In fantasy worlds that have magic, there are all kinds of users. Good-natured ones endeavor to make the places they live in better not just for themselves but for all. On the other end, evil wizard seek to destroy and conquer the world using their powers to assist them. As a result, these dark magic practitioners are the biggest threat the world faces.
The dark arts draw many people who have a proclivity for inflicting pain and enjoying watching people suffer. They perform all kinds of acts from setting them on fire, turning them into objects, but the most sinister ones are saved for those who have the darkest souls. They have no qualms about destroying people’s livelihoods, imprisoning people, and committing murders.
All dark magic practitioners are wizards, or at least those who have the ability to do magic. While the majority are adults, there are also instances where there are teenagers and elders. The teenage ones don’t pose as much of a threat as their elder ones due to the fact that they’re still learning the ropes but they can still do some serious damage.
Besides wizards, there are many witches who enjoy dabbling in black magic. In some cases, they form a group of sisterhood where they pool their abilities together to become a force to be reckoned with. A decent number of them kidnap people and sacrifice them to their dark deity to increase their powers.
Though these two groups of dark magic practitioners are not to be sneezed at, the scope of destruction they can cause are dwarfed by the mightiest of all practitioners: the dark lords. Well versed in the dark arts, they command armies with the express goal of ruling the world. They use a mixture of their great magical skills and the fear they inspire in their enemies to assist them as they work to take the world by force.
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When people think of wizards from the fantasy genre, Gandalf the Grey/White and Albus Dumbledore are usually the first that come to mind. The same is true for their dark counterparts. Sauron, Darth Sidious, and Voldemort are examples of evil wizards though they are in their own class.
All dark magic practitioners are drawn to black magic for a number of reasons, all of which are malevolent. Those who are weak go down this path to become strong, believing that strength is the only thing that matters. Others that have a sadistic streak use their powers to torment people and inflict all kinds of pain on them.
The type of powers they learn depends on their magical abilities. Those who have a little bit can only learn the basic forms of cruel magic whereas those who have considerably more can learn far more. Thus, how much magical powers they have dictates how much of a threat they pose to the world.
What spells can these dark magic practitioners learn? They range from simple ones such as hoisting people upside down in the air to complicated ones like summoning a giant python to attack their foes. Each spell in their arsenal serves a purpose and enables them to pursue their objective, no matter how long it takes.
The vast majority of evil wizards are adults where they’re in the prime of their lives. A few number are old though they possess far more power than their younger counterparts due to the experience they’ve accumulated throughout their lives. There’s also evil teenage wizards, who have a desire to dabble in the dark arts. No matter which life stage they’re in, each one of them chose to walk down this path for their own reason.
One of the most common types of magic practitioners are witches who have an affinity for the darkness. They eagerly delve into black magic with gusto and use the powers they’ve learned to devastating effect, especially against their enemies. Many of them are not to be taken lightly, for they possess remarkable power.
A common feature of witches are those who form a sisterhood of sorts. Though they aren’t necessarily related by blood, they share many things in common such as their views on magic. These dark magic practitioners spend a lot of time together doing various activities, whether it be participating in hexing rituals or brewing potions with their cauldrons.
While there is an assumption that witches sport green skin like the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz”, the truth is they can be any color. In addition to their color, some are counted the most beautiful and some are the most hideous. Regardless of their looks, they harbor great power and influence in the world.
So what kind of spells do these witches know? They know all the same ones their male counterparts do though there are some that are only reserved for those of the female persuasion. One common aspect of the servants of darkness is their eternal quest to achieve immortality. Many witches rely on spells or potions that either turn back the passage of time, looking much like they did in their younger days, or retain their appearance so that they don’t age one day.
In some cases, female dark magic practitioners are worse than their male brethren. A lot of them enjoy tormenting their enemies — think of Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter as an example — and use their good looks to seduce and entrap men where they can then cast all kinds of curses on them or drain their life force to supplement their own. Seeing their target writhe in pain brings them great comfort.
Out of all of the practitioners, none are as dangerous as dark lords. There’s a reason why they serve as the main antagonist in many works across the genre. They are formidable foes, have a deep wealth of knowledge in all things black magic, and have terrifying minions at their disposal.
Dark lords have a storied career. In some cases, they were once good, decent people who just wanted to help build a great world but somewhere along the way, they lost sight of it and chose a different path. There are also some who have just been wicked from the get-go, performing heinous acts when they were children.
These dark magic practitioners dove deep into evil magic, studying its various branches. They learned to harness the power of fire and weaponized it, using it against their enemies, forging instruments of destruction with it, and so on. The power of necromancy is one of their personal favorites, for they rely on it to create an undead army that they let loose upon the world.
While there are some dark lords who can live forever because they are divine spirits like Sauron, those that can’t become obsessed with discovering a way to live forever like Voldemort and Sidious. They research new, arcane methods of achieving it and do so using unnatural means. The core reason why they covet immortality is that they’ve accumulated so much power that they don’t want to lose it at all.
Dark lords desire to rule the world and will do whatever it takes to win. They’re willing to raze entire cities to the ground, destroy the natural environment, brainwash people, pit family against family, and so on. They’re also notoriously difficult to kill, for they use their considerable powers to crush their enemies in the heat of battle.
Dark magic practitioners rule the roost when it comes to the villains of the fantasy genre. They boast terrifying powers, possess insane minds, and are determined to win, no matter how the cost. They’re also cunning and have strong strategic instincts and magic is among their most potent weapons in their arsenal.
Not all wizards are evil but some wind up succumbing to the irresistible lure of the darkness. Seduced by offerings of power and glory, they walk down a path they cannot turn back from, becoming powerful wielders of magic capable of doing great damage upon the world. A malevolent warlock can command great powers such as fire or ice.
Witches are popular dark magic practitioners, popping up in many fantasy worlds. They are a force to be reckoned with. For instance, they can use their great beauty to conceal their sinister nature, ensnaring those unfortunate enough to fall for them. They’re also fond of hexing rituals and placing curses upon their foes.
At the top sits dark lords. These individuals are masters of deception, being able to fool even the most kind-hearted person into doing their work for them. They reside in palatial estates where they plot their campaigns for world domination. To assist them in that endeavor, they rely on their minions to crush all opposition and when physical force doesn’t work, they’ll use their magical skills to eliminate those who dare stand in their path.
Dark magic practitioners are a natural fit for the fantasy genre, for they show a different dimension of magic and how it can be used for evil. Moreover, they serve as excellent villains as the audience sees the lengths they’re willing to go to in order to attain their goals and the devastation they wreak upon the world take a long time to fade, if they ever do at all.
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