"The shadow of Valekith stretches far, cast not only by his golden idols but by the horrors he unleashed in his wake. To know his story is to know the duality of ambition—how it can forge civilizations or shatter worlds." - Orion the Rift-Maester
The Veil of Valekith
The tale of Malekith begins with a name long revered and feared: Valekith, Archmage of the Mytharil Empire. As one of the greatest minds of the second age, Valekith sought to unshackle himself from the bonds of mortality. Consumed by ambition, he shattered Unknown, an argent artifact that tethered the planes and ensured cosmic balance. This act unleashed the First Continuum Crisis an apocalyptic event that tore rifts across the cosmos and unleashed untold Khaos.
Atop the Floating City of Netheril, Emperor Ezekiel, the first and last ruler of the Mythar, confronted his lifelong friend atop its golden spires. Their fateful duel raged as the city fell. Ezekiel’s divine blade, Unknown' Light, clashed against Valekith's arcane acumen as the Soulmonger Crystals—dark artifacts of Valekith’s design—activated. The crystals pulled Netheril into The Shadowfell as Valekith attempted to escape the impending crisis through a collapsing Riftway.
Yet despite escaping the impending consequences of his actions, the strain of cosmic interference was great. His essence fractured, splitting him in two. Valekith, the hollowed shade, fell into the Shadowfell, consumed by despair and longing. Malekith, the corrupted fragment, was left in the Prime Plane, burning with ambition unrestrained by morality.
Whispers of The Void
On the Prime Plane, Malekith emerged into a world in chaos, his essence warped but potent still. He infiltrated the sprawling Vanir civilization of Itelion, sowing the seeds of discord. Here, he founded the Cult of Infinitum, a secretive order devoted to unraveling the very fabric of reality.
Through the Infinity Shards—fragments of the Continuum Crystal—Malekith offered his followers visions of maddening truths. These shards imparted eldritch whispers, fragments of the elder evil that spoke through the broken crystal. The cult’s influence spread like wildfire, reaching the highest levels of Vanir society. This corruption ultimately led to the Second Continuum Crisis, as the Cult sought to shatter the Continuum Crystal entirely, believing they could "break the cycle of continuum" and reshape existence.
Even Malekith could not control the chaos he unleashed. As the Vanir civilization descended into madness and ruin, he abandoned Itelion, fleeing eastward in search of new power.
An Odyssey of Ambition
Malekith's ambition took him to Osira, where he sought to claim the Worldstones and tarnish their avatars, the guardians of the Riftways. With his most loyal followers, the Serrakhan, he established the Serrakhan Sultanate, a civilization built on worship of the Sun God—a false identity he adopted to cement his rule.
In Osira, Malekith made a pact with The Great Serpent, a revenant born from the World Eater Serpent, a Revenant Titan whom poises a great threat to all of creation. The Serpent agreed to aid Malekith in defeating Avatar Lumina, the Solir Avatar of The Sun. From this forsaken pact, Malekith was bestowed the blackened heart of the serpent, known as the Ebony Amulet.
Betrayal came as naturally to Malekith as breathing. After stealing Lumina’s power and shattering the cycle of Sun Avatars, he turned on the Great Serpent, slaying it. From its ribcage, he fashioned the Primarchs of The Sun, demigod enforcers who acted as his prophets and warriors.
The Sun Realm was left scorched and sundered, its lands a desolate wasteland. The Solir civilization of Itela was shattered, and those few who survived, were cursed into hideous creatures known as the Kroot, whose flesh burned from the light of the sun which they had once worshipped.
Anger of The Avatars
Malekith's devastation did not go unanswered. Avatar Rok, the Earth Avatar, rose to confront him. Alongside the Runewrights of The Earth Realm, Roc waged war against Malekith, battling across the shattered Sun Realm. Their final clash split the realms, forming the Storm-Torn Strait that now separates the two continents.
Neither Roc nor Malekith emerged victorious. Both the Earth Avatar and false Sun God vanished, their fates unknown. Yet the scars of their battle remain, etched across the Prime Plane.
A Legacy of False Divinity
Malekith’s reign left an indelible mark on history:
- The Cult of Infinitum, which birthed the Second Continuum Crisis and nearly unraveled reality.
- The Serrakhan Sultanate, a civilization brainwashed into worshiping him as god of the sun.
- The Holy Order of the Sun, a fanatical chivalric order enforcing his twisted will.
- The Primarchs of The Sun, demigod enforcers wrought from his betrayal of the Great Serpent.
- The fractured realms, forever scarred by his battles with the Avatars.
The nature of his insidious legacy can be felt through the golden statues erected across the Serrakhan Sultanate in his likeness. Crafted in mockery of Emperor Ezekiel, these idols symbolize Malekith’s perversion of the Mythar hero's image. To the ignorant, they are monuments of divinity; to the enlightened, they are cruel reminders of Malekith’s deception.
The Shadow of the Sun
Valekith's shadow has endured for millennia, its influence woven into the very fabric of its history. Yet, his existence is not eternal. Both Malekith and Valekith are haunted by their incompleteness, each half yearning for the other in a cycle of desperation and ambition.
Even as his statues crumble and his name fades in some corners of the world, the Mark of Malekith remains. His legacy endures in the fractured cultures of the Prime Plane, the countless lives lost to his schemes, and the lingering fear that his shadow might rise again.
"Beware the forlorn flame, for it blinds as it burns. Look beyond the golden idols, and witness the shadow that they cast. Peer through the shadowed veil and their true nature will be made bare." – Orion the Rift-Maester