Morfell

Morfell Storyline The Griffin Sword War The Griffin Sword Saga Gender Male Status Dead Alias/Title Warrior-Priest of Lorminstra Prophet Betrayer of Lorminstra Grand Paladin of Darkness Affiliation(s) Lorminstra Dark Alliance

Morfell Destrieder was a warrior-priest of Lorminstra. The Griffin Sword, a powerful artifact of Lorminstra, was given to him in the ages of antiquity. However, he fell from her grace, making a pact with four of the Lornon pantheon: Luukos, Mularos, Sheru and V'tull. Performing a dark ritual on the sword, he re-consecrated it in their name, giving it to their forces. This led to the sword shattering.

Morfell later arrived in Wehnimer's Landing in 5096 ahead of the Griffin Sword War, where he was welcomed as an unnamed prophet. He shared the history of the Griffon Sword and its shattering ahead of the forces of the four dark gods attacking the town, intent on desecrating the Temple of Lorminstra within. Ultimately the followers were repelled, the shattered sword pieces recovered, and the Griffin Sword reforged. It was imbedded into a stone outside of the Landing's temple where, protected by strong wardings, it provided simple blessings unto weapons when rubbed to aid in the fight against the undead.

At the conclusion of the Griffin Sword War, the prophet was revealed to be Morfell. Lorminstra had stripped him of his identity and his memory when the sword had shattered, and he had lived thusly for ages until he had finally atoned for his past actions that caused its corruption and destruction. After regaining his memory, Morfell went on to serve humbly and in anonymity in a small outpost dedicated to the Order of Voln, where none knew his true identity.

The being Nershuul found Morfell and helped to quietly capture and abduct him on behalf of the reformed Dark Alliance, where Morfell was tortured in an attempt to force him to fall a second time from Lorminstra's favor. He and the Griffin Sword were inexorably tied, even though had left the relic behind. Morfell eventually yielded to his captors, which caused a taint to form within the Griffin Sword. With the taint manifested, the Dark Alliance was finally able to break the wardings on the Griffon Sword. They invaded the Landing in 5102 at the start of the Griffin Sword Saga, and as one of the Alliance began to remove the sword from its stone, it shattered into the same four pieces. This had the unexpected consequence of killing Morfell due to their link.

Morvule Thinevael, the High Priest of Luukos, raised Morfell as a lich. As the shattering of the sword had also shattered Morfell's soul, the only way of returning Morfell from oblivion was to bind those shattered remnants to the husk of his former body. Morfell's connection with the sword was now gone, as it was reliant upon him being alive. While a lich, he was treated as a prisoner of the Dark Alliance, where he was put to use in the creation of their undead armies for most of the duration of the Griffin Sword Saga.

When the Dark Alliance fully recovered and reforged the Griffin Sword, the lich Morfell was taken to an alter within the Alliance's stronghold, the Black Temple. There, Morvule intended to reforge Morfell's link with the sword, even in unlife, to corrupt the last trace of Lorminstra's power from it. This ultimately allowed Morfell to retrieve the sword, its corruption complete, in spite of the last valiant efforts by the Resistance and the protection bestowed upon them by Ulstram Chanerser, the Prophet of Lorminstra. Poised to strike a killing blow on them, the lich Morfell was instead himself killed by Charna, with a relic blessed by Gosaena. The sickle completely unmade the Griffin Sword, destroying both it and Morfell, and also ending the war.

Morfell's tomb is presumed to be inside Moonsedge castle, although what, if anything, is contained within is unknown given that he and the remnants of his former body had been utterly destroyed. There are signs within the castle that this is also where Morfell may have attempted to create prototypes to what became known as the Griffin Sword, including a completed one that still remains and bears a striking resemblance to the destroyed relic.

Appearance

At the Conclusion of the Griffin Sword Saga on 9/7/05

You see Lord Morfell Destrieder the Grand Paladin of Darkness.
He appears to be an Arch Lich.
He appears to be mature. He has reptilian emerald green eyes and dead white skin. He has long, billowing white hair flowing about his face in wispy tendrils.
He has a large incarnadine jewel bleeding shadows from its faceted interior melded into the flesh of his forehead, and a series of jagged inky black brandings along his neck which writhe and squirm as if alive.
He is in good shape.
He is wearing a shadowy cloak shrouded in a dark haze, a pair of shadowy gauntlets wreathed with razored blades, a massive black ora sheath, and a suit of spiked shadowy plate rippling with living darkness.

See Also

• Griffin Sword
• Investigating Moonsedge - player investigation
• Griffin Sword War - official document
• Elanthian Journal #08 - summary of the first Griffin Sword War
• The End of the Griffin Sword Saga - log of the storyline's final night, with Morfell making two appearances, notably during The End.