Malakai was once a prominent figure within Alchester’s underbelly, having risen through the ranks to become a high-ranking member of the Beggar’s Guild. Born into poverty in the alleyways of Alchester, he quickly learned that survival required cunning and resourcefulness. With a sharp mind and a natural charisma, he adeptly navigated the complexities of street life, forging alliances with other beggars and gathering valuable information on the city’s happenings. His keen observations and ability to read people soon earned him respect and a reputation as a man who knew everything worth knowing about happenings in Alchester.
However, everything changed after the Beggars’ War, a conflict that erupted as rival factions within the guild sought control over their territory and influence. As tensions escalated, Thjorn Targalas, the cunning leader of the thieves’ guild, saw an opportunity. He orchestrated a brutal takeover, absorbing the Beggar’s Guild into his operations and consolidating power over the city’s criminal enterprises. This marked the end of Malakai’s influence, casting him from a position of authority to the streets he once commanded.
Despite the staggering fall from grace, Malakai’s spirit remained unbroken. He refused to wallow in despair or lose his poise. Instead, he adapted to his new circumstances, becoming a streetwise beggar who blended into the chaos of Alchester’s alleys. Consumed by neither bitterness nor regret, Malakai relied on the knowledge he had accumulated over the years. He transformed his ability to gather information into a means of survival, offering invaluable insights and news to the desperate and the influential while keeping an ear to the ground for any shifting tides in the city.
Beggar, fence, and all-around scalawag, Malakai kept his ear to the street, reporting anything worthwhile to the guild or anyone else willing to pay for such information. I found him in an alley behind Gallop’s Grocery. The store was closed, yet the bounties of the day’s garbage remained ripe for the picking, provided one found a deep dive into the grocer’s trash bin an agreeable prospect. Malakai did. I found him leaning in so far that only the lower half of his body remained visible.
“Malakai,” I said, not quietly.
Demonstrating far more agility than I thought him capable, he spun around, looking me up and down with an angry, venomous stare.
“Who the hell are you?” he asked.
- THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE
Over time, Malakai became known as the “Lord of the Streets.” He commanded respect not just through his past as a high-ranking member of the Beggar’s Guild but also through his wisdom and resourcefulness in navigating the complexities of life on the margins. He honed his skills in negotiation, knowing when to barter for food and when to leverage his information for a better meal or a warm place to sleep. In a city teeming with crime, he understood the delicate balance of power, and his carefully curated relationships allowed him to forge a new existence in Alchester.
Malakai has become a silent observer of the shifting dynamics within the city, quietly biding his time and waiting for an opportunity to regain some semblance of influence. Although he has lost the political clout he once wielded, the fire in his heart refuses to be extinguished. His past experiences shape his present life, and every whisper of the wind carries the promise that he might once again play a significant role in the city’s unfolding narrative.
FIRST APPEARANCE
Malakai first appears in The Assassin's Blade (Assassin Without a Name Book One).
