Malachai /5
Malachai Helmet
Changes the appearance of any equipped helmet to the Malachai Helmet.
Malachai Boots
Changes the appearance of any equipped boots to the Malachai Boots.
Malachai Gloves
Changes the appearance of any equipped gloves to the Malachai Gloves.
Malachai Body Armour
Changes the appearance of any equipped body armour to the Malachai Body Armour.
Malachai Cloak
Adds the Malachai Cloak Back Attachment to any equipped body armour.
Malachai Topic /60
NPC | Name |
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Lady Dialla | I loved Malachai. He gave me gems, divine jewels for his Gemling Queen. For his |
Siosa | How Malachai survived the Purity Rebellion, I don't know. He was at Emperor Voll's side before Chitus' corpse was even cold. I suppose Voll found him as difficult to refuse as Icius did. |
Lady Dialla | The Rapture is our hope. Our desperation. It will set the Nightmare to boil, cook that nice big fishy in its own whining brine. Listen with all of your ears, Not-a-Cockroach. The Rapture was Malachai's most wondrous creation, the only fire hot enough to burn the Beast from existence. And its fuel? A gemling queen, blood and flesh and gem. Yet my selfish self did not want to burn away, and so the fire was but a tiny spark. The spark of a cataclysm. I am sorry, my love, my Malachai. Go to it, Not-a-Cockroach. Find the Rapture. Make me sorry no more. |
Dialla | Yes, I see my Malachai dancing within the darkest. Puppet and Master, power and bondage, cut the strings and the puppet falls. The show ends. Before you cut the cords, my Not-a-Cockroach, tell my dearest Malachai that he has played his part most wonderfully. Tell him that I love him, from the bottom of my hate. |
Dialla | A Shadow returns from the darkness. A shadow that stinks of vengeance served. A shadow drenched in the End of the World. The blackest shadow. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
Dialla | The little girl walked into a dark, dark cave. The little girl met a dark, dark Beast. The little girl ate its dark, dark heart. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
Dialla | "The righteous shall inherit." Voll said that, in a candlelit sermon on the eve of cataclysm. The only smart thing that idiot ever said. The only time God actually agreed with him. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
Dialla | I've met just one other man like you upon this long and twisted thread that is my life. Chitus. A man who understood what it took to give himself absolutely to Glory. Yet, you and he are different in one tiny, little way. Chitus died gloriously. You did not. And now it is my Malachai who is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
Dialla | Malachai once said to me that those that hunt for love will never find it, and those that accept that they are love's prey are sure to be found... and devoured. Of course, he had never met you, until now. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
Dialla | You have fought a long war. A war to end a world, and begin a new one. And you've learned the most important thing about war. There is no winning. There is only remaining. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
Dialla | It was said that Malachai was the greatest mind of our age. Our age is gone. This new age, it belongs to you. It was also said that 'great minds think alike'. Let's hope not. So my Malachai is dead? Yes... I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
Piety | It was Malachai who reached out to me, who wrapped me in Nightmare... made me his slave. He has shown me greatness beyond imagining, so much that I thought my mind would shatter under its weight. And although my mind remains intact, my dreams were not so fortunate. Malachai is in the Beast's black core right now, harnessing all that the Beast is, and will be. He will destroy this world and forge it anew in the divine image of Nightmare. Yet as powerful as Malachai has become, he's neither unreachable nor invulnerable. He sacrificed much to become the Beast's prime servant, both in spirit and in flesh, yet three vital organs remain. His heart, lungs and entrails, keepsakes of humanity lost. They will be our tickets into Malachai's private, little show. Venture deeper, deep into nightmare's abattoir. I'll follow when I'm able. You find me those organs and I'll get us into the Black Core. |
Piety | Malachai knew exactly what he was doing when he created the Rapture. His primary concern... get inside the Beast and take up the reins of true power. And his second objective... incite a Cataclysm that would wipe the very thought of resistance from this land. The Beast is the source of all thaumaturgy, the one power in this world that transforms 'what is real' into 'what is imagined'. The entire world is now at the mercy of one man's vision. It won't be the future I imagined, and it won't be the future you imagined, either. While he remains within the Black Core, the only imagination that matters... is Malachai's. |
Oyun | I was right to have faith in you, Curse-breaker. You have succeeded where we have failed. You have slain a creature that was thought to live forever in the minds of those who came before you. Voll, Daresso, Kaom, Deshret... the greatest champions Wraeclast has seen in the last three hundred years. You stood where they fell. Now you are the champion of champions, and Wraeclast should bow at your feet in gratitude. You certainly have my gratitude, and that of my {akhara}. We have been exiled from our land by fear and misguided duty. Now we may return, to ride where we will, live how we wish. Curse-breaker, Giver of Freedom... we thank you. |
Kira | What cannot be understood should be feared. It is the first rule that a child learns. There is no shame in my saying this: I fear you, Witch. |
Kira | You have slain the Nightmare for your own reasons, Shadow. It worries me that I don't know what those reasons are. It would worry me even more if {you} didn't know either. |
Kira | What do we call you now? Saviour? Messiah? Just remember this, Templar. Your 'Faith' didn't kill the Nightmare. You did. |
Kira | A predator is defined by its prey. Now that your prey is dead, great hunter, what will become of you? |
Kira | The Beast is dead, and Wraeclast owes you its life. Is this the grand ending you were hoping for, Duelist? Yes, you must be very proud of yourself. |
Kira | I've never met a man more able, more ready, to take life and crush it in his hand. Is there anything else you can do? If not, this land has something more it needs to worry about. |
Kira | The Nightmare is gone and my {akhara} is free to return to the plains. We thank you, Lady of Oriath... but do not mistake our gratitude for debt. |
Petarus and Vanja | Petarus: It's obvious to everyone now. Vanja: There's no one like you, Witch. Petarus: The Beast learned that the hard way... Vanja: ...and the whole of Wraeclast will learn about it, one way or another. Petarus: So, I guess this is the happily-ever-after they promised us when we were kids, right, Vanja? Vanja: For us, for Wraeclast... maybe. What about you, sister? Do you even know what that looks like for you? Petarus: There's plenty of happiness to go around now. Vanja: You deserve a piece of it. |
Petarus and Vanja | Petarus: There's no arena, no trophy, no accolade, no title... Vanja: ...no end to what Petarus could spout in your honour. Petarus: In this case, I think it's all right to do so for a bit, don't you? We're standing in the presence of the greatest Duelist that ever lived. Vanja: For once, I actually agree with him. Petarus: You've done more than attain glory, Duelist. You've saved the entire bloody world! Vanja: We needed a hero and you rose to the occasion. Thank you. |
Petarus and Vanja | Petarus: I am proud to be part of the Order. Your order, my Lord. Vanja: And I am sorry. I should have had more Faith. I've always believed in God. It's just that, until now, I didn't think the Templar did. Petarus: I guess sometimes it takes a miracle, something to prove that we're not on our own in this world. Vanja: True. Thank you, Templar, for reminding me what it's like to believe. It's a luxury that I haven't been able to afford. Petarus: Yet it's something that all of Wraeclast can have now. |
Petarus and Vanja | Vanja: I am proud to know you, Karui. Petarus: And I'm sorry. I should have been less hasty... Vanja: ...bigoted? Petarus: {Quick to judge}, but, then... Wraeclast tends to bring that out in people. Quick to judge or quick to die... it's been that way for far too long. Vanja: But thanks to our warrior here, that could all begin to change. Petarus: Dominus is gone. The Beast is gone. Feels like we can all start again now. Vanja: Oriathan and Karui, everyone. Thanks to you. |
Petarus and Vanja | Petarus: We are in your debt, my Lady, and soon enough all of Wraeclast will understand the thanks it owes you. Vanja: You're actually the first highborn woman I've ever met who {deserves} to be called 'my Lady'. Petarus: Vanja! Vanja: It's true and she knows it. Leadership isn't about power, it's about responsibility, and this Lady took the burden from the entire world. Petarus: Well said, Vanja! Vanja: It'd pay for Petarus to listen to me more often, but when it comes to you, Scion, I'm glad he didn't. |
Petarus and Vanja | Vanja: You are indeed a wonder, mountain cat. Petarus: Oh, so she's allowed to share our campfire now, is she? Vanja: I can admit when I'm wrong. Petarus: Sure, someone just has to save the world before you do it. Vanja: A girl's got to have standards, Petarus. Petarus: Well, I think it's safe to say, Vanja, that our Ranger here has managed to set a whole new standard. One that the whole of Wraeclast will need to live up to. Vanja: I'm happy to say that I think you're right, Petarus. So utterly, wonderfully, right. |
Petarus and Vanja | Vanja: I thought you were going to teach us how to survive, Shadow. Instead, you've given us all the chance to far more than just that. You've given us a chance to live. Petarus: Yes... maybe I was wrong about you. Vanja: Maybe? Petarus: Completely and utterly wrong, and happy for it. How's that? Vanja: Perfect. Petarus: And what's next for you, Shadow? You've committed the greatest murder in the history of Wraeclast. How will you top that? Vanja: He's a resourceful man, Petarus. He'll figure something out. |
Tasuni | Malachai is what every Ghast aspires to be. The hands and eyes, the voice and mind of the Beast itself. I see him in my dreams, forming his designs, crafting his tools, refining the chaos of nightmare into a vision. A future that you and I would not recognise. That neither you or I belong to unless, of course, we choose to accept the dark embrace. This is Malachai's greatest work. An act of invention like none other. Should he succeed, he will awaken the Beast. What then? The Beast is not Death. Life will go on. A life like nothing we have seen before. |
Tasuni | It took a Shadow to destroy the darkness. The progeny of light, bound to obey the candle whether he likes it or not. I know that's not quite what you expected to hear but then the expected is not always what's needed. You have come to the end of the world, and now you need to return to the beginning. Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of the Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Follow the light, for that's what Shadows do, don't they? |
Tasuni | Ah, Witch. I knew you would embrace the Beast. Yet I couldn't know that you would squeeze the very life from it. Honestly didn't think you had that much love in you. Now one thing remains to be seen. Your regard, your touch, your embrace... can mean only doom for the loved. Please, choose your loves wisely, Witch, lest you break poor Oriath's heart. Yes, that's right. Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of the Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Follow your heart, Witch, no matter how dark it becomes. |
Tasuni | You are a confusing creature, Duelist. Your heart beats for no one but yourself yet you have committed the greatest and most selfless of acts. Was it an act of the heart or merely... an act? Regardless, you may now stride heroically into the sunset, back to your grand arena. Yes, in Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Ever pursue your glory, Duelist, lest you be forgotten. |
Tasuni | You're going to tell me that you didn't kill the Beast, that it was simply your God acting through you. Please don't. I fear I might be ill upon your self-righteous toes. No, Templar. You did this. The oh-so-ordinary man who shall be heralded as 'the chosen one' by the adoring sheep of Oriath. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back to your flock. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Continue to believe in those lies, Templar. It brings out the best in you. |
Tasuni | For a lover of nature, Ranger, you surely know how to destroy it. Yes, you can argue, that the Beast was beyond nature, unnatural to its blackened core. I won't believe you though. It {died} after all. Quite a natural thing to do, wouldn't you say? Something to think about on your way back to Oriath, Ranger. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Continue your wild ways, Ranger. They seem to come so... naturally. |
Tasuni | I'm sure your Ancestors are very proud of you, Marauder. Yet also rather... confused. For even the great and powerful Beast could not slay you! And if you can't be killed then how will you ever sit at your Ancestors' table? Quite a conundrum that. Something to mull over on your way back to Oriath. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back to where it all began. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. No one ever said that the Karui Way was an easy way, Marauder. |
Tasuni | You had no idea who you were when you left Oriath, did you? A slave to the names others gave you. So you went ahead and forged yourself anew. Bane of Nightmare, Purger of Corruption. But that leaves us with a rather tricky question, doesn't it? Who are you, when everything you have lived for is gone? Perhaps the answer awaits you in Oriath. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. So many questions, Scion. Yet the answer is so often the same. |
Malachai's Simula | It was a sliver of Malachai's soul that animated the first Eternal Guardian. |
Malachai's Artifice | When the wind blows, Know which way to bend and watch the others break. |
Malachai's Loop | Thaumaturgy has no limit. It is our fragile reality that imposes boundaries. |
Malachai's Vision | Wicked men chase power like stray dogs chase a rat. |
Malachai's Mark | What man does not wish for immortality? |
Malachai's Awakening | There is no cost too great to pay for power. Merely men who lack the conviction to pay it. |
Replica Malachai's Artifice | "As much as Prototype #20 hints at some deep alternate physics, we cannot afford to expend any more test subjects. Experiments halted." - Administrator Qotra |
Lightning Coil | "There's nothing like imminent death to galvanize one's purpose in life." - Malachai the Soulless. |
Honourhome | "The craven mind is sharp with self interest. The honourable mind is much easier to manipulate." - Malachai the Soulless |
Essence Worm | "This thing is not a pet. It is a parasite that feeds on the very will of its host. Like any part of nightmare, it has found a way to make its price... acceptable." - Malachai the Soulless |
Omen on the Winds | As Malachai stepped into the Highgate mines, cold winds billowed from the mountain above. One final, feeble attempt to save what was meant to be eternal. |
Collateral Damage | Malachai ran roughshod over every ethical boundary in pursuit of creating the ideal gemling. For him, there was no doubt that the end would justify the means. |
Honourhold | "Make a man believe he is doing the world a good deed, and there is nothing you can't make him do." - Malachai, the Soulless |
Malachai's Lungs | My lungs breathe the same air as the foolish and the weak. May I be yet another step removed from them. |
Malachai's Heart | My heart forces blood through my veins. But one who may bleed may die, and death is no fitting end to genius. |
Malachai's Entrails | My organs tether me to mortality like a chain. This chain holds me from my true potential. |
Infernal Talc | "A Virtue Gem is a raging thunderstorm imprisoned within a single raindrop. Infernal Talc simply lets the storm out." - Malachai the Soulless |
Decanter Spiritus | "Man is blinded by the mud of his corporeal self. Only through the transformation of the material into the spiritual can we hope to taste the full body of life." - Malachai the Soulless |
The Eye of Fury | "Fear becomes Hatred. Hatred becomes Fury. Thus is Man transformed from Martyr to Maker." - Malachai |
The Eye of Desire | "It is a cruel joke that Man was born with more Intent than Life." - Malachai |
The Brittle Emperor | - Victario, the People's Poet} |
The Artist | "Paint, metal, flesh... A true artist does not limit himself." - Malachai the Soulless |
The Surgeon | "He might be lacking in vision, but his virtuosity is undeniable." - Malachai, on Maligaro |
Dialla's Subjugation | The gems corrupted her mind Malachai corrupted her gems All but a glimmer of greatness lost in madness} |
Malachai FlavourText /166
name | flavour |
---|---|
Infernal Talc BaseItemTypes | "A Virtue Gem is a raging thunderstorm imprisoned within a single raindrop. Infernal Talc simply lets the storm out." - Malachai the Soulless |
Decanter Spiritus BaseItemTypes | "Man is blinded by the mud of his corporeal self. Only through the transformation of the material into the spiritual can we hope to taste the full body of life." - Malachai the Soulless |
The Eye of Fury BaseItemTypes | "Fear becomes Hatred. Hatred becomes Fury. Thus is Man transformed from Martyr to Maker." - Malachai |
The Eye of Desire BaseItemTypes | "It is a cruel joke that Man was born with more Intent than Life." - Malachai |
Malachai's Lungs BaseItemTypes | My lungs breathe the same air as the foolish and the weak. May I be yet another step removed from them. |
Malachai's Heart BaseItemTypes | My heart forces blood through my veins. But one who may bleed may die, and death is no fitting end to genius. |
Malachai's Entrails BaseItemTypes | My organs tether me to mortality like a chain. This chain holds me from my true potential. |
The Brittle Emperor BaseItemTypes | - Victario, the People's Poet} |
The Artist BaseItemTypes | "Paint, metal, flesh... A true artist does not limit himself." - Malachai the Soulless |
The Surgeon BaseItemTypes | "He might be lacking in vision, but his virtuosity is undeniable." - Malachai, on Maligaro |
Dialla's Subjugation BaseItemTypes | The gems corrupted her mind Malachai corrupted her gems All but a glimmer of greatness lost in madness} |
Ranger36 CharacterTextAudio | You were going to put to death the world that I love. Do you really think I would let you and your Beast do that, Malachai? |
Witch58 CharacterTextAudio | Poor Malachai, you were so frightened of Death, weren't you? Now the two of you can get better acquainted. It's really not so bad once you get to know it. |
Shadow52 CharacterTextAudio | And that's where you missed the point, Malachai. Death is the only thing that gives life any meaning. |
Templar55 CharacterTextAudio | You fought against Death your whole life, Malachai, when it was the one thing that would grant you true immortality. |
Scion44 CharacterTextAudio | Poor Malachai. You spent three centuries fighting Death, and in all that time, not once did you take the time to live. |
Goddess27 CharacterTextAudio | Dominus, now Malachai. No matter who or what, you are nothing but a man's tool, Vinia. |
GrigorOnGemlings NPCTextAudio | Piety's a genius sculpting mere human clay into "divine" Gemlings. At least, that's what she told me when she opened me up and buried a Virtue Gem in my entrails. Malachai did the same in the name of the Emperor, centuries ago. Chitus' Gemlings still rule Sarn. We call them the Undying now. |
DiallaIntroduction NPCTextAudio | You are not a cockroach. Strange... inundated with cockroaches, I am. Black ones, four limbs, nasty, spiky things. Are you spiky? If so, my Ribbons will pluck your spines. Malachai liked spines. Liked Do you weep, Not-a-Cockroach? I do. Tears are infinite. Why, on this very day, I have found a new reason to cry. |
DiallaOnSulphite NPCTextAudio | I like you, Not-a-Cockroach. I like that you listen. It would annoy me, if the Undying murdered you. Thaumetic Sulphite. That's what you need. A nasty, nasty substance, it is. Malachai had his slaves mine it, carry it from northern mountains to the refinery by the docks. Ezomytes, Maraketh, Karui... it killed them all. Fevered the blood and scorched the mind. But you are clever, Not-a-Cockroach. You will keep it at arm's length. You will bring it to me, so that I may make you something, an Infernal Talc that will bring furious light to Undying darkness. |
DiallaSulphiteDone NPCTextAudio | You have Thaumetic Sulphite? You are a resourceful Unbug, now aren't you? Give it to me. I was all eyes and ears when Malachai worked. I know exactly what to do. |
DiallaSulphiteQuestDone NPCTextAudio | I like you, Not-a-Cockroach. I like that you listen. It would annoy me if the Undying murdered you. Thaumetic Sulphite. That's what you need. You have some already? You are a resourceful Unbug, now aren't you? Give it to me. I was all eyes and ears when Malachai worked. I will make something of your Thaumetic Sulphite. I will forge an Infernal Talc that will bring the most furious of light to the Undying darkness. |
DiallaOnMalachai NPCTextAudio | I loved Malachai. He gave me gems, divine jewels for his Gemling Queen. For his |
DiallaOnChitus NPCTextAudio | I was the emperor's favourite, for a time. But Chitus had many favourites. He filled the Sceptre of God with favourites. Every now and then, he cleared away the clutter. Those who pleased him, they were given to his lords and generals. Those who did not... were given to his thaumaturgists. I talked too much, asked too many difficult questions. I was gifted to Malachai. My dear, troubled Malachai. |
DiallaMaps NPCTextAudio | How singularly remarkable you are, Not-a-Cockroach! Look at you, practically exuding a legendary nature. Easily the most wondrous thing I've seen in a long, long time. Not that I've seen a great deal, apart from the innards of this temple, this comfortable tomb... but I think you have proven yourself worthy, worthy of Malachai's crowning achievement: the Eternal Laboratory. You are wise and fearless in |
SiosaTranslation4 NPCTextAudio | Strange. I was put in charge of dating the most antiquated of texts. This parchment, it's a remarkable copy, but it's no original. Much younger. Oh my... listen to this! {My dearest Icius,} {I have been enlightened beyond expectation. Your work in translating these artefacts is worthy of the highest recompense, and thus I am delighted to offer you a position in my personal laboratory. Please do not give your escorts any consternation. I would be most pained to see such a precious asset damaged in any way.} {I very much look forward to working with you, Icius Perandus.} {Your friend and admirer,} {Malachai} Poor, poor Icius. Wherever you went, my pity goes with you. |
SiosaOnDoryani NPCTextAudio | I suppose every civilisation has its Doryani... its Malachai. Men of divine talent and demented ambition. Without them, history would be a far less 'interesting' place. |
SiosaOnMalachai NPCTextAudio | How Malachai survived the Purity Rebellion, I don't know. He was at Emperor Voll's side before Chitus' corpse was even cold. I suppose Voll found him as difficult to refuse as Icius did. |
SiosaOnAtziri NPCTextAudio | Malachai would never have risen so far without the patronage of an emperor like Chitus. It would appear that Doryani and Queen Atziri shared a similar relationship. It was said of the beautiful Atziri that she "wished to see her likeness reflected in the still waters of history". Chitus was no less self-impressed. Of all the Sins, Vanity is the most hideous. |
Fairgraves2OnDecanter NPCTextAudio | I'm sure you've heard of Malachai by now? Ever the heterodox, he often sought otherworldly inspiration by imbibing a substance called 'Ghost Wine'. For the purpose, he created the Decanter Spiritus. I found it on my last visit here. Liquid placed in this crystal decanter becomes quasi-apparitional in nature. I'm sure you can glean the Decanter's usefulness to me. Conventional liquids simply don't hit the spot. I am one sorely parched revenant. I hid the Decanter Spiritus in the Marketplace so as not to cause temptation for the less morally steadfast in my crew. Look to the carven heraldry there and find a lion dancing upon the waves. |
Fairgraves2OnEmpire NPCTextAudio | I came to Sarn looking for an answer. The question? How did the Eternal Empire die? On a previous excursion I picked up a few notes from Axiom Prison, written by the witch, Shavronne of Umbra. They pointed to Sarn and Malachai as being the height of all things preternatural at the time. Never did find out if Malachai was the instigator of the cataclysm, but I'd be damned surprised if he didn't play at least some part in it. |
MalachaiGlyphMapDevice NPCTextAudio | I awoke, feverish, and barely conscious I set to drawing these maps through the sable hours. By morning my fingers ached, my eyes burned, yet still I found no rest. The Reverie commanded its rendering. The Reverie Device now stands completed. I have placed the first of my maps within its receptacle. I have taken my maiden voyage into Nightmare. I know now that which sent me this precious gift. It knows me, expects my return. It would be foolish to disappoint. - Malachai |
MalachaiGlyphAxiom NPCTextAudio | Dear Shavronne, You have certainly had your work cut out for you with Lioneye's Legion. Do not concern yourself with Marceus' complaints. Our Emperor is fully aware of the General's fickle nature. As to your need to accelerate the implantation process, I can recommend a quite simple alteration. Dip the gem in a boiling solution of six parts blood and one part thaumetic sulphite for no more than thirteen seconds. Any longer and you invite the crystal's wrath. Once the gem is withdrawn from the solution, you have but a few seconds to install the gem in the prepared flesh and close the wound. Should the gem cool too much prior to implantation, it will become inert and your patient with it. Trust in that bountiful talent of yours, Shavronne. My thoughts are with you. Malachai |
MalachaiGlyphMapDeviceOld NPCTextAudio | Inquisitor, If you attempt to transmogrify a virtue gem without the proper mental preparation, you will be a puppet master working strings made of vipers. Remember, these gems are phantasms in crystalline form, alive, with volitions inscrutable. Master conscious dreaming, as I instructed you. Your death would mean little to me, Maligaro. It's what your demise could unleash that concerns me. Malachai |
MalachaiGemCartNote NPCTextAudio | I bequeath this Transmutia Device to you, Inquisitor Maligaro, in recognition of your devotion to our sublime Art. May it be the chariot that conveys your dreams into reality. Malachai, Thaumaturge Laureate to the Empire |
MalachaiScrollWarehouses NPCTextAudio | Captain Alsarus, Remain in the warehouse until I personally send for you. In the unlikely event that Chitus should fall, you and your fellow legionnaires will be safely beyond the perimeter of his heart gem's influence. You men and women are my finest work yet. I would not lose you all to some aberration of chance. Malachai, Thaumaturge Laureate |
MalachaiNoteDialla NPCTextAudio | 1st Caso of Divini, 1333 IC. "Pretty as porcelain, but her mouth spins like the potter's wheel." That's how I once described Dialla. Yet on this day, my lady is as ravishing as a nightmare, radiant as the fullest moon. Dialla is my Gemling Queen and we shall rule, side by side, over the world that will soon come to be. - Malachai |
MalachaiJournalLab NPCTextAudio | Tear down the walls that imprison the mind... that is what the gems do. That is their true 'virtue'. The moment my fingertips brushed the cool, silken planes of that first gem, I felt it. My skull ached, as if its contents were growing, pressing against the bone, searching for a way to break free. That night, once the wine had dulled the pain enough to allow the onset of sleep, the dreams began. I have not been without them since. Nor would I be. Every spark of thaumaturgy that I wield, every device that I forge, every creature that I transfigure, I owe to these lessons cloaked in Nightmare. From whence do these precepts hail? Certainly not the mundane grey between my ears. I possess only one reference that bears faith. Translated with unquestionable clarity by that idiot savant, Icius Perandus. "The Beast". Doryani of the Vaal knew the truth. Soon now, so shall I. Malachai |
MalachaiLetterSceptre NPCTextAudio | My dear Chitus, The Empire has lived in fear and ignorance since its inception. Our Azmeri ancestors, in their arrogance, turned their backs on the lessons of the Vaal. The emperors before you lacked courage, lacked vision, paying lip service to 'Eternity' while scrabbling for approval and comfort within the prison of their meagre, mortal lives. You are not one of those emperors. You are Chitus the Great, the man who will make this Empire truly understand the meaning of the word 'Eternal'. We shall build this Thaumatocracy together, my emperor, gem by gem, immortal by immortal. Your devoted servant, Malachai |
LibraryGaribaldi5 NPCTextAudio | {Book 5: The Emperor is dead. Long live the Emperor!} On the last day of Divini 1333 IC, High Templar Voll laid siege to Sarn, his ranks swelled by Ezomyte, Karui and Maraketh rebels under the respective leaderships of Thane Rigwald, Hyrri of Ngamakanui and Sekhema Deshret. Emperor Chitus rallied his freshly minted Gemling Legionnaires and, for a time, looked set to execute an effective defence of the capital. But his efforts were cut short by his closest advisor and friend, Lord Mayor Ondar. During the celebration of the Night of a Thousand Ribbons, Ondar struck Chitus down with blades tainted with the most virulent of poisons. Yet the emperor's inhuman constitution served him to the very last. Taking up his axe, Chitus cleaved Ondar in twain before expiring himself, in a visceral and calamitous display of thaumaturgy. Malachai, Thaumaturge Laureate, and his gemling consort, Lady Dialla, were captured by Victario Nevalius' citizen revolutionaries shortly thereafter. With their leadership either dead or detained, the gemling aristocracy of Sarn had no choice but to offer the city's surrender. Voll and his Army of Purity marched through the gates of the capital and the following day, the High Templar was crowned Emperor Voll the First. { - Garivaldi, Chronicler to the Empire} |
LibraryGaribaldi6 NPCTextAudio | {Book 6: The Rapture Device} Voll condemned Malachai to the Crematorium for 'living conflagration', but it seems that Malachai's promises have saved him from the pyre. "An end to thaumaturgy," he claims. A fancy that our Emperor is willing to humour. For over a year now, Malachai has been consigned to the Solaris Temple, forging a mechanism that will purge Wraeclast of its otherworldly vices. Today, the first Fiero of Eterni 1336 IC, Malachai and his Gemling Queen gripped each one corner of a silken mantle and unveiled his Rapture Device. Like a pit of copper snakes it writhes before the eyes. Whether it is a miracle or a monstrosity, none but Malachai can say. Yet tomorrow Voll shall lead the Highgate Legion home, conveying Malachai, Lady Dialla, and this bewildering apparatus north. North, from whence the first Gems came. From whence the nightmare of Chitus' thaumatocracy was born. It is in Highgate that our Emperor Voll will finish what he started. He will burn Chitus' empire from history and raise up a fresh and pure theocracy from the ashes of arrogance and corruption. God be with you, Voll of Thebrus, and with us all. { - Garivaldi, Chronicler to the Empire} |
LibraryVictario1 NPCTextAudio | {Volume 1: Kalisa Maas} I never really understood Brektov's work. Just a mess of trills and squeaky highs to my commoner ears. But that was before Kalisa Maas. From the very first note, her voice reached into my chest and plucked my beating heart from its cage. By the wide, glistening eyes of my fellow punters, I knew that they felt it too. I've previously stolen a quick nap during the aria that precedes Antonio's disembowelling. Not tonight. The gem at Kalisa's throat sparkled with starlight brilliance as her C sharp shattered every pane of glass in the auditorium. An emergency intermission was called while the stage crew repaired the floods and cans, and a pair of physicians saw to those audience members lacerated by falling splinters. Now, my suspicion of the Virtue Gems is well-documented. Though general and courtier might fall over each other to have Malachai embed them with these miraculous crystals, it is a travesty of justice that the legionnaires and workers of this Empire should have such mutilations foisted upon them. Yet, in Kalisa Maas I've seen how these gems may rend apart our mortal bonds and permit our imaginations and souls to truly shine. I'm adrift in the quandary, no oar in sight. Is Kalisa the Artist or the Art? Is she the same woman I knew before, the young bundle of talent and timidity I had no choice but to adore? Is she still, in fact, a woman at all? { - Victario of Sarn} |
LibraryVictario3 NPCTextAudio | {Volume 3: Slaves of Virtue} Another shipment of human picks and shovels, bound for Highgate. Ezomytes mostly, care of Gaius Sentari's "civilisation camps". A few dark skins here and there, Karui and Maraketh. Malachai has had his wicked way with them all. Limbs are stretched, contorted, double and triple jointed. All the better to pluck gems from the cracks and fissures of their home and tomb to be. They squint and cower in the sun, their eyeballs injected with gloom so that they might see in the subterranean night as they would in their warm, homeland day. The shackled slaves shuffle north as the gems they mine tumble south, a glittering landslide of power and privilege for the fairest of our Eternal citizens. Civilisation is bought and paid for with the flesh and blood of the primitive. It is a debt that will one day need to be repaid. { - Victario of Sarn} |
LibraryVictario4 NPCTextAudio | {Volume 4: A Friend in Need} It's one of those summer days in Sarn, when the sweat dries on your skin the moment it dares slither from your pores. Lorenzi and I are sipping coffees, iced with cubes from the North. There's a tremor in his voice as he announces that he is going to see Malachai tonight, to have a gem implanted in his hand. The palm of his left hand to be exact. Once I have run out of expletives and paused for breath while the waiter wipes spilled coffee from our table, I manage to ask him why. "So that I might have the fastest fingers in the Empire," is his reply. Lorenzi, first violinist of the Sarn Symphonic, and my dear friend, is going to become a Gemling. Ten days pass and Lorenzi's hand is healed. He plays for me, a piece that he has written during his convalescence, something he will debut this evening in God's Theatre. The gem casts a bloody hue over his violin as his fingers fly across the strings. They are an ephemeral blur, too quick for eye or mind to follow. And the music... there's only one experience in my life that compares. The night I had with Marylene before she died. It has been a month now, and once again Lorenzi and I sip iced coffees together in the Perandus Markets. Though we sit only a narrow table apart, Lorenzi is a world away. The nightmares began a couple of weeks back. He toys absently with the vial that I have bought for him from the apothecary, yet I know he won't drink from it. The soothing of his wits will mean the slowing of his fingers. The music is Lorenzi's life, and to Lorenzi, the music and the gem are one and the same. A year has gone, and the day is once again hot enough to dry the sweat on my skin the moment it dares slither from my pores. I sip an iced coffee and think of Lorenzi. He played last night, in God's Theatre. Fleet, furious, and wondrous, he was. We passed in the foyer, and I looked into his grey face, his pale blue eyes. I don't know what he saw, but it wasn't me. I don't know what I saw either, but it wasn't Lorenzi. { - Victario of Sarn} |
MalachaiStatue NPCTextAudio | {Malachai} Laureate Thaumaturge to the Eternal Empire The Father of Dreams |
DiallaFindRapture NPCTextAudio | The Rapture is our hope. Our desperation. It will set the Nightmare to boil, cook that nice big fishy in its own whining brine. Listen with all of your ears, Not-a-Cockroach. The Rapture was Malachai's most wondrous creation, the only fire hot enough to burn the Beast from existence. And its fuel? A gemling queen, blood and flesh and gem. Yet my selfish self did not want to burn away, and so the fire was but a tiny spark. The spark of a cataclysm. I am sorry, my love, my Malachai. Go to it, Not-a-Cockroach. Find the Rapture. Make me sorry no more. |
DiallaDeliveredBothGems NPCTextAudio | Fury and Desire, together again. Lovely and lovely. Facets so shiny, replete with the vim of murdered souls. My Malachai did the crafting. Beautiful work. General Adus did the murdering. Equally beautiful work, in its own juicy way. |
DiallaStartRapture NPCTextAudio | Num nums time, my little Rapture! {"Have you ever been to the End of the World before, my King?" asked the Blackest Monkey. "No, I have not." realised the Monkey King. "There is my reason to go where you go, be where you be, my King," concluded the Blackest Monkey in a voice as warm and welcoming as death.} Do you know who wrote that, Not-a-Cockroach? Victario Nevalius, the People's Poet of Sarn. He was my friend... and I betrayed him. Took his love and burned it before his eyes. Now I am betrayed. My heart burned black by the one man I loved... Malachai. He's found a new heart, you see. A Beast's heart to cuddle up to, to keep him warm and safe at the End of the World. Today, I remind Malachai of his betrayal. Today, it is his turn to burn... |
DiallaTransformed NPCTextAudio | Malachai's devices, his creations... He loved them all. Not me. He betrayed me then. Said he loved me. Then said he wanted me to die. He betrays me now. Lets me suffer. Lets me wither. Am I the one and only mistake that you ever made, Malachai? Yes, that's me. Dialla the Gemling Queen. Malachai's misdemeanour. Make him regret his mistake, Not-a-Cockroach. Tear open the Beast's black heart. Rip Malachai from his filthy little nightmare. Cut him, crush him, burn him from existence! He deserves no better, and I deserve no worse. No love for me. No love, no love... no love. |
DiallaOnVoll NPCTextAudio | Voll the Pure, they called him. Voll the Murderer, I call him. In his name, an Emperor was murdered. In his name, an Empire was murdered. Yes, it was Malachai's lips that kissed me. Yes, it was Malachai's hand that led me to the Rapture. No, no and no again. It was Voll's words that put me there. |
DiallaWithered1 NPCTextAudio | What is that in your eyes? That glistening, that... softness. Is that pity? Take those pitying eyes away before I pluck them from your face! I need but one thing from you now: Malachai... dead. |
DiallaOnPiety NPCTextAudio | The little cockroach witch? Malachai chose her... chose her over me?! Use her then. Use her as Malachai uses her. Burn betrayal with betrayal. It's all they deserve! |
DiallaOnBlackCore NPCTextAudio | Yes, I see my Malachai dancing within the darkest. Puppet and Master, power and bondage, cut the strings and the puppet falls. The show ends. Before you cut the cords, my Not-a-Cockroach, tell my dearest Malachai that he has played his part most wonderfully. Tell him that I love him, from the bottom of my hate. |
DiallaRaptureReward NPCTextAudio | Take this. I've given everything else to him. My youth and beauty. My body and mind. My heart. And at last, the only thing he ever gave to me in return... my gemling power. This is all I have left. I entrust it to you, Not-a-Cockroach. Malachai taught me not to trust anyone. It is time to forget everything that Malachai taught me. |
DiallaMalachaiDead1 NPCTextAudio | A Shadow returns from the darkness. A shadow that stinks of vengeance served. A shadow drenched in the End of the World. The blackest shadow. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
DiallaMalachaiDead2 NPCTextAudio | The little girl walked into a dark, dark cave. The little girl met a dark, dark Beast. The little girl ate its dark, dark heart. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
DiallaMalachaiDead3 NPCTextAudio | "The righteous shall inherit." Voll said that, in a candlelit sermon on the eve of cataclysm. The only smart thing that idiot ever said. The only time God actually agreed with him. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
DiallaMalachaiDead4 NPCTextAudio | I've met just one other man like you upon this long and twisted thread that is my life. Chitus. A man who understood what it took to give himself absolutely to Glory. Yet, you and he are different in one tiny, little way. Chitus died gloriously. You did not. And now it is my Malachai who is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
DiallaMalachaiDead5 NPCTextAudio | Malachai once said to me that those that hunt for love will never find it, and those that accept that they are love's prey are sure to be found... and devoured. Of course, he had never met you, until now. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
DiallaMalachaiDead6 NPCTextAudio | You have fought a long war. A war to end a world, and begin a new one. And you've learned the most important thing about war. There is no winning. There is only remaining. My Malachai is dead. I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
DiallaMalachaiDead7 NPCTextAudio | It was said that Malachai was the greatest mind of our age. Our age is gone. This new age, it belongs to you. It was also said that 'great minds think alike'. Let's hope not. So my Malachai is dead? Yes... I knew it, felt it, understood it the moment you struck the final blow. I am, I was... the Gemling Queen, and now my King is dead. |
DiallaOnWraeclast NPCTextAudio | We dreamed only the greatest dreams, Malachai and I. A truly eternal empire. Eternal life, eternal love. A future no longer afraid of the past. Eternal lies, eternal loss, those were our true gifts to Wraeclast. This land could not have asked for a worse King and Queen. Wraeclast leaves the past behind it, now. Malachai's past. My past. It thanks you, Not-a-Cockroach. It loves you. I wish, I wish, I wish... that I could do the same. |
PietyLiberatedCommon NPCTextAudio | It was Malachai who reached out to me, who wrapped me in Nightmare... made me his slave. He has shown me greatness beyond imagining, so much that I thought my mind would shatter under its weight. And although my mind remains intact, my dreams were not so fortunate. Malachai is in the Beast's black core right now, harnessing all that the Beast is, and will be. He will destroy this world and forge it anew in the divine image of Nightmare. Yet as powerful as Malachai has become, he's neither unreachable nor invulnerable. He sacrificed much to become the Beast's prime servant, both in spirit and in flesh, yet three vital organs remain. His heart, lungs and entrails, keepsakes of humanity lost. They will be our tickets into Malachai's private, little show. Venture deeper, deep into nightmare's abattoir. I'll follow when I'm able. You find me those organs and I'll get us into the Black Core. |
PietyGetOrgans NPCTextAudio | The Black Core is near. If the Beast were in any way human, we could think of the Black Core as the Beast's heart. I'm not even going to try to explain to you what it really is. Naturally, the Black Core is an 'invites only' party and we're not on the list. Yet I believe I have a way to correct that little oversight. Malachai gave up much of himself when he became the Beast's prime servant. Both in spirit and in flesh. Yet, in a moment of rare sentimentality, he kept a few pieces. Three vital organs, placed in the safe-keeping of his godless three; Inquisitor Maligaro, Shavronne of Umbra and Doedre Darktongue. No doubt you've heard of them on your travels. Bring me those organs and, I promise, I shall get us into the Black Core. |
PietyOnGodlessThree NPCTextAudio | Malachai chose his three most loyal servants to guard those precious innards. His Godless Three. Inquisitor Maligaro, Shavronne of Umbra, and Doedre Darktongue. If the history books are accurate, High Templar Voll burned Maligaro and Doedre at the stake on his way to lay siege to Sarn. He didn't have to worry himself with Shavronne. Brutus had already sorted her out. Yet slaves of nightmare seem to be shackled just as tightly to life as they are to the Beast. I, of course, am living proof of that. Don't worry yourself with that little detail, though. Shackles are made to be unlocked. |
PietyDelivered3OrganCommon NPCTextAudio | Excellent work! Now Malachai awaits us within that Black Core, blissful in his ignorance as he puts the finishing touches on his Awakening Engine. It's time we showed him a few finishing touches of our own. Would you care to do the honours? |
PietyOnMalachai NPCTextAudio | Malachai knew exactly what he was doing when he created the Rapture. His primary concern... get inside the Beast and take up the reins of true power. And his second objective... incite a Cataclysm that would wipe the very thought of resistance from this land. The Beast is the source of all thaumaturgy, the one power in this world that transforms 'what is real' into 'what is imagined'. The entire world is now at the mercy of one man's vision. It won't be the future I imagined, and it won't be the future you imagined, either. While he remains within the Black Core, the only imagination that matters... is Malachai's. |
PietyMalachaiDeath1 NPCTextAudio | This is what I get for trying to be a bloody hero. An honest death... the only redemption I was ever likely to get. You know, it's a question that's always haunted me... whose will be the last face I see. I like the answer. Go, my pretty champion. I want that fine arse of yours to be the last thing I see. |
PietyMalachaiDeath2 NPCTextAudio | This is what I get for trying to be a bloody hero. Just before you murdered me in the Lunaris, Shadow, I thought you were about to steal my destiny from me. As it turns out, you gave me back my freedom. So go on, shadow boy, and do what you do best. Murder Malachai. |
PietyMalachaiDeath3 NPCTextAudio | This is what I get for trying to be a bloody saviour. I've seen, felt... been things that you can't imagine, heretic, and I don't regret a damned moment of it. So go. Finish what we started. And when I find out if this God of yours is real or not, I'll be sure to let you know. |
PietyMalachaiDeath4 NPCTextAudio | This is what I get for trying to be a bloody hero. Who'd have thought you'd be so suited to the role? I was convinced I'd made a fatal mistake in sparing your life in Axiom Prison. Fatal, yes, but a mistake? No. Go now, sister. It's up to you to teach Malachai the true definition of Nightmare. |
PietyMalachaiDeath5 NPCTextAudio | This is what I get for trying to be a bloody hero. I was so sure that I was creating a prouder world, and I thought the Karui beneath such a future. I was wrong. Leave me, Marauder. I've got some explaining to do... to my Ancestors. You go and honour Malachai's head with a place on your belt. |
PietyMalachaiDeath6 NPCTextAudio | You... you were born for this. But you've always known that, haven't you. I've strived my whole life to make something better, of the world, of myself. You have simply lived, and the irony is, that's all that either of us ever needed to do. So go, finish the hunt, Ranger. Do what comes so naturally to you. |
PietyMalachaiDeath7 NPCTextAudio | This is what I get for trying to be a bloody hero. Not that long ago, you represented all that I hated. But there you stand, possessing the one thing I have always dreamed of. A chance to change the world. Go on then. I've played my part. I asked the difficult questions. Now it's up to you to get the answers. |
OyunOnWitheredDialla NPCTextAudio | Dialla's hopes may be crushed, but ours still thrive... in you, Curse-breaker. From what Tasuni tells me, the Beast's innards are now yours to penetrate. Dialla has served her purpose. Now comes the time for you to serve yours. Find this Malachai that Dialla mutters about so incessantly. If my understanding is true, then he is the mind of the Beast. Kill him, and the body of Nightmare will die with him. |
OyunOnMalachaiDead NPCTextAudio | I was right to have faith in you, Curse-breaker. You have succeeded where we have failed. You have slain a creature that was thought to live forever in the minds of those who came before you. Voll, Daresso, Kaom, Deshret... the greatest champions Wraeclast has seen in the last three hundred years. You stood where they fell. Now you are the champion of champions, and Wraeclast should bow at your feet in gratitude. You certainly have my gratitude, and that of my {akhara}. We have been exiled from our land by fear and misguided duty. Now we may return, to ride where we will, live how we wish. Curse-breaker, Giver of Freedom... we thank you. |
KiraOnMalachaiDead1 NPCTextAudio | What cannot be understood should be feared. It is the first rule that a child learns. There is no shame in my saying this: I fear you, Witch. |
KiraOnMalachaiDead2 NPCTextAudio | You have slain the Nightmare for your own reasons, Shadow. It worries me that I don't know what those reasons are. It would worry me even more if {you} didn't know either. |
KiraOnMalachaiDead3 NPCTextAudio | What do we call you now? Saviour? Messiah? Just remember this, Templar. Your 'Faith' didn't kill the Nightmare. You did. |
KiraOnMalachaiDead4 NPCTextAudio | A predator is defined by its prey. Now that your prey is dead, great hunter, what will become of you? |
KiraOnMalachaiDead5 NPCTextAudio | The Beast is dead, and Wraeclast owes you its life. Is this the grand ending you were hoping for, Duelist? Yes, you must be very proud of yourself. |
KiraOnMalachaiDead6 NPCTextAudio | I've never met a man more able, more ready, to take life and crush it in his hand. Is there anything else you can do? If not, this land has something more it needs to worry about. |
KiraOnMalachaiDead7 NPCTextAudio | The Nightmare is gone and my {akhara} is free to return to the plains. We thank you, Lady of Oriath... but do not mistake our gratitude for debt. |
PetarusVanjaOnMalachaiDead1 NPCTextAudio | Petarus: It's obvious to everyone now. Vanja: There's no one like you, Witch. Petarus: The Beast learned that the hard way... Vanja: ...and the whole of Wraeclast will learn about it, one way or another. Petarus: So, I guess this is the happily-ever-after they promised us when we were kids, right, Vanja? Vanja: For us, for Wraeclast... maybe. What about you, sister? Do you even know what that looks like for you? Petarus: There's plenty of happiness to go around now. Vanja: You deserve a piece of it. |
PetarusVanjaOnMalachaiDead2 NPCTextAudio | Petarus: There's no arena, no trophy, no accolade, no title... Vanja: ...no end to what Petarus could spout in your honour. Petarus: In this case, I think it's all right to do so for a bit, don't you? We're standing in the presence of the greatest Duelist that ever lived. Vanja: For once, I actually agree with him. Petarus: You've done more than attain glory, Duelist. You've saved the entire bloody world! Vanja: We needed a hero and you rose to the occasion. Thank you. |
PetarusVanjaOnMalachaiDead3 NPCTextAudio | Petarus: I am proud to be part of the Order. Your order, my Lord. Vanja: And I am sorry. I should have had more Faith. I've always believed in God. It's just that, until now, I didn't think the Templar did. Petarus: I guess sometimes it takes a miracle, something to prove that we're not on our own in this world. Vanja: True. Thank you, Templar, for reminding me what it's like to believe. It's a luxury that I haven't been able to afford. Petarus: Yet it's something that all of Wraeclast can have now. |
PetarusVanjaOnMalachaiDead4 NPCTextAudio | Vanja: I am proud to know you, Karui. Petarus: And I'm sorry. I should have been less hasty... Vanja: ...bigoted? Petarus: {Quick to judge}, but, then... Wraeclast tends to bring that out in people. Quick to judge or quick to die... it's been that way for far too long. Vanja: But thanks to our warrior here, that could all begin to change. Petarus: Dominus is gone. The Beast is gone. Feels like we can all start again now. Vanja: Oriathan and Karui, everyone. Thanks to you. |
PetarusVanjaOnMalachaiDead5 NPCTextAudio | Petarus: We are in your debt, my Lady, and soon enough all of Wraeclast will understand the thanks it owes you. Vanja: You're actually the first highborn woman I've ever met who {deserves} to be called 'my Lady'. Petarus: Vanja! Vanja: It's true and she knows it. Leadership isn't about power, it's about responsibility, and this Lady took the burden from the entire world. Petarus: Well said, Vanja! Vanja: It'd pay for Petarus to listen to me more often, but when it comes to you, Scion, I'm glad he didn't. |
PetarusVanjaOnMalachaiDead6 NPCTextAudio | Vanja: You are indeed a wonder, mountain cat. Petarus: Oh, so she's allowed to share our campfire now, is she? Vanja: I can admit when I'm wrong. Petarus: Sure, someone just has to save the world before you do it. Vanja: A girl's got to have standards, Petarus. Petarus: Well, I think it's safe to say, Vanja, that our Ranger here has managed to set a whole new standard. One that the whole of Wraeclast will need to live up to. Vanja: I'm happy to say that I think you're right, Petarus. So utterly, wonderfully, right. |
PetarusVanjaOnMalachaiDead7 NPCTextAudio | Vanja: I thought you were going to teach us how to survive, Shadow. Instead, you've given us all the chance to far more than just that. You've given us a chance to live. Petarus: Yes... maybe I was wrong about you. Vanja: Maybe? Petarus: Completely and utterly wrong, and happy for it. How's that? Vanja: Perfect. Petarus: And what's next for you, Shadow? You've committed the greatest murder in the history of Wraeclast. How will you top that? Vanja: He's a resourceful man, Petarus. He'll figure something out. |
TasuniOnTheBeast NPCTextAudio | Beneath your feet, Creation shivers and writhes. It yearns for transformation like a worm in a cocoon that dreams of wings and freedom. A transformation that only the Beast can excite. A dark God of ancient sacrifice, a muse to the twisted and vile... the Beast, the Nightmare, the Darkness... names given to it by mortals that think with slugs bound in shells of bone. Yet, one man knew the Beast's true name, understood its impenetrable nature. Malachai. |
TasuniOnGhasts NPCTextAudio | Upon death, our bodies return to the ground. Those that are marked with darkness nourish the corruption. Those that were mighty in life are stolen away. They are carved and crafted, manipulated with malevolent creativity into becoming Malachai's servants. Forged into Ghasts of pure Nightmare. |
TasuniOnMalachai NPCTextAudio | Malachai is what every Ghast aspires to be. The hands and eyes, the voice and mind of the Beast itself. I see him in my dreams, forming his designs, crafting his tools, refining the chaos of nightmare into a vision. A future that you and I would not recognise. That neither you or I belong to unless, of course, we choose to accept the dark embrace. This is Malachai's greatest work. An act of invention like none other. Should he succeed, he will awaken the Beast. What then? The Beast is not Death. Life will go on. A life like nothing we have seen before. |
TasuniOnCataclysm NPCTextAudio | Ghasts have no use for words. To speak in nightmare is to speak in emotion and image... in thought. I see and feel the darkness, and that is how I know that the cataclysm was no accident. Its images are far too rich with intention, far too steeped in satisfaction. Malachai's satisfaction. Malachai devastated my people, destroyed the Eternal Empire, for one reason. To put himself right where he is now, within the Black Heart of the Beast. |
TasuniOnGodlessThree NPCTextAudio | Malachai's apprentices. Shavronne of Umbra, Doedre Darktongue and Inquisitor Maligaro. You'll find no more devoted servants in all of Nightmare. In life, they were the three finest forgers of corruption in the Empire. I'm inclined to agree with Malachai on this one. It would have been such a waste to let them languish in death. Poor Deshret. Each had their wicked way with her, you see, their turn at trying to subsume Deshret into the collective corruption. Ingenious, they are. True artists. Had Deshret been in possession of an imagination, they might well have succeeded in creating a Ghast of her. Fortunately for us, Deshret never had such a faculty. |
TasuniOnGodlessThreeDead NPCTextAudio | If Deshret were able, she'd thank you for dispatching her tormentors, Malachai's wicked little trio. You'll have to content yourself with my thanks, instead. Deshret has been avenged, as is the way of the Maraketh. Tidiness helps one sleep at night, don't you think? |
TasuniOnMalachaiDead1 NPCTextAudio | It took a Shadow to destroy the darkness. The progeny of light, bound to obey the candle whether he likes it or not. I know that's not quite what you expected to hear but then the expected is not always what's needed. You have come to the end of the world, and now you need to return to the beginning. Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of the Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Follow the light, for that's what Shadows do, don't they? |
TasuniOnMalachaiDead2 NPCTextAudio | Ah, Witch. I knew you would embrace the Beast. Yet I couldn't know that you would squeeze the very life from it. Honestly didn't think you had that much love in you. Now one thing remains to be seen. Your regard, your touch, your embrace... can mean only doom for the loved. Please, choose your loves wisely, Witch, lest you break poor Oriath's heart. Yes, that's right. Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of the Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Follow your heart, Witch, no matter how dark it becomes. |
TasuniOnMalachaiDead3 NPCTextAudio | You are a confusing creature, Duelist. Your heart beats for no one but yourself yet you have committed the greatest and most selfless of acts. Was it an act of the heart or merely... an act? Regardless, you may now stride heroically into the sunset, back to your grand arena. Yes, in Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Ever pursue your glory, Duelist, lest you be forgotten. |
TasuniOnMalachaiDead4 NPCTextAudio | You're going to tell me that you didn't kill the Beast, that it was simply your God acting through you. Please don't. I fear I might be ill upon your self-righteous toes. No, Templar. You did this. The oh-so-ordinary man who shall be heralded as 'the chosen one' by the adoring sheep of Oriath. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back to your flock. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Continue to believe in those lies, Templar. It brings out the best in you. |
TasuniOnMalachaiDead5 NPCTextAudio | For a lover of nature, Ranger, you surely know how to destroy it. Yes, you can argue, that the Beast was beyond nature, unnatural to its blackened core. I won't believe you though. It {died} after all. Quite a natural thing to do, wouldn't you say? Something to think about on your way back to Oriath, Ranger. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. Continue your wild ways, Ranger. They seem to come so... naturally. |
TasuniOnMalachaiDead6 NPCTextAudio | I'm sure your Ancestors are very proud of you, Marauder. Yet also rather... confused. For even the great and powerful Beast could not slay you! And if you can't be killed then how will you ever sit at your Ancestors' table? Quite a conundrum that. Something to mull over on your way back to Oriath. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back to where it all began. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. No one ever said that the Karui Way was an easy way, Marauder. |
TasuniOnMalachaiDead7 NPCTextAudio | You had no idea who you were when you left Oriath, did you? A slave to the names others gave you. So you went ahead and forged yourself anew. Bane of Nightmare, Purger of Corruption. But that leaves us with a rather tricky question, doesn't it? Who are you, when everything you have lived for is gone? Perhaps the answer awaits you in Oriath. Yes, Oriath. Upon the mountain high, a gateway has opened, one that shall lead you back home. Hurry, for as the death throes of Beast soften and still, I see the gate beginning to close. So many questions, Scion. Yet the answer is so often the same. |
MalachaiGlyphNotebook NPCTextAudio | The Rapture Device has absorbed its fill of harvested life from Fury and Desire. It is ready. So am I. I know now that I was born to be the end and the beginning of the Empire. The Beast has made this clear to me. As clear and undeniable as the sacrifice I must now make. My Lady Dialla, my love, my life's greatest achievement. She must leave me now, for she cannot follow and she will perish if she remains. And so I will ask of her more than she would ever give. I will betray her. I will break her heart so that I do not break her soul. |
MalachaiGlyphSkinscrawl NPCTextAudio | On this day, the eve of this Rapture's completion, I honour those who have passed and whose passion and knowledge have brought us to the brink of salvation. Inquisitor Maligaro, a creative force without equal. Shavronne of Umbra, an aesthete of transcendent sensibility. Doedre Darktongue, an idol of fervor and dedication. You taught me far more than I ever taught you, my students... my friends. We strove to make a greater world together and, in your memory, I shall make that world a reality. Malachai |
MalachaiIntro1 NPCTextAudio | I have been expecting you, Witch. You and I are about to create the most beautiful of Nightmares together. Will you go to bed now, little girl? Or do I need to tuck you in? |
MalachaiIntro2 NPCTextAudio | What a pleasure to finally meet you, Duelist. You and I will create the most beautiful of Nightmares together. Let us bathe you in blood, Duelist. So that this world might be bathed in glory! |
MalachaiIntro3 NPCTextAudio | I actually find myself admiring you in this moment, Templar. You and I will create the most beautiful of Nightmares together. Rather the hallmark of God, isn't it? Let me show you what a real god can do! |
MalachaiIntro4 NPCTextAudio | I admire you in this moment, Ranger. You and I will create the most beautiful of Nightmares together. Creation... usually the concern of Nature, isn't it? Not anymore. |
MalachaiIntro5 NPCTextAudio | I've followed your performance, my anti-hero of hubris, and I've very much enjoyed it. Now you and I will create the most nightmarish of finales together. We're going to make your death really count for something. |
MalachaiIntro6 NPCTextAudio | In this moment, you and I will create the most beautiful of Nightmares together. Creation... rather the realm of the Gods, isn't it? Bow your head to your one, true god! |
MalachaiIntro7 NPCTextAudio | You could not be more perfect, Scion. So now it is up to us to commit one final act of creation. A single death that will mark the rebirth of an entire world! |
MalachaiPietyFree NPCTextAudio | What!? |
Malachai2Intro NPCTextAudio | Now, let us see if you truly understand what it means to be Nightmare. |
Malachai2HeartHeal1 NPCTextAudio | I gave my life. Nightmare gave me so much more. |
Malachai2HeartHeal2 NPCTextAudio | Accept the gift of immortality. |
Malachai2HeartHeal3 NPCTextAudio | Nightmare is the true Eternal. |
Malachai2Heart3Dies NPCTextAudio | Why... are you so in love with Death? |
SinOnBeast NPCTextAudio | The Beast was never a cruel master. It didn't want to destroy, to corrupt, to terrorise. It simply existed to exist. I made it that way. Unfortunately, in neglecting to provide it with ambition, I made it vulnerable to the ambitions of others. Queen Atziri and Doryani. Emperor Chitus and Malachai. Others even before them. I created a Beast that would free humanity from the tyranny of the gods. Yet all I really did was provide the perfect tool with which humanity could tyrannise itself. |
MaramoaOnGemlings NPCTextAudio | They walked our earth in the times of great strife, cruel and hideous shadows, cast against the clay wall of ruined abode. Thaumaturge Malachai grew them out of the vain ambitions of his dark imaginings. Emperor Chitus believed the legionnaires belonged to him, that gemling men would beat to the drum of his own crystalline heart. But as the silhouette of the emperor faltered and fell, burned out by the light of true men, some of the legion remained. The cataclysm turned legionnaire into monster, another mindless man of undeath. Yet this Captain seems to have regained his faculties, some of his old warrior intelligence. I worry for the rest of his soldiers, how they may grow from mindless killing machines into something far worse. |
HarganOnTitucius NPCTextAudio | What little humanity General Titucius was born with, he traded in for strength. Went as far as to have Malachai replace his joints with virtue gems... mad bastard. Afterwards, Emperor Chitus charged Titucius with subduing the Maraketh, a job he took a little too much pleasure in, if you ask me. |
SinOnPowder NPCTextAudio | Within the ruins of Highgate Refinery you shall find it. Trarthan Powder, a slightly more unstable blend to the kind found within the celebratory rockets and illuminations of Trarthus, this devious mixture of crumbled chemistry was once used to blast holes through even the thickest mountainsides. It will ensure that our mixture has the brute force required. Though one should tread carefully within the refinery, for General Adus and his elite legionnaires sought refuge there during the first moments of Malachai's Cataclysm. If they remain, they will be creatures of darkest discipline. Strong men in health and life made even stronger in corruption and death. |
SinTrioRelease NPCTextAudio | Something doesn't seem right. Yes, it would appear our old friend Malachai has one final trick to play. A thaumaturgical wound to the hearts of my precious Beast. This complicates things, but not perhaps so much that there is nothing we can do. Exile, listen to me. I am about to release the souls of our unholy trinity from their decanter. Their anger will exude more power than you have experienced ever before. You must defeat them, one by one, to fuse their remnants into something volatile enough to coax the Dark Ember from its womb. Ready yourself. |
JunOrtoiJanusPerandus NPCTextAudio | You have heard of the famed Perandus family, I have no doubt. Wealthy and powerful and responsible for putting Malachai in position to bring Wraeclast to ruin all those centuries ago. Though Emperor Chitus is the most famous of the Perandus family, some remnants of his vile bloodline linger even still. Janus was one such remnant. He too was orphaned, but with the Perandus coffers dry and the Perandus name worth its weight in gold, no one took him in. No one except my {akhara}. That he is the only other survivor, and is now a powerful member of the Immortal Syndicate leaves no doubt in my mind that it was he who sold us out. If there is but one silver lining in all of this, it is that I may get to sink my blades into his flesh over, and over, and over again. |
HelenaOnAlva NPCTextAudio | With that book on Vaal blood thaumaturgy, Alva has accessed a power scholars have only dreamed of for centuries. Travelling back in time sounds both insane and absurd, yet I've seen her incursions myself. It is both a curse and a blessing that she chooses to employ those incursions solely for personal gain. Yes, we could do so much more with the power to visit the past, but her focused interests also keep the timeline stable. I can't imagine what would happen to us here and now if, for example, we tried to go back and assassinate Malachai to prevent the Cataclysm. Would we cease to exist? Or would we simply create a second Wraeclast, one in which the Cataclysm never happened? One could go insane thinking about it... |
HelenaTransmutiaDevice NPCTextAudio | Malachai himself gave this Transmutia Device to Maligaro. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable to think about the horrors that it helped bring into being. But I must remind myself that science is not responsible for what happened in the Chamber of Sins. Science provides tools for mankind to manipulate the world. It is up to each of us to choose to do good or evil with the power so provided. Maligaro was the evil responsible, and Malachai before him. Together, you and I are going to start using this Device to undo the damage they did. |
VenariusSynthMemoryBazaarA NPCTextAudio | I see you. You are here seeking answers, because you can find them only in the stories we will leave behind when Malachai and Voll cause our destruction. In this final hour, I entertain the notion that the words I write exist in some form beyond me. Do they go on as dreams? As memories? |
VenariusSynthMemoryBazaarB NPCTextAudio | I have the wildest notion that perhaps you will find a way to pick up scraps of memory, and you, whoever you are, will come across this one someday. If you do, I ask only this: slay Malachai. Slay him for yourself, or slay him for all the lost citizens of the Empire, but, most of all, slay him for Marylene. |
ZanaSynthMemoryBazaarA NPCTextAudio | I see you. You are seeking answers, because you can find them only in the stories we will leave behind when Malachai and Voll cause our destruction. In this final hour, I entertain the notion that the words I write exist in some form beyond me. Do they go on as dreams? As memories? |
ZanaSynthMemoryBazaarB NPCTextAudio | I have the wildest notion that perhaps you will find a way to pick up scraps of memory, and you, whoever you are, will come across this one someday. If you do, I ask only this: slay Malachai. Slay him for yourself, or slay him for all the lost citizens of the Empire, but, most of all, slay him for Marylene. |
ZanaSynthMemoryBellyC NPCTextAudio | Ugh, I am left sickened and dirtied by the vile thoughts of someone intensely self-absorbed. Was that... Malachai? The monster who brought about the Cataclysm? Did I just relive that moment? |
ZanaSynthMemoryPierB NPCTextAudio | We knew of the gems, but we did not know of what Malachai called his 'muse.' The smugglers have returned with rubbings of the device they found. They call it 'miraculous.' I know a thing or two about miracles, so I will be the judge of that. |
ZanaSynthMemoryScepterB NPCTextAudio | Malachai says he has perfected new techniques that will unlock the raw power hidden within the Virtue Gems. I have volunteered my body to the cause. I feel no fear, no hunger, no pleasure... nothing. I only hear his voice. I must obey... |
ZanaSynthMemoryScepterC NPCTextAudio | Ugh, I feel disgusting after that. Even within that memory I could feel Malachai's presence wrapping around my mind like grasping little fingers. |
VenariusSynthMemoryScepterB NPCTextAudio | Malachai says he has perfected new techniques that will unlock the raw power hidden within the Virtue Gems. I have volunteered my body to the cause. I feel no fear, no hunger, no pleasure... nothing. I hear only his voice. I must obey... |
OshabiOnCorruption NPCTextAudio | I had not heard of Corruption or Malachai before. Azmeri do not speak of the Eternals if they can avoid it. It strikes me that Malachai's pursuits were not so different from our own. He simply handled them as only an iron-fisted Eternal could. The Corruption's similarities to the Lifeforce do not escape me. But you slew the source of the Corruption, and yet the Lifeforce continues to dance through all life, as if this land has been deeply imbued with its essence. Perhaps they are the same, perhaps they are different. Perhaps they are two sides of the same leaf. As long as the Lifeforce continues to radiate from all things in Wraeclast both living and dead, it does not matter. We will learn from Malachai's errors and adapt. That is what the Grove teaches us. |
CadiroOnDiallasMalefaction NPCTextAudio | Ah... Dear Dialla. So intent on serving Malachai to the bitter end. Once upon a time, she was one of Chitus' mistresses, but her lustre didn't last. He turned her over to a thaumaturgist many times, and ultimately she fell into Malachai's hands – which led to all those dreadful gem implants... |
CadiroOnMalachaisArtifice NPCTextAudio | Malachai was a treacherous old bastard, but he certainly knew how to master the thaumaturgical arts. It's said that this ring was one of many instruments he used to manipulate virtue gems. |
CadiroOnStoneOfLazhwar NPCTextAudio | Ah, the Stone of Lazhwar. Lazhwar was an unmistakably great mind of our time. Indeed, many of his ideas were stolen by Malachai and used to construct the Eternal Laboratory. It's a shame that Malachai had a hand in his downfall. |
CadiroOnMalachaisMark NPCTextAudio | Malachai certainly left his mark upon Wraeclast. There are still remnants of his evil plaguing the continent. We may never truly know a land untouched by the Cataclysm. |
CadiroOnShavronnesGambit NPCTextAudio | Like all of Malachai's students, Shavronne was brilliant and adept in the art of deceit. |
CadiroOnDoedresScorn NPCTextAudio | Ah, I recognise that circlet. It belonged to Doedre Darktongue... the perverse old hag that she was. Her mind was more twisted even than Malachai's. |
CadiroOnMalachaisVision NPCTextAudio | Malachai's Vision, eh? You may be wearing his crown, but I doubt you'll ever see things in quite the same way as he did. |
CadiroOnMalachaisSimula NPCTextAudio | We're all better off now that Malachai is gone, but you can't say he wasn't a clever old bastard. |
CadiroOnMalachaisAwakening NPCTextAudio | Malachai's Awakening, eh? May he sleep eternally. Although, if I had a mere fraction of the power he had, I'd be even wealthier than I am now. |
CadiroTemplarIntroduction NPCTextAudio | This must be a cruel joke on Prospero's part, sending me here to do business with a Templar! It was your kind that visited misery upon my line, and ended the otherwise 'Eternal' Empire. Though I suppose if you've been exiled, you hardly support those who would emulate Malachai... perhaps we can deal with each other cordially after all. |
KaomGossipOnTrappedInADream NPCTextAudio | My dream, my Nightmare, seemed without end. I couldn't think, couldn't hope, couldn't fight to escape. There was only madness and pain. I believed I had built a home and an empire for my people, but in truth, it was all a lie. You shattered my nightmare and slew Malachai, and for that, I have made no argument against your presence in this sacred place. Consider us even. I owe you nothing. |
HinekoraTalkNine NPCTextAudio | ...the Vaal Empire will fall. Doryani... where is Doryani? Malachai must construct his Grand Design, a crucible in which you will be forged, and thus he will be the architect of his own doom. You must... slay the Beast... when the time is right... |
HideoutTrialmasterVaalOrbMalachaiVision_Random NPCTextAudio | Take what is yours. |
HideoutTrialmasterVaalOrbMalachaiVision_2 NPCTextAudio | Take what is yours. |
HideoutTrialmasterVaalOrbMalachaiVision_3 NPCTextAudio | Take what is yours. |
HideoutTrialmasterVaalOrbMalachaiVision NPCTextAudio | Take your prize and go. |
Lightning Coil UniqueItems | "There's nothing like imminent death to galvanize one's purpose in life." - Malachai the Soulless. |
Honourhome UniqueItems | "The craven mind is sharp with self interest. The honourable mind is much easier to manipulate." - Malachai the Soulless |
Malachai's Simula UniqueItems | It was a sliver of Malachai's soul that animated the first Eternal Guardian. |
Malachai's Artifice UniqueItems | When the wind blows, Know which way to bend and watch the others break. |
Essence Worm UniqueItems | "This thing is not a pet. It is a parasite that feeds on the very will of its host. Like any part of nightmare, it has found a way to make its price... acceptable." - Malachai the Soulless |
Malachai's Loop UniqueItems | Thaumaturgy has no limit. It is our fragile reality that imposes boundaries. |
Malachai's Vision UniqueItems | Wicked men chase power like stray dogs chase a rat. |
Omen on the Winds UniqueItems | As Malachai stepped into the Highgate mines, cold winds billowed from the mountain above. One final, feeble attempt to save what was meant to be eternal. |
Collateral Damage UniqueItems | Malachai ran roughshod over every ethical boundary in pursuit of creating the ideal gemling. For him, there was no doubt that the end would justify the means. |
Malachai's Mark UniqueItems | What man does not wish for immortality? |
Malachai's Awakening UniqueItems | There is no cost too great to pay for power. Merely men who lack the conviction to pay it. |
Honourhold UniqueItems | "Make a man believe he is doing the world a good deed, and there is nothing you can't make him do." - Malachai, the Soulless |
Malachai's Brilliance UniqueItems | "Did we make this? Why do we have no record of it? We were warned that there would be consequences..." - Administrator Qotra |
Replica Malachai's Artifice UniqueItems | "As much as Prototype #20 hints at some deep alternate physics, we cannot afford to expend any more test subjects. Experiments halted." - Administrator Qotra |