Malkar Gennadion/Beaumont Livy/Brinviller Strych is the primary villain and antagonist in Mélusine and The Virtu. He is suspected to have lived far beyond a normal lifespan, and is an incredibly powerful and heretical wizard, who has no ethics. He is a sexual sadist, and has tortured both Felix Harrowgate and Mildmay, along with other characters in the narrative. Superficially he is charming and manipulative.
Appearance[]
Malkar Gennadion is described as a big, tall and bulky man with dark red-brown hair in a queue, with light brown eyes that Mildmay describes as clever and fake. In book two, his smile is described as being like a 'dog snarling.'
He wears rings on his fingers, but has no hand tattoos.
Personality[]
Sociopathic, cruel, sadistic and superficially charming and seductive. He is incredibly arrogant, which has been somewhat earned through hundreds of years of having power over others and frequently using it. He possesses no moral or ethical character, is a rapist, a murderer, a torturer, and enjoys destruction.
Openly sneers and disdains all religions. As a magical teacher, he was known to pit his students against each other, sometimes to the point of murder.
Life[]
As Beaumont Livy[]
Seduced Mavortian von Heber's fiancee, Anna Gloria Pietrin, and then abandoned her. This caused her to kill herself, and made Mavortian obsessed with revenge, which he involves Felix in during the series.
As Brinvillier Strych[]
Assassinated Stephen Teverius' grandmother. Abducted and tortured Mildmay.
Mélusine[]
At the beginning of Mélusine, Malkar appears to be stringing Victoria Teveria along in a relationship.
The Virtu[]
After Malkar rapes Felix to destroy the Virtu, Felix manages to repair it. After this, Malkar sends Felix a letter stating he is both proud of Felix, but also pities him for trying 'in vain' to do the right thing, he also confirms that Brinvillier Strych assassinated the grandmother of Stephen Teverius, and that Malkar was hoping Vey Coruscant would manage to do the same of Stephen Teverius.
Malkar has Vey send a letter to Felix challenging him to a deal, potentially as part of a ploy to have Felix kill Vey, but also so that Malkar can capture Felix. When Mildmay arrives and kills Vey in Felix's place, Malkar captures Mildmay and takes him back to the Bastion.
Malkar abducts and tortures Mildmay, though Mildmay only knows him by the name of Brinvillier Strych until later.
The Mirador[]
Skills[]
Malkar is an incredibly strong wizard, perhaps the strongest in the series outside of Felix Harrowgate. It is speculated that Malkar Gennadion is immortal or has magically augmented his lifespan, as by the time of his death, he has been alive for hundreds of years.
Malkar possesses an ability to freeze people and immobilise them with his magic. He paralyses Felix more than once (notably during the rape scene in The Virtu (book)). He is magically gifted at sendings, and uses one to contact Felix through an abducted Mildmay (though Mildmay is able to turn this against him).
Relationships[]
Anna Gloria Pietrin[]
Felix Harrowgate[]
Felix was purchased in Pharaohlight as a child prostitute by Malkar at the age of 14. Malkar brutally trained him into court manners and habits, destroying his Simside accent. Malkar also trained his magic, which included many heretical forms of magic frowned upon in other circles and schools. Felix was tortured and raped repeatedly by Malkar, and anyone Malkar handed Felix off to.
Felix was with Malkar for 6 years.
Malkar returns to Felix's life and brutally rapes him during a magical working which destroys the Virtu in Melusine. Later, he returns and abducts Mildmay. Felix eventually kills him.
See full article: Felix and Malkar
Mavortian von Heber[]
Actively manipulates Mavortian and then later kills him in a horrific magical ritual which involves a pentagram on the floor, and leaves him as 'a heap of splintered bones in a pool of blood.'
Mildmay[]
Vey Coruscant[]
Brinvillier Strych's magical pupil, who Malkar referred to as 'his dearest and greatest pupil.'
Victoria Teveria[]
Trivia[]
- Malkar might be derived from Melchor, a Spanish form of the Christian Biblical name Melchior, meaning "king city." Melchior was one of the three Magi who visited Christ.
- Gennadion is likely derived from Gennadios, possibly from the Greek gennadas "noble, generous."