Harry Dread
A Dark Lord, but not one with the budget or following to rule the deep dark dungeons under Thangorodrim or Barad-Dur. In fact, Evil Harry Dread is more of your "bargain-basement" Dark Lord.
He respects the Code, he takes care to recruit suitably stupid sidekicks, and his relationship to a barbarian hero is therefore as subtly nuanced as that between a God and a demon. (This has been described as being like that between a terrorist and a freedom fighter).
He is one of only three members of the original party who definitively survive the Silver Horde's assault on Dunmanifestin. He, the Minstrel, and Vena the Raven-Haired witness the end of the Last Heroes, and all are left with the knowledge that the day of the barbarian hero on the Disc is all but done - the world no longer has the time and space for them.
Harry may be Llamedosian by nationality, as he cites an address in Pant-y-Girdl as his in-between-Dark-Lording-jobs resting place.
His minions (not henchmen as they are too stupid to hench) at at time of The Last Hero:
- 2 Stupid Lizard Men both named Slime
- Armpit - Dwarf (a very rare stupid dwarf)
- Butcher - human, jailer
- Dats Me! A Troll who forgets his own name
- Gak - A zombie with no tongue
Annotations
Evil Harry's name resonates with the film character Dirty Harry.
His Evil Overlord status and references to the Code are also reminiscent of the now-famous Evil Overlord List, a guide for aspiring Evil Overlords which comprises rules designed to prevent the overlord from falling into clichéd movie traps - an example from the list being:
"I will instruct my Legions of Terror to attack the hero en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time."
Contrastingly, Evil Harry seems to follow a Code which adheres him to these movie clichés - e.g. his very stupid henchmen.