History YMMV / APracticalGuideToEvil

* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Catherine. She was probably bound to get this being the protagonist of an (ostensibly) YA novel but the fact that she's openly bisexual just doubles the available options. This is further aggravated by the fact that she has sexual tension and chemistry with [[AnythingThatMoves almost everyone]], friend or foe, With pretty much the sole exception of Black Knight, her mentor/father figure.

** [[PredecessorVillain Dread Empress Triumphant]][[note]]May She Never Return[[/note]], the evilest Tyrant to ever emerge from the Wasteland, was a prodigy Diabolist who climbed the Tower and cowed the High Lords into subservience through overwhelming might, with her [[TheLegionsOfHell hordes of devils and demons]] rechristening the Praesi Legions into the Legions of Terror. Within ten years Triumphant was able to conquer all of Calernia through dint of bloody massacre, with notable crimes including the release of a Demon of Madness on Laure; the slaughter of a fifth of the Gigantes in a battle that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives as collateral damage; the slaying of a Seraphim summoned to stop her, after which she butchered a hundred different tribes for their defiance; and the extermination of two random cities in her fury at being denied the Golden Bloom. Triumphant's [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen reign]] was no better than her conquest, as she regularly forced children to show obeisance by crucifying their own parents, and her final act upon inevitably being overthrown was to bring down the Tower in an effort to [[TakingYouWithMe take her killers with her]]. Having entertained wide-scale torture and murder with an eye towards expanding her rule across all of Creation, [[TheDreaded Triumphant]] inspired such fear and terror that countless future generations of Praesi [[HorrifyingTheHorror pray for her to never somehow find a way to return from death]].
** Mighty [[GodhoodSeeker Kurosiv]] was once a jaklavar noble of the Empire Ever Dark before allowing Rumena and Sve Noc to kill the Twilight Sages in hopes of taking over in the wars that would follow. Having learned how to come BackFromTheDead and usurp portions of Night from its followers when they are slain, the "Leech" clashed with Rumena seven times over the centuries, intentionally [[WeHaveReserves sacrificing thousands of warriors]] in every encounter to overwhelm Rumena's sigils and gorge itself on stolen Night. Continuing to use these horrid tactics when brought into the War on Keter, Kurosiv takes advantage of Sve Noc's weakness in the wake of Night being ruined to poach two shards of the Gloom, [[AGodAmI declaring itself the divine Loc Ynan]] and making an alliance with the Dead King. While telling its followers that they will be left in peace for nine years so long as the drow stay out of the war and allow the dead to scour Calernia of all other life, Kurosiv truthfully intends to ascend to godhood by [[FinalSolution sacrificing its entire race]].
** Book 6: [[SerialRapist The Wicked Enchanter]] used his expertise in [[BrainwashedAndCrazy domination magics]] to [[RapePillageAndBurn murder, rob, and rape]] his way across the outskirts of the Brocelian Forest, with the tortures and rape he inflicted on one girl [[CreateYourOwnHero turning her into the Red Axe]]. At the advice of the Wandering Bard, the Enchanter joined the Truce and Terms for amnesty from his crimes, but not before taking his "court" to terrorize three more villages.

* LoveToHate: Akua Sahelian, the Heiress, aka [[spoiler: Diabolist]]. An unrepentant throwback to the StupidEvil days of Praes, Akua is entitled, arrogant, and ends up sacrificing [[spoiler:over 100000 innocent souls in Liesse to power a doomsday weapon]], and all-around ManipulativeBastard to the point where it's debatable whether even ''she'' knows when she's actually being sincere.

* ShoutOut: There are a number of references to the EvilOverlordList. The minor character, the Bumbling Conjurer, is only the most obvious. Black basically has a copy of it tucked away somewhere he refers to. Almost literally: he keeps tabs on typical Villain tropes found in the local stories of any place he gets interested in as a general guide as to what not to do -- and keeps updating his notes.

** [[PredecessorVillain Dread Empress Triumphant]][[note]]May She Never Return[[/note]], the evilest Tyrant to ever emerge from the Wasteland, was a prodigy Diabolist who climbed the Tower and cowed the High Lords into subservience through overwhelming might, with her [[TheLegionsOfHell hordes of devils and demons]] rechristening the Praesi Legions into the Legions of Terror. Within ten years Triumphant was able to conquer all of Calernia through dint of bloody massacre, with notable crimes including the release of a demon of Madness on Laure; the slaughter of a fifth of the Gigantes in a battle that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives as collateral damage; the slaying of a Seraphim summoned to stop her, after which she butchered a hundred different tribes for their defiance; and the extermination of two random cities in her fury at being denied the Golden Bloom. Triumphant's [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen reign]] was no better than her conquest, as she regularly forced children to show obeisance by crucifying their own parents, and her final act upon inevitably being overthrown was to bring down the Tower in an effort to [[TakingYouWithMe take her killers with her]]. Having entertained wide-scale torture and murder with an eye towards expanding her rule across all of Creation, [[TheDreaded Triumphant]] inspired such fear and terror that countless future generations of Praesi [[HorrifyingTheHorror pray for her to never somehow find a way to return from death]].

** [[GodhoodSeeker Kurosiv]] was a jaklavar of the Empire Ever Dark, before allowing Rumena and Sve Noc to kill the Twilight Sages in hopes of taking over in the wars that would follow. Having learned how to come BackFromTheDead and usurp portions of Night from its followers when they are slain, the "Leech" clashed with Rumena seven times over the centuries, intentionally [[WeHaveReserves sacrificing thousands of warriors]] in every encounter to overwhelm Rumena's sigils and gorge itself on stolen Night. Continuing to use these horrid tactics when brought into the War on Keter, Kurosiv takes advantage of Sve Noc's weakness in the wake of Night being ruined to poach two shards of the Gloom, [[AGodAmI declaring itself the divine Loc Ynan]] and making an alliance with the Dead King. While telling its followers that they will be left in peace for nine years so long as the drow stay out of the war and allow the dead to scour Calernia of all other life, Kurosiv truthfully intends to ascend to godhood by [[FinalSolution sacrificing its entire race]].

** [[GodhoodSeeker Kurisov]] was a jaklavar of the Empire Ever Dark, before allowing Rumena and Sve Noc to kill the Twilight Sages in hopes of taking over in the wars that would follow. Having learned how to come BackFromTheDead and usurp portions of Night from its followers when they are slain, the "Leech" clashed with Rumena seven times over the centuries, intentionally [[WeHaveReserves sacrificing thousands of warriors]] in every encounter to overwhelm Rumena's sigils and gorge itself on stolen Night. Continuing to use these horrid tactics when brought into the War on Keter, Kurisov takes advantage of Sve Noc's weakness in the wake of Night being ruined to poach two shards of the Gloom, [[AGodAmI declaring itself the divine Loc Ynan]] and making an alliance with the Dead King. While telling its followers that they will be left in peace for nine years so long as the drow stay out of the war and allow the dead to scour Calernia of all other life, Kurisov truthfully intends to ascend to godhood by [[FinalSolution sacrificing its entire race]].