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Vault Dweller: "I seem to have hit a nerve."
Morpheus:"I do not tolerate insults. Guards!"

Father Morpheus is the leader of the Children of the Cathedral in Fallout, and the self-styled "master of Death" and "wielder of a black staff."[1][2]

Background[]

The supreme leader of the Children of the Cathedral came from humble beginnings. He spent a decade in the Rippers, giving him a tough school of fighting and survival,[3] before forming a doomsday cult in the Boneyard (which turned out to be a good choice, since the Rippers were eventually wiped out by the deathclaws). In 2152, the cult was found by the Master's scouts. Rather than take and dip them, the Master allowed Morpheus to pledge himself and his followers to the Master's service, using them as spies.[Non-game 1] Four years later, Morpheus and his people would form the core of the Children of the Cathedral, a religious movement spreading out across the wasteland, collecting information for Morpheus and the Master, and advancing the Unity's cause.[Non-game 2] Morpheus assumed leadership, letting his minions do the fighting. The inability to enjoy hot blood on his fingers was more than compensated for by the wealth he now had access to.[4]

Unlike other leaders, Morpheus does not truly believe in the Unity or the divinity of the Master. To him, it's just an opportunity to gain power and influence, at the side of a powerful ally. The promise of power is what ensnares him, which coupled with his sheer intelligence, cunning and absolute lack of morals make him an incredibly dangerous individual. Even more so when his short fuse and anger are concerned.[Non-game 3] However, he is the only member of the Children leadership regularly meeting with the Master,[5] but despite his standing, he's despised by super mutant leaders. In particular, the Lieutenant considers him to be a slug and wishes him a painful death upon his inevitable dipping.[6]

Morpheus delights in delivering sermons, and is known for being exceptionally loud when he makes speeches.[7] Though he is a cynical opportunist, he has nonetheless created a particular doctrine centering on the Children's role as messengers of evolution and healers of the land and its people, emphasizing the search for Unity: A higher level of life without hardship and strife, defined by unity with fellow humans and mutants. The hospitals set up in New California serve that end, providing curatives for the body, followed by hope and healing for the spirit.[8][9] To advance this vision of unity was the goal of all Children.[10] Many followers appreciated his charisma and rhetoric, painting a vivid picture of Peace, Unity, and the Holy Flames whenever he spoke in the auditorium.[11][12]

However, by 2162, Morpheus has largely retired from pontificating, declines personal audiences,[13] and prefers to stay within the Cathedral's tower.[14] A large part of it is due to the ongoing Crusade, preparing for the final stage of the Master's plan to conquer New California.[15] Morpheus keeps gathering intelligence, including identifying any threats and opportunities to the Children and the Unity, especially wild cards. His spies are many and feed him constant intelligence.[16] When he does descend to the auditorium to perform ceremonies,[17] his sermons are much more militant, focusing on purging infidels from the wasteland.[18]

Outside the wasteland, Morpheus is seen as the Children's leader, and attention is paid primarily to his position[19] and incredible wealth, rather than the contents of his sermons.[20] The only exception are the Followers, who are aware of Morpheus consorting with the nightkin.[21]

Fate[]

Morpheus was killed by the Vault Dweller on March 3, 2162, and whatever remained of him was subsequently incinerated in the nuclear explosion that obliterated the Cathedral.[Non-game 4]

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
Icon talkinghead
This character has a talking head.
FO76 ui icon quest
This character is involved in quests.
33 Protector
This character is allied with the following faction(s).

Quests[]

  • Destroy the Mutant leader: The Vault Dweller may kill or rob Morpheus for his special Cathedral badge in order to gain entrance into the secret Vault under the Cathedral. They may also tell him about Vault 13, after which Morpheus will take them to the Master, resulting in normal dialogue with him (although without Cathedral robes, getting out within the time limit can be tricky).
    • It is difficult to approach Morpheus normally for conversation because the nearby nightkin automatically turns hostile if the player has any companion with them (including Dogmeat), which, by extension, also makes Morpheus hostile. Even with a COC badge and robes, they will be attacked by the nightkin immediately. However, there is a workaround: after reaching the last floor, leave a few (four or so) sticks of dynamite set to 10 seconds, then immediately go down, and when the guard at the stairs is killed by the explosions, go back up.
    • Combat can be bypassed if one has a Stealth Boy, a high enough Sneak skill, and a high enough Intelligence, although if one just stands there, another nightkin will move closer and see the Vault Dweller.
    • Lasher can be convinced about needing to see Morpheus. If the Vault Dweller tells Morpheus that Lasher sent him up, there is a skill check. If failed, Morpheus will attack out of suspicion. If passed, Morpheus allows the Vault Dweller to leave and says that Lasher likes to get Children into trouble.
    • Killing Morpheus at any point will reward the player with 1,000 experience points for killing the leader of the Children.

Tell me about[]

Inventory[]

Notable quotes[]

Appearances[]

Morpheus appears only in Fallout as a talking head.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Morpheus' blurb in COMBATAI.MSG is "You actually expect to kill me?".
  • Pestering him causes him to say “You were warned. Guards!” in a float complete with voice acting. He and Nicole are the only two characters in the game where this happens.
  • Morpheus was once a former member of the Rippers as mentioned in Nicole's dialogue file and his combat taunts when dodging an attack.
  • His name is a reference to the principal god of dreams in Greek mythology.
Pre-release
  • Morpheus was conceptualized by Scott Campbell as early as February 1995, though as a much younger man. Another character with a similar name, Orfeo was also implemented as a senior Children of the Cathedral operative in early iterations of the Boneyard. The script listing notes the following: "Morph.int; Morpheus (not relation to Orpheus) of the Children (power hungry)," suggesting that the two aren't related, as commonly believed.
  • His talking head was used for the Shady Sands Elder in the Fallout E3 1996 Interactive Demo.
  • Leonard Boyarsky who conceptualized Morpheus' look wanted to include hieroglyphics on the trim of the robes. For one reason or another, this wasn't implemented.[23]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Morpheus: "{7320}{}{I am Morpheus, master of Death!}"
    (Morpheus' combat dialogue)
  2. Morpheus: "{7318}{}{I am Morpheus, and I wield a black staff!}"
    (Morpheus' combat dialogue)
  3. Morpheus: "{7323}{}{I didn't spend ten years in the Rippers for nothing!}"
    (Morpheus' combat dialogue)
  4. Morpheus: "{7306}{}{It's been a long time since I enjoyed hot blood on my fingers!}"
    (Morpheus' combat dialogue)
  5. Slummer: "{243}{}{I'm afraid I can't help you. Only Father Morpheus communes with the Master. You can find him in the tower. } "
    (Slummer's dialogue)
  6. Lieutenant: "{266}{LIEUT63}{Morpheus. It's quite amusing. He thinks he's so much more than just a slug the Master recruited to head his Children of the Cathedral nonsense. Ah, well. He, too, will be dipped in the Vats and he'll probably die a horrible death . . . I hope.}"
    (Lieutenant's dialogue)
  7. The Vault Dweller: "{171}{}{And when's the Master going to take over the world?}"
    Calder: "{175}{}{Soon, or so they tell me. We're going to have peace, and unity and the Holy Flame will be lit. And maybe Father Morpheus won't be quite so loud, either.}"
    (Calder's dialogue)
  8. Morpheus: "{192}{MORP31}{ Our plans? We are the messengers of evolution, my child. We follow the Master in his endless quest to heal the land and the people.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{193}{}{Really? Just what kind of evolution are you teaching?}"
    Morpheus: "{195}{MORP32}{ We know there is a higher level, a glorious place humanity should strive to reach. Ours is the goal to find the life better, more fulfilling, than the present one, marred by hardship and strife. }"
    The Vault Dweller: "{194}{}{What kind of healing?}"
    Morpheus: "{210}{MORP39}{ We cure the physical body to start. You've certainly seen our hospitals. Then we offer hope and healing for the spirit. }"
    (Morpheus' dialogue)
  9. The Vault Dweller: "{1008}{}{Unity}"
    Morpheus: "{1108}{MORP58}{The Unity is our search for a higher level of life, and unity with our fellow man. }"
    (Morpheus' dialogue)
  10. Morpheus: "{1101}{MORP51}{It is he who brought me the vision of the Unity and it is he who will bring peace to this troubled land.}"
    (Morpheus' dialogue)
  11. Sister Francis: "{133}{}{Why, that's Father Morpheus. He's such a good speaker, he really makes Peace and Unity come to life, and when he talks, I can just see those Holy Flames!}"
    (Francis' dialogue)
  12. Sister Francis: "{134}{}{That Father Morpheus, he sure can talk; and he's handsome, too!}"
    (Francis' dialogue)
  13. Viola: "{240}{}{The high priest of the Cathedral is Morpheus. He can be found in the Upper Sanctuary, but does not give personal audiences. You might persuade Father Lasher to vouch for you, he can be found down here, in the Rectory.}"
    (Viola's dialogue)
  14. Ton: "{174}{}{That's Morpheus. He stays upstairs, except to give sermons. He don't even do that much anymore. He's smart and he's a winner, and that's all that counts. Go see him for yourself.}"
    (Ton Barracus' dialogue)
  15. Sister Francis: "{129}{}{Well, Father Morpheus hasn't given any sermons in such a long time. It's a pity, because I so love his speeches and everybody seems to be very busy with some Crusade.}"
    (Francis' dialogue)
  16. The Vault Dweller: "{156}{}{Think the Master would be happy if you killed a Vault dweller?}"
    Morpheus: "{158}{MORP19}{ Ahh...So you are the Vault dweller I've been hearing about. Surprised? I have my sources. Now, I will take you as a gift to the Master. He'll be very pleased. }"
    (Morpheus' dialogue)
  17. Laura: "{1107}{laura82}{It's the big place at the north end of the church, where Morpheus does all his ceremonies. I've been there, it's wonderful!}"
    (Laura's dialogue)
  18. Laura: "{206}{laura38}{Now that's scary. Morpheus is preaching that the earth should be 'purged of the infidels,' and other crap like that. I think they're planning to take over everything!}"
    (Laura's dialogue)
  19. Decker: "{222}{DECK_68}{Morpheus is the head of the Children of the Cathedral. He resides down in the Boneyard.}"
    (Decker's dialogue)
  20. Lorenzo: "{224}{}{I'll bet their leader, this Morpheus character, he's not broke! No sir! I'll bet that over in the Boneyard, he's just living it up!}"
    (Lorenzo Giovanni's dialogue)
  21. Nicole: "{122}{Nic_7}{Call it instinct. We've seen Morpheus and the Nightkin and they don't look like peace makers to us. Their hospitals and message of peace make them attractive, but we know there's evil there.}"
    (Nicole's dialogue)
  22. Morpheus' combat dialogue
  23. Concept art annotation: "Note: All Children o' Cathedral have hierogluphs on their hood trim."

Non-game

  1. Fallout Bible 0: "2152 As their influence slowly spreads throughout the wastes, the Master finds humans, doomsday cultists, and rather than dip them in the vats, he demands their obedience as spies - their leader is a man named Morpheus, and he pledges his followers to the Master. Morpheus and his cultists form the future core of the Children of the Cathedral."
  2. Fallout Bible 0: "2156 The Master sees advantages in establishing a benevolent "religion," the Children of the Cathedral, and using them as spies in settlements throughout the wastes. Missionaries from the Children of the Cathedral spread slowly across the wasteland, acting as eyes and ears for Morpheus and the Master."
  3. Fallout Official Survival Guide p.105-106: "Morpheus: Dark Leader of the Children"
    "Outwardly, Morpheus is the supreme leader of the Children of the Cathedral. Though he adopts a pious demeanor and can sound a bit like an old-time country preacher, he does not believe that the Holy Flame, the Dark Lord, the Master is, in fact, God.
    Morpheus is intelligent, crafty, sly, greasy, and thoroughly evil, ensnared by the promise of power rather than by belief. He has a short fuse and a terrible anger, which make him an extremely dangerous individual."
  4. Fallout Bible 0: "2162 March 3 Vault Dweller kicks the Master's ass."
Gametitle-FO1
Major antagonists
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