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The Thali

by Daniel Bayn

The Thali are the bogeymen of Erebus. They are a tale told to children and tourists. Most educated people doubt they ever existed. As the stories go, the "Highwaymen" are fanatic murderers who attack random people in dark alleys and lonely roads, then strangle them with silken cords. They are said to be immortal killers who possess power over Death itself. But those are just stories...

Faith

Thal is the slavemaster of souls. He traps all creatures in a series of material bodies, torturing them with suffering and mortality. Thali realize that there is no escaping this eternal cycle; instead, they manipulate it for their own gain. They embrace death and pain as a way to escape the same.

Boons

Expertise - Death. Highwaymen are rumored to converse with the spirits of the dead, cause illness with only a glance, place curses on those who cross them, and perform other such nefarious "miracles."

Knotting - When a Thali strangles someone with their silken cord, they believe the victim's soul becomes trapped within it. The Thali can use this soul to avoid their own death by releasing it in place of their own. The Thali claim this allows them to escape any death, even those involving the complete destruction of their bodies.

Anathema

No Highwayman may needlessly prevent a death. Furthermore, any Thali who fails to strangle at least one person with their silken cord each month loses their "magic" until they do.

History

No one knows where or when the Cult of Thal was born, but many whisper that its founder is still alive. The group is one of the most elusive in Erebus, if it exists at all. No one knows how new members join. Some whisper that this is because those who decline are killed, anyone who leaves the cult is killed, and those who witness the cult's activities are killed. It could also be because there is no cult.

Allies

One of the most persistent rumors in Erebus is that Sir Erik of Knightlund is a high-ranking Thali. If so, he is very good at keeping his activities a secret. Of course, this could just be an attempt by Sir Erik's enemies to sabotage his reputation. Then again, maybe its not.

Enemies

Unknown.

Previews - Fiction - Scenarios - Cults - Miscellany