In  the Cardinal Ultimas, Captain Johnne, one of the reoccuring characters of the story, had three companions in his travels : Faulina, his fiancee, Nosfentre the warrior and Astarol the bard. After his ship, his crew and himself are sucked into the Underworld through a whirlpool, he has a nightmare with Mondain, Minax and Exodus. They twist his mind and convince him that to escape the Underworld, he must avenge them. He begins to think that Faulina is in love with Nosfentre, and using three shards of the Gem of Immortality (that he found on his boat), he kills them, and Astarol who is trying to convince him that he is wrong. They become the Shadowlords: Astaroth, Faulinei and Nosfentor.

   The Shadowlords personify the opposite of the three principles. They are Hatred, Cowardice and Falsehood and there is only three of them. In an impromptu UO event, players met more Shadowlords, but they should not be considered for historical purposes.

   The Shadowlords have appeared in the shard of the Beta test, and in fact, with the Guardian, took it over, bringing the end of the Beta test. They have not manifested themselves since then.