Mordekaiser; A Character study, Part two; Forging an engaging Personality

Some of you may remember the first thread of this kind where I suggested a particular visual style for Mordekaiser to reflect his core themes and make his silhouette a lot more recognizable and modernized.

What that thread failed to include, mainly due to time restraints and me wanting to just focus on one aspect to make it more easily to appreciate, is Mordekaiser's Personality, the way he interacts with the World of Runeterra.

So, for this thread I'd like to delve further into the inner workings of Mordekaiser to really see what lurks underneath a shell of blackened Metal.

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#Personality

The first aspect I'd like to discuss is Mordekaiser's personality; the how he interacts with people, his way of speech and overall attitudes.

Mordekaiser's Voiceover is dated, but it perfectly captures the champion's character. From his sepulcher voice, to the way he seems to look down on everyone, deeming them lesser than him, Morekaiser's guilty of the sin of Pride.

He does consider his fellow undead inferior to himself, for he chose the path of the Revenant himself. They're simply just tools to him, expendable pawns in the game of conquest he's playing. He does not form lasting alliances, but due to him seeing himself as the one to stand on top of the pile, he does not collaborate, he dominates.

Which brings me to the second major part of Mordekaiser's personality; His will to dominate, to conquer, to be, just as the meme associated to him, Numero Uno Mordekaiser is a man who sees only one goal; to be the one to rule over all, and there's nobody who can stop him from achieving that.

His sense of superiority is present in a lot of his voice over and it was what brought him to fall in the past. He considers nobody his equal and by looking down on everyone else he's unaware of the strength they may possess in numbers, for no single man can hold a candle to the might that is Mordekaiser, but if they work together they can topple the tyrant.

But Mordekaiser is not a being devoid of any human emotion, even if he would like people to believe so, making him more of a force of nature than a man with character flaws. For the Iron Revenant's Pride and Ego is what truly shows that inside that hollow shell a man of ambition, and one with a massive sense of superiority, remains.

"This whole living thing is highly overrated."

Mordekaiser is, if that's the right word for it, pretty bloody smug and sarcastic in how he treats others. Eons of being the most feared warlord and a legend only talked about in hushed whispers makes Moredkaiser someone who knows his reputation proceeds him.

He taunts those lesser beings with the inevitability of their demise, taking amusement from their feeble attempts at destroying him. For undeath and overwhelming dark powers made him confident that there is nothing capable of standing in his ways.

And yet he's not to be mistaken for an "evil". Unlike the star forger, Mordekaiser is NOT playful in his banter and teasing, he takes cruel pleasure in taunting his enemies, physically breaking in the fact that they are nothing before him.

To summarize; #Mordekaiser's biggest character trait is one of contempt, superiority and cruel taunting of his enemies

As depicted in his lore, he is certain of his success, laughing even when his castle was rent asunder and he was being torn apart by Basilisks.

This is Mordekaiser; He is, despite being brought back to life countless times, still human at his core, embodying all the traits that lead him to strive for eternal conquest

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#Relations

But a character's personality shines not simply through evil monologue but in the way they interact with other people. And Mordekaiser is no exception, while he looks down on literally everyone else, spitting even in the eye of death itself, he can't help himself but taunt the vermin that tries to bring the titan to his knees.

Him being one of the oldest beings on the planet means he's been around long enough to know the other immortals, and his connection with both Noxus and the Shadow Isles provide him with plenty of characters to interact with.

Some of the most important ones being; (Disclaimer, most of this is personal head canon that I think would work well for Mordekaiser)

You know how Thanos wants to destroy the entire Universe to court death? Well, I believe Mordekaiser outright refusing to die and wanting to conquer the entire world, turning it into his own immortal Kingdom of undeath is due to him wanting to spite Kindred.

Mordekaiser lived in a time of constant war, where death seemed to be lurking around every corner. Death was the only certainty, its inevitability the only thing that men feared. He was a Warlord whose only enemy would be death itself, knowing that his reign would either be ended by a foe's blade, sickness or old age.

He would have none of that. He would defy death itself. Domination and Conquest was what kept him alive and he would subjugate even Death itself!

I envision their relationship to be one of mockery. He retuned from Oblivion countless times, the reapers unable to claim him as he escaped Wolf's jaws and Lamb's arrows. His very existence is an affront to their own as he is the shining example of death not being inevitable and permanent as Kindred would like it to be.

She was the mortal who brought him to fall. His closest advisor and the one who helped the war bands win against overwhelming odds by stealing his skull and denying him his resurrection. He would be filled with spite for her, but not angrily so, for the Deceiver showed him that he should keep his enemies closer than his allies, for one day they might stab him in the back. She is one of the reasons he subjugates his enemies' souls, to keep them bound to HIS will and not follow their own agenda.

He would be taunting her with the inevitability of his return, of destroying what rose from the ashes of his empire and what would become a pale imitation of his former greatness: Noxus

Noxians he would begrudgingly respect, for they follow a simpler creed he does. Strength and expansion, conquest, is in their blood, for they are still descendants of his old realm.

to "Your mastery over the Blood arts might prolong life, but your physical form still restrict you, Haemomancer"

to "Brought to life against your will only to be controlled by weaker beings. Pathetic"

From all the Shadow Isle champions Mordekaiser would interact with the most, as he provides him with a growing army of souls that willingly serve death. And still, he would see Karthus for simply an instrument to his conquest as the Deathsinger lacks ambition. Other than that the other thralls of the Isles would be looked down upon as they have been turned into wraiths by foreign forces and not by their own will.

Last, but not least, Bilgewater champions, especially and would be subjects of Mordekaiser's contempt, taunting the pirates with the Harrowing coming to claim them all.

These are some of the Interactions I myself deem very interesting, let me know which ones you'd include, other than Band-mate banter with other PentaKill champions.

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As a little bonus I've attached a story I've written for the Polycount contest, but didn't bother submitting due to it being way over the word limit:

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Even after a hundred instances of being banished from the realm of the living, cast into the endless swirl of nothingness that lay between the spheres of life and death, Oblivion never lost any of its eerily threatening aura. A nigh-constant pull of the abyss tearing at my very essence as the construct mortals called a soul seemed to stretch into infinity, yet these shadowy tendrils that reached into the blackness of this plane never surrendered to the pull of nothingness but defied it.

In this Limbo between dimensions time and space were imaginary constructs, wasted years stretching boundlessly into nothingness as the crimson witchfire of my eyes sent sparks rising into the stream of oblivion.

And yet I was not alone, I never was, they accompanied my every step, yet never able to reap, no matter how much carnage I left in my wake. Each mortal soul that left its husk of flesh was claimed by me, leaving the reaper unable to ferry them into the afterlife. The Wolf’s infuriated growling and the Lamb’s eerie silence never ceasing to amuse me as they were denied what would have been rightfully theirs, but I did not play by their rules. My very existence was an insult to the nature of life and death, necromancy anchoring my essence in the realm of the living as whenever my Soul was cast into the abyss I would preserve, never-ending desire for conquest and domination not allowing me to fade away.

They hated me, and I revelled in defying the one certainty that there was in life, rendering them unable to reap my soul and ferry me to what hell awaited me beyond the realms of Limbo. The finality of life was a concept I did not agree with, one mortal life too short for greatness, too restricting for someone with ambitions such as mine.

And as I sat there in the eternal darkness of oblivion, they did too. The Lamb’s pure white form almost blinding as she sat in front of me, unwavering piercing blue gaze meeting the fiery crimson of mine, burning with cruel conviction. All the while the wolf drew his perpetual circles around the two of us, waiting for the improbability of being allowed to reap me, to tear my very essence to shred and finally rid the world of the threat of my return. A futile act, his looming threat akin to a pouting kid, as his hungry glare stared at me, earning himself a mocking glint flickering in the inferno of my red eyes.

Breaking the silence, I spoke, the familiar echo of my voice reverberating through the timeless space that reminded me of the halls of my undying fortress, even now the image of the monolithic structure never leaving my mind. My grand prize just waiting to be reclaimed by the master that had built the imposing bastion.

“Tell me, Reaper, do you ever grow tired of following my every step? When will you realize how futile your efforts are. You do not decide who dies and lives, your very purpose is just to ferry souls from this plane to another. And yet you are powerless in the face of the certainty that is my continued existence.” I mused, my massive ethereal form stirring as I crossed the shadows of my arms over my chest, a gesture that retained much of its imposing nature even without the darkened armour that was an extension of my body.

“All things must die…” The lamb spoke, unfazed by my words as her voice, devoid of any emotion that gave every creature its individuality, rang through the abyss.

“..And yet I live on.” I finish the reaper’s sentence as her dog’s growling accompanies my derisive laughter. “Death is no certainty, dear Reaper, and even then your very existence would be subjected to the same rules.” I continue the first time since I’ve found myself back here again, reunited with my old friends of Oblivion. “But you already know that, and yet your very presence serves as nothing but another reason to keep defying death. I do not acknowledge your authority over me, you are nothing but a watcher, you do not swing the sword, you do not grasp the sickle that severs the life thread of living beings. You are but a vulture circling.”

“Maybe we are, but death comes for all, even you.” The Lamb remarked, unmoving unlike its wolf that let go of what was supposed to be an intimidating cackle, their masks a sight I have behold countless times throughout my reign. “Perhaps, and you will follow me until that day, unable to reap those whose souls I claim to fuel my conquest over the mortal plane. Maybe one day, when I’ve conquered all, there won’t be any use for you. Will you fade into the vortex of nothingness when death will no longer occur? An undying world where I have conquered everything, even you.”

As my words echo through the blackness of limbo, I feel the familiar pull, the chain that anchors me in the world of the living and defies the rules of existence. It is time once again.

My shade-like form starts churning as I feel the necromancy that assures my reign will never end surge through me. Causing the once blurry shape my essence takes on in this plane harden and condensing into a thick black mist, forming a ghastly image of the man I once was countless mortal lifetimes ago.

“No! He escapes!” The wolf whines like a runt who had its toy taken as the deathly still Lamb finally stirs, its lidless gaze falling on the wolfish companion. “Silence!”

My laughter echoing through the vast space of oblivion as I delight in bringing emotion to the otherwise so serene lamb. “We’ll meet again.” The reapers bid me farewell. “Yes, but it won’t be the last time.” I reply as I feel my essence being pulled through the vastness of limbo into the realm I once ruled.

My ghastly shade rises from the bones of the mortal I once was, feeling the familiar surge of my powers returning to me. Surrounded by the ruins of a once great society I feel necromantic energies pool into me, filling me with newfound power as I raise my head high. One by one the darkened metal plating of my armour, scorched black by the fiery hate of my enemies, fall into place, drawn to its master. The echoing sound of armour snapping around my blackened soul mixes with the wails of my undead servants as finally my crowned helmet adorns my head, my fiery eyes sending sparks into the desolate lifeless air of these Isles, hailing of my glorious rebirth. One of my Liches steps forth, a once great sorcerer, his ambitions now being replaced by mine, handing me Nightfall as my iron gauntlet wraps around my mace’s handle. Power surging through my hulking form as I stand high, heaving the massive ensorcelled weapon unto my spiked pauldron as I laugh triumphantly. From the corner of my eyes I make out the familiar shapes of their masks as they disappear into the dark mist surrounding these Isles, a new empire for me to raise from the ruins. “Behold Runeterra, Mordekaiser walks again…”

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But that's everything on my part in terms of Mordekaiser's personality and how he should interact with other champions native to Runeterra. Let me know your thoughts on the matter, I'd love to see what other people think Mordekaiser's main character traits should be.

Also, I've revisited Mordekaiser's visual design and altered things according to all the helpful criticism I've been given. Mainly his similarities with Swain in terms of cloak design were eliminated and I tried bringing forth the duality of his character more, with him looking physically imposing and a master of melee combat as well as being a proficient dark sorcerer. As seen by the asymmetry I've included with a spell casting left-hand gauntlet and Nightfall in his right hand.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/242332223317999618/420886510364131328/IMG_0205-page-001.jpg