Malak Coldblood

**Malaharin** 'Cold-Blood' **Kovath,** known in his early life as **Malak** and in his later life as **Malachar**, was a swordsman and hemomancer, horseman, militia leader, and eventually undead cult leader.

## Life as Malak

### Formative Years

He was born in the Fallo, near the city-state of *Deralth*, in 1527 TE, to Hinava and Theüs Kovath, smiths. He was christened with the Euluska name *Malaharin,* meaning "gracious" or "welcoming". You would anglicise this name as **Malachar**. Malak, as his nickname became, spent his early years training with his parents' swords and joined the local militia at the age of 18. The ruling family of the town of Deralth, a family of the ancient and noble house of *Decimus,* recruited young people from the surrounding countryside to form a standing army in case of attacks by other voyvods (city states).

### Decimus Militia

Malak soon proved himself as a cunning tactician and keen swordsman and horse-rider, a perfect fit for the militia. He rose the ranks over his 15 years of service to become captain of the local noble family's defences. He led the horse riding militia to battle on several occasions, and had a stellar record. He was a power-hungry man and incredibly ambitious, but a great tactician.

### The Moor Riders

 —Malak kills one of his men for cowardice.

In 1560 TE, the matriarch of the Decimus noble house, Aresilia Decimus, revealed herself to be a member of the Oracles, a fascist group that subsequently took over the city of Felonil. Some months later, the Lakayan Federation (led by the Night Watch) invaded Felonil to liberate the people, topple the government, and declare the city the new City of Halcyon. Aresilia Decimus was killed; the family fell into shame and ruin, and the family in Deralth fled. Malak and his soldiers were now well-trained, capable, and money-hungry, but had no one to pay them or employ them. So, they turned to banditry and mercenary, using their skills to become a freelance group called the Moor Riders. They travelled the Fallo on horseback, becoming the scourge of travellers and the tool of the wealthy from the 1560s to the early 1570s.

### Best Friend, Pegasus, and a Sword

In late 1561, Malak met his confidant, best friend, and right-hand man, Elluin Ethanderal, an elven weather-mage. The two would tell a story about how Malak tried to rob the lone travelling wizard, Elluin disarmed him, but then they both started laughing and agreed to work together. No matter how it *truly* happened, they became thick as thieves. During this time, Malak travelled alone to Rakkimar (continent) and tamed a wild pegasus, which he named Amffergaled. Amffergaled was a noble, pure white winged horse, fast and graceful, coveted by many. Also, some time during the 1560s, he came into possession of a silver sword known as The Moor Rider's Sword, a silver saber that left no visible wounds, controlled the minds of the weak-willed, and filled its wielder with a thirsting hubris.

### The Moomyns

In 1579, Malak, Elluin, and the Moor Riders attacked a caravan just outside of Abavale in the Fallo, where the Moomyns Party impromptu-formed to fight his forces off. The party captured Elluin - Malak tried to betray his best friend by shooting him to stop him becoming a prisoner and tell his secrets, but the party saved Elluin's life. They kept Elluin as a prisoner for some weeks, and the group's healer fell in love with him, before during an altercation, he fell to his death outside an abandoned tin mine near Treviso. Anyway, Malak and the party fought several battles, including where he burned down the tavern in Abavale to try to get back at the group. Exactly how this skirmish ended is lost to history, but everyone on both sides eventually passed out of memory by the early 17th century when the God Wars began.

If Malak hadn't died before the God Wars, he almost certainly died during their early years. His pegasus escaped and interbred with local Fallonese and Lakayan horses, creating a lasting lineage of native pegasi.

## Death and Deal with Ormander

 —Malak, speaking on his visit from Ormander in the afterlife.

Whilst wandering endlessly in the Txegoduat (field of reeds afterlife) as a wandering shade forever, Malak was visited by an apparition of Devil Prince Ormander. Exactly why Ormander chose him, no one knew (Only Ormander did - perhaps it was for Malak's ambitious nature, perhaps it was for his blood magic, perhaps Ormander could see the future, being a devil prince?). Ormander promised Malak gift of eternal life if the man brought the devil the Shroud of Heinrich, the blood-soaked veil that the lich-god Heinrich once wore. The shroud was said to hold power over life and death.

## Life as Malachar

In the mid-twentieth century TE, or the 200s C (*Collapse Era*), Malak was returned to life, almost four centuries since he had born the first time. He took his christened name, *Malachar*, and Ormander led him to Rakkimar, where the Shroud of Heinrich was purported to be. Malachar set out in establishing a cult to help him - Order of the Crimson Shroud.

### Another Death, and Unlife

In 245 C, Malachar and the Order attacked the village of Ushtirn on North Anticosti Island, looking for the location of the Shroud. The cult suffered heavy losses, and Malachar himself was actually killed by a goblin defender named Mordred Marrow. His body was taken by the cult. Eight long years later, the cult sorcerers **Esthric** and **Valaska** used a ritual to bring him back to un-life, though now his flesh was decaying and he was as much skeleton as man. He spearheaded the search further.