Malaquita — also Sir Malaquita, Lord Malaquita, Señor de la Arena (“Lord of the Sand” or “of the Arena”) and “Lord of Lords” — is the vampire master of the Knights of the Scar of the Sun and a central power in Arden Vul, now a head floating on gems that still commands.
History
“The master was one of the knights, he was the first knight, they made him, but many years ago”; his vampirism was “not by his choice”. He transformed the knights — “master Malaquita, who made us” — and is “the one who best managed to fix a function of these gothic armors” that define the Order. He is also said to have founded a horde “to try to get out of the chambers of destruction”.
He is not human: “another race, humanoids but with features from other places”, with little horns built into the head. The race is unnamed.
The head
Once “Malaquita with shoulders and legs”, he was decapitated; “a head of the master remained”, last known as “a head floating with some gems” — “what you call a demilich… a technological demilich”, possibly still operating. Sir Sixto carries it toward the northern caverns across “a kind of bridge”, “a white thing” that opens.
“The master is still the grand master”: the knights obey him headless. Yet an order in his name was given seven and a half hours ago, and he was decapitated ten hours ago: “So this order was given either post-mortem or not by Malaquita.”
Possessions
- Armor: gothic, now separate from him; a base “half cloth”, not metal; “cylinders that are liquids” (integrated grenades); customizable “with artificial intelligence”.
- Malachite doors: some open on caverns leading outside within the Halls of Thoth; others gave access to the domain of Lord Tarmis. The Order holds the keys.
- Crystals of Malaquita: magic objects, number unknown, “the ones that were not handed over”.
- Diary: a single data crystal in “a form you cannot read”.
Conflicting accounts
- Whether the founder of the horde and the master of the Order are one person at different times, or two stories mixed, is disputed.
Open questions
- Whether the doors are named for the mineral or the master.
- Who decapitated him and why; who gave the order if not he.
- The number and nature of the gems.
- How many crystals remain, who holds them and what they do.
- The diary’s language or cipher, and who could read it.
- Whether “Lord of the Sand” and “Lord of Lords” coexist or belong to different stages.