Malakeh

"Seeing isn't always believing."

— Dominus Malakeh

Dominus Malakeh (pronounced MAL-lah-keh) is the trickiest member of the Dominion. Any information recorded about Malakeh is unreliable at best, but the most consistent belief is Malakeh serves as the god of deception. Malakeh rules from the House of Phantasmal Daydreams. 

History 

Malakeh is believed to have fought on the side of Order during the Thousand Year Flood. The gods of order utilized Malakeh as a spy during the battle; Malakeh was so effective that it was impossible to tell what side Malakeh truly served.

When the Thousand Year Flood unwound several planes of existence, the home of the div met the same fate and left Malakeh and Dominus Kalugal without a realm. As Malakeh and Kalugal assessed the damage to their realms and their people, they learned that their supreme lord and many of their fellow div princes had perished. The only members of the div royal court that lived were Malakeh and Kalugal. Kalugal's solitary nature made him unfit to rule, so Malakeh assumed command over the div. 

When the soon-to-be Archdominus, Serallus, approached the remaining archfiends, Malakeh was skeptical of his capabilities. Serallus claimed that he constructed an entirely new lower plane known as Diabolis and offered an invitation to any archfiend who wished to dwell there. Serallus' expectation of loyalty and servitude in exchange for a realm in Diabolis made Malakeh suspicious. Malakeh refused to listen to just anyone, so Malakeh presented Serallus with a test. The div dealt in destruction, so Malakeh demanded that the div enter Diabolis and inspect the plane with Malakeh’s guidance. Malakeh would establish rule elsewhere should the div find a single flaw in Diabolis' design.

Upon entry, Malakeh ordered the div to destroy the plane. Malakeh intended to reveal Serallus as a fraud and then claim the role of ruler of the archfiends. To Malakeh’s shock, Diabolis remained unharmed no matter what the div did to harm it. Malakeh begrudgingly accepted defeat and swore loyalty to Serallus.

Dogma 

Malakeh believes that even truths can be bent into falsehoods; the very act of language and relaying history can easily lead to hundreds of deceptions and misconceptions. There is no such thing as the truth. Reality is what you make it. 

Relationships 

It is impossible to gauge Malakeh’s feelings towards others due to their nature as god of deception. Many of Malakeh’s affiliations are dependent on how the other party perceives Malakeh.

Friends 

Malakeh and Dominus Drakas are known to be quite close to each other. Their clergies and servants often work in tandem. Rumors have swirled throughout the planes of their relationship being much closer than a simple alliance, but Malakeh and Drakas are not ones to label such a thing as romance.

Malakeh is said to admire Dominus Uribal's destructive capabilities. The pair are believed to have worked together before the Thousand Year Flood, and Uribal learned much of their manipulative prowess from Malakeh.

The Moon from the Tarotic pantheon has made itself at home within Diabolis, where Malakeh greeted it with open arms. This has led many members of the Tarotic faith to fear Malakeh and avoid anything associated with the dominus.

The followers of the Vampire Queens, Shali , Magdalena, and Orethali, sometimes make deals with Malakeh’s cult to utilize the deceptive prowess of Malakeh’s div to gather sacrifices for their queens.

Neutral Relationships 

Malakeh seems disappointed that the only other prince to survive the war was Kalugal. This disappointment is vastly overshadowed by Malakeh’s joy that the div will serve the House of Phantasmal Daydreams. There is no need for Malakeh to share power with anyone other than Serallus.

Malakeh has expressed some interest in Ciri due to her ties to confusion. This interest has been dampened by the fact that Ciri is not a member of the Dominion and therefore Malakeh does not believe her to be truly worth the time. 

Enemies 

Malakeh and Dominus Desire are quite competitive with one another. Since their domains are so similar, Malakeh is always looking for opportunities to display superiority over Desire. Malakeh is the older and more experienced dominus, but Desire has the privilege of being Serallus' granddaughter and the new ideas granted by youthful experience.

Malakeh dislikes most of the Imperators, but directly opposes Imperatrice Ullith. Ullith's clergy is dedicated to learning any confirmed truths about Malakeh they can find. Malakeh’s clergy is always quick to retaliate with a new lie to throw the clergy off. Malakeh’s cult will often spread lies about Ullith's churches to dismantle the religion and discourage others from joining Ullith's cause.

Worshipers of Nidra and Exarch Ensi have expressed anger towards the followers of Malakeh. Malakish cultists often take joy in changing historical documents and rewriting memories to cultivate doubt.   

Many of the Overseers dislike Malakeh as well, especially Overseer Treald. Many Trealdic clerics believe that Malakeh did not fight on the side of Order during the Thousand Year Flood, and that the belief that Malakeh fought with the gods of order is simply another falsehood peddled by Malakeh.

Appearance 

Malakeh has a myriad of forms, so many that it is impossible to list them all. Typically, Malakeh prefers to take the form of a perfect reflection of whoever is currently holding the dominus’ attention. If Malakeh has a proper true form, no one has ever seen it. 

Providence 

Whenever a mortal misremembers something, it is believed to be due to Malakeh’s influence.  The version of the events told by the individual misremembering is referred to as “Malakeh’s edition.”

Malakeh is very heavily associated with gas-based electricity, projections, and shadow plays. The Cult of Malakeh regularly utilizes these items in their ploys to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of Phoenix. This association has led to the term “gaslighting,” which is in reference to an individual intentionally lying to make the individual they are talking to question their mental faculties and become more dependent on the gaslighter.

Home

Malakeh resides within the House of Phantasmal Daydreams. No one knows where exactly the House is within Diabolis or what it looks like. Someone could pass through the House of Phantasmal Daydreams and never know. 

Teachings 

Many aspiring mages seek out the knowledge held by Malakeh’s cultists, as they are typically quite skilled in mentalism spells. The trouble that most mages encounter is convincing a Malakish cultist to give them legitimate information. 

Servants 

Malakeh holds dominion over the div within Diabolis, sharing that rule only with the Archdominus. There are rumors that Malakeh rules over a handful of titans as well, but this has never been proven.

Praetors 

Azlleu

First Praetor, she is a div who is often seen dressed as a performer or theater usher. She is well known for making spectacles out of her illusions. 

Ital

A div who possesses a powerful camera that can capture other beings simply by taking a picture. 

Zaaki

A div who appears as a misty specter with a shimmering, iridescent halo around his body. 

Nazos

A div who appears as a disembodied shadow on various surfaces, their shape constantly changes to suit their needs. 

Saballah

A div with the power to transform the essence of his enemies into a light source that he can trap within a lantern. 

Religion 

The cult of Malakeh is near impossible to locate on Phoenix; they have no preference for location, and members can be found throughout all of Phoenix from all walks of life. 

Worshipers 

Malakeh is extremely popular with magic users, especially those who lean more towards spells that trick others’ perceptions. Outside of the magically inclined, the cult attracts liars, con artists, performers, tacticians, politicians, and a menagerie of other folk who could benefit from utilizing a little deception and doubt. 

Clergy 

The clergy of the Malakish Cult is just as varied and confusing as their god. Some clerics claim to be Malakeh made flesh and form new branches of the faith with this belief in mind. Other clerics create vast temples and organized faiths dedicated to Malakeh and maintain that impersonating their dominus is blasphemy. Others still prefer to operate behind the scenes and simply sow seeds of distrust in organizations and communities by spreading misinformation. No one knows which is the true way that Malakeh prefers to be honored, some assume that Malakeh simply revels in the confusion of it all. 

Temples and Shrines 

Sites devoted to Malakeh have a variety of forms; even the temples crafted in Malakeh’s honor differ in their appearance and architecture. 

Secretive branches of the cult construct their temples with the intent of making them a cover operation. Shrines to Malakeh are hidden throughout these temples, often designed after shrines to other deities. Popular disguises for Malakish temples are lamplighters’ guilds and theaters. 

Public branches of the cult use a dizzying variety of design philosophies. A Malakish temple could be a grand piece of architecture, spreading across the terrain to welcome new devotees with open arms. On the other hand, a Malakish temple could be a small, one-room chapel with a simple wooden pulpit and a few scattered pews. A recurring theme across many Malakish temples is the use of gas lamps and neon lights, particularly when depicting the symbol of Malakeh.

Members of the Malakish faith may also utilize magic on their temples during construction. This magic is usually a great illusion to disguise the temple as something else, but more inventive clerics have discovered ways to make their temples regularly change appearance both inside and out.

Holy Texts 

To Cheat a Fiend 

A book distributed by the Malakish Cult that provides “advice” on how to cheat fiendish pacts. The advice in the book can lead a would-be cheater to horrible punishments such as loosing loved ones, trapped in eternal servitude, or worse.

Tales of the Ancients: An Antediluvian History 

A text made up of elaborate lies regarding the life of those who lived before the Thousand Year Flood, many believe that it is a Malakish book that holds coded messages for cult members. 

Holidays 

The Grand Delusion 

Celebrated on the eleventh day of Rovion, the Grand Delusion is a masquerade ball to celebrate the masks people wear every day. Malakeh's faithful will answer questions with total honesty during the holiday, but they must always keep their identity hidden behind a mask.

Contraria 

Celebrated on the thirteenth day of Nidara, Contraria is a day where Malakish cultists are given the task of finding a victim and cursing them to do the opposite of what they do every day. Victims of this festival can only say the opposite of what they mean and perform their entire day in reverse. 

Rite of Ki 

Celebrated on the first day of Kiana, the date commemorates a false holiday created by a Malakish cleric that tricked an entire village into staring into Phoenix' twin suns for as long as possible as a way of honoring Ki. The holiday was a ruse to trick the villagers into blinding themselves. 

Festival of the Pierced Veil 

Celebrated on the twenty-eighth day of Serallon, the Festival of the Pierced Veil is a universal holiday that is also celebrated by the Malakish Cult. Cult members have co-opted the holiday to use it as an excuse to frighten outsiders with illusions and horrifying costumes. 

Favored Animals 

Malakeh’s most favored animal is the spider; the dominus also has a fondness for any animal that utilizes lures and camouflage to trick prey.

Organizations 

Order of Phantasmal Daydreams

A dreadknight order that specializes in the use of illusions and mental magic.