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| “ | The contrast is one of will. I willingly subordinate myself for a higher purpose. My friendship with Tarquin and the others is, ultimately, a passing phase of my long existence. They are all past the prime of their short lives; in 30 or 40 years, at most, I will inherit a unified continent for my god. That is when my true work will begin. A thousand will be sacrificed to Nergal's glory each day in an orderly regime of destruction. | „ |
| ~ Malack revealing his true goal, and the difference between himself and any undead servant. |
| “ | I suppose I always knew it would come to this. I see so clearly now why Tarquin's advice never sat well with me. It is not the parent-child relationship I long for these days—it is that of the colleague. No—the sibling. I had seven brothers once, you know. In that dim other life so long past. I remember the taste of their blood far more vividly than any fraternal bond, though. How strange that I should seek it out once more. [...] Sadly, three days in the grave is time we do not have, refreshing though it is. My staff contains many obscure spells that I unearthed in the course of my research, though—including one to hasten the process. Rise, Brother Thundershield. Rise, and seek the blood of the living! | „ |
| ~ Malack turning Durkon into a vampire, and revealing he views the latter as a brother. |
Malack is a major antagonist in Order of the Stick, debuting in the "Blood Runs in the Family" arc. A priest of the death god Nergal and the right-hand man of Tarquin, Malack helps run the Empire of Blood, appearing affable to the heroes while hiding his true nature as a vampire, as well as the true motives behind his alliance with Tarquin.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Heinous?[]
- Had seven brothers before becoming a vampire, but drank from and killed them all after his vampirisation.
- Has spawned at least three vampire "children" in the past, having forcibly drained their blood and killed them.
- Helps Tarquin and the Vector Legion in their plan to conquer the Western Continent, knowing that when they die, his true plan will be put in motion - as a vampire, Malack will outlive them, and he will inherit the unified empire, where he will then sacrifice 1,000 people a day to Nergal in an "orderly regime of destruction".
- Feeds on the various prisoners who are executed by the Empire on a daily basis, not caring that some of them may be innocent because "strictly speaking, they have all been found guilty".
- Assists the Linear Guild in finding Girard's Gate, knowing that Nale sought to control it so he could gain power and take over the world.
- When Belkar encounters him in the pyramid, Malack attempts to kill him and drink all his blood, aiming to sire another vampire out of him, even knowing that doing this would bar Belkar from the afterlife and trap him inside his own consciousness.
- After Durkon saves Belkar and renounces their friendship, Malack, though regrettably, kills him, and drains his blood, forcibly transforming him into a vampire. This directly leads to the catastrophic events of "Utterly Dwarfed", though this was unintentional on Malack's part.
- While he has his comedic moments, they are less prevalent compared to Tarquin, and he is still generally taken seriously, especially after he is revealed to be a vampire.
- Though Order of the Stick has a very high heinous standard, Malack manages to stand out through his plan to sacrifice a thousand people a day in the name of his god, this being a part of the plan that was entirely his own idea, which he had to convince Tarquin to implement. Furthermore, he has fewer resources and/or less knowledge than the likes of worldwide threats like Xykon, Redcloak and the High Priest of Hel, preventing him from failing the standards to them as he cannot replicate their worst actions.
What Makes Him Inconsistent?[]
- He is incredibly affable, showing care and kindness towards numerous people on separate occasions:
- Genuinely cares about the vampires he sires, viewing them as his children, balking at the idea of treating the undead like slaves, and not simply making more on Tarquin's suggestion because he was worried about not establishing a "special bond". When Nale murdered three of them in the past, it was enough for him to swear vengeance.
- Gets along with Tarquin and the rest of the Vector Legion, as they seem to have a genuinely good friendship. Malack in particular is the most willing to put up with Tarquin's eccentricities, and the two of them fondly reminisce on some of Tarquin's old pranks.
- Despite being on opposite sides, he genuinely cherished his friendship with Durkon. When Malack reveals his true nature as a vampire, he tries to come to a compromise with Durkon, not wishing to come to blows with him, and when he realises that doing so is impossible, he shows visible regret before attacking him. Even after turning Durkon into a vampire, he still refers to him as "Brother Thundershield", and remarks that he has longed for a sibling bond, which he has now found in Durkon. He even intended to relinquish his control over the vampirized Durkon after their objective was met.
- To a lesser extent, since the two of them had little time to interact in the comic, he seemed to genuinely get along with Vaarsuvius pre-vampire reveal, bonding over having to play the role of the straight-man to their more eccentric cohorts.
- He has a sense of honour. When draining Durkon's blood and killing him, Durkon made one final request for Malack to not hurt the rest of the Order, and Malack respected this by letting Belkar go free, and, upon spotting the heroes hiding in an illusory wall, does not inform the Linear Guild of this.
- He is genuinely loyal to Nergal, and his most heinous deeds are done in his name. He believes that all living beings are slaves to their superiors, and he is no different. He can also respect deference and loyalty in others, as shown when he spares Mr. Scruffy, recognising that he is simply a pet loyal to his master, Belkar.
- Vampires in Order of the Stick are a manifestation of their host's worst day, and are unable to change from their evil alignments, and it is a plot point that they cannot reflect or grow as individuals. Malack, despite being wiser than most vampires seen, is presumably no different, giving him moral agency issues. Despite this, he has a clear personality and individuality, and though not sadistic, is clearly aware of and generally fine with his evil deeds.
Trivia[]
- Malack is one of two characters from Order of the Stick, the other being Nale, to be Inconsistently Heinous.