Nia is able to fight back, and the Dreadlord says that he will have to break her more fully since she is resisting. Once you manage to get through to Nia, she says that the darkness is inside her and that she feels the Dreadlord trying to take control. She then manages to trap him temporarily in her body and use the darkness to her advantage, and she tells you that the only way for him to die before he takes control of her again, is if she dies as well. Not having any other choice, you stab Nia with the Blade of Light, killing the Dreadlord once and for all.

Aerin Valleros
Due to being bullied and mocked by his brother, the Dreadlord reached Aerin through his dreams, speaking to him through a Shard in the Temple of Light. Aerin says that he valued, respected him, and saw him for the leader he was, and as such, the Dreadlord promised him to rule as the King of Shadow if he pledged his allegiance to him.

Empire of Ash
If you have captured Aerin, he mentions in Book 2, Chapter 2, that the Dreadlord used to be an Ashen noble once, before he revolted against the Ash Empress and created the Shadow Court to serve as his own army and control the Shadow Realm. When the elves sacrificed themselves and destroyed his physical form, this allowed him to avoid the Empire's detection and shield the rest of the Court.

Powers and Abilities

 * Possession: As it is seen in Book 1, Chapter 16, the Dreadlord's essence is able to possess the body of a powerful magic user such as Nia and use her as a host, in order to escape the Shadow Realm and take over the world.
 * Summoning: The Dreadlord has the ability to summon his minions and other creatures in order to do his bidding.
 * Darkness Manipulation: The Dreadlord (And whoever he uses as a host), has the ability to control and manipulate the darkness, and create weapons in order to defend himself or attack his enemies.
 * Dream Walking: As stated by Aerin, the Dreadlord can enter the dreams of others and talk to them.