- “Now, I can hold a note for a long time. [laughs] Actually, I can hold a note forever.”
- ―Lorne[src]
Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan, also known as Lorne and The Host, was a peace-loving Deathwok demon native to Pylea, the owner and founder of the demon karaoke bar Caritas, and later a member of Angel Investigations and the head of Wolfram & Hart's Los Angeles Branch Entertainment Division.
Biography
Pylea
- “Your father was right. We ate the wrong son.”
- ―Mother of the Vile Excrement[src]
Lorne was born as Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan in the demonic dimension of Pylea. He has two brothers, one that was at some point devoured by their parents, and Numfar. Lorne, as he preferred to be called, wasn't like his fellow Deathwok demons, bloodthirsty "champions" constantly undertaking quests against evil. He was a gentle soul who did not share his kin's prejudice against humans (or "cows" as they were called in his world). Lorne would rather flirt with the females and enjoy life than train to be a fighter, claiming that he had little inclination to train how to fight because he saw both sides of the argument, reasoning that he didn't have it in him to fight a man when he partially agreed with his opponent's point of view. He also enjoyed beauty, art, and even music, which was difficult considering his world had no music. Lorne refused to train his innate mystical senses to learn to hunt beasts and was considered the shame of his clan.
Caritas
In 1996, Lorne happened upon a dimensional portal and was sucked through it. He landed in Los Angeles, and discovered music and culture like he never imagined. Lorne learned to hone his mystical senses to read people's auras, but found it easiest to do so when they sang, baring their souls. He decided to open up a karaoke bar on the same spot that he arrived on Earth, an old abandoned building. Lorne contracted the Transuding Furies to cast a sanctuary spell on the spot, which stopped any demon violence from occurring on it. He named the bar "Caritas," the Latin word for "mercy."
Caritas became a success in the morally ambiguous Los Angeles underground scene. To most who visited the bar, Lorne was simply called "The Host." He later states that he didn't use the name "Lorne" in this dimension, because his striking green skin prompted people to make Lorne Greene jokes.
Lorne
Lorne was always reluctant to help Angel and his friends, preferring to maintain a neutral stance and simply provide a peaceful place for all demons, but his essential goodness usually won out over his reticence. He started off by giving the characters advice and encouragement, but as time went on, he became more directly involved in the cases of Angel Investigations - even asking for Angel's help to avert the end of the world when Angel had severed ties with the rest of the group after Darla's resurrection - and his many contacts in Los Angeles' magical underworld prove useful. Lorne somewhat reluctantly joined the team in their mission to Pylea to rescue Cordelia Chase, discovering that he could incapacitate the natives by singing songs and causing them to cower from "the strange noise." On leaving, he decided that returning to Pylea had been good for him as it had reaffirmed that he did not belong there and was right to stay away.
Angel Investigations
Caritas was raided by Charles Gunn's old gang and was temporarily put out of action, finally being completely destroyed by Daniel Holtz. After that, Lorne decided to move into the Hyperion Hotel with the Angel Investigations team, and his skills in diplomacy and aura reading were of great use to them, and he also often looked after the infant Connor while Angel was on business. Eventually, he left to start a singing career in Las Vegas, but left after a crime lord forced him to use his empathic abilities to locate audience members with promising futures so he could steal them. During the ensuing fight, Lorne himself smashed the item holding everyone's destinies and returned them to their rightful owners. Back in L.A. after being rescued by Angel, Gunn and Fred, Lorne helped restore Cordelia's lost memories and was part of the fight against the resulting Jasmine crisis.
Wolfram & Hart
When Angel took over Wolfram & Hart, Lorne found himself the new head of their Entertainment Division, at first fitting into the job with relative ease and making various business deals in the film industry, as well as organising the Wolfram & Hart Halloween party (Although this event was nearly disrupted due to Lorne's subconscious manifesting as a dangerous monster after he had his ability to sleep extracted). As time went on, his kindness was slowly replaced by a growing cynicism and self-loathing of his position of "cheerleader" for Angel and his friends, particularly when Gunn was abandoned in a Hell dimension to recover Lindsey McDonald because Lindsey could possess information they needed; Lorne had always assumed that they didn't leave anyone behind.
When his close friend Fred was murdered and her body usurped by the Old Ones known as Illyria, Lorne became filled with despair which he kept secret from the rest of his equally heartbroken friends. He finally announced that he planned to leave Los Angeles after carrying out his part in Angel's plan to destroy the Circle of the Black Thorn. When Lorne learned what his part was to be, he told Angel "I'll do this last thing for you, for us... but then I'm out, and you won't find me in the alley afterward. Hell, you won't find me at all. Do me a favor. Don't try." Lorne's part was to betray and murder longtime enemy-turned-ally Lindsey, who in his final words muttered at the unfairness of being killed by Lorne, a "flunky", and not his longtime rival Angel.
In his final scene, after shooting Lindsey with a silenced pistol- stating that Lindsey would never be 'part of the solution'-, a disgusted and broken Lorne walks off into the darkness. He drops the gun and simply says "Goodnight, folks" as he leaves.
Lord of Silver Lake
Lorne, Lord of Silver Lake
Lorne, depressed after killing Lindsey, is wandering the streets of L.A. when the entire city is banished to hell by the Senior Partners in retaliation for the deaths of Marcus Hamilton and the Black Thorn. He simply flees in a demonic taxicab instead of assisting against the resulting demonic invasion. However, the cab is destroyed and Lorne finds himself watching civilians in "Silver Lake" fighting back. Inspired, he assists them with his vocal powers. Though they are soon joined by a sorceress, many Silver Lake residents die before a permanent demon-free area is established. The people elect Lorne as their leader, and Lorne goes to lengths to make his territory a Heaven in Hell.
Lorne tries to remain neutral as Angel battles the various Demon Lords that had overtaken the rest of Los Angeles. However, he soon changes his mind and throws in fully with his old friends, reforming the Angel Investigations team when Angel faces the other Demon Lords' champions. The Demon Lords are slain and Lorne becomes the chosen ruler of all of L.A (although he admits that he has only been given the job because Angel feels that he wouldn't be good at it, despite even Lorne considering Angel the better candidate).
Later, Lorne and the entire town are sent back to Earth, all slain are now alive again. Only memories of Hell remain. As with his friends, Lorne is now famous for his good deeds.
In Volume #18 of "Aftermath," it was mentioned in passing by Angel to Connor that Lorne was "putting his life back together." He is briefly seen entering the door of a business.
Sacrifice
- “He had the heart of a poet and the soul of a warrior.”
- ―The Groosalugg[src]
A short time later, Lorne learned he had developed cancer, something unheard of with his kind, possibly due to his long time presence on Earth or doing something "that was completely and utterly against [his] nature'"—murdering Lindsey. As he sought Angel, Lorne became embroiled in a conflict with three entities—Discord, Disharmony, and Cacophony—who attempted to destroy all dimensions by shattering the "Music of the Spheres", which kept all realities in order, taking advantage of the recent disruption caused by the Senior Partners undoing the Fall of Los Angeles. Angel, Illyria, the Groosalugg and Lorne, with the aid of Cordelia the dragon face the trio, who released three notes which would destroy the universe, by causing its "center" to unbalance. As reality became fractured, Angel prepared to sacrifice himself, only to be told by Lorne that he would be unable to do so because of his lack of singing talent. Singing, Lorne jumped into the portal, thus becoming the new center for the Music of the Spheres, and saving reality.
Afterward, Angel and Groosalugg told the rest of the Angel Investigations staff of Lorne's sacrifice, which had also instilled some level of harmony within reality itself, as if "all the sorrows had been wiped away", according to Angel. Angel remarked that Lorne was one with the universe now, though he preferred to believe that Lorne could still hear them and that he knew how much they missed him. Indeed, Lorne, from his new residence, could hear them and replied, "Oh, I can hear you, Angelcakes, and it's music to my ears."
Post-Twilight
After the Twilight crisis and the end of magic, Gunn told Angel of what the other members of A.I. had been up to since he last saw them, with Gunn remarking that he didn't need to tell Angel what happened to Lorne because he already knew[1].
Powers and abilities
- “When you sing you bare your soul and he can see into it.”
- ―Wesley Wyndam-Pryce[src]
Lorne was capable of reading people's auras, as well as their futures, while they were singing, humming or whistling. He used this power to set them on their path in life. Lorne could
Lorne attempting to read Cordy to find out why her visions were becoming dangerously physical
also read their thoughts and emotions when he did this, although he had an ability to read basic details about auras even without the need for singing and could read detailed information about people who were in extreme emotional distress without them singing. His powers did not require conscious effort, as he was capable of sensing Holtz's plans to blow up Caritas just by hearing him whistle, as well as Wesley's plans to kidnap Connor by hearing him hum a lullaby.
Lorne had excellent hearing, and could hear outside the normal human range, going as far as to tune into transmission frequencies. He could also generate vocal tones in frequencies harmful to human ears and adjust it to different effects, from shattering glass and damaging light bulbs to destroying demons. Like the rest of his species, Lorne was immune to the intoxicating effects of normal alcohol, but could be affected by certain magical brews. Nonetheless, Lorne regularly consumed alcohol to the point of being an alcoholic, favoring Sea Breeze cocktails.
Like the rest of his people, Lorne had the ability to survive the complete removal of his limbs and even beheading, unless his body is mutilated after the dismemberment.
Lorne's head
For unknown reasons Lorne is also capable of tolerating music, which to the rest of his species would cause agonizing pain. He has also claimed to be able to hold a note indefinitely.
When Lorne's ability to sleep was removed, his powers were altered; instead of sensing destinies, he began to write them, granting him a sort of suggestion power. He inadvertently altered Spike's cynic personality into optimistic and super-positive, made Wesley and Fred act drunk despite having had very little alcohol, made Gunn literally "stake out his territory" by urinating all over the Wolfram & Hart building, and influenced Angel and Eve to have sex with each other. As well as this, his subconscious, unable to cope with the conflicts Lorne usually handled in his sleep, then manifested as a physical projection which possessed superhuman physical attributes, the manifestation attacking those that caused Lorne's anger, including himself. These powers were lost when Lorne's ability to sleep was returned to him.
Also if one of his horns were damaged or removed it could grow back in a matter of days.
Sexuality
Lorne has an ambiguous sexual orientation, and is the only member of Team Angel who never had any romantic relationships. Though he frequently flirted with his A.I. teammates (especially Angel), the series never made it clear which way he was inclined; however, as the only female of Lorne's race shown was his bearded, masculine mother, it could be that Pylea has different views on genders and sexuality than Earth. Andy Hallett has claimed that Lorne loves "all humans." During his last appearance, Lorne stated that he regarded Angel as the "undead brother [he] never had".
Lorne's behavior is stereotypically homosexual, as seen in his love of showtunes, music divas, and affectionate pet-names for people such as "honey" and "sugar." He comments on more than one occasion that his heart is in his ass, a playful double-entendre given the ambiguous sexuality and camp flamboyance of the character. However, several moments in the series hinted towards Lorne's heterosexuality. In Belonging, Lorne tells his cousin, Landokmar of the Deathwok Clan, that he flirted with girls and "gathered a little love" while they were out hunting. At one point, he told Angel that he would go straight for Cordelia if she had a "thing" for green. In Underneath, he confessed an attachment to Fred, remarking that he started drinking when "a girl [he] loved" was dying; although this is not necessarily indicative of romantic love. Given all the hints, Lorne may be bisexual.
Behind the Scenes
- He was portrayed by Andy Hallett.
- He appeared in 76 episodes in total, 46 as a guest and 30 as a regular character.
- After the actor's death, the character was given a farewell too in a special one-shot by IDW Publishing, although they intended to retire the character for a while out of respect for Andy Hallet, they suggested the character would return eventually. After the Angel comic licence moved to Dark Horse Comics the future of the character became unclear.
- His favorite drink is a Seabreeze.
Gallery
Appearances
References
- ↑ Family Reunion, Part 1
External Links
- Template:IMDb character