Malexia Vendu ~ Centoraurian ~ Fire Necromancer

Name: Malexia Vendu

Gender: Female

Age: 41

Race: Human

Tribe: Centoraurian

Occupation: Fire Mage (necromancer) VI

Title: Tainted Flame

Height: 1 Ped, 2 Fore, 1 Palmspan

Weight: 1 Pygge, 1 Heb, 1 Hafeb

Hair Colour: Dark aeruillin red

Eye Colour: Barsa dusk (gray/white)

Overview:

There was never a time when Malexia Vendu shied away from knowledge that was deemed dangerous or forbidden. She possesses a vastly curious and oddly quaint mind. Her love of learning runs a dark path, as her greatest interests lie in the learning of the world's forbidden lore and arcane secrets. She is a determined, head-strong explorer of the arcane and considers herself an expert on the various occult phenomena and supernatural beings of Caelereth. Malexia is also a powerful necromancer and specializes in the animation of creatures large and small. Together with her imp familiar, Zzrak, Malexia thrives on the discovery of the world's long lost secrets and using them for her own advancement in power. Her lust for arcane lore has taken her far and wide over Sarvonia and beyond.

Appearance:

Malexia possesses a smooth and pale complexion with a slight tinge of pink in her cheeks. She is rarely in the sun and the only illumination she experiences is the light of the moon or the flickering flames from her own spells. Due to the magical effects of her recent expedition to the Mists of Osthemangar, Malexia's eyes are the color of barsa dusk, having completely lost their once sparkling sognastheen hue. Though she has vision, she has lost all perception of color. Few people who have met Malexia would ever accuse her of being warm and approachable. Her thin lips are set in a perpetually tight frown under a pixish nose that is always upturned in an ugly sneer. With a cold stare and sharp glance, Malexia can make most anyone feel unworthy and beneath her. She has not a practiced sense of social skills and any advances towards her is met with a glare of annoyance as her gray eyes pass over you under her thin, upturned eyebrows.

Never one to exhibit much in the way of social graces, Malexia is by no means an elegant woman. Her favored clothing is simple dark green and gray robes made of hardy silk. The garb is elegantly decorative in style, but still modest with little flourish. Around her thin waist is a belt with many small pockets in which she carries various reagents, items of interest and a decent amount of coin. Her bony shoulders are draped by her voluminous robes and cloak. The cloak is clasped with a small bronze colored clip in the shape of a bat. When she walks, her arms are tight against her body as if she is guarding something precious and valuable underneath. Malexia's tall, thin frame moves quickly when she needs to, and she rarely pauses to admire the scenery.

Malexia is never seen without her pockets stuffed with books and scrolls of all kinds. Her robes and clothing are lined with pockets where she keeps trinkets, reagents and bits of scribbled papers that she is constantly referring to. Her knapsack contains various books and documents, all undoubtedly occult related, as well as her personal journal detailing her adventures and expeditions.

When out in the field searching moldy tombs and ancient ruins for knowledge and artifacts, Malexia favors more adventurous and durable clothing. Gone are the silken robes and dresses in favor of thick cloth pants and a leather armor chest piece. Her upper arms are usually bare while a wide assortment of bracelets encircles her wrists. Finally, she dons a thick dark colored robe with a cowl to cover her head. Her knapsack containing scrolls, reagents and a journal that never leaves her sight.

Personality:

Malexia is a serious minded student of the element of fire and takes a deep interest in arcane lore and the study of dark and forbidden subjects. She is forward thinking in that she plans her moves carefully, and is never one to rush things. She considers all options before acting and sometimes deliberates on one decision endlessly until she feels satisfied of the outcome. If faces with a difficult decision, she often solves the problem by making no decision at all. Despite this, she is headstrong and decisive and once she sets herself on a goal, she stops at nothing to achieve it.

Nevertheless, Malexia appreciates the structure of the element of fire and she feels that it gives her the continued desire to learn all she can. She is by no means chaotic by nature and dislikes haphazard planning. She is stable and ordered and would have made an excellent earth mage was it not for her love of the study of demons and dark secrets. She believes that fire is the source of dark power and thus yearns to know more about it. Yet this is her contradictory nature: she maintains a neutral, ordered lifestyle but when faced with the opportunity to obtain new lore, she acts with impulse and will do whatever it takes to get it.

Socially, Malexia is aloof and rarely makes friends easily. Her books and scrolls are her constant companions and when she doesn't have her nose in some dusty tome, she is often seen alone with her imp familiar, trekking the wilderness on a new adventure. Malexia is curious and pokes her nose into everything just for the sake of seeing what she can see. Often, this curiosity gets her into trouble with the law or with others who would rather not experience how far Malexia will actually go to discover what is behind that door, over that hill or through that mysterious glowing portal...

Malexia has a talent in finding flaws in just about everyone. Upon meeting someone, she'll find a reason to dislike them. She is rarely one to give someone a second chance to making a good first impression. Often, she will cast people she meets with a sneer and a click of the tongue in disapproval. She'll mind them a few cursory words of greeting and move on. Unless one appears irregular or odd does Malexia actually pay heed.

The unusual, the outcasts, the misunderstood and the rejected are all who draw Malexia. She was never one to follow a standard for her race and exhibits a sort of temperament fit for a scholar. Nothing surprises her. Nothing gives her pause. She fears nothing (so she says). She would just as soon venture into a dark, stinking dragon hovel than she would walk down a busy Ximaxian street. This fearlessness, of course, has gotten her into many a near death experiences but even death holds no fear for Malexia. Death is just another mystery to be solved...someday.

Strengths:

Scholar - Malexia is a highly intelligent scholar with an acute mind for details. She is a voracious reader and seeker of knowledge. Her memory is keen on remembering any tidbits of facts and figures and she is able to record what she experiences with accurate detail. Her work in the Library of Ximax was instrumental in giving her a direction in life.

Explorer - Malexia is a patient and fearless explorer of the unknown. She is not happy being safe and comfortable. She fearlessly ventures out to explore the unknowns and is willing to take enormous risks to gain the knowledge she lacks. She is a welcoming member of any adventuring party as she is often the one to venture first into the dark cave or catacomb to be the first to witness anything that may lie inside.

Fire Magic - The element of fire gives Malexia a strength in her studies. She uses her magic to animate creatures to do her bidding. Her minions are often used to explore places with her and to help defend her out in the wilds. She has the ability to raise either four bipedal corpses at one time or a semi-sentient animal corpse the size of a greycat. Additionally, Malexia is highly adept at the manipulation of flame and delights in the creation of flaming sentinels which function as powerful offensive weapons.

Zzeek - Malexia's imp familiar is a strong asset to her in all areas of her life. She discovered the creature during her expedition to the Mists of Osthemangar. The wild imp had lost its master and had been living among the ruins for perhaps many years. The imp was drawn to Malexia's powerful will and her own car'all provides it constant nourishment. Malexia named the imp Zzeek and for the last ten years, the creature has aided in her research by functioning as a messenger, courier and fetcher.

Weaknesses:

Soul Malady - After Malexia returned from her journey to the Mists of Osthemangar in the far North, she realized that the time within that strange region affected her. Her mind often forgets the simplest things (such as her own name) and she suffers frequent nightmares. Often, she can't sleep as she feels her body so energized at one moment and then exhausted the next. Hallucinations are becoming more frequent as she hears noises that aren't there and claims to see malicious shadows that are stalking her. She has no explanation for these mental and physical breakdowns except to say that the Mists gave her a debilitating soul malady.

Herbal Addiction - The mysterious soul malady that plagues Malexia has caused her to turn to herbs and potions for help. She has become addicted to Nightshade to calm her nerves and ease her rapidly beating heart during times of heightened energy. She also must drink Canelvous herb tea to ease her muscle pains. Trinity herb helps her sleep and she has taken to smoking the so called "wizard weed" most every day. She takes great pains to obtain these herbs and will resort to stealing, lying or killing to get them.

Reckless - Malexia's search of knowledge and power takes her into the deepest, darkest, most mysterious places known in Caelereth. She often ventures alone in such places in the hopes of finding something that only she alone can possess. As a result, she is often heedless of the dangers of such exploration and risks her life regularly for the pursuit of knowledge.

Cursed Vision - One of the physical affects the Mists cursed Malexia with is the robbing of her color vision. After returning from the Mists region, her eyes slowly lost all of their color and are now a dull gray. Where her eyes were once a brilliant sognastheen, they are now completely devoid of color as her irises seemingly melted away to be replaced with what appear to be the orbs of a corpse. She still has vision, but sees in shades of gray and no longer enjoys the brilliant oranges and reds of her fire magic. Alsol, the odd sight of her eyes often gives strangers and on-lookers pause and many have come to fear and persecute Malexia for some believe she has been tainted with a curse. And in some ways, she has.

History:

Malexia grew up in a orphanage for children in the city of Ximax. Records are unclear of her exact date of birth, but she was told that it was probably around the 25th day of Deadtree in the year 1639. She always thought it such a delicious irony that she was born in the month of Queprur, the goddess of darkness and death. Malexia's parents, she was told, were commoners. Records show that her mother was a baker's apprentice and bore Malexia at a young age, probably no more than 15 seasons old. Her father was listed as an unknown, but further research by Malexia in her later years revealed that he was a wealthy merchant from Milkengrad. Malexia always surmised that her father was older and worldly. He no doubt passed through Ximax and stopped at a bread shop. The girl there caught his fancy and somehow the two managed to conceive a daughter. The young girl couldn't care for the baby so she gave it up. As for her father, the relationship was no doubt a one night affair and he was gone. Such was not uncommon in the world.

Growing up in the orphanage was difficult. Malexia was a thin waif of a child with stringy hair, pale skin and a grumpy personality. She did not make friends easily and those that she did befriend never lasted long. There were rumors among the children that the truly bad and rebellious of the lot were taken away and locked alone in tiny cells deep in the orphanage basement. Such rumor was probably not true, but nevertheless the tales persisted year after year. Unsurprisingly, the adults never did much to squash the rumors as they probably found them useful in keeping the children behaved. Malexia, however, was not convinced. She decided one night to find the truth in the stories once and for all. The experience changed her life.

When Malexia was ten years old, she snuck from her bed and ventured down into the forbidden orphanage basement. She had a stolen key and with it, she was able to unlock three doors that led into some old passages long abandoned. Clad only in her nightgown, she followed the torchlights to a laboratory. There, she was able to peek in a window and witnessed two black clad men manipulating a body. The naked corpse lay on a thick wooden table. The robed men waved their hands around the body muttering softly. Within moments, Malexia gasped as the pale corpse suddenly sat up and turned its head to stare at one of the men. The two nodded in satisfaction and as suddenly as the body sat up, it dropped back down again with a thud. The men left the room through another door leaving the corpse alone. Malexia, ever the curious one, crept inside the examined the body. It was a boy and someone she had met only weeks ago. Gripped tightly in his right hand was a silver small clasp in the shape of a bird. She took it and fled the room never looking back.

Not long after that incident, Malexia began working in the orphanage library. She always was a voracious reader and was now old enough to work tasks such as organizing and cataloging the inventory. She used the time to research the clasp. She also researched her own parents, or what she knew of them. She would find surprising results in both areas that would prove an advantage to her. The clasp, she discovered, was made of gold and belonged to a wealthy political family in the city. As for her parents, she found that the bakery shop where her mother was said to have worked was still in business. She made up her mind to visit the shop to find more information, but she couldn't leave the orphanage herself. She devised a cunning plan.

Malexia tore a blank page from a book and wrote a short note. She drew a rough sketch of the bird clasp on it and folded it up tightly. She sealed it with wax and gave it to the letter carrier boy a few days later. Within a week, a well dressed man accompanied by two armed guards knocked on the orphanage door. The children watched excitedly at the commotion. The head mistress exchanged nervous words with the well dressed man before coming inside the common room. Malexia knew that the clasp belonged to a wealthy and influential family. The ruler of Xaramon was rumored to be among this family clan. Malexia had her way out of the orphanage for good. When the man asked about Malexia's letter, she stepped forward and was led away with him to a private room. She would tell the man all about the clasp and the dead boy. In exchange, she said, for her freedom out of the orphanage. The man agreed and Malexia was released. Soon after an investigation, the orphanage was closed. The dead boy, it turned out, was an illegitimate child to the the family's youngest heir.

Malexia used a similar strategy to find her parents. She discovered that her mother was still working at the bakery from before Malexia was born. She asked about her father and was told that he was a wealthy man from Milkengrad. She had been secretly receiving monthly payments to keep her quiet about the affair from ten years ago. Malexia got his name and wrote him a letter identifying herself. More research in the city library revealed that her father was the head of a shipping business and happily married with four children. An exchange of letters revealed that her father was a foolish man. His current wife did not know of her husband's infidelity with a girl in Ximax ten years ago nor was she aware of Malexia. To keep this information quiet, Malexia demanded full payment to the Ximax Academy of Magic. Her father wisely agreed, making her promise never to go public with his past dalliance. Malexia was off to school.

Ximax

Using her father's funds, Malexia entered the Magical Academy of Ximax at the age of 13. She took to her studies with all seriousness and proved to be a good student. Life at the Academy was difficult, but Malexia was accustomed to overcoming challenges and the years past quickly. The memory of the experience in the lab never left her and she vowed to discover for herself how to raise a corpse. She found that the study of fire magic was the most effective way down the path to necromantic study so she learned all she could. Although necromancy was not openly practiced in Ximax, there were a fair number of students and teachers whom she found dabbled in it. She became a member of a secret organization dedicated to furthering and studying the secrets of necromancy. It was through this group that she discovered demonology.

Under the famed Volkek-Oshra demonologist Vekarn Kha'mal, Malexia was introduced to an entirely new world of fascinating study. The charming Kha'mal found an eager student in Malexia and the two soon became close associates. The study of demons, apparitions and other such phenomena was not typical coursework for a student mage, so Malexia had to take classes in the library in another tower outside of her normal coursework. Once she reached a certain level in her studies, she was allowed more time to pursue other interests such as more focused scholarly work.

It was also during this time that Malexia came to be a member of the Everbright Cult, a growing group of magi who revere the powerful legend of Anilya the Everbright. Anilya was a fire mage who lived in Ximax long ago. The cult believes that she was responsible for raising the Fire Tower and is also said to be the founder of the Fire Daughters sect of Academy guardians. The cult welcomed Malexia with open arms and she found herself at home among her fellow fire magi. One of the benefits of being a part of the cult was that she was taught many of the finer arts of fire necromancy, which is something that Ximax would have never given instruction on.

The Mists of Osthemangar

The fateful day of becoming a full fledged scholar has come for Malexia on the second day of Turning Star, 1664. Kha'mal offered her a chance to visit the infamous Mists of Osthemangar in search of a relic of considerable power rumored to have been lost there hundreds of years ago. Malexia knew that the old cunning orc had a penchant for sending people to the Mists to find things for him and most never returned. Kha'mal, in his own charming way, convinced her that the trip was a simple one and she only had to see an orcen shaman to buy the relic. Malexia agreed to go.

The trip consisted of overland travel north to the far northwestern coast of Santharia. Then, the travel would continue by boat up the coast and around into the Sea of Tears with a stop in the northern city of Naurooth. There, she picked up some hired guides and supplies. The next few days involved more boat travel up the coast and around the peninsula of Kr'uul. A second stop at a large forest brought one last guide, a half-orcen woman named Jhaela, who would be her guide into the Mists. They made two more stops along the coast of Caaehl'heroth in the towns of Devessa and Kant'ram. The latter village sat at the mouth of the Gothkin River. It was here that the final stretch of the journey would be by canoe.

Once up the river and to the base of Mount Oshen, Malexia was finally at the border of the infamous Mists of Osthemangar. Her Kaaer'dar'shin guide, Jhaela, led her to an old orcen shaman who was rumored to have the relic. To Malexia's dismay, the orc did not have it, but said that he had lost it a few strals inside the Mists. He said it was likely taken to a small watchtower ruin just a few hours walk from his location. Malexia was hesitant to go into the Mists, but she confident that her fire magic would protect her if trouble came calling.

A Lost Imp

Jhaela the guide promised Malexia that she would be safe as long as she did not tarry in the Mists for too long. It would have to be a quick trip in and out. The main danger from the Mists, so it was told, was the Taint. Orcen legend said that the Mists warped and corrupted the mind and body. To be tainted could be anything from a mild sickness to blindness to insanity. To prove herself a true scholar, Malexia would have to take the risk. Once in the Mists, she used her magic to create light for herself and more than once had to incinerate a large insect or snake that wandered too near her. It took only an hour of hiking to find the crumbling tower where this relic was supposedly lost.

Jhaela paused before entering the tower. She had heard a noise inside. Malexia prepared to cast a spell and the both of them stepped in. A small bat-like beast the size of a tiny child caught the edge of Malexia's vision. The beast glided down from atop some crumbling overhang and directly at Malexia's direction. Jhaela's quick reflexes pushed Malexia out of the way before reaching for her blades. The mage brought her hands up, a flame burst from her fingers. The creature paused in mid-flight, apparently confused. In the dull light of Malexia's flaming fingers did she get a good look at the creature. It was an imp.

As a learned magi, Malexia was familiar with imps and even met one during her years as a student. The creatures were rare, with only a handful said to be known and in the company of powerful magi. Apparently, the imp was wild and Malexia knew why. Nearby, sitting against the tower wall was a skeleton dressed in tattered robes. Around the corpse's neck was an amulet inlaid with a pale green gem. In the bony hands was clutched a staff made of smooth redwood and decorated with minute carvings of religious symbols. Atop the staff was a green gem, similar to the one in the amulet, that was inlaid within a gnarled and twisted carving of what looked like a bird's talon. Malexia surmised that the corpse was the imp's former master, having been dead an untold number of years, leaving the poor imp alone to fend for itself in the Mists. Malexia took possession of the skeleton's staff, amulet and familiar as her own. The imp, though incapable of speech, was grateful to have a new master as it followed Malexia out.

The Taint

Malexia returned to her mentor, having survived the Mists of Osthemangar. She presented to him the imp, the staff and the amulet she had found. Kha'mal was proud of his student and took possession of the amulet, believing it to be the lost relic he was looking for. He told Malexia that the amulet's former owner was a rogue magi who had stolen the amulet from him years ago and fled North. The orcen scholar declared Malexia ready to venture on her own to embrace her own destiny. She had all that she needed: magic skills, knowledge, experience and a familiar to aid her. There as no more that she could be taught from him.

Little did she know that her rewards gained from the Mists were costly. It was not long before her eyesight degraded and her mind slowly lost focus. The Mists had tainted her soul and mind forever. She no longer saw in color, but shades of black and white. For the next few years, she sought numerous clerics and healers but none could help her. The Mists of Osthemangar were a taint beyond any known cure. She did find success in the manner of a gnome alchemist named Fastrin the Delver. The gnome was a self-proclaimed scholar himself who was familiar with the Mists. He prescribed various medicinal remedies that would help her keep focus. The most dangerous mixture he gave her was Nightshade. In small amounts, he said, the plant's remedy would keep her malady from going out of control. Be warned, he told her, that improper use of the poisonous plant could kill her. Malexia was confident that she could use it wisely and with the grim knowledge that her malady was incurable, she finally found a way to live with it.

Magic:

Malexia has long had an interest in the dark arts and her scholarly work as a demonologist has taken her into realms of knowledge that most would care to forget, or wish didn't exist. Ever since that fateful night in the lab of the orphanage, she has ever been curious as to how the corpse of the boy was made to move. Obviously, the robed man and woman she witnessed were necromancers, and now Malexia, in her adult years, has joined their ranks as a practitioner of necromancy. The living has rarely held any interest for her so Malexia took to the study of undead with a passion. Necromancy gives Malexia a sense of power and control without the chaos and unpredictability so often found in the "living world." Malexia's focus on the spiritual representations of fire give her extraordinary control when animating victims. Her skills at the physical representation are not nearly as up to the same level, and as such her skills at such magic is perhaps that of a fire mage of level four or even three by comparison. Without corpses to fuel, Malexia is not so much a mage fit for any kinds of battle. She is a researcher and scholar first and foremost.

Malexia's methods of corpse animation follows in the teachings of the elfess Twen Araewen, a powerful elven necromancer. Additionally, Malexia learned much of the necromantic arts as a member of the Everbright Cult. She is well skilled in the Ximaxian understandings of the fire spheres of I and II. She studied how to use the fire property of animation to give corpses the capability of movement and direction. Her favored spell is Fiery Minion. By focusing on the spiritual aspects of Sphere II, and activating the property of animation, Malexia is able to catch and focus the fleeing fires of life of the corpse. She first strengthens the influence of fire by either raising the temperature of the corpses she wishes to animate, or she simply lights them afire using a torch. By strengthening and weakening the fire ounia from within and around the corpses she wants to animate, Malexia can control up to four corpses at once for perhaps a half an hour. Malexia focuses and grasps the fleeing fires of life giving the corpse movement and stability.

She is also adept at animating the corpses of small beasts. The fires of life is not so much a presence within dead beasts and thus animating more than one to function as a more or less sentient tool is not possible for Malexia (at least, not yet!) Since the principles of Sphere III are not yet something she has mastered, Malexia instead animates the carcass by activating the property of animation and moving the carcass as a puppet, where she controls its movement. The creature cannot be made to obey commands as she cannot imprint a will on it. Small beasts, such as greycats or rodents are easily done using this method. Once her focus is removed from the animation, the carcass falls lifeless once more.

Malexia also animates the occasional larger hound or similar sized beast. Even larger animals, such as horses, are well within her power to animate (although no more then one at a time). Regardless of the condition of the carcass, whether freshly dead or mere bones, Malexia's technique is the same. She focuses on the fire ounia within the carcass, strengthening it and activates the property of animation. Her technique similar as with animating bi-pedal corpses. She raises the temperature of the carcass by lighting it afire and focuses on the now abundant fire ounia. Unlike the humanoid corpses, which can obey commands, animal corpses have no will imprinted on them and thus are directly under the control of Malexia until she releases them. Obviously, the larger the beast, the more focus is required.

Malexia is not so much a practitioner of the flashy aspects of fire and thus has no interest in the art for other than research and necromancy. The dark arts that she studies involve alot of focus and her lust for power consumes her. There are instances where Malexia requires the aid of another person in her research or perhaps someone to simply face physical danger in her stead. This is where her own passion for knowledge and discovery influences another. The mage is quite adept at manipulating the passions of another to entice them into aiding her. She uses such an influence to remove the self control and reasoning of the simple minded and once under her grasp, the willing victim is more than happy to spill his or her secrets or to fight for her. If the situation presents itself, and Malexia is quite sure that she can get away with it, she will murder the one under her control and immediately assume to animate the fresh corpse. Malexia feels no remorse in this heinous act, as she looks upon it as a part of her scholarly work. She feels not a passion for another person, but only for the knowledge she can gain from them.

Possessions:

The Burning Whisper Staff

Malexia obtained a staff from the corpse of a mage in the Mists of Osthemangar. The Mists are known among demonologists to be a tainted realm, magical and highly unpredictable. Most living beings to inhabit the Mists are twisted in mind and body. They become aberrations and shadows of their former selves. Even non-living things can become twisted and tainted. The Mists are said to be a rare place where the very air is so magically corrupted, that sometimes, objects become enchanted with strange properties. The staff Malexia found brought her ever closer to the very demons and darkness that she has studied for most of her life. She believes the staff contains the essence of a Netherworld demon that had somehow become trapped within the staff. Some tribes of the North, such as the Kaaer'dar'shin half-orcs, believe the Mists itself is a vast, chaotic entity with a sentience all its own. Malexia knows well the lore of the region and has come to believe that the Mists demon, or demons, whisper to her every time she grasps the staff and uses it. Conversely, the very whispers she hears could also be a result of her soul malady; of her own pursuing insanity that threatens to overtake her.

The Burning Whisper was once a piece of redwood and functioned as a focus for Zzrak's former master. Whether the staff was enchanted before it entered the Mists is not known. The magical properties of the staff when found bestow both a curse and blessing upon its new owner. By possessing the staff, Malexia suffers from her soul malady. The whispers and influence of the cursed staff both drive her and inhibit her. The staff is grayish in color with tendrils of mist wisping off of it. It is warm to the touch as if continually heated, though it is not by Malexia's magic that this is so. She believes that the staff leeches the life-force from the surrounding area, as well as the person wielding it. Malexia has come to believe that the Burning Leech slowly steals the fire ounia from her own car'all. The results of this leeching is that her body is often cold to the touch and she is continually chilled when holding the staff. Spiritually, her mind suffers as well, as her emotional state becomes equally as cold and lifeless. Her mind loses some focus and the symptoms of her soul malady heighten. The herbs she takes daily help ease the burden of this ounia drain.

The blessing that the staff bestows can only be appreciated by one who has studied the dark arts for many years, as Malexia has. She believes the staff is possessed of a Netherworld demonic essence that drives her to newfound heights of power. In her madness, Malexia has come to appreciate the staff's control and direction over her mind. She feels bound to this chaotic entity that both soothes her worries and demands bloody fealty. She has come to believe that the staff commands her to use her powers for lustful gain and only through its encouragement does Malexia act upon her vile urges. Of course, her willpower is strong and she sometimes battles the influence of the staff. She is not completely overcome by the whispering in her mind, but she knows that she will someday succumb. She cannot rid herself of the Burning Whisper. It would never allow it. Malexia is determined to control the demon essence before it consumes her forever, but deep down, she knows she is fighting a losing battle. The Mists of Osthemangar is not so easy a foe to overcome.

Familiar:

Zzrak the Imp

Zzrak was found in the Mists of Osthemangar, lost and alone. It is unknown exactly how long he had been in the Mists. Malexia suspected that Zzrak had survived for many years since the corpse of his master was but a mere dusty skeleton. However, in the Mists, one never assumes anything as the very nature of the region is unpredictable and otherworldly. Nevertheless, the imp was alive and well and quickly bonded with Malexia soon after his rescue. It is said that when an imp's master dies, that the creature will find a new master, one with sufficiently powerful willpower and a car'all to nourish it.

Appearance:

Zzrak is of standard size for an imp. Its lean body stands about 2 fores tall. Its coloration is a deep sognastheen green, patterned with black over its back and abdomen. The imp is a very active flyer with black colored leathery wings that are approximately a ped across when outstretched. His body possesses a few scars along the back and left forearm that are a few nailsbreadths in length. Malexia is not sure if these scars were the result of an accident or mistreatment by his former master. Of course, imps cannot speak in words, so Zzrak has never mentioned what happened.

Personality

Zzrak is a capable and helpful familiar. Malexia counts herself extremely fortunate to have him. Many magi are never privileged to have such an intelligent, exotic helper. It took perhaps two years for Malexia to begin to interpret Zzrak's complex system of body language communication. By using his hands and tail, in various ways of signaling and by slapping surfaces, Zzrak has come to learn to have dialogue with Malexia. The imp understands the Tharian language when it is spoken to him. Imps are impartial creatures and not biased at all. They adapt to whatever their masters' vocations or school of magic and Zzrak is no exception. He especially seems to enjoy Malexia's powerful spell casting and often becomes mesmerized by the dazzling displays of fire she creates.