Mortis

Bio, Lore, and Images by KalicoKat

Garden Watcher Familiar What kind of a garden do you come from? 500 Tree Warden's Garb Apparel A living lining protects and obscures. (Greenskeeper Gathering Holiday Item 2018) 0

Huntsman Ruthless - Resourceful - Solitary Mortis's mother, Gaia, and his father, Aedan, had made the decision to live as outcasts ling before his birth. Most of dragonkind considered them cursed. They were taken ahold of by an evil force called Malum that attempted to bend their will in order to harm others, turned them into something that looked like it came from your darkest nightmare, and gave them nearly unfathomable magical abilities. Though they were eventually able to suppress the evil that lived within them, Gaia and Aedan had decided that it was safer for them to live apart from other dragons. A few of the books in Gaia's study mentioned Malum, but every one of them stated that if a Maledictus had children, the Evil inside of them does not transfer to the hatchling. Mortis wondered of this was true. He did not hear a voice in his mind like his mother sometimes mentioned, or have nearly overpowering malevolent urges like he knew his father occasionally suppressed, but he felt somehow different from his siblings. They had grown up playing and laughing together, while Mortis preferred to be alone. He found that when he did engage in their play-fighting, he was more ruthless than the rest, coming just short of injuring anyone. And while they all hunted when needed, Mortis took to this with a fervor that he felt must be unnatural. Mortis was obsessed with the hunt. He had been born blind, as some Maledictus are, but he could sense his surroundings perfectly by tuning into the magical energy that flowed through his surroundings. It was better than sight. He could sense creatures hiding where others might miss them, and knowing the exact contours of the terrain, he could move more silently than any of his siblings could. He could catch prey that the rest of them could not, and he spent much of his spare time practicing his tracking and approaches in the forest surrounding their home. Mortis found that he almost enjoyed killing, though out of a moral code he imposed upon himself, he only killed when necessary. Most frequently, he would catch elusive creatures and then release them. As he became an adult, Mortis decided to try out his luck in the larger world. Many were put off by his appearance and demeaner, finding him frightening or unsettling. But even so, he found quickly that his skills at hunting were in great demand. Other dragons would pay handsomely not just for the meat he brought back, for some of the live specimens he captured as well. Mortis traveled far and wide, hunting and capturing new creatures and selling the fruits of his labor in local markets. After a while, Mortis began to miss having a place to call home, despite his tendency to spend most of his time alone. He wanted one place to come back to, and he wanted the ability to socialize with a few companions. He could always return home, he supposed, he knew he would always be welcome there. But he wished for something different. Somewhere where he would be given freedom than he was given there. Somewhere where he could come and go as he pleased and socialize when he desired, and otherwise lose himself in the wilderness. In addition to hunting for prey, Mortis also began to search for a clan that would take him. The search was slow. Most of these conversations did not get very far due to his relative lack of social skills. Of those with whom he did manage to have a conversation on the topic, most were not terribly accepting of him, or required more of a commitment to clan activities than he was willing to give. It was far from his homeland in the Frigid Ice Flows where Mortis finally found a clan. The dragons of Tundrakeep were a bit wary at first, but they eventually welcomed him as one of their own.

This dragon is one of a small number who have happened upon a concentrated form of the dark force called Malum by the Ancients, literally the force we call Evil. Once Malum has entered a dragon, it attempts to use them to wreak havoc and to harm others, like a voice that whispers in your ear and tricks you into perceiving its words as your own thought. Some fight against this dark force and use their new powers for good. Others give in and allow this dark force to consume them, losing themselves and turning them into a walking embodiment of Evil. It is up to the dragon.

From what is known, this condition cannot be cured. Those who are afflicted live pretty normal lives considering their appearance and blindness, their new magic, and the dark voice inside their minds. They eat, sleep, and some even procreate. Children of a Maledictus inherit the magical abilities of their afflicted parent, but they do not always inherit their blindness or transparent skin. The Evil that lives inside the Maledictus does not usually transfer to offspring.

Much is left to mystery. No two Maledictus seem to gain exactly the same new magical powers or experience the presence of Malum in the same way. All are individuals and cannot be judged based on appearance.