Morro
Or how one young scholar changed the lives of all ratfolk for the better...
Sir Morro (a.k.a. Morro the Grey)
There is no real family name system, they (the ratfolk) just refer to visible, physical characteristics that stand out.
Morro was the first to become a scholar on the prestigious Academy of Muskelon, and his intellect and knowledge impressed many people, including Queen Oleanna, the benevolent ruler of Rona Krag, a large kingdom to the south. The Queen learns that many ratfolk people are not as evil as everyone keeps telling, but actual smart, cunning and carefull staying out of sight.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Introduction
Morro enjoys living in his tiny cave under the northern mountain ridge. Since his mother taught him the art of reading, he enjoys it. Occasionally he struggles to understand the more complex words, so he sometimes talks to the elders in his village to find meaning in the words, but they more often than not can’t explain. This frustrates Morro more and more. Rami, the wise, decided in her wisdom that Morro needed a teacher. She gives Morro a seal that he has to bring to the head of a small monastery in the south. The head will recognise and honor the request, she assures Morro. His old mother is living in the tiny village, taken care of by the elders. The past two years his mother became gradually absentminded and only responsive at moments. Sometimes she recognises Morro. He only rarely visits her (finding it hard to see her like this), but on the day he leaves the tiny village, he visits his mother to tell her what he is going to do. His mother doesn’t respond, as usual.
Journey
Morro packs a few items and some food in a travel pack and sets off. After a few days, the terrain changes into hills and a dense forest. Staying on the road seems the fastest and safest way to travel. He takes several more days to enter the region where he suspects the monastery to be. He finds his maps quite liberal in details and sometimes unreadable. After three days of wandering, he finds the monastery. It seems abandoned, part destroyed. A lone survivor in the rubble, badly wounded, near dying, fur scorched. She looks up and tries to give him a metal cylinder together with a leather pouch. “take.., cylinder to Ha.. ... har.. da... aaah...” the last syllable never finished.
Morro looks at the strange, marked cylinder... Now what? where or what is Hahar? Morro stares at the body for several minutes, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. While he stares at her, he noticed a small bulge under her coat moving erratically. He snaps out of it and opens the robe carefully, curious, not knowing what to expect. Carefully removing the robe, he finds a small blue-ish creature looking at him with yellow eyes. Morro tries to pick it up, but the creature suddenly shoots up his arm where it settles in a crease of torn fabric. Morro tries to pull the robe off the now dead female. Interrupted by voices approaching.
The gruff sounding voices close in. A commanding voice shouting ‘search the rubble!, find it!". Morro looks around, decides not to wait. He rapidly moves back into the forest, carrying the cylinder and the blue creature.
trials
The soldiers find that the item they want is missing and Morro hears the voices shout commands he doesn’t understand. From a distance he sees a leather dressed man point to the ground and then point to his hideout. Morro feels his stomach and starts moving quickly away from the war band. He has no intention to end up like the female, and his will to survive gives him wings. Catching rat folk is not that easy, and he is quick. The war band hunts him and several times it’s close. At one precarious moment he... well, he rather not think about it. After six days of running, hiding and living on scraps of food, the weather turns in his favor. He finds a small, almost hidden passage in a larger rock formation and squeezes through. He watches as the rain washes his tracks away, while the scout is searching.
The whole war band of 6 men on horses show up. From a distance, Morro watches the leader kill the scout after a heated argument. The war band climbs back in the saddle and rides away, sounds of the screaming leader fading away in the distance. Morro waits another good deal of time before he carefully leaves his hideout to find the scout beheaded in a pool of mud. Morro grabs the cape as it looks like a high-quality item made of eel-skin. He removes the metal ornament and puts it safely away.
Morro has to decide what to do: return home, or continue to search for ‘hahar’. Who or what is Hahar? If he goes back home, all he did was meaningless. If he wants to go on, he has no clue where to go. Morro wonders: did he make a promise? Was taking the cylinder the same as making a promise? Morro concludes it is and doesn’t want to upset the dead. He remembers about ghosts and haunting, and it didn’t sound like fun.
Morro decides and goes on his way again to deliver the sealed cylinder. His best bet is a larger version of the monastery further south. There is some probability that he can get some directions when he gets there. Wearing the cape, he moves on.
The journey takes much longer than expected, and during his travels south he helps at farms and inns to earn food and sometimes a place to stay. While he works, he listens to customers, picking up rumours, gossip and tales. To him, the tales are exaggerated. Most of them are about heroic deeds that are too incredible to believe.
One day he talked to a priest, and he learns that the head of the religion called Hardala is nearby, only a few days of travel. Morro heads east to find the large military camp where Hardala is advisor.
The little blue creature has grown a few inches, and shows affection to Morro. It sometimes runs away and returns with berries and other kinds of edible food. No one recognises the creature. It follows Morro everywhere.
When he arrives at the military camp, they laugh at him and send him away. The blue creature suddenly jumps out and runs into a rather large tent made of colorful fabric. The soldiers curse and one of them rushes to catch the blue creature. Morro watches the soldier run after it and shouts, “don’t hurt him! He is harmless!”
A large, well-dressed man steps outside the tent, calmly stopping the soldier in his tracks. He walks to Morro “is this your pet?”. Morro shakes his head. “No, not mine,” he replies just as the blue creature jumps back to his favorite spot, on Morro’s shoulder. “I just take care of him.” The well-dressed man looks at him, smiling. “Welcome… My name is Daranis, follow me, we need to talk.”.
Daranis introduces himself as magic advisor and talks to Morro, who tells him all he knows. He shows the insignia he took from the scout, and presents Daranis the cylinder. Daranis opens the cylinder lifting the magic seal and pulls the piece of vellum out. His eyes grow wide as he reads the tiny scribbled text, “this is a serious message…” he looks at Morro as he continues, “It will change everything, i need to tell the Queen immediately!”.
returning home
Since Daranis has presented the Queen Halaradin with the message, a few months have passed and many things have happened. Morro travels during that time with Daranis and learns many skills, surprising Daranis emulating a complex spell to create a fire. Daranis teaches Morro several other spells.
Daranis also reveals that the blue creature is a dragon. The dragon is highly intelligent. Part of the message based on the existence of the little blue creature.
Queen Halaradin listens to Morro’s story and asks him what he would like as a reward. It overwhelms Morro. A queen asking him… He can’t think of anything, but utters the request to learn the language of men and a little more magic. The Queen, charmed by his simple request, assigns Daranis to Morro as a teacher. She also orders them to travel together to the Academy in the Queens capital town. The Queen and Daranis are both assuring that Morro will learn all there is to become a scholar and magic user.
Morro is an adept student and learns faster and more than anyone else. He also learns the basics of magic and a druid helps him with the Dragon. A year of study and he shows already great skill. The Queen returns to the capital and has another surprise for him. His mother is in the Queens castle to meet her son. His mother treated with the best magical and medical care recognises her son. With courtesy of Daranis.
Morro, wearing a magister uniform, carries the now 2 feet blue dragon on his arm and has a small contingent of soldiers assigned to secure their safety.
Several council members travelled there together with Morro’s mother. They responded to the invitation by the Queen to talk business. After business successfully has concluded, the rat folk move back home, proud, ready to fullfill the business requested. A full platoon of military, with orders to build an outpost, are travelling at the same time. Morro travels with them to retrieve his books and other gear from the cave. He knows several books he has collected, describe some powerful magical spells.
Sexuality
He is straight
not thinking about intimate relations
complication: there are no female ratfolk at the academy
Education
The Queen honors him with a rank at the prestigeus Academy to learn the language of men.
He also learns complex magic as a language. When he finishes his academic period he travels a considerable amount of time as Magister through the country.
Employment
At the age of ~26 he finishes the Academy and becomes the title Magister. The first of the Ratfolk ever to enter this prestigious school, finish it in record time AND become a Magister.
Accomplishments & Achievements
He escapes the elite scouts of a northern realm, he fullfils the wish of a dying monk, he delivers the cilinder to the Queen, he learns the language of Men and he learns Magic.
He shows great skill in learning magic, complex spells, Runes and more.
He earns the respect of his fellow students and teachers. The queen bestows him a honorable title.
Keeper of the Arcane?
Ordis of the Library?
Failures & Embarrassments
His engineering skills are abominable because he dislikes mechanical machines.
Once, early in the academy Morro had an one-sided argument with a machine. When he realised what he was doing it was too late. Embaressed he noticed his fellow students looking at him. They honed him and openly mocked him. He broke the machine and left the classroom.
Mental Trauma
He needs to read at least a few pages per day (or write), when he doesn't he feels edgy and is agitated.
He lost his travel book once and in very rare occasions, when stressed he wakes up from the nightmare.
Intellectual Characteristics
A quick learner, very smart and intelligent.
loves to read and think, and very adept in learning even the most complex spells. He has an excellent memory.
Good sense of smell, capable of finding the right herbs for spells and potions.
Reading every detail, memorizing, very adept in finding connections.
Morality & Philosophy
He is friendly, even when he is scoffed at or humiliated (ratfolk are not considered popular).
He never gives up, never backs down from a task. He also finds it important that knowledge is shared, but also protected. This sometimes conflicts, but then protecting goes first.
Strong sense of justice, honest.
Taboos
Walking around with a covered tail is something considered a bad thing.
Social
Family Ties
Hobbies & Pets
Speech
Wealth & Financial state
TBD: Guardian Knight ? Magica ? Library?
Common language of Men in verbal and writing
Magic in verbal, somatic and runic form.
Created on Heroforge
Comments
Author's Notes
Native language is dutch (netherlands), i am using ProWritingAid to make articles better readable. I would love comments and tips to improve my writing.
Minimal CSS for now, as i am still working on text, before i fiddle with CSS. I always like tips and tricks.
Have fun reading!