Malacath, Daedric prince of the ostracized.
Daedric princes are generally considered to be godlike beings,
almost akin to metaphysical concepts in their unchanging and unwavering nature,
and for many of these ancient spirits that is often true.
For Malacath however, change is one of the most important parts of his history.
Originally one of the Aedra,
Malacath was transformed into one of the Daedric princes,
and rather than lamenting his change,
he's embraced his new position and his followers.
At first, Malacath was an Aedra, the original spirits of Nirn that were opposed to the Daedra,
and was called Trinimac.
Trinimac was the champion of the Altmer pantheon and was the strongest of their gods.
Trinimac embodied the concepts of strength, honour, and unity, and was the warrior champion of Auri-El.
When the group of Altmer known as the Chimer were breaking away from their brethren,
Trinimac confronted them in an effort to stop them.
The Daedric prince Boethiah, a warrior in his own right, but also a deceiver,
managed to consume Trinimac or so it said.
Sources differ on the exact nature of this encounter,
whether it was a straight duel between the two,
or the Daedric prince Mephala backstabbed Trinimac,
or Boethiah tricked him somehow.
Regardless, Boethiah used Trinimac's voice to lead the Chimer further astray,
before corrupting the spirit of Trinimac inside of him, and releasing the remains.
Some sources refer to Trinimac's new form as literally reanimated dung,
although this is likely poetic license.
Trinimac was now a Daedric spirit known as Malacath,
and his most loyal followers were transformed into the orcs.
Though whether or not this was a voluntary transformation is debatable.
Since Malacath is a converted Daedric prince,
he's generally scorned by both the Aedra and the Daedra,
and he's not truly welcome in either group.
Thus, he's the patron god of the spurned and ostracized.
He retains his sense of honour and strength,
rejecting physical weakness and mortals, but is highly protective of his followers.
His realm of Oblivion is known as Ashpit,
a barren plain filled with dust and choking smoke,
inhospitable to most forms of life.
There are some pockets that are safe for mortals however, small areas with trees and vines.
Malacath refers to these gardens as "echoes of something that once was".
Ashpit also contains Malacath's stronghold,
where every orc follower of Malacath will spend the eternity when they die.
According to their beliefs, in the Ashpit each orc is a chief with a thousand wives,
and each wife has a thousand slaves to cater to their every need,
and their afterlife is filled with drink, food, and constant battle.
When they die they must pass through the white-hot coals of the ashen Forge,
where their grudges from their mortal lives are melted and forged into the next generation of orcs.
Malacath has a few Daedric artifacts associated with him.
Scourge is an ebony hammer created by Malacath specifically to be used against Daedra,
interesting for a Daedric artifact.
It's been used a number of times throughout history and battles against Daedric forces,
notably against Mehrunes Dagon's minions.
Volendrung is a large warhammer created by a clan of Dwemer.
According to legend, when the clan broke away from the Dwemer and Morrowind,
their chieftain threw the hammer across the country,
choosing to settle where it landed.
It landed in the region now known as Hammerfell,
although the Dwemer called it Volenfell, meaning city of the hammer.
It's completely unknown how the hammer ended up in the possession of Malacath,
but it has since become associated with him.
Malacath is certainly one of the most unique Daedric princes due to his origin and his exclusion from both the Aedra and Daedra.
Although the Dunmer consider him to be one of the evil Daedra,
he appears to care for his followers and will go to lengths to protect those that have been wronged.
Despite this he does reject weakness in his followers,
leading the orcs that worshipped him to strive for strength in all things.
Although the Aedric Pantheon lost a great hero in Trinimac,
there are certainly worse Daedric princes than Malacath.