What did Malack do that made Nale hate him so much?

[Super Evil User]

Obviously, it can't be that he's a vampire - Nale's lover is a fiend and he has worked for a lich before.

Will we ever learn what Malack did to Nale, now that both of them are six feet under?

[Keltest]

I suspect that it was just Nale being racist and creeped out by Malack being a vampire, though I recognize that isn't exactly supported by his actions towards Durkon. Maybe he just felt threatened by Malack's presence in his father's team at all.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I don't know if there is a rational reason. Perhaps he hated him because he was friends with his father?

[Steward]

Huh, I never thought about that. Nale really did have more than the usual amount of hatred for Malack. I never hear him seething about Tarquin's other allies like that. He seems to hate Malack as much as he hates Elan.

[Nilehus]

My guess is something as simple as "Walking in on Malack feeding off of someone, possibly someone Nale liked."

That'd be extremely traumatizing for a child.

[Keltest]

My guess is something as simple as "Walking in on Malack feeding off of someone, possibly someone Nale liked."

That'd be extremely traumatizing for a child.

I would think that finding out that your Dad's best friend is dead would be traumatizing in and of itself. Especially if you were raised to consider said best friend to be like family, as Nale's "Auntie" Laurin comment seems to indicate.

[Nilehus]

I would think that finding out that your Dad's best friend is dead would be traumatizing in and of itself. Especially if you were raised to consider said best friend to be like family, as Nale's "Auntie" Laurin comment seems to indicate.

Ah, yeah, I didn't make that clear. Nale, I'm guessing, didn't know that Malack was a vampire until the event.

Malack used to tutor Nale, as well. Finding out that your uncle, that has taught you however much over the years, is an undead vampire... That'd be pretty scary.

[Keltest]

Ah, yeah, I didn't make that clear. Nale, I'm guessing, didn't know that Malack was a vampire until the event.

Malack used to tutor Nale, as well. Finding out that your uncle, that has taught you however much over the years, is an undead vampire... That'd be pretty scary.

Certainly that would be one of the worst ways to find out about it, although assuming that Malack was telling the truth when he said that he feeds off of prisoners that their empire(s) capture and sentence to death, I doubt that is something that Nale would just walk in on without Malack being prepared for it.

[Nilehus]

I personally took that with a grain of salt. It may be where he got the majority of his sustenance, but every now and then, he probably wanted a fresh meal, not one in a plastic baggy or box.

He certainly doesn't have any moral qualms about it, so seemed to me just a matter of practicality... And quite a lot of people splurge every now and then. I don't see Malack as any different.

Edit: I'm not really sure how Nale would've walked in on it or whatever, but it did seem to me to be personal. Not generic "Taking Daddy's attention away", he had no problem with Laurin from what we saw. Wasn't "Evil Undead monster", he was in a relationship with Sabine and had no issues with Durkon. It felt like something that Malack had personally done.

[Keltest]

I personally took that with a grain of salt. It may be where he got the majority of his sustenance, but every now and then, he probably wanted a fresh meal, not one in a plastic baggy or box.

He certainly doesn't have any moral qualms about it, so seemed to me just a matter of practicality... And quite a lot of people splurge every now and then. I don't see Malack as any different.

granted, although I am going to be extremely disappointed with Rich if he goes beyond that one shot joke about the goblin with the good tasting gouda-blood, and turns different flavors into a whole thing vampires do.

[Gift Jeraff]

Some readers pointed out that Nale being 9 years old would've been close to Miron's 12-year old favor for Tarquin.

[Nilehus]

I meant it as the difference between canned corn and fresh corn on the cob. Sure, both technically are the same, but one is definitely better because it didn't sit in a warehouse for weeks.

I do hope he doesn't make that joke, though. That'd be kind of... Lame.

[Keltest]

I meant it as the difference between canned corn and fresh corn on the cob. Sure, both technically are the same, but one is definitely better because it didn't sit in a warehouse for weeks.

I do hope he doesn't make that joke, though. That'd be kind of... Lame.

Buffy/Angel started going downhill once they added things like blood flavoring. I could get behind biting a druggie to get the high, but blood with cinnamon in it? No. Bad writers.

[Nilehus]

Yeah... That was a dumb joke they should've let die.

I did like how the Old World of Darkness played it. It wasn't 'flavor' or anything specifically, but quality definitely varied. You weren't going to get the same fulfillment from a hobo that you'd get from a doctor or politician, for example.

[ORione]

Given Nale's personality, I imagine it was something like, "forgot his birthday that year."

[Trubbol]

Personally, I was thinking along the line of step-mothers, knowing the father of the year, Nale must have gone through several moms.

[Super Evil User]

Malack used to tutor Nale, as well. Finding out that your uncle, that has taught you however much over the years, is an undead vampire... That'd be pretty scary.

He doesn't seem scared about working for another undead abomination, or bumping uglies with a demon.

[Kareasint]

My guess is this: Panel seven. Malack sided with Tarquin when Nale wanted to take over the kingdom instead of putting the puppet on the throne. Nale has "issues" with people who deny him what he wants.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Given Nale's personality, I imagine it was something like, "forgot his birthday that year."

That would be funny.

[Darth Paul]

My guess is this: Panel seven. Malack sided with Tarquin when Nale wanted to take over the kingdom instead of putting the puppet on the throne. Nale has "issues" with people who deny him what he wants.

I believe you have hit the Nale on the head with this response.

Also there's the fact that Malack's long-term goal for the continent would overshadow Nale's goal of being a supreme ruler. And we know how Nale hates being pushed out of the limelight. I expect he saw Malack's children as rivals to his ascension.

[dancrilis]

I would assume that Nale the child was not as evil as Nale the adult.

So one of my thoughts is that one of Tarquin's wives treated him well and kindly, and Malack killed her (possible as a favour to Tarquin to make way for another one).

The second thought is that Nale as a child was acting up and Malack dominated him to shut him up and make him behave - knowing Nale's personality that absolute lack of control over himself would have stuck with him for life, and caused Malack to be the most hated person around for him. Malack would likely not even remember it as a noteworthy event.

Of the two I suspect that the latter is more likely - if someone override my control over myself I might be pretty pissed too.

[Keltest]

I would assume that Nale the child was not as evil as Nale the adult.

So one of my thoughts is that one of Tarquin's wives treated him well and kindly, and Malack killed her (possible as a favour to Tarquin to make way for another one).

The second thought is that Nale as a child was acting up and Malack dominated him to shut him up and make him behave - knowing Nale's personality that absolute lack of control over himself would have stuck with him for life, and caused Malack to be the most hated person around for him. Malack would likely not even remember it as a noteworthy event.

Of the two I suspect that the latter is more likely - if someone override my control over myself I might be pretty pissed too.

That actually seems incredibly plausible. As a child his ability to resist would be lower than Belkar's, premature facial hair or no.

[Werbaer]

My guess is this: Panel seven. Malack sided with Tarquin when Nale wanted to take over the kingdom instead of putting the puppet on the throne. Nale has "issues" with people who deny him what he wants.

Nale hated Malack since he was nine. The event you mention happened just tow years ago.

[Keltest]

Nale hated Malack since he was nine. The event you mention happened just tow years ago.

Its also not an exclusive club. He didn't seem to murderously hate Laurin or Miron when they showed up.

[Khay]

I would assume that Nale the child was not as evil as Nale the adult.

So one of my thoughts is that one of Tarquin's wives treated him well and kindly, and Malack killed her (possible as a favour to Tarquin to make way for another one).

The second thought is that Nale as a child was acting up and Malack dominated him to shut him up and make him behave - knowing Nale's personality that absolute lack of control over himself would have stuck with him for life, and caused Malack to be the most hated person around for him. Malack would likely not even remember it as a noteworthy event.

Of the two I suspect that the latter is more likely - if someone override my control over myself I might be pretty pissed too.

That actually seems incredibly plausible. As a child his ability to resist would be lower than Belkar's, premature facial hair or no.

This makes a lot of sense, yeah. For added drama, combine that with some of the other theories - Nale walks in on Malack feeding, tries to stop him, Malack dominates him and forces him to leave - and there you go, you have a perfectly reasonable explanation. I mean, it's either going to be this or disproportionate revenge for quasi-imagined slights again ("Hey Uncle Malack, can we go to the zoo?" - "Not today." - "NOBODY DENIES ME!") but I feel Nale has already met his quota there.

[Kish]

No one but possibly Rich knows or likely will know, barring a Linear Guild/Vector Legion prequel, which is a possibility.

Generally, people's speculations fall in one of two categories: "Something seriously horrible, because Malack was seriously horrible" or "Something laughably petty, because Nale was laughably petty."

[Keltest]

No one but possibly Rich knows or likely will know, barring a Linear Guild/Vector Legion prequel, which is a possibility.

Generally, people's speculations fall in one of two categories: "Something seriously horrible, because Malack was seriously horrible" or "Something laughably petty, because Nale was laughably petty."

I have a hard time imagining "Something seriously horrible, because Nale was laughably petty."

Ok, that's not true, I just have a hard time not laughing at the idea.

"Malack probably killed a person and made Nale bury the body or something. That's totally the kind of thing Nale would get mad at him for."

[Gwen]

Nale can't stand it when people make him look bad, even when the slights are only semi-plausible and quasi-imagined. He also likes to show off, and to gloat, and we've seen how the soldiers in Tarquin's employ treat the general's son (because they know what will happen to them and their families if they damage him). I think when you put those factors together, literally all Malack would have had to do to earn Nale's undying ire would be to make a cutting remark at the wrong time and in front of the wrong people.

Spoiler: Click for some moderately lengthy speculation. I, uh, may have already given this topic rather a lot of thought.

Show

Maybe Nale was showing off to his father something from whatever class he would eventually be putting his first level in--a cantrip, a sneaky knife move, whatever--and Malack made a dismissive comment about how Tarquin flattered him too much for such meager achievement. Maybe Nale did something rash (or evil, or just stupid) that endangered the group's position; he didn't think anything would come of it because he'd always gotten away with such things before, but Malack pushed the issue until Tarquin conceded that Nale needed to be punished so he wouldn't repeat the action. I really don't think it would have taken much, just the wrong word at the wrong time such that Nale was left feeling belittled or cut down when he was expecting to be praised or vindicated. And seeing as Malack wouldn't care that Tarquin's idiot son disliked him, thus wouldn't have felt any need to try and smooth things over, it just got worse.

Nale's plainly obsessive in his hatreds, so what would normally have been just a simple childhood embarrassment was instead remembered as a massive humiliation. And to make it worse, if he brought it to his father's attention, Tarquin probably just laughed it off, or told him to man up! I would not be at all surprised if Malack's impatience with Tarquin's playing at family and over-indulgence of his son was one of the earliest wedges between Nale and Tarquin. Tarquin would likely have spoiled Nale rotten, so the first time he took his son down a notch on Malack's word (again, just my hypothesis), it probably came out of nowhere to Nale and he never forgave either of them. But since Malack instigated, he's the one who bore the brunt of Nale's increasingly determined/deluded murderous intentions, starting as the elaborate revenge fantasies of the spoiled child of a dictator, and in time becoming the meticulous plans of an adult adventurer with nothing but time for people who slight him.

On a not-very-related note, Nale's incomparably gigantic ego has actually always been my thought as to why he has levels in three different classes: fighting, spellcasting and roguery put together cover the broad bases of being a badass adventurer, meaning there's no area in which he'll look a complete fool if he's ever there forced to make a showing. It amuses me to think about a young Nale running around trying to decide which class he should start training for and having trouble with it because, going on the convincingly high-levelled showings of the rest of the Vector Legion, they're all just so cool!

[137beth]

Certainly that would be one of the worst ways to find out about it, although assuming that Malack was telling the truth when he said that he feeds off of prisoners that their empire(s) capture and sentence to death, I doubt that is something that Nale would just walk in on without Malack being prepared for it.

Malack eats in his private chambers
, so it is possible that Nale walked in uninvited and saw.

[Keltest]

Malack eats in his private chambers
, so it is possible that Nale walked in uninvited and saw.

Emphasis on private. Malack is a cleric, so I doubt that he just leaves his door unlocked when he is eating.