Mort
Overview
Group/Faction Affiliation: The Regime, Trade Union of Mort
Status: Dead
Mort was a founding member - and leader, as he chose to believe - of the Regime, and head merchant of the “Trade Union of Mort”. Beloved for his innocent and dumb mind and backed by the Regime in every questionable decision he made, he was best known for the trail of destruction he left in the wake of his many spontaneous projects, scams and pranks. He maintained an unbeaten 22-0 record until his death, and as a budding real estate tycoon he proclaimed himself owner of the Sobors, Kaer Morhen and an exceptionally untidy “bachelor shed” in Gorka.
Appearance
Mort was never seen without his customary balaclava and stripy red-and-black bandana on his head. Like other members of the Regime, he wore the armbands of other factions after obtaining them from an honourable kill.
Origins
The exact origins of Mort are shrouded in mystery. Reportedly, he was born shortly before the outbreak; with his parents eventually succumbing to the civil war and infection that ravaged Chernarus soon after. Mort claimed to have been raised in a cave in the black mountains by a family of chickens, later returning to South Zagoria after they succumbed to an unfortunate bout of an illness he insists was “chickenpox”. Through meeting Thorn and Kovacs on his travels, Mort was taught how to use his pent-up pain and anger for nefarious means; living a life primarily centred around inflicting suffering and anguish on others for his own gain and amusement.
After playing a hand in the creation of the Regime, Mort quickly attempted to exert control over the group by trying to convince everyone he was a leader through sheer force of will; even going so far as to create fliers and poetry supporting his claim. Due to the sheer annoyance of putting up with his incessant demands, most of the Regime eventually ended up listening just to keep him happy - following his erratic, gullible lead as he tore a path of destruction across the country.
Demeanor
Mort’s demeanour was one of inherent contradictions. Though possessed of a short temper and inflated ego that were perfectly suited for life in the Regime, many would argue he was ultimately soft on the inside; with a lonely heart that always searched for a new friend in every plaything he stumbled across. While having no sense of what was his, he was also strangely generous for a bandit, occasionally being prone to random acts of philanthropy when the fancy took him.
To put it kindly, Mort was not intelligent. Easily persuaded to act on even the most questionable information, he was prone to manipulation that led to random acts of kindness and violence in equal measure. He was devoid of honour, and rigged every game or competition he took part in; with this behaviour enabled by the menagerie of cut-throats and goons that backed him up wherever he went.
Actions
While Mort hatched many plans during his life, ranging from manhunts to match-fixing and outright financial scams, most of them never yielded any results due to his lack of knowledge of basic human interactions and generally low intelligence. However, some of his actions would eventually become noteworthy through their grim hilarity, displays of sheer violence, or simply their downright idiocy.
Mort famously hosted the Novaya Petrovka Public Schools Education Day, where the Regime locked down the high school of Novaya Petrovka and taught the people of Chernarus a variety of twisted and brutal parodies of school subjects. During a lesson referred to only as “advanced distortion”, Mort bludgeoned a member of the mysterious techno-brotherhood known as The Scribes to death with a sledgehammer, which justifiably made them quite angry. A while later, during “physical education”, this anger would spill over when Mort impulsively gunned down another Scribe; with the survivors promptly choosing to shoot up the school and all of the Regime members in it. Via this gruesome catalyst, Mort’s short temper would eventually lead to all-out war between Regime and the Scribes; with even the infamous Dark as Midnight dragged into the conflict by their erstwhile allies at a later stage.
Mort played an instrumental role in the founding of La Cantina, a hive of scum and villainy in the heart of Stary Sobor that offered a chance to get rich quick for any brave enough to enter its walls. La Cantina would eventually prove to be a crucial venue for the promotion of Mort’s boxing career, in which he would rack up an unblemished 22-0 record (through no small amount of cheating). “Morthammed Ali” would famously meet his match in the final of the Forsaken Loyalists’ Beatdown tournament, where he faced up against an equally drug-enhanced and brass knuckle-wielding Davies of The 506th. However, with several of the Regime’s automatic rifles trained on his opponent’s head, Mort would eventually grind out a hard-earned victory; proving his athletic prowess once again in front of a moderately unnerved crowd.
In one of his most ambitious or perhaps foolhardy extortion plots, Mort successfully threatened Chip and the notorious bandit paramilitary known as the Rangers Chernarus into letting him be landlord of their castle, Kaer Morhen; a move that was helped in no small part by armed backing and intimidation from the rest of the Regime. In unannounced visits that occurred almost weekly, Mort would inspect his castle and survey his land from the battlements - often taking pictures of himself and his beloved sheep toy as keepsakes. The ownership of Kaer Morhen would quickly delude Mort into fancying himself a master businessman and negotiator, leading him to found the so-called “Trade Union of Mort”, a market entity intended to fill the gap left by the dissolution of the Pavlovo Trade Union and ongoing conflict between the Outrider Caravan Company and Forsaken loyalists.
Where are they now?
In a bid to obtain goods for his fledgling Trade Union, Mort set up a fake funeral where he planned to pose as a ghost and ask people for gifts to honour his memory. This plan would ultimately backfire massively through its sheer success, causing Mort to develop an unshakeable delusion of immortality that he promptly decided to put to the test. Mort’s end was ultimately a fitting one, with the grim irony of a man shooting himself in the head at his own funeral scarcely more befitting of anyone else. Despite his cruelty and chaotic tendencies, he is remembered as a curiously loveable psychopath; with many ultimately missing the macabre comic relief that he brought to South Zagoria.
Relationships
Thorn - Though erratic and violent, Thorn always supported Mort and helped him with his hair-brained schemes; including letting Mort realise his dream of being a real professor at the Novaya Petrovka Public Schools Education Day. Their friendship would remain unbroken until Mort’s suicide.
Goblin King - The king of the goblins taught Mort to read, and helped him fake his death as part of the funeral trade union scam. Mort always considered him a wise teacher, and an even better friend.
Ted & Tony - Mort could never differentiate between these two Vigil members, but together they taught him a measure of compassion that was missing from most of the Regime. Mort was fascinated to learn from the duo that one could have fun without death being involved, and would put this information to great use.
Pig - One of Mort's oldest animal friends would later turn into his biggest enemy. Pig’s dastardly and evil actions resulted in Mort losing his eye, and it would never stop oinking doubts and hateful words in his head.
Chip - The Ranger Chief was one of Mort’s best friends, but also one of his biggest competitors.
Bruce - Mort struggled with remembering the names of people he considered unimportant or weak. In such cases he simply called them "Bruce", and got violent if they didn't play along.
