Flavor for a Hexblade

[shadowoflameth]

Working on a Hexblade and trying to base the flavor around the specter thing. I'm thinking of Nerull for a patron since he's the dead god. The idea is that he was an urchin for background and has become a warlock by finding out that his family was wiped out when they failed Nerull. He discovers the secret altar to his patron in their ruined house and has made the pact himself. He sees the specters of his ancestors and learns that Nerull once gave them prosperity and made the pact by divine intervention, but now that Nerull is the dead god, in order to reap the full reward of the pact, he must find a way to restore Nerull to his full power. Failure means condemnation as a specter or worse.

I'm not necessarily set on Nerull. I considered Orcus too, but what other patrons might be appropriate for a hexblade?

 

[Satyrn]

If you're human, one of the nine rings would keep closer the idea the hexblade being a powerful, cursed weapon. Though, that's more wraith than spectre.

And of course, it might be a little too Tolkienesque.

 

[gyor]

Raven Queen, the version in MTOF is an obvious one, but I'd add Princes of Shade (the returned Netherese Empire that is in tatters right now).

For Death, shadowy Gods Myrkul, Kelmvour, Bhaal, Jergal are all interesting. Elven Gods Naralis Analor, Sehanine Moonbow, Valandra Gilmadrith all have the Grave Domain, which is thematically similar to Hexblade Patron, you could also go with a Drow Deity Patron.

Or Buck divine Patrons all together. My personal preference would be a Mummy Lord or a Skull Lord, yes this intrudes on the Undying Patrons turf, but arguably Hexblades link to the Ravenqueen already did that.

 

[grimslade]

I like to think of the Hexblade patron as nebulous and unknowable. This is the power behind Black Razor. It creates weapons that keep souls from journeying to their final destination in the Outer Planes. In some ways, making the Patron antithetical to gods, devils, and demons. But the multiverse is not awash in crates of Black Razors, they are unique weapons of unsurpassed rarity and reknown. So the Patron is not challenging the gods, but cherry picking some choice souls. For what purpose? The Hexblade is merely another tool in the Patrons kit.
So to piggyback off of your origin, maybe your urchin dicovered an altar to Nerull, but it is nothing like the Fanes of the Reaper in established temples or even the shrines of the Druids of Father Winter. It is a heretical, cultish altar that names the Patron, Nerull, but it is not. The urchins family was trading in souls or destroyed hexblade artifact for gold. The Patron claimed their property, their lives and their very souls. So the urchin thinks he is cursed by Nerull and makes sacrifice and offerings at the secret family altar. The Patron offers power for service, letting the urchin assume he is indebted to Nerull.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

You also could consider something related to war, like a general in the armies of Archeron, particularly if the PC is a half-orc. The specter is the spirit of an orc leader that achieved great things and then failed epically (if not for those pesky PC's), and is serving you as penance. Ditto something like a Valkyrie and the specter is the spirit of a warrior called to die in battle who died in a mishap while charging the enemy (slipped and fell and broke his neck), and needs to "die" in battle to make Valhalla.