Malbus

Malbus is a character mentioned in the short story Tales of Ravenloft: The Judgment of abd-al-Mamat. He is described as a "ram-horned abomination" and ruler of Al-Kathos, a land presumably located somewhere within the Demiplane of Dread considering its source in a Ravenloft book. His seat of authority is the Burning Citadel, where he presides over armies of infernal servants and feasts upon mortal flesh.

According to one story, Malbus answered the call of merchants from the Citadel under attack by raiders through immolation of the raiders with a pillar of flame. Only one of the raiders survived to tell the tale.

Some fans have interpreted the description of Malbus as indicative of darklord status.

Noncanon Information

As very little has been revealed about Malbus in official sources, Ravenloft fans have expanded upon the available details with several different versions of Malbus and his origins.

Alternate Origins: Malbus as Half-Silat

Malbus is a half-Silat whose mother was a Silat who seduced a man named Halkar. Silat's normally mate with ogre magis so her actions were considered perverted by her dark gods. She was cursed with bearing a half-Silat freak and forbidden to kill him. He was treated with disdain as he was a half breed. His mother constantly abused him when he grew up as she was mocked by his very existence. Malbus grew up hating his mother and most women. However he had stronger than average male lust for women as well. So he definitely had a lust/hate feelings towards women and due to his mother's chaotic tendencies he hated chaos as well. His hatred and lust naturally made him an evil man such as him a serial rapist. He found out about the Blood War and figured that devils were the worst enemies of chaos (in his mind) and as a soldier he could rape enemy women as well and he became a worshipper of the archdevil Bel who hates demons and is the most martial of all the devils. Bel saw it ironically amusing that a offspring of such a chaotic race would be an enemy of demons and was pleased to have him as a follower. Bel granted him certain gifts that allowed him to raise a small army. He then set out to fight kingdom after another and getting more mercenaries seeking glory and loot to join his quickly growing army. His troops kidnapped women and sent them to him to satisfy his lust. Eventually he found out that a coup was being plotted against him by some of his generals as many were as evil as him. He was sly however and betrayed them by sending them against a city ruled by clerics of Bane after informing the clerics that his army was coming. While laughing at his troops getting slaughtered the mists claimed him for its own. He has a number of curses on him 1)He is no longer able to change shape and always appears as his true form as a half-Silat. He has no real political control over his realm as he only has influence over a half a dozen devils 3 bearded devils and 3 chain devils all of whom are too stupid to be more than sword fodder and a couple dozen priests of Set which is not enough to control a domain of thousands particularly since the priests are NE and more interested in stabbing each other and him in the back than anything else. Also he is upset they worship Set instead of Bel. As a fanatic devotee of Bel he wants them all worshiping him but he has failed at every attempt. Also he was cursed with an utter fear of women. During his discussions with Abd-al-Mamat he got him to see the world as one needing very strict justice and that the strong had the right to abuse the weak. He was hoping to convert Abd-al-Mamat to the worship of Bel but the leader started worshiping Set instead after the priests of Set talked to him. Through secret conversations Malbus kept trying to get Abd-al-Mamat to worship Bel instead of Set. He was on the verge of doing so when Abd-al-Mamat got sliced up. Abd-al-Mamat thought that was punishment from Set and started completely turn against Bel. As such Malbus and Abd-al-Mamat now hate each other's guts but neither can do anything about it. However the priests never heard of Bel before and see no reason to switch their worship from Set to Bel. Malbus suspects that if he could convert everyone to the worship of Bel then Bel would free him of his curse. Instead of the disciplined population he desires the domain is full of squabbling chaotics, hardly the type to worship Bel. Also he still lusts after human women he also fears them due to his curse. The struggle between lust and fear is very agonizing to him.

Malbus 10 Paladin of Tyrany 1/2 Silat AC25 HP 106 Str 18 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 18 Wis 14 Chr 22

Diplomacy +21 Heal +15 Knowledge(Religion) +17 Knowledge(Strategy) +17 Knowledge(Tatics)+17 Ride +16 Sense Motive +15

+1 Full Plate +2 Hy Shield +1 Unholy Axiomatic Flail (Bel's Vengence)

Bel's Gifts Hellish Training: Knowledge(Tactics) and Knowledge(Strategy) are class skills for Malbus Law's Warrior: Can use detect chaos at will as well as detect good(He lost the latter in Ravenloft)

Smite Chaos can be used instead of Smite Good

Smite good or chaos 3Xday

Divine Grace

Deadly Touch

Debilitating Aura

Divine Health

Rebuke Undead

Cause Disease 2Xweek

Disciple of Darkness(Bel)

Weapon Focus(Flail)

Vile Martial Attack(Flail)

Combat Reflexes

Extra Turning

Dark Lord Powers

Cause Fear at will DC20 Desecrate 2X day

Undying: If he dies he will reform in an empty room closest to his throne room.

Malbus can close the borders by causing fear to anyone crossing it. It has a DC of 20 which increases by one every round and can effect any level. Only creatures naturally immune to fear are not effected.

Alternate Origins: Malbus as Div

Ryan Naylor's Children of the Night: The Lords of Ravenloft (part of Pathfinder in the Mists) depicts Malbus as the 9th Caliph of Al Kathos and a former human witch turned div. He pledged his service to Ahriman, lord of the divs, and sacrificed many innocent lives to his fiendish master. Malbus' other crimes including the seduction and kidnapping of the Emir's daughter and striking down a genie disguised as a beggar, the latter of which drew him into the Mists as darklord of Al Kathos.

Alternate Origins: Malbus as Efreeti Warmonger

A third (and perhaps earliest) origin for Malbus depicts him as an efreeti warmonger and political manipulator named Khaizuran-al-Mayfit. Falling out of favor with the Sultan of the Efreet, Malbus fled to Zakhara, a land on the world of Toril on the Prime Material Plane to wait for the the wrath he might've suffered for his schemes to die down. He reigned havoc on the mortal denizens until he was bound by a lowly sha'ir named Reggeth Ben Khamal. The sha'ir used Khaizuran-al-Mayfit to raise his hometown of Liham to glory. However, Khaizuran-al-Mayfit's callousness in fighting against the city's enemies on one front prevented him from properly protecting Liham. It was sacked and burned, and its citizens were scattered to the winds.

When at last the foreign emir challenged and defeated Khaizuran-al-Mayfit, the efreeti feigned surrender only to murder the emir in cold blood. Following this act of betrayal, Khaizuran-al-Mayfit was attacked by former friend and foe alike, chasing him into the desert. A sandstorm eventually overtook him, and as he emerged from it, he had entered Ravenloft as the darklord of Al Kathos. This land is an isolated land where he is commonly distrusted and the only challenges to his power are out of his reach. His boredom is slowly eating away at his sanity.

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		Tales of Ravenloft:The Judgement of Abd-al-Mamat
		Tales of Ravenloft:The Judgement of Abd-al-Mamat - p157, 160