Morden Character Analysis

[Alarus]

Morden

image from AO Wiki

Backstory

His past before being experimented on by the order is unknown. His family is likely dead as per his Journal

Morden, along with The Player, Tucker and likely many others has been experimented on by the Order of Aesir for months. During this time they formed a close friendship and hatched a plan to escape.

Tucker died during the escape. The death of Tucker weighs heavily on Morden, Morden returns to Tucker’s grave multiple times. At Dawn island Morden learns that The Player has lost their memories, and realises that he is the only one left that remembers.

“I miss Tucker. I miss family. I’m tired of losing people.” Day 1 - Morden’s Journal

Personality

Morden is a person who has suffered significant trauma and loss in his life, and that this has had a profound impact on his psyche. On first impressions Morden comes off as cold and even uncaring for what is happening around him, but looking closely into his actions and what is revealed in his journal. Morden is a person who is driven by a sense of justice and a desire to help others who have suffered, like he has.

Motivations

Immediately after escaping Morden looks into clues about The Order of Aesir. Alone. With The Player losing their memories Morden saw no reason to involve them in his search.

“We saw people die every day… but I guess you don’t remember that.”

Morden’s motivation for going on this search has not been exactly put to words but is likely to release those still being experimented on by the Order of Aesir, and possibly to stop their operations entirely.

“For everyone else stuck like we were” Day 6 - Morden’s Journal

Friends

Morden holds great value for his friends, this is because he had no one else to rely on. Morden could have gone into detail of the experimentations he and The Player had experienced, hoping to return their memories but he didn’t. This is because he recognises the player is more talkative now and likely happier without their memories he puts aside his want for his friend to be back for their newfound happiness.

“I hope Player is doing well, we used to be good friends before the amnesia. At least they’re more talkative now, and hopefully happier…" Day 3 - Morden’s Journal

Morden gives the word friend a large weight. He hasn’t called Iris or Neviro his friend. “I have a score to settle with Julian, he almost killed my last friend…" Day 22 - Morden’s Journal The wording of “last friend” is significant here. It shows that Morden doesn’t yet see Neviro or Iris as his friends, he’s only known them for a few days. Which for some, is enough to call someone a friend, but for Morden it isn’t quite enough yet.

The Death Curse

Another aspect of Morden’s character is his fear of the power of the Death Curse. He describes it as something that is deeply terrifying, and he is clearly aware of the potential consequences of its use, whatever they may be.

“You’d think it would be painful, but it wasn’t. It was cold. Calm. But also absolute. I’m terrified of this. What have I become? I never want to lose myself to this, I have too much at stake. I will make things right.” Day 17 - Morden’s Journal

Morden’s fear of the curse is tied to his sense of responsibility for the well-being of others. The death curse isn’t a power he has figured out yet, and due to its great power mishandling it could harm the very people he wishes to protect.

“I don’t know how dangerous this power is yet, and I don’t want to hurt either of you…” - Morden as he prepares to fight General Julian

Questions

1. Where is Morden from? What happened to his family?
2. What was Morden’s magic before getting the death curse?
3. What magic-related experiments did the order do?

What I want to see next

1. Morden talking about his past, before experimentation
2. The effects the death curse has on Morden going forward
3. Morden forming friendships with the other members of the main cast

[maria]

@Alarus

It shows that Morden doesn’t yet see Neviro or Iris as his friends, he’s only known them for a few days. Which for some, is enough to call someone a friend, but for Morden it isn’t quite enough yet.

considering what he went through it’s no suprise he has problem bonding with people tbh, for all we know he could have been betrayed/manipulated or some other stuffs before being captured by the Order

Tech did say that he’s very cold to strangers but deeply caring for his friends too ( even if he doesnt show it )

@Alarus

What was Morden’s magic before getting the death curse?

id say its either ash or shadow, going by his personality, most agree its shadow tho

@Alarus

What magic-related experiments did the order do?

probably magic enhancing stuffs and push mages to their limit, which could explain how MC grows powerful so fast and how Morden manages to beat Julian while only having the Death Curse for like a month

tbf an ancient curse vs an elemental curse have a pretty predictable outcome most of the time, but Morden still show little signs of insanity or personality changing induced by an ancient curse… then again, his personality before absorbing the curse already feels like someone with the death curse to begin with so maybe he did change and we just didnt notice

or maybe unlocking the special stuffs that people like MC and ( i think ? ) Morden have ( im saying i think cause iirc Calvus said that we are special special and he had only seen 2 people, including us, like that, and Morden is just normal special )

[HeyImFlower_Somei]

@maria

push mages

but if it was just this then why arn’t we mages at the start of the game, amnesia? maybe but it would cost a lot to push mages super far, like if they are learning secret spells or stuff

[maria]

mages as in, magic users, people that have magic, not the in-game class

[Neomii]

@Alarus

He hasn’t called Iris or Neviro his friend.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who notices it too.

Maybe it’s just Morden having trust issues, and a hard time opening up and getting close with strangers, most likely as a result of The Order.

Or maybe there is going to be a “you see me as your friend? Sorry, but I see you as a tool” thing going on later in the story. Morden is a very strange and mysterious character after all. (he did even say Neviro was a fool and weakling at the end of the story)

Since he is now a Sea Curses user, there is possible The Curses magic affects his mind too.

And honestly, as much as I want the gang to be a silly friendship group, the story where Morden will never see Iris and Neviro as a friend are far more interesting.

[Alarus]

@Neomii

Or maybe there is going to be a “you see me as your friend? sorry, but I see you as a tools” thing going on later in the story.

I think a moment like what you described will happen, but I think, and hope Morden will eventually learn to value Neviro and Iris’ company.

His character arc could be to learn to open up to them, he might lose them like he did Tucker or his family. That’s true but if you don’t let others in, you cut yourself from both good and bad that the relationship brings.