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<h1 class="firstHeading">Malal</h1> <h3 id="siteSub">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</h3> <!-- start content -->

Malal is the renegade 5th Chaos God in early editions of the fictional universes of Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000

In the storyline, both for Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000, Malal was exiled from the rest of the Chaos gods, but whether this was a self-imposed exile is not clear. Regardless of the reason, Malal lives only to destroy the other gods and their followers in the name of revenge. Also known as "The Outcast God", "The Lost God" and "The Renegade God", Malal represents Chaos' indiscriminate tendency toward destruction, even of itself. The nature of Malal's powers are parasitic, as the Renegade God grows in power when the others do. The god's sacred number is 11, while his symbol is a skull bisected down the middle, one half white, one half black. Malal is the god that the lower classes turn to to avenge themselves on the higher classes who attempt to strangle and stop them from their true glory. He is also the god of those who have been wronged, but lack the power to correct this. His followers come from people whose hatred of Chaos becomes so strong, that they willingly bond with Chaos to fight it at its own level.

Malal is described as being both wolf-like and crocodilian in appearance, yet still holding a humanoid form. Said to have 6 fingers on each hand, and 3 eyes on his head, Malal is also said to have sets of teeth that resemble lions, sharks, cows, and rats.

The concept of the 5th Chaos god "Malal" was created by comic artists Wagner and Grant along with the creation of Malal's champion for the Warhammer Fantasy world, Kaleb Daark, in the Citadel Miniatures Journals for Spring 1986 and 1987. In the comics, Kaleb Daark would destroy the followers of the other 4 Chaos gods (Nurgle, Tzeentch, Khorne, and Slaanesh) with his daemon axe "Dreadaxe" that had the axe head of what resembled a shark, and a shaft of bone. The animate axe, a gift from Malal, experienced hunger and would feed on the souls of the victims of its edge. The Battle cry of Kaleb Daark was "Dreadaxe thirsts for you!".

Use of Malal in further Games Workshop productions was halted, as Games Workshop did not own the intellectual property to the concept of Malal - the comic's authors did.

The memory of Malal did not die with the ability for Games Workshop to use it. The idea of Malal is continued on by veterans of the Warhammer scene primarily through the internet via BBS (bulletin board system) and stories (such as "Divine Judgment") so Malal continues to survive, occasionally becoming the choice deity of veteran players playing Chaos. Because of Games Workshops' inability to legally use the god in their Games' storyline, Malal is surrounded by a cloud of unanswerable questions that may very well be the cause of his continued existence.

The term "Doomed Ones" also go along with Malal, although there is uncertainty how exactly. Doomed Ones are often thought to be the chosen human champions of Malal, however in the old Realm of Chaos Slaves to Darkness rulebook the Doomed Ones were the daemonic entities of Malal and are described as "bipedal lizard daemons that stand almost a head taller than a human" and had "soulblades" which were "forged from the soul of burning hatred taken from a Witchhunter that died fighting a Daemon". It is widely thought, however, that Malal has no daemons of his own.

In Games Workshop's Chaos Space Marine Codex, a number of references were made that many feel to be an attempt by Games Workshop to legally bring back the idea of Malal, or to remind players that perhaps the company has not forgotten about the Outcast God. The two widely recognized references were the appearance of a daemon weapon you could give to your leaders called a "Dreadaxe", explained further in the caption that it was used to kill other daemonic entities.

The other reference was to a picture towards the back of the codex, showing other possible painting schemes for the models. One of the examples was a group entitled the "Sons of Malice". What caught many people's attention was that the colors used were the bisecting black/white design of Malal's symbol, and how Malice was just a short jump to Malal. More on the Sons of Malice was in Games Workshop monthly publication White Dwarf, specifically White Dwarf 303. In it the Sons of Malice were supposedly prone to fighting in complete silence, and were excommunicated for a set of disgusting rituals that were reported close to cannibalism. This article did nothing to stem the questions about the connection between Malal and the Sons of Malice. At the very end of a passage, it was mentioned that the Sons of Malice also fight against other followers of Chaos frequently; also whoever the ritual was done in the name of in the story was never revealed.

In Warhammer Fantasy some speculate that Be'Lakor, the Dark Master, the Greater Daemon of Chaos Undivided, who was introduced in the Storm of Chaos campaign is Games Workshop's attempt to bring back the idea of Malal to the Fantasy game. Be'Lakor was first introduced in Games Workshop's Mordheim line (set some five hundred years before the more recent events in the Warhammer game) as the enigmatic "Shadowlord", before his history was elaborated upon over the course of the Albion and Storm of Chaos worldwide campaigns.

Malal is not the only version of an additional Chaos god, at least in the fantasy world of Warhammer. In The Enemy Within campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Something Rotten in Kislev, Zuvassin the Great Undoer and Necoho the Doubter were introduced as two renegade Chaos deities - but not specifically as number five and six. Also, the Chaos Dwarf god, Hashut the Farther of Darkness, is said to be a creature that fled from the powers of Chaos. Games Workshop wrote more than once that there are more than four Chaos Gods and that a continuity of power existed from mundane daemons to greater ones up to the God status. Numbering of Chaos Gods has yet to be agreed upon by scholars.

anyone got any more info on this guy, he seems realy interesting and I might be tempted to make some Sons of Malice Marines...

I have no further info for you, just a seed of speculation.

"his symbol is a skull bisected down the middle, one half white, one half black"

Now, where have I seen that before....

 

wait a minute. wouldn't that be the Dragon?

A theory.

 

Part 1:

Malal hates the other Chaos Gods.

Malal is the embodiment of true Chaos and self-destruction.

Malal would do anything to destroy the 4 great Chaos Gods, even if it mean destroying himself.

 

Part 2:

The Chaos Gods are pure warp entities.

The warp is the antithesis of the C'tan.

The C'tan plan to seal away the warp as part of their "Great Work".

The C'tan have the ability and desire to destroy the Chaos Gods and/or seal them away from the material universe by completing their "Great Work".

 

Part 3:

The Void Dragon is the greatest C'tan.

The Void Dragon is *possibly* entombed on Mars.

If released from stasis, the Void Dragon has the greatest chance of completing the "Great Work".

 

Part 4:

The Cult of the Dragon within the Adeptus Mechanicus worships the Void Dragon as the Machine God.

The Adeptus Mechanicus rule Mars.

If the Void Dragon is indeed entombed on Mars, the Adeptus Mechanicus would be the ones most likely able to free it.

 

Part 5:

The seal of the Adeptus Mechanicus is a skull bisected. One half black, one half white.

The seal of Malal is a skull bisected. One half black, one half white.

The Adeptus Mechanicus does not worship the Emperor as a God, but instead bows it's head to the Machine God.

Malal has a great influence on the Adeptus Mechanicus, possibly as the Machine God himself.

 

In a great plan to destroy his rival Chaos Gods, Malal has set himself up as either the Machine God himself, or as the head of the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars. His objective is to release the Void Dragon so that it might complete the C'tan's "Great Work" and bring about the fall/banishment of the other Chaos Gods, his most hated rivals. If Malal himself is destroyed in the process, so be it. True Chaos thrives on self-destruction.

Could be true...

wow, that IS a good theory!

The real test of this theory will be to find out if the Adeptus Mechanicus practices the sacred and time-honoured tradition of elevensies.

Gives a new meaning to the phrase, "The proof is in the pudding."

The Void Dragon is the greatest C'tan.

This is where Wikipedia goes wrong, in my opinion.

I'd like to know specifically where the Necron codex or 40K fluff says that the Dragon is the strongest C'tan, or that the Outsider is "imprisoned" in a Dyson sphere. There is evidence that the Outsider is linked to a Dyson sphere, but that relationship and the relative power levels of the C'tan are really just fan speculation.

What you got to admit is that the Sons of Malice /Malal are also worshiping him. So the Dragon must have really big powers. I remember also that there is a 40k Fluff Bible with a pic of him and he does not look really C'tan like.

Were it not the C'tan who devided normal space and warp space in order to defeat the old ones ?

I think they did.
Did I ever mention that "Fluff for Nutters" is one of my favourtite parts of Dakka

OK blue Loki 4 things to burst your bubble...

1) NightBringer has been Sighted as the most powerful C'tan in at least one WD and i think in the Necron dex but my bro is asleep atm i'll check tomoz.

2) from the Sounds of it i doubt Malal would put so much effort into such a plan he sounds well to chaotic.

3) The Mechanicus symbol Includes 2 thing malal's does not the Cog and the bionics parts and i Know peopel will say but there is just 2 things could be hiding.... welll in a galaxy of inumerable institutions and forces symbols gonna be limited.... Also most novels and fluff which has references to the Mechincus symbol is of it as a cog/cog and skull..... not Just a skull as Malal is

4) the C'tan have no warp presence and no way of interacting with the warp... and thats why wraithcannon owns them...

nice theory though sorry dude...and sorry if i went out on a limb

Also I just realised finally worked out what god Spiky bitz are for

Hey no problem, I just came up with that off the top of my head and it is all based off of the inherently flawed Wiki articles.

yeah speaking wiki someone used the chpater I made and crappy fluff i wrote ages ago and posted it in one of the articles....lol

We need to start a campaign to clean up Wiki's 40k pages...

yeah anyway kinda liked your theory anyway...

so you say, that the Guy with the Scythe is more pwerful than the one creature in the universe Tyranids are AVOIDING?

and what is this creature?

Tbh The NightBringer was powerful enough to stay alive for almost 100 millenia without a stasis tomb a feet none of the other c'tan has come close to... ALso considering it was the nightbringer who more or less brought destruction down on his own kind due to the fact he turned on the other c'tan... He was the destroyer of gods...

However I am now dubious about my previous claim that he was the most powerful C'tan.. I can't find the line that says that but tbh even if he wasn't then there are only 4 left and I doubt the 2 we do not no about are more destructive or powerful as the Nightbringer.

actually waht the hell am i on about?....

I thought The Outsider was the most powerful C'tan, too. But that might just be because I was mentally equating him to Azathoth who is the most powerful being in the Cthulhu Mythos.

Blue Loki, I love the conspiracy theory!

The Nightbringer could be called the mosr powerful C'Tan in the game, as he's definately stronger than the Deceiver, but once the Dragon and The Outsider come into it, I think he loses out. I think the Outsider is definately the most dangerous, not because of any physical strength but because he's completely nutso. But I like the idea of Malal being the Void Dragon (and in turn the Machine God).
While on the topic of other Chaos gods, check out the old Chaos marine codex, in the wargear entry for spiky bitz. It say they "may be in praise of the minor chaos powers Mo'rcck, Phraz-Etar and An'sl."

Mo'rcck = Mork?

the God of kunning brutality.
or was it brutal kunningness?

Just cause a c'tan is nuts doesn't means he is the most powerful tbh any c'tan is a handful but I think the Nightbringer would at one point have had to been the most powerful considering he was the one who kinda ate half the other c'tan

Just cause a c'tan is nuts doesn't means he is the most powerful tbh any c'tan is a handful but I think the Nightbringer would at one point have had to been the most powerful considering he was the one who kinda ate half the other c'tan

Well technically Nightbringer was only stronger than the other C'tan he killed (ate).  Whether he would be stronger than the 3 that remain will likely never be known.  I don't see that kind of fight coming any time soon.

 

 

Posted By Born Again on 04/25/2006 10:14 PM
But I like the idea of Malal being the Void Dragon (and in turn the Machine God).

No no no. You misunderstood. The Dragon and Malal could not be the same entity, as Malal is pure warp and the Dragon is a C'tan and therefore anti-warp.

Its kinda like pasta and anti-pasta. If you eat equal quantites of both, then you're still gonna be hungry.

anti-pasta?
but I like the Idea of eating pasta and still being hungry. then I could eat more.

oh my Gork! I sound like Jester!

Posted By blue loki on 04/26/2006 11:06 AM

Posted By Born Again on 04/25/2006 10:14 PM
But I like the idea of Malal being the Void Dragon (and in turn the Machine God).

No no no. You misunderstood. The Dragon and Malal could not be the same entity, as Malal is pure warp and the Dragon is a C'tan and therefore anti-warp.

Its kinda like pasta and anti-pasta. If you eat equal quantites of both, then you're still gonna be hungry.

Yes, I now realize my error and have been severly reprimanded.

I like pasta, and being hungry for pasta is a good thing. And btw, gnochhi is pasta, not potatoes.

While on the topic of other Chaos gods, check out the old Chaos marine codex, in the wargear entry for spiky bitz. It say they "may be in praise of the minor chaos powers Mo'rcck, Phraz-Etar and An'sl."

I think these are in jokes/references. I'm guessing Mo'rcck is a reference to author Michael Moorcock, who is obviously the largest single inspiration for GW's Chaos and Chaos gods.

If so, it's taking things a little too far. It's bad enough that the eldar word for human is "Mon-keigh" (monkey). I mean, please... the 41st millenium, a time of ceaseless war and bad jokes!
However, the Mo'rcck=Mork thing is interesting too. Although in theory this should also create Go'rcck (Gork).

Posted By Born Again on 04/27/2006 11:31 PM
If so, it's taking things a little too far. I mean, please... the 41st millenium, a time of ceaseless war and bad jokes!

Not really, its only recently that things have gotten so dark and serious. Apparently, 'back in the day', 40k was a pretty funny OTT universe.

Note the bolter in this old rogue trader pic.

 

hahahahaha funny.
Just look at that bayonnet!


jk,but damn...old armor was well....old.I mean,hell look at it.It looks like a diving suit instead of a power armor.On the other hand,at least the guns are caseless

I think he was referring to the "Have a nice day!" inscription on the bolter at the front. I knew that orks used to be rather humorous (anyone remember madboyz?) but funny space marines is taking it a little too far. The gothic thing is working out so much better.