There is a name whispered quietly and with fear even by the most depraved, the mot evil, the least sane of the worshippers of Chaos. That name is Malal the Renegade God of Chaos. Any man who dare look within the unholy black pages of The Great Book of Despair, that foul tome held sacred by worshippers of Chaos, would find the following words. "...and he that went before now came last, and that which was white and black and all direction was thrown against itself. Grown mightily indignant at the words of the Gods, Malal did turn his heart against them and flee into the chambers of space . . . And no man looked to Malal then, save those that serve that which they hate, who smile upon their misfortune, and who bear no love save for the damned. At such times as a warrior's heart turns to Malal, all Gods of Chaos grow fearful, and the laughter of the Outcast God fills the tomb of space . . . " In eons past Malal was cast out from the bosom of Chaos by the other Gods, or else abandoned them of his own volition, no one is sure which. In any case, Malal's relationship to the other Gods of Chaos is a strange one. All Gods of Chaos pursue purposes that are wholly their own, yet only Malal occupies a position so resolutely parasitic upon his own unfathomable creed. To be a follower of Malal is to be a chaotic warrior bent upon shedding the blood of other chaotic creatures. As such, Malal is both feared and hated by the other Gods. Malal's worshippers, too, are loathed by other chaotics; they are outcasts beloved by neither the friends nor enemies of Chaos, dependent upon the least whim of their patron deity. Few men worship such a God; fewer still live long in his service. The bonds that tie master and servant ever drain upon the soul of the warrior, and it is a rare man that can loosen the bonds once forged. "Listen now to my tune: ah, how my flute sings! Heed my call mortals, and so not think of the thing that waits you in the shadows where my siren's call lures you. Come men, come rats, come the creatures of the dark. Hear not the cries of those who have gone before you, see not the brink of the abyss where your dancing steps take you." Malal is a renegade Chaos God, who has turned against the others and is dedicated to their destruction. His followers, sometimes called the Doomed Ones, seek out and destroy the followers of other Chaos Gods wherever they may be found. Malal is the Lost God, the Power of Chaos that represents Chaos' indiscriminate tendency toward destruction, even of itself. His dark temple is bleak and stark, compared to the edifices of the other Chaos deities. Witchfires burn at seemingly random places around his hall, and glimpses of futures that might be flicker within them. One long hall is dedicated to trophies collected. A Bloodthirster rages against the spikes driven into it's limbs, nailing it to the wall. A plucked Lord of Change lies curled up in a very small cage, it's bared flesh covered in welts. A Keeper of secrets floats blinded and deafened, denied any sensation whatsoever. And dozens of champions all displayed, important, cut off from their gods. Tallykeepers scurry through the darkened hall, inscribing the fate of those on display, and placing the newly arrived. Malal loves using trickery to cause the other Chaos Gods to lash out against each other. A spell here, a broken vial there, a strip of fabric, an uprising, or a single word. These are the tools that Malal uses in his plot to undermine and destroy the Chaos Gods. Malal's powers come from the struggle of a single (relatively) powerless figure trying to fight a larger oppressor. Every slave that plots against his master, every worker that hates his boss, every peasant who looks with anger upon the places of the rich, every man who cries out to the uncaring gods about his placement in life feeds more power to Malal. Malal is usually depicted as a towering humanoid with wolflike and crocodilian features. His hands have six fingers apiece. Three eyes look out from his head. A horde of teeth, Lion-like, Shark-like, Cow-like, and Rat-like, jut from his jaws. Symbol: The symbol of Malal is a skull, bisected down the middle, one half white, the other black. This can vary from very stylized, to very naturalistic or even bestial. His followers favor black and white, especially bisected patternings. The number eleven is associated with Malal. Worship: Malal is not a god of warriors, nor of wizards, the decadent, or the desperate. He is the god that the lower classes turn to to avenge themselves on the higher classes who attempt to strangle and stop them from their true glory. He is also the god of those who have been wronged, but lack the power to correct this. His followers come from people whose hatred of Chaos becomes so strong, that they willingly bond with Chaos to fight it at it's own level. Many an overzelous official or priest has lost his soul to Chaos when he allowed his hatred to blind him to the price he was paying. Friends & Enemies: Followers of Malal generally loners; the very burning hatred of Chaos that possesses all followers of Malal makes them hate all followers of Chaos powers, even other followers of Malal! Rarely, a leader comes along who can knit together a band of Malalites for the mutual need. At these times, the mortal followers of the other Chaos gods know fear, for a lone champion of Malal is to be feared, a group of them acting together is truly horrific! Toward other mortal organizations, followers of Malal are more neutral, but definatly not benin. Malal is a Chaos God after all! However, the feeling is not necessarily reciprocal. Consequently, followers of Malal usually act alone and in secret. However, they have no problem tipping the authorities off to the location or existence of rival Chaos groups. Many tips to the Arbites, Inquisition, Witch Hunters, and Royalty has come from a whisper in the dark, a mysterious note, or a fortunate accident. Malal's followers try to not interfere with these organizations, either. "The enemy of my enemy..." as the old saying goes. Many of these type of organizations know of Malal, as well. For the most part, they don't trust followers of Malal, but they are content to let the monsters eat the monsters, and hopefully wipe each other out in the process. Cult Requirements & Tenets: Malal requires only one thing from his followers. Complete dedication, above all other things, to the destruction of the forces of Chaos. Many times after a Chaos horde has rampaged through an area, the survivors, blinded by hatred and grief, pledge themselves to Malal. Malal is much more active in his (relatively) small following then the other Chaos gods. Consequently, many of his champions have held audiences with him personally. He is even known to have manifested and intervened for particularly important tasks and minions. Malal's followers are few, but very powerful!
