Malfreces Nul
Leper Hermit of the Quiet Halls
Malfreces Nul is a ghastly human male whose elongated limbs, knobby joints, and sagging belly give him a spider-like silhouette. His body is ravaged by a virulent strain of leprosy: gray hair falls away in clumps, his skin is mottled with oozing sores, and his nose has rotted away entirely. He cloaks himself in homespun robes over a blackened chainmail hauberk, leaning on a quarterstaff that serves both as weapon and crutch.
Though he shuns the company of the living, Malfreces is far from peaceful. He is a creature of malice, consumed by his connection to the Duke of Bones, a minor godling of the lesser undead. This unholy blessing renders him untouchable to undead of 3 HD or less unless he strikes first. Once per week, he may also whisper to the recently dead, compelling them to answer up to ten questions truthfully before the power fades.
In battle, Malfreces wields the dark prayers of a cleric, often preparing spells such as Cause Light Wounds, Fear, and Hold Person. He dwells in Stonehell’s Quiet Halls, content to brood among the tombs. Yet his solitude is threatened by a band of acolytes sent from a distant Chaotic monastery. Their Abbot seeks to claim Malfreces as an ally—or prisoner—for his greater schemes. So far, the hermit has evaded capture, luring his pursuers into the clutches of the undead that haunt these passages, hoping they will eventually abandon their mission.
Summary
Malfreces Nul is a diseased hermit cleric dwelling in the Quiet Halls of Stonehell. Blessed by the Duke of Bones, he commands uncanny influence over the lesser undead and communes with corpses. Though he desires only solitude, his malignant nature and his link to a distant Chaotic monastery make him a pivotal figure: a dangerous ally, a formidable foe, and a potential lynchpin in the struggle between Law and Chaos.