In a landscape where the remnants of Roman order clash with ancient Celtic mysticism and the rising tide of Christianity, Spawn: The Dark Ages #1 (2025) weaves a haunting tale of survival and unholy alliances.
The King’s Pilgrimage
The story follows Lord Aurelianus, the last of the great Roman leaders in Britain, as he embarks on a perilous journey into the ruins of Londinium in 479 AD. Despite warnings from his loyal general, Atilius, that the old city is cursed and overrun with “malign wights,” Aurelianus insists on entering alone. He acts on the divination of a Druid named Diviciacus, seeking an audience with a figure of legend.
Following the Druid’s cryptic instructions, the King crosses the River Tamesis to reach the “corrupted city gates,” marked by the “fetid head of an elk”. There, he is met by Danunnos, a guide named for both the All-Mother and Death, who leads him into the heart of the ruins through “dark earth”—soil so fertile from ancient waste that forests have reclaimed the city at a terrifying rate.
Echoes of War
As Aurelianus traverses the ruins, he reflects on the bloody battle of Fobdown just one year prior. The memory shows a younger, more confident King and General Atilius slaughtering “Saxon hogs”. However, the reality of the war is far grimmer. By 479 AD, Britain is besieged on all sides: Picts in the North, Saxons from the East, and Hibernian raiders in the West. The King realizes that Roman phalanxes and ancient tactics are no longer enough to safeguard a kingdom that many believe God has forsaken.
Meeting the Devil Spawn
Aurelianus’s journey leads him to a confrontation with the Erlking, also known as the “Devil Spawn”. This monstrous entity, Lord of the Wild Hunt, spreads terror throughout the land, spiriting people away to a godless future as wraiths.
Aurelianus presents the Erlking with a bold proposal. Rather than remaining mortal enemies—the King representing the Christian future and the Spawn the “Old Ways”—he suggests a pact. He argues that they share common enemies and that together, they could create a union “never been amassed in all of Christendom,” securing the “blessed isle” for a thousand years.
The Erlking is skeptical, noting that the King’s ancestors had previously sought to let him rot in this “foul murrain”. However, he deigns to consider the proposal on one condition: Aurelianus must swear that the Spawn’s people—pagan and Christian alike—may live side by side, their old beliefs unthreatened and unbridled.
A Soul in Jeopardy
The issue concludes with a return to the light of day, as Aurelianus meets General Atilius at the ruins of the Londinium bridge, ready to rebuild. Yet, the King’s secretive actions have already sowed seeds of discord. In Winchester, a concerned soldier seeks out Father Kentigern in the dead of night, confessing his fear for the very soul of the King after witnessing the unholy path Aurelianus has chosen to walk.
