[quote=@Dead Cruiser]
Edit: second Q: does a Dark Artifact have to be an object? What if it was a concept, or a quality of a person? Specifically I'm asking if a character possessing the "blood of the Dark Lord" would work. I don't have a lot riding on this, just a curiosity. 
[/quote]

That'd be fine. I'm pretty open to what people come up with.