Spoilers: Malekith’s established background and family relationships.
A crown he still claims
Malekith is the Witch King, ruler of Naggaroth and an enemy of the High Elves. His ambition reaches beyond the kingdom he already rules: he seeks the crown of Ulthuan. That claim gives his wars a personal purpose as well as a territorial one.
When Malekith entered the Flames of Asuryan, they burned and scarred him. The experience did not end his ambition. His attempts to take Ulthuan continued, making the struggle with the High Elves an enduring part of his identity.
Morathi and the throne
Morathi is Malekith’s mother and was the consort of Aenarion. She taught her son statecraft and magic and worked to preserve his rule in Naggaroth. Her pursuit of power is closely tied to his claim.
Mother and son are separate playable leaders in Immortal Empires. Malekith leads Naggarond; Morathi leads the Cult of Pleasure. Their family relationship explains their shared background, while each faction gives the player its own campaign.
The Witch King on the campaign map
In Total War, Malekith brings personal fighting and Dark magic to a Dark Elf army. His soldiers include the disciplined Dreadspears and the seaborne raiders known as Black Ark Corsairs. Black Arks support the wider wars of the Dark Elves.
Immortal Empires places that ruler in a sandbox alongside the other powers of the Warhammer world. His hostility toward Ulthuan belongs to his background; the wars, alliances and conquests of your campaign develop through play.
The Sundering novel and The Curse of Khaine
Gav Thorpe's Malekith is the first Time of Legends novel in The Sundering. The jacket says he is passed over as king. Morathi goads him. The cult of pleasure is the pretext. He betrays Phoenix King Bel Shanaar, and the civil war is called the Sundering. The Flames of Asuryan, already part of his scars on this page, sit beside that story. A Naggarond campaign does not replay the betrayal as a scripted ending.
The Curse of Khaine is book 3 of The End Times, also by Gav Thorpe. Naggaroth is besieged by Chaos. Malekith abandons the Land of Chill for a final attempt on Ulthuan. Tyrion is Regent. The jacket calls the Curse of Khaine something inside Malekith. That march is End Times fiction. A Naggarond campaign that reaches Ulthuan is a sandbox war.
End Times jacket, past the march
The Curse of Khaine jacket says he claims his destiny and that the battle will finally end. That claim is the book's promise. It is not an Immortal Empires outcome, and it is not the Witch King's starting position.
Malekith: gameplay and availability · More character stories
Sources
- Malekith (eBook) — blacklibrary.com
- Malekith extract — blacklibrary.com
- The Curse of Khaine — blacklibrary.com
- Immortal Empires FAQ, February 2023 — totalwar.com
- Patch 9.0.5 notes — store.steampowered.com
- Immortal Empires dedicated factions — totalwar.com
- Immortal Empires DLC Ownership Guide — SEGA Support — support.sega.com