Malphas

Lore

The entity’s name is Malphas, which a number of occult sources also transcribe as Malfaus or Marphos. The spirit occupies an exceptionally high and paradoxical rank, combining the roles of architect, strategist, and political manipulator. In legend he is classified as a mighty Grand Governor, that is, the President of Hell.

He first appears as a colossal raven whose size exceeds natural limits. His plumage is said to devour light, recalling obsidian blades or forged metal, and his eyes glow with a dull crimson or violet light that betrays an ancient predatory intellect. When tactics require, he adopts an anthropomorphic shape—a tall man in dark garb with rapacious avian features and alabaster skin. His voice is hoarse, like stone grinding on stone or an amplified croak. Some tales show him ringed by a flock of ravens that seem to sprout from his spine.

Before the Fall, Malphas was a mighty angel-builder serving under Samael during the Heavenly War.

After exile and the founding of Pandemonium, his urge to create became twisted into an obsession with raising infernal strongholds. Folklore usually casts him as a diabolical architect who offers to erect a castle, bridge, or cathedral in a single night in exchange for the soul of the first person to cross the threshold—then turns the structure into a snare that drives its owner mad.