Maltherion

Maltherion, The Whispering Lich (Undead, Lich)

• • Role in the Cabal:** Maltherion, an ancient necromancer and now lich, is one of Durnstang’s most loyal agents within the Cabal of the Unseen Hand. His obsession with the perfect form of undeath has driven him to pursue immortality and mastery over life itself, transcending mortal limitations. Unlike Kyros, Maltherion is fully aware of Durnstang's ultimate goal to sever the Weave, but his own ambitions are aligned with it. He seeks a world where death is no longer an inevitability but a choice, with undeath becoming the dominant state of being.

• • Background:** Maltherion was once a renowned human necromancer during the height of the Mage Age, roughly 4,000 years ago. Obsessed with the mystery of death and the nature of the soul, he dabbled in forbidden rituals, seeking ways to conquer mortality. Eventually, he discovered the means to transform himself into a lich, freeing himself from death’s grip, but at the cost of his humanity.

As a lich, Maltherion retreated to the Underdark to avoid the attention of mortal kingdoms, building a sprawling necropolis filled with undead servants, twisted experiments, and soul-infused constructs. He has operated in secret for centuries, weaving his influence into various death cults and necromantic circles, all while continuing his research on perfecting the process of becoming immortal without the weakness of a phylactery.

Maltherion views life as an outdated, imperfect state and sees undeath as the next evolutionary step for all sentient beings. His ultimate goal is to transform the world into a place where death no longer exists in its current form, and undeath becomes the new “life.”

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Maltherion’s Motivation:

Maltherion sees Durnstang’s plan to sever the Weave as the perfect opportunity to rewrite the rules of existence. If the Weave is destroyed, the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth will be shattered. Souls will no longer be bound by the gods or the cycle of reincarnation, and Maltherion believes this will allow him to perfect undeath on a global scale. A world without death means no more reliance on phylacteries or other arcane methods to prolong existence—he envisions a future where beings willingly choose undeath as the superior form.

While he aids Durnstang in unraveling the Weave, his endgame is to be the ultimate master of this new reality, where he can reshape the fabric of existence to favour the undead and eliminate the frailties of life once and for all.

The Necropolis of Maltherion’s Key Operations:

1. The Soulforge Experiments: Deep within his necropolis, Maltherion has created the Soulforge, a massive, arcane construct that allows him to manipulate and extract the essence of souls. The Soulforge is designed to transform living beings directly into undead without the need for death. He seeks to refine this process, perfecting a way to bypass death entirely, so that his followers and eventually all mortals can transition into undeath seamlessly. However, these experiments come at great cost—draining the life essence of the subjects, which further weakens the Weave. The soul-manipulating energies corrupt the natural flow of life and death, leaving rifts in the Weave that can be exploited by Durnstang's agents.
2. The Harvest of Immortal Souls: Maltherion commands legions of undead agents to roam the world in search of rare, powerful souls—individuals with deep connections to magic, life, or the divine. His minions seek out powerful mages, priests, and even ancient creatures whose souls are tied to life’s cycles. These souls are trapped within his phylacteries or soul gems, fueling his Soulforge experiments and further destabilising the Weave. By robbing the world of these powerful souls, he weakens the structure of reality and removes potential threats to Durnstang’s plan to end the cycle of life.
3. Creating the Eternal Dead: Maltherion has developed a new breed of undead — The Eternal Dead - undead creatures who can regenerate their bodies using fragments of the Weave’s energies. These beings are neither alive nor fully undead, but exist in a state of perpetual regeneration. He is preparing these creatures to be the vanguard of his new world, a world where death is irrelevant, and beings can exist in an eternal state of undeath. By forcing the Weave to regenerate their decaying bodies, these creatures weaken the Weave’s ability to maintain the natural flow of life and death.
4. The Desecration of Sacred Grounds: Under Maltherion’s orders, undead armies have been sent to desecrate sacred burial sites, catacombs, and other places of power tied to the gods and the Weave. These sacred places are often guarded by divine magic or protected by druids and clerics who serve the natural order of life and death. By defiling these places, Maltherion creates areas where the Weave is thin, and the boundaries between life and death begin to blur. These weak points allow Durnstang’s agents to further unravel the fabric of reality, preparing the world for a final severing of the cycle.
5. Undeath as Salvation: Maltherion uses his influence to spread the belief that undeath is a form of salvation, drawing followers from across the mortal races. Through his agents, he establishes cults of undeath, preaching that eternal life can only be achieved by transcending mortality. These cults operate in secret within major cities and isolated regions, often converting individuals in positions of power, such as nobles or high-ranking clergy. They spread unrest by turning prominent figures into undead, sowing the seeds of chaos and further disrupting the Weave’s balance. This manipulation creates a society that is more accepting of undeath, ultimately aiding in Maltherion’s vision of a world where the living and dead are indistinguishable.

Maltherion’s Role in Durnstang’s Plan:

Unlike Kyros, Maltherion is fully aware of Durnstang’s true goal to sever the Weave and break the cycle of mortality. However, their motives align in that Maltherion desires a world where death no longer has meaning, and undeath reigns supreme. He sees Durnstang’s plan as the ultimate means to achieve this—a world where the natural cycles of life and death are destroyed, allowing him to reshape reality in his own image.

Maltherion believes that once the Weave is severed, the gods will lose their control over life and death, and he will be free to reshape the souls of the dead into his perfected vision of undeath. His experiments with the Soulforge, his creation of the Eternal Dead, and his desecration of sacred places are all methods to further weaken the Weave, ultimately making it easier for Durnstang to unravel it completely.

Maltherion’s work complements the other agents of the Cabal by directly attacking the metaphysical fabric of the Weave, while his grander vision of an undead utopia dovetails with Durnstang’s plan to break the cycle of mortality. For now, he is content to aid in the Cabal’s operations, as long as his research continues and his path to immortality remains intact.

Maltherion’s Endgame:

Maltherion’s ultimate goal is to become the god of undeath, replacing the current gods who control the cycle of life and death. He believes that by perfecting undeath and severing the Weave, he can create a world where souls are no longer bound to the gods’ whims and can choose immortality through undeath. This vision aligns perfectly with Durnstang’s plan to break the cycle, but Maltherion's ambitions extend beyond even that—he seeks to be the architect of a new reality, where undeath is the only true path to power.

In this world, Maltherion would rule as an eternal lich, his legions of Eternal Dead enforcing his will. The cycle of life would no longer exist, and the living would be forced to either join the ranks of the undead or perish in oblivion. It is a grim future, but for Maltherion, it represents perfection—the ultimate victory over death.