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Empire of Malrègnar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_malregnar_7.png

of the Empire of Malregnar, the 'Chained Heptagram'

"Let Evil Reign, Now And Forever."
— National Motto

of the Empire of Malrègnar, as inscribed in High Malrègnarian over the main entranceway to the grand capital of Viltrône.

Situated on the continent of Terra Equus, the Empire of Malrègnar (entry here) is an ascendant evil empire which, unlike many other evil empires and kingdoms, had endured and thrived for several millennia under the implacable will and unhallowed power of its divine founder and ruler, Vicearch Iniquitous, as well as Her scions and the overlords and devils under Her command. To the rest of the world, it serves as a terrifying and ever-present reminder that even in a world where Evil Will Fail is in full effect, there are forces of darkness which could still prevail with enough ruthlessness, caution, ingenuity, determination and luck.

Since the Vicearch's victories over her enemies and anyone who stood in her way, the Empire had existed in splendid isolation from outside affairs. However, on occasions where its neutrality is threatened or transgressed, its sovereign and her subjects will rouse to bring upon the empire's wrathful might upon those who would dare challenge their power - and woe be to anyone who earned their ire or stand in their way.

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General

Always Lawful Evil: Malrègnar is from its foundation a lawful evil civilization, with Iniquitous upon Her final victory declaring Her law and will are absolute and branded Her order so thoroughly into the arcane weave of the land it ended up spawning an Anthropomorphic Personification of Her law and order in the form of Infernal Edict, the Sins' Mandate. The Malrègnarians takes law and order in and even outside their empire very seriously despite embracing evil for power to advance their ambitions, seeing it as an essential element in curbing self-destructive excesses that brought down so many of their peers and allow them to become one of the most enduring and successful bastions of evil in Known History.
Infernal Edict: Law and Order are what makes us Masters, not Monsters.
Apocalypse How: A Malrègnarian punitive campaign could inflict a Class 0 (Regional Scale) onto whoever it was foolish enough to mess with them to warrant one. The 'Devastation of Rotkrallea' is an example of one such campaign in action, with the Malrègnarians annihilating the entire Autorist kingdom of Rotkrallea, slaughtering nearly every Griffon who are part of, supported or in any way related to the Autorist regime being held accountable and condemning their damned souls to a Fate Worse than Death, after the Malrègnarians caught their crown-prince and their forces masterminding raids into Malrègnar and its tributary vassals' territories red-clawed. Their 'Dirges of Destruction' spells, meanwhile, are capable of doing this to entire kingdoms in one shot.
Alternate Techline: Because of its splendid isolation as well as the significant presence of devils and proliferation of dark magic, Malregnar entered the Industrial Era developing radically different technologies from the outside world. Many of their contraptions are animated and controlled by dark magic, enhanced by demonic possessions, and often powered by damned shades being tormented by their respective vices and sins which much of their economy revolves around.
Ambition Is Evil: They are a 'Lawful Evil' culture and society who values ambition so long as it is pursued in a manner which raises rather than destroys the individual and benefits the empire as a whole. Because of this, they do not begrudge those who could reach great heights to rival or challenge their position and power, no matter how powerless they were at first.
As Long as There Is Evil: Implied to subscribe to an ironic and twisted version of this when it comes to other forces of evil, contributing to some of their seemingly Disproportionate Retribution policies. The reason they massacre whole factions and nations who wronged them is because they are well aware the rulers and leaders would not had been able to carry them out without their evil being enabled by minions and supporters, many of whom probably subscribed to their evil sincerely, for their own benefit, just plain didn't care, or were too craven and cowardly to defy them. This is best demonstrated in the 'Devastation of Rotkrallea' where they not only killed the corrupt Autorist regime which earned their ire but also every last figure however remotely associated with them and their atrocities (slightly more than half the country), not only because all of them had willingly and however remotely contributed to their leaders' evil, and thus are similarly guilty, if left alone such people could probably revive the evil in some form to cause trouble again. Only those who had absolutely nothing to do with the regime in any way are spared.
Behemoth Battle: One occurred at the climax of the Protodragon onslaught against the Empire of Malregnar during the 'Heralds of Extinction Crisis'. On one side, the avatars of Glaurung, the Ashen Devastation and Ancalagon, the Primal Inferno, and on the other Vicearch Iniquitous riding atop Her familiar and pet in its true form, a mountain-sized Beast of the Apocalypse.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Being an ascendant evil empire, it treats many of its evil actions with a cavalier casualness of someone who has a habit of drinking a beer on Tuesday nights.
- How they see their punitive campaigns against those who messed with them. Their most recent one against the Griffon Kingdom of Rotkrallea had been recorded by historians by important designations such as 'The Malrègnar-Rotkrallean War' or the 'Devastation of Rotkrallea'. The Malrègnarians themselves merely called it 'Punitive Campaign No. [REDACTED]'. This implies heavily about their long-hidden strength as well as their attitudes when they don't even consider the utter destruction of an entire country as something historically important enough to be considered an actual WAR.
Bullying a Dragon: With Malrègnar being the dragon in question. The empire pursues a policy of splendid isolationism, and will not tolerate any action or anyone who violates their neutrality and authority in their territories. Malrègnar had ANNIHILATED WHOLE NATIONS in their retaliation against those who dared to mess with them.
Devil, but No God: Zigzagged. The Vicearch is most certainly a goddess, but she is an evil infernal Alicorn who commands diabolical entities as much as she reigns over her mortal subjects. And for many, both inside and outside the empire, she might as well be the devil. There used to be an old Malrègnar pantheon and an assortment of other independent gods, but Iniquitous defeated and devoured all of them in her dark ascension as punishment for both their gross incompetence and corrupted character until only she remained. Subverted later, as she gained a benevolent counterpoint in Fairytale.
Disproportionate Retribution: Malrègnar's views on justice apparently follows this to certain degrees. As explained by Princess Acrimonious, who oversees the procuratorate as well as the military, it is not just important for the Malrègnarians to give those who trifled with them what they deserved, but to also deter others from even considering messing with them again upon witnessing the sheer terror and suffering the Malrègnarians would inflict upon their transgressors. She noted though in some way this is not so different from judges in more just and fair judicial systems who give out heavier sentences to those found guilty than they would had received in order to deter future crime.
- This is best seen in the Devastation of Rotkraellea, when Malregnar responded to the Griffon Autorist kingdom's sponsoring of raids into their tributary states by launching a punitive expedition that annihilated the entire country, massacring nearly every single Griffon who supported the Autorist regime in any way (i.e. slightly more than half the population) and indenturing the survivors among that group, while simutaneously desolating the land and devastating the infrastructure to render it unable to ever bother them or anyone else ever again.
The Dreaded:
- What the Vicearch and the Empire of Malrègnar was for many outside the empire, according to Iniquitous' entry, not only for their power and malice, but also for the disturbing implications they represent. Many avoid provoking Malrègnar on the continent they are on, and on the occasions they rose to activity, other nations would tremble in terror and only breathe a sigh of relief when they go back into splendid isolation.
- That being said, certain nations and beings are this to the Malrègnarians themselves. First and foremost is Vicearch Iniquitous and Malrègnar's direct counterparts & counterbalances, Virtuecrat Fairytale, the benevolent god-sovereign of Vertusia. To note in Princess Radiant Rapier's entry, when she appeared to rescue Radiant Rapier from a Fate Worse than Death at the Vicearch's hooves, the infernal beings in the Malrègnar armies immediately bolted in utter horror, while the mortal Malrègnarian forces collectively backed away in fear. Even the Vicearch, who stood her ground in presence of her opposite and equal, is quietly apprehensive, curious and respectful to her Good Counterpart.
Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Malrègnar and its sovereign largely wanted to be left alone, with a firm warning against challenging the Vicearch's rule or disrupt the 'Vicearch's Peace'. Those who ignored these warnings would soon know just what exactly they had unleashed, to their eternal regret.
- The Autorist-aligned monarchy of the Griffon island Kingdom of Rotkrallea (apparently the most corrupt and decadent of the lot) sanctioned long-running privateering and raiding of Malrègnar and its tributaries' territories for reasons best not asked. When Malrègnarian authorities finally caught the one masterminding them (the crown prince himself) red-clawed, Malrègnar responded by launching a punitive campaign and annihilating the entire country.
The Empire: The Empire of Malrègnar is a stable ascendant evil empire ruled by an Evil Overlord who had won, and even ascended to godhood with the help of trusted individuals close to her. It's even in the name, if you know your French.
Equal-Opportunity Evil: Malrègnar is a Truce Zone where evil individuals from all walks of life are free to enter, deal, learn, work and even live there as they desired, as long as they're willing to follow the laws and/or submit to Iniquitous' will. They do not tolerate Fantastic Racism of any kind; according to Blue Suede/Caerulus, this stems from Iniquitous witnessing her homeland being reduced to a divided, stagnant mess partly by endless conflict driven by their own petty prejudices and advancing their selfish desires over others. Those who tried preaching such things would face Malrègnar's collective wrath, such as the Autorist Griffon kingdom of Rotkrallea, which was obliterated down to the last Griffon (save for those who were completely innocent and unassociated with the Autorist monarchy) in part for being extremely decadent, corrupt, and xenophobic even against non-'pure' Griffons.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- Breaking the Primeval Laws are viewed as a taboo, in part due to being considered unforgivably vile by even them, though the other part is avoiding the collective wrath of the Grand Primevals. This includes denying innocent souls the right to an eternal reward in the Heaven-Realms. Those Malrègnarians who tried doing so, such as the 'Foolish/Cowardly Usurper', are subjected to the severest punishments or even handed over to the Grand Primevals themselves.
- Even Malrègnarians consider Skinwalkers (and the ritual to become one) to be utterly abhorrent. It's to the point that becoming one is punishably with the absolute worst sanctions the empire can apply that makes a normal Hell-Realm seem merciful in comparison.
- Malrègnar do not tolerate racism or other kinds of discrimination in their lands, viewing discrimination as too socially-destabilizing and sees those who are racist or peddle them are seen as weak and inept for their inability to keep their base natures under control or relying on such crude methods to achieve and maintain power. As far as they are concerned, ALL are equal before the Vicearch, with an equal chance to serve Her with their merit and loyalty or advance Malrègnar's interests with their own ambitions, and to rise to and fall from greatness by their own worth.
Evil Counterpart: Malrègnar is implied to be considered one In-Universe to Vertusia, a unified collection of benevolent realms ruled by Vicearch Iniquitous' Good Counterpart Virtuecrat Fairytale.
Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Vicearch's palace in Viltrône is described as a towering spire, tall as a mountain and allowing the Vicearch to survey over all She had built and accomplished.
Evil Versus Evil: Often clashed with other evil factions as often as they clash with good factions, usually out of envy for their success, irreconcilable disagreements over their respective ways of evil, or simply inevitable rivalry over conflicting interests or overlapping ambitions.
Eviler than Thou: On account of being a steadily-ascendant evil empire ruled by a victorious Evil Overlord turned God of Evil, Malrègnar often ends up being far worse than some of the evil or malicious factions and forces out there who admired, feared and/or resented them. Others meanwhile are this to them in turn.
- The Autorists factions and nations are the 'Fourth Age' successors of the 'Second Age' Reichists, being totalitarian racial supremacists out on persecution, genocide and militaristic conquest and domination of the world. Yet (at least) the Griffon Autorists were horrified by Malrègnar's punitive campaign against one of their fellow Autorist regimes for supporting raids against Malrègnar and its tributaries. Very few dared to retaliate against Malrègnar in retaliation after seeing how they utterly obliterated the Kingdom of Rotkrallea. To note, according to Blue/Caerulus, who is a friend of the Vicearch and visited Malregnar many times, the Malregnarians are so unimpressed by the Autorists/Tribalists' threat or brand of Evil they consider associating, supporting, or even manipulating and using the Autorists and Tribalists as pawns to be beneath them.
Failure Is the Only Option: The Malrègnarians want to spread their philosophy of 'Iniquitism' (Also called 'True Evil' in reflection of its Vertusian counterpoint of 'True Good') across the world, based on the premise that all sapients, including 'good' ones, are born with inherent evil and vice, that goodness and virtue which were meant to restrain and channel them for higher causes are flawed tools which had failed their purposes, and until better alternatives could be found to replace them mortals need a strong will, clear purpose, iron discipline, or failing all that powerful authoritarian control to keep their inner flaws in check and channelled to achieve higher causes. However, just like their Vertusian counterparts, they have yet to find a way to replace the concept of good with something else. And because the world thrives on the Balance Between Good and Evil, trying to render good obsolete altogether would lead to devastating consequences for everyone, making their efforts doomed from the start.
Fiction 500: The Empire of Malrègnar keeps countless vaults full of precious minerals, rare arcane artifacts, and other things that many people in the outside world would drool over. Additionally, through the large-scale application of Dark Magic transmutation spells, entire regions had been converted to precious minerals - creating entire rivers of molten gold, flowing fields of silver and great hills of gemstone - for mining purposes. This makes them so stupendously wealthy that, as a shocked Blue Suede Heartstrings remarked, other wealthy empires like the fallen Empire of Zinari (whose own wealth was noted to be so much in their heyday that the purchase of entire kingdoms would be considered pocket change) couldn't compare to the wealth of Malrègnar. However, because they become so common, as well as Malrègnarians primarily focus on pragmatic utility rather than material wealth, much of what others would see as 'wealth' is actually worthless to them; instead, they use other forms of currency like damned souls while 'worthless' things like precious minerals are only kept around for aesthetic value.
Forced to Watch:
- Upon being captured, the king and the rest of the royal family of the corrupt, decadent and Autorist-aligned Kingdom of Rotkrallea were made to watch their capital is burned to the ground and its population - mostly regime-supporters - were butchered without mercy by Malrègnarian forces sent to raze their whole kingdom for transgressions against Malrègnar. Then they were tortured to death.
Haunted Technology: The Empire of Malrègnar is the pioneer and world-leader in the development of Demon Engines in the 'Fourth Age', having even developed a more powerful and advanced power-generators in the form of 'Archdemon Reactors'. It is used partly as a means in which Vicearch Iniquitous and her infernal royal court condemn/punish demons/devils/diabolical beings who are hostile rivals, disobedient/insubordinate or grossly incompetent, imprisoning them in the engines to siphon away the magical energies from their ethereal diabolical forms while they feed on the sins and negative emotions around them, allowing the Malrègnarians to literally use Evil as fuel for power-generation.
Hell: Is implied to house a lot of Hell-realms, being an ascendant evil empire ruled by a triumphant Evil Overlord turned God of Evil with absolute power over diabolical and mortal beings alike, and thus populated with various infernal entities and damned shades. Iniquitous herself is one in Alicorn form, having by present-day likely devoured millions of damned souls, countless thousands of disobedient infernals and whole pantheons worth of defeated gods herself and subjecting them to 'horror and agony without end' within her. They even use them and their tortured denizens to power their magic and technologies.
The Hermit: Malrègnar pursues a policy of splendid isolation from the rest of the world, being large, prosperous and strong enough to sit out of international affairs and conflicts, while their Vicearch rarely gets involved in the conflict between good and evil that rages across Equus. This is done out of pragmatism, as Iniquitous realizes that going the route of a power-hungry conqueror trying to dominante and corrupt/destroy everything will only provoke both good and neutral forces into ganging up on her, therefore costing her her hard-earned victories. It is only on rare historical occasions that they are roused from isolation to either launch punitive campaigns against those who provoked them (and only when they have a justification that leaves other powers with no excuse or ground to stop them), or when things outside are chaotic, weakened or distracted to such an extent that they can afford to expand their dominion with little-to-no opposition. Because of this, Vicearch Iniquitous and Malrègnar had been steady and slow in their ascendance, but they had successfully outlasted all other rival evil overlords/deities and their dominions which had risen and fallen in rapid succession, and in such a way most good and neutral forces outside Malrègnar can do little about it.
- This might be changing with recent developments, notably the return of Patch as a heroic demigoddess and potentially the rest of the Virtous/Tales Seven. Knowing what they are capable of, especially with their newfound divinity, Vicearch Iniquitous and her brother both realize this has the potential of tilting the Balance Between Good and Evil between her and Virtuecrat Fairytale against her favour, and even the Neutral god-sovereign aligning with her might not be enough by itself to restore the Balance of Power. Unless of course she comes out of her splendid isolation and seek allies elsewhere...
Hidden Depths: Many Malregnarian characters and the nation as a whole have much greater complexities in terms of motivations, temperament and goals beneath their 'Lawful Evil' exterior.
Hobbes Was Right: The Malrègnarians subscribe in the philosophy of 'Iniquitism'/'True Evil', where all sapients, including 'good' ones, are born inherently flawed/evil, and with good and virtue having failed their intended roles to keep them in check all must devote their inner vices towards higher purposes with the aid of strong, authoritarian control to contain their worser impulses. This stems from Iniquitous' own experiences, where she witnessed the squabbling of the mortal Malrègnarian realms and the sheer incompetence of the local Jerkass Gods who once ruled the area. Just like their Vertusian counterparts, both Iniquitous and her subjects believe the world is better off with them in charge and seek to get rid of good altogether and make 'Iniquitism'/'True Evil' a global philosophy... but not only does it put them in direct opposition with deities like Belyolen and Temnobog, who literally need each other to survive, but their efforts are doomed from the start due to the world thriving on a Balance Between Good and Evil. Moon Ray Vaughoof even compares 'Iniquitism'/'True Evil' to throwing out the Heaven-Realms while keeping the Hell-Realms.
I Gave My Word: While they are willing to bend or adhere only to the letter of their agreements out of pragmatism or self-interest, like the Changeling Courts the Malregnarians take keeping to their word and promises very seriously, being an Always Lawful Evil civilization who upholds and applies law, order and discipline to their evil. In their eyes, those who can't keep to their oaths and obligations cannot be trusted to work effectively in the Malregnarians' or even their own interests. Breaking rules and guarantees to get ahead is seen as weak, shameful and inept, while those who could achieve their goals abiding to them are seen as strong, respectable and effective.
The Legions of Hell: Given the ascendant evil empire has many infernal beings composing a significant fraction of its population, many infernal demons, devils, fiends and other diabolical entities are also in the empire's military. This in effect also makes every punitive expedition the empire sends out on rare occasions to punish any perceived transgressions by outsiders violating their splendid isolation a demonic invasion, at least in part.
- In the backstory of Iniquitous' rise, the newly ascended dark goddess rallied an enormous horde of infernals from hell-realms all across the lands of Malrègnar to launch an invasion of the old Malrègnarian pantheon's divine realm while they were still crippled and reeling from their 'Final Battle' against their God of Evil Arch-Enemy. The invasion succeeds in part due to Iniquitous being clever in how she deployed her infernal forces against the defenses of the gods' palace-city. Rampaging hordes of Demons swarmed the defences and angelic defenders on multiple fronts, wearing them down and opening weak-spots that could be exploited. Disciplined legions of Devils acted as shock-troops to strike the lines at the weakest and widen the gaps for other infernal beings to charge in and slaughter the angels and exalted from the flanks and rear. Groups of Fiends stood back with Iniquitous to provide support with hexes, curses and other diabolical powers at their disposal. Once they finally broke through and storm the palace-city, Iniquitous used her infernal armies to besiege the divines at their own strongholds and palaces to keep the gods and their servants separated from each other, unable to rally for a united defense and allowing her to pick them off one by one.
- In Princess Radiant Rapier's entry, the Malrègnar legions which crushed her incursion forces of angels and mortal champions while Vicearch Iniquitous defeated and devoured the divines that commanded them also consisted of both demonic and mortal warriors. To note, when Virtuecrat Fairytale showed up to rescue Princess Radiant Rapier from sharing her comrades' fate, the demons bolted immediately, leaving the mortal soldiers to stand the ground, backing away and trembling in fear, though it's understandable when considering who they are dealing with here.
A Lighter Shade of Black: While unquestionably on the side of evil and make no bones about it, their pragmatism, dedication to law and order, and general honourable conduct of its rulers and subjects often make them come off as being reasonable and agreeable compare to other far worse factions and nations of evil and villainy like the Autorists, the Tambeloneans and the Hydianites. That doesn't diminish their threat and in fact to a degree contributes to their success.
Magitek: Being founded by a brilliant witch turn demon queen/dark goddess, the study of Dark Magic is prolific in Malregnar and their inclusion had become a major component in many of their technologies as the Empire enters the industrial era.
Matriarchy: The Empire of Malrègnar is ruled by Vicearch Iniquitous, an infernal Alicorn goddess who embodies Evil and Vice and thus is depraved by nature. However, the government she runs is mix-gendered, consisting of both male and female demons, mortals, and other sapient creatures she allows to live in her empire. Iniquitous' sons and daughters, the Princelings of Vice, also rule Malrègnar alongside her and help her keep her empire running.
Meaningful Name:
- Malrègnar is the combination of the french words Mal ("Evil") with règnar ("To reign"). Fitting for a realm where an Evil Overlord who turned herself into a God of Evil had won against a supposedly 'benevolent' and 'virtuous' pantheon whose members have long fallen from grace, conquered the lands and now reigns supreme as its divine Vicearch.
- The grand capital's name of Viltrône is also French, meaning 'Vile Throne'.
Mordor: Subverted. Despite being a hellish empire full of demons and other creatures of malicious nature, its divine Vicearch, Iniquitous, made sure that Malrègnar and its local population devotes their evil to constructive purposes, having seen neighboring kingdoms turn into miserable, squabbling pits of crime, suffering, and hedonism with no higher goal to aspire to. Because of this, both demons and mortals share a relatively normal co-existence, and those who pursue self-serving Evil are harshly punished by Iniquitous. In one Codexverse drabble, she also forbids her demonic subjects from feasting or tormenting innocent souls that pass away in her dominion to avoid provoking too many good gods and heroes from coming after them, a decree the violation of which she made punishable by being devoured and tormented themselves by her.
Noble Demon: Justified. A large majority of Malrègnar's population is this, with a portion of it literally consisting of demons. While they live in an evil empire that's ruled over by a divine Vicearch who embodies Evil and Vice, they devote their evil natures and actions to constructive purposes. Vicearch Inquitous has enforced this trope because she had seen many people pursue selfish, destructive Evil and the stagnation that came from it, and wants her demonic subjects to focus on things other than themselves. Anyone who breaks the laws of the empire will find themselves harshly punished.
Off with His Head!: What the Malrègnarians did to the Griffon crown-prince of the Autorist kingdom of Rotkrallea after catching him red-clawed masterminding raids into their empire and its tributary vassals. Their main ambassador to the outside world would later present the lopped mutilated noggin to a Convocation of Creatures conference as part of the evidence of the Autorist regime's backing of the raids to justify the Malrègnarians' punitive campaign against them.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Justified. Many characters in Malrègnar's historical records are known only by their epitaphs if they have any at all, which highlights the mysteriousness of Iniquitous' past. Considering their characters, however, many of them don't deserved to be remembered anyway, which Iniquitous ensured by wiping out every trace of their identities so her subjects are left with a very skewed and rather unflattering portrayal of them.
Pass the Popcorn: Implied to be their general attitude to events, affairs and shenanigans of the outside world and between good and evil which they have no investment nor interest in, on account of their general accumulated strength as well as their neutrality and isolationism. They throw aside the proverbial popcorn and gets involved if someone provokes them, have some preexisting obligation to intervene, or they have an actual stake in whatever matter at hoof/claw.
Playing the Victim Card: Subverted hard. Malregnarians generally look down upon those in high positions who pretend or believe themselves to be the 'wronged party' when they are being challenged or held into account for their misdeeds by their lessers, using all manners of excuses and justifications to portray themselves as the ones being 'persecuted' by those who envy and hate their power and success. The Malregnarians firmly believe one either have the strength and will to seize power and keep it, or one do not and deserved to be pulled down, respecting those who could reach or challenge it no matter how powerless they are at first. Anyone who complains about getting pulled off their high pedestal, in their view, are the true entitled and hypocritical weaklings deep down who deserve their fates.
Prince Excelsius: The truly strong and great cannot be threatened. If the 'mighty' could be pulled down by the meek - by weight of numbers, under-hoof cunning, or any other means - than they are not mighty to begin with.
Razor Floss: One of the most dangerous and terrifying weapons developed by the Malregnarians are the Wireworms, which are essentially Razor Wire animated by infernal magics and Dark Magic into 'living' beings which are programmed to kill everything within the place they are deployed, using their bladed bodies and sharp ends to slice or penetrate their opponents. And they are very devious at how they do so to boot, capable of burrowing underground or sneaking into narrow confines, ambushing their targets from hiding places or by pretending to be harmless metal, and are even able to work together to form larger Wireworm constructs to cut off enemy escape or swarm their opponents with overwhelming numbers. They are often used as area denial and terror weapons on the battlefield as well as assassination tools and interrogation instruments out of it.
Reincarnation: Malrègnar's present afterlife system seems to operate at least partly in this manner. With the pantheon devoured and their divine-realm destroyed, there is no heaven-realm present for those who had earned it. And that number had plummeted like a stone due to the diabolical taint from Iniquitous and the infernal cohorts who now dominate the lands. According to a drabble, while those who are damned would either be devoured by Iniquitous or distributed to other Hell-realms within Malrègnar for eternal torment, the rest who are neither virtuous nor sinful enough (i.e. a significant portion if not the majority of the population) would be reincarnated generation after generation until in one generation they fall fully into either category. This is to Iniquitous' benefit as statistically circumstances and choices would mean many would eventually be damned, meaning that much of the souls who were born, live, die and reborn again in this land would ultimately get eaten by Iniquitous and/or condemned to one of the Hell-Realms there in the end. There are ways to escape this, however: you have to either die near-completely pure and innocent - who Iniquitous would not touch out of pragmatism and would be sent to their rightful afterlives outside the Empire as they have earned it - or serve and exalt in her service such that when she does claim your soul, you are rewarded with eternal bliss and pleasure as part of her dark glory or raised to demonhood instead of eternal torture and/or servitude.
Repressive, but Efficient: It had been repeatedly implied that while the domination of Malrègnar lands by an evil ascendant Empire is as unpleasant as it would naturally be, it is still considered an improvement over the previous states of the lands, which were divided among petty, squabbling realms and wallowing in mediocrity under incompetent rulers of questionable quality on mortal and even divine levels. By contrast, when Vicearch Iniquitous rose to power and brought all the lands under her implacable and malevolent will, Malrègnar thrived, achieving power and prosperity unparalleled in the lands' history under her capable administration and unquestionable authority. It's also suggested that life was good for most mortal subjects so long as they don't get in the way of the Empire's rule, which may be why there had been so little effective resistance after the Vicearch won her war of conquest and consolidation - on top of no one being able to fight back, no one saw the reason to do so.
Rule of Symbolism: The Flag of Malrègnar is a foreboding representation of the country's nature as well as its ideology. The central 'Chained Septagram' emblem in particular is reminiscent of the 'Pentagrams' used by Satanists and Magicians in RL, replacing the circle with a closed chain representing not only its desire for domination but also strength and unity, while the seven-pointed septagram, made of interwoven crimson bands, represents the seven vices within all sapient creatures and their interconnected nature to each other and to all beings.
The Scourge of God: Malrègnar's punitive campaigns against those who messed with them have vibes of this, judging from their absolute devastation of Rotkrallea as well as a Viceliege's speech during an earlier one against the Pony Kingdom of Goldveins some 1,600 years earlier. To make it clear they will not tolerate any effrontery to their neutrality and the empire's rule, they will launch a punitive campaign against the transgressors, where they would proceed to systematically annihilate the nation on a scale to rival the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon's 'Calling of the Terrors'. Their mortal and demonic forces would hunt down all those responsible - from the rulers to the armies to even those in the population who are supportive or remotely associated with them - and proceed to horrifically punish, enslave or simply massacre them all. The cities, towns and villages would be razed to the ground, the infrastructure levelled, the nation's riches and resources plundered, and even the land itself would be desolated by dark magic and other means. Only those who are completely innocent of wrongdoing in anyway (which is a high bar) are spared, and even they are not protected from collateral or being made examples of if they got in the Malrègnarians' way. When they are done, all that's left would be a ravaged, desolate wasteland with horrified and traumatised survivors tainted with dark and demonic magic. And for those who were captured - both alive or after death - and taken back to Malrègnar, their misfortune had not remotely even begun...
Wrathlord Warsong: [Laying waste to Goldveins] See your champions and rulers, broken and humbled beneath our hooves. See your cities and lands, reduced to cinders and ruination. And once the last pitiful resistance is extinguished, our forces will hunt down and destroy all who escaped our grasp. Such is the unstoppable wrath that is Iniquitous!
The Social Darwinist: The Malregnarians has elements of this, if not as obsessed nor hypocritical about it as the likes of the Thraceans, the Autorists and/or some of the worser Giants and Dragons. In their eyes, "The truly strong and great cannot be threatened", and any whose position and power could be threatened by their lessers - no matter how it is done - is not strong and great to begin with. Because of this, they look down upon those who complained about being pulled down from their pedestal by those who succeed in their ambitions at their expense, seeing them as entitled hypocrites who are the truly weak and small. They on the other hand don't begrudge those who could rival and challenge even them, no matter how small they were at first, and in fact welcome them into their society with open arms if they can channel their ambition and drive to power in a manner which could benefit the Empire as much as themselves.
Team Switzerland: Despite being powerful enough to seriously affect the balance of power between Good and Evil on Equus and even between different forces and factions of Evil, Malrègnar pursues a strict policy of neutrality and splendid isolation from the rest of the world, not getting involved in the affairs of others in order to preserve their victory, save where someone piss them off or the outside world is weakened/chaotic enough they could expand their power and influence outside of it without being stopped. There are hints though with Patch's return as a demigod and the rest of the Virtuous Seven - the collective 'parents' of Iniquitous' rival/Arch-Enemy Virtuecrat Fairytale - expecting to follow, the Vicearch is reconsidering their neutral stance, since the balance of power between her and Fairytale as well as increasing outside interference threatening her dominion and reign that she can no longer afford to be neutral. The question then would be when and to whom she would align Malrègnar, which has potentially world-changing implications...
Truce Zone: By the Vicearch's own permission, Malrègnar is one of the few places on Equus where forces of evil - be they mortal, infernal or divine - are permitted to visit and stay in to conduct business with each other under a flag of truce. This is strictly applied - anyone who ignore or take advantage of that will forfeit their right/Her permission and be subjected to the Vicearch's or her subjects' wrath as unwelcomed intruders.
Vicious Cycle: Malregnar is implied to had been one for ages that left it stagnant, divided and unprosperous, partly due to the gradual corruption and growing ineptitude of the forces of good as well as the self-destructive evils that are left running rampant. After Vicearch Iniquitous defeated the forces of Good and brought the forces of Evil under Her heel, however, that cycle was irrevocably broken and Malregnar subsequently thrived.
- The Malregnarians under the doctrine/philosophy of 'Iniquitism' believes the eternal conflict of Good and Evil on Equus to be one: the forces of Good would prevail over the forces of Evil and achieve supremacy, but would gradually become complacent, stagnant and weakened, allowing the forces of Evil to rise in strength and eventually overcome them. However, Evil's inherently volatile and unstable nature would bring about its own ruin, either by giving opportunities for resurgent forces of Good to take advantage and overcome them, or self-destruct and wipe the board clean for a fresh start; and then the cycle will repeat, over and over again. The Malregnarians places the blame of this vicious cycle squarely on Good and Virtue rather than Evil and Vice, as the latter two are necessary to provide sapient beings with the drive needed to overcome a incorrigibly dangerous and hostile world, while the former two are meant to serve as their Restraining Bolt, but their flawed nature had rendered them impotent in stopping Evil and Vice from inevitably growing too strong and eventually becoming unfettered, with self-destructive results. The Iniquitist solution to this dilemma, if it's possible, is to replace Goodness and Virtue - which they seen as outdated and outlived their usefulness - with metaphysical alternatives that could effectively tame Evil and Vice in sapient nature. In doing so, it would allow Evil and Vice be harnessed to their full potential and enable sapientkind to at last attain dominion over all existence.
Weapon of Mass Destruction: Among Malregnar's many Dark Magic spells and sorceries, their 'Dirges of Destruction' stand in as their equivalent to the Mana Bombs of the Cloven Empire and the Balefire Weapons of the Zebra in terms of potency, being epic dark spells which could level entire kingdoms when fully unleashed and transmit its destructive effects across entire regions in various ways. During the 'Heralds of Extinction Crisis', Vicearch Iniquitous casted a special one against the avatars of Glaurung and Ancalagon to not only destroy said avatars, but through the Law of Contagion obliterate every Protodragon horde as well as every other minion, servant and follower of the Heralds of Extinction ending the Protodragons' onslaught against Malregnar in a single apocalyptic blow and even at minimum caused the two Heralds in their real bodies pain halfway across the world.
Worthless Yellow Rocks: As a testament to Malregnar's sheer wealth and magical mastery after millennia of largely unchallenged rule and accumulative development, their usage of Avarice-fueled transmutation spells led to them getting so much gold, silver, gemstones and other precious resources they had become common. Which, as Prince Ahneus explained to Blue Suede Heartstrings during one of the latter's visits, effectively made them worthless. Nowadays, these precious minerals are mostly used for aesthetics, while they use other things for currency and to measure wealth, such as souls and artifacts/tools/weapons which they price more on utility than looks (although they too are aesthetically-pleasing and priceless), in a reflection of Malrègnar's pragmatic and utilitarian mindset which treats everything as a means to an end.
Prince Ahneus: Surprised? The thing about wealth, Sovereign of Music, is that what we treasure as wealth only has value because we give them such. And often, some things are only considered to have value primarily due to their scarcity. The world call gold, silver, platinum, and such 'precious metals' because to them, they are rare and thus valuable. Once we too considered them precious and thus of value, hoarding them in our avarice, but once we started utilizing transmutation on a grand scale, they have become too common to be considered 'valuable' anymore. It’s one reason why we now use souls and other things for currency instead.
Blue Suede Heartstrings: Ah... suppose that's a fair point. A nugget o' gold or a pretty gem is to a young foal is a particularly shiny rock, and if they grew up surrounded by them every day, they probably won't think they're a big deal.
Prince Ahneus: Quite true. Come, allow Us to show you one of Our minor vaults. Within you would find what Malregnar truly considered precious: Not what we find most rare or most resplendent, though they do still have their places, but what we find most useful for our purposes.
You Mean "Xmas": Malrègnar's eqvuivalent of Solsmas/Hearth's Warming/Terranalia/etc. is the 'Feast of the Vicearch's Ascension', celebrating the Vicearch Iniquitous' victory and coronation. And yes, Santa Hooves delivers presents to the good children and people of Malrègnar as well, and not even the Vicearch and the Empire can do anything to stop him.

Iniquitous Vice Malrègnar, the Vicearch of Malrègnar

See her page here.

The Princelings of Vice

See their page here.

Unhallowed Court

While the divine autocracy established by the Vicearch involves multiple organs of state which facilitates her rule, the Unhallowed Court operates directly below her as the most important, being the central government apparatus which acts as a direct conduit/expression of Iniquitous' will and mandate as well as the intermediary and counterbalance to the other organs of state. As the organization responsible for the civil administration, law enforcement, diplomatic relations and national defense of the Empire, it is around the Unhallowed Court which the other branches of the regime - and all of Malrègnar - revolve around, with Vicearch Iniquitous herself at its heart.

General

The Government: The central organization of state in Malrègnar, around which the other branches of the Vicearch's regime and the rest of the empire revolves around, being the primary conduit with which the Vicearch's laws and will are applied and enforced, on top of serving as the intermediary and counterbalance for other organizations and factions of the empire.

Inquitous' brother

Back from the Dead: Courtesy of Iniquitous, often in the form of a 'half-devilic' being with all his former power as an arch-warlock and whatever else his sister grants him, whenever she needs his honest advice and to complete quests that only he could be trusted with on her behalf.
The Creon: He had been with Iniquitous at every step of Her rise to power as Her second-in-command, yet ultimately has no plans to challenge or betray Her and was unquestionably loyal. Even when he is presented with many opportunities to Ascend himself and become his sister's political equal and co-ruler, he refuses to take them, largely out of fear of losing himself.
Deity of Human Origin: Averted. He could have chosen to become a divine sovereign like his sister Iniquitous did, ruling the Empire of Malrègnar alongside her as her political equal. However, he feared the possibility of losing himself if he tried to ingest as much power as Iniquitous did, so he only took what he deemed necessary for his plans and stayed mortal as a result. Instead, Iniquitious turns him into a half-devilic being after he dies, with the tasks of serving as her personal advisor and carrying out special errands on her behalf.
Demon of Human Origin: His current status. As a reward for his love and loyalty to his sister through her ascension to supremacy, he was rewarded with immortality and greater power upon dying and his soul being devoured by Iniquitous, infused with her infernal power and transformed into a half-devilic being. He would subsequently spend much of his time as part of the Vicearch's dark glory, usually summoned back for periods of time whenever she wants his honest advise and need him for tasks she could trust only him to accomplish on her behalf.
Deadpan Snarker: Developed a sardonic and cavalier personality over the course of his villainy on his sister's side, snidely insulting their rivals and their enemies for their failures and recalcitrance with every other remark.
Evil Uncle: Being Iniquitous' brother means he's the uncle of the Malrègnarian Princelings of Vice, who are all divine/demi-divine children of the Vicearch. However, while they're both loyal to Iniquitous, their relationship is presumably never antagonistic.
From Bad to Worse: His honest opinion to Iniquitous regarding Patch's return as a heroic demigoddess in the Fourth Age. In his view, Patch's relationship with Iniquitous' Good Counterpart Fairytale and Patch's own heroic character means it's all but certain that she would side with the Virtuecrat of Vertusia in their stalemated conflict, which given Patch's future potential risks tilting the Balance of Power against Vicearch Iniquitous. The 'worse' part is that given their close bonds with each other, the rest of the Tales/Virtous Seven — who also contributed their essence to the birth of Fairytale — would likely not stand idly by and would likely join her in Ascension afterwards, meaning they would be potentially dealing with not one, but SEVEN additional heroic goddesses, tilting the balance even further. They can't exactly launch a preemptive strike to take them out, since Fairytale and their allies would protect them, and this and many other options are similarly too problematic, either being too risky or might cause too much alarm among an outside world already fearful of her and unite them all against her and her dominion. Iniquitous agrees with his analysis, and is now seriously considering abandoning her and her dominion's isolationism in order to tilt the balance back in her favour, allying with Emperor Blackthorn and Temnobog who they heard is planning something big...
From Nobody to Nightmare: From what's implied so far, he went from the son of a modestly well-off landowner to a powerful 'Arch-Warlock' Sorcerous Overlord, partly thanks to their mother (who's a witch) and her notes as well as his sister's support and blessings. It's nothing compared to his sister's rise, but he is fine with it.
Hates Their Parent: Implied. Both Iniquitous and her brother are suggested to be not on very good terms with their mother, who left them and their father/her husband years ago and had only remained in contact only by correspondence, and usually only when she needs something from them or their father. Iniquitous' brother openly shows his disdain for her when they received her last message and package, and was even somewhat delighted when he heard that she was dead.
A Hell of a Time: Spends his afterlife devoured and assimilated into Iniquitous' dark glory post-mortem in eternal bliss as part of his reward for his Undying Loyalty and love for her through the thick and thin of her ascension to godhood and supremacy, brought on occasionally when She needs his advise or to do something on Her behalf.
Honest Advisor: Iniquitous had kept him around as this as well as her equerry, having devoured his soul upon his death and rewarded him with great power and immortality as a devilic wraith of sorts whom she would bring back to life whenever she needs his advice and him to do things that only he could be trusted with completing. As her brother, he's the only being who could be completely, informally and even bluntly honest with the dreaded Vicearch and get away with it.
More Deadly Than the Male: Justified. By devouring both demons and deities alike, Iniquitous managed to gain enough power to fully Ascend and become a nightmarish Alicorn goddess of Evil and Vice. By contrast, her unnamed brother stayed mortal because he feared that he would end up losing himself if he tried taking the same amount of power as his sister did, so he only took what he deemed necessary for his goals.
No Name Given: His true name is not known both In-Universe and out — it's likely that like his sister, Iniquitous, his true identity is covered up to prevent the chance that someone would learn of it and use it against him.
Undying Loyalty: He kept to his sister Iniquitous' side through thick and thin, no matter the risks and/or the consequences. Even when he harboured doubts about her, it was only because he fears losing her to her increasingly inequine nature, and upon being reassured that she will always be who she is no matter what transformation took place as well as promise of eternal reward (And not a small amount of mind-warping due to briefly touching her dark divinity), his loyalty went from unquestioned to absolute. True to Iniquitous' word, he was rewarded with great power and immortality upon his passing, his soul devoured by her to become part of her dark glory and enjoy eternal bliss, and often brought back as a half-devilic being whenever she needs him again for his honest advice and service on her behalf.
Villainous Breakdown: Iniquitous' brother, who became a powerful and terrible arch-warlock in his own right, became so terrified of his sister Iniquitous that when she, right after finishing her apotheosis, noted that he has some doubt in his voice and heart regarding her chances in conquering, he completely lost his cool and all but grovelled and begged for her mercy. Suffice to say, he was shocked when she spared and even thanked him for helping her get this far.

Infernal Edict, the Sins' Mandate

Character: Villainous

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Type: Anthropomorphic Embodiment, Magical Being, Equinoid Abomination, Meta-Being, Judge, Jury, Executioner

Faction: Malrègnar, Unhallowed Court

"Law and Order are what makes us Masters, not Monsters."

Infernal Edict (her entry here

) is a member of the Unhallowed Court, a major figure of the Empire's judicial/procuratorate system with an extremely strong adherence to order and an enigmatic disposition.

Badass Bureaucrat: Infernal Edict is a major figure in Malregnar's mortal legal system and watches over its operation from its capital of Viltrône.
Black Magic: Infernal Edict could create 'Edicts', a unique form of 'Curse Magic' which could bend reality to a degree for a desired outcome, often quite epic and cataclysmic in scale and power. They come in the form of magical enchantments placed upon scrolls which are infused with her own power. Activated when read, they feed off power from Leylines to fuel the dark magic and use it to literally bend causality to their will. The 'Burning of the Golden Aeries' saw Infernal Edict obliterating said Golden Aeries from the face of Equus via one of her Destiny Binders reading an Edict and summoning fire from the skies and causing magma to bubble from the mountain they were built on (despite said mountain never being a volcano). She herself is also quite literally Made of Magic.
Despair Event Horizon: Invoked by Infernal Edict on the Autorist Griffon kingdom of Garudia. Following the 'Devastation of Rotkrallea', Garudia was one of the few Griffon Autorist factions who mustered enough resolve to try and retaliate against Malregnar over it, with predictable results as Malregnar launched a punitive campaign against them as well. They managed to fight the Malregnarians off at their famed Golden Aeries, a network of fortresses, military schools and grand library which served as the kingdom's greatest defences, using the magical lore stored within to Hold the Line against the punitive campaign for a while... Then Infernal Edict sent one of her Destiny Binders to read one of her Edicts, summoning fire and magma that utterly obliterated the Golden Aeries and everyone and everything within them. Witnessing this, Garudia's morale collapsed, and the kingdom fell to Malregnarian forces soon afterwards.
Griffon Autorist: [Half-mad] The world broke, the skies raining fire as reality itself buckled under the weight of her demands.
Expy: Of Tunon the Adjudicator, the Archon of Justice from Tyranny, with a bit of their boss Kyros mixed in.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: She is a magical being of the same nature as Herrenvolk, Lady Liberty, Overmatriarch and Overmonarch, but assumes the form of a cold and scholarly Unicorn in a golden mask (which she might not be able to actually take off) and a heavy red cloak over a maroon robe.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: If Malregnarian sources are to be believed, Infernal Edict just appeared one day in Viltrône, inserting herself into the Unhallowed Court and enforcing the laws and order of Malregnar, almost as if she had always been there doing that from the start. While this got her arrested and brought before the Vicearch for it, her nature, devotion, ability as well as the then recently-victorious Vicearch's need for an adjudicator to help oversee the legal system quickly led to Infernal Edict being given a place in Her newly-established order.
Hidden Depths: Despite her cold and dispassionate disposition, she is noted to enjoy the finer things in life when off the clock.
Lady of Black Magic: She is classified as an 'Arch witch' and is an honourary matriarch of the Grand Cabal, on top of being literally made of Dark Magic herself.
Large and in Charge: She is described as being almost as tall as (Ex-)Princess Celestia, the Daybringer herself, and is a major figure overseeing the procuratorate system of Malregnar which enforces law and order.
Made of Evil: As an embodiment of the Vicearch's will and laws as well as being composed of Dark Magic and infernal energies, Infernal Edict is a living manifestation of Malregnar's 'Lawful Evil'-alignment.
Made of Magic: What she truly is: a Magical Being of the same ‘species’ as Herrenvolk and Lady Liberty, the embodiment of the Vicearch's laws and will which She declared to be absolute and 'branded' into the lands and magic of Malregnar itself, the resulting magical interaction spawning Infernal Edict.
My Country, Right or Wrong: Prince Enduring Astilbe, one of the eldest Virtuous Ones, observes that due to her nature as a national spirit akin to Lady Liberty and Herrenvolk, she's actually loyal to the entirety of Malrègnar itself, not Vicearch Iniquitous and her family. If she is somehow convinced that her superiors were going against Malrègnar's order, she would betray them instantly. Blue Suede/Caerulus has noted the Malrègnarian Royal Family gave him hints about having 'security measures' put in place to ensure her betrayal will not happen; for her part, she has accepted this as the Vicearch's law and will, but is (likely) unaware of what exactly the security measures are.
Order Is Not Good: Due to her nature, she is obsessed with imposing order through enforcing law, and she is very much evil by nature due to being made up of Dark Magic and embodying Vicearch Iniquitous' will and laws, as well as loyally serving a firmly 'Lawful Evil'-aligned Empire.
Person of Mass Destruction: Infernal Edict with her Edicts. Same applies to her Destiny Binders whenever they read one on her behalf.
Reality Warper: Infernal Editc's 'Edicts' operates this through Dark Magic. Once proclaimed, the 'Edict' draws power from Leylines to bend causality, reality and nature such that whatever invoked in them would occur in reality. The sky could rain fire to devastate a land, while magma could boil up a mountain which was never a volcano and nowhere near a volcanic hotspot.
The Stoic: Noted to be as cold as she is scholarly, remaining composed even in intense or terrifying situations like being interrogated by the Vicearch Herself when she first appeared.
Undying Loyalty: She is extremely loyal to Vicearch Iniquitous and her family and dedicated to enforcing their will, though Prince Enduring Astilbe suggests she is actually loyal to the entirety of Malrègnar itself, as she was born a living embodiment of the laws Iniquitous 'branded' into the lands and magic of Malrègnar itself. If she were to be convinced that her superiors were somehow going against Malrègnar's order, she would betray them instantly. According to Blue Suede/Caerulus, she has various 'security measures' put in place by the Malrègnarian Royal Family to prevent this from happening; she knows about this and has accepted it as part of the Vicearch's will, but is likely unaware of what the security measures are.
The Usurper: A completely accidental case. She manifested one day as a member of the Unhallowed Court, working there as if she was always a part of it, enforcing its laws and edicts. This quickly got her arrested and brought to the Vicearch as she was never officially appointed to wield the Vicearch's authority, meaning technically she is subverting the Unhallowed Court's rule. This is soon subverted after Infernal Edict explained herself, which led to Vicearch Iniquitous appointing her for real as an adjudicator of Malregnar's legal system.
Wicked Witch: She is a living magical manifestation of Vicearch's law and order and a highly capable sorceress in her own right. She is even an honorary member of the Grand Cabal.

Vicelord Heraut

Decapitation Presentation: How Vicelord Heraut, Malrègnar's main ambassador to the outside world, revealed Rotkrallea's involvement in raids against Malrègnar and its tributary vassals to justified their punitive campaign against the Autorist Griffon kingdom: in addition to presenting documentary evidence seized from counter-raids against the raiders' bases, he took out the mutilated head of the Rotkrallean Crown-Prince (whom the Malrègnarians caught red-clawed masterminded the raids) and rolled it onto the floor of the Convocation of Creatures chamber for all the shocked delegates to see.

Grand Fleetmaster Tilgeadh

"War is an art - One which I study and work to perfection."

Grand Fleetmaster Tilgeadh (his entry here) is one of the highest ranking commanders of Malregnar's military forces, specifically its aerial fleets, and one of the Empire of Malregnar's most trusted and capable subjects. Tilgeadh's ability to analyse his opponents and situation and plan accordingly to achieve near-impossible victories makes him one of the most brilliant strategists alive, rivalled only by his Good Counterpart in Vertusia Grand Fleetmaster Gracious Sword.

Alien Arts Are Appreciated: Like his inspiration, he has an uncanny ability to gain accurate insight into his enemies' mindsets through studying their art, history, philosophy and culture, deduce their strategies through meticulous analysis and planning accordingly.
Arch-Enemy: Has one in his counterpart and counterpoint Grand Fleetmaster Gracious Sword, a Worthy Opponent capable of matching him wit for wit. That being said, they are apparently friendly-enemies who would play Chess/Go and chat about high culture and other things during diplomatic conferences when they are not battling each other.
Awesomeness by Analysis: His forte as a supremely capable strategic genius. He could discern whether through direct observation of his foes or indirect analysis through their history, culture and psychology how his foes think and operate and make plans accordingly to squeeze every advantage out of it and prevail.
- In a notable episode of his career, Tilgeadh found himself taking up the reins for the Viceliege whom he served after said Viceliege and 2/3 of the aerial fleet he was leading was taken out by Vertusian aerial forces when they were exposed intruding and conducting some sort of mysterious operation within a realm under protection of Vertusia. While it was not depicted yet, it was implied he was able to determine their commander was an Earthpony through observing and analyzing the Vertusian fleet's strategies, and then used his knowledge of Earthpony and other land-bound races' blind-spots possess that Batponies, Pegasi and flight-capable races don't to evade the Vertusian forces and lead the remnants of the Malrègnarian aerial fleet back to Malrègnar, all against seemingly overwhelming odds.
Badass Normal: In an ascendant evil empire known for the dark magical and infernal might of their god-rulers and their subordinate evil overlords and champions, Tilgeadh stands out for being a perfectly normal mortal who could nevertheless stand among them through sheer genius and competence.
Batman Gambit: Many of his strategies takes advantage of his understanding of how his opponents would behave through studying their culture and other patterns of behaviour, allowing him to anticipate, counter and defeat his opponents' every move.
Benevolent Boss: In a Drabble detailing an incident similar to an earlier one, Tilgeadh does not punish a subordinate who, when faced with an unprecedented challenge posed by the enemy they were trying to capture took the initiative and made the effort to try and counter it, and owed up to his failure when he didn't succeed. Tilgeadh noted that the subordinate had demonstrated merit which both he and the Vicearch Herself value among their subordinates, and rewards him instead with a promotion as well as assigning him the help he needs to complete the counter-measure, much to said subordinate's relief and gratefulness. It's noted this command style does much to earn him true loyalty and respect among the forces under his command.
Didn't See That Coming: For all his prowess, he can be blindsided by things like utterly irrational actions by his enemies or allies, unpredictable supernatural powers, or by circumstances beyond anyone's control. Part of his effectiveness stems from knowing when things had gotten out of hoof and Know When to Fold 'Em.
Evil Genius: His mind behind his red eyes are said to be constantly thinking, analyzing and strategizing. More importantly, he's considered one of if not the most talented military mind currently alive in Malrègnar.
Expy: It's heavily implied that he's the Codexverse's version of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Four-Star Badass: A 'Grand Fleetmaster' (basically a Grand Admiral) who commands an elite and renowned aerial fleet, and is capable and effective enough that he serves directly under the imperial Unhallowed Court of the Vicearch.
Honor Before Reason: He thought his xenophobic homeland's plan for him to infiltrate and manipulate Malregnar towards helping them fight off their hostile neighbours was a STUPENDOUSLY bad idea, but still agreed to it out of a sense of duty and loyalty to his superiors and people. Generally averted as he believes putting things like morality and principles before sound strategy is a recipe for defeat and disaster.
The Infiltration: Tilgeadh was sent to Malregnar by his superiors from his homeland to do this in their military, in hopes that when he rise to a sufficiently high rank he could influence the Empire of Malregnar to intervene on their behalf against their hostile neighbours. He though it was a stupid idea and had advocated for petitioning/allying with them instead, but went along with it anyway out of a sense of loyalty and duty. Inevitably, he got found out.
Know When to Fold 'Em: One of the main reasons for his effectiveness is his ability to recognise and willingness to accept when the cost of an action/operation had become greater than any benefits he could get out of it and withdraw to conserve his forces and resources.
A Lighter Shade of Black: He's noted to be one of the 'fairer' Malrègnarians known, commanding the respect of his subordinates, pragmatic in his methods, open-minded in his dealings, and above all else loyal not only to the Vicearch but also the ideals of the Malrègnar Empire, sincerely believing that the empire, in spite of its evil, brings order, peace and advancement to wherever its borders and territories spans.
Pragmatic Villainy: Like his inspiration and similar to many Malrègnarians, even by their standards he is noted for being pragmatic despite serving an evil empire. This goes both ways however, as he's willing to be expedient as he is willing to be lenient if it means achieving his objectives.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Tilgeadh is noted for being a dark blue Batpony with intense, dimly glowing crimson eyes that is constantly scanning and studying everything and everyone around him. This particular trait makes him intimidating, but also led to speculation that he (and his people by extension) are not entirely Equusian.
Resurrective Immortality: Tilgeadh is still mortal and could be killed, and in fact it's speculated this had already happened more than once. However as the Vicearch owns his soul, he would be resurrected to perfect health every time this happens so long as She and the Unhallowed Court still has use of his incredible talent. He's fine with it though.
The Strategist: Widely considered the greatest strategic mind presently alive with his uncanny ability to deduce his enemies' intentions, thinking processes and blindspots, then plan accordingly to take advantage of them to achieve incredible victories.
Unishment: Having his soul bound to the Vicearch in eternal servitude for his and his homeland's duplicity may appear to be a terrible damnation on the service, but Tilgeadh not only didn't mind (because he agreed the whole plan to infiltrate and manipulate the Empire towards helping his homeland was a horribly bad idea), but he sincerely want to work with Malregnar due to sharing similar worldviews, while the Vicearch respected both his character and competence enough that She want to keep him in Her service. At the end of the day, both got exactly what they wanted.
Worthy Opponent: Has one in his counterpart and counterpoint in Vertusia, Grand Fleetmaster Gracious Sword, who was able to match his wits with him while possessing an opposite personality and beliefs. This respect reaches the level of being mutual Friendly Enemies as when they are not battling each other, they are either playing games of Chess or Go while chatting about high arts and cultures which both appreciates during diplomatic conferences between the two realms.
Wowing Cthulhu: How he eventually got promoted to a High Fleetmaster under the Unhallowed Court: Vicearch Iniquitous was watching a live report with two of her Princelings of Vice and many of Her courtiers of a mission Tilgeadh's then-superior was leading, and saw him taking command and promising with utmost certainty he has a plan to salvage the what's left of the Malrègnarian fleet and critical assets they were entrusted with for the mission from being lost when it went awry and actually succeeding in doing so. All this caught Her personal attention and caused her to realize how valuable Tilgeadh would be as a high-level subordinate in Her service.
You Are in Command Now: A notable incident in his career as a Malrègnarian High Shipmaster involved him taking up the reins for the Viceliege whom he served after the Viceliege and 2/3 of the aerial fleet he was leading was taken out by Vertusian aerial forces after they were exposed intruding and conducting some sort of mysterious operation within a realm under protection of Vertusia. Tilgeadh would make a name for himself by leading the remaining Malrègnarian into successfully evading the Vertusian forces looking for them and leg it back to Malrègnar, complete with the valuable assets the Princelings who masterminded the operation had entrusted the Viceliege to use for that specific mission - all after the Malrègnarian commanders had wrote off as nearly-impossible between the battered state of the fleet, the Vertusian forces outnumbering them and the distance between where they were Trapped Behind Enemy Lines and Malrègnar. This incident was what caused him to catch Vicearch Iniquitous' personal attention for the first time, and led to him eventually being promoted into a High Fleetmaster under the Unhallowed Court.
You Have Failed Me: In a Drabble detailing an incident where he was in command, an operator on his flagship made a mistake which costed the Malregnarian forces the capture of an important objective. In response, Tilgeadh exercised his right as Grand Fleetmaster to have him sanctioned on the spot, not because of failure but due to his refusal to owe up to it, thereby demonstrating gross negligence in the course of his duty. This is often cited in contrast to a later incident to demonstrate his style of ruthless but also pragmatic command.

Grand Cabal

Mentioned multiple times in other entries and drabbles, the Grand Cabal is a branch of Vicearch Iniquitous' ruling regime, a magocratic organization which unified the combined knowledge and talents of Malrègnar's witches, warlocks and other dark sorcerers and is charged with advancing and applying Malrègnarian Dark Magic in service of the Empire.

General

The Archmage: As the Grand Cabal is a magocratic organization, many of its members are incredibly powerful and esteemed spellcasters in their own right. Some become respected Patriarchs and/or Matriarchs of their own covens.
Sorcerous Overlord: Although Vicearch Iniquitous is the ultimate divine authority in Malrègnar, various warlocks, witches, sorcerers, and the like help her run her empire through their talents in Malrègnarian dark magic.

Archwarlock Palefire

Archwarlock Palefire (first introduced here

) is a senior member of the Grand Cabal and, as his title indicates, an experienced spellcaster.

The Archmage: Implied. Being a member of the Grand Cabal requires being exceptionally skilled in dark magic, and him bearing the title of 'Archwarlock' means that his skill and experience in the arcane arts is genuine.
Evil Sorcerer: As per the course. He's a Malrègnarian Archwarlock of the Grand Cabal, whose members use their experiences, skills, and talents in dark magic to benefit the Empire of Malrègnar.
Scare 'Em Straight: After all other disciplinary methods failed to work, he finally got his lazy, unmotivated student to take her arcane studies seriously by threatening to bring down the wrath of Vicearch Iniquitous herself upon her. When confronted on it by an annoyed Iniquitous, he explains that his parents used similar methods to discipline him and his siblings when they were young, and it was the only way to get his student to work. Iniquitous relents and permits him to invoke her name as long as it produced results... then threatens to discipline him if he ever let the privilege go to his head to the point of overstepping his authority.

Infernal Circles

The Infernal Circles is the aristocracy of infernal beings - Devils, Fiends, Demons, and other diabolical entities - which had pledged allegiance to Iniquitous and is given charge on her behalf over the souls of the damned Malrègnar as reward and obligation for their loyalty and service. Internal politics and the balance of power with other organs of the Vicearch's regime prevents and even channels their ambitions and infernal nature from causing destructive complications and towards ends favourable to the Empire and the Vicearch who rules over it.

General

Aristocrats Are Evil: Subverted. While the Infernal Circles are made up of demonic aristocrats, they devote their evil to pragmatic and constructive purposes due to local laws forbidding 'selfish, destructive Evil'. Those who do indulge in destructive evil are arrested and given horrific punishments.

Council of Nine

The infernal leaders of the Infernal Circles. Each of them govern a specific Circle and specialize in a certain vice they take after.

Demon Lords and Archdevils: It's implied that the members of the Infernal Circles' Council of Nine are ancient, powerful, and/or experienced Archdemons and Archdevils.

'The Foolish/Cowardly Usurper'

Character: Villainous

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Type: Corrupt Noble/Infernal Demoness/Treacherous Usurper/Dirty Coward

Faction: Empire of Malrègnar (Formerly), Infernal Circles (Formerly), Herself (Ultimately)

"I will have what is rightfully mine!"

The 'Foolish/Cowardly Usurper' (her entry here

) is a minor noble lady of the Infernal Circles who tried — and failed — to usurp her divine superiors in her bid for power.

Ambition Is Evil: This is one of her defining traits and flaws. While political scheming is normal in the Infernal Circles, she sets herself apart from many of her constructively evil peers by aiming for godhood to satiate her own greed, resentment, and ego, going so far as to possess innocent deities without working towards Ascension (as is usually the case) and use Judicial Replacements to save her own skin when her plans go belly-up. It also makes her unable to comprehend how others might feel about her actions or empathize the people she hurt with her ambitions. This ultimately led to her downfall when her spirit is caught and exorcised while possessing Blue Suede/Caerulus, and after she is dragged back to Malrègnar in chains, she is given a most horrific fate — whether at the hooves of Iniquitous, her eldest Princelings, or the Grand Primevals themselves.
Aristocrats Are Evil: She's a noble of the Infernal Circles, which serves as the official aristocracy of Malrègnar. But unlike her peers and superiors, who apply their evil natures constructively and obey Iniquitous' laws, she stood out by indulging in her ego and greed to self-destructive levels, going as far as to try use a long-lost spell to possess innocent deities and cheat her way into power without having to work for both. Once her plans go belly-up, she becomes a Dirty Coward willing to use Judicial Replacements to save her own skin. This later gets her in hot water when she possesses Blue Suede/Caerulus, who turns out to be one of Iniquitous' friends and allies. After she is exorcised from her host body, she is hoofed over to Iniquitous' pursuing elite forces by a furious Blue Suede/Caerulus, then dragged back to Malrègnar to receive a most horrific fate. All records of her existence, save for her worst crimes, are also erased completely, with her former possessions seized and her House purged by the Malrègnarian government.
Demonic Possession: Her ultimate goal is to cheat her way to godhood by using a long-lost divine possession spell to possess a deity of her choice, then use her host as a proxy to access whatever power and authority they had. The vileness of such methods, especially since two of her (would-be) victims were closely connected to Iniquitous, quickly made her a target and contributed to her eventual downfall. Sadly, her actions would posthumously inspire other 'Destructive Evil' factions to try attempting the same thing, which both Equestrian and Malrègnarian forces are trying to prevent.
Didn't Think This Through: Had she not been so desperately focused on escaping Iniquitous' pursuing forces, she would have taken more time to analyze her would-be victims, allowing her to learn of Blue Suede/Caerulus' friendship with Vicearch Iniquitous early and rework her plan. Instead, she rushed things, sealing her own fate.
Dragged Off to Hell: In a sense. After she was ripped out of Blue Suede/Caerulus' body and exposed as a Malrègnarian native, she is hoofed over to Iniquitous' elite forces with a message detailing what happened in Equestria, provoking an "epic" Villainous Breakdown from her as she was forcibly dragged back to Malrègnar to face judgement. The twist is that, while an empire, Malrègnar has been equated to a Hell-Realm In-Universe. It's also rumored that, following her capture and judgement, she was offered up to the Grand Primevals (which would have gotten her dragged off to Nekelmu's Hell-Realms) as she broke Primeval Law by using Judicial Replacements.
Entitled Bitch: Deconstructed. Her upbringing and constant social climbing as an infernal noble caused her to develop a bloated ego, thinking she deserved far greater power and privileges her then-current status couldn't give her. Her ego made her resent the Malrègnarian Royal Family for automatically outranking her with their divinity, driving her to cheat her way into godhood so she could lord over even them. Her inability to see past her own desires eventually leads to her losing everything as she is subjected to a horrible fate as punishment for her crimes, with all records of her existence purged save for her worst sins to ensure she is remembered in a completely unflattering light.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: This is named by Cultura as one of her biggest flaws. Despite being an excellect politician and actor by Malrègnarian standards, she is still a demoness, which makes her inclined to evil. However, unlike her more pragmatic peers and neighbors, she chose to indulge in her pride and greed to self-destructive levels, and treated everyone solely as pawns to be used and discarded as she saw fit. This backfired on her enormously.
- The Usurper assumed that, as a goddess of Evil and Vice (among other things), Iniquitous wouldn't care if one of her youngest Princelings got turned into an unwilling host for one of her ambitious subjects, or if said ambitious subject schemed and backstabbed her way to a coveted position she never earned with her own merit. After the Usurper is captured and brought back to Malrègnar to face judgement, she is called out on this by Iniquitous herself, who is decidedly not happy that the lives of one of Her own children was threatened right under her nose.
  Vicearch Iniquitous: Did you presume, even once, that as Evil reborn and Vice made flesh, We would not care if one of Our scions would fall to petty and vainglorious scheming such as yours? Or that one of Our own subjects would try to usurp their way into a position of power and prestige that was not rightfully earned?
- The Usurper also assumed the same if she possessed Twilight/Amicitia or, failing that, Blue Suede/Caerulus. Except both deities are extremely beloved by their subjects, and Blue Suede/Caerulus had a lot of people looking after him following a particularly brutal Trauma Conga Line that nearly corrupted him. The Usurper also vastly underestimated how much of a Nice Guy Blue Suede/Caerulus really is, which made his sudden displays of cruelty and ruthlessness all the more alarming to his loved ones.
Failure Is the Only Option: Even if she did succeed in completing her plans for godhood, she was ultimately doomed to fail no matter what she did. Not only was she far outclassed by beings more powerful, ancient, and experienced than her, but her evil nature as a demoness also makes her literally unable to comprehend the idea of her hosts having people who cared for them. And as her possession of Blue Suede/Caerulus showed, many deities can sense her presence and/or have magic she's weak to, like purification and soul manipulation. The latter proved to be her undoing when Blue Suede/Caerulus' older twin brother, Bossa Nova/Rubeus, exorcises her due to being a Death god.
Fatal Flaw: Pride and envy are hers. While they're both used to benefit Malrègnarian society like all vices, the Usurper's upbringing and experience as an infernal noble caused her to develop an extremely bloated ego, making her resent the idea of being subservient to another as well as crave the power and authority her superiors wielded for herself. This motivated her to rebel by using a long-lost divine possession spell to seize more power for herself, even when it backfires on her. Her arrogance and self-serving ambitions also made her quite cowardly and and amplified her inability to comprehend the feelings of others, which contributed to her exposure, downfall, and posthumous condemnation.
Fate Worse than Death: Due to her crimes, her fate after being dragged back to Malrègnar for judgement is guaranteed to be this, whether at the hooves of Iniquitous for harming Her child, the oldest Princelings of Vice for trying to hurt one of their youngest siblings, or the Grand Primevals and their own scions/servants for violating Primeval Law through the use of Judicial Replacements.
Godhood Seeker: Her ultimate goal was to become a goddess with all the power, prestige, and authority that comes with it. However, she tried to cheat her way to it by using a long-lost divine possession spell to try possess other deities, whether it be a youngest child of Vicearch Iniquitous, a young ruling Princess who happened to be one of the most powerful divine mages alive, or an ancient, well-respected Alicorn god of Music.
Hate Sink: While Malrègnarian infernals are generally pragmatic and/or constructive Noble Demons, the Usurper was a prideful, greedy, and ambitious Smug Snake who desired godhood because she couldn't bear the thought of being inferior to anyone else. But instead of earning godhood the normal way, she tried taking a shortcut by using a long-lost divine possession spell that would allow her to possess any deity of her choice, including a young Princeling of Vice and Blue Suede/Caerulus, a well-respected Alicorn god of Music. However, when the chips are down, she is ultimately a Dirty Coward who would rather sacrifice innocent lives to save her own skin, as shown with her use of Judicial Replacements when her first attempts at divine possession failed (and thus breaking Primeval Laws regarding the dead), and her attempt to fight the Equestrian Pantheon through Blue Suede/Caerulus' body once she was eventually exposed. Despite her pleading to be spared, no one gives her any mercy due to how despicable she is, and she finally gets her just desserts afterward.
How Do I Shot Web?: Deconstructed. While possessing a god as ancient as Blue Suede/Caerulus drastically boosted her magic, it quickly became a horrible mistake as he embodied Music, which she was completely inexperienced in. This led to her downfall when she got into a fight with Equestrian deities who saw through her ruse, and was shortly exorcised by Blue Suede/Caerulus' older twin brother, Bossa Nova/Rubeus.
It's All About Me: She enviously coveted her superiors' power, authority, and prestige that she believed was rightfully hers. This is what motivated her to attempt spiritual possession of a Princeling of Vice, and ultimately what led to her ultimate downfall after possessing Blue Suede/Caerulus, one of Iniquitous' closest allies.
Karmic Death: She let her own pride, ambitions, and greed go to her head, to the point where she tried exploiting innocent deities by using a long-lost divine possession spell to shortcut her way to power without working for it. She is also enough of a Dirty Coward that she used a Judicial Replacement to save her own skin. While her possession of Blue Suede/Caerulus was a complete accident, she still took advantage of her host to bask in everything she thought she deserved. Her actions catch up to her when she is shortly exposed by friends and family of her host, leading to her exorcism, capture, and punishment. Whatever happened to her, it's clear she received a horrible fate, and she was Unpersoned with all records of her existence purged, save for the crimes she committed in life.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: While insignificant compared to older and more powerful Malrègnarians, she is still a long-lived demoness with vast arcane knowlege, as well as a consummate politician, actor, and schemer with centuries of experience. Once she got ahold of a long-lost divine possession spell, her threat level increased as even the likes of Iniquitous and her family could fall victim to it if they weren't careful. All these things allowed her to escape Malrègnarian authorities, come close to possessing a few powerful deities, and fool multiple members of the Equestrian Pantheon after successfully possessing Blue Suede/Caerulus.
Proud Peacock: Due to being a shapeshifting demoness, one of her forms is a Peacock Griffon with violet feathers, baleful green eyes, demonic wings, and/or a peacock tail with golden membrane and dots. One of her most prominent traits was her inflated ego, which caused her to both resent the idea of being subservient to others and covet the power, prestige, and reputation of her superiors. It's believed In-Universe that she may have been a Demon of Pride, though her identity was lost when all records of her existence were purged.
Purple Is Powerful: She's heavily associated with purple, whether as a Malrègnarian Pony mare or a Peacock Griffon due to being an infernal demoness capable of Voluntaryshapeshifting. While low on the totem pole by Malrègnarian standards in terms of power, reputation, and status, she's still a consummate politician, actor, and schemer with centuries of experience, as she was able to fool the Equestrian Pantheon for a time while using Blue Suede/Caerulus as a host. She's also a capable spellcaster and user of Malrègnarian Dark Magic, a stronger and more complex school of Dark Magic, despite not being at the level of Grand Cabal members. And during her possession of Blue Suede/Caerulus, her natural magic levels were boosted by her host's Primordial Quintessence, strengthening her spells and making her incredibly dangerous.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When her first plan to possess one of the youngest Princelings went belly-up due to her being caught, she fled Malrègnar, using a Judicial Replacement made in her image to cover her tracks. This made her punishment much worse when she was eventually caught in Equestria, as she broke Primeval Laws regarding the treatment of souls by doing so.
The Usurper: Out of resentment for the the Malrègnarian Royal Family, who automatically outranked her through their divinity (and demi-divinity), she concocted a scheme that involved cheating her way into divine royalty using a long-lost divine possession spell, with one of the youngest Princelings of Vice being her initial target. When that failed, she fled to Equestria and tried again by possessing its ruler, Twilight/Amicitia Sparkle. Her accidental possession of Blue Suede/Caerulus contributed to her downfall, as her host turned out to be more connected than Twilight/Amicitia, with many Equestrian Pantheon members being either his close friends or family members. Following her exorcism, capture, and punishment, Vicearch Iniquitous had all records of her existence purged save for her greatest sins, with her name changed to "The Foolish/Cowardly Usurper" to reflect them.
Villainous Legacy: Despite her vile actions in life, she posthumously inspired more unfettered and self-destructively evil factions to try create their own divine possession spells, as she showed such a thing was possible. Said factions are naturally hunted down by both Equestrian and Malrègnarian forces, with the latter treating them with extreme prejudice.
Villains Want Mercy: This happens twice following her defeat and exorcism.
- Despite possessing Blue Suede/Caerulus, an ancient Alicorn god, her sheer inexperience with wielding his Magic Music powers led to her defeat and exorcism. She is shortly confronted by a furious Blue Suede/Caerulus, who sends her into a Villainous Breakdown by revealing something she didn't expect before giving her to pursuing Malrègnar authorities.
  Prince Caerulus Melodia Equestria: Didja know... that the same goddess ye were runnin' from... is mah friend?
  Foolish/Cowardly Usurper: No...! NO! My apologies! I didn't know! Please don't let them take me-!
  Prince Caerulus Melodia Equestria: ...May the Vicearch have mercy upon ya.
- Upon being brought before Iniquitous by Malrègnarian warriors and bounty hunters, she proceeded to beg for mercy. Iniquitous, furious with what her wayward subject did to Blue Suede/Caerulus on top of her previous crimes of attempting to spiritually usurp one of the Princelings and using a Judicial Replacement to save her own skin, does not oblige her request.
Foolish/Cowardly Usurper: N-No, Your Majesty! Please, spare-!
(Vicearch Iniquitous silences her by stomping the floor)
Vicearch Iniquitous: WE THINK NOT.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: As a demoness, she is capable of shapeshifting; her most common forms were reflective of the vices she (presumably) embodied, such as a Malrègnarian mare or a Peacock Griffon. Both of them are heavily associated with purple.
Would Hurt a Child: Her original plan involved possessing a young member of the Princelings of Vice to cheat her way into absolute power and authority. Said Princeling of Vice was just a foal at the time. This contributed to her eventual Laser-Guided Karma when her Malregnarian pursuers finally got their claws on her and dragged her back to face punishment for her crimes, as Iniquitous was utterly furious over it.
Jade Shell: Wait, so the Princeling she tried to possess was a FOAL?!
Mirthful Stone ...Oh, that Usurper is so dead.

Vicelieges

Descending directly or indirectly from the mortal villainous overlords who aligned themselves with Iniquitous, or granted the authority, obligations and title at a later date as reward for their service, the Vicelieges are the mortal vassals of the Vicearch who had been given semi-feudalistic mandate to govern parts of the Empire not directly under the direct authority of the Unhallowed Court. Although they exist and rule under the supervision of the Vicearch, they are given a little more free rein to govern their domains as they see fit, so long as they remain loyal to their sovereign, maintain things under her general directives and expectations and provide her Empire with resources and service whenever required.

General

Evil Overlord: What they all are essentially. It's a testament to Vicearch Iniquitous' power, infamy and success that she essentially have hundreds of these guys - each of whom could easily had been a Big Bad in their own right - as her own subordinates. In the case of Queen Chronometria, some also qualify as Sorcerous Overlords through their magical skill, talent, and knowledge.
Fallen Hero: Some of the Vicelieges from originate from beyond Malrègnar were once noble heroes or generally good people who had, either due to disillusionment, corruption, trauma or other Start of Darkness experiences, eventually fell to darkness and pledged themselves to the Vicearch.
Feudal Overlord: The Vicelieges help run the Empire of Malrègnar on behalf of the Vicearch in a semi-feudalistic framework, given extensive leeway in how they govern their domains so long as they remain loyal to her authority, keep their lands under control, and provide resources and service whenever required, similar to other medieval feudal fiefdoms or modern semi-autonomous regions are run.

Lady Vindicia, the Dread Knight

The latest Dread Knight on Equus, Lady Vindicia is a Viceliege of Malregnar. Once a crusader who was part of an ill-informed crusade into Malregnar by the forces of good and righteous, she and her comrades were left behind to die, and she was Forced to Watch as her comrades were slaughtered or worse by Malregnarian forces. Consumed by rage and bloodlust over her loss and being betrayed, she killed every Malregnarian warrior and demon in sight, wiping out an entire cohort's worth of forces in her Last Stand before Princess Acrimonious, taking notice of both the crusader's fury and martial prowess, came personally to defeat her. Rather than killing her and damning her soul, however, Acrimonious and later her mother Vicearch Iniquitous take interest in her potential, and instead offered her a deal: in exchange for her life, power beyond imagining, and a chance at vengeance against those who wronged her, she would take up the weapon, armour and mantle of the Dread Knight and serve Malregnar as a champion in their armies. She accepted this offer, taking up a new identity of Vindicia, and served so well that she was eventually promoted to a Viceliege. She would remain there to this day, still seeking vengeance, and she will claim it - for herself, her comrades or others who suffered as she had - even if it means she had to carve through everyone and everything which dares to get in her way.

Berserk Button: While she holds heroic opponents as noble, honourable and (self-)righteous as she was with contempt, she is stated to outright despise people, factions and causes who turn on or betrayed those who are once devoted or loyal to them, owing to what happened to her. Any betrayal sets off her wrath and would drive her to undertake a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
Black Knight: Straightfoward evil version, which comes with anypony who wears the Dread Knight mantle.
The Champion: Became one in the armies of Malregnar as the latest Dread Knight, serving with enough distinction that she was promoted to being a Viceliege.
Evil Overlord: Like all the other Vicelieges, her exemplary service to the Empire of Malrègnar eventually led to her granted the status as a reward, making her one of this trope by default.
Face–Heel Turn: She was once a noble crusader who along with her comrades were abandoned when the crusading incursion into Malrègnar she was part of ran into disaster. Being betrayed and seeing all her friends perish (or worse) in the subsequent slaughter resulted in her becoming consumed by such fury and bloodlust it caught the attention of Acrimonious, the Princess of Wrath, who captured her alive and brought her to her mother Vicearch Iniquitous, who upon seeing her potential and Her daughter's petition offered the crusader power and a chance at vengeance via assuming the ancient weapons, armour and mantle of the Dread Knight, in exchange for her service to Her and the empire, which she accepted. She performed well enough she was eventually made a Viceliege.
Fallen Hero:
- Lady Vindicia was once a crusader in the forces of righteousness and was described/implied as noble, honourable and righteous. Then she was betrayed and left to die to her comrades who were slaughtered. Now she is a Black Knight Evil Overlord who takes special bitter delight defeating those who were just as noble, honourable and (self-)righteous as she was.
- The mantle of the Dread Knight also invokes this trope, as traditionally it is taken by and empower former heroes and heroines who became so utterly consumed by vengeful wrath they become diabolical avatars of vengeance and bloodlust.
Hopeless Boss Fight: There was no way in hell(s) she could had taken on Acrimonious, the Princess of Wrath or even an avatar of her, even in her Unstoppable Rage at the time, when her wrath and fury caught the Princess of Wrath's attention. Fortunately, the crusader Vindicia was still impressed her enough to be spared and instead offered to become the latest Dread Knight.
I Hate Past Me: She seemed to be particularly contemptous and bitter at foes who are just as noble, honourable and (self-)righteous as she was when she was a crusader, taking a particular delight in crushing them in battle.
Meaningful Name: Her present identity of Vindicia is derived from Latin, appropriately meaning 'Vindictive' or 'Vindication'.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: She and her comrades being left to die or suffer a Fate Worse than Death in Malrègnar and being the Sole Survivor in the subsequent slaughter led her to become consumed by a vindictive bloodlust, causing her to turn her back on her heroic past and accepted the offer to become the latest Dread Knight in service of the empire in exchange for power and a chance for vengeance.
One-Man Army: Her combat prowess was such that it was partly what got her the job in the first place. Consumed by rage and bloodlust at being betrayed and left to die, Vindicia would slaughter an entire cohort of Malregnarian warriors and demons before being subdued by Acrimonious, the Princess of Wrath herself. Becoming the Dread Knight and power, weapons and armour which comes with it only continued if not enhance her strength and skills, regarding an entire force hundreds strong which managed to surround her with contempt and slaughtering them all in short order.
The Paladin: She was formerly a crusader before she became consumed with vengeful rage at being betrayed and left to die with her comrades whom she watched being slaughtered by the Malregnarians.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Said one to hundreds of enemies who managed to surround her, before proceeding to kill them all single-hoofed.
Enemy: S-surrender! We have you surrounded!
Vindicia: Am I? All I am surrounded by are the fearful... and the Dead.
Revenge: A major motive of her character and also comes with the mantle of Dread Knight, which is traditionally assumed by a Fallen Hero or Fallen Heroine consumed by vengeance to the point of becoming an infernal avatar of retribution and bloodlust. She is still hunting those who betrayed her to this day.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Her decision to pledge alliegiance to Malregnar when offered the mantle of the Dread Knight comes in part for the chance to go on one against those who betrayed her and left her and her comrades to die.
Shout-Out: Guess who does this scene references to.
Sole Survivor: Of her fellow crusaders who were abandoned when the crusade into Malrègnar they were in ended in disaster like all the rest. The knowledge that she and her comrades were betrayed and left to perish or worse in Malrègnar led to her becoming consumed by vindictive bloodlust and experiencing a Face–Heel Turn.
Start of Darkness: Being abandoned to die in an evil empire when a righteous crusade against it has Gone Horribly Wrong and being Forced to Watch as your comrades are slaughtered or worse, with nothing to look forward to but a hopeless Last Stand and a Fate Worse than Death could drive anyone mad with rage and bloodlust, and push them to pledge alliegiance to the very evil they were fighting for the power and a chance to claim revenge for it.
That Man Is Dead: Abandoned her former crusader identity and took up 'Vindicia' as her name upon becoming the latest Dread Knight. As far as she is concerned, her old self died along with the rest of her former comrades.
Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Sees betrayal as this, reserving her vengeful wrath upon those who she found out had done it to others, as she had been done to.
Unstoppable Rage: During her Last Stand, she was so utterly consumed with rage and bloodlust over her and her comrades being betrayed and left to die that she slaughtered a whole cohort of Malregnarian troops and demons and attracted the personal attention of Acrimonious, the Princess of Wrath herself.
Villainous Legacy: She is the latest to bear the Dread Knight mantle, which dates back as early as the Second Age, assumed by many similarly betrayed/wronged and vengeful warriors. At some point the armour and weapon - with it the mantle - came under the possession of Vicearch Iniquitous and Malrègnar, who granted it to the once-noble and now vengeful crusader along with the power/chance at vengeance which it presents in exchange for her service to Her and Her empire.
Wrath: Of the vengeful variety, as with all bearers of the Dread Knight mantle. She is obsessed with avenging her betrayal and pledged fealty to Acrimonious, the Princess of Wrath as well as Viceach Iniquitous.
Wowing Cthulhu: Vindicia became the latest Dread Knight due to impressing Princess Acrimonious with her vengeful fury, causing the Princess of Wrath to spare her and instead petition her mother Vicearch Iniquitous to make her the latest Dread Knight. She also impressed them enough with her service as a champion in the armies of Malregnar that she eventually became a Viceliege.

Chronometria, the Queen of Time

Character: Villain

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Type: Evil Overlord/Spacetime Sorceress/Existence Devourer/Manipulative Schemer

Faction: Empire of Malrègnar (Grand Cabal/Viceliege)

"Time never waits. If you do not hold on and grasp onto what you have, it will escape you. And then it is denied forever."

Chronometria, the Queen of Time (her entry here

) is one of the more notable Vicelieges of Malrègnar, being known in recent years as the ascendant infernal empire begins to act more proactively in the outside world.

The eldest daughter of mage parents, she and her family fled to Malrègnar to escape persecution in their homeland towards magic-users after a Cult of Timebreakers terrorized their lands a generation before. Driven by vindictive bitterness from the loss of their home and happy childhood, the young filly and her younger sisters devoted themselves to the study of magic and unlocking their magical potential, with a particular interest towards mastering time and space magics. This obsession and the lengths she went in pursuit of her ambitions would result in her rise to power into a most powerful sorceress and Evil Overlord in service of Vicearch Iniquitous, and in doing so also become increasingly a capable Arch-Enemy to Princess Stitching Time of the Virtusidae...

Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed, as she's still a villain. But unlike Sorceress Ultimecia, who wanted to become the ultimate goddess of space-time out of desire to escape her own persecution and prophesied death, she refuses to act on her inner desires to change time to ensure her family was never persecuted when the same opportunity presented itself. She also hates bigots in general, and has gone after them with extreme prejudice on multiple occasions.
The Archmage: She was officially an 'Archwitch' and a Matriarch of the magocratic Grand Cabal even before she was promoted further into a Viceliege, and like her inspiration is such an incredibly powerful magic-user she rivals the likes of the Starswirl Line and could legitimately challenge gods.
The Assimilator: In her determination to master spacetime sorceries and become a powerful sorceress, she decided to emulate Vicearch Iniquitous and other beings with this trope throughout history by develop means to consume/absorb others into herself, taking all their knowledge, magic, physical bodies and even souls for her purpose (though she avoids keeping noble/innocent souls post-mortem to avoid violating the Primeval Laws). She even learnt to draw power from objects and the environment by learning how to literally absorb them into herself break them down into matter and energy for her purposes. All this was before she become a spacetime sorceress who could assimilate the fabric of reality into herself and devour existence itself to fuel and empower her.
Bigger on the Inside: As a result of turning into a borderline Equinoid Abomination Spacetime Eater, she had been explicitly compared to the likes of Giants, Dragons and Celestials in that her internal volume is much, much greater than her outside appearance suggests. It is confirmed thanks to spacetime distortion and being made up primarily of an unholy fusion of spacetime and flesh by this point, the inside of her body contains entire 'seas' of congealed spacetime within which contains everyone and everything she had consumed along with them.
Expy: Of Ultimecia, being someone who was persecuted by intolerant people for being a magic user and eventually grew to become an eldritch sorceress with powerful space-time abilities. Unlike Ultimecia, who sought to essentially rule all time and fate itself, she's somewhat more heroic and principled, with an Adaptational Backstory Change and different motives. Meanwhile, the capital of her Viceliege dominion is named 'Ultimarecia' as a Shout-Out to her original name.
Elemental Powers: Keeping with her inspiration, in addition to her mastery of spacetime magic she also possess a wide variety of magic. Many of her offensive magic and spells are of elemental manipulation, fueled by her vices as is the basis of many Malrègnarian dark magic. Given her inspiration, many of these are also drawn from Sorceress Ultimecia's known list of spells and powers in Final Fantasy VIII. The list is not limted to the following:
- Based on 'Bio' from Final Fantasy VIII, Chronometria could unleash poisonous hexes which could desolate an area and reduce the health and vitality of her opponents.
- Based on 'Blizzard' from Final Fantasy VIII, Chronometria could summon area-freezing blizzards which could blanket the area with snow and cause frost damage
- Based on 'Thundaga' from Final Fantasy VIII, Chronometria could conjure a thunderstom which could blanket the battlefield with devastating barrages of lightning bolts.
- Based on 'Earthquake' from Final Fantasy VIII, Chronometria could create an earthquake which could level cities and fortresses.
- Based on 'Tornado' and 'Maelstrom' from Final Fantasy VIII, Chronometria could summon building-tossing storms.
Freudian Excuse: She and her sister's youthful innocence were torn away by anti-magic persecutions of her homeland which forced her and her family to run to Malrègnar for their survival, where they were accepted into the Grand Cabal to be taught and trained into becoming a Wicked Witch / Lady of Black Magic in service of the Empire. Her traumatic childhood, Malrègnarian influence and blossoming magic combined to turn her into becoming a bitter, cynical, melancholic and haughty Vain Sorceress and Evil Overlord determined to never be helpless or powerless again, in the process developed a lust/ambition for domination over and possession of all she desires, on top of immense vindictive wrath towards those who she believed wronged her and her sisters.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From a young refugee who lost her childhood to persecution to an incredibly powerful existence-devouring Sorcerous Overlord capable of challenging gods.
Statuesque Stunner: All but stated to be this, said to rival Alicorns in height.
Sorcerous Overlord: She was formerly a Matriarch of the magocratic Grand Cabal in service of the Vicearch, and following her being rewarded with Viceliegehood for her service retains this as her forte.
Spacetime Eater: What earned her status as an 'Existence Devourer' was her creation and use of her unique masterpiece, the 'Time Compression' spell, which allows her to compress space-time and everything in it into a single point - and by standing in the center of the singularity, allow her to absorb them all into herself.
Vain Sorceress: While it is not known whether she uses her magic to preserve her looks, she is stunningly beautiful as she is incredibly powerful and skilled in magic.
Walking Wasteland: Her frequent usage of the Time Compression spell and subsequent change into a borderline equinoid abomination led to her being surrounded by an area where spacetime and everything in it is being gradually absorbed into her. This required her capital and surrounding lands to have special wards casted as there is a serious possibility of people and the very land itself suddenly vanishing out of physical existence as they and the spacetime they are in are consumed by her.

General Risen Gravitas

Cavalry Betrayal: Inverted. THEY were the ones betrayed by their own superiors.
Expy: Graven Ashe, Archon of War, the General of the Disfavoured from Tyranny.
A Father to His Men: Using his 'Aegis' ability, he willingly took on the kingdom-spanning hexes and curses inflicted upon Rotkraellea which had wreaked havoc on every foreign Griffon Autorist forces sent to relief the Rotkraelleans, leaving him crippled but sparing his army the worst of the afflictions.
Four-Star Badass: Was a General of a Badass Army, both when he was an Autorist Griffon and after he switched sides to the Empire of Malrègnar. During the 'Devastation of Rotkraellea' he and his forces were one of the few Autorist forces able to mount any form of effective resistance, a fact which led to them being spared by Acrimonius, the Princess of Wrath and persuaded to defect to their service.
Motive Rant: Gave one to his former superiors and kingdom years after his defection why he and his army joined the Empire of Malrègnar.
Psychic Link: His 'Aegis' ability grants him a psionic link to his troops and even allow him to take on magical/physical damage for them, allowing him to effectively command them and turn them into one of the finest military forces among the Autorist Griffons and later the Empire of Malrègnar.
Semi-Divine: Speculated to have Divine blood, since his inexplicable 'Aegis' ability is too incredible to be explained by more mundane theories/origins.
That Man Is Dead: As far as he is concerned, the 'foolish' general leading an army of 'fools' died along with his forces in Rotkrallea. There is now only General Risen Gravitas of the Undying Legion, loyal to the Empire of Malrègnar.
Villainous BSoD: General Risen Gravitas' own beliefs in his Autorist cause was shattered when Acrimonious revealed his superiors sent him relief Rotkrallea with the expectation that he and his army would be wiped out even if they cannot help their ally, since he had become too popular and powerful for them to be comfortable with. This infuriated and convinced him he and his army's loyalties are betterserved elsewhere - namely, Malrègnar.

Kovacs, the Unquenched Flame

"Let the world kneel before our gaze, and be reforged in our flames."

Lord Kovacs (His entry here

) is a Draconic Viceliege of Malregnar in fealty of the Princeling of Vice Ahneus, the Prince of Greed, and is also the leader of one of Malregnar's own local Dragonflights. Once a rare idealistic artisan who would rather create than destroy, he was left deeply embittered by his fellow Dragons who scorned him for it and disillusioned with a world where beauty and order are fleeting due to conflict, calamity and chaos. Now he is a bitter and controlling overlord who devotes his talents to conquest both in the name of both Malregnar, the only place who welcomed him and his talents with open arms, and in his obsession with creating an orderly world of everlasting beauty.

Cool Sword: Briefly in possession of Borddoré ('Gilded Edge' in French), an enchanted sword forged by Ahneus, the Prince of Greed himself which was lost in the past and ended up in Kovacs' possession, killing his bully Rablas with it. It was this sword that eventually led Kovacs to Malregnar, with Ahneus subtly guiding Kovacs his way so he may have the sword back and get a new loyal subject/servant as a bonus.
Dragons Are Demonic: He is a Dragon Viceliege in Malrègnar, making him likely this by the present.
Evil Overlord: A Dragon Viceliege in fealty to Ahneus, the Princeling of Greed and Vicearch Iniquitous.
Expy:
- Some of his aspects are based on Primarch Perturabo. Much like Perturabo, Kovacs is a brilliant artisan whose talent and passion was to craft wonders, and dreamed of being recognized by his people as such. Unfortunately, they both lived in domineering societies that encouraged war, death, and violence, and so were heavily marginalized and ignored by their people, who essentially treated them as worthless. This eventually led to them snapping and choosing to side with an evil faction, though the Empire of Malrègnar is much more organized, restrained, and pragmatic than the Chaos Gods.
- Also shares similarities with Sauron, a gifted Maiar who was a crafts-maker and artisan with a love of beauty, efficiency and order before he was corrupted by Melkor and became his second-in-command and then a Dark Lord in his own right, his desire to 'repair' Arda (his way) degenerating into an obsession to control everyone and everything after repeated failures and defeats. Here, Kovacs is also a gifted artisan and crafts-maker who shares the same love for order, efficiency and beauty, but turned evil and pledge allegiance to Malrègnar entirely by his own choice, out of bitterness of being shamed and ostrasized for his desire to create rather than indulge in his fellow Dragons' destructive natures. Unlike Sauron, he kept his original motives, even if they expanded and altered by his experiences and transformation into a Malrègnarian Evil Overlord.
Freudian Excuse: He was a young, talented and idealistic Dragon artisan whose talent and passion was to craft wonders, and idealized a world where such beauty both existing and created could stand and be admired for the rest of time, unbreakable and everlasting as Dragons are. Being scorned by his kind for not acting like a 'proper' Dragon who revel in brute strength and take their treasure by plundering (and by non-Dragons for being a Dragon who they believe can't be anything else but those things), as well as seeing a disorganized world filled with chaos, destruction and neglect and so much beauty, potential and resources are wasted, left him feeling ostracized, bitter and disillusioned until he finally found a place of belonging in Malrègnar, whose views aligned with his and don't care for what he is, only what he can offer. In his rise, his original desires combined with his stoked Draconic avarice and ambition, as well as Malrègnarian Dark Magic, to turn him into a domineering Viceliege dedicated to order, efficiency, power and control, all for power and a chance to make his idealized world of enduring order and everlasting beauty a reality.
Hidden Depths: Underneath his Pragmatic Villainy is a very creative soul who became deeply embittered over how he was mistreated and ostracized by Dragons who don't see him as a 'proper' member of their kind for choosing the arts over domination and greed. When Prince Steel Barricade confronts him over his villainy, he bitterly fires back that the Terran Prince is just as ignorant as everyone else outside Malrègnar in regards to what his dreams are. Unbeknownst to Kovacs, his words end up triggering Steel Barricade's memories of his past life as Tungsten Will, a Golden General from the Imperium of Ponykind who felt the same bitterness over being marginalized and ignored when he was alive.
Prince Steel Barricade: Whatever sick dream this is for, we won't let you make it a reality!
Lord Kovacs:What do you know of my dreams, Alicorn whelp? No one beyond Malrègnar ever cared enough to behold them.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From a young, talented and idealistic Dragon artisan to a domineering Dragon overlord powerful enough at minimum to take on demigods.
Meaningful Name: Kovacs stands for "blacksmith" in Hungarian, which ties with his forte as a Draconic forger and artisan.
Rage Breaking Point: In his youth, after enduring years of bullying and scorn for his 'whelpish' ways, he finally snapped when some Dragons of his age raided his lair while he was gone and looted/destroyed all the relics and artwork he sought to preserve and his own creative works, resulting in an altercation that ended up accidentally killing one of his tormentors, leading to his self-exile from his old dragonflight and his eventual arrival at Malregnar.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Deconstructed. In his youth, he was a very idealistic artisan who dreamed of creating a world of everlasting beauty and wonder. However, this saw him being mistreated and ostracized by Dragons who don't see him as a 'proper' member of their kind for not following their ways of domination, destruction, and greed. Eventually, he became a deeply embittered person who became a Malrègnarian Viceliege in order to see his dreams realized.

Mustangue, the Imperious Despot

Expy: He's one for Emperor Mateus from Final Fantasy II. Much like Mateus, he is an extremely arrogant and greedy tyrant whose actions largely served to stroke his own ego.
Fatal Flaw: Just like Emperor Mateus, pride is his defining character trait and flaw. Back when he was an Emperor, he was an extremely arrogant tyrant who turned his empire into a dystopia, for which he was later overthrown. He regained some of his political power by becoming a Malrègnarian Viceliege, but his massive ego ensured that everyone in Malrègnar coldly tolerates him at best. Even Prince Excelsius, himself an immensely prideful being, was annoyed by his behavior and is waiting for the day he screws up, which would present the opportunity to devour his petty, grandstanding subordinate.
The Friend Nobody Likes: His pride makes him so abrasive and petty that even after becoming a Viceliege, he's only tolerated in Malrègnar for his impressive talents in sorcery and military leadership. Even his superior, Prince Excelsius, sees him as an amusing little morsel that he will eventually devour once he stops being entertaining, a sentiment that Prince Stoltur Skjöldur, normally a staunch vegitarian, notably agrees with.
Prince Excelsius: What an arrogant and petty despot. Where do they turn up in this day and age?
Prince Stoltur Skjöldur: Hells knows... but if I were not a vegetarian, I'll eat him.
Prince Excelsius: We might just savour his delectably prideful existence Ourselves when he finally outlives his worth.
Seeking Sanctuary: He was a haughty and despotic emperor who got overthrown and found asylum in Malrègnar, where he eventually ended up becoming a Viceliege ruling in Vicearch Iniquitous' name.
Villain Team-Up: Notably partnered up with Chronometria and other Vicelieges in a plot to get back his rule in his old Vestigial Empire.

Optima, the Summoner King

"To defeat evil, one must embrace evil. In a world where might makes right, only through attaining power and supremacy can one hope to achieve their goals."

First mentioned in several

Drabbles

, Optima, the Summoner King is a fairly new member of the Vicelieges of Malrègnar whose star is in rapid ascendence.

Arch-Enemy: Has one in Lord Alhaste, a megalomaniacal demon lich who emotionally broke him and killed his friends for a profane ritual. Doing both would proved to be Lord Alhaste's last mistake.
The Assimilator: After killing Lord Alhaste, Optima absorbed his power to increase his own, turning his essence into a suit of dark armour with golden edges while enslaving him mind and soul as an enchanted card in his collection.
Casting a Shadow: Going by his inspiration, Optima could control shadows and darkness to a powerful degree, surrounding himself in an aura or miasma of shadows for protection and obscuration, and generate shockwaves from powerful concentrations of darkness to batter his foes and wreck his surroundings. His powers over darkness affects both the physical and metaphysical.
Evil Overlord: Became a Viceliege under the service of Vicearch Iniquitous in the Empire of Malregnar.
Expy: Of the Supreme King from Yu-Gi-Oh GX, the Superpowered Evil Side of the main protagonist Jaden Yuki.
Fallen Hero: Base on his inspiration, He was once a young heroic Equestrian Unicorn who was corrupted by his Superpowered Evil Side after experiencing a brutal Trauma Conga Line, going from an idealistic and passionate hero into a ruthless and coldblooded Evil Overlord.
Kneel Before Zod: After defeating Lord Alhaste, Optima looked at the undead and demonic army he left behind and forced them into submission and servitude through sheer intimidation.
The Minion Master: His forte in addition to his powerful Shadow Magic - using powerful enchanted cards, he could create 'Summons', armies of minions and monsters to do his bidding and crush his opposition.
The Quiet One: Like the Supreme King, the Summoner King is as taciturn as he is calm and collected, speaking only when needed to or to taunt his foes.
The Stoic: Notably shown to be cold, collected and calculating, in contrast to his once vibrant, passionate and impulsive heroic self, with an undertone of haughtiness, arrogance and contempt.
Summon Magic: A master of this, conducted through a collection of powerful enchanted cards. He could summon whole armies of monsters and minions to do his bidding, and could create new subordinate entities, called simply as 'Sumons', by copying others' 'Shadows' within them and bringing them to life, or even trap and bind powerful foes within unused cards to summon especially powerful Evil Counterpart versions of them to serve his will. His summoning powers extend to even the past lives of his opponents; in a confrontation between him and Prince Written Word, he summoned Written Word's 'shadow', who turned out to be General Faithful Belief, who betrayed Golden Scepter and sided with the Malignant Powers against the Imperium of Ponykind after his devoted faith was shattered by the Radiant Emperor in the most brutal way possible.
Then Let Me Be Evil: The moment Optimal Luck became Optima came from the loss of his friends to the evil demonic lich Lord Alhaste and his embrace of his inner Superpowered Evil Side for the power to not only avenge them by destroying Alhaste, but to never let anyone or anything be taken from him ever again.
Wowing Cthulhu: How Optima earned his place in Malrègnar, eventually rising to the status of Viceliege: When Vicearch Iniquitous requests proof of his merits, he demonstrates he has power, ability and intelligence to fit in among the overlords of Malrègnar by literally challenging the entire cadre of the Vicearch's own elite half-infernal praetorian guards to a skirmish, holds them off through might, skill and cunning, eventually neutralizing some and leaving them the rest preoccupied with his Summons and his shadow powers, unable to prevent him from walking right up to the now wide-open Vicearch and the Princelings in attendance and bow before them respectfully - a spectacular display which vindicated the Princelings' confidence in Optima and convinced Vicearch Iniquitous that the Summoner King really is worthy of the powers he had embraced and could serve her and Malrègnar well.
Young Conqueror: He was still practically a child when he fell to darkness and became the Summoner King, but he is noted to become a very capable conquering Evil Overlord regardless.
Younger Than They Look: While his transformation into the Summoner King gave him a more mature-looking Tin Tyrant form, he is still a child or at least very young. This was Lampshaded by Vicearch Iniquitous and actually becomes an issue for him in Malrègnar, as while Her scions have confidence in his merit, Iniquitous initially have reservations to allowing him into Malrègnar's confidence owing to his age and questions whether he possess genuine talent, or whether his initial successes were a combination of incredible luck and lack of awareness of the impossibility of his accomplishments. Fortunately for Optima, he would prove his worth to Vicearch Iniquitous with a demonstration and show that he has genuine power and potential.

Sepherhroth, the Black Seraph

Character: Villainous/Anti-Villainous

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Type: Artificial Superbeing, Visitor Hybrid, Elite Spellknight, Renowned Champion, Ascendant Viceliege

Faction: Empire of Malrègnar

"Sadness? What do I have to be sad about? Whatever happens now... I will never be a memory."

Sepherhroth (his entry here

) is one of the more prominent Vicelieges of Malrègnar and a rising prodigy who is a divine champion of Crown-Prince Excelsius.

The Ace: He killed a Great Wyrm - Dragons on the high-end of age and power - during his first mission as a soldier of Malregnar, and would only go up from there as a champion and eventually a Viceliege.
Adaptational Backstory Change: His author confirmed while drawing inspiration from his Sephiroth counterpart, in the same way as Chronometria/Ultimecia, Sepherhroth's backstory and subsequent characterization is drastically different and thus his story diverges considerably from the Big Bad he was based on.
Actually Pretty Funny: In this canonized drabble, he actually finds an Affectionate Parody of himself amusing and claps for the band responsible. He notes he sees nothing wrong with laughing at a joke at his expense if it's done from a place of respect rather than mockery.
Adaptational Heroism: Unlike Sephiroth, several factors caused certain points in his life to occur differently from canon. For example, he never murdered Aerith, the girlfriend of Cloud Strife, just for serving as an obstacle in his quest for godhood, which was treated by fans by far as the most despicable thing he had ever done. His characterization is largely based on Sephiroth's Pre-Nibelheim self as depicted in Crisis Core. He also, unlike Sephiroth, didn't Go Mad from the Revelation upon learning that he was used as a test subject by a malicious group because he was informed about it early on by his adoptive mother, Dr. Lucra, one of the repentant scientists who initially experimented on him before turning over a new leaf out of guilt.
BFS: Like his inspiration, Sepherhroth's personal signature weapon is a blade based on the Nodachi swords of Neighpon/Japan, named Sadamune. This seven-foot long blade was personally forged and enchanted by Ahneus, the Princeling of Avarice himself as a reward for his great victory against a Great Wyrm upon his original standard-issued sword breaking apart after he delivered the coup-de-grace.
Big Damn Heroes: Inverted. He is a villain working for the Malregnarians who intervened to save a company of heroes and champions from a rogue Angelic Abomination, only to fight them in its stead after inflicting a One-Hit Kill on it so to keep them preoccupied from stopping the Malregnarian forces he's with from carrying out their plans.
The Champion: Was a renowned hero in Malregnar in his service to its rulers, most notably being one for Crown-Prince Excelsius.
Conveniently an Orphan: The earliest record of Sepherhroth's existence has him found abandoned on the doorsteps of an orphanage one day.
Curbstomp Battle: Due to his enhanced strength, speed and skill as well as further boons/empowerment from his divine patron, Sepherhroth is capable of dishing considerable number of these out to most other characters who are not divines.
- In one mission outside of Malregnar, he one-shot a rogue Angelic Abomination (which once served Silk Dawn, the Radiant Designer/the Fallen Light) who was giving an entire company of heroes and champions trouble, slicing it vertically in half with his sword, and then went on to engage the hundreds of heroes and champions all by himself - each a One-Man Army by themselves - holding them off while the forces of Malrègnar to dismantle and extract the artifact the Angelic Abomination was planning to use for neferious purposes. He even manages to defeat most of them and only found his match with his Vertusian Arch-Enemy who happened to be among the members.
Deadpan Snarker: Has his moments, like his inspiration.
General Pit: How come he can fly with just one wing...?
Sepherhroth: How come you can barely fly even with two?
Despair Event Horizon: Invoked this to some of his foes with his crushing defeats of them, as demonstrated with his very first great victory as a soldier, against a haughty and mighty Great Wyrm, whom he literally cut down to size.
Great Wyrm: W-what - WHAT ARE YOU?!
Sepherhroth: Your DESPAIR.
The Dreaded: Being a rising star in Malregnar and with the empire becoming more involved in foreign affairs, Sepherhroth's abilities and accomplishments as a champion and viceliege of Malregnar is quickly making him a figure of dread among the heroic forces of Equus.
Expy: He is based on Sephiroth, the Big Bad of Final Fantasy VII, down to having similar names, but is not his complete copy on account of drastic differences in backstory and motivations.
Handicapped Badass: He was born a Pegasus with his left wing missing as a result of a birth defect. It does nothing to slow him down.
Heinz Hybrid: Sepherhroth is half-Pegasi and half-Extraequusian as a result of experimentation from the Abominable Alignment scientists who injected dorman cells of a mostly-dead lifeforce-feeding aggressive assimilator invader from the stars which grants him greatly enhanced physical, cognitational and magical capabilities.
Magic Knight: Is classified as an 'Elite Spellknight', favouring the use of his Odachi/Nodachi Sadamune but also capable of using vast array of magical spells.
Mass "Oh, Crap!": Sepherhroth induced this in a company of heroes and champions who was having trouble with a rogue Angelic Abomination just by showing up with Malregnarian forces and inflicting a One-Hit Kill upon it.
Sepherhroth: So it's up to me to bring everything home. Now... Let me show you true despair.
Master Swordsman: He is a swordsmane of near-unrivalled strength, speed and skill, wielding a BFG based on the Odachis/Nodachis of Neighpon which was forged and gifted to him by Ahneus, the Prince of Avarice himself for his exemplary service.
Meaningful Name: His name combines Hebrew and old German, meaning 'Book of Renown'.
Not So Above It All: Sepherhroth was greatly amused by a band which does Affectionate Parody of evil overlords and supervillains with their songs and the singers' stage personas.
Parental Abandonment: When he was a newborn colt he was found abandoned at the doorstep of an orphanage. Some speculated this was due to ostrasization from his deformity, on account of missing his left wing. Fortunately, he found a good substitute in one of the Abominable Alignment's remorseful scientists who regretted the experiments done on him and managed to get permission from the Malregnarians to raise him with love he deserves partly as atonement.
Raised in a Lab: After the orphanage Sepherhroth was placed in was raided by an Abominable Alignment cell, Sepherhroth spent a brief period of his life before being rescued by the Malregnarians being treated as a lab rat for their's twisted experiments, which were responsible for turning him into the super-powered half-Visitor Heinz Hybrid he is today. He still retain understandable anger and hatred for the conspiracy to this day over it.
Super-Soldier: When he made his way into Malregnar's military forces, he was placed into a special unit alongside his fellow orphans rescued from the Abominable Alignment due to their Alignment-enhanced biology and abilities.

Voracia, the Voracious Vanquisher

First mentioned in a Drabble here

, Voracia is a champion of Rapacious, the Princess of Gluttony of the Princelings of Vice who was recently made a Viceliege

Affably Evil: Noted to be remarkably modest in her ambitions, more inclined to do magical research and start a family then fighting and feasting on her opponents.
Big Eater: Like her inspiration, she's this.
Expy: Heavily inspired by Android 21 from Dragon Ball Fighterz.

Warsong, the Lord of Wrath

Warsong (first introduced here

) is one of many Viceliege working under Vicearch Iniquitous.

Sable Synod

Originating from the cults and religions that sprung up in the wake of Iniquitous' ascension to godhood and final victory, the Sable Synod is the state religion of the Empire of Malrègnar, its myriad sects unified and charged with facilitating the worship of Iniquitous and later Her Princelings of Pride as the empire's only gods, serving as both a means of social control as well as a useful means for Iniquitous to propagate Her and Her empire's philosophies to the populace.

General

Alliterative Name: Sable Synod.
Meaningful Name: Sable means "dark" and/or "gloomy". A synod is a religious council that convenes to decide on issues of doctrine, administration, and/or application. The Sable Synod is a Religion of Evil and the primary faith in the Empire of Malrègnar, used by Vicearch Iniquitous to spread her and her empire's philosophies to the populace.
Religion of Evil: The Sable Synod is a religion which worships Iniquitous and Her blood/adoptive scions, who are all divine embodiments of Evil and Vice.
Sinister Minister: By default, given the Sable Synod is a Religion of Evil worshipping the Vicearch and the Princelings of Vice.

Forces of Malrègnar

The Undying Legions

Badass Army: Under their commander General Risen Gravitas, they were among the most feared and capable military forces among the Griffon Autorist nations and factions. They remain so even after they switched their allegiance to Malrègnar.
Curbstomp Battle: After their surprisingly effective resistance to Malrègnarian forces caught her attention, Acrimonius, the Princess of Wrath sent an avatar of herself against them. They were singlehoofedly crushed in short order, but were spared by her.
Curb-Stomp Cushion: They were among the few Autorist Griffon forces able to mount any effective resistance against the Malrègnarian punitive expedition during the 'Devastation of Rotkraellea'.
Expy: Of the Disfavoured from Tyranny.
That Man Is Dead: As far as they and their general are concerned, the 'fools' which went to Rotkrallea and their 'foolish' commander died there. They are now the Undying Legion of Malrègnar.
Worthy Opponent: Partly the reason why Acrimonious, the Princess of Wrath spared them and turned them to Malrègnar's side after crushing them in battle: they put up a good fight despite the impossible odds stacked against them and believed they are better off in Malrègnar's service.

Old Malrègnarian Pantheon

The Old Malrègnarian Pantheon was once the predominant divine faction of Malrègnar, consisting of the greatest gods and goddesses who held dominion over the lands. They were the greatest obstacle to the triumph of the forces of evil in Malrègnar, from the mortal evil overlords and cultists to the immortal demons and evil gods.

However, despite their benevolence, heroism, and virtue, the Malrègnarian Pantheon soon fell into stagnant complacency, exploiting their reputations and worshipers' loyalty to them to do whatever they wanted. This caused the realms of Malrègnar to degrade into squabbling pits of misery, suffering, fear, hedonism, and crime, as their divine sovereigns abandoned their duties in favor of frolicking about and indulging in their own vices.

This continued until Iniquitous and her brother were born. Disgusted by the state of her homelands and her people, Iniquitous kickstarted a series of ruthless campaigns that saw both her increase in power and eventual Ascension to godhood. With an infernal army of demons and other similar creatures at her side, Iniquitous waged war against the Malrègnarian Pantheon, and cruelly humiliated and killed them off one by one as punishment for their gross incompetence. The "twilight" of the Malrègnarian Pantheon marked the end of the old ways, and the birth of the Malrègnarian Empire.

Thanks to Iniquitous' efforts, no one can remember the deities of the Malrègnarian Pantheon, except as inept fools and monsters. All the holy cities, monuments, sanctuaries, and palaces that were built in dedication to them were now reduced to cursed, eternally-smoldering ruins. They are regarded today as the prime example of decadence and folly that grips both mortals and deities alike.

General

Asshole Victim: The old pantheon of the lands the Malrègnar Empire now resides in once consisted of either genuinely Jerkass Gods who were like that from the start, or were genuinely benevolent and heroic deities who slowly became inept, hedonistic, and cruel towards their worshipers after letting their inner vices rage out of control. When Iniquitous grew extremely embittered and dissatisfied with how things were run in her home, she would turn to the pantheon after devouring the "Nameless Fool", and use the gods and goddesses' own vices against them in her conquests so she can assimilate their power and punish them for their actions. The magnitude of their sins makes them extremely hard to be sympathized with once they're defeated and devoured by Iniquitous, even if their ultimate fates were horrific. Even Iniquitous herself sees the Malrègnarian Pantheon as this, and tells a regretful Blue Suede Heartstrings not to waste his tears on the very people who ruined her home with their incompetence and refused to learn from their mistakes.
Arch-Enemy: All of them had a feud with a local God of Evil known as 'The Nameless Fool', whom Iniquitous would get involved with as his demigod 'Consort of Vice'. In the last century of their existence their feud escalated into an overt and all-out war that gradually worn them down and culminated in a Final Battle that all but practically crippled both sides, which Iniquitous - who had arranged for this state of affairs - would take advantage of to defeat and ultimately devour them all.
Create Your Own Villain: The Old Malrègnarian Pantheon's sheer incompetence, corruption, and depravity as a group led to the deterioration of the Malrègnarian Realms they watched over, and created the circumstances that birthed Vicearch Iniquitous, who proceeded to kill them all for their deplorable conduct.
Cruel and Unusual Death: The remaining gods and goddesses of the fallen Malrègnarian Pantheon shown in Iniquitous' Codex entries each received one in accordance to the sins they committed in life, with some deaths far worse than others. It has been mentioned by both her entries and supplementary material that even after being devoured and assimilated into her being, they're still subjected to the most agonizing tortures within Iniquitous. However, the many sins and atrocities they committed during their time as divine sovereigns, providers, and protectors would also make their fates a collective Karmic Death.
Curbstomp Battle: Had one inflicted on them by Iniquitous after she ascended into godhood by consuming her 'Nameless Fool' consort and other recently-slain deities. Justified in that the pantheon had spent a century exhausting themselves fighting their Arch-Enemy (who was similarly worn-down) and the Final Battle between them left them both effectively crippled and/or short in numbers. They were, in short, at their absolute weakest, and Iniquitous made sure to go after them before they have a chance to recover, sealing their fate.
- It's implied from the entry that they managed to or could had hold themselves quite well in their Last Stand... until Iniquitous turned their inner vices and flaws against them. Then they more or less destroyed themselves.
Entitled Bastard: Deconstructed. Many members of the old Malrègnarian Pantheon weren't this initially, but over time, thanks to a combination of their peers' toxic influences and their own vices getting the better of them, they began treating their own mortal worshipers like slaves, feeling that they were owed their due reward after centuries of providing their worshipers everything they needed. Karma eventually caught up to them when a then-young Vicearch Iniquitious, enraged by how far the Malrègnarian Pantheon had fallen in their duties and how her lands fell to crap because of them, launched a series of conquests that systematically destroyed the Malrègnarian Pantheon and their divine/mortal forces, with the now corrupt deities being devoured by her and their powers applied towards more constructive pursuits. Iniquitous then proceeded to desecrate their legacies even further by portraying the Malrègnarian Pantheon as a bunch of corrupt monsters who utterly deserved the horrible fates they received.
Fatal Flaw:
- Each of the seven deities Iniquitous had confronted in their pantheon's last days suffered from an inner vice that contributed to their gross incompetence as divine rulers, based around the Seven Deadly Sins. For example, the 'Slothful Messenger' was an extremely lazy Dirty Coward, the 'Gluttonous Gardener' felt entitled to the bounties she helped cultivate for mortals and demanded more than what she actually needed, the 'Prideful King' was extremely arrogant and enabled his peers' flaws, and so on. These failings allowed Iniquitous, who embodied Evil and Vice, to inflict horrifically brutal Karmic Deaths on them as punishment for their sins.
- Ultimately, what caused the emergence of each vice the Malrègnarian gods and goddesses would hold is their development of a collective sense of pride and entitlement. They grew so stagnant from their successes as divine sovereigns that they saw taking care of their mortal worshipers as beneath them, and selfishly and carelessly gave into their innermost desires. Their leader, now only known as "The Prideful King", worsened their downward spiral by enabling his peers' flaws through denial that they had flaws at all despite their supposed benevolence and virtue, and refused to listen to anyone who said otherwise or accept help from others. Blue Suede Heartstrings discovering this caused him to lament not being there to help the Malrègnarian deities break out of their arrogance, but Iniquitous tells him not to waste his tears on them since they turned down every opportunity to change, and paid the ultimate price for it.
God-Eating: Their ultimate fate: all of them were eaten by Iniquitous, with all their power, knowledge, domains, and existence assimilated into her being. And from what's been implied so far, it was only the very beginning of their torment.
God Is Flawed: Very, VERY much this. And thanks to Iniquitous it became their undoing.
God Is Inept: Whether they were merely deeply flawed or outright jerks, this was their most notable trait as a result: All of them were simply not good enough, character- or competence-wise.
Good Is Impotent: Despite being a pantheon of benevolent deities, they still failed to fix the various problems that plagued the lands they were meant to watch over because each of them slowly gave in to their own vices, whether on their own or through toxic influences. Their gross incompetence as divine sovereigns is what might have led to Iniquitous' disillusionment with goodness and virtue in general.
Home of the Gods: There used to be a divine realm in the lands of Malrègnar where the old Malrègnarian pantheon dwell, but it was destroyed when a newly-ascendant Iniquitous stormed the heavens with an army of infernal beings, where she would defeat and devour all the remaining gods who had not been killed off in an earlier Final Battle with the 'Nameless Fool' while the demons, fiends, devils and other infernals trashed the place and slaughtered all the angels and exalted champions. The landmass itself was apparent suspended in the middle of a sky-based Fluffy Cloud Heaven-like pocket-reality - which proved convenient for Iniquitous, who in a final act of calculated cruelty, dropped the entire burning landmass right onto the old gods' greatest holy city in the mortal planes.
Jerkass Gods: Many members of the pantheon were either this from the beginning, or were genuinely benevolent and kind deities who gradually became hedonistic and cruel after letting their inner vices get out of control. It's deconstructed in that their sheer mismanagement of the lands they're supposed to watch over eventually and indirectly led to the rise of Vicearch Iniquitous, who would personally wipe out the pantheon for their gross incompetence and create the Malrègnarian Empire under her rule.
Karmic Death: The fates each of the remaining seven Malrègnarian deities would suffer by Iniquitous' hooves are extremely karmic. Had it been anyone else, it would've been a horrifying Cruel and Unusual Death, but because they neglected the lands they watched over and treated their mortal subjects/worshipers like shit, they really deserved what they got.
Never My Fault: Deconstructed. Many members of the Malrègnarian Pantheon were genuinely benevolent, heroic, and virtuous at first, but over time they became arrogant from their successes and developed a sense of entitlement from working hard to provide for their mortal worshipers, with some like "The Slothful Messenger" preferring to abandon their duties altogether. The toxic influence of their leader, "The Prideful King", only worsened their development as their flaws were enabled and blamed on things other than themselves until they became genuinely Jerkass Gods. This would end up spelling their final defeat and death at the hooves of Vicearch Iniquitous, who was so disgusted with how they handled her homelands that she saw fit to wipe out the entire pantheon even from the memories of their former worshipers. When a visiting Blue Suede Heartstrings learns of the Malrègnarian Pantheon's story and expresses regret over not being there to help them break free of their hubris, Iniquitous tells him not to grieve for the inept fools, as they had every opportunity to change their ways yet refused to do so until it was too late.
Vicearch Iniquitous: (to Blue Suede Heartstrings) One cannot help those who refuse to be helped. Even with the cries and pleading of their worshipers, for all their supposed 'benevolence' and 'virtue', these pitiful gods and goddesses refused to acknowledge their own shortcomings. They continued their self-serving ambitions until everything literally fell apart around them. That is why, Sovereign of Music, We thought it quite fitting if they were punished through the same sins they indulged in so carelessly.

When We and our infernal forces stormed their holiest cities and realms on their final day of reckoning, what We saw filled us with such disgust, We chose to wipe the pantheon off the face of this world, down to the very memory of their existence. Even to this day, not one in Our glorious and depraved empire can quite remember their former divine sovereigns. If they did, it is only as inept fools and monsters.
Unperson: This is their final fate In-Universe. In addition to being subjected to horrific Karmic Deaths and untold agonized suffering inside her stomach, the pantheon would have even the memory of their existence wiped out when Iniquitous destroyed/raided their divine realms, palaces, and sanctuary-cities. Highhaven in particular was destroyed utterly by a falling divine palace, demoralizing the Malrègnarian Pantheon's followers and champions while turning Highhaven into a cursed, eternally-smoldering ruin. Residents of the Malrègnar Empire can only remember the Malrègnarian Pantheon as inept fools and monsters because of Iniquitous' efforts. And according to Blue Suede Heartstrings, their divine realms were also later converted by Iniquitous into Hell-Realms that serve as extremely cruel mockeries of what they once were, each reflecting the worst flaws and sins of their former owners, just to rub it in even further.
You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!: It has been stated and acknowledged In-Universe that the deities of the Malrègnarian Pantheon were among the strongest and most benevolent and virtuous in the local realms. Unfortunately, they became so arrogant, entitled, and complacent that they selfishly and carelessly indulged in their own vices, refusing all chances to redeem themselves until it was too late. Iniquitous does entertain the possibility of the Malrègnarian deities choosing to atone for their mistakes and actually useing their powers for good, but she ultimately concludes that it is futile to brood over the past.

"The Slothful Messenger"

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Travelers, Roads, Explorers, Traders

Rank: Divine ([???])

Anthropomorphic Personification: In life, he was a Celestial Griffon god who embodied Travelers, Roads, Explorers, and Traders.
Evil Counterpart: He could be seen as one to Prince Sparkling Wing from the Church of the Stars. While both are young gods who were Brilliant, but Lazy, the "Slothful Messenger" carelessly indulged in his laziness instead of attending to his divine duties, refusing all chances to learn the importance of responsibility until it was too late. Prince Sparkling Wing was prevented from going down the same path thanks to benevolent figures like Luminiferous, Queen Dazzleglow, and Emperor Golden Scepter, who all helped him overcome his own laziness (and the issues that created it) so he could grow into his full potential.
Fatal Flaw: He had two when he was alive.
- He was the fastest and quickest of the gods, yet extremely immature and lazy. While he protected those who traveled the world and the paths they took, he hated making an effort and preferred to goof off and play. As a result, the roads in his jurisdiction were plagued with monsters and raiders, and people became too scared to even leave their homes.
- He was also a Dirty Coward. Being a messenger god, he had the potential to outrun and outsmart Iniquitous and her infernal forces, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted. Unfortunately, he often used his speed to turn tail when faced with danger; this is what leads to his death when he tried running away from Iniquitous, selfishly abandoning his divine allies, servants, and children to a most gruesome fate so he could protect himself. As punishment, Iniquitous makes him so lethargic that he is reduced to zombielike apathy when she devours him.
Karmic Death: For his slothful approach towards his divine duties and his Dirty Coward tendencies, Iniquitous took him out by magically making him increasingly lethargic in both body and mind when he tried fleeing her coming presence to save his own skin. This left him completely vulnerable to being devoured by Iniquitous.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: After he had his vice of Sloth amplified to the point of being rendered completely lethargic in both body and mind, he would receive one from Iniquitous, who called him a "worthless, apathetic thing" who uncaringly shirked his duties when it suited him and abandoned those under his care to save himself. And for that, both his divinity and power shall be wielded by someone far more worthy: Iniquitous herself.
Vicearch Iniquitous: (taunting) If you had cared enough to do what mattered, what needs to be done, you would not be here as you are now. Now, all can see you as you truly are: A worthless, apathetic thing. You will receive what you deserve for your lack of effort: to be added to my dark glory, one more worthy to wield you power than you ever shall.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Part of his Dirty Coward tendencies is that he tends to run away to save his own skin instead of standing his ground when it counted. During Iniquitous' final battle with the remainder of the Old Malrègnarian Pantheon, he chose to flee instead of fighting her, leaving his angels, mortal champions, and demigod children to die. Iniquitous punishes him for his sins by magically making him lethargic in both body and mind, putting him in a pitiful, zombie-like state by the time she devours him.
Unperson: His final fate. Thanks to Iniquitous, people in Malrègnar only remember him as "the Slothful Messenger" due to how lazy and cowardly he was in life, both towards his divine duties and his mortal subjects.

Ceres, the Mother of Harvests/'The Gluttonous Gardener'

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Harvest, Plenty, Agriculture, Fertility, Motherhood

Rank: Divine ([???])

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: After being turned into an emaciated horror by Iniquitous and being set upon her own children, she begs Iniquitous to turn her back to normal, not wanting to devour her own beloved family in the throes of ravenous hunger. Iniquitous gloats that her situation is a rather fitting punishment considering how she ruthlessly exploited her own subjects/worshipers out of selfish gluttony.
Anthropomorphic Personification: In life, she was an Equine goddess who embodied Harvest, Plenty, Agriculture, Fertility, and Motherhood.
Disproportionate Retribution: Deconstructed. She was known to dish these out, punishing worshippers who failed to meet her strict quotas for their supposed laziness and 'wasting' her blessings, all while failing to give back (even in times of famines and starvation), and ignoring that she and her children had little need of her stocks (which were already quite bloated). One instance had her punishing a peasant who struggled to produce enough harvests to feed themselves and placate Ceres' increasing gluttony by cursing said peasant, their family, and their children's families to be unable to feel full and grow plants no matter where they went.
Entitled Bastard: Deconstructed. While she originally wasn't this, she slowly became entitled to rewards that she felt she deserved after centuries of providing for her mortal worshipers, which was largely thanks to the toxic influence of the 'Prideful King'. This led to her working her own worshipers and subjects like slaves, making them grow bountiful produce to fill her quota while giving them so little of her own stock in return, even though she actually had little need of her own stocks. Iniquitous punished her by turning the goddess into an emaciated monstrosity that devoured everything and everyone in sight, including her own children, before she devoured her in turn as a vermin swarm.
Fatal Flaw: Gluttony was hers. As she continued watching the lands under her pantheon's jurisdiction, she slowly became greedy and entitled, feeling that she deserved rewards for working so hard to provide for her mortal worshipers. This caused her to work her worshipers like slaves, making them grow bountiful produce to fill her quota while giving them so little of her own stock in return, even though she actually had little need of what she wanted.
Karmic Death: For her gluttonous greed, Iniquitous transforms her into an emaciated horror that's constantly devouring everything and everyone (including her own children) to satisfy her own ravenous hunger, despite tearfully pleading for Iniquitous to make her stop. Iniquitous gloats about the many times she selfishly ignored the pleading of her starving subjects, before devouring the goddess herself in the form of a vermin swarm.
Karmic Transformation: For gluttonously hoarding food and other resources for herself and her divine/demi-divine children while leaving little to none for her mortal subjects, Iniquitous transformed her into an emaciated horror who is compelled to devour even her own family to satiate her ravenous hunger. Despite her tearful pleas to make her stop, Iniquitous gloats that if she hadn't selfishly ignored her subjects' pleading for food that they desperately needed to survive for centuries, then things wouldn't have come to this point.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: During her final moments as a ravenous, emaciated monster, she would receive one from Iniquitous, who impassively points out that her reaction was exactly how her own worshipers and subjects reacted when she treated them like slaves and then refused to give them the food they needed to survive.
Ceres: NO! Make me stop, please! Not my children! Don’t make me...!
Vicearch Iniquitous: (gloating) How many a desperate mother and child cried out to you, begging for sustenance that you neither need nor provide? How little had you cared for the efforts and wants of those who revered you, so focused you are of merely your own efforts and wants? Beg me not for deliverance, goddess of plenty. You and yours will soon be paying tribute to us with your very essence for eternity.
Unperson: Her final fate. Thanks to Iniquitous, people in Malrègnar only remember her as "the Gluttonous Gardener" due to how she gluttonously hoarded the agricultural bounties for herself and her children while giving so little to her mortal subjects.

"The Envious Artisan"

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Art, Music, Performance, Craft

Rank: Divine ([???])

Anthropomorphic Personification: In life, he was an Abyssinian god who embodied Art, Music, Performance, and Craft.
Fatal Flaw: Envy. He shared his domains with his sister, and was known to be jealous of the praise she received, not helped by her ignorance of his feelings. Iniquitous preyed on his envy during their fight, goading him into turning on and murdering his own sister, sending him into a guilt-induced breakdown once he realized what he'd done. That was when Iniquitous turned into a serpent and swallowed him whole.
Karmic Death: Swallowed whole by Iniquitous in the form of a gigantic serpent.
My God, What Have I Done?: Reacts badly upon realizing he'd murdered his own sister, breaking down with guilt. Not that it helps him in the end.

"The Avaricious Smith"

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Forgers, Masons, Wealth, Prosperity

Rank: Divine ([???])

Anthropomorphic Personification: In life, he was a Diamond Dog god who embodied Forgers, Masons, Wealth, and Prosperity.
Fatal Flaw: Greed. Like Ceres, the 'Gluttonous Gardener', he developed greed and entitlement for material rewards in return for the various creations he forged for his mortal subjects. But in his case, he equated recognition and respect in how much treasures and wealth he received, and his impossibly high demands created widespread poverty and destitution in Malrègnar. This later became his undoing as, thanks to Iniquitous, he crippled the Malrègnarian Pantheon's divine armies by giving in to his greed and locking himself away in his own vaults, making many valuable weapons inaccessible. And thanks to another curse Iniquitous gave him, he would transform into a priceless statue, which would instantly crumble into precious minerals as soon as Iniquitous devoured the essence trapped within.
Forced Transformation: The curse Iniquitous inflicted on him a curse that turned him into a priceless statue the further he gave in to his own greed. it also counts as a Karmic Transformation, as he caused untold amounts of poverty and destitution with his nihilistic greed.
Karmic Death: For causing untold levels of poverty and destitution with his nihilistic greed, Iniquitous gave him and his children a very complex curse that transformed them into either priceless statues, Greed demons, and/or dragons the further they gave in to their inner greed. In the case of the 'Avaricious Smith', he was found as the former, and his statue crumbled into precious minerals the moment Iniquitous devoured his divine essence.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: While spending his final moments jealously defending his wealth before he turns into a statue of priceless minerals and gemstones, he would receive one from Iniquitous, who pointed out that if he had not been so greedy as to render his own worshipers/subjects financially destitute, he would not have lost everything.
"The Avaricious Smith": NO! I won't let you take it all away! It's mine, do you hear me?! IT'S ALL MINE - !!!
Vicearch Iniquitous: (mockingly) If you had not held your craft and wealth as tightly as you had, then maybe you would not had lost all of it to our own avarice. As it is... it is all mine, now. And so do YOU.

"The Lustful Prince"

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Civilization, Oracles, Healing, Plagues

Rank: Divine ([???])

Anthropomorphic Personification: In life, he was a Malrègnarian god who embodied Civilization, Oracles, Healing, and Plagues.
Double Standard: Rape, Divine on Mortal: Deconstructed. He was extremely hedonistic and lustful, and like deities of similar temperaments such as Phaetor of the Old Orosian Pantheon and Fik'iri of the Abyssinian Pantheon, he treated mortals like playthings to pleasure himself with and discard once he's grown tired of them. He is also capable of inflicting Disproportionate Retribution on innocent people if denied or offended. Because of his, both his mortal subjects and the realms he watched over suffered, devastated and destroyed by neverending heartbreak, dynastic conflicts, and decadence. He would end up paying for his sins when Iniquitous seduced in the form of an extremely beautiful Alicorn goddess, reducing him to a pitiful wretch who is hopelessly obsessed with her by the time she kills him.
The Evil Prince: His name is just 'The Lustful Prince', his real name erased by Iniquitous after his death. In life, he was an extremely hedonistic, lustful, and callous god who had his way with numerous mortals and treated them like his personal playthings to use and discard at will, never caring about the heartbreak and conflict he causes with his philandering. He is killed when Iniquitious manipulates his lustful tendencies by seducing him while disguising herself as an extremely beautiful Alicorn goddess, causing the 'Lustful Prince' to become so pitifully obsessed with her that he willingly let himself be drained of his divine essence via a kiss.
Expy: From what is implied, he seems to be one for Apollo. Much like Apollo, he is the divine embodiment of prophecy (as Oracles are related to prophecy and divination), as well as healing and disease, and can inflict both. They were also handsome gods with a very complicated love life, as they lustfully pursued anyone who caught their fancies and left behind a very long string of affairs that caused much suffering in the mortal planes. And like Apollo, he inflicted Disproportionate Retributions on innocents who denied or offended him.
Fatal Flaw: Lust. Much like the deceased members of the Old Orosian Pantheon, he was an extremely hedonistic and lustful god who pursued numerous affairs with both mortal commoners and nobles, who either suffered from heartbreak and dynastic conflicts upon being discarded, or were subjected to disproportionate fury if they refused his advances. For his crimes, Iniquitous seduced him while disguised as an extremely beautiful Alicorn, causing him to become so delirious and pitifully obsessed with her that he easily gave in, allowing her to drain out his divine essence with a kiss.
Healer God: Implied; one of his domains is Healing, which gives him Healing Hands.
Healing Hands: Implied; one of his domains is Healing.
Immortality Promiscuity: He's a god, which apparently made him believe he had the right to indulge in his hedonistic and lustful desires whenever he pleased. Like Phaetor of the Old Orosian Pantheon and Fik'iri of the Abyssinian Pantheon, he treated mortals like playthings to pleasure himself with and discard at will once he's grown tired of them, and has sired multiple illegitimate demi-divine children as a result. God forbid if a mortal refused his advances, because he'll harshly punish the offender for it. His many flings caused the Malrègnarian realms pre-Iniquitious to be plagued with dynastic conflicts, heartbreak, and extreme decadence. Fittingly, he meets his end when Iniquitous seduces him in the form of an extremely beautiful Alicorn, causing him to become so delirious and pitifully obsessed with her that he allowed her to drain his divine essence dry.
Plaguemaster: Implied; one of his domains is Plagues.
Seers: Implied. In life, he embodied Oracles as a concept, so he might have had precognitive powers and empowered his mortal followers with them as well.
Unperson: His final fate. Thanks to Iniquitous, people in Malrègnar only remember him as "the Lustful Prince" due to how he selfishly and uncaringly had his way with any mortal who managed to attract his lusts, leaving behind a lot of heartbroken lovers while devastating realms with plagues and dynastic conflicts.

"The Wrathful Warlord"

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: War

Rank: Divine ([???])

Anthropomorphic Personification: In life, he was a Minotaur god who embodied War.
Fatal Flaw: Wrath.
Karmic Death: Iniquitous magnified his clan's bloodlust and rage (himself included), causing them to turn on and slaughter each other. Such was his rage, once he had no opponents left, a glimpse of his own reflection was all it took to turn his axe upon himself.

"The Prideful King"

Classification: Ethereal

Portfolio: Sovereignty, Justice, Knowledge, Power

Rank: Divine ([???])

Anthropomorphic Personification: In life, he was a Unicorn god who embodied Sovereignty, Justice, Knowledge, and Power.
Evil Counterpart:
- He's one to the Vertusian god Humilité, who is known as "the Humble King". While both are leaders of their own pantheons, "The Prideful King" was so arrogant that he enabled both his own flaws and the flaws of his divine peers, and denied the very idea that he is a flawed being despite his successes as a ruler. Humilité was humble enough to acknowledge his own shortcomings and took steps to prevent his flaws and the flaws of his divine peers from raging out of control. This resulted in "The Prideful King" being killed/devoured by Iniquitous, his memory forgotten by even his own mortal worshipers, while Humilité was immortalized as a benevolent divine hero and sovereign in stories and monuments by his own mortal worshipers long after his death.
- He's also one to Blue Suede Heartstrings, being complete opposites of each other in almost every way. Notably, whereas Blue Suede hated being called 'King', the 'Prideful King' took pride in his position to the point where he grew stagnant. And whereas Blue Suede tried to instill benevolence and compassion into his students despite his own flawed nature, the 'Prideful King' enabled both his own flaws and the flaws of his peers with his arrogance and denial, causing them to become as bad as he was. Their respective behaviors later affected their fates - the 'Prideful King' died in complete ignominy at the hooves of Iniquitous, and is now only remembered for his worst sins, while Blue Suede received help from his loved ones in recovering from his flaws and traumas following a psychological breakdown, allowing him to become a respected divine Prince once he fully healed.
Fatal Flaw: Pride.
Shadow Archetype: He represents what happens if Blue Suede Heartstrings became arrogant and enabled his friends' worst vices with his toxic influence. The Malrègnarian Pantheon and the mortal realms he watched over slowly became corrupt thanks to him, creating the very circumstances that allowed Vicearch Iniquitous to come into existence. His pride also led to him refusing both local and outside help from other divines, ensuring that he would die alone, outnumbered, and in complete ignominy. Iniquitous would ensure he would be left forgotten by those who once worshiped him by erasing all traces of him, save for his worst flaws and sins.
Unperson: His final fate. Thanks to Iniquitous, people in Malrègnar only remember him as "the Prideful King" due to how he let his pride turned into belligerent arrogance, stubborn, and denial, enabling his divine peers to become as bad as he was, and dooming both his pantheon and the mortal Malrègnarian realms he once ruled over.

Other Residents

"The Nameless Fool"

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: TBA

Rank: Divine ([???])

A notable figure in Iniquitous' backstory. In life, he was a local Malrègnarian Fallen god who had a feud with the strongest local pantheon in the lands where Iniquitous was born, and wished to spread evil and malice across said lands and beyond them. He was so impressed with Iniquitous with her seemingly evil and depraved nature that he fell in love, which led to his rescue of Iniquitous when she was about to be overwhelmed and destroyed by the forces of good, and turned her into a demonic demigod. While grateful for both the rescue and boon, Iniquitous resented having to serve him as merely his consort (between indulging in Stupid Evil and being abusive despite seemingly 'loving' her), but still played along until she had an opportunity to weaken and turn on him. She would go on to devour him and his divine enemies to achieve godhood, and become all but unstoppable.

Arch-Enemy: He had a feud with the old Malrègnar pantheon for centuries, and in the last century of their existence, their conflict escalated to truly spectacular levels as the 'Nameless Fool' eventually got strong enough (with Iniquitous' help) to challenge them openly and collectively. Unfortunately for him and them, this allows Iniquitous to manipulate them all into exhausting each other with their petty conflict, weakening themselves so much that she could step in to defeat and devour them all.
Asshole Victim: Whatever you think of his ultimate fate, do remember that the 'Nameless Fool' was a completely unsympathetic asshole who totally had it coming.
And Now You Must Marry Me: After he rescued 'Demon Queen' Iniquitous from imminent defeat, he made her his consort. While Iniquitous was wary of him, he made it clear with a mentioned 'leverage' that she cannot refuse his proposal.
Bad Boss: Like your stereotypical Evil Overlord & God of Evil, he was this to his subordinates and followers, blaming them for his own failures and punishing them for the slightest failure or simply because it amuses him. This includes Iniquitous, who's his own freaking consort. She considers this another reason why she considers him an idiotic failure who has to go.
Beware the Silly Ones: While in hindsight he proved to be inadequate, he was still a dangerous threat to the old Malrègnar pantheon and to all the mortals of Malrègnar in his desire to corrupt and conquer the lands and spread his evil beyond, especially in the final century of conflict between him and the old Malrègnar pantheon. It's too bad (for him) that his consort Iniquitous proved to be much more dangerous and much less inept.
Domestic Abuse: Don't even for a moment feel sorry for him when his consort turned on and devour him. He was still abusive despite 'loving' her and in practice treat her as merely another powerful subordinate and possession. He has to use some sort of 'leverage' against her just to get her to marry him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Deconstructed, subverted or downplayed, depending on how one interprets his relationship with Iniquitous, whom he made her his consort. He rescues her because he admires her Evil nature and achievements, but thanks to being an Card-Carrying Villain evil bastard he was still abusive to her (like he does other subordinate under him), treats her like a minion despite being his consort, and as far as it can be determined only loved her as much as an evil god that seeks to corrupt, rule over and destroy all that is good and fully indulged in his evil nature is truly capable of. It's hinted that he was legitimately hurt when she betrayed him, but it's not like he didn't had it coming.
God of Evil: From what little we know of him, he's arguably a Deconstructed Character Archetype of one, showing exactly just how much of vicious, petty and self-destructive bastard a stereotypical God of Evil depicted in fiction would really be just by being him/herself. Being like Morgoth at his worst and Aku in general, he was fixated on corrupting, conquering and cremating all that is good and otherwise, doing many things for no reason other than For the Evulz and for his amusement. His indulgence in petty atrocities and capricious whims and letting his innate Evil nature reign over his actions in general nearly cost the mortal and diabolical forces of Evil in Malrègnar their war against the mortal and divine forces of Good (Who it should be noted are questionable in terms of character and competence themselves, while he himself had gotten stronger, with all that which it implies about his performance), and it was noted that Iniquitous manipulated and eventually turned on him partly because she knows his antics would eventually lead to his defeat anyway, and do not want to be dragged down with him.
Karmic Death: Courtesy of Iniquitous, who manipulated his conflict with the old Malrègnar pantheon until they practically crippled each other in a 'Final Battle', allowing her to betray and devour him to ascend to godhood. After all the atrocities he's implied to had committed as a destructive God of Evil as well as how badly he treated her, it cannot be argued he didn't deserve it.
Only Known By His Nickname: Was only remembered as the 'Nameless Fool', mostly for being such a stupid, evil bastard who wasted his chance to win to indulge in his own nature and reduced to little more than another stepping-stone for Iniquitous' rise to power.
Unholy Matrimony: Subverted between him and Iniquitous. Iniquitous never loved him, being wary of his disposition and not wanting to be controlled by anyone. It didn't help that throughout the century they were together, he treated her more like his most treasured property and powerful subordinate than an actual consort. She tried to steer him in the 'right' direction as their war with the forces of Good intensified, but he kept being the same Stupid Evil bastard he started out as, to their collective detriment. Eventually, Iniquitous had enough and turned on him.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Invoked. He was infamous in Malrègnar and had a rivalry/conflict with the greatest pantheon of the lands, but Iniquitous turned on and supplanted him as a much more dangerous Evil Overlord and worthy God of Evil, succeeding where he failed. He was such a Stupid Evil bastard that Iniquitous and Malrègnar made sure he would be forgotten long after Iniquitous devoured him and his enemies.

The 'Seven Sacrifices'

The Princelings' Father

Break His Heart to Save Him: There are hints from the implied conversations between them that Iniquitous had pushed him away after Her true identity was exposed.
Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?: Somehow, this humble farmer Pony managed to woo a disguised Vicearch Iniquitous and started a family with Her which produced seven children. Tragically, it did not last.
Go Mad from the Revelation: The revelation that his beloved wife was none other than Vicearch Iniquitous herself filled him with shock, horror and fear, and it's implied to have at least partly contributed to their relationship falling apart.
Good Parents: He was implied to have been a loving father, and even before leaving their lives forever he made sure to say his goodbyes to his children with Iniquitous, singing his children a lullaby as they sleep and leaving them something he made to remember him by. And remembered him they did, even thousands of years later.
Muggle: The father of the seven eldest Princelings of Vice was merely a mortal Pony farmer. This puts him in sharp contrast with both his (disguised) wife Vicearch Iniquitous and his children, who grew up and ascended to become like their mother.
Posthumous Character: The eldest seven Princelings of Vice are thousands of years old, and since their father was a mortal he is most likely dead.
Riddle for the Ages: His identity and relationship with Vicearch Iniquitous is lost to time and in Her silence. Most of the eldest seven Princelings of Vice were too young to remember him clearly, and the only memento they have of him is an amulet he made for them and a lullaby.
Unperson: After their relationship fell apart (either because he can't cope with realizing he fell in love with Vicearch Iniquitous or because Iniquitous pushed him away after Her identity was exposed) and he left their lives, Iniquitous never spoke of him again.
Wowing Cthulhu: Whatever this Pony did to impress Her, it was enough for (a disguised) Vicearch Iniquitous to start a family with him. One can only wonder what Iniquitous saw in him.

Characters / Codex Equus Malregnar Empire

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Empire of Malrègnar

Unhallowed Court

Character: Villainous

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Type: Anthropomorphic Embodiment, Magical Being, Equinoid Abomination, Meta-Being, Judge, Jury, Executioner

Faction: Malrègnar, Unhallowed Court

Grand Cabal

Infernal Circles

Character: Villainous

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Type: Corrupt Noble/Infernal Demoness/Treacherous Usurper/Dirty Coward

Faction: Empire of Malrègnar (Formerly), Infernal Circles (Formerly), Herself (Ultimately)

Vicelieges

Character: Villain

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Type: Evil Overlord/Spacetime Sorceress/Existence Devourer/Manipulative Schemer

Faction: Empire of Malrègnar (Grand Cabal/Viceliege)

Character: Villainous/Anti-Villainous

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Type: Artificial Superbeing, Visitor Hybrid, Elite Spellknight, Renowned Champion, Ascendant Viceliege

Faction: Empire of Malrègnar

Sable Synod

Forces of Malrègnar

Old Malrègnarian Pantheon

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Travelers, Roads, Explorers, Traders

Rank: Divine ([???])

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Harvest, Plenty, Agriculture, Fertility, Motherhood

Rank: Divine ([???])

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Art, Music, Performance, Craft

Rank: Divine ([???])

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Forgers, Masons, Wealth, Prosperity

Rank: Divine ([???])

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: Civilization, Oracles, Healing, Plagues

Rank: Divine ([???])

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: War

Rank: Divine ([???])

Classification: Ethereal

Portfolio: Sovereignty, Justice, Knowledge, Power

Rank: Divine ([???])

Other Residents

Classification: TBA

Portfolio: TBA

Rank: Divine ([???])

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