Malik el Sami

Malik el Sami yn Nasser, also known as Mukhtar the Mad and later as the Seraph of Lies, was a former merchant from Calimshan and a Chosen of Cyric. While he lived his first life in the Realms during the 14 century DR, he was brought back to Faerûn over a hundred years later, during the time of the Second Sundering. "The truth belongs to the fast, Malik. Are you fast?"

- Cyric

Description
Malik was tall, stout and had a soft, pudgy face. His eyes were said to be bulging. He often wore a turban to disguise his small horns, which were bestowed upon him after becoming Cyric's Seraph of Lies.

Abilities
Before he was a chosen, Malik el Sami developed many skills, including the use of daggers, whips, slings, and darts. He always kept a dagger with him, in case he got into close-quarters combat. Malik was a proficient thief, and excelled at climbing walls, picking pockets, and moving silently. Away from combat, el Sami was a skilled handler and rider of both camels and horses, appraising expensive items, and disguising himself.

When he became a role player in the competing plots of the gods, Cyric was granted powers far beyond those of other mortals. As a Chosen of Cyric, Malik possessed the ability to immediately tell whenever someone else was speaking a lie, and was given the ability to endure any sort of pain while carrying out his god's will.

Ironically, for much of his life he could not tell a lie himself. The second goddess Mystra "cursed" him with the inability to speak untruths, a severe hindrance for the servant of a god that went mad.

During the Trial of Cyric, and the subsequest trials of Mystra and Kelemvor, the god Tyr ensured that no harm brought upon Malik could stop his testimony. Malik was made to endure any physical harm to his body and continue on living. Malik began to feel a sense of immortality as continued carrying out the will of Cyric in the Realms.

Possessions
As well as his trusty dagger, Malik was in control of a bestial horse, known as Halah. He later traveled with the kinder and much more graceful Kelda, with whom he was wholly enamored.

After his return to Toril, Malik had in his possession a ratty old cloak with a powerful magical property. Within the cloak was an extra-dimensional space linked to the Fugue Plane. It was within this space that he could safely carry the Eye of Gruumsh when he had the burden of bearing it across the Realms.

Relationships
"I do not prefer (living alone) at all. You are the best friends I have ever known...at least without paying."

- Malik, to Aris and Galaeron.

Life as a Merchant
Malik was born in the city of Narjon to a mercantile family. His father, however, would not stick around, and Malik would rise to become the patriarch of the family. Malik gained the trust of the caliph, and frequently visited his palace.

Malik would continue his activities as a merchant in Calimport until the first prince of the caliph took a liking to his wife, and frequently visited Malik's household. One day, the caliph received a letter from Zhentil Keep relating the story of the Cyrinishad and requested loyal spies to be dispatched to watch over the temples of Oghma (and his servant gods Gond, Milil and Deneir), Mystra (and her servants Azuth, Savras and Velsharoon), and Kelemvor. The spies were to watch for the appearance of the stolen Cyrinishad, which would be carried by the favored of Oghma, Rinda, who was protected by champion of Torm, Gwydion Fleetfoot.

Search for the Cyrinishad
Malik was appointed as a spy by the caliph, and left his wife in the tender care of the prince. He traveled the Western Heartlands for three years disguised as a humble beggar. Living outside of the great fortress-library of Candlekeep under the alias Mukhtar, Malik lived a squalid life for the good of his church. However, Malik's determination would not falter, and he eventually spotted the bearers of the Cyrinishad. After a run-in with Rinda and Gwydion, he made his escape and informed the church of his sighting of the legendary Cyrinishad. Malik el Sami yn Nasser became the "Finder of the Book" and was raised to a high position within the Church of Cyric. However, the two leading generals of the church would eventually be drawn into a fight with each other, which resulted in an inter-church war. Malik, keeping his faith to Cyric, would gather the weapons of the generals, and raised them into the air in the midst of battle. Cyric noticed the faithful Malik, and would set him on the task of entering Candlekeep and receiving the holy Cyrinishad.

After cleverly making his way into the great library, Malik gained the attention of the Harper witch, Ruha. The diligent Malik would not, however, give up his search of the holy tome. Continuing on his search, he managed to locate the holy text, though it was guarded by Gwydion the Quick. A battle ensued, and though he was unable to acquire the holy tome, he grabbed Rinda's journal and leaped out of the building.

Search for The True Life
A confrontation with the gods themselves would occur next, for Malik would become an observer of the Trial of Cyric, and he was granted the protection of Tyr. Malik el Sami realised that Cyric had gone truly mad after the god himself had read the Cyrinishad. The smart el Sami, however, had a plan. In order to cure Cyric's madness, Malik attempted to get his hands on The True Life of Cyric, a tome that revealed the truth of Cyric's life. Betraying Cyric for his own good, Malik began his journey to Zhentil Keep to find the other tome, though Ruha would be in quick pursuit. Though a daunting task, it would become even more difficult as Mystra had placed a permanent truth spell on him.

Finally reaching Zhentil Keep, or what remained of it, Malik convened with a local Cyricist sect. After reading part of Rinda's journal, he planned to meet with Fzoul Chembryl, but would be captured and tortured. Once more, Malik would find a way out of his situation and recover The True Life of Cyric. Being called back to the Pavilion of Cynosure, he read from the newly recovered book, and cured Cyric of his madness. Due to Malik's efforts, the Prince of Lies would retain his divinity, and he would make Malik his Seraph of Lies.

Honest and True
As Cyric's Seraph of Lies, Malik would gain two small horns that protruded from the top of his head. He ventured to Still Harbor Press of Waterdeep to get his account book printed, which would be titled An Honest and True Account of the Trial of Cyric the Mad, or How Our Dark Lord Saved Faerûn (Again). However, the scribe, Bowden Boniface, refused to publish it. After leaving the publishing office, el Sami would turn to face Ruha, his arch-nemesis. Malik immediately ran away from the witch, but was discovered. After besting her in close-quarters combat, he headed to the Red Bucket Inn.

To Malik's surprise, Cyric would confront him in the inn. The One informed Malik that the Oghmanytes of Still Harbor Press had decided to publish their own version of the Trial of Cyric, in opposition to Malik's book. Malik's new mission was clear: publish his version of events before the rival company did! Spending his nights rewriting the pages lost in the chase, Malik ventured to Black Tiger Folios to get his book printed. However, Malik would not journey there alone, for he would again by followed by the meddling Harper, Ruha. The Harper had wished to find out the location of the Cyrinishad from the writings of Malik, and attempted to make a deal with the publisher. Another fight erupted, and the scribe lay dead. Malik was left to meet with the last scribe in the city, Aldo Manley.

Return of the Archwizards
"I am a man of many Interests, and magic is among them, for my master –"

- Malik, to Melegaunt Tanthul.

As of the, Malik was found wandering the Greypeak Mountains atop his horse Kelda near the giant settlement of Thousand Faces. He joined with a band of travelers composed the shadow mage Melegaunt Tanthul, tomb guardian Galaeron Nihmedu, Vala Thorsdotter and her Vaasan warriors, just before they adopted to their group the stone giant artist Aris. They traveled through the High Forest to Karse, in search of the Karsestone, an artifact that was crucial to the survival of Melegaunt's people on Toril. During their journey Malik proved to be a continual source of misfortune, inadvertently marking their path through the forest while under the effects of beholder charm magic, and by means of Mystra's curse, letting slip the true nature Karsestone to the mad half-golem Jingleshod and bringing on his wrath. Malik began to see opportunity with the Karsestone and began coveting it on behalf of Cyric.

While he was unable to retrieve the Karsestone just, Malik kept close tabs on when he and his traveling companions relocated to the returned Netherese enclave of Thultanthar. It was there within the flying shade city when Malik was abruptly reunited with his former tormentor, the Bedine witch Ruha. After mutual hostilities were expressed to one another, both Ruha and Malik agreed to not assault the other out of deference to Shadovar law. When Galaeron became intent on leaving Thultanthar, and Aris insisted on following him, Malik orchestrated a scene that would allow his friends to flee the city to Anauroch below—and unbeknownst to them—would rid him of the Harper witch. He made it appear as if Ruha had blasted Aris off Thultanthar to his death, while Malik himself remained holding on for dear life. Even Malik's truth-telling curse was not enough to unravel his charade; when he blurted out the overly-elaborate scheme it appeared too farcical for the Shadovar.

When Malik was brought before the Most High Telamont Tanthul, he was received not as the fool or fiendish criminal he had proven himself in the past, but as a trusted advisor that would always speak truth to his lord.

According to his own account, Malik was left to languish on the Fugue Plane for over a century after his death, where he was tortured hunted by devils and other fiends.

Stopping Shar
As the Second Sundering reshaped the face of the Realms, in the, Cyric brought Malik back to Toril and tasked Malik with aiding the heartwarder Joelle Emmeline in her mission to carry the Eye of Gruumsh from the Stonelands of Cormyr to a temple of Grumbar in the Underchasm, and prevent it from falling to the clutches of Shar. In order to gain Joelle's trust, he hid his veneration of Cyric and masqueraded as the chosen of Myrkul.

After their journey through the Chondalwood, Cyric appeared to Malik as a visage set into a dead tree. While the Prince of Lies originally wished for Malik to slay only Joelle at their moment of victory, the discovery of two other chosen in Kleef Kenric and Arietta Seasilver altered the plan somewhat. Cyric ordered Malik to murder all three of his traveling companions, and bestowed upon him a magical black dagger tainted with divine power. Like so many times in his life, Malik was ultimately unsuccessful. He was apprehended by Kleef and Arietta and left to the mercy of Gingrid and the zombies of Sadrach's Spire.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad • Return of the Archwizards (The Summoning, The Siege, The Sorcerer) • The Sentinel