Morgoth

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Morgoth was one of the most vile and terrible beings imprisoned within the Tapestry of Dark Souls (also known as the Gathering Cloth). He eventually freed himself brought an army of monsters to bear against Brother Dominic and the Order of the Guardians. The conflict ended with the destruction of the Order's monastery on Markovia but also ended with the death of Morgoth and the unmaking of the Tapestry.[1]

Morgoth serves as the main antagonist of the Tapestry of Dark Souls novel. He should not be confused with Morgoroth, a similarly evil wizard but a completely different character.

History

Beginnings

Now known as the Silverlord, Morgoth began, according to his own testimony, as a meager slave sold by his parents to a horrible master that instructed him in the dark arts. However, Morgoth grew in power and recognition over time such that his master became jealous and worried about the potential of rebellion. Thus, according to Morgoth, his master ordered him to travel to the shrine of the Order of the Guardians and destroy it, or be destroyed in its place. Morgoth got to the cloth, but his overconfidence allowed the Cloth to imprison him.[2]

However, Morgoth soon discovered a way to free himself and all the prisoners in the Cloth.[3] On the night of a full moon, he unbound the Evil souls. The Order of the Guardians managed to seal all the Evil back into the Cloth, but only with great sacrifice. All of the monastics of that Guardian cell met their doom, save for three survivors.[4] Moreover, Morgoth blinded Brother Mattas, one of those survivors.[5] And despite his defeat, Morgoth discovered how to lure more victims for the Tapestry to absorb.[3]

Escape

In 717 BC[6] Morgoth brought Vhar and Leith to Markovia near the Monastery in Markovia. In the chaos that followed their initial exposure to the Gathering Cloth, Morgoth raped Leith from inside the Cloth and impregnated her.[7] In 718 BC, Leith gave birth to her son and handed him over to the Order of the Guardians, whom named him Jonathan and raised them as their own child. Having herself been infected with lycanthropy, Leith surrendered her life to the Tapestry of Dark Souls.

Morgoth waited seventeen years (735 BC[8]) before he was fully able to fully manipulate his son. Casting the Guardians as liars and deceivers, Morgoth manipulated Jon into freeing him. Portraying himself as a benign father figure and teacher, Morgoth persuaded an oath of loyalty from his son, with the implicit threat of doom to his loved ones, especially Sondra, weighing deeply upon Jonathan's heart.[9] One of Jonathan's first tasks was the murder of Brother Leo when Leo approached their lair. Jon went through with the act, albeit tearfully.[10]

Beyond the corruption of Leo, Morgoth set about gathering strength and recruiting allies (or perhaps, pawns.) He accomplished the former through draining as the life from goblins and humans alike. Morgoth gained minions through animated his dead victims.[11] In addition, he seduced and tempted Maeve[12], a lycanthrope, and through her, manipulated her pack.[13]

Morgoth's loyalties ultimately were with the other lost souls in the Tapestry (for whom he intended to free[14]) and to his progeny (so long as they served him). Like the Gentleman Caller, Morgoth intended to act as a breeder of his children, producing a family of mystically endowed servants to enforce his will. Unusual for a tyrant, Morgoth was quite accommodating in granting Jon's favors when asked.[15] Morgoth was even forgiving despite Jon's attempts at rebellion.[16] With his other pawns, such as Maeve[17] or Dirca[18], Morgoth was more willing to toss aside.

Morgoth engineered two attacks upon the Guardians' monastery, hellbent on retrieving the Tapestry. The first attack, utilizing Maeve's pack of werewolves, failed.[19] In the second attack, Morgoth led a mass of undead minions taken from the villagers of Linde. However, he was lured into a trap set by Jon and Ivar. With the last minute intervention of Maeve, Ivar and Jon were able to destroy both the Tapestry and Morgoth, though at the cost of both Jon and Ivar's lives.[20]

Abilities and Weaknesses

Before becoming trapped in the Gathering Cloth, Morgoth was a powerful arcane spellcaster. He was immortal, able to drain blood to sustain himself yet able to walk in daylight and eat normal meals as a normal person.[21] He was of a power level that throwing fireballs was easy.[22] As one would expect, his spellbook contained a variety of spells.[23]

Morgoth's time held within in the Gathering Cloth changed him, his body transformed and his nature [[corrupted such that the darkness within him took control of his being.[21] The Cloth cursed Morgoth to eternally crave the breath, body heat, even life itself, rather just merely blood, from his victims. Unlike before, his appetite would never again be fully in control.[24] Furthermore, Morgoth now needed to sleep during the hours of sunlight, though he did not need to sleep in a coffin as a normal vampire would. Morgoth was capable of surrounding himself with a crystal shell to sleep.[25]

To what degree Morgoth's powers were augmented by the Tapestry is not specified. Regardless of their source, Morgoth possessed a number of powers not held by any standard undead. Morgoth could sense emotional states and stringly associated memories in active use from quite some distance away. He could also use it to track foes or, when coupled with his other mystical abilities, to confuse and manipulate his prey.[26] Morgoth's empathy did not necessarily extend to motive, as those could be veiled.[27] Furthermore, using this power to its fullest drained Morgoth of his greedily gathered life energy.[28]

Morgoth's powers to influence the wills of others were just as strong, if flawed. When he captivated the people of Linde, he forced them to stand in line as he drained the life from them and reanimated them as Obedient Dead. More complex instructions may have required the manipulation of negative emotions or dark desire, as for example, when he beguiled Dirca to free Sondra. This power had its flaws, as the the enhancement of dark motivations caused Dirca to attempt to kill, rather than rescue, Sondra.[29] Moreover, for as long a werewolf (or at least, Andor Merriwite) wore a Silver Amulet of the Beast, Morgoth lacked the power to influence him.[30] Moreover, the ability for Maeve and others of strong will to break free of his control showed that Morgoth's power was far from total.[31]

Like normal vampires[32], Morgoth could transform into mist and considerably alter his volume while in such form. (He surrounded the Guards' monastery in mist.)[33] However, Morgoth's abilities in mist form went well beyond the usual. Like only one other vampire Van Richten witnessed[34], Morgoth showed the ability to drain life energy while in mist form. Beyond that, he could create misty tendrils to manipulate objects or even to grapple.[35]


References

  1. ↑ Champions of the Mists p.42
  2. ↑ Tapestry of Dark Souls (Novel) p. 210-211
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 ToDS p. 212
  4. ↑ ToDS p. 50
  5. ↑ ToDS p. 90
  6. ↑ Domains of Dread p. 17 places the events of the Tapestry's destruction at 735 BC. Jonathan (Son of Morgoth) is 17 at the time, which would make 717 BC the year of conception
  7. ↑ ToDS p. 34-35, 48, 212
  8. ↑ DoD p. 17
  9. ↑ ToDS p. 212-217
  10. ↑ ToDS p. 241
  11. ↑ ToDS p. 207-210, 243-244, 283-284
  12. ↑ ToDS p. 227-230
  13. ↑ ToDS p. 242-243
  14. ↑ ToDS p. 252-253
  15. ↑ ToDS p. 290=291
  16. ↑ ToDS p. 282, 284
  17. ↑ ToDS p. 250
  18. ↑ ToDS p. 275
  19. ↑ ToDS p. 250-260
  20. ↑ ToDS p. 302-307
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 ToDS p. 207
  22. ↑ ToDS p. 211
  23. ↑ ToDS p. 213
  24. ↑ ToDS p. 209
  25. ↑ ToDS p. 230
  26. ↑ ToDS p. 207=210
  27. ↑ p. 284
  28. ↑ ToDS p. 300
  29. ↑ ToDS p. 273-274
  30. ↑ ToDS p. 261
  31. ↑ ToDS p. 287
  32. ↑ Van Richten's Guide to Vampires p.18-19
  33. ↑ ToDS p. 260
  34. ↑ Van Richten's Guide to Vampires p. 25
  35. ↑ [[243-244, 256, 264
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