Malek

Malek the Paladin is a recurring character who serves as an antagonist in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and returns in a minor capacity 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 Sarafan commanders, including Raziel and Turel, in their fanatical vampire purge, while sponsored by his peers in the Circle of Nine.

After his defeat at the hands of Vorador, during the slaughter of the Circle, 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 engaged in combat with Vorador once again at Dark Eden, who permanently laid him to rest.

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

- Mortanius

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" – came to be the brotherhood's leader. The direction of the "righteous paladin" resulted in many victories during the vampire purge.

Malek commanded the elite 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 slew six of the Guardians who sponsored the genocide of his people. 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 formally punished Malek's "inaction" by fusing his soul to the metal of his armor. Purged of his life and freedom, and condemned to forever serve the Circle as a wraith, Malek grew ever-increasingly obsessed with destroying Vorador: his hate was "entirely focused on exacting revenge upon the vampire that caused him to be damned for eternity".

Having lost the trust of the remaining Guardians, Malek wished only to "find a way to recover his lost humanity". He resided in an isolated fortress perched atop a high peak in northern Nosgoth, which was dubbed Malek's Bastion, and reportedly "allowed no member of the Circle to fall".

An Eternity of Suffering


By the Blood Omen era, five centuries after Vorador's attack, Malek was recognized as the last of the Sarafan. Utilizing mechanisms within his Bastion, he welded the souls of other long-dead soldiers to suits of armor akin to his own. His home, situated in "a land so harsh and utterly devoid of life", was, fittingly, characterized by its inhospitable nature to vampires; it housed only Malek's Warriors and innumerable traps, blanketed by driven snow which burned his adversaries' flesh.

Kain first encountered Malek in Nupraptor's Retreat, when he set out to destroy the Circle members infected by the corruption of the Pillars. Malek blocked his path on his approach to the Mind Guardian, Nupraptor. "The Ward was sworn to defend the members of the Circle, and so if one of the Circle was threatened, Malek would appear to protect them". Nupraptor, however, invited his own death, and rejected Malek's services to fight Kain alone.

Despite this stroke of good fortune, Kain understood the long-term threat that Malek, the Circle's "shepherd", posed to his quest, and – heeding the counsel of his ally, the specter of the Balance Guardian Ariel – prioritized the Conflict Guardian as his next target.

Flying to the Bastion, Kain battled his way through the animated Sarafan wraiths, disregarding Malek's taunts, and he eventually disabled the machines that spawned the minions. Before confronting the Paladin, Kain stumbled upon a frozen skeleton seated on a throne; Malek claimed it was his own, but remarked that he was far more interested in seeing Kain's death.

The two engaged in a fierce skirmish; Kain held his own, but could not afflict any lasting damage on his foe. In the midst of their stalemate, the deranged Ward grew frustrated with the impasse, and attempted to bring the entire Bastion down with a mighty wall of destructive energy, thus compelling Kain's retreat. Realizing he could not defeat Malek through conventional methods, Kain sought out the famed Oracle of Nosgoth – who was, unbeknownst to Kain, the Time Guardian, Moebius the Time Streamer – at Ariel's suggestion.

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

- Malek



In response to Kain's demand for advice, Moebius explained Malek's backstory, saying that "his vanity led to the slaughter of the Circle at the hands of the vampire Vorador". He directed Kain to seek out Vorador in the Termogent Forest, and Kain complied, finding Vorador's Mansion. Vorador welcomed his fellow vampire, and "the decadent old fool prattled on about his past; a boorish account of how he defeated Malek of the Sarafan". He gave Kain his Signet Ring, with which Kain could summon him if in need.

Kain promptly traveled to Dark Eden, where the corrupt Guardians Anarcrothe, Bane, and DeJoule reigned. When he cornered them in the Dark Eden Castle, Anarcrothe panicked, and summoned Malek to his aid before teleporting away to safety. In response, Kain summoned Vorador to hold off the Ward, and pursued Bane and DeJoule.

Enraged at the sight of his archenemy, and eager for vengeance, Malek neglected his quarry to confront Vorador. They goaded each another, and engaged in a fight to the death. Though the wraith proved more formidable this time, he was still no match for the vampire. When Kain returned, after slaying Bane and DeJoule, he found only the scattered remnants of Malek's armor – "Vorador had finally laid his old adversary to rest". Kain took Malek's Helmet, his Pillar token, and used it to restore the Pillar of Conflict.

Two final reminders of Malek appeared during Kain's quest. In the Hell dungeon, Kain chanced upon another incarnation of Malek's corpse – the skeleton left behind when Mortanius fused his soul to his armor. In Avernus Cathedral, he saw "a memory, etched in stained glass" – a mural of Malek's original duel against Vorador.

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

- Kain



In the Soul Reaver era, the Pillars of Nosgoth had collapsed, with the majority of the land under the control of Kain and the Council. Raziel, the first of these vampire lieutenants, was executed by Kain, and revived to exact vengeance upon his brethren and master. After killing Melchiah and Zephon, Raziel happened upon the "once impenetrably sealed" Tomb of the Sarafan, exposed by the ecological cataclysms wracking Nosgoth.

Within, Raziel discovered a profound and terrible secret; he and his fellow lieutenants had once been "heroes" of the Sarafan brotherhood, interred here following their deaths in Nosgoth's early history. Sarcophagi existed for Dumah, Melchiah, Rahab, Raziel, Turel, and Zephon, whose corpses were raised by Kain "at the dawn of the empire". There was also a seventh alcove, intended for Malek, but, since his corpse ultimately suffered a different fate to the others', no casket accompanied it. Pronounced claw marks could be observed on the edifice displaying his name. It had presumably been vandalized by Kain when he first stole into the Tomb, as he harbored disdain for the former Conflict Guardian, even after his destruction.

On his journey, Raziel traveled back in time to Nosgoth's early history, and when he confronted Moebius in the Sarafan Stronghold – seeking retribution against the Sarafan for the ancient vampire Janos Audron's murder – he met the human Malek in person.

The Paladin defended his "Lord Moebius", and kept Raziel, "a danger to the Circle", at bay. At the same moment, sudden, distant 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 Circle's gathering-room. Malek bolted the door against Raziel, but was too late to save the other Guardians. Contrary to what Moebius had told Kain, Malek's zealous trust in the devious Time Streamer was the catalyst for his tragic damnation, not his own vanity.

Kain found a statue of Malek in the Cloister of the Sarafan Stronghold, a few years later. Much to his chagrin, he was forced to restore Malek's "dignity" by returning a Sword and Shield to the tableau before continuing.

Development


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

A scene concerning Malek was excised from Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain during production. The cinematic would play at the conclusion of his encounter with Kain in Malek's Bastion, and involved Kain's escape via a "long tortuous dust slide carved from rock" while "Malek's Keep blows up" in the background. Although the sequence received storyboards, it was not completed. A trace of it is found in deleted dialogue, and in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain: Official Game Secrets, which mentions that Malek "tries to destroy his own Bastion by shooting a huge wall of destructive energy down the room". In the final game, Kain merely uses a teleporter to flee Malek's attack in the Bastion, which remains intact.

The "endless struggle" waged between Malek and Vorador was designed to be "representative of Kain's struggle" – the internal conflict between his diminishing humanity and flourishing vampirism.

Malek's position as the Conflict Guardian was twice brought into question by fans as the lore of the Legacy of Kain series developed. Silicon Knights asserted in their online FAQ for Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain, that Malek became a Guardian: "originally "recruited" to protect the Circle, he came to embody the spirit of conflict, and became that pillar's "representative" in Nosgoth". This was supported by Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain: Official Game Secrets. However, Soul Reaver 2 condradicted this explanation, establishing that "the Pillars choose their guardians from birth" – given this principle, Malek could never become a Guardian, and had to have been born into his role. Furthermore, Soul Reaver 2 identified the roles of the six martyred Guardians, with none representing Conflict; thus, Malek could not have succeeded a previous Conflict Guardian upon being transformed into a wraith. Malek's immortality as a human, living for "hundreds of years", and his deferral to Moebius also confused the issue.

Chris Bruno, of Crystal Dynamics, confirmed that the human Malek served as the incumbent Conflict Guardian during the slaughter of the Circle, and was one of that event's three surviving Guardians:

In response to further discussion on the topic, he clarified that, in Crystal Dynamics' continuity, Malek's service as Conflict Guardian persisted throughout his entire existence, even as a wraith:



An alternative line of dialogue in the Microsoft Windows port of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain describes the human Malek as the Conflict Guardian: "trained to be devoutly loyal to the Circle, and the perfect exterminators of the undead scourge, they were led to many victories by the righteous paladin, Malek, protector of the Pillar of Conflict". In 2013, series art director Daniel Cabuco said, "as far as I know, he knew he was the Guardian of Conflict from the beginning. That was his role in BO:LoK".

Manipulation of the debug menus in Soul Reaver 2 can permit Raziel to fight Malek outside of the cutscene in which he appears. Most cinematic characters, when placed in this situation, remain static; however, Malek is instead interactive and acts as an enemy character, with a working artificial intelligence script. Though Malek has similar combat attributes to his fellow Sarafan warrior inquisitors, he does not share the same unique soul type of the other six – his soul is that of a regular human.

In the Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain boss encounter with Malek, the Malek's Bastion theme is played.

Appearance


The human Malek wears full Sarafan armor in almost all of his appearances, shining and steely gray with ornamental gilding. His design does not significantly differ between Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver 2. He equips an engraved breastplate with accompanying pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, and boots, all metallic with a similar color scheme. His Helmet, the unique Pillar token afforded to him as Conflict Guardian, is "crowned with a plume of braided hair, torn from the scalps of his victims"; the unkempt hair is a sickly, "bloodied" hue. The Helmet, breastplate, boots, and a black lower vestment draped from his waist are all adorned with miscellaneous patterns of arcane symbols. Beneath this defensive covering, he dons a lighter, purple, full-body garment, affording both agility and protection. His appearance is prototypical for the armaments of other Sarafan warriors; the warrior inquisitors, and other ranks, dress similarly. The warrior inquisitor, Dumah, is his only immediate subordinate to emulate his purple-toned finery. In battle, Malek is always seen wielding a durable, long-bladed pike with a wooden shaft as his weapon of choice, a preference shared by Dumah, Melchiah, and Turel.

When captive while facing Mortanius's judgement, the human Malek is stripped of armor. He is bald and clean-shaven, and his body is replete with bloody cuts and scars. Both incarnations of Malek's corpse are skeletons bare of flesh, but the one in Malek's Bastion – "grinning malignantly at [Kain] through blackened teeth" – is not strictly naked. It is garbed in a decaying red shirt and green leggings, with black boots.

The wraith Malek possesses no flesh, manifesting only as animated metal resigned to humanoid motions. Mostly incorporeal, he "stands defiant in battered rune covered armor" – the same "hellish set of magical armor" he wears as a human, but now "dented", and noninclusive of the purple garment or black vestment. The armor can decouple and reconstitute in the face of harm. Exactly how Vorador manages to kill Malek is unclear, though it is assumed he is able to inflict such damage upon Malek's armor that it can no longer contain his soul, something that the fledgling Kain is not physically strong enough to do.

Malek's Sarafan Stronghold statue in Legacy of Kain: Defiance features a new design, with "Aikido style pants and color coding", in line with art direction which "evolved the armor [of the Sarafan] from Roman to Crusader style armor". As noted at Dark Chronicle, "pickier Legacy of Kain fans might assume the statue was made for the Sarafan by a sculptor who didn't really know their subject: Malek used a polearm; he's never been seen using a sword, or shield for that matter".

Personality
"Vengeance! Vengeance for my eternity of suffering!"

- Malek



Malek is characterized as a relentless and "fanatical warrior-priest", perceived as a "ruthless and cold blooded murderer" by his enemies, and marked for his undiminished "ferocity and hatred". "Feared and despised" by enemy generals, and "loathed" by the vampires, his services were valued by the Circle until his momentous "failure" – the Guardians frantically called upon him repeatedly during their slaughter, exposing their reliance upon his skills. Much like his ruthless and efficient soldiers, he is described as a "righteous" soul, but also unquestioningly deferential to the Circle, to whom he has vowed allegiance.

After his fall from grace and transformation, Malek continues to uphold his fervent oath to defend the Circle, utilizing his newfound powers to protect them from any harm. Nevertheless, the Guardians hold him in low esteem, with Ariel comparing him to a master's "Dogs", and Nupraptor sarcastically scorning that he has "come to fail the Circle once more". Moebius accuses Malek of "vanity", blaming this trait for the deaths of the martyred Circle members, but this is a falsehood: for his own purposes, Moebius himself sabotages Malek's earnest intention to protect the Circle, and conceals his deception. Malek does not truly fail the martyred Guardians, and is persecuted in error: Mortanius never learns of Moebius's betrayal, but "was so mad he fused Malek into the armor and ripped out his corporeal body".

As a human, Malek is particularly submissive to the Time Streamer's orders, addressing him as "Lord Moebius". The reasons for this stark dynamic of authority and subordination are unspecified, but may insinuate that Moebius apprenticed Malek into the Circle, or otherwise commanded respect as his figurative superior.

The wraith Malek, though obedient to the Guardians, resents his fate, and is obsessed with somehow restoring his lost humanity. Harboring intense "hate" for Vorador, and an all-consuming lust for vengeance, this "damned one" exudes wrath, frustration, and pride, reproving his minions as mere "shadows of [his] skill". Kain remarks on his outlandish, insensate perspective, whereas Vorador synopsizes Malek as "pathetic", a "whelp" overplaying his own tragedy, with no appreciation of the meaning of "eternity".

Powers


As the Conflict Guardian, Malek's lifelong obligation entailed presiding over "the principles of change and upheaval". He drew energy from battle, and could "incite or resolve war/battle/arguments". Due to his Guardianship, he was immortal and insusceptible to old age, his youth sustained by the "longevity and extraordinary powers" of the Pillars.

An excellent warrior, Malek exemplified the powers of "Sarafan sorcerer-priests". Proficient, disciplined, and agile, he exhibited inhuman speed and acrobatic dexterity in his first duel with Vorador, blocking sustained attacks, and twirling his weapon with blinding velocity. He resisted one of Vorador's powerful spells, whereas his Guardian colleagues succumbed when struck by similar magic. Though seen only with a pike in person, his statue's depiction with a sword and shield may imply he attained mastery of multiple weapon classes. He also proved a capable commander, fostering his enemies' contempt, and supervising the deaths of "thousands of vampires" during his tenure as the Sarafan leader.

With his transformation into a wraith, Malek was denied the "pleasures of the flesh", but acquired new combative advantages. No longer vulnerable to conventional wounds, he was unmoved by most attacks; Kain could only disorient him with the Iron Sword's "Vae victis" combo strikes. Deflecting blows and firing both tracking and angular magic projectiles, he concluded the encounter with a focused "wall of magical force" emanating from his pike. This mighty wave of blue energy sundered all in its path, causing architecture to shatter, uninhibited by any of Kain's defenses. In his final battle with Vorador, he made use of the same abilities, but could not prevail in the end.

Despite lacking a physical body and brain while the event transpired, Malek and his soul were still tainted by the insanity bestowed by the corruption of the Pillars. "The Pillars reflected the mental state of their servants, and as the minds of the Circle degenerated and descended farther into dementia, the Pillars crumbled", including the Pillar of Conflict.

Etymology
During Blood Omen: Legacy of Kains 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 underwent a rename 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 relate to his role as the highest-ranking member of the Sarafan brotherhood. 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 junior inquisitors appear to have been directly derived from Biblical mythology, but it is uncertain whether Silicon Knights drew any inspiration from the mythological angel when naming Malek himself.

Malek's title in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain was Paladin. The term Paladin is derived from the Italian "paladino" and the Late Latin "palatinus", and was used to refer to the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court. Through its usage in Dungeons & Dragons, it has since been adopted as a general term for archetypal holy knights or warriors. Ward, meanwhile, is an archaic Middle English term for a guard, watchman, or protector.

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