The Baron Morgentus features prominently in The Trailokya Trilogy. Who he is and what he has to do with Maiel unfolds as the story is told, and it is nothing short of chilling. This is the point where Trailokya crosses into paranormal horror. The dark mood of the series darkens further.
Upon meeting Morgentus, one will find that he appears rather human. Be assured he is not. Morgentus is a Baron in Acheron, Jahannam. That means he serves a prince directly, and has governing power of a section of that principality. That section is referred to as The Pit of Acheron, and is considered one of the worst places to find one’s self in all of Jahannam, excepting the heart of Cocytus.
Morgentus is legendary among the danava for his willingness and desire to be cruel. The marditavya (lesser souls bound to danava) who serve him are not exempt, nor are other danava. Prince Belial, his commander, is well aware of the Baron’s reputation, and distrusts him greatly. Yet, he believes there is no one else who should be fulfilling his orders in regards to Captain Maiel.
Morgentus burned down in the Conflict. He had decided that he was no longer under the rule of the King of Zion, and found such an arrangement to be wholly unfair to his freedom as a sentient and advanced being. His perception of Zion had become twisted since his youth, born of a jealousy he held for his brother. Though he was brooding and serious at the time, he was recruited by the watchers and found himself stationed on Earth. His elder brother served in the Moon Order, and they did not see one another much.
While serving on Earth, Morgentus met a beautiful human woman named Sabereh. This woman was already married, to a powerful chieftain. Her thirst for more power made her easy prey for Morgentus’s improper advances. In her eyes, being the wife of a duta was heights beyond the high station she already occupied, and would exceed any human station she could imagine on earth.
Sabereh became pregnant by Morgentus, and began to throw caution to the wind. Whispers had already begun to trail her, but now the accusations had riled her fair husband. The man was crushed by her betrayal and exiled her from their native lands, though the law demanded execution. His fear of retribution from the Watchers was the single thing that saved her from the sword. After all, she was carrying the child of one of them.
Morgentus, of course, took her in. The arrangement was not enough for Sabereh. Her whispers encouraged him to take action on her behalf to restore her reputation. As he saw it, she was absolutely correct, and this was an opportunity for him to better his standing among the humans, to rule over them, as it should be. Thus, Morgentus returned with Sabereh to her rough palace of stone. There he murdered the chieftain and claimed his power. No one raised a sword against him, cowed and awed by the duta.
Soon after the usurpation of the chieftain’s power, the Conflict broke out. Morgentus refused to abdicate, even when his brother came to plead sense to him. The watcher chose his new family over Zion. It was his brother who delivered him and his wife into Jahannam. The house he had stolen was destroyed. As for the child, it was declared a Nephilim, and it did not survive the transition into the prison world. The dark things there fed upon the child and destroyed him.
At the close of the Conflict, the King of Zion ruled that the child’s fate would not fall upon the burned down now imprisoned in Jahannam or those to come. They would be given a chance to redeem themselves, if they would. However, that ruling came too late to help Morgentus’s brother who was deeply troubled by the outcome, and blamed himself for his brother’s fall. The anguish turned him recidia (a duta who falls to Samsara, or a partial burned down).
Once the dust settled in Jahannam, the powerful began to create their factions and claim territory. Over time, Morgentus became the Baron and was given the Pit of Acheron, complete with the destroyed palace of his wife. Sabereh stuck to his side, despite the death of their son. There was no room for her else, as almost all danava had become resentful of souls. They would enslave them, but they would not entertain them as equals to rule at their sides.
Morgentus, Acheron, Jahannam, Baron of the Pit of Acheron, Labyrinth Lord
The fall, or burning, changed the duta taken by it. They learned to project their old forms, but it was limited. Their wings had lost their feathers, becoming leathery appendages. The glow of their eyes was extinguished. They were unable to blink or even slide far. Their movement became short bursts shrouded in the dark energy that had taken over their atman.
Morgentus, once a handsome young engel, had become cadaverous in appearance. His brilliant blue eyes were completely black. His wings had turned to black leather.
In addition, the Baron found that his wife would try to feed from his energy if he was not vigilant. Her teeth had become sharp, her skin pale, and her eyes deep holes of despair. The once lovely golden mane she boasted was a tattered mess. It mattered little, as he blamed her and his brother for the demise of his son and their current situation. Resentment became rage and his affections for Sabereh turned violent.
To find out more about Baron Morgentus, read the entry in the online companion at Wattpad, and get started on the trilogy for free.
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