Marlezan¶
Contested
Named in the open question Marlezan: venerated dead or risen leader. The newest source (S078) speaks of Marlezan's death and of his worship as an ancestor; an earlier list of the races (S024) calls him "rez'd", the living leader of the largest faction of fallen Uk'Zarai. The page follows S078.
Marlezan is the revered ancestor of the Marlezai, the Uk'Zarai outcasts of Proturas "who worship their ancestors, chiefly Marlezan" (S078). He made the Emerald Cipher, the Marlezai's holiest relic, and his line is still honoured in Proturas (S078, S009).
Also called: Marlerai (S009, S006, in the title "Adiuverent of Marlerai"); possibly Mharlezan (S422).
Ancestor of the Marlezai¶
The Marlezai are "a group of Uk'Zarai outcasts who worship their ancestors, chiefly Marlezan. They are known as scholars and the wealthiest faction", one of the three founding factions of Proturas (S078). Their great relic is his: "The Emerald Cipher. An object created by Marlezan himself before his death and imbued with part of his spirit (or so the legend goes). It is both a treasured spiritual relic and contains numerous secrets pertaining to the Fel arts. It is rumored to be kept in a very secure (and hidden) location within the High Terrace" (S078).
His descendants carry his name's weight. The young warlock Karkazan, "a direct descendant of the revered Marlezan", is praised as a prodigy of Fel magic for his ancestry whatever his real talent (S009). Karkazan's title is Adiuverent of Marlerai, "a student of the Fel arts" (S009; "Fel Warlock", S006), and Marlerai is probably the same name.
Earlier accounts¶
- A 2020 list of the races of the Fifth Age has the fallen Uk'Zarai, the Dark Angels, as "fallen/cast-out Uk'Zarai … Marlezan (rez'd) is the leader of the largest faction. There are many factions with differing ideals" (S024). This reads as a Marlezan raised from the dead and leading in person; the question is filed.
- A 2016 note on the ascendants of Anariel lists "Mharlezan - ??? if he comes back and colonizes with Uk'zarai", tied to the Emerald Heralds, who "regulate the use of Fel Magic (green magic)" (S422). Whether Mharlezan is Marlezan is not stated.
Gap
The sources do not say when Marlezan lived or died, what he did to be revered, whether he was ever winged, or how he relates to the Divine whom the Uk'Zarai once served. Whether he is a venerated ancestor or a power that answers worship is left open.