Morbus
 Morbus
Lich Lord | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Iron lich | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Weapons | Claws | |
| Birth | c. 1050 BR | |
| Death | 608 AR | |
Appearance
As an iron lich, Morbus bears a resemblance to Asphyxious, although he is taller, more massive and more heavily set, with arms twice as long and hands ending in wicked claws. Long, sharpened spines are set into his skull so as to make it resemble a crown. The metal framework of his blackened steel form is covered in a litany of unholy sigils that gleam in the light of Cryxian illumination orbs. Morbus is always covered in a cloud of darkness that protects him from harm and obfuscates the minds of enemy warcasters.[2]
History
When Lord Toruk came to the Scharde Islands, Morbus was one of the fourteen pirate kings who ruled the archipelago. Toruk sent an emissary to the pirate kings to force them to bow to him. The pirate kings slew the messenger rather than answer, and Threnodax, the mightiest of them, roused the others to defiance and convinced them to muster their armies and prepare to battle Toruk.[1][3]
Morbus and twelve other pirate kings gathered in Threnodax's fortress in Darkmoor. The revenant crew of the Atramentous. enslaved by Toruk, overwhelmed the living defenders and added the killed to their number. When Toruk descended upon the fortress, crumbling it to ruin beneath his terrible weight, the pirate kings were the sole survivors. All of the kings except Threnodax prostrated and humbled themselves in the surviving tower. Lord Toruk annihilated all thirteen in a single breath, but the twelve who had bowed were reborn to become the first lich lords, chosen by him to be the rulers of his new empire.[3]
The lich lords wasted no time or effort in founding Lord Toruk’s empire and were privy to secrets and powers known previously only to the Dragonfather. In the early centuries the lich lords divided the governance of Cryx among themselves, and Morbus took the role of overseeing Cryx's military production.[3]
When the newly-elevated Lich Lord Asphyxious allies with the cephalyx and rapidly establish a necrofactorium in the Thornwood in the mainland, Morbus is vocal about his displeasure with the affairs. In 608 AR, Lord Toruk sends Morbus to the mainland to inspect and take control of the necrofactoriums and to ensure that Venethrax receives what he needs for his vital mission. Morbus threatens Asphyxious to halt all battlefield excursions until he stockpiles greater resources, then heads into the Thornwood for some unknown errand, carrying his phylactery with him since he is new to the mainland, mistrustful of Asphyxious and has not yet determined a safe hiding place for the phylactery, and deems it safer on his person.[1]
Inside the Thornwood, Morbus is ambushed by two Cygnaran warcasters, Victoria Haley and Jeremiah Kraye. Sensing the similarity between the minds of Haley and Asphyxious' minion Deneghra, Morbus realises Asphyxious has betrayed him. During the ensuing fight, neither Cygnaran warcaster is initially able to harm Morbus through his cloud of darkness - until Morbus tries to evade a volley of fire from Haley's Hunters by dispersing and reforming himself. During the few seconds after Morbus's body reforms but before his cloud of darkness can reappear to protect him, Haley invokes her ability to slow time, and her perception over the inner workings of machines gives her special insight into Morbus' workings and enables her to identify his very well-disguised phylactery. Taking advantage of her accelerated state, Haley impales Morbus' phylactery with her spear, killing the lich lord for good.[2]
In the meantime, before Lord Toruk can determine a replacement for Morbus, Asphyxious has more or less assumed control of his domain, albeit focused on his own local industry. The balance of Morbus’ responsibilities in Cryx are being handled by subordinates trained by Master Necrotech Mortenebra, and she has reached out from the mainland to provide them guidance.[1]
