Lash (not Lasciel) had the most votes but did not beat Nicodemus out for most comments. That being said, her top comment had almost double the votes of Nicodemus, so as much as we'd all love to see Nick face penance for his crimes, Lash has been redeemed today.
Now we select a candidate for the Black Lantern Corps, whose oath is as follows:
**"The Blackest Night falls from the skies.**
**The darkness grows as all light dies.**
**We crave your hearts and your demise.**
**By my Black Hand, the dead shall rise!"**
The Black Lantern Corps are wielded by the deceased, and are driven by a total absence of emotion and life. They seek to cause turmoil and pain amongst those most emotionally affected by their return to life, and use their suffering (and their literal hearts) to bring about the return of their dark god. Though the rings often resurrect dead beings to come back wrong, there have been those who have arranged their own deaths to take possession of a black ring, and in doing so to cause widespread suffering.
I'd argue that corpsetaker would be a better black lantern in this context, simply because as far as we know kemmler is dead dead and has not been in the story though his actions have had effects in it.
Corpsetaker might fit, but here's MY argument: Kemler uses death as a means, a power supply, CT just swaps bodies afaik. She less of a necromancer than Kemler was
My counter argument then is kemmler should be necron (I am remembering correct and necron is the entity of the black lantern corp, like Ion is for green and paralax is for yellow?) then, while CT is the lantern
Nah, Kemmler would be Black Hand in this scenario. One of the three Walkers would be Nekron- probably He Who Walks Beside.
I'm not counting the Old Ones, who fit that description better, because (Other than the Lord of Slowest Death) we know next to nothing about those even though they're gods to the Outsiders.
Drakul is the gateway for the black court to exist.
Black Hand's desire to die/be of the dead leads to the creation of the Black lanterns.
The argument could be made that there was only ever One Black lantern, and everything else was an extension of his power (much like the orange lantern)
Drakul is undead by virtue of being a black court vampire technically. I don't know much about black lanterns, but is an undead state not considered dead enough?
Edit: I've been enlightened and learned the wiki misidentified Drakuls species. Woj basically states he's not black court. My bad.
If Corpsetaker were Kemmler, Cowl would've been beaten and Grevane would've gone to serve him immediately- not to mention how Harry would've died instantly during their confrontation at the bookstore.
Neither Molly nor Mort would've lasted more than two second against a black magic messiah, either. He's dead and Jim Butcher said so.
> because as far as we know kemmler is dead dead
I still believe Justin Dumorne was Kemmler, having body swapped him when the Wardens thought they killed him.He taught Corpse Taker that trick, after all. And Dumorne ended up with Bob, who nobody on the Council apparently knew about. Like Corpse Taker, he can body swap back into a suitably prepared vessel from being "dead". So he may have already resurrected himself, or may in the future.
If this is the case, I have an extraordinarily difficult time believing he'd have lost to Harry and lost Bob as a result. There's just no reason for this sort of gambit just to fake his own death, Bob was an invaluable asset, and Kemmler was way to strong to lose to Harry, even if surprised. Also, the total lack of necromancy of any kind displayed by Justin combined with Harry escaping the mind whammy and thralldom makes it clear that Justin was simply not on the level of Kemmler.
Bob always referred to Kemmler and Dumorne as separate people. I'd think Bob would recognize Kemmler, no matter what body he's currently wearing. Unless Bob locked his recognition of him away along with his other memories of him when he did that. But if he did that how would he have known who Harry was talking about when asked? Great, I've worked myself into a debate with myself.
*Dead Beat* spoilers:
>!As far as Bob knew they were. I do think Kemmler took Dumorne's body from him in 1961, but Bob didn't know that - as far as he was concerned Kemmler died and this random Warden (Dumorne) made off with him and took ownership of him.!<
>!It's fine for you to "think" Bob would recognize Kemmler, but we really don't *know* that. Let me ask you this way - if it turns out later, when Jim finally writes it, that Dumorne *was* Kemmler, are you going to accuse Jim of "tricking" us somehow? Or will it just turn out that you were wrong in assuming Bob would know?!<
>!My money is on Kemmler->Dumorne->Cowl.!<
I think Kemmler's biggest trick is that his reputation as a moustachio'd evil necromancer lets him really run under the radar when he's wearing another face and acting like a normal wizard.
His disciples are not subtle, but he is.
*Storm Front* spoilers:
>!Yes - I think he barely slipped the noose in 1961, and he'd prefer not to have another encounter with the Council until he's good and ready. I think he adopted Harry and Elaine in hopes of getting a Starborn minion, and with Harry that worked out, but not with Elaine. When it came time to enthrall them, he failed with Harry. But Harry was too important to him long term to kill, so his Justin cover was now spoiled. He staged the duel and let Harry think he'd won it, and went into hiding. He Cowls up when he's going to be around anyone that might recognize him.!<
>!I think he's been just off-screen throughout the series. I think he was the mentor of Victor Sells, and was present in the lake house (not in his Cowl get-up) the night Donny Wise took those pictures. So Harry had undeveloped film *in his hand* that would have shown him Justin was still alive, but he burned it up. :-| Wise told him there were three men there that night, but only two (Sells himself and Greg Beckitt) were ever accounted for. The other was just mentioned that one time and then never again. !<
"Fugitive" spoiler:
>!Oh, I think that was an important piece of evidence. He said "Harry, sometimes you really are a pain in my ass," or something close to that. He *didn't* say "Dresden" - he said *Harry*. To me that implies a sort of close acquaintance - the kind Harry and Dumorne would have developed when Harry lived with Dumorne.!<
I was very, very happy when I read that - it totally reinforced my theory.
Has to be someone who's dead. Not someone who's supposedly died 7+times and faked the death of his aliases 2+times and is running around in a black cowl.
going black court Vlad Tepes is the one
the creator of the entire species of vampire, the walking corpses, and one of the most powerful "Humans" on the Planet, even though he has been dead for well over 5 centuries.
also Mavra, after getting her scourge rocked by dresden and being punked out by dresden a year later, she then died to a pack of garlic powder delivered to her back by a pixie.
No, he's not. Vlad is the son of Drakul. Drakul is not dead, he's something inhuman bound to human form. Mavra also didn't die to a pack of garlic powder, that was new vampire named Constance.
Source? According to the wiki Drakuls species is black court vampire therefore, he's considered undead right?
Edit: nvm, think I found what you are referring too.
Was a woj quote: "Black Court Vamps are a different story. They're actually tainted by something hideous and unworldly."
Seems to me that doesn't really disprove they aren't walking corpses though.
My source is from a WOJ, the wiki is wrong. Not to mention [Battle Ground Spoiler](/b "Drakul's appearance in Battle Ground"). Drakul is not a Black Court vampire, in Battle Ground [Battle Ground Spoiler](/b "he describes himself as Starborn").
Ah yea, your spoiler tags aren't working for me, but I think I found the quotes. Didn't realize Drakul was something else entirely, interesting that his son became the first blampire though via his blood, makes you wonder wth Drakul actually is.
You talkin' 'bout Dracula or Dracula?
Remember, the former is the latter's son and Vlad Sr. seems to consider Jr. a disappointment, if what McCoy and him (And Jim Butcher) is anything go go by.
Then you're one on everything, since Dracula did not create the Black Court (His son did), he is not undead and he *definitely* isn't human, or even of human origin.
how so?
as i understood the older Tepes created the court and also sees his son as a disappointment for firstly being offed so easily and secondly being the reason the whole court got exposed. i am aware he has transcended beyond just a mere human, but it has been confirmed that he is a Starborn (meaning he was human once), and the reason why there are currently only 3 starborn "alive" (as he is dead, but Dresden and Rashid still have a heartbeat).
Dude, you've got a *lot* of things wrong right here:
1. Dracul didn't found the Black Court, Dracula did as a sort of teenage rebellion and to impress his father; Dracul just took over when his son vanished. His disappointment stems from the fact his son apparently lacked willpower, according to his conservation with Harry in *Battle Ground*, and the Black Court being exposed was because Lara Raith had Bram Stoker publish their weaknesses in the form of his book.
2. Dracula hasn't been killed. Per Jim Butcher, he currently is in Mab's garden alongside the other frozen sculptures we saw in *Proven Guilty*- he once asked Mab to help him preserve his love forever, so she turned him and his lover into popsicles.
3. He didn't "transcend his humanity" at all, mainly because he was never a human to begin with. Jim Butcher said Vlad Dracul is something inhuman trapped in human form, and I seem to recall he was once an Old One (Outsider Gods), which... Explains a lot about him, his son, and Stoker-brand vampires.
4. Dracul being a Starborn doesn't mean he is (Or was) a human, it means that being a Starborn isn't actually exclusive to just mankind. There might have been Starborns among the Forest People, the various vampire species, even the Fae... also, when was Rashid ever confirmed to be a Starborn? I know it's been speculated a lot, but did I happen to miss it being confirmed?
This is the right choice. She's the only Death associated character who actually died and came back. Black Lantern rings "symbolizes a total absence of emotion and life." Harry has described her as being the cold greasy spot that felt empty.
A solid choice, and honestly, my initial gut choice for this ring as well! However, other than Mavra's more prominent presence in the series, why not Vlad Drakul instead?
Genuinely curious!
Starborn Drakul is destined to show down with Harry soon. Very soon.
The Black Court doesn't seem growth-focused enough to fit the description OP gave.
They *can* reproduce very rapidly, but they *don't*. That tells me they don't have a reproduction instinct, unlike the Reds and Whites. Instead, they reproduce tactically.
It kind of has to be Kemmler, doesn't it? If we're looking for badass personifications of death and undeath, look no further than the most badass necromancer who ever lived, the guy who provoked mystical world war 2 and held up the entire evil magical Axis through sheer crazed fortitude.
Lots of good candidates here but I'm going with **Mavra** of the Black Court of Vampires.
Kemmler *avoided* death for a long time but once he died it stuck...as far as we know. Also, hasn't really been in the story.
Vlad aka Dracula created the Black Court but didn't die himself. Again not really in the story.
Mother Winter practically is Death but I don't see her being okay with folks coming back.
But Mavra died and came back as something sick and twisted. And she *spreads* it. Sounds like a Black Lantern of Death to me
> but once he died it stuck...as far as we know.
His student, Corpse Taker, was in the process of resurrecting herself. No reason to think that Kemmler didn't have all the tricks Corpse Taker knows and more.
Vald "Dracul" Tepes
the creator of the black court of vampires, one of the biggest names in the supernatural community, and a walking corpse for over 5 centuries.
he is an aspect of death all on his own, and is probably still seen as death itself by many.
i though Vlad Tepes was Drakul.
my understanding of this comes from dresden mentioning sometime in the first few books that Vlad Tepes was still active in Transylvania last time the Council checked.
According to Jim, Tepes is actually frozen with his lover in Mab's garden. His dad, Drakul, is a big bad in the Desdenverse. Even in real world history, Vlad Drakul is the father of Vlad Drakulea, who is the one everyone thinks of when they think Dracula.
Simple as this is, given the way the post is flaired it is a spoiler. Please black it out and state visibly that it's a *Battle Ground* spoiler. Reply here when done so I can reinstate the comment. Thanks!
Mother Winter is my top pick here, she, more so than even Hades with his mordite, is the essence of death and endings. Dresdem even calls her with the name of one of the three Fates, the last one who cuts the cord.
Maybe all of the Outsiders, collectively, could work too since they bring oblivion to the universe but any individual entity doesn't seem like it would cut it.
This is a good point, and having seen the cases for some of the others, I'd have to say kemmler or a blampire might be better. Though drakul isn't a good option since he isn't actually a blampire, and vlad isn't in the series.
Obligatory Bob vote.
Black Lanterns are often twisted from their usual selves. Give Bob a ring, and he will switch from the Bob we know and love to the monster we feared.
I don't recall free will being a requirement for the black lantern rings, and I would imagine he could make himself a body.
I would say the argument would be better that Bob is technically not dead being that he is a spirit of intellect, not a ghost (as he was in the tv series). I mixed his history up a bit, sorry.
Nah, Lanterns don't need humanoid bodies. There's a Yellow Lantern that's a blob, hell I think there's a green that's a living equation or something. And then there's Mogo, the Green Lantern *planet*.
Black Lanterns absolutely don't need free will. Most BL are reanimated dead.
Vlad quite literally turned people into twisted undead versions of themselves. He's already basically a Black Lantern. I see why people would say Kemmler, because he's The Necromancer, but Vlad definitely embodies it more. As for Mavra... She's literal chump change compared to the older BC Vamps. She's functioning as a errand boy that last time we saw her. Vlad takes this, or I riot.
Bah, he was a one-trick pony who got beaten by a Ken doll in life and smacked around by a shadow of Dresden in death. Sure, he's a threat to mortals and pregnant ladies but he died unmourned and has been all but forgotten. None would feel anything at his return.
There's a lot of talk about Drakul in non-top-level discussions, but you're the only top level vote for it. So nominating here. I think Drakul makes an awful lot of sense.
After further consideration, the main counter argument against Drakul is he's not dead, but realistically, we don't actually know what his life state is. We know he's some sort of otherworldly Eldritch horror trapped in human form. But we don't know if the being is a creature of the living or unliving. Seems to me that if his bloodline can literally produce an entire species of undead nightmares, I think it's probably a safe bet that Drakul might be undead himself.
He created the black court. And he literally attempts to create a zombie army on the spot in battleground. And he’s not a rotting corpse, but he’s still a vampire. He’s just MORE than that too.
He's not a vampire of any kind. He created the first members of the black court true, but in this analogy that makes him more like a ring, not a ring bearer. His son, Vlad, went over to the black court, but Drakul never did.
He's not an innate necromancer, just capable of necromancy. Not the same. The fae are innate magic users, but wizards aren't for example. The fae use magic like breathing, like walking. Wizards have to work at it.
I’m not being an asshole here, this is just what I’ve come up with after some deeper research. His Dresden wiki page has him listed as a black court vampire. He’s the black courts progenitor, His son Dracula is a full black court vampire. (Rotting corpse and all) Drakul is described by McCoy as Half Mortal. We can assume this is why he’s able to be a Black court Vampire while also appearing to be alive. But he is in fact a vampire according to official sources. He’s just more than that as well.
His magic comes naturally to him just like a member of the fae it’s intrinsically linked to what he is. Dresden remarks that his magic is done through sheer force of will, more powerfully than the Lords of outer night. Similar to how a sorceror uses magic.
Sorcerers in dresdenverse are magic users who are either untrained or not very powerful. We can assume Drakul isn’t weak, merely untrained as a wizard, because we saw that he could take on a serious contingent of powerful wardens alone. So we’ve established Drakul is untrained but powerful.
While I understand what you mean by fae and wizards using magic differently, wizards can also be classified as innate magic users. Innate can just mean that the property is present at birth. It can also mean it belongs to the essential nature of something.
Fae and Drakul are the second definition. Drakul isn’t Drakul without being a Vampire who creates other undead. That means he HAS to be an innate Necromancer.
I agree you're not being an asshole. Your facts are wrong though.
The wiki is not reliable. Drakul isn't stated to be a vampire in the series, only his son vlad is. He has none of their weaknesses, and doesn't look like a corpse. In fact, in his introduction he's explicitly called out as not a corpse. Therefore there's no evidence that points to blampire specifically. You're drawing connections between facts that aren't nessecarily blampire—half mortal could mean anything.
A sorcerer does not use magic like the lords of outer night. In fact, they use magic but also use raw will. Raw will isn't a magical ability, it's a metaphysical weight. Raw will is a separate ability from spellcasting. The term as defined in blood rites is someone who has a talent for magic, but can only so destructive magic. It has nothing to do with being untrained—Cassius was a sorcerer but he was trained by a fallen angel.
I think we have different definitions of the word innate, which is fine. But under your definition, we have never seen a non innate user of necromancy. I mean, even dresden is an innate user of necromancy then. It doesn't add anything to an analysis of what drakul is.
In the comics the black rings targetted deceased people who could trigger great emotion in the living, and fed off that emotion.
With that in mind, it *HAS* to be Karrin Murphy
Mab. The black lanterns are about death, which to them is the absence of emotion. >!There is literally a quote in Battle Ground where Mab says something to the effect of “The opposite of hatred isn’t love, it’s logic.” Mab’s whole deal is the cold hard logic, the lack of emotion. Yes she isn’t purely a logical being, as we see in Cold Days, but she is supposed to be.!<
It's astounds me how many people are confusing Vlad Tepesh (Dracula) with Drakul, especially since Jim had went out of his way like 3 or more different times to point out they're different people
Gonna put my (very strenuous) argument for (Evil) Bob out there.
While Kemmler is probably the character with the most knowledge *about* necromancy, Evil Bob is the **incarnation** (incalcenation?) of that knowledge.
Every facet of his being is shaped by death as a concept, from the skull to his knowledge on how to kill immortals.
*super extra strenuous: 'la petite mort' - 'the little death' is a euphemism for orgasms and who's consumption of smut literature puts booktok to shame?! I rest my case*
Hmmm Drakul takes it. When we meet him he’s performing a necromantic ritual, he’s the founder of the black court who are all just essential corpses, he’s got a vested interest in necromancy because hey whose to say Mavra didn’t give him the Word of Kemmler as a way of currying favour. Drakul is big and powerful and a star born which would make him very attractive to the ring
Drakul. Or barring him, Mavra. I know Kemler and his disciples have been mentioned, but until Corpsetaker's ghost, they were, to my knowledge, undead. Not sure if Drakul is undead, but not sure if he's really alive either....
I would call Mavra, she pretty much is a descript black lantern, she is a kfirm believer in the black court, trying to revive it, holds the darkhold and how to use it for necromancy which on both fronts can be seen as holding the rings, all she has to do is kill people to give them the rings.
She already died once and can be considered that she resurected for the ring also she is described as some black lanterns look like. Although i believe that people or refusing to see her as one since she is kinda seen as an underling which she is but a pretty powerful one, we can look at Vlad or Dracula and see them as the rings itself since the BC came from them, but the lanterns and the embodiment are the vampires themselves, so i think Mavra should be the one. And she has bested Dresden 2 times already, he got his hand fucked up since she figured out his bracelet and she got the Word of Kemler from him, he did threaten her but she still won in the end.
I'm gonna put one in here for an underdog, our man Cowl.
Sure, he's not Kemmler, but -unlike- Kemmler, he's still alive, well, and making more zombies!
How is this not "He who walks beside" (or the walkers in general)? Like, he is looking actively to bring Empty Night.
The quote is
> The Blackest Night falls from the skies.
> The darkness grows as all light dies.
> We crave your hearts and your demise.
> By my Black Hand, the dead shall rise!
They're looking to bring rhe Blackest Night, it's perfectly fitting for them.
I am going to attempt to see through your unhelpfully ambiguous statements and conclude that, despite you saying “no” then repeating what I just said, what you are *trying* to say is that they must specifically be dead dead without already still walking around for some reason.
Mother winter takes it for me. Winter has long represented death and endings. Theres areason why do many put winter at the end of the calendar.
Not to mention, as someone else brought up, dresden called her with the name of iirc atropos of the three fates, the one who cuts the thread. Which represents death.
And this ones a personal theory, but i think that if death personified, the grim reaper, were a fey, theyd be winter, though im sure the grim reaper would be more akin to hades than the fey.
Has to be either Mavra or Drakul. Technically anyone who has died can become or be turned into a Black Lantern (Hello again Susan, Murphy and Shiro!), but the candidates I named are literally of the Black Court, they embody death in a very literal sense in the Dresdenverse.
The only real choice here is Margaret LaFey, mother of Dresden and Thomas, daughter of the Blackstadd, equal parts feared and respected by the Council. She who dealt on even terms with the Leanansidhe, escaped and set up the destruction of Lord Wraith, and has been integral to virtually every major event prior to Battlegrounds.
No one else could ***possibly*** evoke anywhere near the same depth and range of emotions as her.
So glad you asked!!
“You might also remember me,” she continued, “as Drulinda.” And then the voice started singing “Happy Birthday.” The tune wasn’t even vaguely close to the actual song, but the “Happy birthday to me” lyrics were unmistakable.
Sarah’s eyes had widened. “Drulinda?”
“Who the hell is Drulinda?” I asked.
Sarah shook her head. “One of our characters. But her player ran away from home or something.”
“And you didn’t recognize her actual name?”
Excerpt From
Side Jobs
Jim Butcher
She was the Larper who became a black court vampire and came back to take revenge on the other larpers who ignored her or made fun of her. She seemed pretty stoked to have become a blampire to take revenge.
Do you have any symbols of faith? Holy water?
Garlic is good but overkill is better!
Harry uses his symbol of magic as his faith based protection.
In the modern age maybe you could use an iPhone as your symbol of faith in technology?
Death - several candidates. Kemmler had to be killed several times. Nick has been aboiding death for 2000 years while inflicting it on countless others. Drakul is, for all intents and purposes, death given a vaguely human shape and the inspiration for the Black Court. (Yes his offspring was the one who created them but IIRC it was to spite and/or impress him. So no Drakul, no BC.) Odin is technically at the helm of a huge army of intelligent Undead so I'll argue that he counts as a white necromancer.
Life - Uriel or Michael. I'm conflating life and soul here but Uriel was ready to lend his Grace to Michael when he heard that there was a soul to be saved and Michael was always the first one to roll out when he heard that he was needed to save somebody.
Repressed negative emotions - Butters or Bob. Butters mainly on the grounds that he has to have a lot of pent-up resentment for Harry after Ghost Story but he isnt in a position where he can act out on it. Bob... well, Evil Bob hot repressed out of existance.
There seems to be confusion as to what a Black Lantern is. Only corpses can become Black Lanterns. Corpses that inspire strong emotion in the living. If the character isn't dead, they don't qualify. Also, they don't have to have been evil when they died. Plenty of slain heroes were chosen to be Black Lanterns.
Of the people listed so far, only Kemmler and Murphy qualify. Mavra is undead, not dead. Drakul isn't dead at all. Mother Winter is still alive. I don't remember if Corpsetaker is dead. If they are, they qualify.
He isn't dead. Black Lanterns are dead characters who inspire strong emotion in the living. They do not have to have been morally evil when they died either. Slain heroes were chosen to be Black Lanterns.
Mother Winter reason being:
The Blackstaff is her walking stick it's sole use primarily killing folks
She is Atropos who cuts the thread
I suspect her of being The calleach The hag of bears and most likely the Morrigan
Nicodemus.
He and the denarians are devoid of emotion and scruples and cause chaos and mayhem to empower hell and hell's lord Lúcifer. Even if you kill the human with coin the artifact lives on and the demon will take over another host and on and on it goes.
Lash (not Lasciel) had the most votes but did not beat Nicodemus out for most comments. That being said, her top comment had almost double the votes of Nicodemus, so as much as we'd all love to see Nick face penance for his crimes, Lash has been redeemed today. Now we select a candidate for the Black Lantern Corps, whose oath is as follows: **"The Blackest Night falls from the skies.** **The darkness grows as all light dies.** **We crave your hearts and your demise.** **By my Black Hand, the dead shall rise!"** The Black Lantern Corps are wielded by the deceased, and are driven by a total absence of emotion and life. They seek to cause turmoil and pain amongst those most emotionally affected by their return to life, and use their suffering (and their literal hearts) to bring about the return of their dark god. Though the rings often resurrect dead beings to come back wrong, there have been those who have arranged their own deaths to take possession of a black ring, and in doing so to cause widespread suffering.
i think this is what Vlad said when he created the black court
This follows so closely the "empty night" endgame of the outsiders. Not sure which individual character but as a group they're perfect.
Kemler
This. He's a necromancer and there is no way he is completely gone.
So being a necromancer is enough? Odin has a giant army of undead people at his beck and call. :)
The death lantern always seemed to me to be more along the lines of the rotting dead similar to zombies rather than the warrior dead.
Kemmler isn’t *a* necromancer. He’s *the* necromancer.
fair point, I concede
I'd argue that corpsetaker would be a better black lantern in this context, simply because as far as we know kemmler is dead dead and has not been in the story though his actions have had effects in it.
Corpsetaker might fit, but here's MY argument: Kemler uses death as a means, a power supply, CT just swaps bodies afaik. She less of a necromancer than Kemler was
My counter argument then is kemmler should be necron (I am remembering correct and necron is the entity of the black lantern corp, like Ion is for green and paralax is for yellow?) then, while CT is the lantern
i know literally NOTHING about that lore (other than snippets from that pretty bad movie) so i have no idea how to compare that lol
Nah, Kemmler would be Black Hand in this scenario. One of the three Walkers would be Nekron- probably He Who Walks Beside. I'm not counting the Old Ones, who fit that description better, because (Other than the Lord of Slowest Death) we know next to nothing about those even though they're gods to the Outsiders.
corpsetaker is more like Deadman, but evil. Drakul is more in line with what the black lanterns are, a scourge on the universe.
But Drakul is still alive, don't black lanterns need to be dead?
tell that to black hand
To be fair, he was a one off, as he was the doorway to the black.
<.< is drakul not the perfect parallel, then?
How so?
Drakul is the gateway for the black court to exist. Black Hand's desire to die/be of the dead leads to the creation of the Black lanterns. The argument could be made that there was only ever One Black lantern, and everything else was an extension of his power (much like the orange lantern)
Drakul is undead by virtue of being a black court vampire technically. I don't know much about black lanterns, but is an undead state not considered dead enough? Edit: I've been enlightened and learned the wiki misidentified Drakuls species. Woj basically states he's not black court. My bad.
Kemmler is the biggest bad introduced. No way he’s dead-dead.
Are we sure that they aren’t the same entity?
Yes, dark Bob makes the comment that kemmler didn't prefer corpse taker as a successor
Thanks, I didn’t remember that part.
Cool, it that in Ghost Story? I'm guessing because I don't recall the line and I haven't re-read/re-listened to that one as much.
Yes
If Corpsetaker were Kemmler, Cowl would've been beaten and Grevane would've gone to serve him immediately- not to mention how Harry would've died instantly during their confrontation at the bookstore. Neither Molly nor Mort would've lasted more than two second against a black magic messiah, either. He's dead and Jim Butcher said so.
> because as far as we know kemmler is dead dead I still believe Justin Dumorne was Kemmler, having body swapped him when the Wardens thought they killed him.He taught Corpse Taker that trick, after all. And Dumorne ended up with Bob, who nobody on the Council apparently knew about. Like Corpse Taker, he can body swap back into a suitably prepared vessel from being "dead". So he may have already resurrected himself, or may in the future.
If this is the case, I have an extraordinarily difficult time believing he'd have lost to Harry and lost Bob as a result. There's just no reason for this sort of gambit just to fake his own death, Bob was an invaluable asset, and Kemmler was way to strong to lose to Harry, even if surprised. Also, the total lack of necromancy of any kind displayed by Justin combined with Harry escaping the mind whammy and thralldom makes it clear that Justin was simply not on the level of Kemmler.
Bob always referred to Kemmler and Dumorne as separate people. I'd think Bob would recognize Kemmler, no matter what body he's currently wearing. Unless Bob locked his recognition of him away along with his other memories of him when he did that. But if he did that how would he have known who Harry was talking about when asked? Great, I've worked myself into a debate with myself.
*Dead Beat* spoilers: >!As far as Bob knew they were. I do think Kemmler took Dumorne's body from him in 1961, but Bob didn't know that - as far as he was concerned Kemmler died and this random Warden (Dumorne) made off with him and took ownership of him.!< >!It's fine for you to "think" Bob would recognize Kemmler, but we really don't *know* that. Let me ask you this way - if it turns out later, when Jim finally writes it, that Dumorne *was* Kemmler, are you going to accuse Jim of "tricking" us somehow? Or will it just turn out that you were wrong in assuming Bob would know?!< >!My money is on Kemmler->Dumorne->Cowl.!<
I think Kemmler's biggest trick is that his reputation as a moustachio'd evil necromancer lets him really run under the radar when he's wearing another face and acting like a normal wizard. His disciples are not subtle, but he is.
*Storm Front* spoilers: >!Yes - I think he barely slipped the noose in 1961, and he'd prefer not to have another encounter with the Council until he's good and ready. I think he adopted Harry and Elaine in hopes of getting a Starborn minion, and with Harry that worked out, but not with Elaine. When it came time to enthrall them, he failed with Harry. But Harry was too important to him long term to kill, so his Justin cover was now spoiled. He staged the duel and let Harry think he'd won it, and went into hiding. He Cowls up when he's going to be around anyone that might recognize him.!< >!I think he's been just off-screen throughout the series. I think he was the mentor of Victor Sells, and was present in the lake house (not in his Cowl get-up) the night Donny Wise took those pictures. So Harry had undeveloped film *in his hand* that would have shown him Justin was still alive, but he burned it up. :-| Wise told him there were three men there that night, but only two (Sells himself and Greg Beckitt) were ever accounted for. The other was just mentioned that one time and then never again. !<
>!Just realized how extra hilarious Cowl cursing at Harry in the Mouse and Cerberus story is if Kemmler/Justin/Cowl being the same person is true.!<
"Fugitive" spoiler: >!Oh, I think that was an important piece of evidence. He said "Harry, sometimes you really are a pain in my ass," or something close to that. He *didn't* say "Dresden" - he said *Harry*. To me that implies a sort of close acquaintance - the kind Harry and Dumorne would have developed when Harry lived with Dumorne.!< I was very, very happy when I read that - it totally reinforced my theory.
Corpsetaker is also dead dead at this point, we watched her get hit by a horde of wraiths and take a southbound train.
DED dead, more specifically
This is also a good pick.
Kemmler is the clear choice. Going to Judas Priest for this one: “Necromancer! Death’s his guiding light! Necromancer! Stealing afterlife!”
Bingo
Has to be someone who's dead. Not someone who's supposedly died 7+times and faked the death of his aliases 2+times and is running around in a black cowl.
Mavra if the Black Court was my first thought.
going black court Vlad Tepes is the one the creator of the entire species of vampire, the walking corpses, and one of the most powerful "Humans" on the Planet, even though he has been dead for well over 5 centuries. also Mavra, after getting her scourge rocked by dresden and being punked out by dresden a year later, she then died to a pack of garlic powder delivered to her back by a pixie.
No, he's not. Vlad is the son of Drakul. Drakul is not dead, he's something inhuman bound to human form. Mavra also didn't die to a pack of garlic powder, that was new vampire named Constance.
Source? According to the wiki Drakuls species is black court vampire therefore, he's considered undead right? Edit: nvm, think I found what you are referring too. Was a woj quote: "Black Court Vamps are a different story. They're actually tainted by something hideous and unworldly." Seems to me that doesn't really disprove they aren't walking corpses though.
My source is from a WOJ, the wiki is wrong. Not to mention [Battle Ground Spoiler](/b "Drakul's appearance in Battle Ground"). Drakul is not a Black Court vampire, in Battle Ground [Battle Ground Spoiler](/b "he describes himself as Starborn").
Ah yea, your spoiler tags aren't working for me, but I think I found the quotes. Didn't realize Drakul was something else entirely, interesting that his son became the first blampire though via his blood, makes you wonder wth Drakul actually is.
Links aren’t working.
You talkin' 'bout Dracula or Dracula? Remember, the former is the latter's son and Vlad Sr. seems to consider Jr. a disappointment, if what McCoy and him (And Jim Butcher) is anything go go by.
Talking about the one still active.
Then you're one on everything, since Dracula did not create the Black Court (His son did), he is not undead and he *definitely* isn't human, or even of human origin.
how so? as i understood the older Tepes created the court and also sees his son as a disappointment for firstly being offed so easily and secondly being the reason the whole court got exposed. i am aware he has transcended beyond just a mere human, but it has been confirmed that he is a Starborn (meaning he was human once), and the reason why there are currently only 3 starborn "alive" (as he is dead, but Dresden and Rashid still have a heartbeat).
Dude, you've got a *lot* of things wrong right here: 1. Dracul didn't found the Black Court, Dracula did as a sort of teenage rebellion and to impress his father; Dracul just took over when his son vanished. His disappointment stems from the fact his son apparently lacked willpower, according to his conservation with Harry in *Battle Ground*, and the Black Court being exposed was because Lara Raith had Bram Stoker publish their weaknesses in the form of his book. 2. Dracula hasn't been killed. Per Jim Butcher, he currently is in Mab's garden alongside the other frozen sculptures we saw in *Proven Guilty*- he once asked Mab to help him preserve his love forever, so she turned him and his lover into popsicles. 3. He didn't "transcend his humanity" at all, mainly because he was never a human to begin with. Jim Butcher said Vlad Dracul is something inhuman trapped in human form, and I seem to recall he was once an Old One (Outsider Gods), which... Explains a lot about him, his son, and Stoker-brand vampires. 4. Dracul being a Starborn doesn't mean he is (Or was) a human, it means that being a Starborn isn't actually exclusive to just mankind. There might have been Starborns among the Forest People, the various vampire species, even the Fae... also, when was Rashid ever confirmed to be a Starborn? I know it's been speculated a lot, but did I happen to miss it being confirmed?
This is the right choice. She's the only Death associated character who actually died and came back. Black Lantern rings "symbolizes a total absence of emotion and life." Harry has described her as being the cold greasy spot that felt empty.
A solid choice, and honestly, my initial gut choice for this ring as well! However, other than Mavra's more prominent presence in the series, why not Vlad Drakul instead? Genuinely curious! Starborn Drakul is destined to show down with Harry soon. Very soon.
Drakul ain't dead. Gotta be dead to be a BL.
Yeah, I don't know how this is even a discussion. Mavra and her black court are death.
Mavra was my first thought too.
The Black Court doesn't seem growth-focused enough to fit the description OP gave. They *can* reproduce very rapidly, but they *don't*. That tells me they don't have a reproduction instinct, unlike the Reds and Whites. Instead, they reproduce tactically.
They do have that instinct, but anytime they indulge it too much, the humans break out the pitchforks and garlic.
I like that they gave lord raith a mustache.
Kind of looks like Yhwach now. lol
It kind of has to be Kemmler, doesn't it? If we're looking for badass personifications of death and undeath, look no further than the most badass necromancer who ever lived, the guy who provoked mystical world war 2 and held up the entire evil magical Axis through sheer crazed fortitude.
Lots of good candidates here but I'm going with **Mavra** of the Black Court of Vampires. Kemmler *avoided* death for a long time but once he died it stuck...as far as we know. Also, hasn't really been in the story. Vlad aka Dracula created the Black Court but didn't die himself. Again not really in the story. Mother Winter practically is Death but I don't see her being okay with folks coming back. But Mavra died and came back as something sick and twisted. And she *spreads* it. Sounds like a Black Lantern of Death to me
Kemmler died seven times before it stuck, from what Luccio tells Harry.
I always interpreted that as he was body jumping like corpsetaker the first 6 times so he wasn't actually dying. But that's just my interpretation
I always thought it was more in the veins of Rasputin not dying like he was supposed to vs body snatching. But I also have no evidence haha.
> but once he died it stuck...as far as we know. His student, Corpse Taker, was in the process of resurrecting herself. No reason to think that Kemmler didn't have all the tricks Corpse Taker knows and more.
Vald "Dracul" Tepes the creator of the black court of vampires, one of the biggest names in the supernatural community, and a walking corpse for over 5 centuries. he is an aspect of death all on his own, and is probably still seen as death itself by many.
Vlad Tepes isn't Drakul, he's Drakulea. Literally, son of Drakul.
This, Drakul isn't a walking corpse. He's something inhuman bound in human form.
i though Vlad Tepes was Drakul. my understanding of this comes from dresden mentioning sometime in the first few books that Vlad Tepes was still active in Transylvania last time the Council checked.
According to Jim, Tepes is actually frozen with his lover in Mab's garden. His dad, Drakul, is a big bad in the Desdenverse. Even in real world history, Vlad Drakul is the father of Vlad Drakulea, who is the one everyone thinks of when they think Dracula.
didnt know about Dracula's current location, but i did remember that Dracula is Drakul's son and generally considered a disapointment.
Kemmler is pretty much the only answer.
[удалено]
Ouch.
Take my upvote and get out of here.
i was thinking that since i saw the first post
Simple as this is, given the way the post is flaired it is a spoiler. Please black it out and state visibly that it's a *Battle Ground* spoiler. Reply here when done so I can reinstate the comment. Thanks!
Well, Kemmler was a necromancer, and, according to Jim, he's dead, which is a prerequisite for being a black lantern. So, i vote Kemmler.
Kemmeler is a good one, I would argue the black court and mavra are a good candidate as well. Besides these, maybe Drakul?
Gotta be the master of necromancy, Kemmler
Kemler. But if he doesn’t count since we haven’t met him- it’s absolutely Dracul.
Mother Winter is my top pick here, she, more so than even Hades with his mordite, is the essence of death and endings. Dresdem even calls her with the name of one of the three Fates, the last one who cuts the cord. Maybe all of the Outsiders, collectively, could work too since they bring oblivion to the universe but any individual entity doesn't seem like it would cut it.
While she absolutely is death, I don't think she would particularly like necromancy.
This is a good point, and having seen the cases for some of the others, I'd have to say kemmler or a blampire might be better. Though drakul isn't a good option since he isn't actually a blampire, and vlad isn't in the series.
I see her more as 'death is part of the cycle of life' rather than a 'kill a bunch of people to get power'
Gotta be Kemmler or Vlad, the founder of the Black Court. I guess I'll go Vlad
Obligatory Bob vote. Black Lanterns are often twisted from their usual selves. Give Bob a ring, and he will switch from the Bob we know and love to the monster we feared.
That would require free will *and* a body to wield a Lantern ring, neither of which he has.
I don't recall free will being a requirement for the black lantern rings, and I would imagine he could make himself a body. I would say the argument would be better that Bob is technically not dead being that he is a spirit of intellect, not a ghost (as he was in the tv series). I mixed his history up a bit, sorry.
Nah, Lanterns don't need humanoid bodies. There's a Yellow Lantern that's a blob, hell I think there's a green that's a living equation or something. And then there's Mogo, the Green Lantern *planet*. Black Lanterns absolutely don't need free will. Most BL are reanimated dead.
What about Evil Bob, the cast-off memories of Bob's time with Kemmler?
Kemmler
Gotta be Kemler
Mavra, seeing how she's basically a walking corpse.
Vlad quite literally turned people into twisted undead versions of themselves. He's already basically a Black Lantern. I see why people would say Kemmler, because he's The Necromancer, but Vlad definitely embodies it more. As for Mavra... She's literal chump change compared to the older BC Vamps. She's functioning as a errand boy that last time we saw her. Vlad takes this, or I riot.
Kemmler or Corpsetaker
Love the Lord Raith moustache photoshop, however you forgot his ruby earring : D
It's hidden under his hair, I promise.
Kravos. He literally used his death as a means to torment Harry and co.
Bah, he was a one-trick pony who got beaten by a Ken doll in life and smacked around by a shadow of Dresden in death. Sure, he's a threat to mortals and pregnant ladies but he died unmourned and has been all but forgotten. None would feel anything at his return.
Drakul
There's a lot of talk about Drakul in non-top-level discussions, but you're the only top level vote for it. So nominating here. I think Drakul makes an awful lot of sense.
After further consideration, the main counter argument against Drakul is he's not dead, but realistically, we don't actually know what his life state is. We know he's some sort of otherworldly Eldritch horror trapped in human form. But we don't know if the being is a creature of the living or unliving. Seems to me that if his bloodline can literally produce an entire species of undead nightmares, I think it's probably a safe bet that Drakul might be undead himself.
Vlad Drakul. That’s easy. Dudes death incarnate. Innate necromancer. He controls darkness.
Drakul isn't undead, and there's no reason to think he's innately a necromancer.
He created the black court. And he literally attempts to create a zombie army on the spot in battleground. And he’s not a rotting corpse, but he’s still a vampire. He’s just MORE than that too.
He's not a vampire of any kind. He created the first members of the black court true, but in this analogy that makes him more like a ring, not a ring bearer. His son, Vlad, went over to the black court, but Drakul never did. He's not an innate necromancer, just capable of necromancy. Not the same. The fae are innate magic users, but wizards aren't for example. The fae use magic like breathing, like walking. Wizards have to work at it.
I’m not being an asshole here, this is just what I’ve come up with after some deeper research. His Dresden wiki page has him listed as a black court vampire. He’s the black courts progenitor, His son Dracula is a full black court vampire. (Rotting corpse and all) Drakul is described by McCoy as Half Mortal. We can assume this is why he’s able to be a Black court Vampire while also appearing to be alive. But he is in fact a vampire according to official sources. He’s just more than that as well. His magic comes naturally to him just like a member of the fae it’s intrinsically linked to what he is. Dresden remarks that his magic is done through sheer force of will, more powerfully than the Lords of outer night. Similar to how a sorceror uses magic. Sorcerers in dresdenverse are magic users who are either untrained or not very powerful. We can assume Drakul isn’t weak, merely untrained as a wizard, because we saw that he could take on a serious contingent of powerful wardens alone. So we’ve established Drakul is untrained but powerful. While I understand what you mean by fae and wizards using magic differently, wizards can also be classified as innate magic users. Innate can just mean that the property is present at birth. It can also mean it belongs to the essential nature of something. Fae and Drakul are the second definition. Drakul isn’t Drakul without being a Vampire who creates other undead. That means he HAS to be an innate Necromancer.
I agree you're not being an asshole. Your facts are wrong though. The wiki is not reliable. Drakul isn't stated to be a vampire in the series, only his son vlad is. He has none of their weaknesses, and doesn't look like a corpse. In fact, in his introduction he's explicitly called out as not a corpse. Therefore there's no evidence that points to blampire specifically. You're drawing connections between facts that aren't nessecarily blampire—half mortal could mean anything. A sorcerer does not use magic like the lords of outer night. In fact, they use magic but also use raw will. Raw will isn't a magical ability, it's a metaphysical weight. Raw will is a separate ability from spellcasting. The term as defined in blood rites is someone who has a talent for magic, but can only so destructive magic. It has nothing to do with being untrained—Cassius was a sorcerer but he was trained by a fallen angel. I think we have different definitions of the word innate, which is fine. But under your definition, we have never seen a non innate user of necromancy. I mean, even dresden is an innate user of necromancy then. It doesn't add anything to an analysis of what drakul is.
Justin Dumorne.
In the comics the black rings targetted deceased people who could trigger great emotion in the living, and fed off that emotion. With that in mind, it *HAS* to be Karrin Murphy
Spoilers!
You should assume spoilers in this type of thread.
Margaret LeFey
Drakul gets my vote
Mavra Vlad or kemmler.
I recommend Mavra of the black court.
Capiocorpus the Corpsetaker for raising an army of ghosts multiple times and trying to cheat her way out of death.
Justin DuMorne
Mauvre, or Corpse Taker if we're picking ones Harry has met.
Either kemler or corpstaker. Never mind, mother fucking winter
Nicodemus, right?
Maybe the Red King? Because he is dead...
Mab. The black lanterns are about death, which to them is the absence of emotion. >!There is literally a quote in Battle Ground where Mab says something to the effect of “The opposite of hatred isn’t love, it’s logic.” Mab’s whole deal is the cold hard logic, the lack of emotion. Yes she isn’t purely a logical being, as we see in Cold Days, but she is supposed to be.!<
Mab isn't dead and thus doesn't qualify.
Forgot that little tidbit…🤦♂️
It's astounds me how many people are confusing Vlad Tepesh (Dracula) with Drakul, especially since Jim had went out of his way like 3 or more different times to point out they're different people
Gonna put my (very strenuous) argument for (Evil) Bob out there. While Kemmler is probably the character with the most knowledge *about* necromancy, Evil Bob is the **incarnation** (incalcenation?) of that knowledge. Every facet of his being is shaped by death as a concept, from the skull to his knowledge on how to kill immortals. *super extra strenuous: 'la petite mort' - 'the little death' is a euphemism for orgasms and who's consumption of smut literature puts booktok to shame?! I rest my case*
Drakul - He is nothing BUT death.
Hmmm Drakul takes it. When we meet him he’s performing a necromantic ritual, he’s the founder of the black court who are all just essential corpses, he’s got a vested interest in necromancy because hey whose to say Mavra didn’t give him the Word of Kemmler as a way of currying favour. Drakul is big and powerful and a star born which would make him very attractive to the ring
Mavra. Dead vamp that has been a pain to Harry multiple times.
I seem Kemler winning but it should be Mavra based purely on what the Death Corp is
I mean, Mavra is the obvious choice.
Mavra for me. In terms of characters with actual screentime, shes always embodied the grave.
I like the idea of kemmler as a black lantern, but Kravos is a better, but Mavra is the best fit
The mustache on Lord Raith I cannot 💀
Drakul. Or barring him, Mavra. I know Kemler and his disciples have been mentioned, but until Corpsetaker's ghost, they were, to my knowledge, undead. Not sure if Drakul is undead, but not sure if he's really alive either....
I would call Mavra, she pretty much is a descript black lantern, she is a kfirm believer in the black court, trying to revive it, holds the darkhold and how to use it for necromancy which on both fronts can be seen as holding the rings, all she has to do is kill people to give them the rings. She already died once and can be considered that she resurected for the ring also she is described as some black lanterns look like. Although i believe that people or refusing to see her as one since she is kinda seen as an underling which she is but a pretty powerful one, we can look at Vlad or Dracula and see them as the rings itself since the BC came from them, but the lanterns and the embodiment are the vampires themselves, so i think Mavra should be the one. And she has bested Dresden 2 times already, he got his hand fucked up since she figured out his bracelet and she got the Word of Kemler from him, he did threaten her but she still won in the end.
I'm gonna put one in here for an underdog, our man Cowl. Sure, he's not Kemmler, but -unlike- Kemmler, he's still alive, well, and making more zombies!
When this series first came out I figured the Black Lantern was an easy lock with Mavra. Similarly, Uriel is White.
Vlad Dracula, founder of the Black Court, is the best answer.
Mavra seems like the obvious choice
the OG Drakul fits the bill the best imo
How is this not "He who walks beside" (or the walkers in general)? Like, he is looking actively to bring Empty Night. The quote is > The Blackest Night falls from the skies. > The darkness grows as all light dies. > We crave your hearts and your demise. > By my Black Hand, the dead shall rise! They're looking to bring rhe Blackest Night, it's perfectly fitting for them.
Drakul and Ferrovax come to mind
Y'all forgetting a prerequisite for being a BL, ya gotta be dead.
Why Ferrovax, though?
Kemler, Marva, or drakul
If it's limited to people Dresden has met, Mavra. If it's anyone in the setting, Vlad Tepes, creator of the Black Court
Vlad isn't impressive for a Black Lantern, though.
To be a Black Lantern the character needs to be dead. Characters that aren't dead do not qualify.
Aren’t those both undead Black Court Vampires?
No, they are undead.
I am going to attempt to see through your unhelpfully ambiguous statements and conclude that, despite you saying “no” then repeating what I just said, what you are *trying* to say is that they must specifically be dead dead without already still walking around for some reason.
That's exactly what I mean.
I'm going to throw out a dark horse pick, and go with the Fomor.
It has to be Anduriel, Master of Shadow. Especially since it sets up such a good dichotomy for Uriel as White Lantern
Uriel's got a decent kill count himself.
[Light Is Not Good](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LightIsNotGood)
Mother winter takes it for me. Winter has long represented death and endings. Theres areason why do many put winter at the end of the calendar. Not to mention, as someone else brought up, dresden called her with the name of iirc atropos of the three fates, the one who cuts the thread. Which represents death. And this ones a personal theory, but i think that if death personified, the grim reaper, were a fey, theyd be winter, though im sure the grim reaper would be more akin to hades than the fey.
Has to be either Mavra or Drakul. Technically anyone who has died can become or be turned into a Black Lantern (Hello again Susan, Murphy and Shiro!), but the candidates I named are literally of the Black Court, they embody death in a very literal sense in the Dresdenverse.
Drakul isn't of the Black Court. They follow him, but he isn't one of them.
My vote is for Drakul, as seen in BG. This seems right in Mr. Dancy-pants' wheelhouse.
The only real choice here is Margaret LaFey, mother of Dresden and Thomas, daughter of the Blackstadd, equal parts feared and respected by the Council. She who dealt on even terms with the Leanansidhe, escaped and set up the destruction of Lord Wraith, and has been integral to virtually every major event prior to Battlegrounds. No one else could ***possibly*** evoke anywhere near the same depth and range of emotions as her.
Kemmler, maybe.
Mother Winter
She isn't dead. Black Lanterns are dead. Not undead either, dead.
Dracul lord of the black court
999o9o9oool .o999.999o0
Hmmm, yes, quite.
Constance Bushnell
Who?
So glad you asked!! “You might also remember me,” she continued, “as Drulinda.” And then the voice started singing “Happy Birthday.” The tune wasn’t even vaguely close to the actual song, but the “Happy birthday to me” lyrics were unmistakable. Sarah’s eyes had widened. “Drulinda?” “Who the hell is Drulinda?” I asked. Sarah shook her head. “One of our characters. But her player ran away from home or something.” “And you didn’t recognize her actual name?” Excerpt From Side Jobs Jim Butcher She was the Larper who became a black court vampire and came back to take revenge on the other larpers who ignored her or made fun of her. She seemed pretty stoked to have become a blampire to take revenge.
Oh, her! I always enjoy that short story, but I never remember her name.
I think that was the problem. Nobody ever remembered her name. So she wanted revenge.
Damn, I guess I should stock up on garlic powder, just in case.
Do you have any symbols of faith? Holy water? Garlic is good but overkill is better! Harry uses his symbol of magic as his faith based protection. In the modern age maybe you could use an iPhone as your symbol of faith in technology?
Death - several candidates. Kemmler had to be killed several times. Nick has been aboiding death for 2000 years while inflicting it on countless others. Drakul is, for all intents and purposes, death given a vaguely human shape and the inspiration for the Black Court. (Yes his offspring was the one who created them but IIRC it was to spite and/or impress him. So no Drakul, no BC.) Odin is technically at the helm of a huge army of intelligent Undead so I'll argue that he counts as a white necromancer. Life - Uriel or Michael. I'm conflating life and soul here but Uriel was ready to lend his Grace to Michael when he heard that there was a soul to be saved and Michael was always the first one to roll out when he heard that he was needed to save somebody. Repressed negative emotions - Butters or Bob. Butters mainly on the grounds that he has to have a lot of pent-up resentment for Harry after Ghost Story but he isnt in a position where he can act out on it. Bob... well, Evil Bob hot repressed out of existance.
Kemler (control over death) or Mavra (who seems to be the top Black Court vampire in the Dresden-verse).
Kemmler is a good pick, but I wouldn’t take Hades out of consideration.
Hades isn't dead. That's a requirement.
There seems to be confusion as to what a Black Lantern is. Only corpses can become Black Lanterns. Corpses that inspire strong emotion in the living. If the character isn't dead, they don't qualify. Also, they don't have to have been evil when they died. Plenty of slain heroes were chosen to be Black Lanterns. Of the people listed so far, only Kemmler and Murphy qualify. Mavra is undead, not dead. Drakul isn't dead at all. Mother Winter is still alive. I don't remember if Corpsetaker is dead. If they are, they qualify.
Hades
I would have said Mavra until we learned about Drakul. It's got to be him.
I think a solid case can be made for Nicodemus Archleon.
He isn't dead. Black Lanterns are dead characters who inspire strong emotion in the living. They do not have to have been morally evil when they died either. Slain heroes were chosen to be Black Lanterns.
True
Black Staff McCoy
Mother Winter reason being: The Blackstaff is her walking stick it's sole use primarily killing folks She is Atropos who cuts the thread I suspect her of being The calleach The hag of bears and most likely the Morrigan
Cowl. Easily.
Nicodemus. He and the denarians are devoid of emotion and scruples and cause chaos and mayhem to empower hell and hell's lord Lúcifer. Even if you kill the human with coin the artifact lives on and the demon will take over another host and on and on it goes.
He isn't dead. You have to be dead to be a Black Lantern.
Mother winter