The Ones Who Couldn’t Be Saved
Fewer creatures in the Mortal Realms are more misunderstood than the Maelim. Their deeds are infamous and their being corrupted and twisted. They are rightly feared and reviled by the denizens of the Mortal Realms. Humans and Benelim have storied histories of conflicts with the Maelim over the centuries. Countless atrocities and wars waged by both sides. Angyls and True Nephilim view them with nothing but silent contemp. Daemons and certain deities see them as little better than pawns.
But no one hates Maelim more than themselves.
Their origins can be traced back to Godfall, just like the Benelim. The Gods desired to create a new breed of Nephilim, closer to human in size. By the time the Second War in the Heavens began, these recently dubbed Novalim were spirits without a physical form. When Godfall concluded the war, the Novalim were engulfed by a torrent of magical energy. The baleful power ravaged their sprits, twisting and corrupting them. The Gods rushed to salvage them as well as give them their bodies at last.
But not all of them could be saved. Some were too badly damaged, others the Gods were simply too late. Their physical forms were misshapen and deformed. Some were on the cusp of madness and others went feral. Some didn't outwardly show the symptoms right away, chief among them was a Maelim known only as the Mad King. But the degradation was inevitable. The Mad King was friends with the first of the Benelim, soon to-be High King Ioannis. Together they tried to heal the Maelim, but all their attempts failed. Not even the Gods could save them, Whenever Terra tried, all she did was make them further twisted. Their essence was set in stone, altering it further could only make it worse.
Legend says before the corruption was complete, The Mad King wished for Ioannis to put him out of his misery. No one knows for sure if he honored those wishes.
A Life of Brutality and Tragedy
The life of the Maelim is one of tragedy and bitterness. Like Benelim, they are seemingly ageless or at least incredibly long lived, although most Maelim don't like that long. Their physical form is wracked by deformities and abomination but even worse it their mind and spirit. Each and every Maelim has a distinct feeling of uncanniness in their very being. A wrongness that frightens them and angers them. They are foul, bitter and spiteful. They are mentally unstable and abrasive which in turn leads to no end of hardship and strife.
Most see no chance for hope or prosperity so they give into their vices. Some drink themselves into a stupor, many others take up arms and lash out against all in their path. These Maelim often join together as warbands and cause untold suffering. Compounding matters is a development that is almost in mockery of the Benelim Lifesongs.
The self-loathing among Maelim is so extreme they usually don't even have names. As a result, the only time a Maelim can stand out is through deeds, usually those of violence and death. An aspiring warlord could gain a Moniker of Infamy through strength of arms and cruelty. A title that signifies them as an opponent to be feared. Examples include 'The Butcher', 'The Ravager', and 'The Beast'. Many Maelim aspire to live up to these legacies causing untold harm as a result.
Maelim often find themselves pawns of greater powers. Maelim are warlike and fearsome, which has proven desirable to criminals as powerful as deities to as common as humans and Benelim. Sometimes they do this willingly, sometimes it is a deal made out of fear.
Flickers of Hope
