Malakhia d'Zarnagon

Malakhia d'Zarnagon
Malakhia.png
Profile
Status:	Alive (as Godslayer)
Age:	Unknown
Race:	Archdemon
Gender:	Male
Class:	Red Mage
Nation:	Demon Realm
Faction:	Clergy of Mardük (as Malakhia) Fire Lizards (as Malakhia) Grey Cult (as Godslayer)

"Why did I do all this, why did I influence the events in this world, guiding all the destructive villains in the process to shape the fate of this world? I did it all, because I saw a vision of a future and of the part I am going to play in it. I am the FUTURE of this world!"

—Malakhia d'Zarnagon, to Omaroch d'Zarnagon

Grand Duke Malakhia d'Zarnagon, sometimes known as Rage, was an ancient archdemon who managed to cheat death several times. He was the husband of Grand Duchess Nhrakate d'Zarnagon and the father of Omaroch d'Zarnagon. He caused much grief while he roamed the earth, and he eventually orchestrated a grand plot which led to his resurrection as the Godslayer.

Biography

Early Years

Malakhia reigned as the Grand Duke of demons for a long time and fathered many children, including his youngest son, Omaroch. He was betrayed by his power-hungry wife Nhrakate, however, and cast out of the Demon Realm into the world of mortals.

At some point he lost his memories and began using the name Rage as he wandered around the world. Some say his amnesia was caused by being forcefully cast out of his grand duchy, others say it was some psychological manipulation by Nhrakate. Whatever the real reason was, he couldn't remember his past self. Despite losing his identity, he was still as cunning as ever and soon put his skills to good use.

Rage always appeared as a mere servant behind greater menaces such as Yurius but was actually pulling the strings in the background, playing gods and various mortal factions against one another.He faked his death many times in order to fool his opponents, and this worked every time. Despite many seeming failures, all of these actually served to further his grand goal to take over the world one step at a time. However, his Rage persona was often his greatest obstacle because it manifested his demonic bloodlust and often made him temporarily forget his real goal and made him concentrate on senseless slaughter.

Darkness Within

Sinister Plans

"Wherever you are, demon, I shall find you and your friends, know that! When we meet again, I will not be as merciful! Be prepared to meet your creator soon!"

—Malakhia, to Omaroch d'Zarnagon

Malakhia got his memories back after the Explosion thanks to the burst of magical energy caused by the collective deaths of the Andain. began plotting to take over the world in full force. He took the identity of a noble Remonian knight named Cedric Malak and allied with a rogue group of knights called the Fire Lizards. His intention was to locate the Dragon Diamond and use its powers to revive the dark dragon Frazzn'korth and force the world to submit under his rule. Then he would take his new legions and reconquer the Demon Realm and make his wife pay for her treachery.

His newfound ambition forced him to act against the interests of the Order of the Black Rose and his youngest son, Omaroch, who happened to be around at the time. The father and son clashed a few times before Malakhia's seeming died at the temple of Shakkan. However, Malakhia had only faked his death and bided his time in the ruins while he let his minions in the Fire Lizards to do the job for him. It was around this time that he finally realized that Omaroch was in fact of his son.

Showdown

"How dare a weakling like you stop me from realizing my dream?!"

"Because someone has to."

—Malakhia and Omaroch d'Zarnagon

Once the Fire Lizards had succeeded in their goal to locate powerful artifacts which to use with the Dragon Diamond, Malakhia dug himself out of the rubble of the collapsed temple and took the artifacts with him while Omaroch finished off the remaining Fire Lizards. He confronted a group of heroes led by Omaroch at the Ruined Kingdom, about to revive Frazzn'korth at long last, and told him how they were related. He asked Omaroch to join him and take over the world, knowing that such ambition was what every demon would dream of.

However, to Malakhia's surprise the once selfish Omaroch had changed by then and no longer wished to harm the world he had learned to love. This infuriated Malakhia who promised to crush everyone who tried to stop him from realizing his dream. The resulting battle was epic in scope, and he even killed the goddess Heath and many of Omaroch's friends in the process.

Just when all hope seemed lost, Omaroch harnessed the power of his slain friends and with their help he was able to battle evenly with Malakhia for a while. Despite Malakhia's rage, Omaroch utilized his newfound power, the love of his family and friends, to gain necessary strength to sacrifice his lifeforce to thwart Malakhia. The archdemon could hardly believe how strong his son had grown, and he was sucked into the Dragon Diamond in the blink of an eye, only a moment before he would've released the dark dragon.

Omaroch threw the Dragon Diamond into a nearby stream and left the Ruined Kingdom behind in disgust. The diamond remained hidden for decades with the spirits of Malakhia and Frazzn'korth trapped within. However, Malakhia was not yet done. When he had realized that he would lose the battle against his empowered son, he had managed to transfer a part of his spirit into the swords Inferno and Smaragdos which he had wielded. Everything turned out just as he had planned when Omaroch picked up the swords and took them with him. Malakhia knew that as long as the artifacts, the two blades and the Dragon Diamond would be brought together in the Ruined Kingdom, he and Frazzn'korth would be released from their prison and resume taking over the world.

Distreyd Era

Spirit Advisor

"Son of Darkness, the time has finally come! Witness the birthright of all the Children of Mardük!"

—Malakhia through Smaragdos, triggering Refan's first transformation

Malakhia's spirit was quite powerful, and he manipulated Omaroch's subconscious by making him leave the two swords for his sons Kareth and Refan. Other demons soon forcibly took Omaroch back to the Demon Realm to be brainwashed, and Malakhia did whatever he could with his remaining spiritual powers to make sure that the blades would never leave Kareth and Refan's side.

This manipulation continued throughout the years as Malakhia's spirit influenced both Refan and Kareth (who eventually became known as Zarnagon) subtly through the two blades by making the two men hear voices in their heads. These voices goaded Refan to begin his path towards his inner, half-demonic darkness through various means such as making him drink blood and kill in a frenzy. Meanwhle the voices also made Zarnagon aware of the existence of the Dragon Diamond and fueled his ambition to find the artifacts necessary to set Frazzn'korth free.

Rebirth

"The time has come at long last! A new era where I will rule supreme!"

—Malakhia

Unbeknownst to both men Malakhia also used an ancient prophecy for his own ends by turning Refan and Zarnagon into each others' archenemies. He hoped that this conflict would provide the necessary, prophesied catalyst which would tranfer his essence to one of the swords and thus bring him one step closer to revival. The plan turned out to be a success when Refan and Zarnagon fought a brutal duel during the Second Battle of Myridia in their demonic forms. As a result Malakhia's essence was transfered into Inferno, Zarnagon's blade, and his power over Zarnagon grew exponentially.

Zarnagon and the brainwashed Omaroch, who had been acting as his and Refan's guardian under orders from Nhrakate, left for the Ruined Kingdom to revive the dark dragon and use the dragon's powers to help Mardük while the horrified Refan fled with the now depowered Smaragdos to Remon. As soon as Zarnagon and Omaroch reached the Ruined Kingdom, however, Malakhia fueled Zarnagon's ambition even more and goaded him to betray Omaroch and Mardük. It turned out that the grandfather and grandson shared similar interests to rule the world without Mardük's meddling, and they stabbed Omaroch in the back.

Malakhia and Zarnagon realized their grand dream by merging with the dark dragon Frazzn'korth. The three consciousness transformed into a dreaded being which would become known as the Godslayer. In the end Malakhia's vision of the future came true as the emergence of the Godslayer caused the Cataclysm and ushered in a new era: The Age of Emptiness.

Godslayer Era

Main article: Godslayer

Aliases and Nicknames

Cedric Malak

Malakhia's alias after he had assumed the identity and looks of the real Cedric, the leader of the Fire Lizards.

Rage

The name Malakhia that used while he was suffering from amnesia.

Appearance

Malakhia's form changed over the years, but his later human form resembled a middle-aged, white-haired man who wore a red armor. Think of an older Freddie Mercury in a fantasy setting.

Personality and Traits

A cruel, intelligent and manipulative person. His complex plots and his charisma made him into an archetypal magnificent bastard.

Powers and Abilities

Malakhia's powers were immense although he preferred to save his full strength for demanding battles. He was one of the most powerful red mages, and the difference between him and an ordinary red mage was that he was a skilled warrior and he also knew many high-level black and white magic spells, making him even more powerful than an average pure warrior or pure mage. His swordsmanship skills were beyond anything most people had ever seen.

In his guise as Cedric Malak he could summon minor fire elementals and he could not be harmed with fire at all. He could even absorb people's Innate Abilities and add them to his already impressive arsenal. In his full demon form he was very powerful and could renegerate quickly. He could breathe fire and fly for a long period of time. In short: he was an unstoppable killing machine.

However, his major flaw was his arrogance, and he was eventually bested by a group of people who worked together to defeat him. He had not anticipated co-operation among his enemies and that turned to be his downfall.

Relationships

Antigonus de Ardyn

Malakhia's plans were often thwarted by Antigonus and the Order of the Black Rose. The man became a nuisance but Malakhia's minions failed to assassinate him. However, Malakhia soon discovered a way to get rid of such a powerful opponent by making him fight against Omaroch instead. This action helped Malakhia ensure that Omaroch would eventually destroy Antigonus and the Order.

Arawn Losstarot

Malakhia (as Rage) occasionally appeared in Arawn's mansion and hinted at a way how to tap power from Mardük. He hoped that Arawn would eventually leech enough power to accidentally set Mardük free, and then Malakhia could use his god Mardük and Arawn as a means to destroy his opponents in the Demon Realm. The plan backfired when Kagetsu I slew Arawn with Krystallopyr although it did result in the Explosion which wiped out the Andain who had been Malakhia's greatest opponents.

Belial de Ardyn

Malakhia managed to influence Antigonus through Belial. He also found out about Belial's connections to Vanna and ensured that demons would eventually find their way to the desert city. Belial was not happy working with demons, and his association with Malakhia eventually made him understand the threat Omaroch posed, but it came too late as the Order had already been decimated by then just as Malakhia had wanted to happen all along.

Cedric Malak

Malakhia ended up meeting a knight named Sir Cedric Malak in Remon. He saw ambition in the man and eventually tricked him and took his identity. Cedric was sent into an asylum, and Malakhia thought he would never see him again, but this turned out to be false when Cedric arrived with Omaroch to the Ruined Kingdom and gave his life to put an end to Malakhia's plans.

Drishnek

Malakhia (as Rage) kept a close eye on Drishnek and used his connections to influence Taro Ofuchi. He hoped to use Drishnek and the Underworld as a means to grow an undead army, but this plan failed when both Ofuchi and Drishnek were killed by the Fellowship of Miletos.

Frazzn'korth

Malakhia found his match in Frazzn'korth who was as devious as he was. Both planned to use the other for their own ends, but things backfired when they ended up inside the same Dragon Diamond where they remained until Kareth d'Zarnagon transformed them and himself into the Godslayer.

Jemuel

Jemuel used various smaller demons who did his bidding, and it was Malakhia (as Rage) who had provided him with these creatures. Malakhia hoped to weaken the state of Cardia by backing up Jemuel who predictably usurped power in the kingdom.

Kareth d'Zarnagon

Malakhia found a good target in his grandson Kareth who he manipulated to set him free. His influence twisted Kareth's mind and eventually ensured his victory when Kareth released him and Frazzn'korth from the Dragon Diamond and fused into the Godslayer.

Nhrakate d'Zarnagon

Malakhia and Nhrakate got along so well that Malakhia did not even realize he had been betrayed until it was too late. He lost his memories during his banishment from the Demon Realm and only realized millennia later that his wife had betrayed him. This led to Malakhia's plan to wipe out the demon race with the help of Frazzn'korth.

Omaroch d'Zarnagon

Malakhia had never cared much about his progeny. Omaroch messed up his plans several times, and infuriated him. Malakhia revealed that he was in fact Omaroch's father prior to their climactic duel in the Ruined Kingdom. Despite their bloodline Omaroch fought against his father and sealed him into the Dragon Diamond.

Shakkan

Malakhia really pissed Shakkan off when he sent his minions to steal the Dragon Diamond and slaughtered several of Shakkan's dear Dire Wolves. The two had two duels, but each time Shakkan lost because Malakhia was leeching power from the Dragon Diamond. He caused Shakkan much grief by single-handedly slaying Heath, a minor goddess who had been Shakkan's dear friend.

Sydney Losstarot

Malakhia (as Rage) partially influenced Sydney to start a world-wide war of conquest, and he backed up Sydney's faction and helped it rise to prominence in Lea Monde after the death of King Renu Nefarious.

Taro Ofuchi

Malakhia (as Rage) was instrumental in helping discover the magic sword Krystallopyr which ended up in Ofuchi's possession for a while. He used Drishnek to provide Ofuchi with various unholy creatures that did Ofuchi's bidding.

Yurius

Malakhia (as Rage) worked for Yurius, but even in his amnesiac state he secretly plotted against Yurius although his demonic side made him want to destroy as much stuff as possible.

See also

• Cedric Malak
• Darkness Within
• Dragon Diamond
• Fire Lizards
• House of Zarnagon
• Inferno
• Order of the Black Rose
• Shakkan
• Smaragdos
• Yurius