Mortimer Folchart

Mortimer "Mo" Folchart is a bookbinder that has the ability to bring fictitious characters to life by reading aloud.

Early Life
Mortimer Folchart enjoyed reading aloud even as a young boy. He first discovered he was a Silvertongue when he was reading Tom Sawyer aloud to a friend and a dead cat suddenly appeared on the carpet. Later they noticed that a stuffed toy of Mo's was missing. They swore to each other to keep the incident secret. In his later life, he repeatedly tried reading aloud again in secret, without any listeners. He kept all of the things that came out except the snozzcumber from The BFG.

Meeting Resa
Mo met Theresa Folchart and they eventually married and had a daughter, Meggie. Mo would read aloud to his immediate family every evening, and sometimes things would come out of the picture books, including a feather and a tiny shoe, which were put in Meggie's book box.

Reading Inkheart
When Mo bought another crate full of books from a secondhand bookshop, Inkheart was among them. Resa got Mo to read it to her that evening because she always liked tales of adventures. They enjoyed the story, since it was exciting, well written, and full of amazing creatures. Mo, while reading aloud the seventh chapter of Inkheart to his wife, Mo brought out Capricorn, a henchman of the book, his sidekick Basta, and an important protagonist of the book, Dustfinger, as well as Dustfinger's pet marten Gwin. However, Resa and two cats were sent into the book, exchanged with the three characters that were brought out. Luckily, all three were dazed because they hadn't fully arrived in the real world and Basta and Capricorn hadn't their full strength, so Mo managed to grab Capricorn's sword and drive the two away.

Mo searched the whole house, but Resa was nowhere to be seen. He put Meggie to bed, telling her that Resa had gone to sleep. He tried again and again to read Resa back out, careful not to let Meggie in the room, but the only things that came out was a glass man, who took the place of a mailman who was outside the house. Mo then realized that Meggie wasn't safe from the danger of transporting to the Inkworld anywhere, and vowed never to read again. He told Elinor Loredan, Resa's aunt, that Resa went on "some stupid adventure" and never came back, and that the injury he got when he was wielding Capricorn's sword was made by climbing through a broken window.

Captured by Capricorn
Mo then went to try to tell Dustfinger what happened. Dustfinger longed for his old world and pleaded for Mo to take him back. It became to be so bad that Mo had to travel with his daughter Meggie to avoid being pursued by any of the characters. He hid the truth from Meggie, but only up until Dustfinger once again showed up in their lives when Meggie was twelve years-old. Then to escape Capricorn, Mo went to live with Elinor, Resa's great aunt, at her big estate. But with Dustfinger's assistance, Capricorn succeeds to capture Mo. Mo brings the book he thinks is Inkheart (Elinor sneakily replaces it with another book and takes it, due to her habit for collecting valuable books at any cost). When Dustfinger offers to help Elinor and Meggie rescue Mo he tricks them into getting captured as well, revealing his treachery. Mo is reunited with them but they all remain grim about what plans Capricorn has for them. In their cell Mo relates the true story on why Resa had left them.

Mo reads to Capricorn and their escape
In the morning, Capricorn brings the three (for now Dustfinger has been long gone) into a satanic church painted red with an enormous statue of Capricorn inside. He makes Mo, which all the guards and maidservants call Silvertongue because of his ability, read treasure out of Treasure Island in order to gain the treasure within it. When Mo starts to read 'Tales from A Thousand and One Nights', a boy appears out of the book, whom we later learn is named Farid. The prisoners are brought back to their cells along with Farid who has been put in the cell next to theirs. That night, Dustfinger (who feels remorse and realizes Capricorn will never keep his end of the deal), breaks out all of the prisoners and they run to Elinor's car, where Basta and another guard named Flatnose chase after them on foot (because Dustfinger punctured their car tires). After a while, their car breaks down and they push it down a hill to confuse their pursuers. Then they have to travel through the woods to lose them. They arrive at an abandoned village where they stay for a bit until they hear the guards coming with dogs to come and catch the group. The dogs smell, Gwin who happens to be right above where Mo is hiding. The dogs start biting and attacking Mo, giving him a scar on his arm. Dustfinger, due to his earlier kindness to them, commands them to stop and they obey. They overpower Basta and Flatnose, Dustfinger even managing to tease Basta when he is bound. They leave and soon come to a city where Elinor uses her secret credit card to get them all new clothes, a hotel, and food. While Dustfinger uses his fire-eater abilities to get money, Mo is in a cafe with Meggie. Meggie earnestly pleads for them to go with Elinor to her house but Mo tells Meggie he hopes he can get a copy of Inkheart that Capricorn didn't steal from the author Fenoglio himself. They go to Fenoglio's house, meeting him and his grandchildren Rico, Pippo, and Paula in the kitchen. Fenglio tells them he has none of his books but then is delighted to hear that Dustfinger is brought to their world after he had stubbornly demanded the 'true' story on why they so earnestly want a copy of Inkheart. Meanwhile, much to Elinor's horror Capricorn has his men burn all of Elinor's precious books, also hanging his symbol, a dead rooster nearby. Mo goes to pick the distraught Elinor up at the station and while he is gone, Meggie and Fenoglio are kidnapped by Basta. Basta then carves Capricorn's symbol into nearby furniture. When Mo arrives he sees immediately what happened and goes to save them.

The rescue plan and the Shadow
Dustfinger and Farid are meanwhile trying to recover Inkheart. Meggie also realizes she is a Silvertongue too, and unfortunately, Basta finds out. Now, Capricorn decides to use Meggie to read his Shadow monster out of the book and if they see Mo, to dispose of him since he is no longer needed. Luckily Meggie sees Gwin and uses him to write notes (in Elvish) to tell about Capricorn's plan. Dustfinger is captured and Farid goes to Mo and Elinor to tell them. Elinor is captured when she tries to report to the authorities and Capricorn tells the police Elinor is crazy and convinces the authorities to hand her over to him. Now Elinor, Meggie, Dustfinger, and Resa (who tried to escape) are in the crypt. There Meggie learns Resa is her mother and both are too overjoyed to speak (though Resa technically can't, since she's mute). Meggie learns Resa was randomly read out by Darius, and was given the flaw of being mute because of the reader's mistakes. She was Capricorn and Capricorn's mother servant for years. She always tried to escape but couldn't. But she did make friends with Dustfinger, who had no idea she was Mo's wife so he tried to have a bit of a romantic relationship with her. Mo, with Farid, dress as guards and burn Capricorn's treasury building and fields while the ceremony of reading the shadow out takes place. Luckily Meggie, with Fenoglio's writing, starts to read the shadow to attack Capricorn. But Meggie, no matter how evil Capricorn is, can't finish reading the piece. Mo rushes in and reads the last part of the writing, finishing Capricorn and the Shadow for Meggie. Mortola, who was thought to be Capricorn's maid, was really his mother. She is distraught and howls with rage. All of Capricorn's followers disappear. Basta, in his cage for failing Capricorn, springs out and threatens to kill Resa. But then Elinor tells he's trapped and that she'll get him. Basta shoves Resa into Elinor and he runs away, with the anguished Magpie. Why they didn't disappear for their wicked deeds like the others is unknown. Then the shadow's remains revives its' victims. They are fairies, glassmen, and brownies and they all either stay in the village or go to Elinor's house. Then quietly Dustfinger steals away the last copy of Inkheart (from Capricorn) and tries to find a Silvertongue who can read him back, along with Farid and Gwin.

Wounded to near-death in the Inkworld
Orpheus read Mortola, Basta, Resa, and Mo into the Inkworld. Elinor and Darius were imprisoned in Elinor's cellar. When they arrived in the Inkworld, Mortola shot Mo with a gun. Resa spoke for the first time in ten years when she was trying to help Mo. Nettle found Resa and Mo and told Resa not to let the White Women see him. In the Secret Camp, Nettle tended to him. Some of the strolling players think that Mo were the Bluejay, because his appearances matched those of the detailed songs Fenoglio wrote, like the scar on his left arm. Fenoglio admitted to Meggie that he used her father as a model of the Bluejay.

Becoming the Bluejay
Mo assumed the role of his fictional double, the Bluejay. He spent much of his time protecting the villagers from their governers and tax collecters and stealing foods and supplies from the rich to give to the poor. He also played a central role in the death of the Adderhead and the restoration of peace to the Inkworld. Later, Resa gives birth to their son in a farmhouse they had lived in a little while in the Inkworld, and Mo's family settles down - in the Inkworld, of course.

Personality
Mo is an easy going man. He is a loving father and husband who will stop at nothing to ensure his family's protection. Mo feels for the poor and is scared of imprisonment. He is described by the Adderhead as 'clever'.

Equipment
Mo uses many tools and materials in his book binding practice. These include, but may not be limited to, different types of knives, papers, leath
 * Camper van: Before entering the Inkworld, Mo's main means of transportation was his camper van, which he kept parked in the barn during their time at a farmhouse. The camper van is painted multiple colours. It has a bed, a table, a kitchen, and a bench to sit on. Meggie stated that the van was more of a home to her than any of the houses they had lived in, indicating that Mo has had the van for quite awhile. In the Inkworld, Mo traveled by horse or foot.

Trivia

 * Mo uses a seal in the shape of a unicorn's head on the books that he binds.
 * Mo's favorite candy is chocolate.

Behind the scenes

 * According to Cornelia Funke, the loving relationship between Meggie and Mo is inspired by:
 * Funke's own relationship with her father.
 * and Scout Finch from .
 * Brendan Fraser, the model of Mo, is at times so boyish of a father, therefore his character's daughter Meggie in return does some mothering.