Malus

**Malus** is an Elf Eldritch Knight from the Elvedel Crownlands. He joins the party after they rescue him from imprisonment in the Separatist Lair. He is later crowned king of the Elven Empire  through the efforts of the party.

## Background

Malus had grown up the only son of the noble house Helmgar, within the Elven Empire and as such he had been born to a life of luxury. And yet he never knew what it meant to be part of a family, for his parents held no love for one another, their marriage the product of a political arrangement of which he and his sister Alesa were the result. He was considered a martial prodigy by his peers and his father. Anaras, a warmaster of the Silver Hand, had made it his mission to turn Malus into a fighter that would be the envy of all others within the Silver Hand. His mother, Lornath, however was a sorceress with a mastery over the arcane arts and she went through great pains to ensure that her son fulfilled his full potential as a spellcaster that would eventually join her within the Crimson Veil. And so, he spent his younger years learning from both, spending days and nights duelling his father's house carls, deciphering scrolls with spells, meditating, tapping into the latent magic in the air.

His parents demanded perfection from all that he did, and his mother nurtured an idea of superiority within him and filled his dreams with ambitions of greatness. She shared her dreams of one day controlling the Crimson Veil, she spoke of legendary weapons the likes of which would bring all those that stood against them and their dreams to heel. One such weapon was one of his family's heirlooms, the black sword, **Urathain**. It was said to hold within it the soul of a demon, but what perplexed and frustrated Malus beyond words was the fact that the sword rejected him time and time again, as it refused to reveal its power to him seemingly a normal longsword in his eyes.

Malus only ever found one comfort within his childhood, that comfort being the sweet embrace of his younger sister. She was the world to him, an innocent flower amidst a sea of thorns and he did his best to protect her from the abuse of their mother. Alesa was a kind and gentle soul who showed aptitude for neither magic nor fighting, instead focusing on the arts of poetry and writing, her favourite prose being that regarding history. That being said, there were many occasions where she served as a sparring partner for Malus, although he would always go easy on her, fearful that he would hurt her. He was content to be their parents’ focus so long as Alesa was safe and unharmed.

And so, he spent years training, earning the respect of his peers, and as the years went by his ambition and pride continued to grow. Many found his bluntness and lack of honeyed words to be a bit disturbing for he rarely spoke, yet when he did his words were cold and to the point. This existence continued for decades until one faithful day when his family's manor came under attack by what seemed to be a group of brigands. Under normal circumstances the guards would have been more than enough to deal with them, but these brigands were reinforced by adept mages that cut down the guards without a second thought. The fighting continued with Anaras and Malus eventually joining the fray themselves. The fighting continued for hours with House Helmgar eventually succeeding over them all. In the aftermath of the battle, his father had retired to his study, promising to find those responsible as he asked Lornath to help him interrogate the prisoners they had taken.

As the night continued to press on, Malus began to hear whispers, beckoning him to his father's study. He felt a great cold as he entered the room, he saw a pentagram drawn in blood, at the edges hovered the bodies of the mage prisoners and at the center was the black blade, embedded into his father's broken body. He stared at it for what seemed like an eternity and the whispers grew louder until they grew into a cacophony of screams. He did not know how long he had stood there before his mother crept up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance. She motioned towards the blade and began to promise him all that he desired as she began to whisper sweet nothings into his ear. He found himself taking a step towards the blade, reaching out towards the black hilt. He heard maniacal laughter as he closed his grip and pain enveloped him. He fell onto his knees, the pain excruciating as thousands of burning needles seemed to pierce his skin, meanwhile his mother stood before
him laughing as the blade began to engulf him.

He felt a
great anger as the image of his mother burnt itself into his mind, he was reminded again and again of the torment she had made him go through. He began to slowly regain his footing amidst the pain, until he finally stood up, so lost was his mother in her madness that she did not notice him raise the sword until it was too late. He stabbed her through the stomach, the blade pushing deeper and deeper as blood slid down the hilt and onto his hand.  Hearing the commotion, the remaining guards rushed into the study, coming upon the horrific scene, Malus did not attempt to explain himself instead engulfed in a raging bloodlust as he cut them all down, one after the other.

He rushed out of the study and raced to the courtyard slaying all those that stood in his path, none held the strength to challenge him, until a hooded fighter stood before him. Malus rushed forwards recklessly, seeking only to slay this challenger. Their blades clashed, crimson sparks flying forth from Urathain, scorching the ground around them. The challenger was small in stature, yet he quickly and precisely dodged Malus’ incoming attacks and even managing to parry some of his strikes. The two continued their fight and Malus remembered that he was laughing maniacally as every strike connected, as his opponent managed to land a hit, Malus realised that for the first time, he was alive, truly alive, nothing mattered only himself and his blade. The fight continued with neither one of them seemingly gaining the upper hand, until finally Malus let out a surge of magic energy in the form of a thunderous wave forcing the fighter to lose his balance. Malus took advantage of this opening, slamming into him and
striking him down in a downwards slash.

The slash broke through the challenger’s armor, shattering it with a ringing sound as the metal rings that held the chainmail broke apart. The hood was thrown back and Malus saw the bloodied face beneath. He began to shake and shiver as he saw the face of Alesa broken and bloodied. She tried to speak as she raised her hand trying to reach him, the exertion proving too much; she fell. Malus rushed without thinking holding her in his hands as tears streamed down his cheeks, he began to sob, doing his best to wipe the blood from her face all the while apologising to her, ignoring the fact that she was already dead. Thus, it came to pass that in the span of one night, House Helmgar was reduced to a shell with Malus the last living member. Malus could not bear to believe what he had done and ran away taking with him the blade and a picture of his sister. He ran, never looking back, doing his best to get as much distance between himself and what he had done, and yet he could not bring himself to abandon the blade, he swore to himself that he would one day gain control over the blade or die trying. He isolated himself for years, becoming a warrior for hire that took part in a great many of the conflicts that occurred from the smallest of skirmishes to the greatest of battles.

It was in one such skirmish where Malus gained the title of The Accursed, he had been hired by a lord to help retake a bridge from an organised group of bandits. He had been accompanied by a dozen militia-men. At first he had been told that it would only be two dozen bandits, yet this information had proven to be inaccurate as the number was more along a hundred. The militia-men were dismayed but Malus merely chuckled as he stepped forth and unsheathed Urathain, the blade pulsed with dark energy as he charged into them in a flurry of blows and flashes of magic. Malus had been in exile for 200 years at this point and believed that he was strong enough to wield Urathain. He was wrong. As the same bloodlust overtook him, he fought for hours until finally only he stood, the men that had accompanied him looked upon him fearful of what he was. They referred to him as the accursed and none could bear to look at him. Malus paid them no mind however, as he began to notice that the magic around Urathain had changed somehow diminished and the glow faded until only the red crystal remained.

He continued his journey seeking to hone his skills and face stronger opponents ever seeking to become stronger or die trying, yet the blade continued to ignore him. He was alone, lost in his exile. He spent the rest of his years haunted by what he had done and what he would do to those that challenged him and this was where his adventure continued....

## Story

Whist initially having kept the party in the dark about his past, as the story progressed Malus began to open up more and more to his companions.

Clearly being driven by guilt Malus would at times speak in a melancholic tone about the life he once lived in his family's keep in the mountains (which was later found to have been An Rath). He made it clear that he was once a noble, having discussed House Helmgar with Evan Cairne.

Malus frequently flew into fits of rage and bloodlust in the heat of battle, displaying his physical prowess. And yet it seemed to never be enough for the elf, who sought more and more strength, leading to the awakening of the black sword, Urathain, which began to speak to him in his head. The sword was tied closely to him and his bloodline. Malus would eventually reawaken the blade in the aftermath of the siege of Ashdun, and begin fighting its influence whilst attempting to "control" it with limited success.

The awakening of the blade also brought forth various changes in Malus' psyche. He became bolder and more bloodthirsty, constantly cursing both his weakness and the widening gap between himself and Castiel. This pressure continued to mount in the tunnels beneath the Mogul Caí, where Malus attempted to unleash Urathain's full power by refusing to sleep and focusing solely on feeding the blade and increasing its strength. At this point, the exhausted Malus' body began to give as he was racked by a persistent cough and a general deterioration of his health. This led to Malus beginning to experience hallucinations of his family that haunted him during the journey. With his mental faculties continuing to deteriorate, focusing solely on his guilt and desire for strength Malus described a few more details to the rest of the party about what had happened to his family. Claiming that it was his fault that they had died and that at the end he held his sister's bloodied corpse in one hand and the bloodstained Urathain in the other.

In the end, Malus was convinced by the others (mostly Castiel) to rest, as it would not do for him to continue only to end up dying of exhaustion or endangering the rest of the party. Although, the struggle against Urathain continued regardless.

The internal fight between Malus and Urathain reached a head during the party's trek through the Tarnished Wastes where Malus finally unleashed the black blade's power and in his bloodlust challenged Castiel to a duel to the death. Too overcome with his strength, Malus overestimated his abilities and was soundly defeated by Castiel. In the face of this defeat, Urathain finally revealed its true form, revealing itself to be the powerful monster known as The Ender of All. The party engaged the monster and with some difficulty finally managed to defeat it.

Upon falling before the party, the Ender sought to claim Malus' soul; engulfing him in a black maelstrom. The darkness and torturous winds continued to test Malus as he limped towards the wounded monster that continued to assail him with visions of his failures and his dead loved ones. His visions continued to blame him for what happened and belittling him for his weakness, but Malus pressed on, tearing through each successive vision. At the end, Malus was confronted by his sister's shade and yet Malus did not strike her down like the others, instead embracing the shade, which dissipated, revealing the broken body of the Ender with Urathain sticking out of its chest.

Malus was now faced with a choice: to destroy the blade and be free of its influence, or accept the blade's power and control and thus also be free albeit in another way. Malus approached the figure and gripped the blade's hilt, pulling the blade out to reveal the ruby in its hilt before bringing down the Mournblade (his other sword) and destroying the ruby, effectively ending the Ender's hold over Malus as the creature dissipated.

With the monster gone, the black maelstrom changed to a white plane as Malus was once again confronted by his sister, Alesa. She spoke to him whilst Malus fell to his knees and remained silent, ready to endure her anger and follow her into the afterlife. To his surprise his sister did not condemn him, rather she encouraged him, claiming that his focus on the past would serve only to destroy him, and whilst House Helmgar had faded from memory Malus had not. She told him that his duties to his house had long since ended, and what he did now was his choice.

The aftermath of this left Malus somewhat changed, caught between his past and his present, uncertain of what he wanted and what he was going to do. Facing his comrades with a calm and serene facade, Malus attempted to hide his insecurity and for a time he focused solely on facing Salakai and proving to himself that he did not in fact need Urathain to be strong. During this time, his bond with his allies continued to grow as he began to see the others as friends and attempted to take a more active role amidst the party, even going as far as to propose the assault on Lor Dulhir by Jarl Ragnar Dvergur whilst the party entered from the city's water gate.

The party arrived in Lor Dulhir's throne room with little to no problems, with Malus himself becoming more and more anxious the closer they got. Unable to sleep near the end, Malus chose to enter a trance during the rests for the two days before their arrival. So anxious was he that right before they entered the throne room, he asked Nemeia to repair Urathain, at this point uncertain that he possessed anything close to the power required to face Salakai and protect the ones that stood by him. Against her better judgement, Nemeia repaired the onyx blade, yet the blade itself no longer seemed to possess the power it once did.

And so the party entered the throne room and Malus came face to face with his target, issuing a challenge to the Dread Prince, who merely laughed it off, claiming that Malus was indeed strong although he seemed to have abandoned most of the strength that he once possessed. Instead Salakai, focused on Evelyn as he called out to her and revealed that she was in fact his daughter. Evelyn's eyes darkened and she began to make her way towards her father seemingly in a trance. **Malus** stepped in front of her claiming that he would kill Salakai before allowing him to lay a finger on the little one. Salakai merely chuckled as Evelyn pushed past Malus and stood beside the Dread Prince behind a force-field.

Thus began a battle between the party and the dreadborn forces that assailed them from all sides. The battle continued and at its zenith Salakai stepped out of the magical field and challenged the party, making his way down the hall and locking eyes with Malus. Castiel, Malus and Mei stood side by side ready to face the Dread Prince, but before anyone could act Malus charged forth blinded by his desire to prove his strength. This proved to be a fatal mistake, as Salakai merely parried Malus' strikes with Vash'toraz and the shadowy tendrils that engulfed him. With Malus tired and wounded, Salakai saw his opening and in three swift strikes brought Malus to his knees, seeking to use Malus as an example as he stabbed him through the chest. And so the last Helmgar passed from this world, his blood seeping down the blade of the Dread Prince.

Subsequently, the rift finally opened and the barriers between this world and The Slip came crashing down. The Dread Queen stepped through, feeding on the power of the Precursor Weapons that the party possessed and rendering them dull and lifeless. The dreadborn hordes piled on towards the party, but Mithrawen appeared protecting the party and saving them as Castiel began the resurrection ritual to save **Malus**.

The details of what transpired during the ritual are unknown to Malus. All he saw was darkness, and a pinprick of bright light that guided him back. He found himself laying down at the summit of a mountain surrounded by a radiant light. Beside him knelt; Castiel, Namfoodle and Mei. In the distance staring at him stood Nemeia, and beside her Mithrawen with her back turned to him and Lapu who seemed to be surveying the surrounding area.

Malus struggled back to his feet, not knowing what had happened and how he had been brought back. When the group explained, he expressed gratitude that they had gone this far for him even if he felt like he didn't deserve it. Mithrawen took the party to a quiet place where they could rest and recover. During this time, Malus took to training with the Solari; Aerisa, although due to his weakened body he put up very little in terms of an actual fight.

While recovering, Malus also came across a domed shrine in the small village, its walls possessing a tapestry that Malus assumed depicted the First Dread War. Covering both sides of the circular room, to the right it showed Salakai wielding his black longsword as he led his army forth on its conquest, and to the left stood an elf leading forth an army and wielding a gold-tinted broadsword. The two sides met at the opposite edge of the shrine and beneath them rested a broadsword hung on the wall above a shield with an ornate design of blossoming petals. Malus attempted to reach for the broadsword although he was stopped by the sounds of footsteps behind him. He turned around to find himself face to face with a pale elven woman. She did not speak and yet her eyes showed a terrible sadness. When Malus asked her who she was, she did not answer, instead kneeling in-front of the sword and focusing solely upon it. Malus decided to leave her alone, not wanting to impede further upon her privacy.

As the days passed, Malus learnt of what happened after his death and made his decision. He would no longer fight for his own strength, but he would fight to rescue Evelyn and save her, unlikely as it might be. Yet he knew that he did not possess the strength on his own and decided that he would speak to the mute elf, whose name was Lirael, the keeper of the sword. He did not know what he would say, all he knew was that he felt like he needed to say it, and so accompanied by Namfoodle, Malus returned to the shrine and knelt beside Lirael. At first he was hesitant but as he knelt there he began to speak, accepting his weakness and claiming that he did not deserve the power or friends that stood by him. Whilst saying this, he finally came to terms with who he was and what he wanted, and asked that she bestow the sword upon him even if he felt that he was unworthy. Despite this impassioned plea, Lirael remained silent, instead leaving after a brief pause.

The day eventually came where the party had to depart for Silverthorne. While they stood behind Lapu, who was preparing to use the Sling Ring, a solitary figure approached. Lirael came forth holding the sword and shield, made her way towards the party and bestowed them upon a surprised Malus, who accepted them promising that he would prove worthy of them and what they represented.