Mortegro

Mortegro is a mage from Moonshade in the time of Ultima VII Part Two.

Description
Mortegro was classified as a "Necromage", one that specializes in death and the related spells, as opposed to a "Necromancer", who specializes in causing and controlling death. This difference was underscored greatly by his involvement in bringing a necromancer known as Vasculio to justice after he had been found to have been participating in forbidden rituals and experiments, involving torture and desecration. It was later revealed that Vasculio survived his execution at the hands of the Council of Mages, and bore a great hatred for Mortegro in his dwelling in the ruins of the Skullcrusher Mountains.

At the time that the Avatar arrived in Moonshade, Mortegro was involved in research with the adept Gustacio to determine the cause of the teleport storms which were then plaguing the land. He offered the Avatar his services as a medium and was available in his mansion to perform seances after midnight. During these ceremonies, the spirits of Christopher and Gwenno spoke to the Avatar - the former giving warnings of angry spirits that dwelt in the void and the latter speaking words of affection for her husband Iolo.

After the death of Rotoluncia, Mortegro was appointed to the Council of Mages. When the Avatar was found in the bedchambers of the MageLord Filbercio's paramour, Frigidazzi, Mortegro participated in the resulting trial, in which the hero was sentenced to imprisonment in the Mountains of Freedom.

The Avatar would eventually escape the prison, but during the interim, Mortegro fell victim to the teleport storms and was physically exchanged with the altar of the Temple of Tolerance far in the icelands of the north.

Eventually, the Avatar's journeys took him northward, and Mortegro was found, stranded in the middle of an island in the temple. He was rescued by the Avatar and in gratitude gave hero the spell Summon Shade. He asked the Avatar to escort him home, but as they left the temple lightning struck him again, teleporting him to an unknown location. He was not seen again on the Serpent Isle.

Trivia

 * The model for Mortegro's character portrait is Emmy Award-winning composer/producer/engineer, BZ Lewis.


 * If the player wishes to buy spells from Mortegro after rescuing him, the grateful Necromage will offer them for half of his normal price.
 * A common trick to retain Mortegro as a party member is to use the Serpent Bond spell when he has joined the party, allowing the player to exit the Temple of Tolerance and skip the egg that triggers Mortegro's second disappearance. Naturally, this was not anticipated in the game's design, and as a result, Mortegro has no dialogue to indicate that he has returned to Moonshade, even if brought there. This same method may be used to retain Sethys.
 * According to the original design documents for Serpent Isle, Mortegro's mansion is flooded with the angry ghosts of the dead, following the coming of Shamino the Anarch. These spirits would have included Blackthorn, Elizabeth, Abraham, Hook, several dead gargoyles, Mondain and Batlin. The player would likely require the spectral orb (an artifact which Vasculio stole from Mortegro) to dispatch them.