#Tristen Hiregaard

[darklordazalin]

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Malken

Darklord: Malken, alter ego of Tristen Hiregaard Domain: Nova Vaasan Domain Formation: 682 BC Power Level: 💀💀 ⚫⚫⚫ (2/5 skulls) Sources: The Awakening (2e adventure); Realms of Terror (2e); Domains of Dread (2e) Secrets of the Dread Realms (3e); The Enemy Within (Novel); van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (5e)

Malken is the Darklord of Nova Vaasa. I am told that some find beauty in the endless plains of grass and mud of Nova Vaasa, though perhaps that was just in comparison to the desolate squalors that make up Nova Vaasa’s settlements. The ecosystem is quite suitable to horses far more than humanoids and the Vaasans do love their horses. I remember a young serving girl from my youth that was quite obsessed with horses and dreamed of having one of her own one day. It was all she ever talked about. That girl lives on in the hearts of every single Vaasan.

Nova Vaasa mirrors its dreadlord’s dual nature. In whatever beauty one finds in the monotonous sea of grass lies venomous snakes, deadly plain cats, and a number of mythical beasts, most having a horse-like appearance from undead skeleton warhorses to herds of nightmares. Some of these tales are built from peasant superstition, others are quite real. In Nova Vaasa, there is always something lurking beneath the surface. Even a kind, helping hand could turn into something unseemly once one’s back is turned.

One cannot write about Malken without discussing Tristen Hiregaard, for they are one and the same. Tristen, unable or unwilling to recognize his own sins, would argue against such a factual statement, but Tristen is as much a Darklord of Nova Vaasa as Malken is. This young lord’s story starts with his father, Romir Hiregaard, as many son’s stories often do. They are our legacy after all, disappointing as some may be…Ahem, I digress. Tristen was born into a family of aristocrats and had a noble upbringing and was groomed to become a Knight of valor by his father. The nobility and peasantry of their land held Romir and his family in high regard; note that, if one wishes to insult one of the Hiregaard family, pronouncing their surname in a particular way with a bit of venom on one’s tongue always does the trick.

According to historical records, Romir was known as a fair and just ruler to the people. Private, family accounts, on the other hand, indicated he was most irrational when it came to his wife’s affections and flew into rages whenever he even thought about his wife potentially laying with another. There was no rational behind this blind jealous, for his marriage was one built from love and not one forced upon him for political reasons. Of course, some men are incapable of acknowledging their own shortcomings and deflect them upon another; in Romir’s case, it was his wife. Such jealousy often leads to violence and Romir was no different. When he chanced upon his wife in the arms of another man, he slew them both in a blind rage.

When the rage ebbed, it was only then that Romir realized his wife had simply been receiving dance lessons from an apt tutor. His wife cursed him with her last breath to ‘kill any woman he loved and any man that crossed him’. A strange curse, truth be told, but the dying are rarely coherent. Romir was unable to face the consequences of his own actions and took his life instead of living with his curse. As such, the curse was passed on to his son, Tristen. Something I doubt Tristen’s mother had intended.

The curse laid dormant within Tristen’s soul until he fell in love and shared his first kiss. Tristen found himself overwhelmed by desire to kill the girl and barely resisted acting upon it. Worst of all, Tristen found he enjoyed the act of taking her life. Now, there are some that would say this was the curse and the curse alone and others who believe it was something he had always been capable of. I believe it is a little of both, for Tristen continued taking pleasure in murdering those he developed tender feelings towards, taking nine more lives.

Tristen could have avoided courtship if had truly desired to cease his murderous tendencies, but he believed the only escape was the same path his father had chosen before him – to end his own life. However, before he was able to finish the deed, our tormentors interfered and allowed his ‘cursed’ side to take on a life of its own as Malken. Malken and Tristen share a body and while Tristen attempts to do good in his life, Malken enjoys tormenting his other half and murdering as many people as he can. Tragically or hilariously, depending on your point of voice, Tristen spent years trying to find and bring Malken to justice, only to discover he had been chasing himself the entire time.

Tristen and Malken continue to fight one another. A futile effort, but they persist, both hoping that they will eventually be free of the other. That, of course, is naturally something our tormentors would never allow.

Confined in a prison of their own making, Tristen married Katya Chekiv purely for political reasons. As most such arrangements go, theirs was a loveless affair. Despite Malken’s obvious taste of killing the lover’s Tristen had on the side, this ‘do gooder’ continues to seek love outside of his marriage. Katya bore four sons with Tristen and, because our tormentors are very bad at letting things go, if Tristen were to ever perish, Malken would likely live on within one of his sons.

The tale continued within the accounts entitled “The Enemy Within”, tells a slightly different story. In this version of their history, Tristin himself was cursed and Malken was always something he had the potential to become, not a curse inherited by his father. Given Tristin’s tendency to show one face, yet think the opposite (a common trait amongst the nobility) and his pleasure at committing violent acts, this is an accurate description of his character.

Within the good doctor’s latest book, Myar Hiregaard is the Darklord of Nova Vaasa. She was a war leader and united the tribes of the plains of Nova Vaasa. Though, much like von Zarovich, she found leading during times of peace dull. This is not something I can sympathize with, there are countless tasks and responsibilities one must uphold while ruling a land. Myra does not share my thoughts on these matters and instead of seeing to her people, she incited hostilities amongst the tribes and sent her forces to stabilize the situation through brute force. She did this many times and the Mists eventually took her. Within Ravenloft she is split into two, Myar and Malkan; Malkan showing their face whenever Myar’s bloodlust overwhelms her.

Interestingly, before the latest *ahem* experiment of mine, Myra was one of Tristen’s sons and served as an ambassador to Darkon. He resided in the mining village of Tempe Falls and I ensured his memories would not be replaced while he stayed in my realm.

This Darklord is forced to share the body of someone who believes they are a good person, though careful study leads me to conclude otherwise. They’re trained in an array of weaponry and quite deadly with martial weapons. Still, they lack self-awareness and blind bloodlust is anything but refined. I shall be generous and give them two skulls, one for each persona.