In Spawn: The Dark Ages #2 (2025), the unholy alliance between the Roman leader Lord Aurelianus and the monstrous entity known as the Erlking begins to bear bloody fruit. As the year 480 AD sets in, the struggle for Britain’s soul moves from the shadows of ruins to the front lines of history.
The Winter of Gododdin
The story shifts to the freezing fields of Gododdin in the winter of 480 AD. Amidst a brutal skirmish, Lord Aurelianus and the Erlking fight side-by-side. While the King finds peace only in “blessed sleep,” the Erlking admits he cannot remember the last time he slept, viewing the entire world as “dreamstuff”.
The tide of the war is turning. The Saxon “dogs” who once nipped at the island are being driven North. However, the alliance is tested when Sceaðan (assassins), later revealed to be Picts venturing far south, ambush them. The Erlking saves Aurelianus’s life, solidifying a debt that the King uses to justify their unholy union.
Friction in Winchester
In Winchester, tensions simmer between the King’s Roman loyalists and his new pagan allies. General Atilius meets with Lady Danunnos, a Druidic guide. Atilius remains cold, his heart filled with “paucity” for the heathens, while Danunnos attempts to find common ground to strengthen the union of their people.
Atilius questions the place of the Christian God in a “heathen heart”. Danunnos stands firm, declaring her allegiance lies with the “Mother of All,” not the Christian Father or Son.
The Wall and the Pact
Aurelianus and the Erlking travel to Hadrian’s Wall to confront the Pictish leader, Lord Drest Gurthinmoch. The Erlking, known to the Picts as the Sealg-Oidhche (God of the Night Hunt), inspires terror. Aurelianus proposes a massive unification: all Picts joining the Britons to drive out the Saxons.
Initially, Lord Drest refuses, but through a mixture of intimidation and diplomacy, Aurelianus maneuvers the Picts into an agreement to ride to Winchester to settle their “stern and stubborn beliefs”.
The King’s Doubt and the Priest’s Warning
By the Spring of 481 AD, the peace is fragile. Father Kentigern confronts Aurelianus, warning him that his union with the “devil spawn” (Deofol) is tarnishing his immortal soul. Kentigern urges the King to drive the pagans back to the ruins of Londinium, arguing that a pact with a devil means nothing.
Aurelianus refuses to betray the creature that saved his life and the crown. He begins to question if the “Deofol” is truly what the Church believes it to be.
Revelations of the Old Gods
In the issue’s climax, Lady Danunnos leads Aurelianus to a hidden, ancient Roman gate that the King never knew existed. She challenges his Christian worldview, pointing out that while his “Young God” preaches love, wars are fought in His name.
She explains the true nature of their allies:
- The Erlking is linked to Cernunnos, the god of cycles (life, love, laughter, and death) whose image the Church “stole” to create their version of the Devil.
- The Mother is the source of all life, predating the Christian Father.
Danunnos reveals that she is named for both Cernunnos and the Mother (Danu). Together with the Erlking, they represent the ancient, enduring protectors of the “sacred island,” leaving Aurelianus to wonder if he is the protector of his kingdom—or merely its witness.
