Mortem

Overview

Mortem is the ancient god of death. But not death as a natural ending that comes to all living things. Mortem is death as a conscious presence. Mortem is the void. Mortem is the terror of ceasing to exist. Mortem is the dread of becoming nothing.

Mortem does not kill people. Mortem does not bring darkness. He is the void. You cannot separate the god from death any more than you can separate water from being wet.

Reality

Many believe that, unlike the other ancient gods, Mortem was never real to begin with. He’s not an actual being but a symbol of the inevitable end that everything must face. A creation of those who fear death, given form so they can try to understand it.

Only those who’ve stood at the edge of life itself know the truth. And, of course, that truth dies with them.

Nature

Life and death are not dualities. Death is not an opposite of life. It is the ground beneath it. Mortem is not contrast. Mortem is the base layer of all existence.

Mortem does not show mercy. Mortem does not provide release or comfort. Death under Mortem's influence is not peaceful. It is the ending of everything. This is why people touched by Mortem often go mad. They face the horror of ending, not the peace of it.

Mortem does not speak. Mortem does not guide or teach. Mortem simply exists. You know Mortem is there only by what it leaves behind.

Perception

Every depiction of Mortem across eras differs. Skeletal. Dragon. Shadow. Storm. Void. Artists go mad trying to capture him. Their work begins to erase itself. Mortem cannot be seen. He is what remains after seeing ends.

History

In ancient myth, O'lo, the god of wisdom, and Mortem were once entwined. Two sides of knowledge. Knowing. And the knowing that ends. Mortem taught O'lo that all wisdom dies with its seeker.

It is said Mahol's obsession with wisdom stems from this echo. He has never spoken of Mortem directly. Except once. An old entry in the Arvendor Archives records his words:

"We all await Mortem. The wise simply learn to stop waiting."

Trivia

• Mortem can be attacked during the Eve of Shadows event. However, this is merely a ritualistic confrontation of a symbol. Mortem himself is still debated among scholars as to whether he is a real entity or a metaphysical concept.