Zygmunt Molotch
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Ravenor (Novel Series) |
Zygmunt Molotch was an influential and dangerous heretic active in the Helican subsector in the 300s and 400s M41, most notable for his attempts to decipher Enuncia. Molotch was a member of the Cognitae and arch-enemy of Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor.[1]
Contents
History
In 336.M41, Molotch was captured by Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn's team while engaged in a Cognitae scheme on Sleef Outworld. Molotch fell into a geothermal vent and was presumed dead, but managed to teleport away at the last moment.[3a] According to Orfeo Culzean, Ravenor's and Molotch's destinies were intertwined by this event.[3h]
In 397.M41 Molotch investigated ancient ruins on Zenta Malhyde, managing to find traces of Enuncia, before being attacked by Ravenor's team. Molotch's flyer was shot down and he was again presumed dead, but in fact survived with grievous full-body burns.[1]
Molotch resurfaced years later on Eustis Majoris, where he operated under two distinct identities - in public he was Oska Ludolf Barazan, managing to be elected to the position of Lord Governor of the Angelus Subsector by 400.M41, however in private he was known as the Diadochoi.[2b] Molotch was working with fellow Cognitae member Jader Trice on a project to reconstruct the language of Enuncia. Using the entire city of Petropolis as some sort of psychic resonator, Molotch healed his wounds and was poised to ascend to godhood.[2a] His plans were disrupted by the manifestation of the daemon Slyte, which killed Trice, destroyed their tome of Enuncia, and forced Molotch to flee.[2c]
Ravenor and his acolytes spent the next year tracking down Molotch.[3b] On Tancred, Molotch was located by Inquisitor Fenx, but he easily slaughtered the Inquisitor and his retinue with the help of the traitorous Interrogator Ballack, a former Cognitae member. Molotch tricked Ballack and left him to die, intending to fake his own death, but Ballack was rescued by Angharad Esw Sweydyr, another member of Fenx's team unaware of Ballack's treachery.[3c]
At this time, Ravenor had been summoned by the Inquisition back to Eustis Majoris for debriefing and to help with the reconstruction of the planet's government.[3b] However, after learning that Molotch was still alive after Fenx's attempted raid, Ravenor went rogue and continued to pursue him.[3d][3e] He attempted to utilise the Wych House of Utochre to discern his location,[3f][3g] only to discover that Molotch had also gone to the Wych House to find out how to evade him and, using the knowledge of the future granted by the House, had set a trap for him. However, Ravenor was surprised to find that Molotch, communicating via Culzean, did not wish to kill Ravenor outright - he had foreseen the aftereffects of the birth of Slyte within the Materium, and made an offer of a truce so that they could work together to defeat the daemon. Ravenor did not believe Culzean and tried to leave, only for Molotch to spring a trap and try to kill Ravenor for rejecting the alliance.[3h][3i]
Ravenor eventually escaped the trap, regathered his acolytes and found Molotch in the fortress of Elmingard on Gudrun.[3j] There, the two did in fact work together to prevent Slyte's full manifestation, destroying Elmingard and a large section of the Kell Mountains in the process.[3k] In the aftermath, Ravenor finally killed Molotch for good.[3l]
Abilities
Molotch was a genius with superhuman levels of intellect, perception, and knowledge. His greatest skill was language: Molotch could understand a language just by hearing several sentences of it, and immediately saw through Glossia.[3a]
See also
Sources
- 1: Ravenor (Novel), Then
- 2: Ravenor Returned (Novel):
- 3: Ravenor Rogue (Novel):
- 3a: Then: Sleef Outworld, 336.M41
- 3b: Now
- 3c: Part One, Section Six
- 3d: Part Two, Section One
- 3e: Part Two, Section Five
- 3f: Part Two, Section Ten
- 3g: Part Two, Section Eleven
- 3h: Part Two, Section Fourteen
- 3i: Part Three, Section Five
- 3j: Part Four, Section Eight
- 3k: Part Four, Section Sixteen
- 3l: Then: Sarte Province, Gudrun, 404.M41
