Lord Boreal is the secondary antagonist of the His Dark Materials trilogy.
Oriigns
First book
Lord Boreal only appears somewhat briefly in the first novel, at Marisa Coulter's party. He wants to talk to Lyra, seemingly attracted to her even then. He is hinted to be very perverted, he gloats over the attraction he has to Lyra and offers to help her. She refuses and he is never seen until the second novel.
Second book
Lord Boreal returns as the secondary (yet main) antagonist under the pseudonym Sir Charles Latrom. He lives in Will Parry's world, our own world (Lyra's is in a parallel universe). Sir CHarles, Lord Boreal, knows about other worlds, and has found a gateway from his world to Will's.
Lord Boreal meets Lyra again at the Oxford museum, and he charms her with his charisma. He is again attracted to her. Lord Boreal attempts to encourage Lyra to come back with him to his house, and talks to her about trepanning and other acts which are exhibited in the museum. Lord Boreal appears very friendly but Lyra's daemon Pantalaimon warns her of Lord Boreal's hidden agenda, yet unknown.
Later, on the run from the police, Lyra runs into Lord Boreal again, and he shelters her. He again shows his attraction to her, and wants to seemingly be sexually involved with her. Lord Boreal takes her in his car, and escorts her to the portal, but on the way, he steals Lyra's alethiometer. She gets it out to consult it but finds it gone. So after an outburst with Will, they go to reclaim the alethiometer.
Lord Boreal here first shows his true evil nature for the first time. He snaps at them for turning up without his permission and he threatens to call police because Will is wanted to murder and he knows it. Lord Boreal then reveals he has a daemon of his own which is a snake, but only Will sees it, and knows Lord Boreal must be from Lyra's world. Shocked, he then plans to steal the alethiometer, only to find when they break in that night Coulter is with Lord Boreal in cahoots with him. Lyra hears Lord Boreal talk about using the Spectres to conquer worlds.
Will and Lyra get the alethiometer back at the cost of Lord Boreal seeing their escape.
Later in the book, in another world, Lord Boreal is seen being besotted by Coulter's beauty, and he is seen by a witch being poisoned by Coulter when her back is turned. Coulter and Lord Boreal pledge each other's fake love, (at least, Coulter's love is fake) and eventually the poison takes affect. Lord Boreal dies in a gruesome manner.
Last novel
Lord Boreal's corpse is seen by Will when he goes to find Lyra. Lord Boreal is now decomposed so much he stinks. Will avoids him. It is assumed Lord Boreal is one of the ghosts Will and Lyra free from the Underworld.
Trivia
- His name is linked with icy cold, such as the Boreal Ocean in prehistoric times in the North. Fitting his character who is a cold arrogant thief.
- He appears in all three books.
- He is arguably the Bigger Bad in the second book due to his influence.