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A normal enough human, fair haired with one blue and one brown eye; casually dressed in a rather shabby coat but with a quiet air of self-confidence. Although he may have a weapon under the coat, he doesn't appear armed and he moves too easily to be wearing much armour. Usually travels alone and on horse. Claims to be a wandering sage. Age 35?
Mort is a "mystery" character who is useful as a plot catalyst. If the players ever attack him, you're playing him wrong, but the players will regret it (even if they kill him) because he has Friends: subtle magicians and supernatural forces.
He is the 7th son of a 7th son, born in Sacred Time and has an affinity for the runes Truth and Disorder. He has a natural understanding of all forms of magic (in game terms you might say he had a huge Magic Bonus) and, because he can see the magical patterns underlying reality he can turn his hand to many types of spell. To him, sorcery, shamanism, rune powers and chaos are all facets of the same thing. He is, in effect, a natural Illuminant - and more.
This is not to say he is a super-powerful wizard like Argin Terror, with godlike powers. Indeed he has never studied much of the spellcraft which attracts PCs: attack spells and stat-enhancers, TK and Sunbright. However, sorcerers (who refer to him disparagingly as "The Meddler" but call him "Warlock" to his face) are reluctant to cross him after the mysterious and messy end of the previous Hierophant of Carmania. (The credit for that was taken by Yolanela, but the inner circle of the Church knows better.) Mort's strategy is simple: he may not be able to channel 300 points into a megaspell . However, often a simple 1 point ritual will distort the fabric that spell works in enough to set the unleashed forces berserk, allowing Mort to run away. His other favourite is to ensure that things are not as they seem, so enemies use inappropriate spells.
Mort's fortes are Summoning and Rituals. In these, he is nonpareil. One reason for this is his respect for spirits and elementals, whom he gets on very well with. But you don't get to be good overnight; he had some disasters meddling with Demonology as a lad and spent some time in a special Lunar "Institute". It was here that he was taken under the wing of the cult of Jakaleel, in which he is an initiate. He keeps that quiet.
Mort's main cult is Irippi Ontor; he is "just an initiate", he'll tell you. True enough. He has no Rune magic (though he can summon Things which have). However, despite lacking Spell Teach, he can teach a student a spell in 3 days instead of the normal 7, just by talking to you and explaining things. The cult has got wind of this and is keeping a close eye on him: "anything not compulsory is forbidden".
The cult disapproves of his life as a wandering scholar (or "Thaumaturgical Investigator" as he says when taking the piss out of himself), not least because he tends to go out and collect evidence contradicting dearly cherished items of Lunar doctrine. He is respected as a scholar but his work is often suppressed.
Mort veers between extreme poverty and relative affluence. In emergencies, he can raise money from favours owed.
Mort is, unfortunately, completely unhinged. This doesn't normally show itself but in stress situations his strength can double. He believes he is a vampire. He has occasional fugues, and whenever vampires are reported as operating nearby he is convinced that he is responsible. This leads to fits of remorse leading to excessive drinking, which often triggers fugues.
There is one huge disadvantage to working with Mortimer, no matter how subtly powerful he might seem. He attracts bad Luck upon those near him. If the PCs call him in to help with something directly, there will inevitably be a terrible accident or political fallout upon them. Perhaps one will get his soul corrupted by Chaos, or just have some POW Tapped in a fight. Often the distortions affect innocents on the sidelines and the PCs return home to find a revenge hit squad has assassinated their brother instead of them, or a disease has irrevocably blinded their wife. Many of Mort's co-workers go insane from the things they see with him. Mort is aware of this action / reaction effect and it weighs heavily upon his conscience, causing him to be reluctant to help those who can help themselves. Ideally, the PCs should end up very reluctant to call in their friend Mort because they realise he can sort out many things for them, but the price is too high.
Mort is currently very worried about his old friend Centurion Primus,
whom he just caught sight of going into the local 7M temple. But Primus
was last seen a year ago being dragged into a Void after Mort summoned
a minion of Ompalam for interrogation...
19-20 (Head): 6 hp STR 15(x2)
16-18 (L. arm): 5 CON 16
13-15 (R. arm): 5 SIZ 15
12 (Chest): 7 INT 20
9-11 (Abdomen): 6 POW 18
5-8 (L. leg): 5 DEX 13
1-4 (R. leg): 5 CHA 16 (PA 15)
Total hit points: 18. His only armour is his clothing. He does not have continual defensive spells.
Mort believes that the best place to be in a fight is far away...
Damage bonus is 1d6, or 2d6 in a real stress situation.
Mort collects spells. He only ever bothers learning 1 point of a variable as the rest is trivial, as evidenced by his ability to teach them...
This
page last updated 27-9-96 by pH