Artorias
Artorias, known as the Abysswalker or the Wolf Knight, is a Knight of Hell and one of the Vassals of the Morning Star. He is referred to as the Abysswalker for having traversed the Abyss and slaying the Nameless Things.
Overview[]
Artorias was a commander of Hell's legions, the leader of the Abyss Watchers, and the second strongest member of the Vassals. In fact, he is said to be so powerful that he is the one demon that may actually rival Sparda.
Artorias was given the title of Abysswalker due to the fact that not only Artorias was tasked with slaying the innumerable hoards of Nameless Things that emerged from the Abyss but also traversed the Abyss itself and return unharmed. Artorias had an unbreakable will of steel and his skill with greatswords was unmatched, making him a fierce opponent.
Appearance[]
Artorias is depicted as a great knight of inhumanly tall stature. He dons faded silver armor decorated with intricate markings around it. He wears a tattered navy blue cloak around his neck that also serves as a shroud around his helm. His helm sports a long tassel that reaches all the way to the end of his back. His face is completely obscured in darkness with only his eyes being visible at times whenever he engages against a strong opponent in combat. He wields an enormous greatsword as well.
History[]
Background[]
Artorias was among the Knights of Hell created by Lucifer using the Secret Fire and his own power. Artorias rose among the ranks of the Hell Knights, becoming one of the greatest and most powerful of them all. His skill with a greatsword was unmatched and no demon, until Sparda's emergence, matched him in single combat.
Artorias is perhaps best known for single handedly keeping back the forces of the Abyss from crossing over to Hell and covering it with the endless darkness of the Void. Artorias not only stood upon the borders of Hell and bravely fought against the Nameless Things but even went so far as to traverse the Abyss itself. Traversing the Abyss was no easy task even for one as powerful as Artorias for it is said that his constant exposure to the Abyss had an effect on his mind and would change him slowly but surely. Artorias was soon given Gwyllgi, the mightiest Hellhound that ever lived and became his closest companion.
However, what many are unaware of, was that Artorias received aid from Hastur himself, who was posing as a Duke of Hell, to safely traverse the Abyss. Despite Artorias' commitment in fighting against the hordes of Nameless Things he was beginning to see that it was a battle that cannot truly be won unless he wholly enters the darkness. Hastur approached him and made a covenant with him by giving him a ring, and was able to traverse the Abyss with the power of his ring, preventing him from being swallowed by the void. Artorias recruited other demons to become the Abyss Watchers, with these demons in particular holding Artorias in awe and reverence at his might alone. He was given the title the Abysswalker.
Exploits in Hell[]
Artorias did not partake in fighting against Belial's coupe towards Mundus, when the Goetial King grew tired of Mundus' ways of ruling the Inferno after usurping it from Lucifer. He was, however, involved in fighting against one of the Maleficar known as Argosax the Chaos who in his arrogance and lust, wanted to take the entirety of the Inferno for himself, forgoing his original mission of dismantling the power structure of Hell in order for the Prime Evils to mount their offensive.
Argosax amassed an army with his power alone but was met with resistance by Mundus who had the Knights of Hell, specifically the Vassals of the Morning Star, defeat the entirety of Argosax's armies. Mundus fought against Argosax, and was later joined by Sparda and Artorias himself, then banished the Great Evil into the void that lay beyond the borders of Hell. The Vassals became an official unit after the defeat of Argosax with Artorias and Sparda striking something of a friendly rivalry with one another. Despite being a close companion of Sparda, there was a sense of envy portrayed by Artorias in regards to Sparda somewhat exceeding his strength. During this time, he took a fancy to Ciaran but did not display it.
Sparda's Rebellion[]
The Abysswalker and his fellow Vassals were present in Beelzebub's court, the Order of the Fly, where Mundus made his declaration of conquest over the human realm. Seven gates would be built across the seven corners of the globe and the power of the Seven Kings of Hell would seep through the gateways and cover the lands in the darkness, twisting and warping it in their hideous image and liking, all while returning the forbidden knowledge once thought to be forgotten by the humans during the days of Noah. Artorias was set to be stationed by Satan's gate in Thangorodrim and like the other Vassals would watch and take notes of the strengths and weaknesses nearby human kingdoms or settlements possessed.
Artorias soon caught wind of Sparda's supposed betrayal, hearing rumors that the Dark Knight was meddling with a mortal human. Unable to accept such accusations, Artorias soon confronted Sparda and demanded to know whether these rumors were true or not. Sparda's silence confirmed his suspicions. In attempt to reason with Artorias, the Abysswalker instead drew his blade at Sparda, pressing it against his breast. He coldly threatened the Dark Knight that he should remove his head from his shoulders where he stood for having to sully himself with the flesh of a muddling. However, Artorias stayed his hand, and said that this would not be the time nor the place, instead informing Sparda that he must heed the call of Satan and make preparations for the coming darkness of his master. Once there, he will await in his camp, and if Sparda comes for him then there will be no pardon and that his treachery was sealed.
As he was performing his duties within Thangorodrim, Artorias was said to have been approached by Ciaran, pleading with the Abysswalker to not duel Sparda as it would only result in his death, but Artorias disregarded her. Artorias did not just recruit demons, but also humans when he entered the human world into his army of Abyss Watchers. After the Gates of Hell were constructed and channeled the dimensional energies emitted by the Convergence, Artorias was appointed as Satan's lieutenant and ordered to gather humans from settlements that were nearby the Gate. These humans were warped and turned into foot soldiers for Satan's legion with the Dark Lord allowing Artorias to pick his own legions in order to place them in the ranks of the Abyss Watchers.
Death[]
Artorias noticed the changing of the winds and the influx of energies being distorted, knowing that somehow, this was Sparda's doing, and thus also knew that his former comrade was resolute in his defending of the humans. Before Sparda's arrival, he sent Gwyllgi away as he did not wish to see his beloved companion fall to Sparda's sword even though deep down he knew that he would not emerge from this fight unscathed. As he waited in the township, he finally met Sparda, the Dark Knight already having destroyed the six gates and their six emperors. Sparda would engage in a final duel against his former ally and brother, Artorias.
The Abysswalker was particularly devastated by Sparda's betrayal and despite his demands to answers on why Sparda turned against them the Dark Knight could give no proper answer for even if he did Artorias would not understand. As such, no more words were shared, and instead and exchange of blades would be the only proper way of communicating. The two fought in a fiercely intense duel, with neither one gaining ground for the longest duration during the battle. Artorias was regarded as Sparda's one true rival and thus was capable of maintaining equal footing with the Dark Knight. However, Sparda would soon gain the upper hand and slew Artorias. The Dark Knight, instead of walking away, mourned the passing of his brother-in-arms. His death was what set the Dark Knight off the edge and gave him the boost required to match Satan himself. Artorias' helm and sword were placed in a makeshift grave before being hidden by Ciaran.
Personality[]
Artorias is described as one of the most noble, brave, and loyal knights of Lucifer. He was extremely dedicated to his tasks and will never admit defeat. He will see to it that his task is done no matter the cost. Artorias is said to have an unbreakable will of steel that Sparda himself has grown to highly respect which is one of the reasons why the Legendary Dark Knight appointed him of being his second in command. Sparda even went so far as to say that Artorias was meant to be the best of them. Artorias' presence alone draws awe and reverence from other demons, to the point where said demons wished to be employed into his elite fighting force of the Abyss Watchers.
Even though Artorias was a noble and reliable knight, it was implied that he was quite envious of Sparda's position and power. This envy led to the two having a rivalry as Artorias was perhaps the only demon knight that could somewhat match Sparda in power and physical combat. Nonetheless, Artorias admired and respected Sparda for his strength and wisdom, with the feelings being mutual as the two regarded each other as brothers. Artorias' own strength and wisdom earned him the respect and admiration from his peers, including Ciaran herself, with the two being implied to have feelings of affection towards the other though to a lesser extent in Artorias' case even though he fancied her charm. Artorias' envy of Sparda, however, boiled into hatred after the Dark Knight betrayed his own kind for the sake of humanity. It was a detrimental blow to the Vassals and one which Artorias could never forgive Sparda for.
Like other demons, Artorias had a very low opinion of humans and viewed them as insects. He was also quite ruthless and fierce during combat, almost deriving a sort of twisted pleasure from slaying the Nameless Things. His view on humanity is the reason why Sparda could not give him a proper answer as to why the Dark Knight betrayed them for humanity as Artorias himself could not understand the concept of humanity and their willpower. Nevertheless, Artorias is capable of displaying affection and is seen doing so to Gwyllgi, his Hellhound partner and friend.
Powers and Abilities[]
Artorias was among the mightiest of the Knights of Hell and the second most powerful member of Lucifer's Five Knights, only behind Sparda himself. His strength is so vast that it was not only recognized by the monarchs of Hell, but that he alone was powerful enough to slay the dreaded Nameless Things that crossed the borders of the Abyss and into Hell itself. Artorias was so powerful that other demons went so far as to consider him to be Sparda's one true rival, with the Legendary Dark Knight being a "shade" more powerful than Artorias himself. He also was said to have aided in Argosax's defeat.
Artorias possesses a greatsword, Howling Dark, which he can use with unmatched skill and proficiency. The blade has tasted the blood and matter of countless demons who dared to move against the monarchs of Hell as well as the Nameless Things that would try to cross the borders of Hell and encompass it in darkness. Artorias' skill with a sword is so immense that he is capable of matching Sparda in a show of swordplay quite evenly which is certainly quite the feat as Sparda is hailed as the most powerful demonic swordsman in all of Hell. In fact, according to Andras, had Artorias survived his encounter with Sparda and confronted Dante he wholly believes that the Son of Sparda himself would also have quite the difficult time in fighting him as well.
In his final battle against Sparda, the two knights engaged in a ferocious battle where it almost seemed like neither were gaining the upper hand on the other. Satan, who was observing the battle, was impressed by both their tenacity and showcase of power and understood as to why Lucifer held his Five Knights in such high esteem. Each of their strikes created powerful shockwaves that reduced the debris and stone around them into the tiniest pieces of rubble, and were moving so fast that eyewitnesses likened them as booming sounds of erratic thunder. Even when assuming their Devil Trigger forms, neither one still had the upper hand, but at the end Artorias met his demise by Sparda as the Dark Knight bisected him with his blade.