Malic

Malic, the High Priest of the Order of Mefis, was the trusted lieutenant of the Primus. A dark and sinister servant of Hatred, Malic can be said to have been one of the most powerful human servants of the Prime Evils. Malic makes an appearance in all three novels of the Sin War trilogy.

Background
Malic joined the Triune as a simple acolyte, but worked his way up through the ranks by dedication, perseverance - and the occasional murder of his rivals. He soon became one of Lucion's most trusted servants, even dubbed as his favorite.

Though Malic probably knew more about the dark secrets of the Triune than any mortal, his beliefs were still not entirely the truth. Lucion led Malic to believe it were the Three who had created Sanctuary and through it, all life. However they were betrayed by Inarius, whom they thought to be their ally - and cast out of the realm they had created. The Triune was merely trying to bring back to the Three to their rightful place. Malic, being obsessed with a thirst for power, understood that, as a reward for his service, he would wield powers unfathomable even by the Mage clans of Kehjan.

Granted a greatly increased lifespan by his master, Malic sought to capture Uldyssian after his powers were noticed by Lucion. However, his initial attempt failed due to the unexpected presence of the demoness Lilith who, disguised as the noblewoman Lylia lent her powers to Uldyssian, allowing him to overcome the summoned demons and Peace Warders with ease.

Malic was granted a second chance however; this time Lucion transformed the high priest's arm into a demon limb. Trusting the priest it was in fact a weapon, the demon limb was in reality a last resort: a way to remove Lilith's disguise, revealing her true form to Uldyssian. This time Malic received additional aid as he was given a band of vicious morlu to do his bidding. Disguising himself and his morlu as notable citizens of Partha and friends of Uldyssian, Malic managed to ambush the farmer and his friends at their resting place during the night. However, his plans were once again thwarted as he faced off against Lilith. The demoness managed to use the demon limb against him; Malic was flayed alive, resulting in a swift death.

Malic made a reappearance in the second book of the Sin War trilogy, Scales of the Serpent. His spirit was summoned from his ashes by Mendeln, who bound the spirit inside one of Malic's remaining bones. Malic's spirit served as a guide for Uldyssian during his travel through the labyrinth beneath the great Temple of the Triune, just before the final showdown with Lilith.

The Ravenous Specter
This was not the end of Malic, however. Just before Uldyssian confronted Lilith, Malic convinced the farmer to throw his bone into the darkness - stabbing an unfortunate priest called Durram in the forehead. This did not only kill the priest, but also allowed Malic's vile spirit to possess the body.

Exactly how Malic managed to escape the crumbling Temple of the Triune remains unknown. After it's destruction Malic vowed to track down the one man ultimately responsible for his death: Uldyssian. As he raced through the jungle, his spirit started burning out the host's body, as the wrong-ness of his spirit was rejected by the host. Malic decided that the only body strong enough to contain his spirit would be that of Uldyssian.

On his quest to obtain Uldyssians body, Malic left a trail of dead as his spirit constantly needed new vessels to inhabit. Though the act of possessing a person (which killed the host) went faster with each subsequent attempt, the bodies started to burn out at an increasing rate. Black lesions would form all over their bodies, until they eventually became charred husks. In his desperation, Malic made a pact with both the Lord of Terror Diablo himself and the renegade Inarius. Malic managed to possess Amolia, a high ranking sorceress working for the Council of Clans, allowing him to murder the entire council and blame the act on Uldyssian. When this plot ultimately failed, Inarius allowed Malic to possess one of his most trusted servants, Oris. In his guise of Oris Malic lead the final charge of the forces of the Cathedral of Light against the Edyrem army.

In the final battle, Malic possessed the body of Jonas, one of the captains in Uldyssian's army. Through Jonas, Malic attempted to possess Mendeln, which would in turn enable him to get close to his target - Uldyssian. But Malic's evil plans were at last thwarted as the undead Achilios intervened, saving Mendeln. Mendeln then managed to oust Malic's spirit, forever banishing the High Priest to the afterlife.

Traits and Powers
Malic is described as being a cunning and sinister human being. As a reward for his service, Malic was granted several boons. His lifespan was greatly increased; he had lived twice as long as a normal human being. Malic was also granted special sight, as he could see in the dark as if it were day. Malic also possessed the power to heal himself; control (lesser) demons and conjure diversions. When in contact with other living beings Malic possessed the ability to control their every move. After acquiring the demon limb, Malic gained the ability to 'steal' a person's flesh. This allowed Malic to disguise himself as that particular human.

Trivia

 * Malic's name might be derived from or related to the word malice.
 * As a specter, Malic has possessed at least nine people, the first being Durram and the last being Jonas.