King Schwarz

"Sometimes I wonder if Schwarz' tragedy could have been avoided. Then I remember that I created him."

For purposes of organization, the character of (King) Verwirrter Amoralisch Schwarz has been divided into three sections. This is the section of his latest round in life, when he is king of die Schwarzenebel.

Physical Description
Race: Half Angel, Half Human

Template: Schwarzenebelin

Age: 1,500 years

Sex: Male

Hair: White, sometimes with gray undertones, can be anywhere from below the ears to mid-back length, although he prefers to keep it to right below his ears.

Eyes: Very light gray, almost offwhite.

Build: Ectomorphic. King Schwarz is tall and willowy.

Skintone: Pale.

Height: 9'6" (6'3" under enchantment.)

Weight: 270 lbs (180 lbs under enchantment.)

Gem: Pale blue, and clearly far too small for him, diamond-shaped.

Personality
Alignment: Lawful Evil, occasionally has good leanings.

MBTI: INTJ - Mastermind

Sexuality: Straight, Ephebophile (post-pubescent adolescents)

Despite being obviously evil in most areas of his life, Schwarz is unbelievably affable. If he can get what he wants through diplomacy, good nature, and being on people's good side, he will do so. Unlike in his youth, he is now far more likely to offer someone tea and speak politely to get things done as opposed to his old means of violence.

Kinghood has done good for the man, as he is far more levelheaded, and more inclined to think his decisions through as to how they would affect an entire country. He is, if anything, a highly effective ruler.

When it comes to Harra, however, all notions of common sense go out the window. Schwarz' usual calm rationale and clever reasoning give way to raw emotion, and a protective instinct that would make most mother bears balk. In some ways, she is his Kryptonite, leaving him unable to control his former emotions as he used to.

Kingship
After his wretched anger and bloodlust had finally subsided, Verwirrter returned to die Schwarzenebel. He did not alert many of his return, and often wore a cover over his Gem to mask his signature red diamond. After all, he feared nothing more than Vorfahr finding him once again, so if he disguised his most known feature....

Gem aside, he did not don his former Student robes, or anything to mark him as a Magischer. Instead, he wore his General's attire and spent his days speaking to very few people. Soon, he found his way into the Castle Schwarz. First as an adviser to foreign affairs, and soon, as the King's right hand man.

The former King knew Verwirrter, it is in the way that all Kings know the person who will inevitably kill them. The two lived somewhat peaceably for several years. Finally, Verwirrter decided it was enough, he used die Schwarzenmacht, and killed the king. Thus making him now King Schwarz.

Schwarz reigned peacefully for a long time. He remained a strong leader, and he learned much from the many kings he had killed in other worlds. His foreign policy was good, and he managed to keep the Tradat from rebelling for a long time, he was even on good terms with the Abyss as well.

Then, his heartstrings pulled him astray.

Sophie Zimmer
He fell in love with a mortal woman!

Schwarz had kept close ties to the human colonies (well, as close as he could, humans were looked down by Schwarzenebelins, and were often outcast, if not kept as slaves.) He befriended a wise woman who made Gems, and spent more time in her colony than others. From this, he met a little girl with long, blonde hair, and beautiful, shimmering blue eyes.

And he fell in love with her almost immediately. However, he balked, and found himself frightened, after all, he couldn't just take her could he? So he fell back for years, planning how he would take her away to live with him and be his. His own, precious Sophie. Finally, he had everything perfected, save for one trouble:

By the time he returned, she was married, married to a dark-haired young man. A strong man, a laborer. Damon Arial. He was too late, for she was already married, and expecting a child.

A child that should have been his!

Well, Schwarz needed a new plan, and he would not let this one fail.

Freya Arial: Harra von Schwarzenebel
He waited a few more years, but this time he watched the child carefully. Schwarz would not make the same mistake twice! He watched as the two parents labored intensely to try and keep their child amused. She grew quickly, not physically, but mentally. By the time she was two years old, she was stumbling out of their house to read everything she could get her tiny hands on in Matriarch's library. No. She couldn't be raised by these two peasants. Schwarz knew that this child had potential, if only she was in the right hands.

His hands.

He watched, a week before her fifth birthday, as Sophie put young Freya to bed. As soon as the parents were asleep, Schwarz came out and placed a rag over the girl's mouth. Chloroform was something he learned from another dimension, and he often ordered Dante to make it for him. He had used too much, and it took a very long time for the girl to wake up. Ironic, even, that she awoke on the eve of her fifth birthday.

"Good morning, child. Did you sleep well?" Schwarz knew that in such a suggestible state, she would be able to believe anything he told her. He brainwashed her, led her to believe that she had suffered a wretched head injury from falling, and reminded her of who she was: Harra von Schwarzenebel, his ward, magical Student, and princess to the Schwarzenebel.

The Gem Switch
When Harra turned ten years old, Schwarz had found himself fascinated with experimenting with Gems. He researched heavily, and finally decided to test something for himself, the ultimate experiment.

He switched their Gems.

It was a long, painful process that the two rarely speak of to this day, but Schwarz knew that Harra would not live (virtually) forever like he would. He figured that imbuing her with his lifeforce, indeed, his very soul, that she would be stronger. If anything, it was the most despicable, and most selfless thing that Schwarz could have done. Harra's Gem had no power inside of it like his did. Instead, he imparted to her the ability to see Finalities, but he also sealed his fate in another wretched way.

He passed on the Schwarzenmacht.

Upon realizing what he did, he quickly sought to rectify his mistake. Theoretically, he could kill her while she was still young and (somewhat) helpless, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

So instead, he did something a little less drastic, but certainly more difficult.

He engaged himself to her.

Breaking the Prophecy
"For as long as there is a King, there shall be another wishing to kill him. Thus, die Schwarzenmacht exists, so that the future King can kill the past King." The prophecy spoke nothing about what would happen were there two equal kings. Which is precisely what Schwarz sought to do. He gave Harra two things: Equal power to him, and an engagement ring. She would rule not only as Queen, but as his equal on her sixteenth birthday. Thus, the prophecy would be broken, and no one would have to die.

Trivia

 * By the time he becomes King, Schwarz' alignment comes under scrutiny quite a bit. While he is certainly selfish, and a calloused ruler, he also does many selfless acts. Sometimes it's been claimed that old age has made him soft, and he's not evil at all anymore.

Associated Tropes
Anti Villain - To some extent, he's certainly more "Anti" than when he was younger.

Ephebophile - "... But Schwarz. You... engaged her when she was ten." "And? I don't intend to wed her until she's sixteen."

Even Evil Has Loved Ones - Harra von Schwarzenebel happens to be his.

Immortals Fear Death - One of his reasons for wanting to marry Harra.

Lawful Evil

Noble Demon - More often than not, Schwarz really does try to go about his plans that will result in the least amount of harm.

Sorcerous Overlord - Obviously.

The Svengali - Very much this to the aforementioned Harra von Schwarzenebel.

Villainous Cheekbones - This is presumably because Creator Harra finds them attractive.

Villainous Widows Peak - ... Just like above, this is likely because Creator Harra finds it attractive.

White Haired Pretty Boy/White Hair Black Heart - Although he's getting up there in years, Schwarz is most certainly white-haired, and certainly pretty.