Malvos
| Malvos | |
|---|---|
| The Sifter | |
| Information | |
| Species | Sangrazul |
| Birth, Life & Death | |
| Birthplace | Unknown, but not Cridhe |
| Lifetime | War with Phyrexia |
| Born | Unknown, but before 3520 AR |
| Death | 4064 AR |
Malvos was a Sangrazul, brought to the plane Cridhe by the planeswalker Tempé.[1]
Description
When he arrived on Cridhe, Malvos was a big, muscular man, tattooed with Tempé's marks. After 520 years stranded on the plane, though, he had grown very fat, gorging on cream and honey pies instead of feasting on mana. He had bushy red eyebrows and green eyes. [1]
History
Imprisonment on Cridhe
Malvos was punished for stealing too much of Tempé's mana, as Cridhe was known to be an almost mana-less plane. Another part of his punishment was snake tattoos on his arms which would come alive and kill him if he thought about or touched Tempé's mana.
He traveled across Cridhe to finally appear on its mainland where he found an enormous source of mana hidden even from a planeswalker's eyes: the Clan Tree of Cridhe.
Malvos planned to find a suitable person, show him how to do magic, and then give him all mana from the Clan Tree of Cridhe so that one would become a planeswalker and they both could escape. Malvos wanted to travel to Ilcae, where he could find other planeswalkers like Platon or Krim. In exchange for information on Tempé's mana lines, they would undoubtedly set him free from the snakes-tattoo curse.
His plan was simple but needed time. Eventually, he found a suitable person - Nohr, who was able to do magic which caused a stir between him and other people of his clan. Malvos made Nohr drunk and gave instructions on how to use the magical sword Soulslayer, which he had stolen from Tempé to become planeswalker and leave the hated place. Unfortunately for Malvos, something went wrong. Magical rays from the sword missed the mana line and the Clan Tree was destroyed, causing the Parting, with the land splitting in twain and the island's people being separated by the new fissure. In this way, Malvos brought an age of darkness upon the plane which would last for 520 years.
The Mending of the Clan Tree
In 4064 AR, when the Nohrish raiding party returned from Inys Haen without the Keeper and with the young Aylith instead, Malvos assisted Nazir in investigating the failure. He played a key role in the deception that allowed Nazir to pose as a servant and interrogate Aylith while disguised. Throughout the growing unrest in Inys Nohr, Malvos remained a steady force, ensuring Nazir’s physical and mental stability, even as rebellion simmered around them.
As the uprising reached its peak, Malvos accompanied Nazir to Inys Haen, hoping to force the Awakening Ritual before their enemies could mount a counterattack. However, the plan unraveled when Aylith’s allies arrived, turning the battle against them. When Nazir attempted to flee, Malvos remained behind to control the situation, refusing to believe his master had abandoned him. His arrogance proved to be his downfall.
In the chaos, Feryar the Fool confronted Malvos. Startled at the elf's sudden change of personality, Malvos instinctively reached for his sword, only to realize too late that it was Soulslayer — the cursed blade that the Planeswalker Tempé had long ago decreed would be his doom. As he grasped the hilt, the silver serpents embedded in it came to life, sinking their fangs into his flesh, sealing his fate. Gravely wounded, he was found by the Nohrish and taken prisoner, where he was forced to instruct Jedhian in the ways of magic to save his own life. Jedhian’s intervention spared Malvos, but at the cost of the artifact blade itself, which crumbled to ash in the process.
Though he survived, Malvos was left crippled and abandoned following the Mending of the Clan Tree. He wandered the wastelands of Cridhe, forsaken by his former allies. In his final moments, his old mistress, Tempé, reappeared, demanding to know the location of the plane’s mana. Malvos, weary and broken, gave what little he knew before dismissing her. Smirking, she left him to his fate. Unbeknownst to him, his tent was, in truth, a hungry shroud, a magical entity that lured him to sleep before collapsing around him, devouring him whole. Thus ended Malvos, a schemer undone by his ambition and the very forces he sought to control.[1]
Story appearances
| Title | Author | Publishing date | Set | Setting (plane) | Featuring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cursed Land | Teri McLaren | September 1995 | Fourth Edition | Cridhe | Haen, Nohr, Raphos, Capin, Liana, Malvos, The Maker (mentioned), Lumi, Nazir, Arn, RoNal, Thix, Feryar, Logan, Aylith, Selka, Crephas, Vale, Jedhian, Jom, Nesa, Lorris, Thrissa, Iggar, Atalanta, the Frog, BiDrun, Merco, Morkin, Zell, Platon (mentioned), Krim (mentioned), Hankin, Jermin, Pamid, Quid, Belieal, Sims, Donnon, Ruka, Portis, Antistita, Vestira, Praetis, Harcher, Baz, Drake, Odser, Argile, Senrick, Paren, Markam, Rallu, Henj, Wathel, Hanna, Klaer, Spens, Tempé, The Thorn (mentioned) |
References
- ↑ a b c Teri McLaren (1995) - The Cursed Land, HarperPrism.