Duke Melektus, The Light Twin

Duke Melektus (Arch-devil)

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The Light Twin, Doctor Infernus
Favored Twin Son of Sathax
Worshippers: architects, doctors, courtiers and sadists, necromancers
Minions: giant leeches, kahrn, parasitic monsters, undead
Domains: Healing, Disease, Dream, Undead
Lower Realm Dominated: Sputimius, the Fifth
Favored Weapon: Lance
Favored Energy: Either
Favored Animal: Leech
Favored Instrument: Viol

Legend
A millennium after the semidivine birth of Hadriel, Sathax furthered his plans and ambitions and engendered twin sons with his Queen. An efficient process, so he reasoned, and they were, in the logic of the Lower Realms, mirror images of each other. The ‘light’ twin, named Melektus, was coerced, manipulated and molded by his infernal parents to be a false beacon to gullible mortals, and thus draw more power to the Seven Circles. Melektus is entirely Sathax’s creature, with only his personal flaws and insecurities to give him a distinct personality, which plays perfectly into his portfolio of appearance over substance, and pretense over real accomplishment. Melektus does little without Sathax’s approval or permission, though he does skirmish with his hated brother Mastema and haughty sister Hadriel occasionally.

Church
Melektus’ cult is one of faddishness and false popularity, of looking better than one feels and maintaining pretenses of power at all costs, if you have none of your own. This attitude is actually written into doctrine, a flashy pamphlet-like “unholy book” called The Power of Healing which white-robed Melektites hand out to anyone who stands still long enough. Cults of the Doctor Infernal spring up, surge, and scatter, spreading steadily but raggedly across the land while their leaders dole out small amounts of healing in exchange for large sums of money that are funneled into larger Hell-based projects, given outright to armies loyal to Sathax, or embezzled by Melektite devil-worshippers, an acceptable practice if you don’t overdo it and get horribly tortured by an eager Mastemite. The followers of Melektus are the leading Infernal practitioners of undead animation.

Spell Preparation Ritual
The rituals of Mastema are quite similar to those of the Dark Father, Sathax, though the altar must be smaller and is typically made of stainless metal; many Melektites carry a large steel shield for this purpose in the field.


See Also

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a - All text is Open Game Content.