NPC Profile: Malus *CORRECTED!*

Malus is an individual who has been around for a very long time. He is a large human male of great strength and imposing presence. It is known by the party that long before their birth, Malus was a warrior in an ancient age who was forced to eat the heart of a demon in order to survive a battle in which all of his men had been killed. Originally a valorous warrior, Malus accepted this fate because of a promise he made to one of his soldiers to take a message back to the soldier's beloved. Consumption of the heart changed Malus both physically and spiritually forever.

By the time the PCs meet Malus, he is an anonymous gentleman farmer. He makes the acquaintance of Brixmore during Brix’s apprenticeship as a cleric. Later on, the entire group encounters Malus, who is staying as a guest with the haughty, racist centaurs who kill Hirsute MacGuffin and assault the other party members who are trying to return the centaur chieftain (Proudtail)’s son (Stonehoof). Upon learning of the centaur’s treatment of the PCs, he orders Chief Proudtail to have his shaman reincarnate Hirsute as Chris Tennison. This pull that Malus, a human has among the xenophobic centaurs leads the party to believe he is more powerful than your average farmer.

Malus learns that the party is heading for the famous Tower of Puzzles, and asks the PCs to retrieve a suit of blue enamel armor for him. Chris Tennison finds the armor, and Malus catches up to the party in the city of Britewater, where they give him the suit. Donning it, he almost immediately engages in a fight with Faust, who was in the city unbeknownst to the party. It is heavily implied that Malus covets Fausts’ magical glove which allows him to utilize more than one magic ring per hand. To our knowledge, this glove is completely unique.

What Malus does not know is that at the top of the Tower of Puzzles, Chris Tennison also obtained the Imperial Scepter, an implement that allows the wielder complete control over the wearers of the enamel armor of various colors. Chris Tennison does not realize the power of the scepter, and does not use it against Malus, but unfortunately, the party loses the scepter when they are captured in Compassgate by Faust and Cardinal Nikolai. Although the party escapes, Nikolai retains possession of the scepter, and it is believe that he uses it to make Malus his errand boy.

The party sends a messenger to warn Malus of this fact, but when the party follows up on the mission, they are dismayed to find Malus’ farm in shambles, and the messenger's dead body on the property. This is the last they hear from Malus for several years, until the battle for the Basilica of Larst, when Nikolai, who reveals himself to the world as Argoth, Lord of Hell, summons Malus to engage the party in battle. The PCs manage to overcome Malus at this juncture, but they do not kill him. Instead, Malus escapes, bloodied and beaten. When the party defeats and banishes Nikolai, they can find no sign of the Imperial Scepter. It is unknown at this time what has become of this artifact, and Malus remains at large.