Murtagh Morzansson



Murtagh Morzansson was a male human who championed the cause of the Empire. He was the son of Morzan (the man who betrayed the Dragon Riders to Galbatorix and helped destroy them all) and Selena (Morzan's Black Hand and the most feared of all the Empire's spies and assassins). He was the elder of Selena's two children. Murtagh was also Eragon Shadeslayer's half-brother and Roran Stronghammer's first cousin. He was a fiercely loyal companion, and an accomplished swordsman. He wielded a hand-and-a-half sword,(and later in the series, Zar'roc, which he took from Eragon), a yew bow, a dagger, a white horn with silver fittings, and a warhorse named Tornac which was named after his old swordsmanship tutor. During Eldest, one of King Galbatorix´s Dragon eggs hatched for Murtagh and he named the dragon Thorn.

Origins
Selena, a young woman from Carvahall, fell in love with Morzan. After almost three years of traveling with him, she became pregnant with his child. Morzan spirited her off to his castle and hid the pregnancy from everyone but Galbatorix. Murtagh was born in his father's castle nine months later.

Murtagh explained parts of his past to Eragon and Saphira, but little is known about his early years. He was taken from his mother at birth and given to a wet nurse, only allowed to see her for brief visits every few months. As the child of the violent and twisted Dragon Rider Morzan, Murtagh experienced an unpleasant (to say the least) childhood. The long scar on his back bears testament to this: at the age of three, Murtagh's back was laid open from shoulder to hip when Morzan threw his sword, Zar'roc, at him in a drunken rampage. Even after his father died at the hands of Brom, Murtagh continued to avoid the courts as much as was possible while living in King Galbatorix's castle at Uru'baen. His mother, Selena, disappeared early in his life, presumably to secure a better life for her second, unborn child. Upon her return, she fell grievously ill and died. Selena's illegitimate second son, Murtagh's younger brother, was revealed later to be Eragon himself.

On his 18th birthday, Murtagh was summoned into Galbatorix's presence for a private meal. The king, in a rare good mood (seemly), readily offered his "friendship" to the son of his former ally, and Murtagh accepted it. Later, however, he realized that he had made a mistake in doing so when Galbatorix commanded Murtagh to take a company of soldiers and decimate the village of Cantos, which was known to harbor the rebels, without even attempting to see if all of them were guilty or not. That night, Murtagh fled Urû'baen with his faithful teacher, Tornac. Tornac was killed as they escaped the city, and Murtagh continued on alone.

To Gil'ead
Murtagh became a loner, unwilling to side either with the Empire or the Varden. Hearing tidings of a new Dragon Rider, however, he was determined to follow the trail of the Ra'zac in the hopes of meeting up with him. He tracked the vile creatures to a point outside Dras-Leona. By a stroke of fortune, he was able to rescue Eragon and Saphira from the Ra'zac's clutches, although Brom recieved a mortal wound in the process (the plot changed in the movie).

Murtagh followed Eragon and Saphira to Gil'ead. Murtagh and Saphira successfully rescued Eragon and the elf princess Arya from captivity in Gil'ead, despite the appearance of Durza; Murtagh was able to temporarily disembody the Shade by shooting him between the eyes.

Murtagh reluctantly agreed to accompany Eragon and Saphira in their search for the Varden, made more urgent because of Arya's desperate condition; she had been poisoned in prison, and the Varden and the elves in Du Weldenvarden alone had the antidote. The unlikely company crossed the Hadarac without ado, but an encounter with slavers on the desert's edge, and Murtagh's cold-blooded killing of the bandits' leader, Torkenbrand, sparked a clash of wills between Eragon and himself.

They reached the Varden, pursued by a band of deadly Kull, an elite race of Urgal. Faced with accepting the Varden's hospitality or confronting the Kull on his own, Murtagh stuck by Eragon's side.

Once inside, Murtagh refused to allow the Twins to probe his mind, and, after being recognized as the son of Morzan by Ajihad, he was imprisoned within Tronjheim. He met Nasuada during this time, and entertained himself by reading things that members of the Varden brought to him from the library of Tronjheim.

Later, he was given the chance to prove himself an enemy of the Empire by fighting alongside the Varden during the Battle under Farthen Dûr. He proved himself sufficiently, in Ajihad's eyes, and personally accompanied the Varden leader as the last of the Urgals were rooted out of Farthen Dur's tunnels and destroyed. However, Murtagh repeatedly stated that he did not wish to join the Varden, as he did not share their desire to destroy the Empire.

Targeted by the Twins and a group of Kull while exiting one of the tunnels, Murtagh was ensorcelled and taken back to Urû'baen, where he was tortured by Galbatorix for his rebellion. Then, when the red dragon, Thorn, hatched for him, they were forced to swear their allegiance to the Empire in the Ancient Language, as both Murtagh's true name and Thorn's true name were found by Galbatorix, allowing the king to control them regardless of their intent.

Murtagh learned dark secrets of magic from Galbatorix, and was given several of the Eldunari that Galbatorix had in his possession. He was then dispatched to The Burning Plains, where an army of Imperial warriors were massed against those of Surda and the Varden, with orders to capture Eragon and Saphira. Murtagh used powerful dark magic to hide the army from the rebel spies in Gil'ead, but the Varden had a man in the capital who saw the great army marching south and alerted the rebel leaders.

The elves were also alerted to the advance of the Imperial army when an elvish lord pierced through Galbatorix's spell 3 days before the army appeared on the Burning Plains. However, they withheld the information from Eragon so his training could proceed without interruption.

During the battle Murtagh used his power to strike down the dwarf king Hrothgar, earning him the title of Kingslayer. His new skills also allowed him to best the weary Eragon towards the end of this Battle. After defeating him, Murtagh took Eragon's blade, Zar'roc, claiming that the sword was rightfully his. He then revealed, using the Ancient Language so that his words were unarguably believed to be true by him, that Morzan was Eragon's father, as well; he and Eragon were thus brothers. He decided at the last to spare Eragon, at risk of severe punishment for not obeying the orders given to him by Galbatorix.

Galbatorix was furious with Murtagh for allowing Eragon to escape. After Eragon and Saphira killed the Ra'zac, the king "turned his anger" upon Thorn and Murtagh. He then made Murtagh swear additional oath that would ensure that he did not again disobey his will, Murtagh returned to attack the Varden with a troop of painless soldiers. He and Eragon battled once more, Eragon now drawing on the strength of several of the elf-enchanters sent by Queen Islanzadí to aid him.

During the confrontation, Murtagh revealed that both he and Thorn suffered greatly for the mercy they showed Eragon previously. Eragon reasoned that Murtagh and Thorn could escape Galbatorix if they changed their True names, an idea that Murtagh said was intriguing and that he might try after careful study. However, Murtagh realized that he and Thorn could not change themselves in an instant, and then attacked Eraon. Murtagh cut Eragon on the hip with Zar'roc but the might of thirteen elves, combinded with Eragon and Saphira was not to be denied. Eragon decided to test Murtagh in a battle of strength in magic. Eragon uttered, "Letta", which pinned Murtagh's legs and arm still. Murtagh muttered a counter spell and with confidence, tested his strength against Eragon. Eragon managed to outlast Murtagh in the brutal contest, but he and several of the elves fainted during the battle, allowing Murtagh and Thorn to escape unharmed. Before leaving, Murtagh swore that he and Thorn would return, more powerful than ever, and defeat Eragon and Saphira then. Galbatorix is likely to equip them with several more Eldunari so he can defeat Eragon, something that Eragon himself guesses and seems to be worried about.

Murtagh then returned once more to Uru'baen, and from there went to Gil'ead, where he fought with Oromis. Murtagh was recognized to have fear in his eyes, but he and Thorn battled the elder pair fiercely nonetheless. Using the vast amount of energy contained within Naegling, Oromis fought Murtagh while Glaedr battled Thorn. Thorn proved faster and stronger than Glaedr anticipated, but the battle didn't seem evenly matched. Glaedr and Oromis clearly would have won because Oromis said,"Their strength is fading I can see it in their bearing . Another few minutes and Murtagh's concentration shall fail and I will be able to assume control over his thoughts. That or we shall slay them with sword and fang." Before either of them could defeat the other, Galbatorix entered Murtagh's mind and conversed with Oromis using Murtagh's body (It was Galbatorix's voice that was heard, suggesting that he had full control over Murtagh's body at the time as well). He was able to deal a fatal blow when the elf went into a seizure in the midst of the battle, killing him using the body of Murtagh. Thorn then defeated Glaedr following Oromis's death. Eragon and Saphira saw this through Glaedr's heart of hearts.

During the battle, Murtagh seemed to become angry at Oromis for not revealing himself sooner so that Oromis could have helped him. Galbatorix then assumed full control over Murtagh, first speaking to Oromis and Glaedr through Murtagh, attempting to persuade the two ancient warriors to ally themselves with Glabatorix. Oromis suffered a seizure which then made him drop Naegling, which meant that Oromis was seperated from his power source that would protect him from harm. Galbatoriz then killed Oromis when he refused, still using Murtagh. It is certain that Oromis would have won normally, but with the seizure, he had a much smaller chance.

It is unknown what happened to Murtagh after Galbatorix used him to kill Oromis and Glaedr. He could have used his remaining power to wreak havoc among the elves,or simply returned to the capital.

Murtagh was a stoic, eighteen-year-old man. His fierce eyes were framed by the locks of his long brown hair. He was clean-shaven, well tanned, muscular, and slightly taller than his half-brother, Eragon. Across Murtagh's back was a long, twisting scar, reaching from his right shoulder to his left hip. Oddly, when Murtagh reappeared in Brisingr, he had black hair instead of brown. This may just be an oversight by Christopher Paolini.

Murtagh originally wore battered and travel-worn clothes, but eschewed them by the end of Eldest in favor of a suit of gleaming steel armor, (just like his father, Morzan). Murtagh carried a yew bow, the dagger Drac'ner, and a white horn with silver fittings. His primary weapon was a hand-and-a-half sword, which was later replaced by Zar'roc.

Before he was a Rider, Murtagh was a powerful warrior on his own. A lifetime of practice and study in swordplay made him a formidable fighter matched only by Eragon, and his experience in archery and wilderness survival allowed him to survive by hunting and foraging when on the run from the Empire. He could talk about the finer points of archery and hunting for hours, as well as debate them. His mind was also so throughly shielded from even the strongest magicians. Eragon Shadeslayer, the Twins, and many others have all tried and failed to breach his mind. The only one known to have broken Murtagh's defenses was King Galbatorix.

After Thorn hatched for him, Murtagh became one of the most powerful of all magicians, surpassed only by Galbatorix. Murtagh's mind, well-defended as it was, was augmented by the Eldunari given to him to control. When Eragon touched his mind in Eldest (book), he felt a "multitude" of consciences trying to get out. The blind man who saw lights and energies in Brisingr (book) described Murtagh as if the light shone through him as if his power came from another source. After the Battle of the Burning Plains, Murtagh gained increased speed and strength, equal to most elves. Combined with his impressive sword skills, these powers made Murtagh into an extremely dangerous and powerful Rider.

Perhaps the greatest strength of Murtagh's was his prowess in magic, which was due to both his heritage as the son of the most powerful Forsworn and his use of multiple Eldunarya. He could immobilize fully grown dragons with a single word, heal even the most severe injuries in seconds, and, when coerced to use deadly force, he could unleash blasts of ruby energy strong enough to wipe out an entire group of spellcasters. His reserves of magic were vast, due to the Eldunari, though he was still subjected to the rules of magic whenever he used his powers.

When he faced the Varden for the second time, leading a small army of painless soldiers, he and Thorn battled Eragon, Saphira, and thirteen elves by themselves. In order to drive off Murtagh, all but six of the elves fainted before Eragon returned, and they were extremely exhausted, along with Eragon and Saphira themselves. Murtagh swore upon leaving that he would return more powerful than ever, and defeat Eragon and Saphira then. To date, no one has been powerful enough to truly defeat and kill Murtagh, though Oromis and Glaedr were able to hold off his deadly magic using a massive reserve of power in Naegling and fight him to a bloody stalemate before Galbatorix intervened. It is positive that they would have defeated Murtagh if the king hadn't aided him, (Murtagh was heavily exhausted when Galbatorix intervened, and Oromis stated that Murtagh's concentration would have broken.)

Murtagh always exuded a calm, assured air, and spoke in emotionless and controlled tones. His dialogue contained relatively few exclamation marks, even when he was upset. Murtagh was very passionate in all that he engaged himself in. He was also compassionate, which he showed when he let Eragon go after their first conflict as Riders. Murtagh decided to find a hole in his oath to Galbatorix in order to save Eragon. He was very proud that he survived as well as he did under all the difficult circumstances that he was in during his hard life.

Murtagh's laugh and smile were rarely seen, except for an occasional grin. The smiles and laughs he has made so far have been described as grim, mirthless, crooked, bleak, sinister, or even almost mad.

Because of his unpleasant upbringing, the constant sense of danger, and multiple attempts on his life, Murtagh became solitary, suspicious, and practical. He was always wary of everyone, from strangers to his closest friends, and his suspicion made him dislike taking chances, especially for the sake of others. He would not hesitate to defend himself or whatever he held dear, no matter the cost to others. He was practical to the point of ruthlessness in this regard, killing anyone he deemed a threat with minimal hesitation or remorse, and an attitude that was almost casual. Murtagh was very different in this regard from Eragon and Roran, both of whom could not kill without being haunted by thoughts of the lives they had ended.

Murtagh was also very intelligent and strong-willed. He protected his mind behind nearly impenetrable barriers at all times, shielding the last sanctuary that has not been stolen from him. When he was imprisoned by the Varden, he refused to allow the Twins to enter his mind, no matter what they did. He was prepared to be imprisoned, tortured, and confined at all times, but did not give in. When they began bringing him whatever he wanted from the library of Tronjheim, he quickly became addicted to the scholarly environment.

Perhaps because of his indomitable will, Murtagh was also quite stubborn on occasion. Whenever he made a decision, nothing could change his mind. He absolutely refused to “repent” for killing Torkenbrand, or to allow the Twins into his mind. The only one who seemed to be able to sway Murtagh's decision one way or another was Thorn, who would always speak to him with his mind before either of them made an important decision. This level of cooperation and consideration for each other indicates that while Murtagh is stubborn and sometimes uncooperative, he and Thorn work very well together.

When Murtagh became an unwilling servant of Galbatorix, he abhorred the atrocities he had to perform and disliked carrying them out. However, he loved his new powers and reveled in the destruction he could wreak with them. Because of his cruel lot in life and a past filled with agony, Murtagh delighted in striking back at the world that had shown him little kindness, the result of a suppressed desire for revenge all his life. Because of his great power, his ego was also inflated, and he would frequently make boasts to Eragon before or after their fights, such as “You cannot hope to compete with me,” or “It shall be no great feat to defeat you again.”

Though Murtagh relished his power, he also wanted to be away from Galbatorix, proven when a look of desperate longing appeared in his eyes when Eragon proposed a way to escape, and his willingness to listen to Eragon's suggestion. Also, Murtagh said something in the company of soldiers of the Empire that made them wonder if they were hunting down Murtagh himself.

Murtagh was also egocentric and introverted. He stated repeatedly that he values his own life, and Thorn's, more than any number of others' lives, and refused to sacrifice himself no matter how many innocents it would save, citing his enjoyment of life even as a slave to Galbatorix. In his hard life, he has had few friends, except for Eragon, Tornac, Nasuada, and Thorn.