Malliin, The Spider-Queen

Malliin is the Demon Lord of Fear and Terror, a monstrous beauty who relishes on the panic and anxiety all mortal creatures feel. Known aptly as the Spider Queen, she is fear made flesh, the tingling sensation as something runs down your spine, and the dread knowing something is watching you, and always was.

Domain and Influence

The domain of Malliin is primarily in fear. She relishes on bringing terror to The Material Plane, not in the instinctive panic of animals, but the curated terror of intelligent minds. Silence and shadows are hers to own, as unseen voices and footsteps tickle the imagination of her victims. The more elaborate the dread, the more pleasing it is to her.

Unlike many other Demon Lords that corrupt the souls of mortals with whispers and desires, Malliin is much more insidious. She will target an individuals phobias and dreads, stoking the fires of the emotions with illusions and deception. Only when the mortal is willing to accept death rather than face their fears will Malliin claim their soul, dragging it in to The Weave with the hunger of a predator waiting for its prey.

Aside from her hunger for sowing terror, Malliin's domain includes arachnids, specifically spiders. Throughout history these creatures have been linked to a deep-rooted fear, and much of Malliin's own appearance matches them. It is her who is also responsible for the curse of the Weavewraith – cursed humanoids that take on a hybrid-arachnid form to sow despair across the lands.

Appearance and Depictions

Malliin's form is a warped vision of terror and intrigue. Her lower body is that of a massive black spider, with crimson markings along its form. Where the spider's head and eyes should be is instead a regal Dark Elf, conjoined at the waist upwards. Her skin is a grey ash, with long white hair adorned with barbed jewellery. Her form would almost be pleasant if it were not for the abomination she was.

When calm, she will be poised, regarding her surroundings with six pale violet eyes. A voice that is accompanied by the scuttering of a thousand legs will gladly trade barbs and conversation with an often surprising intelligence. When angered, however, she is the doom to all, and her jaw will unhinge and stretch back, revealing an obscene nest of fangs ready to devour flesh and sanity.

Malliin wields a demonic spear forged of soul-silk and bone. Often referred to as Needlethorn by mortals, a single scratch is capable of instant paralysis. Malliin will use this to her full advantage, dragging out the terror of death slowly as her victims lay motionless but fully aware to their fate.

Myths and Legends

The Sundering of Auraiddmir was a cataclysmic event for an ancient kingdom of Elves, one which birthed several of the Demon Lords. Malliin is one of these.

The soul that created Malliin was that of an Elven Magister, one that was deeply embroiled in the cult beseeching the dark forces on the other side. A peerless illusionist, she always had a keen sense for fear, using it to better her political position and “aid” the empire against their foes. This lust for causing terror was provoked further by the whispers from the other side, and when the great ritual to bring Demons into the world of Varda was complete, the Magister's soul was ripe for conversion.

The energy unleashed from the Weave ripped through the Elven Magister, warping her form and soul in to the Demon Lord Malliin. The corruption complete, she then joined the forces of Demonkind against the Auraiddmir, sowing fear and terror in her wake. At the resolution of the conflict, Malliin was banished back to the Weave, where she forged her own cobwebbed domain to watch and manipulate the souls of the world.