Mortarion Vaan

Placeholder image of Mortarion

**Mortarion Vaan** is a Human Warlock and a member of a group of adventurers mostly comprised of former mercenaries. He is played by Marc Peasgood.

## **Intro**

"I am Mortarion, member of House Vaan of Illustra. If you need advice regarding gemstones, I would be more than happy to help."

Mortarion is a noble by birth, his family is part of the ruling council of Illustra, the city where he was born and raised. Their riches came from the booming gem trade that began almost four centuries ago.

In recent years his need to prove that their family is capable of more than just the selling of gems has led him to strike out and join a mercenary group in the east fighting for the Kingdom. This group, led by Arn Dro, has been his life for roughly two years; in that time he has fought shoulder to shoulder with a multitude of different personalities, which has in turn slightly softened his otherwise harsh noble demeanour.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Mortarion is an incredibly handsome man; his face is neither too round or too sharp, his eyes a beautiful brown with a small splash of green around the iris, his platinum blonde hair is several inches long and is swept to one side. His handsomeness could be described as perfect despite the imperfections.

He carries himself with a very regal air, his posture is impeccable in most cases and his strides are calculated and purposeful.

His current outfit (at the start of the adventure) is a set of very fine clothes. He wears a fancy white undershirt with frilled sleeves, a plain black overshirt/dress jacket style piece, some tight fitting leather trousers and a pair of black almost knee length boots. All of the adornments and fastenings are done plainly in silver. He wears a signet ring on his right hand; the band is fashioned from silver and a fairly large ruby is set into it - behind the stone a golden Lion crest can be seen.

### **Personality**

Mortarion is quick to offer suggestions and advice, and will often find himself the de facto leader of a group; not out of choice, but out of circumstance. While he is slow to anger, once someone manages to annoy him he will hold a grudge that will likely last a long time.

While he does a fairly good job dispatching his foes in both close quarters with his sickles, and at range with his warlock magic; it is not out of character for him to spare the life of those that he deems as undeserving of death - such as the pirate on the Darsks Hand who dropped his weapon after seeing his comrade cut down before him, Mortarion said some choice words that sent him scurrying back to his own ship.

## **Biography**

### **Background**

Mortarion is a member of House Vaan, a very wealthy noble family from a city past the western reaches of the Kingdom of Voyage. The family made its fortune trading in gemstones and rare earth minerals; the Vaans have had their claws in the mining operations in the region for around 5 generations - Mortarions great-great-great-grandfather was originally a miner himself but very quickly rose to a seat of power using a mixture of charm, wit and luck. Mortarion was raised to continue the families trading business, and so is prone to think very mathematically. He will often attempt to take the driving seat when he or those around him are negotiating. However, as of late he has been drawn to something more than a trading business - he wishes to forge out and make a name for himself and not rest upon his families achievements yet isnt quite sure where to start.

As fate would have it, one day while returning home from a lucrative trade in the city of Cog, Mortarion felt a force drawing him off the path. Following the intangible tendrils he found himself in a clearing in a forest with a very large and very old looking tree standing alone in the center. Upon inspection, he found a pair of black iron sickles laying at the base. These sickles have blades almost 5 inches in diameter, curved into crescent moons and attached to handles wrapped in a plain dark crimson cloth. A series of unintelligible runes run along each blade. Little did Mortarion know these were not merely simple yet functional weapons - they were the current form of the sentient weapon Korun who would manipulate him into releasing his true form...

In the weeks after this, Mortarion very slowly and at this point unknowingly develops warlock powers thanks to the sickles he found on his return from Cog and with this newfound power he finally draws up his plans to make his name - he announces to his family that he was leaving to join a Mercenary Band fighting for the Kingdom of Voyage far off to the east. While his father initially protests, he does relent and allow Mortarion to do as he wishes. And so, he leaves home for the battlefront, starting a new chapter in his life where he has to rely on his own merits rather than his families riches... although that isnt to say he wont leverage his family name when it is likely to benefit him.

Mortarion was slain by a group of spiders and subsequently revived by Karinth.

## **Character Bonds**

### **Karinth the Pale**

Karinth caught Mortarions eye from the moment he stumbled across her on the Darsks Hand - after all seeing a Dark Elf in the Kingdom is a very rare occurrence. He introduced himself in the galley of the ship and the pair talked briefly about themselves and their respective missions before Mortarion suggested a few rounds of Dice as a way to judge character. She hesitantly accepted on the condition that it would be a non-wagered match.

During the skirmish on the ship's deck two nights later he watched with a certain awe as she fought off multiple attackers without breaking a sweat. This fascination would continue through the following encounters.

On the morning that Auron and Mortarion himself were slain by Giant Spiders, Karinth swiftly attempted to call upon her favored deity, Sator, in order to bring the two back to life. Unfortunately, Auron could not be saved; though Mortarion was. This solidified in his mind that Karinth was a dependable comrade.

## **Character Information**

### **Goals**

Mortarion begins his adventures in Athemick without any real goal in mind; after discovering the sickles on his return trip to Illustra from Cog and manifesting Warlock powers, he left to join a mercenary band on the battlefront to the east in order to make a name for his family outside of their mining trade.

### **Notable Items**

* Signet Ring of House Vaan
* Scroll of Pedigree
* 'Enchanted' Sickles

### **Abilities**

Mortarion is a Warlock under the control of the Hexblade known as Korun. This sentient weapon is currently sealed in the pair of Sickles that he carries with him and is the source of his power. He can cast several useful spells including a very long range and highly damaging Eldritch Blast Cantrip, although his preference is to engage enemies in melee combat with his sickles.

#### **Racial Traits**

* Proficiency in the Survival Skill
* Inspiring Leader Feat

#### **Warlock Abilities**

##### **Class Features**

* Otherworldly Patron: The Hexblade
	+ Hex Warrior
	+ Hexblade's Curse
* Eldritch Invocations
	+ Eldritch Spear
	+ Agonizing Blast
* Eldritch Blast
* Minor Illusion

##### **Spells**

* Cantrips
	+ Eldritch Blast
	+ Minor Illusion
* First Level Spells
	+ Hellish Rebuke
	+ Wrathful Smite
	+ Charm Person