A Maligoth is a grotesque and corrupted entity born from the chaotic interaction of corrupted magic and the natural world. It is a massive, pulsating mass of twisted flesh and arcane energy, constantly growing and warping as it consumes power and matter. Its presence distorts reality, warping space and creating an overwhelming sense of dread as it seeks to devour all magic in its path.
Physical Appearance
Maligoth’s body is a massive, chaotic conglomeration of flesh and magical corruption. Its form is amorphous, with tendrils and limbs constantly forming and dissolving into the mass. Pulsating veins of violet energy glow through the translucent, diseased skin, and shards of the Oculus protrude like jagged bones.
The surface colors blend into each other messily—muted browns, greens, purples, and blues—oozing from one patch to another, giving it an unsettling, diseased appearance. Any crease or fold in the flesh leaks corrupted energy, crackling with intense violet light. The creature’s core pulsates with a deep, throbbing resonance, suggesting a chaotic heartbeat.
Behavior
Maligoth exhibits a primal, relentless hunger for magical energy. It seeks out rift fragments, magical artifacts, and spellcasters, devouring their power and incorporating it into its mass. It has an instinctual drive to unify the shards of the Oculus, believing that doing so will stabilize its chaotic form and grant it ultimate power.
Despite its monstrous appearance, it exhibits a disturbingly cunning intelligence. It prefers to stalk its prey through distorted reality, using spatial warping to corner or disorient its victims. When threatened, it erupts into violent spasms, launching tendrils and bursts of corrupted energy in all directions.
Maligoth does not distinguish between friend or foe when absorbing power. Any magical source within reach is targeted, whether it be enemy spells, protective wards, or even ambient arcane energy.
Powers and Abilities
- Power Consumption
- Maligoth feeds on magic and physical matter, absorbing spells, artifacts, and even living beings to fuel its growth. Once absorbed, the power becomes part of its chaotic essence, increasing its size and enhancing its abilities.
- Corrupted Growth
- As Maligoth consumes power, it grows larger and more grotesque, sprouting new limbs, tendrils, and crystalline spines. This growth is chaotic and uncontrolled, but also makes the creature more formidable and harder to destroy.
- Reality Distortion
- Maligoth warps the space around it, creating localized spatial anomalies. These distortions cause time to skip, visual echoes to appear, and gravitational forces to become inconsistent, making combat disorienting.
- Void Tendrils
- It can extend writhing tendrils of flesh and corrupted energy, lashing out to grab or impale targets. If a tendril makes contact, it siphons magical energy, weakening the victim and feeding Maligoth’s growth.
- Flesh Absorption
- When a living being is fully engulfed by Maligoth, it is digested both physically and magically, leaving behind a withered husk. The entity gains all residual magical power from the victim.
- Corruption Pulse
- Maligoth periodically emits a wave of corrupted Aetheric energy, disrupting magical fields, destabilizing artifacts, and causing severe nausea and disorientation in living beings.
- Amorphous Regeneration
- If damaged, Maligoth’s mass splinters into smaller entities known as Riftlings, which swarm and attempt to rejoin the main body. Only by damaging the core Oculus shard embedded in its center can the creature be permanently weakened.
- Echo of Despair
- Maligoth can project illusory echoes of past victims or events, preying on the emotional and psychological weaknesses of those who approach it.
Weaknesses
- Stable Resonance
- Stabilizing the surrounding area with pure Aetheric resonance disrupts its chaotic growth, forcing it to shrink and destabilize.
- Emotional Disruption
- Genuine, intense emotions like love or hope act as a counter-frequency, halting its chaotic expansion and forcing it into a more solid, vulnerable state.
- Overloading
- Forcing it to absorb too much power at once can cause its core to overload, temporarily fragmenting its form and scattering its essence.
Motivations
Maligoth’s sole desire is to become a singular, omnipotent entity by gathering and consuming every shard of the Oculus Noctivagus. In its corrupted perception, doing so will stabilize its existence and grant it ultimate dominion over both the material and Aetheric realms.
Containment and Neutralization
Due to its amorphous nature and power absorption abilities, direct combat with Maligoth is not advised. Strategic disruption using stabilized Aetheric fields, combined with emotionally resonant attacks, is the most effective method of weakening and dispersing it. The primary goal should be to separate the creature from its core shard, as destroying or purifying the shard is the only way to permanently end its threat.
Origins
Maligoth comes into being when corrupting magic disrupts the natural balance of the world, feeding on itself and warping the environment around it. This corruption festers and grows, accumulating power from ambient magic, residual spells, and fragments of failed arcane experiments. Over time, the unchecked accumulation of chaotic energy manifests as a monstrous, sentient mass—an abomination driven by an insatiable hunger for more power.
As Maligoth consumes magic and matter, it grows increasingly grotesque, its form warping into a horrifying amalgamation of flesh, crystalline shards, and seeping corrupted energy. The creature acts as both a parasite and a guardian to sources of arcane corruption, instinctively gathering more power to stabilize its existence and expand its influence.