Malkizid

Malkizid was a powerful fallen solar and exiled archdevil who resided in the Blood Rift. He was also called "The Branded King", because of the constantly bleeding wound on his forehead given to him by Corellon Larethian.
==Description==
Malkizid appeared as a nearly tall humanoid with marble white skin, a pair of huge wings that shed shabby gray feathers, and a long serpentine tail. His hands and feet were gray with bird-like talons. Two black horns curled from the sides of his head, and a long mane of hair fell down his back. Malkizid's humanoid face could have been considered handsome, except for the cold black pits that were his eyes and the large mark that was been branded (by Corellon) on his forehead that trickled a seep of foul blood.
In the , his human guise was tall, well over six feet, and sturdy of build. His skin was marble-white, even paler and more colorless than that of a fair-complexioned moon elf. His hair was long, black, and straight, and his eyes were large and absolutely black, with no hint of pupil, iris, or white. He wore a long crimson robe embroidered with gold designs, and he carried a large silver sword point-down in one hand, keeping it close by his side. A small trickle of dark blood ran down his face from some unseen injury in the center of his forehead, but Malkizid paid it no mind. He was a pale swordsman dressed in black robes, his wounded forehead showing only a thin line of dark blood that evening.
His natural form was a tall and regal shape seemingly sculpted from living marble, with vast gray-feathered wings and talons in the place of his hands. His noble mien was marred by the black, seeping wound that gave him the name of "The Branded King". A dreadful king with pale skin and great gray wings confronted Fflar Melruth's group, bearing a terrible black sword. Dark blood seeped from a wound or mark on his brow, and a guard of devils and yugoloths simpered at his side. The infernal lord studied the two elves with his black eyes and a predatory grin. Facing Araevin, he was a tall, pale seraph as cold as marble. A seeping wound marked his forehead, dripping black blood.
==Personality==
Malkizid was clever, hateful, and patient. He was also domineering, clear-headed and sadistic as seen when he savoured Sarya's wrath towards him and then her inevitable disrobing at his persuasion. His control over his emotions was high, but was honest in his hormonal desires.
He was delighted in using gifts of power to ensnare those whom he wished to defeat, leading to his enemies down the paths of their own destruction, to savour the irony.
==Abilities==
Malkizid possessed a +3 mithril shirt and a +2 silver unholy bastard sword. He could cast destruction and evil domain divine spells. But his favorite weapons were honeyed words and seductive promises, only resorted to open battle when directly threatened by a foe who refused to be caught in his psychological snares. His personal combat was second to the most powerful archdevils and demon princes.
==Activities==
Since both Lolth and Corellon were beyond his power, he took his vengeance out on their mortal followers. For thousands of years, he had subtly been the cause of many troubles for the elves of Faerûn. It was speculated that Malkizid sought to create divisions within the drow by encouraging independent thought, whilst at the same time prompting them into conflict with surface elves.
Malkizid possibly sponsored individuals within the Eldreth Veluuthra, encouraging their wars against humans.
As a former high solar of the Seldarine, Malkizid possessed great knowledge of elven lore, spells and craft, even mastering mythalcraft and music. However, knowing the bloodline limitation set in most ancient elven devices and items, he did not use them unless a fallen elf exchanged for the knowledge or provided the "main components". Contrary, he was susceptible to elven high magic. His golden, beautiful voice alone subconsciously improved favorability among humanoids.
==Relationships==
He absolutely despised Lolth (and her drow), whom he blamed for his fall from grace thousands of years ago. He hated, but also feared, Corellon, because he thought that Corellon could have shown him mercy, but instead expelled him from Arvandor into the Nine Hells.
He had spies exist in all known elven realms for espionage, to recruit or corrupt powerful elves and sow seeds of dissension wherever practicable. But his notably two agents were the female half-sun elf/yugoloth fighter Niss'nley (daemonfey) and the male draegloth rogue Dheembleth (drow). Niss'nley was a daughter of one of Malkizid's yugoloth subordinates named Tremmor, and a former lover of Malkizid. The "rescued" Dheembleth was personally trained to be Malikizid's most trusted assassin who slayed female drow clerics and kidnapped powerful drow males for his lord.
==History==
Malkizid was a high solar in the service of the Seldarine alongside the twin solars Lashrael and Felarathael. Around -30,000 DR, he was seduced into betraying Corellon by Araushnee (Lolth), but was cast into the Nine Hells and branded for his betrayal when Araushnee's rebellion failed. There he quickly rose in the hierarchy of the Hells and soon controlled his own dominion.
At some point, thousands of years ago, Malkizid earned the disfavor of Asmodeus and was then exiled from Nine Hells. A small host of devils followed Malkizid where he set up his infernal realm in the Blood Rift, the native plane of yugoloths. He was a yugoloth lord and archdevil in exile, and therefore had baatezu and yugoloth minions.
Around he was secretly the patron of the Vyshaan lords of Aryvandaar and taught them powerful magic, teaching them about the mythalcraft. He abandoned them and retreated to the infernal hells around -9200 DR. He also encouraged them to aggression against the other elven realms of the First Flowering. At an unknown time, he once taught Saelethil Dlardrageth his spell lore.
Later, he worked to capture the sun elves of Siluvanede in his plots. As part of this effort, he formed a pact with a group of fey'ri to become their warlock patron. Eventually, Malkizid's greatest success came during the Weeping War in 711-714 DR. Three of his powerful nycaloth servants summoned by Netherese arcanists in -1200 DR carried out his plan to destroy Myth Drannor.
In the , Malkizid made his way to Faerûn and set himself up as the hidden lord of the devils of Myth Drannor while plotting more schemes. In the , Malkizid was the secret instigator of the recent daemonfey attack on Evereska and their eventual conquest of Myth Drannor through Sarya Dlardrageth. At the end of the conflict he was narrowly defeated, but not destroyed, in battle by Araevin Teshurr over the third shard of the Gatekeeper's Crystal.
==Appendix==
===See Also===
*Zariel
===References===
Category:Inhabitants with a 27 challenge rating (3e)
Category:Inhabitants of lawful evil alignment
Category:Males
Category:Inhabitants of the Blood Rift
Category:Inhabitants of the Nine Hells
Category:Inhabitants of the Outer Planes
Category:Inhabitants of Arvandor
Category:Archfiends
Category:Archdevils
Category:Fiend patrons
Category:Fallen angels
Category:Solars
Category:Rulers
Category:Lords and Ladies