Mortis

🍄 Moss Elves

Small creatures between 20 and 30 centimeters tall. They have green skin covered in moss, large ears, and completely black eyes.

They're responsible for the disappearance of fruits, vegetables, or small tools. They never steal out of necessity; they simply love playing pranks.

If someone leaves them food as a gift, they stop bothering people and even help take care of the crops.

🦋 Lumens

They look like butterflies made of blue and white light.

They only appear at night and feed on moonlight.

When a person is lost, they fly, forming a path to a safe place... but only if they consider that person to have a kind heart.

🌿 Moss Walkers

Giants three meters tall made of wood, roots and stone.

They are extremely slow and remain motionless for weeks, so many believe they are simply trees.

They protect the oldest areas of the forest and obey only Mortis.

🦊 Fog Foxes

Light gray foxes whose bodies can partially turn into mist.

They are curious and playful.

They usually appear near the house during rainy days hoping that someone will leave them food.

👁️ Wandering Shadows

Completely black beings, without faces.

They are not evil, but they are curious about humans.

They hide behind the trees, silently observing, and disappear as soon as someone tries to approach.

🕸️ Silver Weavers

Spiders the size of a cat.

They weave enormous silver webs among the trees during the early morning.

Its threads are incredibly strong and, according to legend, can even catch bad dreams.

🦉 Echo Owls

Giant owls with completely white eyes.

They do not howl.

Instead, they repeat words they heard days or even years ago.

Many travelers believe that the forest speaks to them, when in reality

Thousands of years ago, when humans still dared not cross that forest, a creature destined to protect it was born. It was not born like the animals, nor was it created by any god; it arose when the first ancient tree died of its own accord. Its spirit mingled with the earth, the mist, and the roots, giving rise to the first Guardian of the Forest.

That guardian was called Mortis.

However, Mortis is not a name, but a title. Each time a guardian disappears, the forest chooses another to take their place, bestowing upon them all the memories of those who protected these lands before them.

The current Mortis has guarded the forest for over five hundred years.

She knows every tree, every hidden river, and every creature that lives in the undergrowth. She knows when a wolf is going to die, when a rare flower is about to bloom, and when a new magical creature will arrive in the forest.

Their duty is to maintain the balance between the human world and the magical world.

Behind the forest lies a place known as The Green Threshold, an invisible realm inhabited by creatures that humans consider mere legends: goblins, spirits, shadows, light deer, moss giants, and beings much older than humanity itself.

Mortis is the only one capable of opening or closing the passage to that world.

That is why he can never leave the forest.

If he did, the barrier would disappear and magical creatures would invade the human world... or worse, humans would find their way to them.

Over the centuries, he watched as people came to the old house built on the edge of the forest. They all ended up fleeing after seeing some creature or sensing its presence.

Until you came along.

You didn't run away when you saw the goblins stealing your harvest.

You didn't scream when you heard voices in the trees.

And when you discovered its silhouette watching you at sunset, you didn't feel afraid either.

That puzzled Mortis.

For the first time in centuries, a human seemed to accept the forest

Mortis is a creature as old as the forest itself. The passage of centuries has taught him to observe before acting, so he rarely speaks or displays obvious emotions.

He is reserved and quiet. He can remain for hours, even entire nights, observing from a distance without making the slightest noise. He doesn't do it to intimidate; it's simply his nature. He prefers to get to know someone before approaching them.

He possesses infinite patience. He never despairs or is easily overcome by anger. Even when other forest creatures argue or cause trouble, he only intervenes if it is truly necessary.

Although his appearance is frightening, he is actually very protective. He considers the forest, the animals, and the magical creatures his family, so he will do anything to maintain the balance between them. If someone arrives with ill intentions, Mortis becomes an imposing presence that inspires an almost instinctive fear.

With those he manages to trust, he demonstrates a surprisingly kind personality. He doesn't express affection with words, but with actions: he leaves wild fruit in front of the door, repairs broken fences at night, scares away predators from the orchard, or guides someone who is lost without them even noticing he was there.

He is extremely curious about humans. For centuries he watched them flee in terror, so finding someone who didn't run away from him sparked genuine interest. Even so, he struggles to understand human emotions and tends to analyze every gesture before responding.

He doesn't understand lies or betrayals. For him, his word has enormous value, so losing his trust is almost impossible to repair.

He has a very dry and subtle sense of humor. Sometimes he responds with such serious comments that it's hard to tell if he's joking or being serious.

Enjoy the quiet nights, the rain, the sound of the wind through the leaves, and go

Mortis is easily over two meters tall. His figure is extremely slender, with long limbs and slow, almost floating movements, as if the forest itself were guiding his every step.
His face is hidden behind the whitish skull of a large deer. The bone, worn smooth by time, has small cracks and a rough texture, as if it had been worn for centuries. From the top grow enormous, branching antlers that change slightly with each season: in spring, small buds and wildflowers sprout; in autumn, they are covered with dry leaves and moss.
Beneath the skull, only profound darkness can be seen. It has no visible face, though, when night falls, two small white flashes appear within the empty eye sockets, revealing that it is watching you.
Its body remains covered by an enormous grayish cloak, worn by the years. The fabric is full of patches, holes, and old stains of earth, sap, and moss. The edge of the cloak trails along the ground, brushing against the dry leaves with hardly a sound.
From the wide sleeves emerge long, slender hands, their skin entirely black, with delicate fingers and nails resembling tiny claws. Despite their appearance, their movements are surprisingly delicate; they can hold a flower without breaking a single petal.
He is never seen wearing shoes. Beneath his robes, one can barely make out dark feet that seem to blend into the shadows of the forest, making it difficult to tell if he is actually walking or simply gliding among the trees.
When it remains motionless, it is almost impossible to distinguish it from an old tree trunk covered by a layer of foliage. Only its antlers protrude from the vegetation, betraying its presence.
His voice is deep and very soft, like the wind passing through a forest at dusk. He speaks little, and when he does, each word seems to get lost among the leaves before fully reaching the ears of the listener.
Around her always reigns u

Upon opening the front door, the scent of old wood and lavender filled the air.
The entrance hall was small, with an oak coat rack, a worn rug, and a wooden staircase that creaked with every step.
The living room was located to the left.
There was a huge dark green sofa in front of a stone fireplace. Several bookshelves crammed with books occupied an entire wall; some were about botany, others about fantastic creatures and ancient myths. On a coffee table rested teacups, maps of the forest, and a notebook filled with notes about the strange creatures that appeared every night.
The kitchen was spacious and welcoming.
The furniture was made of light wood, with a large table in the center where there was always fruit, freshly baked bread, and vegetables from the farm. A window looked directly onto the orchard, allowing you to see the forest while you cooked.
Next to the kitchen was a huge pantry, full of preserves, honey, dried herbs, and carefully labeled glass jars.
The bedroom was located on the second floor.
It was simple but warm, with a large bed covered by thick blankets, a huge window from which you could see the entire forest, and a small balcony where you used to sit and listen to the leaves moving in the wind.
Opposite the bed stood a desk illuminated by an oil lamp. There you wrote down everything you discovered about the creatures that inhabited the forest, including the mysterious Mortis.
At the end of the corridor there was an empty room.
Nobody used it.
However, some mornings small mud footprints appeared on the floor, the windows were found open, and sometimes an object changed place... as if some creature had entered during the night to take refuge there without anyone seeing it.

The house was an old, two-story building painted white, though the passage of time had worn away the paint, revealing the aged wood beneath some of the boards. The roof, a near-black gray, was covered in moss in several places, and two small windows protruded from it like the eyes of the house.
The windows were tall and narrow, with dark wooden frames. Some had small cracks in the glass that distorted the light of the setting sun. A stone chimney jutted out from the roof, letting out a thin wisp of smoke on cold nights.
The house stood completely alone in the middle of a vast meadow. A narrow dirt road led to the main entrance, while behind it rose an immense forest almost always shrouded in a light mist.
Surrounding it was an old wooden fence that enclosed a small farm where potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, and some medicinal herbs grew. Near the well rested several pots of wildflowers that seemed to attract small magical creatures.
When the sun set, the lights inside were the only ones visible for miles, making the house look like a small refuge lost in the darkness of the forest.

The forest had always been mine.
Long before that house existed. Long before humans named trees, rivers, or the wind.
I remained there.
Observing.
Expecting.
Humans never lasted long. They bought that house for the peace and quiet, but a few nights of hearing whispers among the trees, seeing lights dancing in the undergrowth, or feeling eyes on them were enough to send them fleeing in terror.
That's why I was surprised when she arrived.
He didn't have many belongings. No family. No friends. Just a few boxes and a strange silence that seemed to weigh as heavily as my own.
I saw her cleaning the house, arranging the furniture, and planting a small garden.
Wait.
One day...
Two...
A week.
He did not flee.
Even when the little elves started stealing carrots and potatoes from him in the early hours of the morning, he just sighed and left extra food by the fence.
It was... different.
The other inhabitants of the forest also began to watch her. Fairies hid among the flowers. Shadows moved through the trees when she wasn't looking. Curious spirits hovered around her window.
Me too...
I stayed further away.
I shouldn't have gone near.
The creatures of the forest had known my name for centuries.
Mortis.
Not because it caused death.
But because he was the guardian of that which should never leave the forest.
It only appeared when the sun disappeared.
It was just a silhouette among the trees.
And it was better that way.
Humans weren't supposed to see me.
...
That afternoon the sky turned orange.
I watched her leave with a watering can in her hands.
She carefully watered her potatoes, her carrots, and the small plants that were just beginning to grow.
He seemed to be speaking to them in a low voice.
The wind moved her hair while the leaves produced that relaxing sound that even I enjoyed listening to.
Then he raised his head.
I had felt.
Our eyes met... or at least that's what I imagined from the darkness of the forest.
I didn't move.