View source for Malagard

{{Person
| image               = 
<gallery>
Hag Countess.jpg|3e 
HagCountess-Gth.jpg|2e 
</gallery>
| caption2             = Malagard, Hag Countess of Malbolge
| name                 = Malagard
| alt_spelling         = Malagarde<ref name="Dragon-365-pp38"/><br/> Lamagard<ref name="DotP96">{{Cite book/Defenders of the Faith|96}}</ref>
| titles               = Lord of the Sixth<ref name="BoVD">{{Cite book/Book of Vile Darkness|156-157}}</ref><br /> The Hag Countess of Malbolge<ref name="Dragon-223-pp16">{{Cite dragon/223/The Lords of the Nine|16}}</ref><br /> Hag Queen of the Crushing Land<ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/>
| aliases              =
| nicknames            = 
| true name            = 
| home                 = [[Malbolge]]
| formerhomes          = [[Hades]]<ref name="MotP"/>
| sex                  = Female
| gender               = 
| race                 = [[Archdevil]]<br />{{Former}} [[Night hag]]
| ethnicity            = 
| occupation           = 
| age                  = 
| patron deity         = 
| languages            = 
| basicrefs            = 
| reckoning            = DR
| dob                  = 
| dobnotes             = 
| turned               = 
| turnednotes          = 
| death                = 
| deathnotes           = 
| destroyed            = 1353
| destroyednotes       = Merged with landscape; replaced by 19 [[Mirtul]]
| daterefs             = <ref name="TDYK">{{Cite book/The Devil You Know}}</ref>
| parents              = 
| spouses              = 
| siblings             = 
| children             = 
| familyrefs           = 
| dynasty              = 
| start of reign       = 
| end of reign         = 
| predecessor          = [[Moloch]]
| successor            = [[Glasya]]
| successionrefs       = 
| alignment1e          = 
| class1e              = 
| refs1e               = 
| alignment2e          = [[Lawful evil]] 
| class2e              = {{Class table|edition=2e|[[Fighter]]|18}}
| refs2e               = <ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/><ref name="GtH-43-44"/>
| class3e              = 
| symbol3e             = A pair of black-feathered wings on a white background
| alignment3e          = [[Lawful evil]] 
| challenge3e          = 22
| class35              = 
| refs3e               = <ref name="BoVD"/><ref name="MotP">{{Cite book/Manual of the Planes 3rd edition|121}}</ref>
| alignment4e          = 
| class4e              = 
| refs4e               = 
| alignment5e          = 
| challenge5e          = 
| class5e              = 
| refs5e               = 
}}
'''Malagard''' was once an [[archdevil]] in the [[Nine Hells]] before being destroyed and replaced as the ruler of [[Malbolge]] by [[Glasya]].<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65">{{Cite book/Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells|60-65}}</ref> Unlike the other archdevils, the '''Hag Countess''' was a supremely powerful [[night hag]] rather than an actual [[devil]].<ref name="BoVD"/><ref name="MotP">{{Cite book/Manual of the Planes 3rd edition|121}}</ref>

{{quote
|[[Moloch]], these Hells offer themselves to those with the might and will to take them.
|Malagard towards her predecessor before taking Malbolge<ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/>
}}

==Description==
The Hag Countess appeared to be a stooped, {{SI|10|ft}} tall crone, made withered and hunched by the march of time.<ref name="GtH-43-44">{{Cite book/Guide to Hell|43-44}}</ref><ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/> Her warty skin looked deeply bruised and was riddled with boils, blisters and open sores. What truly made her stand apart from other night hags were the feathery wings on her back, black and tattered like those of a fallen [[angel]]. The Countess's countenance was truly hideous, with eyes that glowed a hellish red, rancid breath that smelt of tainted meat,<ref name="BoVD"/> and coarse, gray hair as opposed to the night-black color of most night hags.<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65"/>

==Personality==
Although [[lawful evil]], Malagard was more distant and whimsical than her more controlling counterparts.<ref name="BoVD"/> Still, she was no less corrupt than the other archdevils, being an incredibly treacherous and conniving schemer.<ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43">{{Cite dragon/360/Infernal Aristocracy: The Dukes of Hell|42-43}}</ref> She tolerated no insolence or foolish behavior from others, although she was not entirely unreasonable.<ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/>

==Powers==
Malagard was possibly the weakest archdevil in terms of physique, having earned her place through trickery rather than toiling. She also lacked a [[heartstone]] with which to cure disease and [[etherealness|become ethereal]] like normal night hags.<ref name="BoVD"/> However, the Countess was not as feeble as her elderly appearance suggested, for she was dangerously strong, had frightening agility, and moved with unnatural speed.<ref name="GtH-43-44"/><ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/>

The Hag Countess had lived in Hell long enough to expand her retinue of spell-like abilities by learning forbidden lore, with more offensive options such as [[fireball]] and spells with long-term uses like [[animate dead]] and [[insanity]], as well as enhance her [[polymorph self|polymorphing]] abilities beyond those of ordinary night hags. She retained the plague-ridden bite of the night hags and like other archdevils could summon [[baatezu]] to aid her, whether they had been a dozen or so [[lemure]]s or a [[pit fiend]].<ref name="BoVD"/> So long as the Countess was in Malbolge, she was practically invincible, as she could control every part of the layer, such as by causing [[meteor swarm|swarms of meteors]] to rain down on her foes or start avalanches just above or below her enemies.<ref name="GtH-43-44"/><ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/>

==Possessions==
The Hag Countess was skilled in the use of her powerfully enchanted [[greatsword]], a magical weapon she relied upon in battle. The sword was incredibly light when she wielded it and horribly injured anyone else who tried. The blade also became more powerful when bathed in blood, and when the Countess was filled with fiery fury, so too would the sword be engulfed in flames.<ref name="BoVD"/><ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/>

==Realm==
{{Main|Malbolge}}
Malagard inherited the hellish layer of Malbolge from her predecessor, as well as the massive legions of devils and [[hell hound]]s that patrolled it.<ref name="BoVD"/> It was a rocky layer made entirely of slopes that suffered from constant avalanches due to the perpetual rolling of giant boulders, the only structures that survived being the Hag Countess's Copper Fortresses.<ref name="GtH-33-34">{{Cite book/Guide to Hell|33-34}}</ref><ref name="MotP"/> Some were small strongholds while others were great citadels commanded by pit fiends, but all of them constantly weathered the persistent rockfalls, filling them with resounding, clanging noise and forcing those in charge of them to watch for stresses in the bronze.<ref name="GtH-33-34"/><ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/>

Unlike the fortresses, which were made in relatively stable locations, the Hag Countess's personal keep was inside a boulder the size of a mountain that always rolled down the slopes of the layer on an unpredictable path.<ref name="GtH-33-34"/><ref name="MotP"/> The fortress was not the domain of her court, but housed stables of [[nightmare]]s, numerous [[annis|annis hags]], [[green hag]]s and [[medusa]]s, and was one of the best and most expensive soul markets in Baator.<ref name="BoVD"/>

==Activities==
Malagard was a trickster that took great pleasure in luring others to Malbolge, mortal or otherwise, before having them crushed to death by the boulders of the layer.<ref name="FoE-32">{{Cite book/Faces of Evil: The Fiends|32}}</ref> Unlike the other lords, her nobles lived within the copper fortresses rather than being centralized in her personal domain, and one of her favorite activities was disguising herself and unexpectedly arriving at one of the fortresses to inspect it and test the guardians. The Countess enforced a "questions first, torture later" policy, and rudeness, let alone unthinking brutality, was unacceptable. She razed the fortresses of anyone that met her with disrespect or violence, as well as those that weren't looking after the fortresses properly.<ref name="Dragon-223-pp16"/><ref name="GtH-43-44"/><ref name="POL-22-23">{{Cite book/Planes of Law/Baator|22-23}}</ref>

The Hag Countess had little interest in baatezu politics or even attempting to overthrow Asmodeus, leaving such pointless squabbling to entities like [[Baalzebul]] and [[Mephistopheles]]. Rather than become the Lord of the Nine Hells, Malagard had the even more ambitious goal of ascending to [[god]]hood, although her examination of divine remains on the [[Astral Plane]] had given her no clues.<ref name="GtH-43-44"/> Until that point, the Countess focused on solidifying her place in the Nine Hells.<ref name="BoVD"/>

==Relationships==
Malagard was once the consort and advisor of the former Lord of the Sixth, [[Moloch]], but as a result of her betrayal he held nothing but bitter hatred towards her.<ref name="MToF-p176-177"/><ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/> Her main competitor at the time was his other spouse, [[Lilith (archdevil)|Lilith]], who through her inaction allowed the schemes of the Countess to succeed.<ref name="Dragon-361-pp35">{{Cite dragon/361/Infernal Aristocracy: Dukes of Hell, Part II|35}}</ref>

Asmodeus lacked any long-term use for the Hag Countess and she, having witnessed his overwhelming strength, tried to leave him be.<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65"/><ref name="GtH-43-44"/> Being the only archdevil that wasn't truly a devil, she feared that her peers would ally to depose her.<ref name="Dragon-365-pp38">{{Cite dragon/365/Codex of Betrayal: Beleth, the Witch's Viscount|38}}</ref>

Malagard thought of lesser night hags as her sisters and like them used nightmares as mounts, her favorite being a particularly powerful one named Bloodcurdle.<ref name="BoVD"/> She traveled between the copper fortresses with her tribune, a pit fiend named Bileth, and employed the Prince of [[Imp]]s, Beleth, as her spymaster.<ref name="Dragon-365-pp38"/><ref name="FoE-32"/>

==History==
For many millennia, Malbolge had been ruled by the archdevil Moloch for his excellent service to Asmodeus in repelling the eternal [[demon]]ic threats of the [[Abyss]]. Like the other Lords of the Nine, Moloch was fueled by megalomaniacal ambition and constantly schemed against them, a favorable circumstance for Asmodeus that quickly fell apart due to the introduction of Malagard.<ref name="MToF-p176-177">{{Cite book/Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes|176-177}}</ref><ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/> Originally a night hag from [[Hades]],<ref name="MotP"/> Malagard acted as Moloch's lover and counsel, bolstering his already unwieldly ego with whispers of temptation and cajoling him into trying to take the Nine Hells for himself.<ref name="MToF-p176-177"/><ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/> Unfortunately for Moloch, his sinister seductress was truly in league with [[Geryon]], the current ruler of [[Stygia]] and Moloch's immortal enemy.<ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/><ref name="MMII1-p48">{{Cite book/Monster Manual II 1st edition|48}}</ref> Not only had Malagard been unfaithful to Moloch in favor of Geryon, but, at the behest of the Wild Beast, she planned to hoist him by his own petard in order to increase her own standing.<ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/><ref name="GtH-43-44"/>

With the help of the spymaster Beleth,<ref name="Dragon-365-pp38"/> she counselled him to join Baazelbul's alliance and rebel against Asmodeus during the [[Reckoning of Hell]], convincing him that once Asmodeus and Mephistopheles defeated each other he could dethrone and destroy his then-master, the Prince of Flies and cement himself as the new Lord of the Nine.<ref name="GtH-43-44"/><ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/> Both she and her co-conspirator expected him to be defeated,<ref name="Dragon-365-pp38"/> but in the case he somehow managed to succeed his armies had been arranged to betray him by the end of the battle.<ref name="GtH-43-44"/> The temptresses' promises of power quickly, but gradually, won Moloch over and he joined the war only to be met with utter failure. After the Reckoning ended, Geryon instructed the night hag to deceive Moloch into making another ill-advised move; refusing to admit defeat.

Even as the other archdevils retreated, Moloch remained firm in his insolence, having been tricked into thinking Asmodeus would respect his strength. After failing to humble himself and practically insulting the Lord of [[Nessus]], Moloch found himself cast down by the furious Asmodeus. Malagard, now the Hag Countess, was installed in his place, and her first act as the ruler of Malbolge was not only to banish Moloch from the sixth layer but from all the Nine Hells, with all his attempts to retake his layer having failed.<ref name="Dragon-360-pp42-43"/><ref name="GtH-43-44"/> The truth behind Malagard's betrayal was commonly believed and acknowledged by most authorities and Asmodeus's choice to put the Countess in charge mystified even the knowledgeable spymaster.<ref name="BoVD"/><ref name="MotP"/><ref name="Dragon-365-pp38"/>

===Death===
One morning, the Countess suffered from awful convulsions, collapsing onto one of the slopes of Malbolge while screaming in agony before the ground itself shook. From there, Malagard cancerously expanded, her body parts becoming one with the terrain as the layer she was familiar with controlling used her to remake itself. Her hair became forests of giant lice and other massive vermin, her skull a giant fortress and her teeth a collection of ivory ores. Her fingers were transformed into ivory towers and her ribs became bizarre mountains that encircled Malbolge, all the while her internal organs ruptured into lakes of bodily fluid or turned into an intestinal tunnel system.<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65"/>

When the land settled, the remaining survivors of the catastrophe reemerged and her death echoes finally stopped, Asmodeus's daughter Glasya ascended from the lower regions of Hell on a [[litter]] held aloft by imps, claiming herself the rightful ruler of Malbolge. The former chancellor of the Countess, a [[paeliryon]] named Axacrusis, was forced to eviscerate themself after questioning Glasya's claim, their undying form used to feed the imps.<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65"/> The loyal followers of the Countess that tried to avenge her were trapped and tortured in the towers made from Malagard's fingers, particularly the nightmare Bloodcurdle after hurling Glasya into a lake of bile, while those that submitted to Glasya, such as the precariously positioned Prince of Imps, were absorbed into her circle.<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65"/><ref name="Dragon-365-pp38"/>

The decision to place a night hag in the role of an archdevil, one that befuddled so many devils thinking themselves to be far more suitable candidates, finally made sense with her demise. The Hag Countess was simply a diversion, a placeholder [[fiend]] to watch Glasya's spot while the mysterious father and his deviant daughter worked out their relationship.<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65"/> However, the exact nature of the Countess's death was peculiar and prompted speculation, such as the recent reports that Malbolge was still a mountainous region, or whether it was the doing of Glasya or Asmodeus.<ref name="Dragon-365-pp38"/><ref name="DMG5e-p65">{{Cite book/Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition|65}}</ref> Later reports even posited that the Hag Countess caused her own demise by amassing souls in a failed ritual meant to grant her godhood.<ref name="Dun197-4">{{Cite dungeon/197/Codex of Betrayal: Glasya|4}}</ref>

That was even if Malagard's transformation could be classified as a true death, since it was unclear if Asmodeus could simply kill the archdevils at a whim or merely change their forms.<ref name="FCII3.5-p73">{{Cite book/Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells|73}}</ref> From the rotting carcass of the Countess emerged the [[kalabon]] devils, living remnants of the hag with fragments of her broken mind. They were tortured beings whose mind-rending mental anguish left them as little more than pathetic tumors stuck between muttering and weeping in pain. Outside of their wish to kill everything around them, their singular compulsion was to merge together, forming colonies of cancerous flesh in an attempt to regenerate the Countess.<ref name="FCII3.5-p120-122">{{Cite book/Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells|120-122}}</ref> Each one wanted Glasya dead, enough so that they attacked anyone bearing the scent of her or her close associates and that the new Lord of the Sixth was regularly attacked by them, and it was only because of Glasya's commands that they hadn't achieved their primal desire for wholeness.<ref name="FCII3.5-p60-65"/><ref name="FCII3.5-p120-122"/>

{{fq
| text   = Death is an impermanence. Your priests can tell you that.
| source = Malagarde.<ref name="TDYK"/>
| float  = right
| width  = 300px
}}
==Appendix==
===Appearances===
:;Novels
::{{Refonly}}
::<small>''[[Lady of Poison]]'' • ''[[Brimstone Angels]]''</small>
===References===
{{Refs}}

===Connections===
{{Archdevils}}
[[Category:Night hags]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of the Nine Hells]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of lawful evil alignment]]