Duke Erthax

Duke Erthax, a character from the Blades of Light and Shadow series, is the first of the rogue elves known as The Shadow Court to materialize in the mortal realm and one of your character's enemies. He first appears in Book 1, Chapter 2.

Appearance
Duke Erthax wears silver and black armor so his underlying appearance is unknown. Flames shoot out of his eyes. He appears to carry a sword on his back. He is noted to be hulking and massive in size.

Personality
According to Scholar Vash, Duke Erthax is a brutish warrior of great prowess. He relished combat and conquest, and fought with an unbridled bloodlust and skill. As the vanguard of the Shadow armies, he always led the charge on the front lines.

Background
Duke Erthax was originally known as Bastion of House Steelsorrow before he turned to Shadow. He was a powerful battlemage who resented the peaceful era of the Skywarren Dynasty. He believed the strongest should rule, and that the elves had allowed the weak to prosper instead.

Book 1

 * Chapter 2: Of Loss and Legends
 * Chapter 4: Escape at Sea (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: The Queen, The Prince, And The Exile (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 16: Blade of Light and Shadow

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: Through the Looking Glass (Determinant)
 * Chapter 7: Conflict and Compromise (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: The Hero Of Riverbend (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 17: The Longest Night (Mentioned)

Mal Volari
At the Temple of Ellara, you and your party watch as Mal is forced to open a puzzle box laced with spells and booby traps by Duke Erthax's hired goons. After initially succeeding at the task, Mal purposely sets off one of the traps in hopes that he can use the diversion to escape. The content of said box - one of the Onyx Shards - goes scattering across the floor in the following scuffle, and Duke Erthax releases his Shadow Hounds to chase Mal and your party down as you flee. Ultimately, Mal triggers another trap that causes the temple to collapse with Erthax still inside, temporarily halting his pursuit of you.

In Chapter 16, you and your friends face him again in the Shadow Realm. Depending on your choices, you can either fight him and leave Countess Zathra to Mal and Imtura or vice versa. If you choose to fight him, you can kill him; or if you are too injured, Mal will kill him for you.

Your Character
Although you first meet him at the Temple of Ellara, you, Kade, Nia, and Scholar Vash don't exchange pleasantries or stick around long enough to fight. You do, however, witness the horrifying power of the Shadow Realm exuding from Erthax, watching as Kade gets sucked into the void of the Onyx Shard. After getting away from Erthax at the temple, you get a moment to reflect on your first experience with the Shadow Court of legend - and vow to collect all the remaining Shards to find and save your brother.

In Chapter 16, you and your friends face him again in the Shadow Realm. If you fight him first, you stop him from summoning a shadow creature and kill him by driving your blade through his helm. If you fight Countess Zathra first, you will wield the Blade of Light against him once it is purified by Nia. With the Blade, you will strike him down.

Powers and Abilities

 * Umbrakinetic Creature Creation: Duke Erthax can knit shadow energy together and form Shadow Hounds to attack on command. Damaging his hand(s) and breaking his concentration can cause the Shadow Hounds to dissipate and disappear.

Trivia

 * His crimes include treason, conspiracy, and murder.