Malek was born in the Krassian city of Kalorah, where his father was a local Magistrate

and his mother was a Seeker. He spent his childhood learning the law that binds the "Sisters"
together, as well as the ways of the Illuminated Order. His parents hoped he would become a
Seeker and take a seat among the Magistrates. Unfortunately, Malek had little interest in his
parents' design for his future. He spent his free time dodging bullies, learning to use his small
size to his advantage. Eventually he coupled this with self-training in stealth, to spy on
conversations. When his parents weren't home, Malek would rifle through their belongings. He
learned quickly to cover his tracks by putting everything back exactly where he got it. He earned
a reputation for being odd by paying attention to (and sometimes memorizing) the minutiae that
most children his age ignored. He also had a longer than normal attention-span. He could stay
focused on a given task (regardless of how mundane) for hours, days, weeks, or even months
without ever deviating, until the task was done. By the time he was 10 years old, he was the hub
of the "gossip trade" in Kalorah. If anyone said or did anything, Malek knew about it.
Then one day, when Malek was 11, his father was called to be a Lord Magistrate. This
meant he would have to travel between the "Sisters" to try larger, more important cases. Usually
Malek's mother stayed home while his father was gone, sometimes though, she went along. It
was on such an occasion that disaster struck. Malek's father tried a case in Valoria in which the
defendant (an outsider) was found to be guilty of smuggling and selling stolen goods. He was
sentenced, justly and accordingly with the law, to 10 years imprisonment there-after to be
banished from the vicinity of the "Sisters" for the rest of his existence (meaning, after his release
from the Valorian prison, he could no longer legally come within 50 miles of Valoria, Kalorah,
or Serenia; which would nearly be a death sentence to any legitimate merchant). Even though it
was known the defendant's accomplices were still at large, his threats against Malek's father (and
the city of Valoria) were ignored. At some point during the week that Malek's parents were still
in Valoria, the defendant's friends found the inn they were staying at, broke in, and cut both their
throats. They then proceeded to the city jail and "rescued" their comrade. When Malek got this
news, he was heart-broken. Something changed inside him that day. A neighbor, and friend of
the family, volunteered to take care of Malek to keep him out of the orphanage.
Everyday Malek grew a bit more sullen, more withdrawn, more…cold. Eventually he
became volatile and violent. He had a newly acquired sadistic streak. He fought with the other
children for the shear sake of hurting them, and, to a certain extent, to toughen himself. He
refocused his gossip network to watch for the outsiders to return. He knew they would probably
never return to Valoria, but no one could stay out of all of the "Sisters" forever. By the time
Malek was 12, the kindly neighbor, fearing for the safety and well-being of his true family, gave
Malek up to the orphanage. Malek seemed unshaken by this, as though it neither surprised nor
concerned him. In the orphanage he only got worse as he proved to everyone, "no one can
control Malek but Malek". Before long at the orphanage, he was regularly sneaking out at night,
and sneaking back in by morning. No one ever caught him at night, and no one dared wake him
in the morning. He also picked up a few other "unsavory" habits, like stealing. When he saw
something he wanted, he took it. When, if, the "rightful" owner saw it in Malek's possession and
tried to take it back, Malek would beat them until they agreed that he could have it. In many
ways he had become the bullies he used to hide from, in other ways he had become much worse.
Then when he was 15, his diligence paid off. The outsiders returned to the "Sisters" as he
knew, eventually, they would. The night he discovered this, Malek broke out of the orphanage
for what would be the last time. He embarked on a mission of revenge. Over the course of
several days Malek traveled to Serenia, where the outsiders were reported to be. He questioned
several residents on their exact where-abouts within the city (armed only with a sketch of the
defendant that the Valorian Guard had made all those years ago). Through many rouses on his
part, and a lot of luck, Malek managed to track them to the inn they were staying at. He watched
them for a few hours while they discussed their plans to leave the city, heading for Kalorah.
Malek decided that he would get them in Kalorah. For the days that followed, he shadowed
every move they made. Every day's travel, every campsite, every fight along the way, Malek
studied his prey, learning all he could about them. Malek memorized every weakness they
displayed. He watched their interaction with each other. He learned how they worked together
in a crisis. He even learned personal things about them.
The defendant's name was Alex, he was the leader of the group, and the captain of the
vessel they all lived and traveled on. He had no family outside of his crew and the many
girlfriends he had in the many cities he had visited. He seemed a pirate of sorts, and being an
outlaw was not new to him.
His second's name was Pete, who was the First Mate of their vessel. Pete also had no
attachments outside the crew of their ship. He was attentive to detail and served as Alex's
memory when the need arose. Raiders had killed Pete’s family when he was young.
Michael was a friend of theirs to be sure, but overall didn't seem very high in the ship's
hierarchy. He had a new wife at a port they frequented (a place called Brawl or The Rock) who
was pregnant with their first child. He wanted to leave the ship to be with his new family, but at
the same time he seemed loath to leave his “old family".
The last of the group was called Dim. If he had another name it was never used or
mentioned. He was the biggest of them all, not too bright though. He seemed little more than a
ship hand. It appeared that the only reason he was with them was to be fodder for what ever
beset them on the road. He was obviously used for his strength (as a pack animal usually), and
he was too stupid to notice.
When the group arrived in Kalorah, Malek decided that they would have 3 days to enjoy
it (as a way of atoning to Michael's family for killing him). On the third night, Malek followed
them to their inn, and waited outside until he saw the light in their room go out. When he was
positive they were asleep, Malek scaled the wall up to their window and climbed inside. He
killed Dim first, by cutting his throat. Malek cut him deeply enough that he could not scream or
cry out, then covered his face with a pillow to prevent the others from hearing his dying gurgles.
Dim floundered about terribly, it was shear luck that he didn't knock something over and wake
the others. While Malek sat atop the great dying heap, he couldn't help wondering if this is what
his father had looked like while he was dying. After Dim's futile flailing had ceased, Malek
moved on to Michael. He paused long enough to whisper a Prayer for the dead and their
surviving family that his mother had taught him. Michael died with much less trouble, though he
did still struggle. Next was Pete. Unfortunately, while Pete was thrashing about, he managed to
knock Malek off of him. The resulting "thud" on the floor, plus the sound of Pete knocking over
a nightstand, then falling to the floor himself, was enough to wake Alex. Thinking quickly,
Malek rolled under Alex's bed. Alex looked around; saw the other three dead, the window
opened, and no trace of the assassin. He hurriedly gathered his most necessary belongings and
left. After Malek's temper tantrum on Pete's body and cursing fit were over, he rummaged
through the things that Alex had left behind. Among them he found a manifest for their ship.
Malek took the manifest, and what remained of their money, and then escaped through the
window, closing it behind him.
 Malek left the city that night. He went just far enough away to not be connectable to the
crime. At his campsite, he studied the manifest. Among other things, it contained the name of
the ship and its floor plan. Malek berated himself for days over allowing Alex to escape.
Approximately one week after the murders, Malek returned to Kalorah. He rented the same
room they had stayed in. While in Kalorah, he got in touch with his network of informants to
determine if Alex was still in one of the "Sisters", and if not, which direction he had fled in. One
morning, Malek found a black silk neck pouch on his nightstand. Opening it, he discovered a
note addressed to him. The message invited Malek to meet someone who may be able to help
him in his quest at an abandoned warehouse in Valoria. Upon further examination of the bag, he
discovered a single black thread that formed the letter "J" on the outside of the bag. After
Malek's years of information gathering, he new the symbol of the Jovan Rogues' Guild for what
it was. He was confused however, about why they knew of or cared about Alex. Within a few
hours Malek's curiosity and hatred overwhelmed him. He decided, "the enemy of my enemy is
my ally", and headed out for Valoria.
Upon reaching Valoria, Malek rented a room and set out to find the warehouse. Later
that afternoon, he found the building he was looking for. It was run down, uncharacteristically
so for Valoria, and had no obvious ways in. Malek walked a complete circuit around the
warehouse then went back to his inn room. He had found a window on the second floor, (if the
building could truly be said to have "floors") which was not as tightly boarded up as the others.
That night, dodging guard patrols, Malek returned and entered the second story window. Once
inside, Malek paused for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. When he was satisfied with his
ability to see, he carefully picked his way down the loose boards and ramshackle cat-walks that
composed the second story of the warehouse and the "ladders" down. As he climbed down he
noticed, that the building was in better repair inside than it was outside. Upon reaching the
ground, he began searching the room for his "host". Finding nothing, he decided that he must be
early, so he sat down to wait. No sooner than he was seated did he hear, "I was beginning to
wonder if you were coming." Malek started at the hushed voice in the silence, it sounded as loud
as a window shattering to him. Malek responded, "I was beginning to think this was a prank."
Malek's "host" emerged from the shadows, smiling.
"I am Arach, and I assure you the message you received was most sincere."
"I am Malek, and I would like it if you would dispense with the pleasantries and tell me
what you summoned me here to tell me. Every moment you waste on 'hi, how are ya' puts Alex
that much further away, and that's kind of counter to my goals at this point."
"Relax, Alex has already eluded you. Besides, he knows you're coming now and you are
not ready for a victim who knows he's a victim."
"What care you of my preparedness, and what know you of my abilities?"
"I saw your work in Kalorah. You have talent, but without training you are raw and wild.
Think of yourself as a gemstone. Rough and unfinished it still has value, but how much greater
is that value once the stone has been cut and polished by a craftsman. You are a raw gem; I am a
gem cutter. I can turn you into a jewel, but you must have patience."
"I thought you wanted to help me realize my vengeance, not spout poetic philosophy
about murder. I apologize that we have wasted each other's time, but I still have a bastard to kill,
so if you have no useful information to offer, I'll be going."
"There's just one problem, you know my name and face. That makes you a potential
informant, thus a liability." Arach drew a short sword from a hidden scabbard beneath his cloak,
"We Jovan are ever so thorough in eliminating liabilities."
 Malek tried to draw his own sword to defend himself, and noticed with great distress that
it was missing. Then came the horrible realization that Arach had just drawn it from beneath his
cloak. In the midst of terror Malek found himself in amazement over how Arach did that.
Thrusting up his hands and backing away, Malek asked, "Isn't there some way I can
assure you that your identity is a secret I will guard with my life?"
Never slowing his advance, Arach responded, "There are only two. One, I kill you now.
Two, you take an oath of loyalty and become Jovan. I know; it's a hard choice. I don't make the
rules, I just enjoy enforcing them."
"Done! What is the oath?"
Arach stopped and smiled, "We have a long way to go before we get to that, but I'm glad
you finally decided I have 'useful' information. As I said you are a gem, I would have hated
killing you."
After very little more discussion, Arach blind-folded Malek to lead him to the secret
Jovan training ground.
Over the next few months (almost a year), Malek received training in the art of
assassination from Arach (as well as the occasional philosophy lesson). After Arach was
satisfied with Malek's progress, and attitude, he returned his weapons and gave him the oath they
had discussed that night in the warehouse. Malek was then turned over to the assassins' guild for
further training. After nearly another year of group training, Malek was adopted into one of the
elite sub-guilds. As "luck" would have it, Arach was the guild master of the "Scorpion" guild of
assassins, and he sponsored Malek's membership. All this meant to Malek at the time was, more
training and a harder "final exam". Scorpions prefer hand held piercing weapons tipped with
poison as the means of "execution" of their contracts. Malek was taught to produce their poisons
and to use their weapons. When Malek was 17, "exam" day finally came. Arach personally
delivered Malek's first official target. It was a new Lord Magistrate from Serenia. Malek's head
swam at this news. Arach saw this and explained that all jobs are not ideal, but all jobs must be
done. He explained that Malek was no longer the raw corundum that he had found so long ago,
now he was a cut and polished Jovan sapphire; a jewel among assassins. With these words of
encouragement, Malek set out to create another orphan.
 The job took only a few weeks to complete, including travel time. Malek's only
risk was taking the time to browse the Magistrate's house to see how many vengeful
spirits he was about to loose. The family seemed to be an exact duplicate of his own. He
wondered if this target was chosen by that fact alone or if the man actually deserved this
fate. The job did not go off without a "hitch". Malek whispered his mother's prayer for
the dead just before he killed the Magistrate, just as he had for Michael. The Magistrate
was a lighter sleeper than Michael had been, and than Malek had anticipated. During the
prayer the Magistrate woke up. Honestly the only difference it made was dying with his
eyes open instead of closed, but the experience shook Malek nonetheless. When Malek
returned to the guild in Valoria, they already knew of his success. Malek withdrew from
his guild mates as soon as he could. In his own quarters he performed a ritual his mother
had described the Healers doing for dead soldiers whose bodies could not be found or
were in no condition for proper post mortem procedures. Malek felt that he had killed his
father, and during his ritual he "buried" a part of himself. When he emerged from his
chambers on his "graduation" day a couple of days later, he was truly a cold-blooded
contract killer. From then on, only one thing ever got his heart pounding with feeling,
news of Alex (and that feeling was pure hatred). Malek's "graduation" ceremony
consisted of his receipt of a black silk neck pouch, which contained a copper coin minted
by the Jovan. The coin was a symbol of his status and rank within the overall guild. He
also received a tattoo of a scorpion on his left breast and, at his own request, a tattoo of
the Jovan "J" on his left shoulder. On his right shoulder, he was tattooed with the symbol
of the Jovan assassins' guild.
Within a month of his "graduation", he caught news of Alex's return to the area.
Alex never went in any of the "Sisters", but he waited outside for his crew. Malek
requested permission to deal with him on the basis that he would be better able to
function without the constant distraction of searching for him. Permission was granted;
Malek left Valoria. He again traveled to Kalorah with the intent to kill Alex. By the time
Malek arrived, Alex had gone. He rode hard to catch up. They had gone north along the
river. Malek caught up with them as they were loading their ship with the supplies they
had purchased (or stolen) in Kalorah. Malek took his supplies and killed his horse so it
wouldn't make noise and give him away. All that afternoon he watched, waiting for the
moment he could strike. Afternoon turned to evening, turned to night and still he waited.
That night, after the crew stilled and went to sleep, Malek snuck aboard the ship. He
headed directly for the captain's quarters (he had memorized the floor plan of the ship
over the years). Then, in a sudden inspiration, Malek realized that this crew liked their
captain. Meaning that if he left the crew alive, they would probably hunt him down, so
he changed his course to go to the galley. His intent was to poison the food supply to kill
off the crew. While in the galley the ship lurched, throwing Malek hard against a
counter. When he awoke it was still night, but he was not still in the galley. He was in a
cell, head bandaged, and bereft of equipment. His boots had even been taken. Luckily
Malek always carried a spare set of picks hidden through-out his clothes in the many
folds and seems. These picks were old (being his first set) and at this point several were
worthless, but he had what he needed to pick the lock on his cell door. When he left his
cell, he crept to the supply room where he expected his belongings were stashed. He
picked the lock on that door too, destroying one of his picks in the process. He entered
and closed the door behind him. As he gathered his things (and then some), he heard an
alarm sound and the excited voices of the crew. Apparently one of the prisoners had
escaped. Malek hid his Jovan coin in a most uncomfortable (but nearly undiscoverable)
place. Almost immediately after pulling his pants back on, the door opened. He
managed to kill two crewmen before being knocked unconscious and returned to his
cell...naked except for his under breeches. Malek awoke again to the same cell. This
time however, he had company...guards. He noticed it was still nighttime. Looking out
the porthole in his cell he saw unfamiliar stars. A few days later it was still nighttime, he
began to get nervous. He tried to ask the guards about why the nights were so long, but
they weren't the conversational types. As near as Malek could figure, it was a week
before they made contact with anyone else. Of course the bad news was that the ship
they met was a slave ship. Malek was upset about being sold, unhappy about losing
everything he owned in the process, and angry that, again, Alex had slipped through his
fingers.
At the start of the game, Malek is a prisoner on a slave ship with no possessions
other than the Jovan coin he has cleverly hidden "in his person", and an intense hatred for
a man named Alex (who is the captain of a Spelljamming Galleon with a less than
scrupulous crew).