Malok
Malok are a servant race devoted to various Greylords of the Nexus, provided that Greylord has control of a queen.
Greylords: various, provided the Greylord has control of a Queen.
While the Ma'ab are descended from a slave labor race once devoted to the Greylords, they were not the only servant race to the deathless masters of the Greylands.
The Malok are bred enforcers and warriors whose martial prowess is only matched by their fanatical devotion to their specific master. They speak the Dead Tongue of the Greylands but are better known for two war cries: a mournful shriek expressing the respect for the death of a worthy opponent with the regret that they could not be collected for their master, and the more common, jubilant howl of freshly hobbled prey ready for collection.
Most of what they do is confined to the Greylands. Souls transitioning from elsewhere through the Greylands all take on temporary, corporeal forms composed of the materials native to the nexus, to house their essence and protect it from raw exposure to the many hazards there. Thusly, one has to 'collapse' that form, or "kill" them, for them to revert to being incorporeal souls.
Killing someone in the Greylands still requires a soul trap be nearby. If not, the incorporeal essence of the newly slain can slip through their fingers and become lost, part of the hungry dead forever seeking a new body. Malok will attack souls to 'pouch' them like slavers. They will also take on the servants of gods, devils, or demons that encroach in the realm as guides or defenders trying to protect those transient souls.
General Appearance
The Malok are tall with wiry, muscular frames covered in rough slate gray skin. The backs of males molt black with age, so it can often be easier to note the veteran warriors in a fight if one knows what to look for.
They have hair, though it is often cut and dyed according to the Greylord they belong to. Their hands end in thick wide claws suited for digging and similar utility rather than actually slashing and killing prey. Their long snouts and lipless, toothy skulls lack visible eyes above the fleshy hole of their nostrils. Their ears are holes along the bony ridges on the side of their heads.
Despite the lack of eyes, they seem to have no difficulty seeing. As a reward Greylords will often implant harvested eyes onto them. These usually denote years of service rather than serving a functional purpose (though they may in some, it is impossible for most to tell).
Like most Greylands warriors, the Malok wear only partial armor, relying mostly on their toughened skin. Their suits are made of leather from many sources, bone, and chitinous plates harvested from the bane wasps that nest in massive hives on the edge of the murky, polluted deathtraps that make up the seas of the Greylands. A lack of many essential metal deposits keeps the use of metal armor and weapons to a minimum.
LIFE CYLE OF THE MALOK
All Malok are born from eggs; most are infertile males. There are a few fertile males in each clutch, “princes,” and even fewer fertile females as the “queens”. The Greylords control most of the mature queens, which in turn give birth to their armies. Few 'freeborn' colonies under the rule of a queen exist and fewer 'freeminds.'
Though they don't have an insectal hive mind, they do imprint to some degree on a single leader, and thus most born in clutches will learn to follow their Greylord from an early age and never question things. Princes are consumed by the queen with whom they mate as soon as fertilization is achieved. Princes tend to be smaller and weaker than the other two sexes.
ROLES OF THE MALOK
The Malok are bred enforcers and warriors whose martial prowess is only matched by their fanatical devotion to their specific master. They speak the Dead Tongue of the Greylands but are better known for two war cries: a mournful shriek expressing the respect for the death of a worthy opponent with the regret that they could not be collected for their master, and the more common, jubilant howl of freshly hobbled prey ready for collection.
Most of what they do is confined to the Greylands. Souls transitioning from elsewhere through the Greylands all take on temporary, corporeal forms composed of the materials native to the nexus, to house their essence and protect it from raw exposure to the many hazards there. Thusly, one has to 'collapse' that form, or "kill" them, for them to revert to being incorporeal souls.
Killing someone in the Greylands still requires a soul trap be nearby. If not, the incorporeal essence of the newly slain can slip through their fingers and become lost, part of the hungry dead forever seeking a new body. Malok will attack souls to 'pouch' them like slavers. They will also take on the servants of gods, devils, or demons that encroach in the realm as guides or defenders trying to protect those transient souls.
MODUS OPERANDI
The Malok fighting style focuses on speedy, non-lethal takedowns, as taking slaves is paramount in the Greylands. As with many such styles, lethality can prove but an afterthought. The flick of a wrist can adjust between the flat of a blade and the razor edge. The difference between an opponent's hamstring versus a vital artery marks the true skill of a warrior.
SPECIALIZED MALOK
Blood Runner-Raiding party warriors. Always carry a maquahuitl, but this can vary.
Harvesters- Minor necromancers, control undead, harvest souls. Armed with bladed mancatchers and soul traps.
MA’LOK WEAPONS & TOOLS:
Pneuma Flint Maquahuitl- A weapon similar to a wooden sword or club with grooves in the side to hold sharpened pieces of flint or obsidian.
Man-catcher- barbed and bladed
Marrow caster-An undead crossbow that uses animated tendons to load and fire bolts at a higher than normal rate.
Also common: barbed spears, paralyzing poison, harpoons, spiked clubs, barbed and hooked nets.
Soul Traps - These are specially prepared and carved pieces of polished pneuma flint and widely used by more than just the Malok. Empty soul traps appear as little more than chunks of obsidian that radiate faint necromantic magic. An empty trap naturally draws in souls within ten feet of it.
Soul traps are often wrapped in oiled cloths and placed in metal containers to keep them empty. These devices have an appearance similar to lanterns. When a soul enters a trap, it crystallizes and the appearance of the stone changes, becoming more like black or red hardened glass that glows dimly.
Trapped souls can be communicated with, though it is difficult. Sometimes particularly powerful souls are placed in armor or weapons in order for them to share the benefits of their knowledge with a wielder. The souls in a trap are not always saved, and most devices allow the user to 'burn' up a soul in order to augment their magics. This empties a soul trap, returning it to its previous state and appearance, but does weaken the stone overtime. Eventually a soul trap that is frequently used will simply crumble to dust.
The Greylands
Appearance
Tall, wiry bipedal worker-warriors, equine skull, no eyes, long mane
Lifespan
unknown
