Lord Mortis
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Left: Mortis profile. Right: Mortis watching his minions. | |
| Lord Mortis | |
| Player: Scotty Rage | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Mastermind |
| Threat Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Unknown |
| Known Aliases: | None |
| Species: | Believed to be Human |
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | 6' 1" |
| Weight: | 190 lb. |
| Eye Color: | White |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Unknown |
| Occupation: | None |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown |
| Base of Operations: | Unknown |
| Marital Status: | Engaged to Lady Faethe |
| Known Relatives: | Unknown |
| Known Powers | |
| Necromancy, Dark Miasma, Soul Mastery, Flight, Leadership | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Read Aura, Resist Mindreading, Mystic Fortune, Scrying | |
| Equipment | |
| Skull Armor, Blackwand | |
| Mortis is considered extremely dangerous, and should not be approached alone for any reason. His face is not commonly known to the public, usually hidden by the skull mask when venturing into the world to perform tasks. | |
Contents |
General
A creature seeming to lack any humanity, Mortis has left a trail of bodies and destruction throughout the Rogue Isles and Paragon City. His face has never been seen by the general public, though a few do know what lies beneath the mask. His motives and goals are as yet unknown, but it seems as if he simply wants to see the world wither and die, and is happy to help it along that path. His epaking style and some things he makes reference to hint that he might be very old, possibly even ancient. Mortis is considered a high level threat and should not be approached alone for any reason.
Mortis is the founder of the Order of the Dark Lords, holding the title of The Dark Prince, with several Dark Lords beneath him, each leading their own groups within the Order. The Order is formed mostly by those of Magic origins, though there are rare exceptions to this. The members of the Order are fiercely loyal, and will see their Overlord's will carried out through any means necessary.
Aside from his mastery of the Necromantic arts, Mortis has also mastered the art of Dark Miasma as well as Soul mastery. He can also fly and has shown excellent leadership and strategy skills. Usually seen wearing metallic armor designed in the likeness of skulls, he can be an unnerving sight to behold. When he speaks his voice is always soft and even, rarely giving off any sign of emotion.
Lord Mortis has made his presence known to the world, and now we simply wait to see what he has in store...and if the world will survive it.
Appearance & Personality
Mortis is a naturally charming individual, his movements graceful and deliberate, his demeanor calm and collected, and his mannerisms reminiscent of days past when men were gentlemen, complimented by handsome if not somewhat dark and mysterious features, from his long raven black hair to his disarming smile. This charm, however, masks the darkest of creatures within, lacking humanity in any sense of the word. Those who know him best know he would just as soon allow his undead minions to tear someone apart for entertainment rather than deal with them if they have nothing of interest to offer him, and sometimes even if they do.
While he is capable of base desires, such as greed, lust, rage, self indulgence, and the acquisition of power, the deeper emotions, such as love, hatred, sadness, remorse, and compassion are alien to him. There are, however, moments, or events that seem to touch the humanity that is buried somewhere deep within, and he seems to actually display these emotions for unexplained reasons. This phenomenon, however, cannot be explained, and likely never will.
Powers, Abilities, and Equipment
Mortis first and foremost holds dominion over the dead, able to control them in all forms, from walking corpses to disembodied spirits. He is also able to tap into the negative energies of the netherworld to weaken the life force of his enemies and attack their very spirits. His greatest power, however, is possibly that over the soul itself, possessing the ability to bind the spirit and rend it at will, or perhaps to mend it should he feel particularly merciful toward someone. The true nature of this power is unknown, as well as the limits, but this ability alone makes him one of the most dangerous beings to set foot on the Rogue Isles.
Aside from his primary powers, Mortis also possesses several skills and abilities that add to his already formidable resume. He shows excellent leadership skills, able to bolster the morale of his allies and minions by his very presence, and even drive them to greater heights in the event of one's downfall. He has also learned to manipulate his nether energies to make himself partially discorporeal, letting him literally defy gravity, thus granting him the ability to fly, as well as grant the power to nearby allies. Another of his abilities is that of reading fortunes and scrying, allowing him to see past, present, and future, and even somewhat manipulate events. Finally, Mortis is resistant to mental intrusions, his powers being of a nature that leaves his mind an elusive maze of darkness. While not immune, he is very hard to reach mentally unless he allows one into his mind, which can be dangerous for the unprepared.
The Dark Prince has little need for equipment, but he does keep a few items. One of them being the Blackwand, though he has rarely ever used it. The wand serves as a channel that allows him to send a focused blast of negative energy at an enemy. The only other equipment he really uses is his battle armor, a metallic suit decorated with the likeness of skulls on the chest, shoulders, gloves, boots, belt, and of course the skull mask, as well as a cloak decorated in occult patterns. One other item he utilizes is runestones, used for various reasons, one of the most common being a communication stone he gives to his allies so they may contact him when needed.
Affiliations
Mortis is the founder and leader of the Order of the Dark Lords, holding the title of The Dark Prince. Beneath him are the Dark Lords themselves, each leading their own groups within the Order. They are followers of the Path of Entropy, the cycle of death and rebirth. The Order is very structured, each Lord having his or her own Herald to help lead their factions. The Order is also allied to several other groups, all forming a massive coalition of villains known to some as the Dark Alliance, consisting primarily of nine core groups, though some of the groups maintain alliances that are not tied to the rest of the coalition. The Order is the home of the Magi, demons, and other types within this alliance. While they tend to be mostly of magic origins, there are exceptions, even those who use technology, though in general the Order shuns such things in favor of the traditional arcane arts.
History (OOC Information)
Mortis was not always the name of the Dark Prince. He was born as Darrick of the Clan O'Conor over two millennia ago in the Celtic Isles. What he wasn't aware of through most of his young life was that his father was an offspring of the Death God, Arawn. Darrick learned this at the age of twenty, and began to do research as he discovered his own dark powers inherited from his bloodline. After ten years of building his power and gathering knowledge, he had taken the name Mortis and decided to present himself to his grandfather and challenge for the throne. The battle did not go well for him.
Lying in defeat at the hands of the Death God, Mortis was prepared to be destroyed, but Arawn had different ideas. He was impressed by the young Mage, so much so that he decided to spare him, and granted him immortality instead, though the gift was as much a curse as a blessing. This immortality was a mockery of the Cycle of Entropy, which dictated that all things die to be reborn. As such, Mortis was doomed to repeat the cycle. While he did not age, and therefore could not die of age, he could be slain. When this occured, his sould would return to the Underworld to be tormented by Arawn while his body reconstituted itself in suspended animation in the living world. Then he would be returned to it to regain his power anew, a cycle that has been repeated dozens of times since then.
One might not think this so bad, except he also retains the memories of his past lives, as well as the torment at the hands of his grandfather. After two thousand years, this has caused quite a bit of corrosion to his humanity, making him cold and distant to those around him, his presence unnerving to even other villains.
Mortis awakened most recently in the Rogue Isles to find it a vastly different place than he recalled. He was soon imprisoned in the Zig after the theft of several artifacts, as well as the deaths of several people during these thefts, but thanks to Arachnos he managed to escape while they attacked the place to free the "Destined Ones". Then his rise to power began anew, and now he finds himself at a level of power possibly even greater than he has ever achieved in a previous life. While his goals remain a mystery, one thing seems clear. Mortis apparently wants to watch the world wither and die, and is glad to help it along that path, which spells disaster for all who are not part of his plan...