Mortaf

Guardians of Death

A race of tall, gaunt and dull skinned humans with curved horns on their head and some joints. Blessed by the death goddess herself, mortafs are deeply connected to death magic and its related materials and rituals. Their name derives from an old Mortaf saying the roughly translated to the "Dead Jaffa". They are also known as Death guardians, Ghost people, Grave whisperers., and Necrodemons. The title Death guardian alludes to their origins in which the the first Mortafs defend a Deadgate to the Afterworld. Ghost people, named used by outsiders, mostly refers to the Mortafs naturally gaunt appearance. The title Grave whisper refers to the mortafs natural gift to deathspeak. Lastly they are know as Necrodemon to those that fear their control of death magic and due to their horned appearance.
Living largely in close knit tribes, Mortafs are a magically skilled and knowledgeable race. These tribe have many advanced, complex, and powerful death magic ritual, seals and barriers. Some are also talented with blood magic. They are famously sought out for matters pertaining to the dead and the Afterworld. Most commonly they are asked to contact, find and bind the ghosts for the dead. Commonly they are also in charge of summon, animate, and destroying corpses. They are also skilled in protecting the living from wrathful ghost and curses. Some Mortafs are even sought out as assassins do to their various killing techniques

Basic Information

Anatomy

Mortaf have all the normal human traits. However, they do grow various curved horns with grow in unique location for mortaf. Common locations include the forehead, chin, spine, elbows, and shoulders. They are a relatively tall race with sharp and bony facial features. Their eyes have a black sclera with either a silver, red, blue, or purple irises, depending on the variant. Their skin color ranges from charcoal gray to silver. Hair is commonly white, silver, or red. They also typical have no body hair.
The blessing from the death goddess seems to have also altered their bodies to resemble the dead. They have a naturally gaunt build, and thus are not very physically strong. They also have a poor physical stamina and are slow to heal. They are also known to be "thin skinned" meaning they bleed easily. Its a trait that can be dangerous in battle, but also useful for mortaf that can use blood magic. Lastly mortafs have stronger than usual bones. A trait that helps with brute force attacks. However, is more commonly seen with the use of deceased mortaf bones in various ritual to craft weaponry. In fact, mortaf bones makes the strongest deadbone, a material that protects the user from possession.

Biological Traits

Variants

There are 4 main variants of Mortafs. The different variants are capable of different magic in conjunction with death magic. Visually it is based on their eye color as follows:

• Silver Eyed Mortaf: These mortafs have the strongest connection to death magic . They are also capable of deathtouch 
• Red Eyed Mortaf: These mortafs are capable of blood and death magic
• Purple Eyed Mortaf: These mortafs are capable of seal and death magic.
• Blue Eyed Mortaf: These mortafs are capable of Barrier and death magic.

Genetics and Reproduction

Mortaf reproduce slowly. They don't reach sexual maturity til around the age 25. Technically they can bear children about once every 2 years and pregnancy itself last about a year as well.

Growth Rate & Stages

• Child (Age 0--8): Children are born without horns and have white irises. around the age of 5 their begin to develop their death speaking abilities.
• Teen (Age 8-25) : Adolescence begins as the Mortaf eyes begin to get color which further identify their type of magic. Also their horns begin to grow and their bodies further develop to sexual maturity.
• Adult (Age 25 - 200):Mortafs reach sexual maturity and their horns are fully grown. They also gain more control of their magic.
• Elder (Age 200+): Mortafs body begins to slow age. Their horns also start to curve in in different directions and their hair thins. They also delevop skin wrinkles. Elders also have stronger magic power.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Many mortaf societies are structured as close knit tribes. Immediate family member usually live in the same house hold for the first 25 years of life. Most of their leaders are Elders due to their wisdom and connection to past leaders. For this same reason powerful Deathspeaker also hold a level of prestige.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

• Mortaf bones can be blessed and used to make powerful Deadbone items.

Facial characteristics

They have bony facial structure. with eyes that have black scaleras and either bright blue, red or purple irises

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The are most dense in the City of Dealios , their Ancestral home. They also reglious protect and maintain the Deadgate of Dealios. There are also significant populations in the eastern Wintercov, western Blacklin and southern Autumia.
There is a growing population in eastern Moura and northern Freefora, especial in the city of Gothuir. This started with the Mortaf migration in Gothuir. Gothuir was having issues with contolling the dead once the Vivatom was curse. The leaders of the city appealed to the Mortafs with payment for help. This lead to a large group of Mortaf to migrate north to Gothuir to work. Then the population grew as they thrived in the old city.

Average Intelligence

Mortaf Have I good capacity for memory and readily pass wisdom to future generation as they can easily communicate even after death. The Also have a complex understanding of magic for their unique rituals, seals, barriers, and other magic manipulations

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Mortafs are skilled and powerful magic users. All Mortaf are capable of using Death magic. Then depending on which variant, they are they may also be capable of using Seal, barrier, or blood magic. All Mortafs also have the Gifts of Deathspeaking, and thus can all easily communicate with the dead. Silver eyed Mortaf also have the gift of death touch. Other gifts that appear among Mortafs include Hindsight and Ghostwalking
Due to their origins Mortafs have a resistance to death magic, blood magic, and mind magic. They also have a complete immunity to Darcmetal and Possession, a very useful traits when dealing with the dead and ghosts. However, Mortaf do have poor stamina, are thinskinned and are slow to self-heal.
Mortafs are known for their ability to protect against, manipulate, and summon ghosts. They are also capable of powerful and unique seals and barriers. They also are famous for creating some of the strongest Deadbone . Their combat style great depends on their use of magic and summoning. the hand to hand combat mortafs incorperate blood magic and runes into their figting style As for weapons they commonly used complete darcmetal weapons. This usually takes the form of knives and short blades as Darcmetal is not the most durable weapon suited to combat.

Civilization and Culture

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Mortaf have developed there own written system known as Tartorian runes. It is very effect in for ward, bariers and seals

Common Dress Code

They dress simply and tend to have alot of bone accessories. Common these accessories are made Deadbone to for protections . They do commonly get white tattoos that resemble simplified skeleton

History

The origins of the Mortafs begins with a collection of tribes known as the Jaffas located in eastern Wintercov. They were a tribe of mainly mages that were believed to have distant giant ancestry as most of the members were tall. Originally they were a nomadic peoples. That changed when 21 of there members were kidnapped from the various tribes by an group known as he Secret Hand. The tribe united moved to rescue their these 21 kidnapped only to discover that they were forcibly sacrificed to create a large Deadgate. In their fury, Mortintojafs killed the Secret Hand in the area and seized control of the Deadgate. However, they regarded This Deadgate as scared ground as it was the site for their fallen members that united the Jaffa tribes. Thus the tribes began to settle in this area that would become present day Dealios.
Tribes mainly settled the area in order to protect the newly formed deadgate. Deadgate. It also became a burial site of their dead, causing the Deadgate to become even larger and more powerful. This eventually got the attention of their neighboring rivals. Add encouragement from the Secret Hand and these rivals moved to retake the Deadgate. The battle the bloody and the Jaffa tribes were on about to lose. 4 mages stepped forward to be the final protection for the Deadgate. Hellas a blood mage, Plutars a barrier mage, Izami a seal mage, and Sirus a death magic sought to perform a suicidal ritual. They would sacrifice their lives with Darcmetal blades so they could channel the the immense magic to form a final attack. However, as the ritual was being preformed that the mages neared death the Goddess of Death intervened.
She decided to reward these mages that these people who devoted themselves to protect this Deadgate and were willing to sacrifice themselves for it. She altered the ritual. The 4 mages themselves were transformed by the great flux of magic in became what we know as Mortaf today. These first 4 mortaf with the blessing of the death goddess and a direct connection to the Deadgate Opened the dead gate a summon hordes of the dead to turn the tide of the battle and destroy their enemies. After the battle the 4 were albe to use their blood and the Deadgate to transform their fellow tribemen as well. Originally they were called the Mortojaffa meaning " The Dead Jaffas tribe". However over time it shortened to "Mortaf" we call them today.

Historical Figures

Famous Bloodlines

• Izami - Descendants of Izami the first purple eyed mortaf. They naturally capable of powerful seal magic. Their blood can be used in the Mortaf conversion ritual. One of the 4 leading Families for Dealios
• Plutar - Descendants of Plutar the first blue eyed mortaf. They naturally capable of powerful Barrier magic. Their blood can be used in the Mortaf conversion ritual. One of the 4 leading Families for Dealios
• Sirus - Descendants of Sirus the first silver eyed mortaf. They naturally capable of complex death magic and powerful deathdealers . Their blood can be used in the Mortaf conversion ritual. One of the 4 leading Families for Dealios
• Hellas - Descendants of Hellas the first red eyed mortaf. They naturally capable of powerful Blood magic. Their blood can be used in the Mortaf conversion ritual. One of the 4 leading Families for Dealios
• Atlelus (Attlius) - Desendants of Pelios. The third child of Tantolos Atlelus, a Tyrant leader obessed with true immoratlity an known to create and perform many taboo magic manipulation. Certain branches changed the name to Attlius to escape infamy of thier bloodline founder The Magika of Tantolos has been passed down to the inheritors of Atelus bloodline.

Famous Individuals

• Tantolos Atlelus - Infamous leaderof the village of Chromston. He sought to turn his village into the promenient power in southeastern Blacklin. However after the death of his wife and second child, he became Obessed with true immoratlity and known to create and perform many taboo and cruel forms of magic. In the process he turned Chromstons into a conquering force and devolved into a tyrant..

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Mixed blood Typically have a duller skin tone that their other have. They even develop facial horns, but they are smaller and slower growing that a full blood mortaf. Most mix bloods inherit the black scaleras in their eyes as well. Half bloods tend are typicaly have affinity for mortaf magics. However most mixbloods do not inherit the gift of death speaking. Still all these can be overcome by using the Mortaf conversion ritual. It is also easier to convert a mix blood.
The Mortaf conversion ritual requires the blood of all four of the original bloodline as it carries the blessing from the death goddess. It also requires a darcmetal blade. It is performed on the Dealios Deagate with at least 1 other Mortaf to serve as an anchor. It works quicker and more effective when multiple Mortaf participate. First the prospective convert and and participating mortafs must recite the incantation of the rituals. Like the original Mortaf a prospective convert has to stab themselves with original blood soaked darcmetal knife. They then "Die" on the Deadgate and pass to the Afterworld. Once they return they will tranformed into a mortaf. The time spent in the afterword depends on the amount and power of the anchoring Mortafs.

Racial Overview

by Israel Rodriguez

Gifts
Deathspeaking
Common Potential Gifts
Deathtouch
Potential Primary Magics
Death, Seal, Blood Barrier
Potiential Secondary Magics
Black, Demon, Spirit
Resistances
Death magic, Blood magic, Mind magic, Darcmetal
Weaknesses
 thin skinned and slow healing

Origin/Ancestry

Mageblood

Lifespan

300-350 years

Average Height

6.5-8 feet

Average Weight

155-220 lb

Average Physique

Mortaf are naturally taller than mages. However they are naturally gaunt.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Skin tones are vary between charcoal gray and silver

Related Materials

• Darcmetal
• Deadbone

Intersex Race
High Populous Cities
 Dealios , Gothuir 

by Israel Rodriguez