Meldrath the Malignant
A gnomish necromancer and primary villain of the Secrets of Faydwer expansion, who rules Fortress Mechanotus in the Steamfont Mountains and threatens the kingdom of Ak'Anon with his clockwork armies.
Overview
Drawn from Secrets of Faydwer – Unfolding the Lore: Part 1 - 8/24/07 — official article.EQ1Primary · official · best available source
The clockwork armies of the evil gnomish necromancer Meldrath the Malignant gather in the Steamfont Mountains, awaiting his order to invade the kingdom of Ak'Anon. The launch of his great air fortress Mechanotus has torn open the earth, exposing new paths into unexplored regions of the ancient continent of Faydwer.
Rediscover Faydwer as you adventure in the nearby Loping Plains, home to the soul eating wereorcs of Bloodmoon Keep. Strive to end the torment of humans and elves cursed for centuries in the Hills of Shade. All the while, an ancient menace stirs east of the Dragonscale Hills, where the prismatic dragon Kerafyrm the Awakened plans his revenge.
Secrets of Faydwer – Unfolding the Lore: Part 1
It is said that Meldrath had a conjoined twin with whom he was connected at the chest. One boy's heart was as pure as the waters of the Vasty Deep and his eyes shone with a beautiful light and the other's heart was as dark and cold as the waters of the Ink Sea and his eyes were as black as two pools of oil. Their two hearts beat as one, each balanced by the extreme of the other. So balanced were they, in fact, that they were both known as Meldrath because no one thought of them as two, let alone suspected the extremes of their souls. They lived in peace, gliding through Ak'Anon wrapped in each other's arms like slow dancers.
Meldrath's mother, however, wanted the two sons she thought she deserved and constantly sought a way to disconnect them. One day Fizzlethorpe Bristlebane, ruler of the Plane of Mischief disguised himself as a healer and gave their mother a magic sword to disconnect them. She ran home and, finding them asleep, plunged the sword between them. Both were unharmed and the two rubbed their eyes sleepily.
She rejoiced, but as she looked from one to the other she noticed for the first time that one was beautiful and the other ugly. One looked at her with loving, sweet eyes and the other with hatred. Suddenly, the beautiful Meldrath began to rise higher and higher into the air. His mother screamed and tried to hold him down but the ugly Meldrath bit her leg and stomped on her foot. The beautiful Meldrath floated up to the surface of Norrath and into the sky and was never seen again.
Official Lore
3Collected official lore pieces, from in-game and out.
meldrath5
After his separation with his evil conjoined twin, the good Meldrath ascended into the planes. What deity is responsible for his ascension is unknown, but most attribute the act to Bristlebane Fizzlethorpe, the deity that provided Meldrath's mother with the means to separate her sons. A demi-plane came into existence as the good Meldrath ascended to the realm…
Read the full sourcemeldrath1
It is said that Meldrath had a conjoined twin with whom he was connected at the chest. One boy's heart was as pure as the waters of the Vasty Deep and his eyes shone with a beautiful light and the other's heart was as dark and cold as the waters of the Ink Sea and his eyes were as black as two pools of oil.
Read the full sourceMinotaur
Minotaur While the identity of the dark sorcerer who first created these monstrous creatures is buried in time, it is Meldrath the Malignant, an evil gnomish outcast, who has refined these half-man / half-bull abominations into the lethal fighting machines they are today.
Read the full sourceFurther sources
1Lore that mentions this in passing.
Community articles
3Fan-written encyclopedia entries — useful overviews, lower authority than the primary sources above.