NIGHTGAUNT

Real Name: Nightgaunt

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Weirdworld God)

Occupation: Evil god, sorcerer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Darklens, Goblins, Lord Raven, Murkandor, Shreekar

Enemies: Dragons, Lianissa, Mud-Butt, Red Soryll, Tyndall, Velanna, Wulfbuck

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Black Majister

Base of Operations: Castle on Weirdworld

First Appearance: Epic Illustrated#9 (December, 1981)

Powers/Abilities: Nightgaunt was a powerful magic user whose spells included the Red Mist of Death, which would slay whoever it came in contact with.

History: (Epic Illustrated#12 (fb)) - The sorceress Lianissa designed the sword Glorywand, placing most of her energy into its forging. She gave it to Wulfbuck to slay Nightgaunt, but Nightgaunt bested him and broke the blade from the hilt. Nightgaunt turned Wulfbuck into a monstrous-looking man, and gave the hilt to his ally Lord Raven.

(Epic Illustrated#9/5) - Feeling the shift in dark cosmic forces due to the machinations of the Gods of Weirdworld, Nightgaunt prepared a massive gambit, directing his energy against Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt, who were responsible for killing his friends Lord Raven and Nightgaunt. He set out by employing his lackey Murkandor to oversee the darkening of Velanna's sould through a crystal representation of Velanna's body which was slowly filled with darkness. Murkandor was sent to destroy the Sleep Crystal of Klarn which kept their dragons in slumber, and brought the shattered remains of the crystal to Nightgaunt. Nightgaunt fashioned the Sleep Crystal into a sail for a vessel which he rode toward the Land of the Dead.

(Epic Illustrated#12) - Nightgaunt arrived at the Land of the Dead and began to prepare for the culmination of his plan. He checked in on Murkandor and told him that they would soon use their control over Velanna to their advantage. He also turned on the goblins of Shreekar which he had employed against Lianissa, and had them all slain by the Red Mist of Death.

(Epic Illustrated#13) - Nightgaunt used the inverted Sleep Crystal to raise the goblins he had slain from the Land of the Dead to prepare them for work as an army which would take part in the war of the gods. However, Tyndall, Wulfbuck, Velanna, Mud-Butt and the dragons of Klarn arrived to battle the goblins. Wulfbuck dueled with Nightgaunt, who used the Sleep Crystal as a hovering shield. Although Lianissa and Velanna both died during their battle, it only served to increase Tyndall and Wulfbuck's might; Wulfbuck finally destroyed the Sleep Crystal, and the gods brought the game to an end as a stalemate, removing Nightgaunt from the board. Nightgaunt boarded the Black Chariot back to the stars, presumably to rejoin his godly brethren and no longer trouble Weirdworld.

Comments: Created by Doug Moench, John Buscema and Marie Severin.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Nightgaunt should not be confused with:

• Gaunt, Mendell Stromm, Spider-Man foe, @ Spectacular Spider-Man II#233
• Gaunt, Cable foe, @ Cable II#83
• Kim Gaunt, NYPD, Thor ally, @ Thor I#497

The Sleep Crystal was used by the Elves of Klarn to keep the dragons asleep. While sunlight passed through the crystal, the reflected rays would keep all the dragons beneath it in slumber. When it was shattered by Murkandor, the fragments were brought to Nightgaunt who darkened its powers and repurposed it as a sail for his vessel to journey into the Land of the Dead. By reversing its intended purpose, Nightgaunt could raise the dead from the Land of the Dead. He also used it as a shield against the blade of Glorywand. The Sleep Crystal was ultimately destroyed by Wulfbuck, who slashed it apart with Glorywand.

--Epic Illustrated#9 (12-13