Mortis Manor and the grounds that surround it have long held a reputation of death and horror. Long before the white man came, the area around Mortis Manor had been known as a terrible place filled with dark magics. Any who ventured into the woods would either never return, or, if they did return, were twisted and evil-posessed by the darkness of the land.
When the white man came, they did not believe the foolish natives warnings about the place, and, in truth, the shadow of evil that haunted the woods seemed to have vanished. But in reality, it was waiting for the arrival of its new master.
Mortis Manor was built as a wedding gift for Victor von Mortis' young bride, and it was there that they were wed. And it was on the very night of the wedding that the darkness of the land returned, claiming the life of Victor's new bride. . . or was she killed by Victor himself? No one really knows, but the cloud of fear and evil returned to the grounds of Mortis Manor- its very name becoming synonymous with death and terror.
Some time after the mysterious death of his wife, Victor von Mortis opened "Mortis Manor, Home for the Criminally Insane." The asylum housed only the most dangerous criminals, and Dr. Mortis attempted to "cure" them by utilizing rather unconventional methods. Only a few patients at a time lived at the manor, and for most, the "cure" resulted in them being buried in the cemetery out back.
Today only a few residents remain at Mortis Manor. Few people ever visit there, and those who do never speak of the things they have seen, Rumors have circulated that Victor von Mortis has been engaged in evil research in the dark laboratory deep in the heart of the manor. Some have even claimed to have seen strange creatures wandering the grounds of the manor, and they are whispered to be monsters created by the mad doctor. Locals have learned to stay away from the mansion, and Doctor Mortis. It is rumored that those who do not will wind up in the mansion's cemetery, or wandering the grounds of the mansion as the doctor's latest creation.