Morathi (Warhammer Fantasy)

Morathi is a female literary character who features in Warhammer Fantasy.

Biography

Fantasy

Morathi was a female Elf born in the World-that-was.

As Malekth sailed for the Old World, Morathi in secret came to found and lead the Cult of Pleasure that were a Chaos cult devoted to the worship of Slaanesh. Over time, they came to grow in influence and spread to nearly all parts of Ulthuan. Thousands of Elves came to be among their number and even included some of the noble princes of the kingdom. Meanwhile, Malekith gained popularity amongst the Old World colonies for leading several victories against the Orcs and the forces of Chaos. In addition, he came to befriend the High King Snorri Whitebeard leading to an alliance with the Dwarves. Morathi came to visit her son in the city of Athel Toralien after hearing that he was preparing for an expedition to the North. She came to gift him a massive Dragonship named the Indraugnir which was named after the dragon mount of Aenarion. As Malekith departed, she then returned to Ulthuan where she once again managed the secret activities of her cult.

Malekith later returned to Ulthuan after his expedition, and took charge of purging the cults existence from Ulthuan forever. Morathi's position as leader of the pleasure cults was eventually exposed when Malekith captured one of the cults bases at Ealith. She fled to the city of Anlec where a large number of cultists resided. Malekith led an army,consisting of both his own army and the supporting armies led by the princes of Ellyrion, Yvresse, Chrace and Saphery. Malekith was successful in breaching the cities defences and confronted his mother in the cities palace. Though Morathi had the upper hand with her great sorcerous powers, she was defeated. Morathi was spared from certain death by convincing her son that she would give him her full support of the cults and help him gain the Phoenix throne. She was brought before the court of the Phoenix king in the city of Tor Anroc. Though she would have been executed for her crimes, Malekith convinced Bel Shanaar to imprison her instead, despite Imrik of Caledor's insistence to have her severely punished. After years of planning, Malekith decided to set his plan in to action. With Morathi's help, he poisoned Bel Shanaar and killed anyone who resisted. Malekith confidently marched into the sacred flame of the god Asuryan, a trial that marks each Phoenix King as the chosen of the Elven creator god. Yet without the appropriate warding spells being cast, the flames horribly scarred Malekith. Malekith's followers carried him to his fortress in Nagarythe where Morathi nursed him back to health. She instructed a renegade priest of Vaul to forge him the Armour of Midnight and his blade the Destroyer.

As her son assaulted Ulthuan, draining Naggaroth of the majority of the Dark Elf warriors, Morathi was concerned that the hordes of Chaos could sweep down from the north. She had already revived the Cults of Pleasure involving the Dark Convent with them to provide a powerful alliance and now she travelled into the north to further boost the cults and her own power. Accompanied by a number of Sorceresses, she flew into the lands of the Hung, arriving at a great gathering of warbands where she was recognised as having the favour of Shaarnor. She summoned a great horde of sixty troupes of six Daemonettes which she unleashed upon the enemies of the Hung, the Kurgan, impressing the warlords to name her as an ally and the Consort-Queen of Shaarnor. She then led a great army of the Hung south through Naggaroth to invade Lustria.

Age of Sigmar

Her first experience of the new world was hurtling downwards to crash into the Umbralic Sea, surviving by her instinctual use of powerful magic’s to shield herself. Eventually she reached the shores of Hellezar and wondered through the strange shadowy land, slowly regaining her memories and sense of self. Quickly she learned that she could manipulate the shadow energy that permutated the Realm of Ulgu and used it to cloak her true form which filled her with loathing and disgust, bringing back unwanted memories of her torment after being consumed by Slaanesh. Lonely she called forth mist elementals and Shadow daemons to keep as company or as lovers. Together they explored the realm, travelling throughout all thirteen regions of Ulgu. For untold years she encountered none of her own kind.

When Sigmar first came to Ulgu, he found Morathi and Malerion together at a great citadel that they had raised from the shadows with their combined magic. This citadel would be the foundation of Druchiroth, which would in time grow to be the capital of the greatest kingdom in the Realm of Shadows. The two agreed to join Sigmar's Great Alliance in return for aid in searching for aelf-kind, though even the Great Alliance was unable to find many of them. The two shadow monarchs were mistrusted by the others of the Great Alliance, for many of the deities remembered the two's scheming in the World-that-Was. While Teclis and Tyrion deigned to work with Malerion on some secret project, Morathi was left out of their discussions, for they believed her to be tainted by her ordeal. Some within the Great Alliance even quietly whispered that they believed she had not been devoured unwillingly, but had intentionally given herself to Slaanesh. Morathi, as had always been her way when faced with a hostile audience, attempted to charm and seduce others to gain their trust. She overstepped when she tried to do so with Nagash, who struck her, revealing her true form. She fled from the Pantheon in shame, abandoning her former allies.

Taking advantage of her weakness, Malerion took the Shadowlands and the capital of Druchiroth for himself. Perhaps out of a final piece of filial piety or perhaps as a cruel jest, he eventually granted her the rule of the centre of the Umbral Veil – a dark and almost impenetrable part of the realm. Few could enter that land and retain their sanity, yet there she found an aelven cult who clung to the worship of forgotten gods - most particularly Khaine, the bloody-handed God of Murder. While Morathi doubted that Khaine yet lived, she built Hagg Nar, a temple-settlement dedicated to Khaine, to earn the cult's loyalty, and taught the aelves the secrets of navigating the Umbral Veil. It was a pathetic kingdom compared to Druchiroth or Azyrheim, and Morathi brooded on how to grow her power. To secure her hold over the cult, she hunted for signs of Khaine. Morathi knew that the aelven gods were cyclic beings, and if any piece of them survived the end of the World-that-Was, they could rise again. Both physical and mystic searches found no trace of the deity until a heartbeat in her dreams led her to a cavern guarded by the godbeast Kharybtar, within which pulsed the Iron Heart of Khaine just beginning to again reveal its power. Morathi knew she had to move quickly lest some other being - most worryingly, Malerion - claimed her prize. She worked her charms on Kharybtar, but it grew enraged and fell upon her. They fought for thirteen days before she overcame it, though she only survived by drinking in the energies of the artefact. The fate of Kharybtar is unknown; some say it still stalks the Shadowlands, seeking to regain the Iron Heart.

The aelven gods Tyrion, Teclis and Malerion had discovered that the souls of their kind were still held tormented within Slaanesh. Now, they sought Morathi out as someone who would not only have unique insight into their captor, but also could serve as irresistible bait for the Dark Prince. For the first and only time, Morathi told the tale of how she had induced the Dark Prince to vomit her up, and armed with that knowledge a ritual of unprecedented size was undertaken. Together they trapped the god and began a ritual to extract aelf-souls, each taking a portion to restore in their own unique way. Morathi, using shadow and illusion, secretly took more than her share, and created the Mother Cauldron, Máthcoir, in Khruthú beneath Hagg Nar to hold the souls she had won. She created the Melusai and the Khinerai from the strongest souls, while the weakest were made into the menial Leathanam, a male underclass to support the Sisterhood of Blood she had established. Throwing herself fully into the worship of Khaine, Morathi named herself High Oracle of Khaine and her daughters began to flourish, growing in numbers and power.

Overview

Personality and attributes

She came to be known by a number of titles that included being the Hag Sorceress of Ghrond, the First of the Hag Queens, the High Oracle of Khaine and as the Shadow Queen. As the High Oracle, she was an icily beautiful figure who wore ornate leather and metal armour.

So great was her supernatural beauty that foes stood mesmerised by her rapturous allure. Her beauty was far beyond that of mortal man but her soul glowed with an inner darkness that chilled people to their core.

It was said that she was a creature of magic, manipulation and secrets.

Morathi preferred to work behind the scenes, twisting events to her favour with a carefully chosen alliance or assassination, yet she was a terrifying force if roused to open conflict and can unleash the horrific magical powers of Chaos with barely a thought. She is capable of the most destructive magics possible, and there was little doubt that if Malekith was ever slain, she would use that knowledge to see the Known World destroyed rather than endure it in the hands of another.

Heading the Cult of Khaine, she commented that they were her creatures and that she did not serve the Witch Elves but rather they served her.

She came to be the second wife of Aenarion who served as the first Phoenix King of Ulthuan. From their union, she came to bear his son who they had named Malekith.

Powers and abilities

She was a seeress unmatched in her mastery of dark magics.

Her magic allowed her to cast spells to morph herself into a more comely form of that of a radiant she-aelf framed by outstretched wings wrought of shadow-metal.

Her mastery of illusion magic allows her to hide this form from others. Instead of the serpentine Shadow Queen, she appeared as a beautiful Aelven Queen. Her form framed by wings made out of the finest shadow-metal, and her supernatural beauty strong enough to paralyses her victims. While her illusions where strong, fooling most beings in the Mortal Realms, Morathi had to constantly devote a part of her power to keep up the façade. When her concentration was broken, or she gave into her emotions, her true from was revealed. After such an Event, it often took her days or months for her to return to her Aelven form.

In battle, she wielded her spear Heartrender which she could use with cruel efficiency.

Originally, she used to ride the Dark Pegasus Sulephet into battle who served as her mount.

As the Shadow Queen, her serpentine aspect dominated her lower body giving her a long sinister snake-form that made her stand almost 3 times taller.

Morathi was the first and most powerful Hag Queen of the Cult of Khaine. As such, she had been gifted with the first Cauldron of Blood which restored her youth and beauty after bathing in it.

She had been the founder and secretly led the Cult of Pleasure who were a Chaos cult devoted to the worship of Slaanesh.

Notes

• Morathi was created by Games Workshop and featured in the setting of Warhammer Fantasy universe.

In other media

Video games

• In Total War: Warhammer II, Morathi appeared in the setting of the real-time strategy video game where she was voiced by actress Natasha Little.

Appearances

• Warhammer Fantasy:

External Links

• Lexicanum Wiki Entry

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