The Dust King

"You cannot know the strength it takes to rise to the apex of that vast, monstrous, impossible place. What feeble trials have your Waking "gods" endured?"

The Dust King is a Duskscape Regent of Tyranny, Avarice, War and Deals. Its demonic names included 'Malbolg the Tribeless' and 'The Prince of Violence' prior to taking the throne, though much of this period of its life has since been expunged. It is now the CCXXVI Supreme Pontifex of the great hive-metropolis of Dis. Having ruled for several hundred years, its reign appears to be unusually long and stable based on the (admittedly sparse) history of Disian cults on Waking Materia.

The Dust King is a famous denier of The Old Accords, whose signatories agree to the sovereign rights of dreaming and undead souls. Its policies on soul enslavement make it a particularly hated enemy of the Regent of Death's Sanctity, Overshepherd Rom, and their twelve Valkyries, who play a major role in the guidance and protection of passing souls. By the Supreme Pontifex's side is a chorus of near-equally powerful demons known as The Archbishops of Dis; common belief holds that there are twelve of them: a sort of ghastly mirror to Rom's Twelve Valkyries.

The Dust King's alignment is Lawful Evil.

Appearance & Heraldry

See also: The Dust King Image Gallery (External)

The Dust King has been known to take a variety of shapes, but it's a warrior at heart, and thus prefers the appearance of a standard (albeit imposing) humanoid demon of his species, in the finest Disian full plate. Its golden dragonbone greatsword, Testament, is always by its side or strapped to its back.

Worship

“Has your mother more than you?” says the false knight on the road.
“Oh, none of them for you,” says the wee boy and still he stood.
“I think I hear a bell,” says the false knight on the road.
“It’s ringing you to hell,” says the wee boy and still he stood.

— False Knight on the Road
trad.

The Supreme Pontifex of Dis is a great religious figure on both sides of the Veil.

On Waking Materia

Where Aiosian Paladins are agents of good, Umbraasian Greyguards are agents of order and V'Shaatian Dreadnoughts are agents of bravery, the Dust King’s Blackguards are agents in opposition to all three. Sometimes victims of great tragedies, other times born inexplicably evil, Malbolg’s Mortal Swords draw great power from their hatred of the Material world, seeking to punish its weak residents with servitude, in the Disian way.

Material cults of Malbolg and its “Twelve Archbishops” are common throughout Material history, though few grew to significant size due to infighting and a tendency towards isolationism.

Among Demonkind

Worshippers of the Dust King and the Archbishops, known typically as Disians, need not live in the metropolis. Indeed, Disian "leagues" or "sects" can be found in most demonic cities about the Near Umbra, particularly in Kloster Storkenfels and Sarkoldu'un-Imathratep.

Domains

Malbolg's primary Domain is Undeath. Its subdomains are Tyranny, Pain, Duty, Destruction and Fire.

Favoured Weapon

The Dust King's favoured weapon is the greatsword. Its Relic greatsword is named Testament.

History

The Dust King has allowed little record of its life before sitting the Diadem to survive. It is known Malbolg the Tribeless was a powerful swordsman, pyromancer and warlord, who wrested the throne from Supreme Pontifex CCXXV Jovia of the Emerald Dream several hundred Waking years ago. Jovia was known to also host Material cults, as did its predecessors.

Previous Supreme Pontiffs of Dis

Though surviving histories of Disian cults in the Second and First Ages are rare, archaeologists have pieced together an incomplete list of demonic demigods who have sat the Diadem, as well as their approximate reign in the Yasnan Calendar.

CCXXVI. The Dust King (late 2nd Age - Modern)
CCXXV. Jovia of the Emerald Dream (middle-late 2nd)
CCXXI?. Húm Quoth of Incertae Sedis (late 1st)
CCXIX?. Ducat Idol-Robber (middle 1st)

The Archbishops of Dis

Full article: The Archbishops of Dis

It is often thought the Dust King oversees twelve Archbishops to mirror the twelve Valkyries of Rom, but in truth its rule is supported by thousands of demonic and chimeric sycophants in a complex hierarchy; the “Twelve” are merely clergy that appeal most to certain appetites on Waking Materia. To most demons, Materia is a dimensional backwater barely worth acknowledging, and indeed even the Dust King’s empire mostly values it as a “back alley” source of undead bodies: a valuable resource in violation of The Old Accords.