Mortarion

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Mortarion is a male character who features in Warhammer 40,000.

Contents

Biography

Origin

Mortarion was a genetically engineered male created by the Emperor of Mankind who was alongside twenty other such offspring that made up the ranks of the Primarchs. The actions of Chaos resulted in the Primarchs being scattered across the galaxy where one of their number came to rest on the planet Barbarus. This was a world covered in poisonous fog with the most advanced technology being steam power. The pre-industrial population was split between the human settlers and the ruling Overlords who were inhuman necromancers that had Warp derived powers. Those that inhabited Barbarus had been trapped on the planet for millennia and forced to live as farmers in the poison-free valleys of the planet where they feared the Overlords along with their foul creations. Upon arriving, the Primarch child was taken by one of the most powerful of the Overlords named Necare. He came to find the child amongst the corpses on the battlefield that was the site of the endless conflicts among the Overlords. Necare was surprised to find a screaming and wailing infant as normally a human child would have died and suffocated long before then. For a moment, the Overlord considered killing the child, but he realised that no human should be able to breath at this height, let alone cry out. He considered what he had found, and then bundled the child up and carried it from the carnage. He now had a son, something he had craved for years despite his dark magical powers. The warlord christened the child Mortarion, child of death. The warlord tested how high the child could survive in the poisonous atmosphere of Barbarus and then erected a massive wall of black iron. He then moved his mansion past this to keep it from the child. Perhaps he knew the child was better than him and that one day he would come for the warlord, or perhaps he was afraid of the small child able to breath where no other of his kind could. Whatever he felt, he trained the child in his image. He taught everything of warfare to Mortarion. He was constantly at the front fighting against all of the other warlords' armies, sometimes of undead humans, sometimes of more daemonic creatures. Mortarion was still human though, and he sought to know of those who dwelled below the layer of fog. After witnessing the Overlords hauling captive humans away for torture and experimentation Mortarion escaped from his holdings and descended the mountain, the warlord bellowing after him of his treachery and that to return would mean death. As Mortarion descended, he began to realise he had found his people. He smelt the scent of food for the first time, he saw people unobstructed by the fog and for the first time he heard laughter, real laughter, not that of the victorious warlord's. He realised that the prey that the warlords fought over was his own people, and with this came a sense of hatred and he vowed to give them justice over their oppressors. His acceptance into the community of humans was not easy. He was seen as just another monster from above them, and this was quite true due to his appearance. He had pallid skin and hollow, haunted eyes and he terrified most of the inhabitants. He may have been feared, but Mortarion bade his time and helped get the meagre harvest in and was generally a useful and productive member of the society, more than most were. Eventually, the time he had waited for arrived, a way to prove himself in the eyes of his fellow humans. A lesser warlord had arrived with his shambling undead legions and began to carry off those they could for their master's plans. In the ensuing Overlord Wars the peasants fought back as best they could, but they only had fire torches and farming implements to defend themselves. Each of them had fought many times like this during their lives and it was all they could do not to run, let alone put up an effective counter manoeuvre. This was until Mortarion himself joined into the fray where he strode above his fellow humans dwarfing all around him. He used an enormous two-handed scythe and charged into the ranks of the enemy with the hatred that had been building for years before and drove them from the village. The warlord smiled and withdrew to the poisonous area above, unaware of the Primarch's amazing respiratory abilities. Mortarion dispatched the warlord and his place among the villagers was sealed. As Mortarion grew he taught the villagers all he knew of warfare. Word of his knowledge and exploits spread and people came from far and wide to learn from him. Soon, villages were becoming strongholds and the villagers were more effective defenders. Eventually, Mortarion began to move from village to village, teaching along the way and if need be, defend the settlements. His ultimate vengeance was always denied to him because of the fog that prevented the humans from pushing home their attacks. Mortarion then recruited the strongest and most resilient of warriors from the villages he went to. He formed them into elite units and drilled them himself. He turned blacksmiths from tool-working to weapons-making when time allowed and had them craft armour. He also armed his warriors with crude air filtration apparatus. It is said that the next attack that descended from the mountains above was repulsed quickly and Mortarion, leading his Death Guard, as they had become known, followed them into the fog above, massacring the remaining forces and killing the warlord. For the first time in history, Mortarion had led the people into the toxic fog and survived. Mortarion continued to improve the breathing apparatus and campaigned ever higher into the fog. The constant exposure to the toxins hardened his warriors, a useful and transferable skill retained by the Death Guard.

Horus Heresy

During this time, he was approached by Warmaster Horus who was looking to rally a number of the Primarchs to his own side. However, he found Mortarion to be difficult to convince unlike his brothers Angron or Fulgrim where it seemed like he failed in convincing Mortarion. It was then that he found a means of getting the Lord of the Death Guard's support as he determined that Mortarion had come to distrust the Emperor. In fact, he had seen that the Emperor had become corrupted with power and was becoming another tyrant just like his adoptive father on Barbarus. This comparison was used by Horus who used Mortarion's distrust of the Warp to bring his brother Primarch to his cause.

Daemon Prince

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Mortarion's original mortal form whose features were said to had been ashen with him having a hairless face. After turning to Chaos, he came to be known by a number of titles which included the Pale King, the Death Lord, the Prince of Decay and as the Reaper of Men.

Life on Barbarus was said to had surrounded him in a darkness that seeped into his soul and would never leave him.

He was noted for being a fiercely driven and relentless person.

Over time, he came to see the Emperor as a Warp-tainted 'aberration' like his tyrant adopted father and came to distrust him. It was these feelings that were used by Horus to sway Mortarion to his cause and leading to the Death Guard becoming traitors.

Powers and abilities

Mortarion was born as one of the genetically engineered humans called the Primarchs that were developed by the Emperor of Mankind. Even as an infant, his physiology allowed him to survive the poisonous that resided on the planet Barbarus that was capable of killing normal humans.

As a Daemon Primarch, he was transformed into a powerful demon with abilities far beyond those of his former form. He was noted for being surrounded by chittering Daemon mites and droning flies with noxious plague vapors around him. Meanwhile, he swooped across the batlefield on vast creaking wings where the sound generated from them could bring dread to his enemies. Those that stood in his presence were noted to choke and collapse from the myriad plagues that surrounded him as they died in the process.

One of his signature weapons was the massive scythe Silence that was a rusting yet razor-sharp blade that had brutal chain-teeth on it. It was said to be stained with the blood of worlds and was capable of even tearing a Reaver Titan to pieces. Another armament at his disposal was the Lantern that was an ancient energy pistol which he used for ranged attacks.

He was the leader of the Death Guard legion where he had served as the Reaper Primarch that led them into battle. His personal guard were the Deathshroud where two of their number accompanied him at all times with them standing no more than 49 paces from his side. Originally, they were listed being killed in action where they wore a mask for the rest of their lives so that only Mortarion knew their true identities. Each carried with them their own copies of Manreaper that were copies of the Primarch's weapon that was made proportionate for their hands.

After the Heresy, he and his forces relocated into the Eye of Terror where they made the Daemon World known as the Plague Planet as their new home.

Notes

  • Mortarion was created by Games Workshop and featured in the setting of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

In other media

Video games

  • In Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters, Mortarion appeared as a major antagonist in the setting of the video game where he was voiced by actor Michael Strickland.

Appearances

  • Warhammer 40,000:

External Links

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