Mordium

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Mordium is a minor character in Ascent: Trials of Vore. They are Overseer of the Tower's 3rd Floor.

He first appeared in Floor 3 - Greed and Glory, overseeing the 3rd Floor and its trial.

He last appeared on the 3rd Floor.

Appearance
True Form: Morcel - small, ball-like entity - unique among kind. Rather than black like kin, is dark blue with yellow glowing eyes instead of white. Inside head of robot suit, sits in glass tube, linked to suit via wires.

Robot Suit: Disguises Morcel form with humanoid form. Controlled via wire implants in suit head. ~5ft 5in tall. Nominally hidden by red hooded cloak, covering entire body except hands & face. Hands metalic & robotic. Face pale gold-yellow. Blinding white dots for eyes. Big brown ball with unknown rune on in face, where mouth & nose would be, being plate that hides suit's interior control centre. Quick dissipating fog flows from under cloak, though exact cause unclear.

Personality
Prefers to work, instead of using powers, not using when can due to hating low effort. Uses tech to know climbers & rumors for news. Built floor by grafting part of own universe into Tower instead of making new. Intent to go against system, regretting being in, is core principle. Good nature/intentions noted often, wanting others happy & safe no matter who are. Despite grumpiness, has soft side, though not often shown. Cares about what happens to climbers despite claiming doesn't. Only harms when needed, such as with active threats. Strong believer in teamwork over putting people at odds, preferring climbers work together. Prefers "staff" - giants - not eaten. Wants best for all, not seeing self as cruel person who likes big bellies.

Background

 * Servant to unknown master home universe. Taught with other Morcels to do all by self. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Became employed to Golden Gunslinger/"Double G". G would insist were family, disliking when called 'boss'. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Pre-Ashley's arrival on 3rd Floor of Tower, became Overseer despite finding Tower absurd - seeing as opportunity to keep staff on toes. Realized what getting into too late. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Turned place outside Tower - G’s basement, grafting part of own universe into Tower - into part of 3rd to not use powers. Set up so climbers worked together. Morcels served as aides as infrastructure & opponents. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Limiting powers, became oblivious to rest of Tower, using other ways to learn of climbers & hearing news via rumor. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Put curse on trial shop to up challenge, affecting climbers to distract & cloud thoughts of those with greed in heart. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Took guise of humanoid figure via robotic suit & red cloak, hiding true form from climbers. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Claimed to have deal with Esther Fuega, next overseer up, letting more climbers to pass to 4th Floor without Esther complaining. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Tower-bound aide of G’s - climber - would try to leave Tower & turn to dust. Heard climber rumor that Tower didn't like those who could reform due to one who'd reached 1,003rd Floor being necromancer. Couldn't to verify, but would link to dusting. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)
 * Immediately pre-Ashley, Mirror - 2nd Floor's Overseer - would inform of ability to disgest giantess in 2 minutes. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)

3rd Floor

 * Pre-Ashley, invites G to temporarily help - with Snowcone in 3rd Floor trial, taking usual side role of running shop, as shops allegedly being 'broken'.
 * After Ashley Gray's arrival, breaks up fight between shadow man & green, gem woman with mismatched curves - Peridot - defending witch - Nuon - healing musketeer - Crow. Dispatches shadow, lamenting their presence.
 * Ushers group to shop, items sold in strong, glass cases. Greets other climbers, including Growa & pirate crew, plus Ogborth, Ferra & Ashley's ally Syl.
 * Gives trial: fight as team against foes, instead of against each other. Some foes hungry predators. Each of 5 rounds is 3 waves & boss, plus final boss. Those left go to 4th Floor, due to deal with Esther. Not allowed to eat foes. Coins earned used for shop equipment.
 * Introduces ”Double G” - annoyed at lateness - & Morcels, serving as floor infrastructure & foes who'll drag climbers out of arena. Gives option to give up climb & live on 3rd Floor. None accept.
 * Ushers group to arena for 1st round: Morcels in armor & robots. Greets viewers. Introduces both waves & bosses, 3 vehicles - Monstanks. Group beats all.
 * 2nd round: battle with super curvy nude giantesses. Introduces both waves & 2 mega giantess bosses: Lokee - tall with crazy figure - & Little Hon, taller, controls portals & spits paralytic mist. Apologizes to Ferra for nausea caused by trying to eat opponent & failing. Some pirates eaten, but group wins.
 * 3rd round: Morcels in robots & vehicles. Introduces waves. Explaining bosses cut off by Growa, double boss - Morcel-scale train (Lorry Mk1.5) & giant “worm" (Driller Mk1) faced blind. When Ferra shoved out by Lorry, explains will be fine if holds on. Sees Ashley's back broken by flying stone chunk. Group win out.
 * Greets Ashley in hospital 3 hours later, explaining she'd be bedridden for life if not for Nuon. Allows guilty Driller pilot to gift flare gun - with regular & "purple" sleep rounds - as apology despite reservations. Reminds of offer, citing Tower's near infinite height. Ashley still turns down, affirming drive to go home. Respects this, showing soft side.
 * 4th round: pirates now with cannon. More curvy giantesses. Introduces both waves - declaring 'mini-boss rush' & boss, Big Hon - Little Hon’s older sister.
 * Sees pirates frozen by curse G put on cannon as payback for trying to steal. Sees many fall through Hon’s holes & into gut, but Growa & few others rescued. Group wins out.
 * Leads Growa & crew away as group fails to dissuade her from taking up offer to stay, promising to look after despite not liking being called 'Caped Lad'.
 * 5th round: last Morcel machines. Introduces both waves & bosses: 4 copters - Apache Primes. Sees group beat most, then Death Harbinger - last foe - corner Peridot. Sees Peridot disarm & forfeit, then Ogborth step in & down Harbinger with cannon, attack going wide, slamming ship & seemingly crushing Peridot.
 * Would press matter of group's last return to arena despite reluctance. Introduces Snowcone. Interrupted as chocolate ‘woman’ enters from portal, punching Snowcone. Unprepared for new arrival. Sees Crow eaten by monster & steps in with G & Snowcone, reducing it to chunks of icy chocolate, not liking authority being challenged.
 * Apologizes - as never meant group to face such danger - declaring group's victory. Has Crow's fallen body - turned into chocolate statue - recovered. Gives Ferra ibuprofen for concussion. Advises group to nap, as is 1am & trial's been on for ~40 hours. Concern as enter hotel rooms, but assured is fine by G. Secretly given Peridot's intact gem by Death Harbinger's pilot.
 * Recontains chocolate girl when escapes in night. Calls group to arena on waking to find it in giant glass ball, allowing eating as much chocolate as possible for revenge. Offers reward with biggest belly. Sees guts grow & Ferra win, 75ft belly after 2 hours. Loses digestion bet with G.
 * Rewards Ferra with summon flute for Baby Min on request, learning she's vegetarian outside of prey. Leads group to ID locked elevator - larger than last - gives access to 4th Floor.
 * Post-trial, talks with G. Chocolate girl, now tiny & trapped - not local to 3rd Floor, implying from other overseer - talked on. True form shown on calling G ‘boss’, G removing mask & insisting they're family, opposed to how was with old master, Admits its nice to show true self.
 * Gives G Peridot’s gem, as intact, not dead & needs time to reform. Good aide for G, given last Tower-bound aide turned to dust due to being in Tower's 'game'. Tells rumor heard that believes connected, though thinks Peridot will be fine.
 * Upset when reminded of choice to be blind to Tower, not knowing if those helped alive. Assured by G of good nature/intentions, no matter what gotten into as overseer. Weakly claims to not care about climber fates.
 * Left to deal with chocolate woman by G. Actions beyond this unclear. (Floor 3 - Greed and Glory)

Later Mentions

 * On 4th Floor, claim of deal recalled by Ashley when finds large group of climbers in club. Also mentioned by Syl turning down Esthers' offer, citing previous floor's as better. (Floor 4 - Out Of Time)

Abilities
Many of Mordium's abilities attributed to being 3rd Floor's Overseer. Unclear what origin of abilities is, but these are powers has been shown using.
 * Disintegration: Disintegrates entities at will. Causes them to freeze if moving - with audible reverberation - turn black with yellow outline, then turn to ash after a few seconds. Can also form into black balls with glowing orange outlines as projectiles, able to destroy big chunks of larger entities in same way.
 * "Information Recall": Per Porter, all Overseers can recall info about any climber as if open knowledge, including details of life pre-Tower. Unclear if extends to life post-arrival. Irrelevant for Mordium, as chooses not to use this, limiting use of powers to stay oblivious to rest of Tower, using tech to learn about climbers & only hearing news, climber fates, etc. via rumor.

Equipment

 * Robotic Suit: Uses robot suit to disguise Morcel form with humanoid one. Controlled via wire implants in glass tube in suit head, behind plate built into face. Suit ~5ft 5in tall, & nominally disguised by red hooded cloak, covering entire body except hands & face. Hands metalic & robotic. Face pale gold-yellow. Blinding white dots for eyes. Big brown ball with unknown rune on in face, where mouth & nose would be, being plate that hides suit's interior control centre. Quick dissipating fog flows from under cloak, though exact cause unclear.

Prey Tracker
Total Prey: None

Affiliations

 * The Tower‏‎: Overseer of Tower's 3rd Floor. Responsibilities - loosely a job - include running floor, keeping order & presenting trial to arriving climbers. Opinions of Tower as entity complex. Regrets taking Overseer role despite having reasons for continuing. Finds Tower system absurd & whatever waits at top likely not worth climb.

Friends

 * The Morcels: Race, kin & friends. Close relationship as their leader. Collectively came into Double G's "ownership", & when became 3rd Floor Overseer, immediately integrated kin as infrastructure & workings of both floor itself & trial.
 * "Double G": Dynamic with Golden Gunslinger - preferring Double G, but not G - complex. Friend & technically boss, though G prefers not to be called that, seeing as family. Argue but care deeply for each other. G happy to help in Overseer duties & may have provided robot suit. Trusts G implicitly with helping in matters on 3rd Floor, & fought side by side when things - in case of Chocolate Girl incident - got out of hand.
 * Snowcone: Beyond shared acquaintance with G, relationship with Snowcone not clear. Confident enough to allow Snowcone to be final boss of 3rd Floor trial at least once. Willingly fought beside when Chocolate Girl interrupted.
 * The Giants: Giant women. Act as foes in arranged trials. Technically in his service, though unclear what dynamic is past preferring they weren't eaten by climbers - giving body suits to counter - & using Tower as means to keep them in fighting form to deal with threats in own universe, which was one of original reasons for becoming overseer.

Enemies

 * "Chocolate Girl": Understandably angry at interruption to trial, danger to climbers & challenge to authority that entity represented, even if didn't know who sent it. Nothing but disdain, allowing Ashley's group to drain its chocolate once caught & mocking it once subdued. Entity in turn fearful once acting against it & afterward nervous of imprisoner.

Others

 * Ashley Gray: Viewed positively overall by Ashley. Wary of his power but aware of his moral outlook on role as 3rd Floor Overseer. Willingness to allow climbers to remain on his floor as safe harbor, his healing her after her back injury & sincere understanding regarding her options & his duties have left an impression of him as good person. Thinks well of Ashley, going out of way to look other way when a Morcel gifts her flare gun from trial shop.
 * Syl: Viewed positively overall by Syl. Wary of power but aware of moral outlook on role as 3rd Floor Overseer. Willingness to allow climbers to remain on floor as safe harbor has left impression of good person. In turn, unclear if has specific opinion of Syl.
 * Ferra: Viewed positively by Ferra. Wary of power & surprised by understanding Morcels, but willingness to let climbers stay on 3rd Floor as safe harbor & giving her medicine for concussion left impression of him as good. Impressed with amount of chocolate from "Chocolate Girl" she ingested, rewarding with Min Flute.
 * Nuon: Nuon wary of Mordium, but willingness to let climbers stay on 3rd Floor as safe harbor left impression as good. Not much interaction, though was impressed by her healing, citing to Ashley as why she could walk after breaking back.
 * Ogborth: Ogborth rejected offer to stay on 3rd Floor, but appreciated combat challenge, unlike prior floors. Grateful for saving group from "Chocolate Girl". Though got on well enough to make bet at 3rd Floor trial's end, view in turn unclear.
 * Peridot: View of Peridot unclear, as had few interactions despite being floor's overseer & group's host, though she would seem annoyed at how much knew about her. Despite this, was genuinely distressed by her demise, prior to finding she had survived in dormant state.
 * Growa: Growa flattered by pre-trial compliment of beauty, but mildly upset when missed teasing flirtation in turn. Driven to pass 3rd Floor trial, Growa wouldn't consider offer to stay on 3rd Floor, but later accepted it. View of Growa in turn not nearly as positive as hers', due to her interrupting - also not liking being called 'Caped Lad' - & crew being nuisance. In end, however, found loyalty to crew heartwarming.
 * "Mordium's Former Master": Relationship with master before G unclear. Implied they taught to value working with own hands rather than taking easy way, & didn't treat with same level of friendliness G prefers, still in habit of referring to person technically in charge as 'boss'.
 * "Shadowy Man": Aware of shadow man before seeing them in Tower. Whatever prior awareness was not positive, as lamented presence - hoping for peaceful introduction to floor for others - & subsequently disintegrated without remorse.