Malkorbagia (Total War)



"What can you possibly do to me? If we First Sages could be destroyed, we would have ended you long ago. (...) Are you seriously trying to murder me with a blade?"

- Malkorbagia's last words to Sulkaris.

Malkorbagia was the first Sage of Water of Hyrule, created at the dawn of Hyrule to defend the Triforce.

Etymology
Malkorbagia's real name predates many Hyrulean languages, and is lost to time.

Her Akkalan name was Malciroracia, derived from Malcicirayr, meaning flowing with or moving with. The modern version of this name is Malkorbagia.

Physical Appearance
In the Book of Mudora, Malkorbagia is described as "formed from the water then young and new of the world, she is of the form of grace, clothed in material, and her vessel hidden from mortal eyes." It is assumed Malkorbagia is likely a being composed entirely of water or liquids and was dressed in clothing. Portrayals of her in later ages depict her as rather humanoid, often clothed in white and blue dresses.

In her actual form Malkorbagia appears as a tall humanoid woman composed of flowing water, with no mouth, white glowing eyes, and pointed ears like a Hylian. Her "hair" consists of tentacle-like dark blue appendages that move independently.

Powers and Abilities
Malkorbagia was given the ability to control and manipulate water and its various states. She can both evaporate and freeze water and bend it into any shape or form. It is unknown if this power extends to other forms of matter. She displays her powers as Sage of Water when she is confronted by Sulkaris after the disposing of Princess Ruto. She manipulates water into tall columns, attempting to drown and wash away the invading Gohma and their Fallen Sage leader. It is also shown in several water towers she forced when boiled by armogohma beams.

Personality
Malkorbagia's personality is described as one of intellect and decency. She admires grace and form and is possibly vain and somewhat egocentric. She puts a special interest in the gathering of knowledge for others to learn from, and in time she becomes associated with libraries and schooling.

Creation of Hyrule
Malkorbagia was the fifth Sage to be created by the Golden Goddesses. She was created to maintain the engines of the Goddesses and assure their operation. She taught the Trilith the concepts of decency, censorship, and the passing of knowledge unto their younger generations.

Six of the seven First Sages, including Malkorbagia, almost immediately forsook their duties and coveted the Triforce for themselves, waging war with each other as well as Sulkaris, the only First Sage who remained loyal to her duty. In order to deal with Sulkaris and each other, the traitorous First Sages summoned the Druthulidi to the world, only to find them uncontrollable as the Druthulidi betrayed them. Turning to the aid of Majora, they successfully defeated the previous Druthulidi as well as Sulkaris, who was stripped of her powers by the others and cast down to the surface of Hyrule.

The First Sages proceeded to forge a false version of the events, and Demoko used his Oocca servants to perpetuate it. According to this myth, the Druthulidi were summoned to Hyrule by Majora and later defeated by the First Sages during the Goddesses' purge, and it was Sulkaris who was the traitor that attempted to take the Triforce for herself and was stopped by Solahrasin. When the Trilith later awoke into Hyrule, Malkorbagia, the other so-called 'loyal' First Sages, and the three Oracles passed the Triforce unto them and placed it in their care.

After having defeated Sulkaris and made a tenuous truce with the rest of her siblings, Malkorbagia made her hidden residence under the library of Greshou.

In 3000 BG, after Sulkaris took control of the Gohma remnants of the Druthulidi Iemanis and led them on a rampage across Hyrule, Demoko forced the rest of the First Sages to choose successors for their mantle, and Malkorbagia's was the young exiled Oshunite Jabun. Malkorbagia is often worshiped by the Zora as a lesser deity, and attribute their need for grace to her teachings. There are some Hylian temples devoted to Malkorbagia, and many libraries across Hyrule are created in her name. In later eras she is often associated with grace, beauty, virginity, decency, censorship, knowledge, research, education, and lawful morality. A heretical cult of High Zora worship her as a supreme deity, higher than even the Goddesses, who gave the Zora the water that they crave; these cultists engrave their hands with the mark of a six-pointed star.

The Return of Sulkaris
In 127 AG, Sulkaris, after taking over the city of Airu, captures and interrogates a group of Malkorbagia's cultists, who reveal that she is sleeping under the Greshou Library. Sulkaris leads her Gohma there and begins destroying the library and its contents, awakening Malkorbagia. Malkorbagia initially taunts Sulkaris by questioning if she intends to destroy her with a blade. Sulkaris then orders her Armagohma to direct fire at Malkorbagia, boiling her alive.

The death of Malkorbagia causes a devastating effect on the other Sages, particularly Princess Ruto, who can no longer feel the water or call upon the powers of the Sage of Water, forcing her to improvise and use other weapons. Meanwhile, her Water Medallion is seized by Sulkaris, who later uses it to protect herself from Demoko's Aura and kill Maphaeus.

Trivia

 * Malkorbagia and her creation's appearance is inspired by the Boss Morpha from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.