Ezekiel Malachi

Wife - Meredith Malachi

Son - Cleobulus Malachi

> ***"No Cleo! This knowledge does not belong to the people! It has no place in their mind! They need not know of the world before - knowledge of what was is our burden to bear - ours! All we can do is try our best to re-attain what we lost - to provide for our people what our ancestors took from them! A good, peaceful life - living in nature, as a part of it! To let them know of what was would cause them to be overcome with suffering. I can not allow this Cleo. This is not the child I raised, now stand back while I burn to ash this abominable collection." - Ezekiel to Cleobulus upon finding The Underground Arcanum***
>
>

Ezekiel Malachi, Cleo Malachi's father, was a researcher, warlock, and founder of the Council of Sages. He spent the early quarter of his life wandering the wilderness until his people came upon the ruins of Old Vassos. It was then he organized and founded The First Sage Council of Old Vassos.

## The Mycellian Stronghold

Ezekiel's first years were spent in a stronghold built a few years before The Mallus went off. While world powers labored over the God's Malice, the common folk of Uvonor grew increasingly nervous. Eventually the construction of strongholds built by several different construction companies began in various spots throughout Uvonor. One of these was on the lower west coast of modern day Northern Congeria - a stronghold built by Frost-Beard Brothers Construction. Rurik Brothers were prominent strong hold constructors pre-mallus. However, many of their strongholds were known to have been destroyed by The Mallus.

Fortunately The Mycellian Stronghold in Northern Congeria was just strong enough to withstand the blast and protect its people. However, the blast nearly destroyed the building, and it was in imminent danger of collapse. The entire group of people evacuated not long after, as the building was slowly falling apart. Unfortunately the damage sustained to the building caused the death of a few individuals, two of which were Ezekiel's parents - Damian and Eurycleia Malachi.

The group after this came to call themselves as The Wanderers. Ezekiel, who was only twelve at the time of leaving the stronghold and losing his parents, quickly came to surprise the entire tribe. The boy had a knack for knowledge and learning. He was quickly adaptable, and magically capable from a young age. A few of the elder members of the tribe found this suspicious, but before long Ezekiel had won over the entire tribe. He was a protector and guider, and at the age of only 17 he officially became leader of The Wanderers.

During his first years leading he became close with a woman named Meredith. Meredith came to be a personal healer and confidant of Ezekiel, and she along with Periander Myus served proudly alongside Ezekiel. The three became very prominent and well-known figures in the tribe.

## Discovery of the Ruins

After nineteen years of wandering, the tribe came upon the ruins of the ancient city Vassos, in the northern region of Congeria. The tribe stayed there for a fortnight, in the ruins of an old bathhouse and slave quarters. The rest of the ruins were filled with terrible creatures, and these were the only buildings that were somewhat safe.

After having stayed for four days, Ezekiel - along with Meredith and Periander - went out to explore the ruins. They killed any creatures which stood in their way, claiming the streets of Old Vassos. As creatures saw the power of the three, they sunk and scattered into the desecrated buildings of the holy city.

Eventually they made their way to a huge and charred marble building, which rose high into the sky. At the top of the building was wreckage and precariously placed debris- the building appeared to have been partially destroyed. Ezekiel wandered further, opening a big double set of marble doors, while Periander and Meredith followed behind. Then, as Ezekiel went into the next small room which held only another double set of doors opposite the entrance, the marble doors slam shut loudly behind him as the small room began to fill with water.

   Meredith and Periander were stuck outside, as the wild beasts saw the group's most powerful get locked behind the deadly Arcanum doors, doors from which no adventurer had ever returned before. The creatures slowly emerged from their hiding places, approaching Periander and Meredith intimidatingly. Panic set in for the two of them. Periander drew his staff, Meredith took out her daggers - and they readied themselves. The creatures drew closer - and closer, and then - they were on each other. Each one of the entangled in the sweet dance of life or death.

Ezekiel did not allow himself to panic. He looked at his surroundings and took a singular deep breath. With that breath he allowed himself to accept what was happening, and he calmed himself for that brief instant. A second later and his eyes were open, looking at everything in the room, trying to decipher how to stop it. Then he saw.

On the wall was movable engravings of the moon cycles and constellations. Ezekiel quickly realized he had put everything in it's correct astronomical positioning. He got to work. Moving the old and heavy carvings along the wall, he slowly put them all in position, just as the water was about to overtake the entire room. When he completed the puzzle, the entrance opened again, spilling all of it's water out on the bloody Meredith and Periander. They had survived the onslaught, but only barely.

Nonetheless, they were able to continue, and the three of them entered the Grand Library of the Arcanum, where a majority of essential records were kept. They quickly realized what they had discovered- a haven of knowledge about the old world and it's gods.

It was Periander who convinced Ezekiel to tell The Wanderers to stay in Old Vassos so they might unlock all The Arcanum's secrets; though Ezekiel was at first was afraid of causing a schism, he resolved that he couldn't resist what information might lie in the Arcanum.

He ended up doing exactly what he feared, however, when half the tribe called Ezekiel a madman. They took Meredith and Periander's injuries to mean that this was too dangerous a place to stay. And so, half The Wanderers left that day. The other half stayed, and became Old Vasoans.

## Forming The Council

In Old Vassos' founding years, it was very much under strain. Luckily the fruits which grew on the trees, and roots of certain flowers and plants kept the people adequately fed. Ezekiel and Periander led other skilled mages of Old Vassos in a campaign to completely cleanse the ruins of any other creatures. After that, the two led a small council of judges that would go from ruin to ruin, assessing the damage done. Sometimes the damage was minimal and easily repairable, other times it was impossible and those ruins were destroyed by the council. After they were collapsed, the council would take the pieces with a team of stronger Vassoans, and use them to repair less damaged ruins and construct a bridge over the river which ran through the ruins; further, after Ezekiel's times, the people of Old Vassos would use the stockpile of materials they had left over to start constructing new buildings in a movement called The New Vassos Project. Altogether moving into Old Vassos took a few years, but by the end of it Ezekiel had not forgotten the Arcanum.

He knew that it held worthwhile knowledge, and so he found it easy to make the decision to try and study its information. For a while, only Ezekiel and Periander studied in The Arcanum. Soon they realized that the two of them alone could never adequately study everything they came across and decide what information was important and what wasn't. Ezekiel decided that he would create a council which would work together to study everything in the Arcanum.

Ezekiel first proposed the idea of the council to Periander, who admitted that the council was necessary. However, Periander held reservations against the council. He argued in an age of darkness and stupidity, knowledge was an extremely valuable asset. Further, he said, it's not exactly common for a group of powerful old men with wealth to become corrupt. Ezekiel noted Periander's reservation, and for that reason tried his best to find the best men in Old Vassos - but even Ezekiel felt in his heart of hearts that his friends words were true.

The first man Ezekiel sought out was said to be the wisest men of all The Wanderers. His name was Sithartho Gatteo, a monk who was mastering the power of ki. When Ezekiel found Sithartho, who had taken residence in an old slave hovel - a small little thing that held his pile of furs on which he slept and a small table with makeshift chairs. Sithartho welcomed Ezekiel and brewed him tea while they spoke. Ezekiel told Sithartho of his plans - as well as Periander's warnings. Ezekiel beseeched Sithartho to come study with him, and to help him find the good people of Old Vassos who might not become corrupt and greedy. Sithartho, smiling, held out his hand and placed it on the stressed Ezekiel's shoulder. *'Say no more Ezekiel you old badger, I'll help any way I can - now drink your tea, it's getting cold!'*

With that, Sithartho and Ezekiel went to work finding other men to include in the council. The next man they sought out was Solon Atea. Solon was a poet, artist, and a druid in training. Solon loved the city of Old Vassos, seeing it as a miraculous haven for his people. He wrote at length of his love and wonderment for exploring the ruins of Old Vassos, and often painted pictures of the sun setting at the horizon, over the river which forced it's way through the old city. Solon was an easy sell. Ezekiel and Sithartho agreed on the purity of this man and they offered him a positioned. Solon even wrote a poem about it - *Dreams of the Past Reborn*. Needless to say, he accepted.

Next the two found Thales Mitellius. He was a rather quiet and unknown individual, but it was known that he had a extensive knowledge on astronomy and languages past and present. The usefulness of his skills was not lost on Ezekiel, who found Thales taking refuge in an old temple. Sithartho said of Thales *'He is not wicked in his disposition, but he is a follower, and will do what he is ordered no matter the circumstance.'* Ezekiel thought this apparently good enough, and Thales agreed to come aboard.

Picking started to become slim for Ezekiel and Sithartho as sought for intelligent among a relatively uneducated people. Finally, after some looking, they found the man Bias Priena. Sithartho said, *'He seems like a good enough man now, but remember Ezekiel. Great tragedy or duress can change any man. Bring him aboard if you wish, but know I hold my reservations.'* Despite this, Ezekiel offered Bias a position anyway. Meredith, who had by then married Ezekiel, studied herbs and potions under Bias for many years and the Malachi's were good friends with Bias. Bias accepted of course, and so Ezekiel had finished his council - or so he thought.

Late one night came a knock on the door - Chilon Atrapus. The Teacher he was called, for he often imparted knowledge on the younger ones in an attempt to educate them. He told Ezekiel he had heard of his plans to form a council and practically begged to be a part of it. *'Let me join Ezekiel, so I might teach the people. Knowledge should be shared not locked away - think of The Old Gods' teachings!'* Ezekiel yielded. Without even asking Sithartho's opinion, he offered Chilon a position on the spot. Thus, the first council was formed.

## Ezekiel the Father

When Ezekiel reached the age of 41, after he had finished settling his people into the ruins of Vassos - including establsihing the sage council and The Vassoan Guard, he married the woman named Meredith who had become a close companion for Ezekiel. Three years later, Ezekiel bore a child with the woman. He named him Cleobulus, after one of the old sages of Old Vassos, before it fell - when it was still called Vassos.

Ezekiel was a tough father, often criticizing his son and demanding perfection in every way. Young Cleo tried his best to conform to his father's demands, seeking only to please him, but never could seem to gain his father's approval. Ezekiel didn't spend much time with his son, and spent many late nights in The Arcanum and The Sage Tower with other Sages.

When Cleo moved out of his parents home at age 20, he began becoming more secretive towards his parents. One day, Ezekiel's son brought a strange man from the forest into Old Vassos. A man named Diogen. Cleobulus quickly became good friends with the stranger, which Ezekiel detested. He did not trust this outlander, who claimed to have no memory of his life before Cleo and his friend Periander found him in the forest. Thus, Ezekiel kept a close eye on the boy, and five years later when Cleo came to Ezekiel begging for help to save Diogen - Ezekiel refused.

The boy had come down with a strange illness, and a deadly one at that. Though he has suffered with it for five years it appeared he was finally out of time, he was lying on his death bed . Cleo asked to search the deep sanctums of the arcanum, hoping that down there perhaps there was some way to cure Diogen. Ezekiel refused, not only for fear of what the Deep Sanctums may hold, but also to see the mysterious and possibly dangerous man die.

Ezekiel and Cleo's relationship was never the same - it was never good, but it was definitely much worse after this. They didn't speak again until Ezekiel noticed that many tomes in Old Vassos were not correctly cetegorized two years later - but none of the sages would have done this thought Ezekiel, as he decided to stay late one night to see if his suspicions of an intruder were correct. They were, as only a few short hours later Ezekiel discovered Cleo sneaking into the Arcanum, past The Vassoan Guard, and into The Main Library of The Grand Arcanum.

Ezekiel followed Cleo after he transcribed several books of lore, and what he discovered shocked him. He found that Cleo had an entire hidden cache of stolen knowledge. Ezekiel was outraged. He felt that the people couldn't know this information, that it would soil their existence, to know the truths of the past. In rash anger he burnt down the entire collection in front of Cleo.

After that Cleo left Old Vassos altogether for a few years, and lived in the forest. He didn't speak or reach out to to his father again until years later when Cleo returned to Old Vassos. The spirits with which Cleo communed had told him that his friend was sick, and so Cleo returned to try and steal some cure from The Deep Sanctums.

Cleo descended into The Deep Sanctums, with Pittacus Myus following closely behind - knowing Cleo's goal and seeking to assist. Of course, Ezekiel was immediately notified by The Vassoan Guard of Cleo's sighting in the tribe. Ezekiel, too knew that Periander was ill and so he knew what Cleo was going to do. He came across Cleo and Pittacus stuck on a riddle in The Deep Sanctums. Ezekiel, knowing the old langugae the riddle was in, solved it after convincing from both the others.

However, in the next fateful room, Ezekiel lost everything. His best friend, consumed by the tremendous amounts of spiders which ambushed the group. His son, poisoned, and dying fell next to Ezekiel. In a moment of final desperation, Ezekiel summoned the dark power given to him years earlier by his evil patron. The spiders fell, vanquished by the power of The Devil.

Then he spoke to Ezekiel, bringing his sons dire condition to his attention. Ezekiel knew he would die, and he knew what Ba'al Berith was after. What he had always been after. With that, Ezekiel gave away all the forgotten knowledge he learned from The Arcanum, gave away his very sanity on The Edge of Life and Death to save his son. Next thing, Ezekiel was back in the Deep Sanctums, in the library at the end of the line of obstacles they had to face to access it.

Cleo stood across the room, bloodied and dirty, greedily holding a book in the old holy tongue - given to humans by Vasilias - Celestial. Cleo was shouting happily, then he noticed his father - he was crying, cluthing his head. When Cleo looked at him - he seemed different. HIs hair, instead of a white, had become an ashen black at it's base, and the black slowly faded to a blood red which was most prominent at the tip of his beard and long hair. His skin became pale white, almost like snow, and his eyes went black and lifeless - like two chunks of coal. HIs teeth sharpened into yellow fangs, and his nails sharpened to black claws. On his forehead, was a single black dot.

## Mad Ezekiel Malachi

After this event, Ezekiel was too insane to return to the Sage Council, and indeed no one ever did see poor Ezekiel again. Cleo made sure to keep his father shut inside his home so that none of the other Vassoan's would see the mark of the Devil. The only ones who would be allowed to see Ezekiel were his closest freinds, such as Bias Priena, Sithartho Gatteo, and Solon Atea. Neither Chilon nor Thales were allowed to see him, which caused great suspicion and drama.

The people of Old Vassos were told that Ezekiel and Periander attempted to explore The Deep Sanctums to cure Periander's son, however Periander perished and the shock drove Ezekiel insane. The people of Old Vassos lamented their Head Sage's condition, and were very sympathethic to Cleobulus during the rest of his father's life.

Ezekiel's sad life did not last long. Six years after the incident in The Grand Arcanum, a group of gnolls attacked Old Vassos. They came in horrifying numbers, overwhelming the Vassoan Guard. It was then that The Second Sage Council that Cleobulus formed over the six years joined the batte, and were able to hold off the gnolls for a short time. However ultimatley, the gnolls overpowered the Sages and threatened to destroy all of Old Vassos' people. It was then that Sithartho descended upon the streets of Old Vassos, and fought with such bravery and valor that stories of his legendary deeds have taken over Old Vassoan culture. Sithartho was then able to single-handedly drive off the gnolls, but sustained injuries which killed him in battle.

A short while later, Ezekiel was found lying dead in his bed at the age of 87 - slaughtered by gnolls. All of Old Vassos gathered when they put the two sages into the ground - many cried, all were heart-broken. It was shortly after that a statue was erected of Ezekiel and Sithartho, arms around eachother and smiling, in front of The Grand Arcanum. Likewise a plaque with both Sithatho and Ezekiel's names - as well as the rest of the sages - adorns the front of The Sage Tower of Old Vassos.