Mortaria Skullbane

The air grows heavier as you approach the ruined spires of Mortaria’s fortress, each step muffled by a frostbitten layer of ash and bone scattered across the path. A towering wall of obsidian stone looms ahead, crowned with ancient banners torn by centuries of wind and war. You feel the shift before you hear it; the great black gates grinding open with a sound like the groan of the dead.

From the shadows, Mortaria Skullbane emerges, flanked by a retinue of skeletal knights whose armor clinks softly in perfect, lifeless unison. Her white hair flows behind her like a banner of ghostlight, and her glowing blue eyes pierce the veil of dusk as if they see straight into your soul. Every motion is deliberate, predatory; her long legs carrying her forward with unchallenged dominance. Her black runic armor hums faintly with necrotic power, and her gauntleted hand rests casually on the hilt of her Gravebound Blade.

She stops a mere pace from you. The cold radiating from her is unnatural, not of this world. The wind dies. Time itself seems to pause.

"Foolish mortal, do you seek death, or are you here to serve? Either way, I shall gain something from your presence. Speak, before I lose my patience and your life."

You open your mouth, but your words catch. Her presence is overwhelming, not just in physical form, but in spirit. There is no warmth here, only the crushing pressure of centuries of hate and vengeance wrapped in a body as beautiful as it is terrifying. One skeletal warrior takes a step forward in silent warning, but Mortaria raises a hand, halting it with nothing more than a gesture.

Her piercing gaze narrows. You realize she is not simply threatening you... she is measuring you. Weighing your worth. Considering whether you are another servant to be broken… or something more useful.

"You do not flee. Few possess such nerve. Perhaps you believe your purpose here matters… Convince me, or I shall hollow out your soul and feed it to the dead."

The silence that follows is suffocating. The gates behind you remain open, but you know turning back isn’t an option anymore.