Mort
Summary
A 16-year-old fey from the Umbrasil coven, cursed with death magic in a society that reveres life. Exiled to guard an ancient cemetery, she was betrayed by a Fungril named Jalsar who stole the artifact keeping the dead at rest. Now she travels to Haven seeking answers-and a way to silence the restless spirits buzzing in her mind.
Background
The Umbrasil Coven
Mort was born 16 years ago into a fey coven called Umbrasil. The coven spans vast stretches of the forest, its collective magic-combined with artifacts gathered over centuries-shielding their lands from the outside world and curses like the Witherwild.
Her parents, Ashmir and Seraphine, are dominant figures in the coven, leading their respective domains of light and plant growth. Her three older sisters-Elarose, Solina, and Mirene-were each blessed on their tenth birthdays with coveted and impressive powers: control over flowers, fire, and mist.
The Wilted Flower
At the center of the coven stands an ancient tree. Flowers grow upon its roots, and when a fey touches one, their reaction reveals that fey's innate powers.
On Mort's tenth birthday, she plucked one of the flowers before the entire coven. The flower wilted in her hand-a sign that her powers had nothing to do with the forest or the life within it, but with death and the world beyond.
Exile to the Cemetery
Against her parents' wishes, the elders of the coven decreed that powers like hers could only exist in one place within their territory: the ancient cemetery at the edge of their lands. This cemetery holds a single grave containing an ancient artifact that prevents restless dead and angry souls from rising again.
At first, Mort resisted. She tried to return to her parents, to prove that her powers could be useful beyond the cold silence of the graveyard. But every time, her path was blocked, or she was sent back. In the beginning, family and friends like Eldros and Floriale came to visit. But as the years passed, it seemed to Mort that she had been forgotten by everyone who once loved her. Slowly, she sank into the fate that had been decreed for her.
Voices of the Dead
As she spent more time in the cemetery-and as her powers grew stronger and the loneliness became unbearable-she found herself talking. First to herself. Then to the forest. Then to the dead.
And sometimes, the dead answered.
They told her stories of other places, of their lives, of the people who had wronged them, of the things they would do if they could live again. Their stories touched her heart, and in return, she would comfort and sing to their souls, soothing them-and herself-alongside the artifact she guarded.
The Fading God
Her most beloved companion in the cemetery was ____ (a fading god of death?)-the one whose grave also contained the artifact. She never quite understood what he was or why his corpse held the artifact in its hands, but his stories made her laugh, and his voice comforted her in her solitude.
Glimpses of Life
Sometimes living people passed through the cemetery: grieving families who came to mourn their loved ones. Mort would allow them to hear the voices of the dead, if only for a moment. Children from nearby human villages would run through to play among the graves that Mort tended.
Over the years she spent there, she dreamed of leaving-of visiting the places the dead had told her about, of returning home, of living a life outside the cemetery. But she never had the courage to go.
Jalsar's Betrayal
A few weeks ago, a Fungril named Jalsar arrived to bury someone in Mort's cemetery. He told her about his life, told her jokes, spoke of his travels and the people he had met along the way. Mort was enchanted. When he returned to talk with her again, she was thrilled, peppering him with questions about the outside world and the people in it.
Slowly, the meetings became more frequent-almost daily. Mort felt comfortable with him; she allowed herself to smile and joke. But during their last meeting, mid-conversation, she suddenly felt an overwhelming heaviness and fell asleep.
When she woke, Jalsar was gone. And so was the artifact.
The restlessness of the dead around her began to buzz in her head.
The Journey to Haven
At first, she managed to calm them-with conversation, with comfort, with fragments of her magic. But as time passed, the buzzing and unrest of the dead grew more aggressive. She knew that with the Witherwild curse raging, she would not be able to keep them at peace without the artifact.
She gathered the skull of ____, took a few coins from the graves, and set off toward Haven-where some of the travelers had told her there were great cities full of people and information.
After a few desperate days trying to adapt to the enormous city, the noise, and the sheer number of people she had never seen in her life, she suddenly received a letter from the Spymaster.
Confused, but without any other direction, she decided to attend the meeting.
Motives
- Retrieve the stolen artifact to restore peace to the dead.
- Find Jalsar and understand why he betrayed her.
- Learn to exist in the world beyond the cemetery.
Personal Quest
To recover the artifact stolen by Jalsar and silence the restless dead before it's too late.
Key Relationships
Family (Umbrasil Coven)
- Ashmir (Father): Dominant figure in the coven; leads the domain of light.
- Seraphine (Mother): Dominant figure in the coven; leads the domain of plant growth.
- Elarose (Oldest Sister): Blessed with power over flowers.
- Solina (Sister): Blessed with power over fire.
- Mirene (Sister): Blessed with power over mist.
Former Friends
- Eldros: Used to visit Mort in the cemetery, but stopped over time.
- Floriale: Used to visit Mort in the cemetery, but stopped over time.
Other
- ____ (The Fading God?): A death deity (?) whose grave contains-or contained-the artifact. His skull now travels with Mort. Her closest companion during her years of isolation.
- Jalsar: A Fungril traveler who befriended Mort, then drugged her and stole the artifact. (Note: Also Sum'ara's brother and a member of the The Witherwild/03 Factions/Fanewraith's Rebels.)
- Kreil Dirn: The Spymaster of Haven, who sent Mort a letter upon her arrival in the city.
Secrets
- She carries the skull of a death deity (?), her only companion from the cemetery.
- She took coins from the graves of the dead to fund her journey.
- The artifact she was sworn to protect has been stolen-and without it, the dead may rise.
- The one who betrayed her, Jalsar, is connected to the The Witherwild/03 Factions/Fanewraith's Rebels.