Malkarion

"I'll make you beg for the sweet release of death."

- Malkarion

Malkarion was a male Damaran human paladin turned blackguard, formerly devoted to Tyr before turning to Shar. He led the Sharran cultists' activities at the Black Rift on the Plane of Shadow, serving the black dragon Despayr.

Description
He wore shining black full plate armor. As a dark creature, he appeared more gray and black than a regular human.

Abilities
Although Malkarion had lost the holy powers he had as a paladin, he gained in return the unholy powers of a blackguard, such as the ability to smite good creatures, find them with detect good, and use poison without risk.

At some point, Malkarion became a dark creature, partially of shadow. He was able to see in the dark, could move swiftly, was highly resistant even to intense cold, and could move stealthily, and able to disappear into the shadows even whilst observed.

Possessions
In battle, Malkaron wore shining black +1 full plate armor, wielded a +1 bastard sword, and carried a +1 heavy steel shield. He also had three masterwork daggers, oft-poisoned with shadow essence. He was equipped with gauntlets of ogre power.

As part of his gorgon-training efforts, he had two ordinary horse saddles—a riding saddle and a military saddle—modified with extra-long girth straps to accommodate the beast's greater size. He also had several scrolls of break enchantment for those occasions when it turned him to stone.

He owned several sets of fine clothing.

Activities
Serving Despayr, Malkarion managed the day-to-day affairs at the Black Rift, leading the dark disciples and priests there, allowing the black dragon to concentrate on the ritual to tear apart the Weave. He knew all the Sharrans working there and those working with them.

He dwelled at one of the towers in the Black Rift—his "demesne". It was surrounded by writhing black tentacles, a manifestation of the morphic nature of the Shadow Plane. Here he could be found in prayer to Shar.

Malkarion missed the special celestial mount he'd had as a paladin, and so attempted to train a gorgon he'd acquired to carry him. He brought the beast with him to the Black Rift, and kept it in a cave in the side of the cliff, though it was disturbed by the Plane of Shadow. He was as yet unsuccessful, but the gorgon usually did not attack him, though it would attack anyone else who strayed into the cave. He himself was petrified several times. He left instructions with his minions that, if he was, they should ask Despayr to retrieve his body, then use a scroll of break enchantment to restore him.

History
Malkarion was once a paladin devoted to Tyr, god of justice, before being swayed by Shar, goddess of darkness. He fell from grace, losing his holy powers and his celestial mount, and rose instead as a wicked blackguard.

He became heavily involved the plot hatched between Esvele Graycastle and Despayr to tear apart the Weave. By the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR, he was based in the Black Rift in the Shadow Swamp on the Plane of Shadow, managing Sharran operations there and serving Despayr directly.