Erebus Varelian: The Shadow King Behind the Regent's Mask

Overview: The Mask and the Monarch Beneath It

Erebus Varelian is the public identity of the Shadow King, the ancient demon king of Annwfyn, who has spent decades infiltrating and manipulating the Legendborn Order from within. To the Order, he is Regent Erebus Varelian, a respected figure on the Council. In truth, he murdered the real Erebus and assumed his identity, a deception he admits to Bree in Chapter II. His primary goal is to reclaim his enchanted crown, which was magicked by the Morgaines so that it does not answer his call. He is a master of masks, using his position to monitor the Order, hunt Rootcrafters, and orchestrate events to his advantage. He is also a patient and calculating teacher, taking Bree as his pupil not out of kindness, but to build her into a weapon he can use—and eventually consume.

His character is defined by a chilling duality: he can be a patient mentor one moment and a cold, threatening captor the next. He plays word games even with his own wards, the cambion twins, and uses collateral and fear as tools of control. Yet, he is not invulnerable; he shows signs of exhaustion and hunger, and his obsession with his crown reveals a deep, personal wound. He is a figure of immense power and ancient grievance, whose every action is a calculated move in a long game of reclaiming his lost throne.

Plot Role: The Architect of Bree's Captivity and Training

Erebus's role in Oathbound is twofold: he is Bree's captor and her most demanding teacher. His actions set the entire plot of her captivity in motion.

The Abduction: In Chapter I, he reveals himself to Bree as Erebus Varelian, his long-held identity, and transports her through shadows to London. He demands Excalibur, and when she resists, he reminds her of her incomplete bargain, threatening Selwyn, Alice, Nick, and her father. He takes the sword and vows to build her into a weapon.
The Teacher: He brings Bree to his home and begins her training. His first lesson is survival: he gives her a ten-minute head start in the forest while his wards, the cambion twins, hunt her using only their aether sense. This lesson is designed to teach her to seal her power, but it also demonstrates his willingness to put her in danger to achieve his goals.
The Manipulator: He uses the alias Lawson to investigate the Regents for the Merlin deaths, a separate scheme from his training of Bree. He reveals this in Chapter 50, explaining he manipulated Bree and Zoe into retrieving his crown, hoping a Morgaine would unlock it.
The Antagonist: His ultimate goal is to reclaim his crown. He confronts Gabriel at the auction, but is thwarted. In the final confrontation, he reaches for the crown but is attacked by Selwyn, who severs his hand. He threatens Bree and vanishes in shadows, only to be undone by the crown's true nature.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Erebus's motivations are rooted in a desire to reclaim his lost power and position. His actions throughout the book reveal a complex and often contradictory nature.

Reclaiming His Crown: This is his primary, driving motivation. He has spent decades manipulating the Order, in part, to find a way to break the Morgaine's magic on his crown. He is willing to use anyone, including Bree and Zoe, as pawns in this quest.
Building a Weapon: He sees Bree's unique power as a tool to increase his own strength. He trains her rigorously, but his interest is transactional. He tells her, “I need your strength to increase my own; the twins cannot offer me what you will at your peak.” He plans to consume her power upon her death, a fact Bree reveals to Nick.
Control Through Fear: He uses threats and collateral to ensure obedience. He tells Elijah he will be the collateral for Bree's safe return from the auction, coldly stating, “I will ensure that Elijah's time here will come to an end, in one way or another.” He also alters Bree's bloodmark so he can sense her power level at any distance, treating her like a battery he is charging.
A Teacher's Pride: Despite his cruelty, he takes genuine pride in Bree's progress. He is a demanding instructor who values specificity and logic, as seen when he corrects Elijah's vague question with “Specificity, Elijah.” He also shows a flicker of pride in Elijah's observational skills, saying, “Good ear, Elijah.”
Vulnerability and Hunger: He is not invincible. Bree observes that he appears run-down and hungry after shadow traveling, noting the “light discoloration beneath his eyes” and “skin drawn too tight over high cheekbones.” This reveals that his power has a cost and that he is not immune to the hungers of demonkind.

Chronological Arc: From Captor to Defeated King

Erebus's arc in the novel moves from a position of control to one of defeat and exposure.

Phase 1: The Abduction and Revelation (Chapters I-II). He reveals his identity, takes Excalibur, and brings Bree to his home. He admits to murdering the real Erebus and begins her training.
Phase 2: The Teacher and Manipulator (Chapters 3-42). He trains Bree, using the twins as tools and foils. He sends her on missions, including the auction, and uses the Lawson alias to investigate the Regents. He is a constant, looming presence, calling her bloodmark to monitor her.
Phase 3: The Imprisonment and Revelation (Chapters 49-50). After the auction, he reveals himself as Lawson and imprisons Bree, Nick, Zoe, and Mariah. He explains his manipulations, praising their loyalty before leaving them to escape.
Phase 4: The Final Confrontation (Chapter 61). He reaches for his crown but is attacked by Selwyn. He is wounded and forced to flee, threatening Bree as he vanishes.
Phase 5: The Ultimate Defeat (Chapter 62). His son, Selwyn, touches the crown. Instead of dying, Selwyn is transformed and recognized as the crown's rightful heir. Selwyn places the crown on his head, effectively usurping his father's claim and leaving Erebus's fate uncertain.

Relationships: The King and His Pawns

Erebus's relationships are defined by power, manipulation, and a cold, transactional logic.

With Bree: He is her mentor, captor, and would-be destroyer. He trains her to be strong, but his goal is to consume her power. Bree is acutely aware of this, describing him as a “fellow king” but also a threat. She learns to bury her emotions in his presence, as he can detect them like a predator smells prey.
With the Cambion Twins (Zoelle and Elijah): He is their guardian and king, but his care is conditional. He uses them as emissaries and tools, and he is willing to threaten Elijah's life as collateral. He plays word games with them, and they are both loyal and resentful.
With Nick: He is the architect of Nick's family's destruction. Nick realizes Erebus was responsible for his mother's capture and father's death. Their relationship is one of pure antagonism.
With Selwyn: He is Selwyn's father, a fact that is revealed only at the end. He rendered Selwyn unconscious and warned his mother that it was too late for him. His final defeat comes at Selwyn's hands, as the crown recognizes Selwyn as its rightful heir.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision: To abduct Bree and take Excalibur. This sets the plot in motion and puts Bree in his power, but it also gives her the training she needs to eventually challenge him.
Decision: To train Bree rather than consume her immediately. This is a long-term investment. It makes her a more powerful weapon, but it also makes her a more dangerous enemy.
Decision: To use the Lawson alias. This allows him to investigate the Regents, but it also leads to his capture of Bree and her friends, which ultimately brings them closer to his crown.
Decision: To threaten Elijah as collateral. This demonstrates his ruthlessness and alienates the twins, deepening Bree's resolve to destroy him.
Decision: To flee after being wounded by Selwyn. This is a moment of survival, but it leads to his ultimate defeat when Selwyn claims the crown.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Erebus is a central figure in the novel's exploration of power, identity, and corruption.

Identity and Self-Possession: Erebus is the ultimate example of a stolen identity. He is not Erebus Varelian; he is the Shadow King wearing a mask. His character asks what it means to possess an identity and what is lost when it is taken. Bree's struggle to define herself outside of his bloodmark and her ancestral legacy mirrors this theme.
Oaths, Debts, and Bargains: He is a being of ancient bargains. His bloodmark is a physical manifestation of a debt owed by Bree's ancestor, and he uses it to control her. His entire plan is built on the idea of collecting on debts, whether from Bree or from the Order.
Power Exploitation and Systemic Corruption: He has spent decades inside the Order, manipulating it from within. His presence is a symbol of how power can be corrupted and how systems can be exploited by those who understand their rules.
Sacrifice, Grief, and Transformation: His grief over his lost crown is a driving force, but it is a selfish grief. His transformation is not one of redemption but of further entrenchment in his schemes. In contrast, Selwyn's transformation at the end is a direct result of sacrifice, highlighting the difference between the two.
Legacy, Bloodline, and Inheritance: The bloodmark is a curse passed down through Bree's maternal line. Erebus's own legacy is his son, Selwyn, who ultimately inherits the crown. The novel suggests that legacies can be both burdens and sources of power, and that the true heir may not be the one who expects it.

Questions and Answers

1. What is Erebus Varelian's true identity, and how does he use it?

Erebus Varelian is the Shadow King of Annwfyn in disguise. He murdered the real Erebus and has impersonated him for decades to manipulate the Order from within. He uses this position to monitor the Regents, hunt Rootcrafters, and orchestrate events to reclaim his crown.

2. Why does Erebus take Bree as his pupil?

He takes Bree as a pupil to build her into a weapon. He needs her strength to increase his own, and he plans to consume her power upon her death. He is equally incentivized to make her stronger and to prevent her death at the hands of anyone else, as her power is a resource he has claimed.

3. What is the bloodmark, and how does Erebus use it to control Bree?

The bloodmark is a permanent binding that Erebus placed on Bree's ancestor, Vera, in exchange for protection. It marks Bree as his claimed bounty and enforces her debt. He alters its spellcraft to sense her power level at any distance and to call on it, allowing him to monitor her like a battery.

4. How does Erebus's plan to reclaim his crown ultimately fail?

His plan fails because the crown recognizes its rightful heir, which is not him. When his son, Selwyn, touches the crown, it does not kill him but transforms him, and he is revealed as the Shadow King's son. Selwyn places the crown on his head, usurping his father's claim.

5. What is the significance of Erebus's relationship with the cambion twins?

The twins are his wards, children of one of his Nightshades. He trains them as emissaries, but his care is conditional and controlling. He uses them as tools and is willing to threaten Elijah's life as collateral, demonstrating his ruthlessness and the transactional nature of his relationships.

For a deeper exploration of the novel's central ideas, see our analyses of identity and self-possession, oaths, debts, and bargains, and power exploitation and systemic corruption. You can also read the ending explained or browse common questions.