| Name | Morrough / Cetus |
|---|---|
| Age | >500 |
| Status | Deceased † |
| Fraction | The Undying |
| Rank | High Necromancer |
| Eye Color | Two blackened, empty hollows |
| Hair Color | None |
| Family | Orion Holdfast (brother) |
Contents
Biography / History
Origins and Identity as Cetus
Morrough and his brother, Orion, are born entwined, sharing blood and an abnormal alchemical constitution. From an early age, the two pursue power through different means: Orion through charisma, public devotion, and pyromancy; Morrough through experimentation, secrecy, and the pursuit of immortality. While Orion seeks adoration and influence, Morrough focuses on scientific transcendence.
The Bond with Orion
Morrough is an ancient alchemist and necromancer whose influence predates modern Paladia. He is later revealed to have once gone by the name Cetus, a figure believed for centuries to be a collective pseudonym rather than a single individual. In reality, Cetus is a living being whose lifespan extends back before the rise of the Holdfasts and the formalisation of alchemical law.
Creation of Immortality and the Undying
Morrough is responsible for the development of true immortality through necromantic science. His method does not merely prolong life but renders the body impervious to age and most forms of injury. However, the process requires the use of Morrough’s own bones as anchors, referred to as phylacteries, which bind recipients directly to him. Those transformed through this process become known as the Undying.
Rise During the Formation of New Paladia
During the upheaval that leads to the formation of New Paladia, Morrough emerges as a central figure. He offers immortality and advanced alchemical power to those willing to prove loyalty, drawing the guilds into alliance. When opposed by the Order of the Eternal Flame, Morrough reveals a further capability: large-scale necromancy. Fallen soldiers are reanimated and turned against their former allies, allowing Morrough to build armies from the Eternal Flame’s dead.
Limitations of Morrough’s Immortality
The Undying are bound to Morrough through fragments of his bone embedded within them. This bond limits how far they can travel from him unless the phylacteries are removed and replaced, a process Morrough performs selectively to maintain control and mobility. Though immensely powerful, Morrough’s immortality is not infinite; his original body is deteriorating, making him increasingly dependent on the Undying and on harvested organs.
Possession of Luc Holdfast
Morrough infiltrates Paladia by binding part of himself into Luc Holdfast, embedding a phylactery within Luc’s body. Luc remains alive but is suppressed, while Morrough operates as a dominant presence within his mind. Through Luc, Morrough gains access to the Order’s inner structures and orchestrates further destabilisation from within.
Motive and Final Confrontation
Morrough’s ultimate goal is not political control alone but the eradication of his brother Orion’s legacy. He seeks to destroy what Orion built, erase his influence from history, and replace it with his own vision of eternal dominion.
Morrough is eventually confronted and killed during the final assault on the Alchemy Tower. Though many forces participate in breaching the stronghold, Lila Bayard personally ensures his death, dragging his mutated remains from the rubble. With Morrough’s destruction, the Undying lose their anchor, and his necromantic empire collapses.
Physical Description
In his final form, Morrough is heavily mutated. His body is enormous, nearly the size of two men, with limbs bent at unnatural angles. His skin is pale and translucent, stretched tightly over bone. His face appears skull-like, with sunken features and empty, blackened eye sockets where his eyes once were. His appearance reflects prolonged necromantic decay rather than vitality.
When inhabiting Luc Holdfast’s body, Morrough’s presence is marked by unnatural movement, sudden shifts in expression, and physical deterioration inconsistent with Luc’s original condition.
Alchemical Abilities
Morrough possesses mastery over necromancy, animancy, and alchemical science far beyond contemporary understanding.
His known abilities include:
- Creation of functional immortality
- Large-scale necromantic reanimation
- Animantic soul transference
- Binding of living beings through bone-based phylacteries
- Advanced transmutation and alchemical control exceeding modern limits
Unlike religious necromancy, Morrough’s work is entirely scientific in origin.
The Undying
Morrough is the creator and master of the Undying. Each Undying is bound to him through fragments of his bone embedded within their body, granting physical immutability while ensuring absolute dependency. The Undying cannot exist independently of Morrough for extended periods without catastrophic failure.
