Morpheus

The God of Dreams

> You must let go of the illusion of control.
>
> ―Morpheus to Ezekiel

**Morpheus**, also known as **Dream Lord** or **The God of Dreams**, is the leader and founder of the Spectrals. He is a demigod, hailing from a group of cosmic entities known as Elementals who rule the Boundaries between Realms. After he broke with the ideology of his peers and attempted to take up arms against them, he was defeated and sent to live in exile on earth, where he founded the Spectrals – a group of superpowered individuals protecting the human Realm.

## Physical appearance

Being a demigod, Morpheus is capable of shapeshifting at will and his appearance thus ranges widely, depending on the entity looking upon him. In his human form, Morpheus commonly appears as a thin, tall man with pale skin and dark eyes. He has short, grey hair which used to be black, but which is now shown as grey to reflect his many years spent wandering the earth. He also has a short beard and a thin, elegant mustache.

It is unclear whether Morpheus’ appearance is determined by the expectations of onlookers, or if he chooses to manifest himself in different forms. According to his own claims, he deliberately changed the style of his clothing to be less conspicuous in his dealings with mortals through the ages. Mentions of him in old texts he keeps in his room describe him as *“rake-thin, with the skin the color of falling snow”* and that he *“casts a human shadow when it occurs him to do so”*.

His clothes are almost always black; his signature uniform is a simple, ankle-length black robe. He customarily wears a billowing black cape when abroad, sometimes with a flame motif or a pattern of dreamers’ faces. When spending time in the Dream Realm or training with his apprentice Ezekiel, he can frequently be seen wearing simple garbs.

## Personality and traits

> I think they will all lose until they find a battle worth fighting.
>
> ―Morpheus

Though ultimately a heroic character, Morpheus has been known to have some serious flaws. He has trouble catching sarcasm and jests, sometimes causing him to appear cold and humorless. He can be insensitive, self-obsessed, and slow to forgive or forget what he perceives as slights. This is most noticeable in his relationship with his apprentice Ezekiel, who he initially used to be very hard on before reconciling after Zeke briefly ran away from the team.

Morpheus is deeply devoted to the notions of freedom and anarchy, his stubborn nature being the cause of his split with his fellow Elementals that led to his exile on earth. There is reason to assume that his beliefs and goals are deeply connected to his origins as the God of Dreams, as Morpheus often describes dreams as the most pure, unconstrained expression of a beings’ free self. He can be extremely zealous in pursuing his goals, most noticeably having attempted to wager a full-blown cosmic liberation war against the other Elementals before being defeated. His time on earth seems to have moderated his character somewhat, as he came to appreciate the creative and inventive spirit of humans to the extent that he founded the Spectrals to protect the earthly Realm; although he has maintained his wish to complete his mission to unleash universal free will by defeating the Elementals, having taken in the young sorcerer Ezekiel to carry on his legacy.

   Morpheus’ nature as a demigod seems to be his greatest impediment in social relationships; being used to consider everything in cosmic terms, he sometimes struggles with understanding emotion and can be harsh on other Spectrals when he thinks they are not taking their responsibilities seriously. He has also proven to be shrewd and manipulative, as he has never informed the Spectrals about the true nature of their formation, namely to aid in his war against the Elementals.

## Powers and Abilities

[Short description]

* **Dream Magic:** As the God of Dreams, Morpheus has divine authority and absolute control over dreams and everything linked to them. He can use magic like the other Elementals; all of his spells and enchantments are based on dreams.
	+ **Oneiromancy:** Morpheus can give people pleasant dreams and even send messages and visions through them. He can also interpret dreams, and in turn the person's subconscious mind.
	+ **Nightmare Inducement:** Morpheus can induce fearsome nightmare into people whose greatly offend him.
	+ **Dream Tracking:** Morpheus has the ability to track and locate people through their dreams.
	+ **Curses:** Morpheus can cast and create powerful curses through magic. He can curse someone who has troubled him suffering from nightmares for eternity with ease, induce guilt and madness.
	+ **Creation:** Morpheus can manipulate his own Dream Realm without virtually any limit, even creating living beings and things.
* **Immortality:** Being an Elemental, Morpheus is an immortal being. Diseases and age do not affect him, allowing his existence to be unshakable. If an Elemental is killed or destroyed, their powers will be passed on to someone else, taking their place and incarnation in the universe; it appears that Morpheus has selected Ezekiel to be his successor.

* **Teleport:** Morpheus can teleport through his magic sand.

* **Shapeshifting:** Morpheus has the ability to shapeshift at will, being capable of turning into a young man, a black cat, or anything he wishes.

* **Persuasions:** Morpheus can persuade the minds of other people to obey his compelling suggestions.

### Abilities

* **Artistry:** Supreme talent to make creative dreams (and nightmares).

* **Insight:** Morpheus has a particular talent for introducing different ideas and new concepts into people’s minds and lives (and also removes them).

* **Martial arts:** Morpheus is skilled in several fighting styles and is an overall competent warrior. He is especially fond of different styles of Kung Fu, having mastered several styles of it throughout his time on Earth.

## Weaknesses

* **Ancient Rules:** Despite his great powers, Morpheus, like other Elementals, is bound to a complex set of rules and customs that limit his abilities. One which requires him not to spill the blood of Elementals or he is no longer protected as the God of Dreams from other Elementals. Morpheus is also only capable of taking a mortal life if it is to protect the Dream Realm. Another is that he cannot fall in love with a mortal or the mortal’s downfall is assured.