A demon or shade from the outer circles of Hell (or the Underworld). It has been summoned out of Hell many times over its existence to do various tasks (none of which it will divulge to you… unless you’ve got food, that is).
We meet this Ghost in the beginning of Book One of the Nighthunter series, when Logan Bartholom (The Nighthunter) returns to his room in the Hanged Nun inn and finds a sinister presence winding its way around his ankles. It is a mystery why the shade is waiting for him; normally, Nighthunters dissipate or banish Ghosts so that they cannot return, but for some reason Logan decided to bind the Ghost to his will before he developed amnesia. Originally a four-legged thing with no head, it manages to form itself into the shape of a Hell-hound so as not to offend people’s eyes.
The Vorx accompanies Logan and Noran Cadwallader on their travels to Mistress Yagga’s cottage, into Cybrith Port, and across the White Ocean into Thosea. During an altercation with Captain Penglas of the ship Gastwrnis, the Vorx touches Logan’s sword, Athannor, and the blade destroys it, sending it back into Hell. Which is a shame, as by that point the Vorx is a loyal friend and ally to Logan, and it detects Noran’s covert and sinister intentions.
The essence of the shade returns closer to the end of the book, somehow reincarnated by Cailte’s growing magical powers, and it gives Logan an important revelation. It also surfaces during the final confrontation with the Witch of Mount Wanslo, spitting out a strange, fiery creature that reacts with Noran’s amau-anghofio and detonates into a magical explosion, killing the Witch, Noran, and the Vorx itself. This puts another fissure in Logan’s heart, as the Vorx used to be a prominent figure in his childhood who died unfairly.
Another amusing Writing Tips article is now available to read, concerning words that often get spelled incorrectly:
Nightwalks 