Characters / The Night Unfurls Black Dogs

The Night Unfurls Main Character Index
Hunter's Dream Residents and Guests (The Hunter) | Major Characters (Seven Shields) | Black Dogs

The Black Dogs

General tropes

• Army of Thieves and Whores: Played for Drama. Combine the biggest and most famous mercenary group in Eostia with any traditional Always Chaotic Evil fantasy races you can think of (orcs, goblins/imps, ogres, you name it), you have a huge one of these that persists for more than 30 chapters of the story, not including the Aborted Arc of Thorn and beyond. Rape, Pillage, and Burn is the main M.O. of this army to realise Vault's dream of a Sex Empire.
• Dark Is Evil: The main antagonists of this fanfic are the Black Dogs. After betraying their contract to Eostia, the mercenary group devolves into an Army of Thieves and Whores that would gladly engage in Rape, Pillage, and Burn, for the purpose of creating a Sex Empire. As the story progresses, said army includes not just mercs, but also standard "evil" fantasy races like orcs and goblins, as well as Mooks of many mutations and deformations.
• N.G.O. Superpower: There is a reason why the Black Dogs find staging a military coup to take the South to be a viable option. By the time Olga is defeated, the military of the Black Dogs consists of not only a band of mercenaries, but also the legion of orcs and other fantasy "monsters" in the north. They also have the Black Fortress, its resources so many that it can presumably sustain said army, so logistics are not a concern. Then Shamuhaza comes to the picture, enhancing the Black Dogs' military power further via delving into the Eldritch Truth. Being the most famous mercenary group in Eostia, the Black Dogs, Vault especially, exploit this to the fullest to amass much political clout, enough for many prominent members of Eostian nobility to sponsor their actions of conquest. Combine the above factors altogether, and you have a PMC capable of going toe to toe with, or even overpowering regular armies of the Seven Shields Alliance (Eostia is assumed to be a medieval fantasy state). Needless to say, they'd probably succeed just like in Kuroinu canon if the Outside Context Monstrosity that is Kyril Sutherland weren't here.
• Standard Hero Reward: On the way to the Black Fortress, Kyril observes how the Black Dogs are eager to invoke this trope. They are already planning what celebrations they will do when they return to Eostia as conquering heroes, which woman they are going to get, how many children they will have, and how they are going to live like kings with a hero's reward. Later Played for Drama as it foreshadows their next course of action: to build a Sex Slave Empire.

Vault

• Appeal to Tradition: Vault uses this to justify his intention of building a Sex Empire. He says, "back then, women did whatever the fuck we wanted them to".
• Big Bad: Vault (in the original version, that is) is Eostia's greatest champion, as well as the leader of the biggest mercenary group in the land, known as the Black Dogs. His ambition to build a Sex Empire via Rape, Pillage, and Burn, hence starting a new war after the end of the Forever War, serves as the main driving force of conflict.
• Disc-One Final Boss: Unlike the original version, where Vault dethrones Olga and becomes the Big Bad, Vault in the remastered version is killed by Kyril in Chapter 6 as soon as his ambitions to build a Sex Empire become known. No "ultimate threat" is present as of now, but the remastered version of the story is incomplete.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Vault, the Big Bad of the story who wants to create a Sex Slave Empire, is appalled at Evil Sorcerer Shamuhaza experimenting on the Leaping Lizards, who are on the same side as the Black Dogs (aka. his own men), even calling him "a crazy man". To him, it is fortunate that Shamuhaza did not arrive at the capital of Eostia, otherwise a similar disaster would occur in the place he is trying to conquer.
• Evil Overlord: What Vault becomes in the original version after usurping Olga's role. A self-proclaimed king who wants to build a Sex Empire, he is the Big Bad that resides in the Black Fortress, with The Horde and his Black Dog mercenaries under his disposal. Unlike most examples, he does not have overwhelming power — he would risk being on the receiving end of a Curb-Stomp Battle courtesy of Kyril (which does happen twice), if he were to directly engage with The Alliance. Therefore, he spends most of his time in the fortress plotting invasions, securing alliances with his supporters, and helping himself with the female dark elves captured throughout Garan.
• False Reassurance: Vault gives one to his former comrade Maia in the original version after declaring his intention of a Sex Empire. He tells her, "Don't worry, you'll enjoy it. You won't have to worry about starving or any more wars."
• He-Man Woman Hater: As Vault reveals his true colours after taking over the Black Fortress, so does his disdain towards women — he wants to create a Sex Empire due to his belief that women should Stay in the Kitchen just like "back then".
• Hunk: Vault is described as "huge, almost herculean in physique", with chiseled features. However, his appearance of a hero of old hides a nasty ambition to replace the current regime with a Sex Slave Empire, making him a rare villainous example. A perfect foil to the Lean and Mean, anti-heroic protagonist, Kyril Sutherland.
• Motive Rant: Vault lays bare his ambitions of a Sex Empire in the form of a rant, heated words on how the Seven Shields are useless, and that the Black Dogs will start a new world order where every man shall live like kings.
• "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: Vault "reassures" Maia that she needn't worry about being a Sex Slave under his Sex Empire, because she will enjoy it.
• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: When revealing his motives for building a Sex Empire, Vault calls out both the Seven Shields and Olga for starting a century-old war that costs countless lives, including his own men. He claims that they have done nothing good to the people, enjoying their riches while forgetting that men like the Black Dogs fight tooth and nail to bring peace. Despite his reassurance that no one will have to worry about warfare and starvation under his future regime, his response is to stage a military coup to seize power for himself, together with raping the Seven Shields into submission for men to live like kings. Besides, the fact that he leads armies who rape, pillage and burn inevitably devastates men and women alike.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: Among the Black Dogs, The Leader Vault is more capable in combat than the average merc in the group.
• Rugged Scar: Vault has "a multitude of scars" with the look of a veteran.
• Stay in the Kitchen: Vault holds the view that the Princess Knights should be doing what a man tells them, not the other way around. The normally stoic and detached Kyril breaks into a fit of laughter upon hearing this in the original version due to how ridiculous it sounds.
• Straw Misogynist: His Stay in the Kitchen belief and motive of creating The Empire where every woman is a Sex Slave are made blatantly clear. Him being the Big Bad who kicks off the plot means that being "proven wrong" is not his one and only purpose in the story, making this a Downplayed Trope.
• Uriah Gambit: In the remastered version, Vault asks the One-Man Army Kyril to press on and fight Olga alone, while he and the Black Dogs fend off the other enemies. On one hand, Vault plans for Kyril to weaken Olga to the point where she can be easily captured, thus securing victory. On the other hand, because Olga is a skilled Lady of Black Magic, Vault doubts that Kyril would come out unscathed. Knowing the time to "deal with" the Hunter is approaching fast, he is certainly banking on the outcome where Kyril will "take the hits". Vault's remark after witnessing the actual result of their fight^note The Hunter curb-stomps Olga says it all.
  Vault: Well, I'll be damned! And here I thought you'd be burned to a cinder.
• The Usurper: Vault usurps Olga's position as Evil Overlord in control of the Black Fortress and the orcs after her defeat, even sitting on her vacant throne as she is ousted. Soon, he invokes this trope as he makes his intention to conquer the South to build his Sex Slave Empire, an outcome that the protagonists strive to avert.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Vault is an esteemed, charismatic warrior in Eostia, The Leader of the equally renowned Black Dogs, and a favourite of the Seven Shields. His good publicity allows him to secretly gain sponsors from the nobility, plotting behind the scenes to overthrow the Seven Shields, to take over the country, and to build a Sex Slave Empire with himself as king. This trope is panned out differently in both versions of the story.
  • In the original version, Vault's ambitions become public knowledge, with the Rape, Pillage, and Burn going on everywhere, therefore subverting the trope.
  • In the remastered version, Vault is killed by Kyril after revealing his ambitions, but the "good publicity" part doesn't go away because only a small band of people know about said ambitions. People in general are still kept in the dark, Vault's supporters continue to advance his agenda without the knowledge of his demise, and Kyril is distrusted by five of the Seven Shields after Dropping the Bombshell that is Vault's status as a traitor and Vault's murder.
• We Can Rule Together: Vault offers Kyril to join his cause of building a Sex Empire. On the pragmatic side of things, it is always good to have a powerful warrior on his side. His reasoning, however, is heavily reliant on the assumption that All Men Are Perverts, thinking that Kyril, a man, would want "live like a king" to take and use as many partners as he pleased. Yeah, about that...

Beasley

• Arc Villain: Beasley is the antagonist who kicks off the Feoh and Ur Arc (Chapters 6-8 of the original version). Wanting a personal fiefdom among the Sex Empire, he starts the conflict by taking measures to secure Feoh and Ur for the Black Dogs. Due to his actions, there is an increase in monster incursions at the two strongholds, with no army defending said incursions (because they are held back) and no message from the one in charge, Alicia (because she is subdued). In order to prevent Beasley from welcoming the Black Dogs into the fortress, Kyril and co. head there to investigate, fight the mooks, and free the captives. Beasley's death resolves the arc.
• Dirty Old Man: Beasley is an old man who wants to "do as much as he pleases" to Alicia. This Villainous Crush is a reason why he becomes a mole for the Black Dogs, joining their cause to build a Sex Empire.
• Evil Chancellor: Beasley is the Prime Minister of the fortress Feoh. The Arc Villain of the Feoh/Ur Arc, he secretly works for the Black Dogs, so that he would be the one in charge, rather than Alicia, when they take over the fortress. Beasley's P.O.V indicates that not only he dislikes being ordered around by "some uppity royal brat" that is Alicia, he also wants to do as much as he pleases to her, and being part of the Black Dogs' Sex Empire is a means to achieve this end.
• Villain Has a Point: Prime Minister Beasley is appalled of Kyril siding with the Seven Shields, seeing them as "weak-willed women". He may be a Dirty Old Man with a Villainous Crush who sides with an Army of Thieves and Whores who Rape, Pillage, and Burn, but he is not wrong about how a couple members of the Seven Shields are "weak-willed".
  • Alicia chooses to surrender the fortress she is supposed to defend, in exchange for a number of hostage nuns, who are raped anyway upon her surrender. What's worse is that an easy takeover happens despite the fortress being supposedly well-fortified, which shows that Alicia is weak-willed at best, and incompetent at worst.
  • Despite Celestine's benevolent rule of Eostia, she did engage in warfare with Olga for centuries, which is contradictory to the more rational notion of how wars ought to be brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the persistence of several problems (slavery, dark elf trafficking, as well as human-dark-elf Fantastic Racism) indicates that her measures/policies to deal with them lack effectiveness (hence the "weak-willed" part). For this reason, several characters resolve to double down on their efforts in tackling these problems.
• Villainous Breakdown: Happens to Beasley, upon knowing that the Hunter is coming for him, with Kin cancelling his deal with him and the Mortadella Brothers afterwards. It gets worse when the Hunter personally comes to butcher him up.

Michelle Pantielle

• Abhorrent Admirer: Gender-Inverted. He is both a Fat Bastard and Royal Brat who always attempts to hit on Maia any chance he gets, much to her displeasure. Chapter 5 of the original can attest to that, not that it stops him, though.
  Michelle: Maia, I can help with that.
  Maia: No, you can't. Seriously, just shut up. Just shut up! I am tired of hearing your voice, you fat fucking prick! I'm tired of your damn invitations, I'm tired of you trying to talk to me, I'm tired of your worthless existence!
  Michelle: *reaches for Maia's hand* B-But, Maia-
  Maia: *slaps Michelle's hand away* I said stop talking! And stop trying to hold my hand, you shit! Gods you can't even do that right!
• Arc Villain: Although Michelle isn't the only antagonist of the Ansur Arc (Chapters 9-11 of the original version), the arc is resolved not only by stopping the Black Dogs from taking over Ansur, but also by tracking his whereabouts (which points towards where Maia is living), arresting him, and killing him.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Michelle is not a Nice Guy, but him throwing a party to show his affection to Maia in Chapter 5 counts as the "spectacular displays" type. She finds his advances irritating. Later Played for Drama when he ditches the persistent part and joins the Black Dogs to make her love him.
• Fat Bastard: Michelle is spoiled, whiny and obsessed with Maia. His obesity and sloppyness serve to accentuate his many unpleasant traits.
• Fat Slob: He is a fat man who spits everywhere when speaking and reaches for Maia's hand with his own greased hand during a party meant for her.
• Royal Brat: Michelle Pantielle fits squarely in the "spoiled rich kid" archetype. Blue-blooded, obnoxious, looks down on people of lower status, and has his gut hanging out like he's pregnant.
• Undignified Death: He, writhes in agony on the ground while crying for his mother after he's stabbed in the gut. His screams are only silenced when his head is cut off. To add insult to injury, he expects to face Sir Kyril during his Trial by Combat, but he lets his apprentice Hugh do the deed instead. Almost everyone who witnesses the trial cannot help to lampshade this trope. Kyril, in particular, is more irritated by this waste of time.
• "You!" Exclamation: Michelle exclaims "Y-You!" as Kyril catches him red-handed having his way with Maia.

Shamuhaza

• Alien Blood: In order to drive home that Shamuhaza has gone One-Winged Angel during the climactic battle between him and the Hunters, he is shown to bleed white ichor when damaged.
• Animal Espionage: Some of the scouts that Shamuhaza uses to spy on the heroes are beast-like creatures that can turn invisible. He can sift through their minds to know about their plans.
• Arc Villain: Shamuhaza is responsible for starting the conflict of the Rad Arc (Chapters 14-16 of the original version) by breeding Elite Mooks and other monstrosities to bolster the Black Dogs' power. Due to his actions, Kyril and co. have to contend with a threat bigger than usual. His retreat and hence Rad being denied to the Black Dogs resolves the arc.
• Ax-Crazy: Shamuhaza is so crazy in his pursuit of the Eldritch Truth that he goes from experimenting on innocent civilians (the gory result being bodies either drained of their blood or ripped apart due to things coming out of them) to experimenting on the Leaping Lizards, the people who are supposed to be on the same side. Any amount of his rational thought is thrown out of the window when he is transformed into an insect-like abomination.
• Bandage Mummy: Shamuhaza is an atypical example. He's wrapped in bandages head to toe, yet he is not immobilised in any way, and the readers have no idea whether he was injured or not.
• Bandaged Face: Shamuhaza is depicted like this. The reason is unclear, but it clearly makes him look like a creepy madman. Even his whole body is covered with bandages.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Due to his belief that both are the same in the sense that both had seen the Eldritch Truth, Shamuhaza looks forward to fighting Kyril, whom he sees as a Worthy Opponent. His inability to comprehend Kyril's decision to limit himself by retaining his humanity implies he wants to witness his "unrestrained" side. His wish is granted eventually when he faces off against Kyril, Sanakan and Hugh as an Eldritch Abomination, and he ends up getting curb-stomped after Kyril decides to release a bit of his eldritch might. To top it off, he suffers a Fate Worse than Death.
• Clipped-Wing Angel: Transforming into a Rom-esque arthropod does not help Shamuhaza one bit during his battle with Kyril, Sanakan, and Hugh. The only reason why the creature manages to incapacitate the latter two with a surge of power is because the former thinks he doesn't need to unleash a tiny bit of his eldritch power to stare him to a Fate Worse than Death. When The Gloves Come Off, Shamuhaza is done for.
• Detrimental Determination: Shamuhaza's persistence in exploiting the Eldritch Truth to create a myriad of mutated Elite Mooks nearly causes an Apocalypse How, jeopardises the people on the same side as he is, drives himself insane, makes himself easier for the heroes to track down, and ultimately hastens his own demise.
• Evil Sorceror: Though not the Big Bad, Shamuhaza is still the Arc Villain of the two story arcs that marks this fanfic's Serial Escalation. He ticks off most of, if not all, the boxes of this trope. Has a legion of mutated Elite Mooks with Body Horror? Check. Tampers with Things Man Was Not Meant to Know (or in this case, the Eldritch Truth)? Check. Strives to gain great power at the expense of his sanity and soul? Check. Oh, and he also ends up turning into an Eldritch Abomination himself.
• Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong: He invokes this trope as part of his experiments on the citizenry of Rad to bolster the Black Dogs' ranks. His first appearance shows him overseeing a female half-ling giving birth to a monstrosity.
• Game Changer: A villainous example. His appearance during the war against the Black Dogs not only gives the Black Dogs an advantage in the war, but also results in the good guys' receiving their Pyrrhic Victory of all Pyrrhic Victories in the story, with Rad, the fortress city they are supposed to reclaim, suffering an Apocalypse How. Due to his presence, many later chapters would have the good guys' trying to blindside the enemy, rather than fending off an All Your Base Are Belong to Us situation.
• The Man Behind the Monsters: Shamuhaza, a human Evil Sorceror, is the source of the mutated, deformed, and mis-matched Elite Mooks in the original version of the story.
• One-Winged Angel: Shamuhaza is not the Big Bad, but he still transforms into a great scuttling insect-like Eldritch Abomination offstage, awaiting Kyril on a lake for one climactic battle. To the Good Hunter, however, his opponent is nothing more than a giant beast, one amongst the many that he had slain in Yharnam. With a wry smile, the Hunter comments that he doesn't know what he is anymore, before telling Sanakan and Hugh to kill it.
• Playing with Syringes: Pretty much Shamuhaza's M.O. as an Evil Sorcerer — the Neverborn experiments he conducts include: creating mix-and-match Elite Mooks via subjecting Innocent Bystanders to a Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong; directly mutating mooks for them to be upgraded into more Elite Mooks, and; delving into Black Magic and the Eldritch Truth, which may or may not be research from the Healing Church or the School of Mensis.
• Villainous Breakdown: Exaggerated for Shamuhaza, as he suffers a Fate Worse than Death curtesy of Kyril unleashing his Eldritch might.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Shamuhaza is an Evil Sorceror who attempts to harness the power of the Eldritch Truth, and later turns into an Eldritch Abomination himself, throwing away his rational thought entirely. Of course this happens. Compare him with his foil, Kyril Sutherland — a far more powerful Eldritch Abomination in human form, yet with tons more experience and restraint.

Archbishop Grishom

• Arc Villain: The head of the Church kicks off the conflict of the Rebellion in Ken Arc (or Rebel Scum Arc, in Chapters 23-26 of the original version), being the one leading the uprising in the eastern district of Ken, rallying the supporters of the Black Dogs and publicly denouncing Celestine's rule. The arc is resolved via his imprisonment and the end of the rebellion.
• Sinister Minister: At first, the archbishop is an Obstructive Bureaucrat that blocks relief efforts. He then graduates into Arc Villain status by staging an uprising, exhorting the common folk to join the Black Dogs, and putting the capital in a state of chaos.

Sir John Mandeville

• Arc Villain: Mandeville is the antagonist who kicks off the Hunt for Mandeville Arc (Chapters 27-30 of the original version) by kidnapping Chloe when she was following a lead into his location, prompting Kyril and co. to go find them. He is revealed to be one of the major players in sponsoring the rebellion and the Black Dogs' cause. Hunting him down is key to the arc's resolution.
• Faux Affably Evil: He plays the kindly old man even as he molests and tortures his daughter.
• "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: This is John Mandeville's response to Kyril after he tells him that his daughter Chloe can do whatever she wishes to him for the Cold-Blooded Torture she suffered thanks to him.
  Mandeville: She won't harm me. Not after tasting the pleasures that I have given her.
• Villainous Breakdown: Mandeville loses whatever bravado he has after Kyril tells him that he can only sit and watch the wealth of his house being redistributed to the common people, some of whom are the dark elves he enslaved.

Orcs

• Always Chaotic Evil:
  • Orcs, in classical fashion, are portrayed as this. Every single orc is a violent maniac and a rapist, with Kyril outright telling his soldier recruits that orcs exist to kill, so their job is to take them out without hesitation. Meanwhile, some people like Olga and Vault are shown to be able to bargain with orcs, which brings the extent of this trope being true into question... and then it quickly turns out that the orcs do get something in return for their alliance — the prospect of raping, pillaging, and burning a place/region (Loraine for Olga's deal; all the dark elves in the Black Fortress, as well as the entire kingdom of Eostia for Vault's deal).
  • Lampshaded at one point by Kyril in the remastered version.
    The Hunter found more small camps, and killed off more of the greenskins. He slaughtered them without mercy, their cries for their gods sounding piggish in the coming dusk. Were they truly so reprehensible? He wondered if the orcish gods even heard their pleas for their aid.
    He thought this as he brought down another greenskin with an offhand swipe of the Holy Moonlight Sword. Did the gods of this world create such creatures fit only to be despised and cut down like vermin? He probably would never find out the answers, standing here in the gore of dead orcs.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast:
  • Orcs are Always Chaotic Evil, so it is not a surprise that several infamous orc war-chiefs that Kyril had killed prior to the series have scary names like this, including the Defiler, Ozgriz the Mighty, and the Arsonist.
  • The above list is altered a little in the remastered version. The very first chapter has Kyril finding the head of the Arch-Arsonist, one of the many orcs that he has slain including Ozgriz the Defiler, Gruzbad the Warlord, and the Eater of Men. He would later kill another orc chieftain named Thurog the Tall with his bare hands in Chapter 4.

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