Malek

"The pleasures of the flesh are no longer yours. You have but one purpose, damned one; you will serve us for eternity."

- Mortanius

Malek the Paladin is a recurring character who serves as an antagonist in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and returns as a minor character in Soul Reaver 2. He was the human Guardian of the Pillar of Conflict, and became the leader of the Sarafan, founded to cull Nosgoth's vampire population. Malek led the warrior inquisitors, including Raziel and Turel, in their fanatical vampire purge while sponsored by his peers in the Circle of Nine.

After his defeat during the slaughter of the Circle at the hands of Vorador, Malek was held personally responsible for the catastrophe by the remaining Circle members, and his soul was subsequently fused to a suit of armor by Mortanius. Forced to serve as the unliving Ward of the Circle, Malek's wraith met his demise prior to the collapse of the Pillars; he was once again baited into combat with Vorador at Dark Eden, who permanently laid him to rest.

The Wrath of the Righteous
"Malek – defender of the Nine and last of the Sarafan sorcerer-priests. His vanity led to the slaughter of the Circle at the hands of the vampire Vorador. For his failing, his spirit was fused to a hellish set of magical armor. He has allowed no member of the Circle to fall since."

- Moebius



As the Conflict Guardian, Malek was born and summoned to serve the Pillars of Nosgoth upon the death of his immediate predecessor. Charged with defending his fellow Circle members, he "vowed allegiance to their protection". In Nosgoth's early history, when the land's vampire population rose sufficiently enough to attract the Circle's attention, the Guardians instated a monastic order of warrior-priests, the Sarafan, to combat their menace, and Malek – having hunted vampires "for hundreds of years" – became the brotherhood's leader. The direction of the "righteous paladin" resulted in many victories during the vampire purge.

Malek commanded the warrior inquisitors Raziel, Turel, Dumah, Melchiah, Rahab, and Zephon. He himself became "known as a ruthless and cold blooded murderer by enemy generals and, particularly, by the vampires who he and his Sarafan cohorts hunted relentlessly". His devout fanaticism would ironically spell his demise; the vampire Vorador, enraged at the murder of his kindred, stormed the Sarafan Stronghold and vengefully slaughtered six of the Guardians. They screamed for Malek, but to no avail, and when Malek finally arrived, he was handily defeated; Vorador spared the "pathetic little shepherd", leaving him to a worse fate. Mortanius, the Death Guardian, soon punished Malek's failure by fusing his soul to the metal of his armor.

Malek was condemned to serve the Circle for all time as a Wraith; now deprived of his Humanity, he grew ever-increasingly obsessed with destroying Vorador, whose actions had condemned him to this grisly fate. Over the ensuing centuries, Malek lost the trust of his fellow Guardians, wishing only to find a way to recover his humanity. As the last of the Sarafan, he took up residence in an isolated stronghold perched atop a high northern peak, which was dubbed Malek's Bastion.

Utilizing mechanisms within the fortress, Malek was able to weld the souls of other long-dead soldiers to suits of armor similar to his own. His home, "a land so harsh and utterly devoid of life" was, fittingly, characterized by its extreme inhospitability to Vampires; it housed only Malek's Warriors and innumerable traps, and was blanketed by driving snow which burned his adversaries' flesh.

An Eternity of Suffering
Kain first encountered Malek five centuries after the Slaughter of the Circle, when he set out to kill the Guardian of the Pillar of the Mind, Nupraptor. The Mentalist, having grown weary of living and doubtful of Malek's ability to defend him in light of his previous failure, dismissed the Ward and fought Kain alone. Kain, however, recognized that Malek's threat would have to be abated before he could slay the rest of the Guardians, aware that they would not all so readily shun his protection. Thus, heeding Ariel's counsel, Kain made Malek his next target. Infiltrating the Bastion, Kain battled his way through the Sarafan wraiths, ignoring Malek's disembodied taunts and eventually disabling the machines that created his minions. Before confronting the Paladin, Kain stumbled upon a frozen skeleton seated on a throne; the Ward commented on how "it is not often that a man sees his own corpse", but added that he was far more interested in Kain's death than his own.

The two engaged in a fierce duel and proved to be evenly-matched; Kain held his own, but could not afflict any lasting damage to the disembodied spirit. Their stalemate forced Kain to flee, knowing that eventually he would weaken from lack of blood whereas Malek could continue to fight without rest. The deranged Ward grew frustrated with the impasse and attempted to bring the entire Bastion down with a mighty wall of destructive energy, thus hastening Kain's retreat.

The Slayer of Vampires
"Never! I'll hack you from crotch to gizzard and feed what's left to your brides..."

- Malek

Realizing he could not defeat Malek through conventional methods, Kain sought out the famed Oracle of Nosgoth - Moebius the Time-Streamer - at Ariel's suggestion. In response to Kain's request for advice, Moebius claimed it was Malek's vanity that had resulted in the slaughter of the six Guardians, and directed Kain to seek out Vorador in the Termogent Forest. Later, when Kain assaulted Dark Eden in search of the Guardians Anarcrothe, Bane and DeJoule, Anarcrothe panicked and summoned Malek to his aid. In retaliation, Kain summoned Vorador to hold off the Ward as he pursued his fleeing peers.

Enraged at the sight of the Vampire he blamed for his damnation, and eager for a chance at vengeance, Malek neglected his quarry and instead fought against Vorador. The elder Vampire asserted that he was Malek's true master, and commanded the Ward to "grovel" before him. Malek retorted that he would hack Vorador "from crotch to gizzard" and feed his remains to his brides. Though Malek proved much more challenging an opponent to Vorador than he had in their previous battle, he was nevertheless defeated, and finally slain. Kain took Malek's Helmet - his Pillar token - and used it to restore the Pillar of Conflict.

Shadows of My Skill
"Malek, the great Sarafan warrior. I had met him before. His sword and shield seemed to have gone astray."

- Kain

2000 years onward, in the second timeline, the Pillars of Nosgoth had collapsed and the majority of the land had been conquered by Kain and his six Vampire Lieutenants. Raziel, Kain's executed first-born "son", had been revived to exact vengeance upon his brothers and master. After destroying Melchiah and Zephon, Raziel happened upon the "once impenetrably sealed" Tomb of the Sarafan in the southwest, exposed by the ecological cataclysms Nosgoth had suffered over time.

Within, he discovered a profound and terrible secret; he and his fellow Lieutenants had been Sarafan Inquisitors in life, the leaders of the Brotherhood, interred here following their deaths two-and-a-half millennia before. Sarcophagi existed for Raziel, Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah. There was also a named place for Malek, but neither a coffin nor a corpse existed. Pronounced claw marks could be observed on the edifice displaying his name; presumably, it had been scratched by Kain in anger when he first stole into the Tomb, as he harbored a fierce disdain for the former Conflict Guardian even after his destruction. Fortunately for Malek, he was spared the fate of Raziel and the others, presumably because of Kain's disgust for him and/or because there was no corpse for Kain to reanimate.

In the third timeline, when Raziel confronted Moebius in the Sarafan Stronghold during Nosgoth's early history - seeking retribution for Janos Audron's murder - Malek held him at bay, as the Time-Steamer claimed he posed a "danger to the Circle". At the same moment, distant, sudden screams and cries for Malek could be heard above Vorador's unmistakable laughter; this moment coincided with the Slaughter of the Circle. Malek wished to rush to the Guardians' aid, but Moebius insisted he "hold fast", thereby delaying him from reaching the Guardians' chamber in time. Contrary to what Moebius had told Kain, Malek's zealous trust in the devious Time-Streamer was what had resulted in his damnation, not his own vanity.

The time-traveling elder Kain later discovered a statue of Malek in the Sarafan Stronghold of the fourth timeline, and - much to his chagrin - was forced to "restore [Malek's] dignity" by returning a sword and shield to the tableau before passing further.

"Lord Moebius, there is trouble within. The Circle is under attack –"

- Malek

Development
Malek was voiced by Neil Ross in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and by an unknown actor in his brief Soul Reaver 2 appearance.

There is continued inconsistency between various official sources as to precisely when Malek became the Guardian of the Pillar of Conflict; the frequently-asked-questions section of The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain, by Silicon Knights, states that though he was originally a mortal human recruited to protect the Circle, "he came to embody the spirit of conflict, and became that pillar's "representative" in Nosgoth". This account is supported by the Prima guide Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain: Official Game Secrets, which stipulates that he was never a Circle member in life, only becoming Conflict Guardian following his rebirth as a wraith.

In contrast, lore introduced in Soul Reaver 2 shows that the Balance Guardian is born almost immediately following their predecessor's death; assuming the Conflict Guardian role operates similarly, there is an incongruity, as there was no Conflict Guardian was slain in Vorador's attack for the reborn Malek to suceed. Chris Bruno of Crystal Dynamics has clarified that the three Guardians who survived Vorador's onslaught were Moebius, Mortanius and Malek, and suggested that Malek's becoming a Guardian after being fused to his armor is a misconception, but conceded that Silicon Knights' FAQ is clear that he became the Conflict Guardian some time after his recruitment.

However, Malek's entry in the same FAQ's "Players" section seems to indicate that Malek directed the Vampire Purge "for hundreds of years" while still alive; among humans, such immortality is a trait unique to Guardians. An earlier Conflict Guardian is introduced in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, further complicating the issue.

Powers
As Conflict Guardian, Malek was an excellent warrior, able to hold his own against Vorador in their two duels. Though not visible in his human life, the Paladin might known some magic spells which he could use to defeat his vampire enemies. As Conflict Guardian of the Circle, he was granted by immortality and youth to preserve his abilities. Though seen only with pike, Malek was probably trained in many other types of weaponry because he was also depicted with sword and shield in Defiance. In his BO1's cinematics of fighting Vorador, he was very strong and agile, possesing inhuman speed, able to capably battle a hugely experienced vampire.

Malek was known as a capable leader and credited as the leader of Sarafan Brotherhood (though it seems Moebius also had a hand in the running or the order) and last surviving Sarafan Inquisitor. Under his leadership, the Sarafan crusades brought vampire race to brink of extinction.

After his transformation into wraith, Malek was s tripped of his humanity (and "the pleasures of the flesh") and though he wished to recover his lost humanity he had ultimately lost the trust of the remaining guardians. Neveretheless, Malek was able to use some of the advantages of his status as undead and as Conflict Guardian and use his anger and sheer hatred to overwhelm his enemies. As illustrated in his battle with Kain, Malek didn't need to defend his body ( damage only caused him to disintegrate into pieces for a few seconds and form anew) so he was more focused on offensive attacks (though he did occasionally block). Malek was unmoved by most attacks inflicted on him and during his fight with Kain he disintegrated into pieces three times but he was still able to form himself again and continue the battle. D uring his fight with Kain, Malek was shown to use some magic powers resembling energy bolts and homing bolts that pursued Kain. At the end of their battle, Malek unleashed an even more powerful spell, using his pike to summon a powerful wave of blue energy destroying all in it's way (possibly including the Bastion itself). There was no defence against such assault and so, unable to defeat the wrathful Guardian, Kain was forced to escape.

During his final battle with Vorador, Malek used all powers from his battle with Kain but also shown that he could endure Vorador's spells and counterattack with his own. The Conflict Guardian could also predict the vampire's moves in mist form and defend himself from sudden strike, perhaps suggesting some other magical abilities.

Etymology
"Whelp! As if you knew what eternity was! Grovel before your true master."

- Vorador

During Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain's development cycle, Malek was initially named Guillaume, the French equivalent of William. The name William derives from Germanic roots meaning "will" or "desire" and "helmet/protection", highlighting the character's role as the timeless defender of the Circle of Nine. It is possible he was renamed to Malek to avert duplication with William the Just, the true identity of the Nemesis.

Malek itself is a derivative of the Arabic Malik, meaning "king" or "chieftain", which may refer to his role as the highest-ranking member of the Sarafan Brotherhood. Furthermore, Gustav Davidson's A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels states that Malik/Malec is a guardian angel of Hell in Islamic mythology, who told the wicked "that they must remain in Hell forever because they abhorred the truth when the truth was brought to them".

The names of Malek's six comrades, the Sarafan Inquisitors/Vampire Lieutenants introduced in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, appear to have been directly derived from Biblical figures, but it is unclear whether Silicon Knights drew inspiration from the Islamic angel when naming Malek himself.

Appearances

 * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (mentioned only)
 * Soul Reaver 2
 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance (mentioned and depicted only)