Appearance
Backstory
Mala'kai was born to the "royal family" of
Faelkarstone after his family had assumed the throne for what
they saw as the good of the people; they had infiltrated during the failing royal family's downfall and gained their power peacefully in order to protect the kingdom from reabsorption by the Oliennesian Empire- leading a rather short reign that saw the beginnings of prosperity and unification for the island nation.
The Kingdom of
Olienn attempted to negotiate with the Avirotka's for control of Faelkarstone, but their monarch refused to negotiate in good faith, or with any benefits for the Faelkarn people. All offers were rejected. Eventually Dragons in the employ of
"the Bastard King" Feara Lansaer se'Usathi were enlisted to deal with the issue through whatever means necessary. After some digging, they learned the Changelings' secret, and ousted them in public view, and branded them (including the young Mala'kai)- seeing it as a far more cruel punishment that they be cast down and out rather than simply dispatched.
Mala'kai and his family fled to the small
Tolaran village of
Keskala in the
Ajda-Donesh Basin after that. There his father began operating a simple wagon shop, aiming to leave the past glories and troubles behind to focus on raising his son. His mother, likewise, went from great Queen to simple candlemaker. Both seemed content with their new lives in the quiet wilderness of the new continent. Mala'kai, however, never quite understood their lack of ambition to regain what was wrongfully taken from his family- not understanding the full extent and implications of what had happened.
At first he was upset and hated the Dragons for what they'd done to them. But he eventually grew to understand the situation more thoroughly as he aged, and his attention turned elsewhere; as a teenager Mala'kai began wandering the countryside around the village, helping the local outlying farmsteads with tasks they couldn't do on their own and protecting people from the harsher aspects of the wild. And shortly after reaching his age of majority, he left for his
Idrin without hesitation.
During his Pilgrimage he traveled to Dasmiiran
Dhal Stronghold, where he lived for a year- taking on the persona of
Malgrum Orndorff, a traveling Dwarf Weaver; he claimed to wish to learn the secrets of this town's unique motifs, and so began to learn the art of weaving Dwarven tapestries. While he lived there, however, he quietly fell in love with
Malodi Dhal- daughter of the Dhal Clan patriarch. They were quite happy for quite a while, even, until Mal eventually divulged his true identity to her. She couldn't bear the thought of continuing the relationship after such a secret had been hidden for so long, but they parted amicably enough.
With a new pain, and new wisdom, Mal began to walk the world again- taking up with a caravan of traders under the persona of
Mal the Merc, homegrown farmboy. He gleaned what secrets where he could, and sketched whatever he laid his eyes on. But eventually his wandering finally took him to
Nunila- the budding Capitol of
Ar'lasang Vaerda'Ky. There he joined the crew of
The Prize, smuggling luxury goods like
Milonan Silk between
Ar'lasang and
Olienn.
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