War

War is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the main protagonist of the video game, Darksiders.

Early Life
War's past as one of the Horsemen had caused him to become feared by both angels and demons and apparently had unpleasant histories with both races. Even the Charred Council, who controlled the Horsemen, was somewhat wary of War, most likely because he defied them at one point and went on a rampage. They sent a small army to try and get the horseman back under control, but they were slaughtered by him. Finally the other horsemen, Death, Fury, and Strife stepped in to stop War, who took them all on and eventually defeated Fury. However he was no match for Death, who proved able to to take getting stabbed by War's sword, Chaoseater. War was no match for the leader of the horsemen and got half his arm cut off, subduing him. His arm was the replaced with his large gauntlet.

Fall from Grace
As the Apocalypse, the final battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell, began on Earth, War descended, sensing that the Seven Seals had been broken that was meant to summon the Horsemen. Though he noticed the lack of his comrades, but continued to slay the inhabitants of Heaven, Hell, and Earth. War traversed the ravaged streets in his Chaos form until he suddenly found his Chaos Powers drained from it. Despite this, the horseman continued to battle, defeating everything in his path, finally reaching the center of the battlefield. There War found Abaddon, the leader of the angels, who was shocked that War had come because the Seventh Seal had not been broken. However he was then struck down by the demon, Straga, and despite being outclassed by the demon general, War took him on and succeeded in stabbing out one of his eyes. However he had his powers drained and was then beaten by Straga, his defeat sending him before the Charred Council. They had stripped him of his powers, accusing him of starting the Apocalypse early and sentencing him to death.

Return to Earth
War was determined to clear his name and convinced the Council to give him a chance to prove his innocence, telling them that the conflict had already started before he rode to battle. War had his strength limited by the Council and was bound to a being called the Watcher, who would keep an eye on him and had the ability to kill him if he did anything that was against the Council's best wishes. War was then told to seek out the demon, Vulgrim, who had fallen out of grace with the demons and had tried to gain an audience with the Charred Council for some time, so as to try and get information about who was responsible. War went back to Earth, but landed in the Seraphim Hotel, instead of the Crossroads, where he intended to end up. The city was so ravaged and changed, it made the horseman ask the Watcher what had happened. He told War that 1000 years had passed since he had been called before the Council. In that time, the forces of Hell had triumphed over Heaven and the Kingdom of Man was now in ruins. As War headed out, the Watcher demonstrated the dark binding power he had over the horseman, saying "Don't forget who holds the leash." After fighting his way to the Crossroads, War met with Vulgrim, who made him a deal, if the horseman brought him 500 souls to feed on, then he would give him the information he wanted and a means of continuing on his quest. After War brought Vulgrim the souls, the demon gave him an item known as the Earthcaller, a horn capable of awakening the beings known as the Tormented Gates, that were used by the demons as a means of barring paths. Vulgrim then told War to free Samael, the former right hand of the Destroyer, the leader of the demons, who was locked away for trying to overthrow the dark lord. The horseman put the Earthcaller to use to open the way to Samael's prison, the Scalding Gallows. Upon arriving there, War met the the Gallow's guard, the Phantom General, who taunted him about his loss of power. They fought and the horseman emerged the victor, then freed Samael, who told War that he could teleport him into the Destroyer's tower fortress, but he had to regain his powers so as to stand a chance against the dark lord. Samael sent the horseman to collect the hearts of the Chosen, the four greatest warriors of Hell, whose powers barred the way to the tower.

Hunting the Chosen
The first of the Chosen was Tiamat the Dusk Queen, whose lair was the Twilight Cathedral. So as to help War, Samael granted him the power of Shadowflight, which would let him glide through the air. The horseman set out to cross the Choking Grounds, which was full of undead, where he came across another Tormented Gate. However this one was bound by the Destroyer's minions in the Shadow Realm, a dark realm that overlapped the one War was in. Since the horseman could no longer see into that realm, the Tormented Gate helped him to do so. There War completed the Shadow Arena challenges, freeing the Tormented Gate, allowing it to walk free. The horseman navigated the Broken Stair, ending up at the end of a highway, where he faced off against a savage demon called the Trauma. Afterwards War came across a group of angels, the Hellguard, that were looking for him, including Abaddon's former lieutenant, Uriel. The horseman managed to hijack one of the angel's Griffins while two angels argued. However Uriel managed to sense War, saying "Can't you smell it? From neither the White City nor the Black Depths, but something lost in between." The horseman narrowly escaped the angels and eventually reached the Twilight Cathedral and began exploring it. War found a weapon called the Crossblade, a triple bladed throwing weapon, reminiscent of a boomerang and killed a corpse monster called the Jailer. He finally found Tiamat's inner sanctum and as he entered, she taunted him by asking if he had become an assassin of the Charred Council or was doing Samael's bidding. The Dusk Queen attempted to make a deal with War, but he refused and they began to battle. However the horseman slew Tiamat, ripping off her wings and tearing out her heart, which he brought to Samael. After devouring it, the demon told War to find the blacksmith, Ulthane, so as to find the way to the next of the Chosen, the Griever. However the Watcher accused Samael of changing their deal, but the demon knocked him aside and called him a parasite that stifled War's true power so as to keep him on the leash of the Council. He then commanded the horseman to kill the Watcher and break free of the Charred Council. War struck the Watcher, regaining his Chaos Form. Samael revealed to the Watcher that the horseman's refusal to kill him may have been weakness, but in that moment, he had seen one who would've been able to stand alone against the forces of the Destroyer. War set out and eventually arrived at Anvil's Ford, where he found an enormous hammer, that he tried to lift, but failed. Ulthane appeared and told him to keep his hands off what didn't belong to him. They began to fight with War fighting primarily with his Chaos Form since that was the only thing that affected the Black Hammer. However Uriel and the Hellguard appeared, who had waited a century to avenge Abaddon. Uriel ordered the angels to kill War immediately and he and Ulthane joined forces to fight their common enemy, having a contest to see who could kill the most angels. The horseman emerged the victor and briefly dueled Uriel, rendering her unconcious, and the Hellguard retreated. Ulthane used his strength to open the way into the Hollows where the Griever made its home. During his journey through the Hollows, War found the Tremor Gauntlet, which increased his strength, and eventually faced the monstrous Griever. The monster met its end at the horseman's hands by breaking off one of its legs then ramming a train cart into its head, breaking its jaw. War returned to Ulthane, who gave him a new weapon, a special handgun called Mercy. The horseman asked the Black Hammer why he was on Earth, but he refused to answer. War went back to Samael with the Griever's heart, who told him to find the next Chosen, the Stygian, who was imprisoned in the Ashlands by the demons, using it in gladiatorial fights. To help War avoid the worms of the Ashlands, Samael gave him the power of Chronomancy, which allowed him to slow down time. The horseman found his way in an arena, where he faced off against demons until confronting the Abyssal Gladiator, who had enslaved his mount, Ruin. War killed him and took his horse back and escaped to the Leviathan's Den, where together they faced the Stygian. The horseman managed to slay the beast by leaping down its throat and rippign out its heart. War returned to the Scalding Gallows and Samael sent him to get the last heart, belonging to Silitha, the spider queen of the Iron Canopy. The horseman rode across the Soul Bridge, but was captured by Silitha's spider spawn and imprisoned in the Iron Canopy. War broke out of the webs holding him and fought his way through the streets of the Iron Canopy at the same time breaking the enchantments that protected Silitha's sanctum. After getting inside, War and Silitha confronted each other and the spider queen told him something shocking, that the Chosen didn't protect the tower, they prevented Samel's return to power. If War brought her heart to the demon, he would unleash a threat greater than all the Chosen combined. However the horseman told her that he had no interest in her council or her stories and they began to battle. War finally finished her by smashing Silitha through the floor, impaling her on a stalagmite below. The horseman went back to Samael and asked him about his deceit, but the demon said that while he had his own reasons for helping War, he still planned to honor their deal. The horseman gave him the heart with some reluctance and Samael devoured it, restoring his powers to their prime. Though at first he threatened to destroy War for trying to deny him his powers, the demon said he had a deal to uphold and that though the horseman may deny it, he was on a quest for vengeance, something Samael respected. The demon opened a portal to the tower, but before leaving, War asked him why he had rebelled against the Destroyer. His response was that he had not approved of the company his master kept and that things would be clear at the end of his journey.

Final Confrontation
The portal brought War to the Black Throne on the inside of the tower, where he found a most strange prisoner, Azrael the Angel of Death. Though at first the angel was terrified, believing that War had come to kill him, but when eh learned otherwise, he asked the horseman to free him. Azrael explained that Straga had imprisoned him, forcing him to open the Well of Souls so that its power could be used for the Destroyer's benefit. War journeyed through the Tower channeling soul energy back to Azrael's prison, eventually freeing him. After the horseman freed him, the Angel of Death told him what had really happened, Abaddon had recruited Azrael to take part in a plot to bring about the Apocalypse early. He had believed that if the final battle was put off any longer, Heaven's defeat would be ensured, since Hell grew in strength constantly, more than Heaven did. Abaddon planned to break only six of the seven seals, leaving the seventh intact so that the Horsemen would not interfere. With six seals gone, the demons would descend on Earth and the Hellguard would meet them in battle, slaying the most powerful demons of Hell in one stroke. Azrael had pointed out that breaking six of the seals could destroy the Kingdom of Man and if they were victorious, they would be punished by the Council. However Abaddon revealed the next part of his plan and a third conspirator, Ulthane. The Black Hammer would reforge the seals and thus when the Council investigated what was going on, there would be no evidence of their plot. They could then claim that the demons had attacked prematurely and the Forces of Heaven had brought them to justice. But with Abaddon's defeat, the plot had fallen apart. War was furious, since this meant Azrael was responsible for his disgrace. The Watcher commanded the horseman to kill the angel of death for his betrayal, but War refused and said his service to the Council was over. Azrael opened a passage to Straga and prolonged his survival when he explained to the horseman that he was his only way out of the tower since when Straga was slain, it would begin to collapse. War descended into the Tower and confronted Straga, who remembered him from all those years ago, when they had fought before. He stated that he was the mightiest of the Destroyer's Chosen, but War said that he was also the last and his master chose poorly. They fought and the horseman slew him, taking vengeance. As the tower began to crumble, Azrael appeared and teleported him out, bringing him to Eden. It had been thought to be destroyed, but the angel of death had preserved it. War was told by Azrael that he needed to visit the Tree of Knowledge so as to find out how to bring down the Destroyer. After fighting a dark mirror version of himself born from the darkness of his battles, War proceeded to a tree, where he received visions of events from both the past and future. After Abaddon was defeated, he ended up in a strange sort of Limbo where a mysterious woman told him that his plan had been the result of manipulation for her own ends. She then offered him the chance to become her mightiest servant, the Destroyer, which he refused at first. But when the woman told her that when his crimes had become common knowledge, he would be punished, imprisoned, and most likely executed, Abaddon realized he had no choice and became the Destroyer. It also showed that the dark lord possessed the seventh seal and had plans to attack Heaven. Uriel would lead the Hellguard into battle against him, but would be defeated. War also saw that the Charred Council would know what had been going on, but couldn't do anything about it. The Horsemen could stop these conspiracy, but the council knew they would never lower themselves to the level of assassins. They decided to send War to Earth alone during the Apocalypse, then accuse him of starting the battle with the knowledge that he would do anything to prove his innocence. The horsemen's last vision was of the Watcher betraying him and him being stabbed through the chest with a sword. War went back to Azrael and the Watcher and told them about everything he'd seen, except the council betraying him. The angel of death told him that the sword he had seen was the Armageddon Blade, but Abaddon had had it destroyed. However War had gotten one piece of it and knew where he could find the other pieces. Azrael told him that when he had found the other pieces to bring them to Ulthane so he could reforge the blade. War gathered the pieces from across the ravaged landscape, but as he was heading down the Dry Road, Uriel confronted him. She challenged him to "Nex Sancramentum", a sacred duel to the death, and he accepted. They battled and War emerged the victor, but he refused to take Uriel's life, despite the Watcher urging him to. The horseman told her the Destroyer's true identity and that the requirement of the duel that one of them must lose their life would soon be fulfilled, before leaving. Disturbed by this information, Uriel left to gather the Hellguard and launched an attack on the Destroyer in the remains of the tower. With all the blade's pieces in his possession, War went to Anvil's Ford, where Ulthane reforged the Armageddon Blade for him. The horseman returned to Azrael, who told him what had happened and provided him a way to the tower. War arrived in the aftermath of the Hellgaurd's attack, the Destroyer had routed them all and taken Uriel prisoner. The dark lord mused on the unrequited feelings Uriel and Abaddon had had, before turning to War. The Destroyer reminded War that Heaven hunted him, Hell hated him, all of creation didn't care if he lived or died. He then offered the horseman a place at his side, the power to crush all of their enemies, and the spoils of thousands of victories. If not, War could serve a corrupt Council and a Creator that abandoned his faithful servants. To sum it up, the Destroyer asked the horseman if he would rather serve in Heaven or rule in Hell. War stood silent, but then told him that he would choose what a coward did not. The two engaged each other, but with Ruin and the Armageddon Blade helping him, War managed to damage the Destroyer enough to reduce him to his true form of Abaddon. The fallen angel and the horseman fought each other in the final battle, but finally, War defeated him. Broken and crushed, Abaddon turned to Uriel for support and told the traitor to reap what he sowed, leaving War to finish him. The Seventh Seal fell from the fallen angel's hand and the horseman went to pick it up. However the Watcher appeared and confirmed the Charred Council's treachery, knowing War would turn if he had the last seal in his possession. Uriel attempted to help the horseman, but the Watcher blasted her away with her magic. However the angel took up the Armageddon Blade and stabbed War through the chest with it, fulfilling the Nex Sancramentum, before cutting off the Watcher's arm, shattering the Seventh Seal. This returned War to life and broke him free of the Watcher, allowing him to take his much awaited revenge. Afterwards, Uriel accused the horseman of knowing what would happen, which is why he had spared her. But War replied that he had spared Uriel out of the wish to not take away the last of Heaven's honor by slaying its champion. She and the Hellguard saluted him and she told him that his debts to Heaven were repaid, but she would most likely be forced to fight him again soon and if this was the case, she would not hesitate. As War began to walk away, Uriel cried out that he would be hunted by the forces of Heaven and the Council as well as others and asked if he would fight alone. War replied simply that he would not fight it alone as three comets plummeted to Earth, signifying the return of the other Horsemen...