PLAYER: Bijou!
ARE YOU AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD?: Yep!
CONTACT: ( plurk ) peonies, ( discord ) gandiva#6465, ( dreamwidth ) worry
CHARACTERS PLAYED: N/A.

NAME: Mortelix. In canon, he is also known as just 'Mort.'
CANON: Epic Seven.
CANON REFERENCE: General background information on Epic Seven, here. Official profile blurb for Mort, here. If you did any supplemental information, please let me know and I would be more than happy to type something out!
CANON POINT: Post Episode 3, Chapter 9: After the fight with Ras where he, inevitably, is felled.
CRAU HISTORY: N/A!
AGE: Over thousands of years old.
APPEARANCE: An image of both Mort and his dragon form, here.
CONTRACT PAYMENT: An opportunity to meet someone who could best him in battle, and truly become a worthy adversary to him. Someone who would even exceed Ras, who is the reincarnation of the Goddess in his own world. If he were promised something like that, he would more than happy to agree to whatever contract.

QUESTIONNAIRE:

What does family mean to you and who do you consider a part of your family?

Unfortunately, the term "family" and all its implications doesn't hold a lot of weight to Mort. While Mort grew up under the guidance of his father, Uberius, it wouldn't be entirely off to say his own father viewed him with some degree of contempt and chagrin. This is largely due in part as Uberius thought of his own son as heartless, callous, and needlessly cruel. He believed his son grew up so extraordinary that he developed a severe lack of morality and compassion. Granted, he wasn't far off in his estimations.

While they initially had a cordial relationship and Mort worked to have his father become the Dragon Lord, his father actually began to fear his own son and the influence he's grown. As Mort continued to gather recognition for his unparalleled strength and insatiable drive, his father grew increasingly apprehensive and suspicious of Mort's intentions. Despite the fact that Mort continued to conquer more and more regions on his father's behalf, his father only further perceived him as a threat to his newfound power. Ultimately, this led Uberius to betray his own flesh and blood, believing his position of Dragon Lord should be his and his alone.

What he does not expect, however, is for his son to have expected this treachery. Mort stated while his father seemed akin to a calm and tranquil lake on the surface, that below its depths he held a vortex-like ambition— an ambition great enough to even swallow his own son.

As a result of that betrayal and the fact that his father had murdered his only rival and mentor in the skirmish (albeit, entirely one-sided) for the title of Dragon Lord, Mort's lack of consideration for "family" and "blood" was born. Or perhaps, it was more accurate to state that it was only solidified.

So while he would consider his father "family" by pure definition of the word, he views it as meaningless as everything else in the world. This includes the girl he raised— he didn't view her as family as much as a means to end. He raised her purely for his own egotistical goals of creating a worthy adversary with his own hands, and viewed her as nothing more than entertainment.

He has often stated on multiple occasions that if she turned out to be a disappointment, he would have taken her life out of pure indignation for the time and resources he had wasted on her.

In light of his "true" ambition very little matters— family, friends, or any other bonds included.

What are your greatest regrets, if you have any? What would you have done differently?

Mort's greatest regrets are predominately tied to the lack of “joy” he’s felt in his life. However, this “joy” isn’t manifested in the way it typically is for most as the only time Mort has ever felt genuine and sincere joy was when he is in the heat of a battle, not knowing whether he would win or lose— kill or be killed.

As a warrior, he's always wanted to meet his match, or even better, find someone who exceeds him in all possible ways. The first time he ever tasted defeat was, inarguably, the most momentous day of his life. He would have wanted to experience that longer and savor it as much as he could. If he could do it differently, he would have wanted to preserve that feeling by any means possible; perhaps even stopping his father from killing the only person who brought him that singular (now that he realizes, irreplaceable) thrill. But, at the same time, even if The Protector were to live, there was the possibility that Mort still would not have been satisfied.

In his final moments, he probably also regrets having discounted the girl he raised, as his old wound he got from her a thousand years ago actually ends up being his undoing, and gives Ras the sliver of an edge to defeat him in the final battle. But, at the same time, he likely would not have done a single thing differently.

Perhaps, it could be called obstinance, but Mort does not necessarily hold onto "regrets." He is the type to always look forward to the next battle, the next struggle, or even the next rival. He even states on more that one occasion that he would have regretted it more for them to have only been a disappointment.

Your Faction leader, not just your boss but the leader, has asked you to carry out a hit. The target is a non-affiliated public leader, well-liked by the people of the city. Do you carry it out? Why or why not?

As someone completely lacking any formal sense of a moral compass, he would have no qualms about carrying out this work. As Mort also does not fear consequence, he wouldn't care about being found out either. For example, in Chapter 8S of Epic Seven, he ends up killing those close to the only person he would have considered a friend, Alencia. He also doesn't really seem to care when Alencia finds out either. If anything, he merely attempts to use this as a way to motivate and coax Alencia into killing him in retaliation.

In the case of murdering a notable figure, he would likely publicize the fact that he had done it in order to further receive the ire of the public and those who held that figure close to them. In that sense, Mort is extremely honest to his wants and desires, and if there is one thing he knows it's that others tend to be led by their passions. If he can use this as a catalyst to further provide him entertainment, he would absolutely do it with zero remorse.

What is your favorite diversion? Hobbies, indulgences, vices? Would you put off important things for that diversion, or would you be more strict about how you spend your time and/or money?

As an individual who was hailed as a genius from a young age, very little impresses him. Additionally, due to the fact that he could master most subjects within hours of learning, he's come to consider the world as mundane and nothing short of worthless. It's only when he experiences the exhilaration of his first bitter loss does he realize that there was more to the world than he initially suspected. As such, he became obsessed with chasing that pleasure. He is exceedingly battle-hungry and his hobbies revolve around setting himself up for his own personal success— whether that's raising potential rivals with his own hands, or even starting wars.

Mort can also be marginally more rigid when it comes to spending his time. Enough where he purposely froze his own time for thousands of years so that he could only be awoken when a worthy rival would appear. Honestly, in light of his unquenchable thirst for finding someone to satisfy his desires, very little would be considered important.

But, it's very likely he isn't at all frugal as he grew up with extreme wealth and power. He isn't accustomed to being any other way. But, at the same time, he also doesn't seem to want much outside of a glorious death in the heat of struggle. He is a simple and honest man/dragon, if not much else.

POWERS & ABILITIES:

( INSIGHT & TACTICAL EXPERIENCE. ) “So, that’s Mortelix. He is composed and dignified just like his father. But there is one thing that definitely sets them apart. The way he stares at everything as though it’s worthless.”

Mort is stated to possess poise, grace, and great insight. He tends to be able to see several steps, or even centuries before others. For example, he is one of the few dragons who were aware of how cunning humans were. He had predicted the fact that Humans would wage war on the dragons out of fear and spite, despite the fact that none of the dragon elders had even considered it a possibility as they viewed humans as weak and fragile creatures incapable of standing up against them. This is also proof he tends to be judge people quite objectively; even admitting that humans, despite seeming feeble, were praiseworthy due to their desire to evolve.

He is also very proficient at the art of war; he has not only planned and instigated full-blown wars, but was both a warrior and tactical advisor through them. Not to mention, he has the long lifespan of a dragon and had been warring with the ancient dragons of the other territories since he had passed his rite of maturity— which naturally means that he has easily amassed more experience than the average man.

In relation to this, he also does possess decent leadership abilities, and a certain brand of charisma. Though his personal advisor, Lucius, would argue that it’s easily masked (and maybe even canceled out) by his unquenchable thirst and his single-minded tenacity when it comes to pursuing his ambitions.

( MARTIAL ARTS & ENHANCED SPEARMANSHIP. ) “Excel? That word doesn’t do him justice.”

When Mort became of age, he was already celebrated as being a genius of unparalleled caliber. It is explicitly mentioned that Mort is able to master subjects that people dedicate their entire lives to in mere hours. Whether this is in spearmanship, or bare-handed fighting. Due to this it is implied he is skilled at all weaponry, though he seems to have a strong preference for the spear.

Due to the nature of his skills, I don't think the overall skills itself would be game breaking, but I would want to adjust his overall power output. So while he would still be skilled with the spear and other forms of combat, it just wouldn't nearly have as much raw strength behind it, which will also be reviewed in the next section.

( DRAGON ABILITIES - SELF-HEALING, INCREASED STRENGTH, EXTREME DURABILITY ) "When you walk down a path, there are bound to be a few bugs caught under your foot."

As aforementioned, Mort is extremely overpowered in the world of Epic Seven (and is a pesky boss fight on top of that!). He is an ancient dragon who was known to be The Chosen One and could be argued to the strongest dragon that had ever existed. He has both extreme durability and immense strength. Actually, in canon itself, he is stated to only have one weakness (two, technically, if you factor in how Ras had defeated him in the final chapter), which is the "Dragon's Wrath"— a weak point that supposedly all dragon's possess which is right where his heart would be.

Added to his overall strength, Mort is also able to transform into a full blown dragon. His dragon form is shown to be quite sizable— enough where his foot itself is larger than a whole party of people. As such, within the boundaries of the game, I would state that he would no longer be able to access this ability, and maybe just have the potential to regain it, but on a much smaller scale.

Furthermore, as he is strong enough to be able to shift the direction of war (and enough to be summoned just to win it), even against others who are deigned to be powerful enough to put a whole city and its people at risk, I think it would be safe to say he would be powered down significantly. He wouldn't be able to exert a strength above the average really strong human. Nor be able to heal himself the same way he once had. Maybe he can recover a bit quicker than the guy next door, but not enough to grow back a limb or anything.

Also, as it’s canon that he’s… nearly impossible to damage and impervious against all manners of attacks (even stun, sleep, and certain magics), I would say he will be durable, but a sword would still cut his skin. A big enough blow would still bruise him, etc.

SUITABILITY:

Mort is no stranger to violence. Soon after coming of age, he launches a full blown war and gains recognition and prestige from battle. Even at his coming of age ceremony, he nearly kills his own mentor— and likely would have were he not admonished by his father. He is also thousands of years old being a dragon and is accustomed to seeing the worst in both his kind and humans alike. While it's not explicitly stated, things like drugs and similar stimuli is likely no different than the magical brand of it, which he is used to seeing from those who are weak and power-hungry. As Mort also generally lacks a moral compass, he has no qualms about decimating entire villages or killing his only friend's companions, so it's clear that violence suits him pretty well, so he would be fairly well-suited to the environment of Jigokucho.

While Epic Seven doesn't have sexual content due to the nature of the game itself, he does make comments like these, so.... it is likely he isn't unaware of sex. He also has used people's romantic intentions towards him as a means of amplifying their emotions when he inevitably betrays them.

FACTION SUITABILITY:

Shuten Clan

The culture of Shuten’s clan and their value of strength would definitely align with Mort’s mentality of the weak vs. the strong. Mort is a strong believer of survival of the fittest and believes only the strong have the right to rule. He exercises a similar ideal when he was subjugating the other dragons. Rather than using political means of winning the Dragon Council’s trust, or even invoking the rights of the Sacred Cavern, Mort was more than satisfied by handling all matters with a raw and unadulterated show of power. Mort also always engages with people physically— enough where if he believes he’s too powerful, he will often drop his weapon, and fight them bare-handed if just to give them a handicap. He genuinely loves the thrill of a fight and would be at ease in a place like the arena. He would thrive at discovering and being around other prospective talent and would likely use this as a means of mentoring one or two of his own rivals. Additionally, Mort is also someone who doesn’t choose deception. It is stated by one of his "friends" that Mort, while sly, “never lies.” This is also because Mort views lies as pointless. He has such absolute belief in his own skills and abilities that he feels he has no need for lies; though that isn’t to state that he never withholds the truth or lets people off on their own misconceptions.

The only part of the culture he wouldn’t fit as well with is the idea of responsibility. While Mort at one point may have considered superseding his father as The Chosen One and becoming the Dragon Lord, he’s lost all feeling and desire for that or any sort of culpability that comes with ruling over others. He would much rather spend his time as he desires and would rather let his own thirst for a worthy adversary rule over his entire being. But, with that said, he could still offer his fighting skills, his discerning eye for talent, and his ability to mentor others (though, rather questionably). It also helps that he has zero qualms with getting his hands dirty or doing jobs that others may decline due to their personal ethics or morals.

Tamamo Clan

Mort does possess a lot of insight. As aforementioned, he was one of the few dragons who predicted the war with humans, and he was the first to be able to see his father for what he truly was— a man of pure ambition. He is able to judge others without any personal feelings involved and this impartiality is part of what makes his intuition so accurate as he does not have feelings to spare, or emotions to cloud his conjectures. But, Mort does tend to be very honest with his desires, and isn’t really the type to craft up a ploy. He’d very much rather be in the thick of it, fighting someone to get the upper hand than he is to scheme and plan.

When it comes to indulgence, Mort isn’t one to hold back on his desires, either. He is entirely indulgent to his own whims and in that sense seems to lack discipline when it comes to anything but fighting. He even puts an entire war on pause so he could further develop his spearmanship so he can fight the one man who managed to defeat him. But, while he may be a slave to his own ambitions, he doesn’t seem to have much other dessires, and would likely find the wants of others strange and unfamiliar. Which is probably hypocritical considering his only friend thinks he’s a freak, but to each their own…

However, if he were to work for the clan, he would likely fit in a role of assessing other people’s strengths and determining what desires they have. He is very good at seeing past people and could use that to his advantage.

Sutoku Alliance.

While his subordinates do hail him as a genius and he is blessed with both intellect and power, Mort doesn’t seem to hold as much value in information and secrets. While he doesn’t necessarily discount it, he definitely views intelligence as just a small piece to a much larger puzzle. Mort isn’t the type to seek out information and for the most part, he doesn’t want to know things that don’t revolve around his singular interests. He also wouldn’t fit in with the types who are all about secrets. He is a straightforward person himself and believes secrets are a coward’s choice. Also as for most of his life, he’s done well without having spy or weasel information out of command chain. If he were to find out information, he would definitely do it by his own terms. He could be added muscle to their alliance, and he could offer his perspective on things in the sense that he’s lived through a lot. As someone who had to be a commander, tactician, and front line member of a large-scale civil war with his own race (and then later against humans), he definitely knows a thing or two war.

Department of Enma.

Despite being a “ruler” of sorts and having amassed a decent sum of followers, including some of those most ferocious dragons of all the lands, Mort does not put any value on law and order. For the most part, he also seems to have no actual desire to rule, on many occasion more than happy to relinquish his influence and subsequent responsibilities to his father. If anything, Mort is more than fine with absolute chaos. When he doesn’t become Dragon Lord, there was even a group of individuals who almost felt a sense of relief if just because they knew Uberius, his father, was peace-loving and erred on the side of caution, which was a stark contrast to his son. As a result, Mort may not fit into the typical mold of someone who works for order and stability.

However, he is willing to dirty his hands and as he doesn’t have a lot of lines he wouldn’t cross, he could be a relatively fit agent. He has no qualms about what he must do to achieve his goals and as long as they intend to keep their promises and their objectives don’t clash with his own desires, he may be quite loyal.

SAMPLES

➊ & ➋.