True Sight & Muziel
Valadain studies an enigmatic character
The powerful spell True Seeing is rarely defied and sometimes it is what is not seen that is most revealing. When Valadain Raikos – the Dread Priest, the disciple of Malkar the White – cast it on the foppish man before him he saw only a shadow, as his vision was unable to penetrate the exterior protections the sorcerer had employed. The initial blockage was simply a shield to blind the viewer from the source of Muziel’s power, though the True Sight gained much information.
The first notable thing is that Muziel is not demonic, though his power comes from the lower planes his home is in Echeron a distant plane whose inhabitants rarely (if ever) venture to Grayhawk. There is about him a sense of balance – true neutrality that suffuses his personality, his ethics and his spirit. This may be an aspect of him as a person or perhaps an aspect of the plane itself (without another from Echeron it is hard to make a comparison).
His magic follows the same rules as the sorcerers on Grayhawk (he is not primal, nor is he a product of the Maelstrom) – Muziel is just powerful…strong enough to deflect (though not totally obscure) your true sight. His arrogance is borne from this power and you get the impression that he has a lot to hide (not in a treacherous sense like a demon) – he does not want anyone to discover what his talents are because he feels that such knowledge would be seen as a weakness or perhaps a lever to be used against him…Azael discovered Muziel’s secrets and look what happened thereafter! The Echeron sorcerer is just cautious.
As with all creatures from the lower planes Muziel has certain advantages and disadvantages when it comes to daily life on Grayhawk. It is entirely possible that you could banish him back to his own plane but – as he said in conversation with you – that would only facilitate a further attempt by other creatures to enslave him for their own ends. Muziel does not want to be here, but nor does he want to return to Echeron only to be the centre of attention once more. He has a power to reap souls and he knows only too well that everyone is watching him…it is notoriety he would rather do without but until the situation is sorted out and he can return to his life he has decided to stay on Grayhawk for the time being.
He does not want to commit to any side because he doesn’t know who to trust. It is a fair bet that he doesn’t trust demons, which could explain why he was so cool with you since the only the other deity on Grayhawk is happily courting demons as we speak. Muziel trusts no one, except ironically the demonic tailor called Greijul.
This is the part of the riddle you find most intriguing. Why does Muziel have a demon for a servant? The true sight only goes so far but this question hangs unanswered about you and it is not plain with the information you have at present. Malkar himself (during your communion with him) was also intrigued by the Echeron – enough to want to know more about this strange fellow from a land few have ever heard of.
As he walks away the eyes of your god sense a deep secret within…a secret that perhaps Azael himself discovered…