Malyk (demipower)

Malyk was an aspect of Talos created in the wake of the Time of Troubles of 1358 DR to take advantage of areas of wild magic, created after Mystra's death at the hands of Helm. Originally a drow lich, the Dark Mage represented wild and evil magic viewed as mysterious and threatening to authority, and embodied rebellion and chaos. He was particularly associated with the rebellion prompted by an uncovered wild mage given no recourse but to openly attack, and the chaos that then ensued.

Description
It was thought by some that Malyk sometimes manifested in the form of the hooded apparitions known as wizshades. The incorporeal creatures were created when a spellcaster was caught in their own magical backlash, and since the Dark Mage's appearance had appeared with increasing frequency in the Underdark.

Realm
Malyk's realm was located in Pandemonium.

Relationships
Lolth obviously resented drow mages being drawn away from her service by Malyk and, knowing that many harbored rebellious thoughts anyway, decided to grant those living in Menzoberranzan new and powerful arcane spells in an attempt to keep them loyal.

Malyk, attempting to elevate himself at the expense of the Seldarine, had chosen the nearly-forgotten goddess Alathrien Druanna, a goddess of conjuration and runic magic, as his first target. Unbeknownst to him, the Faerûnian god of necromancy Velsharoon had done the same, with neither aware that they sought the same quarry. Their efforts had always failed however, only suceeding in rousing the Seldarine and their further protection of the Rune Mistress.

Malyk had also likely paid unwelcomed attention to the elven god Darahl Firecloak, who had been trying to sway more neutral-aligned members of Underdark races to his service, and whose even-styled approach to magic conflicted with his own.

Worshipers
Malyk had no priests per se; instead, he granted a few divine spells to a few select and powerful wild mages. Such "wild priests" advanced as typical wild mages, but could pray for a relatively limited range of priestly spells. It was believed that he granted a kind of quest spell to his elite clergy that allowed them to create new wild magic zones and rumored that on occassion he granted the ability to create dead-magic zones.

Wild mages of various races were known to take up the worship of Malyk, ranging from the mad dwarven offshoots known as the derro to the renegade arcane mind flayers called alhoon. Most of his cultists however were drawn from young drow spellcasters who had been experimenting with wild magic. The drow knew of the Dark Mage's existence through the appearance of wild mages among them, individuals with seemingly random sorcerous powers.

Unfortunately such individuals were often seen as threats to the established order, and most other drow competed to receive Lolth's blessing by capturing the wild mage. Most who were discovered would be put to death unless they could escape and survive as outcasts; for such a wild mage to survive they would have to defeat or elude their assailants and somehow find a party that could be threatened or bribed into providing sanctuary.

Drow of low position, especially males, made sacrifices in secret to attract Malyk's attention, but even some house matrons and others steeped in the Lolthite faith made prayers to him for power even as they attempted to purge his worship from their society. Among those wild mages who were found out, a rare few managed to rise to positions of status, declaring their allegiance to Lolth even if they were simply pretending.

Orders
The Cult of Malyk around the borders of Sshamath, a drow city where wizards were in power and priests of Lolth held a minor role, had been deemed terrorists by the ruling authorities. The Conclave of Sshamath had long banned wild magic, with wild magic practitioners chafing under their rule since. Several years after Malyk's ascension the Cult attempted a coup using an artifact known as the Guardian's Tear, an item of raw magic from which bubbles of wild and dead magic spun off. It was for this act that the Conclave, in a rare move of concordance, banished Malyk's cultists along with their venerated artifact. Even so the effects of their plan to ruin the city's economy could still be felt there as wild and dead magic zones drifted undetected and sometimes ruined years of research and effort.

The Cult of Malyk was known to be led by a mysterious and incredibly powerful male drow, a wild mage known only as the Wildstorm. At least seventeen clergy members were known to have been part of the sect.

Malyk was also known to be worshiped by the drow of the Undermountain.

Temples
The Shrine of the Weavetear could be found anywhere around Sshamath, whether in the city or without, for it was located wherever the Guardian's tear spun.

History
Malyk was originally an aged and powerful drow lich (said by the Cult of Malyk to have been a Sshamatharan) who lived in the Underdark beneath the Dalelands. During the Time of Troubles― in the short period after Mystra's death but before Midnight's apotheosis―he happened across a powerful region of wild magic beneath Castle Crag and somehow managed to steal a part of Mystra's divine essence from the zone. Unfortunately for the recently ascended Malyk, he was destroyed by Tempus (who hoped to take some of Mystra's power for himself) before he could consolidate his power, and Talos would later use him as an aspect.

For a time, the mysterious and mostly unknown following of Malyk were believed to be working towards the destabilization of Lolth-controlled settlements. Priestesses of Lolth who deigned to acknowledge the existence of the Dark Mage expected his swift demise at the Spider Queen's hand, as he was expending his divine power at a reckless rate. Talos attempted to use his Malyk persona to assume dominion over wild and destructive magic, which Mystra (the only one who knew he was just an aspect at the time) openly opposed and so, as was likely, failed. His attempt forestalled, Talos later moved on to other brazen attempts to grab power.

The Second Sundering
Malyk was noted to have been reemerged after the Second Sundering, after Ao reinstated a large number of deities. It was unclear if Malyk was still simply an aspect of Talos or had become an independent divinity again.

Rumors & Legends
Malyk and Zinzerena were in some ways reflections of each other; each for example was a god of arcane magic, but while Malyk was the patron of wild magic, Zinzerena was the goddess of illusionists and allowed for magical study. Interpretations of ancient legends suggested that the two were either lovers or siblings.