Thanatorum
Emissary Et Abhorum (a.k.a. Thanatorum)
"The Ossuary, emissary of death, prin's1 Et Abhorum: Thanatorum, the Ascertained. Born with the ailment of mortality, an ecdysial journey delivered him to a gallery for the gods, themselves unable to ignore his ascent. Carving his Words of Power upon the universe's preestablished slate, Thanatorum attained divinity independent of the gods who monopolized it. And how to describe him? Bright eyes behind a dark miasma, restrained within a brown cloak. Oft, one hand grips the cloak closed, so as to keep his fleeting spirit contained. Vast arching wings support his weight with taloned tips that scrape against the ground; when taking flight, the wings inspire a rumbling gust heard for a mile about."
Thanatorum, previously known as "Et Abhorum," ascended mortality through Ascertainment: a process by which one attains divinity independent of a higher entity (god, devil, uthuquate, etc.). Instead, the metamorphosis occurs through personal accomplishments and dedication to certain ideals. Previously an Avesia species in his mortal life, Et Abhorum became a monument to death, equatable to godhood.
Early Life
Born as Et Arvensis, Et Abhorum was ordained with his commonly used name through service to an imperial military- one that had conquered his home and razed his village of Erinion. To survive under a new rule, Et Arvensis self-conscripted, utilizing his knowledge as an ossuary tenant to serve as a healer in the military. Among his necessary tasks were treating the sick, consulting about local botanical resources, developing new treatments for the injured, and determining causes of death in unique circumstances.
Years after his homeland was conquered, the occupying Emperor Tasque was going on a tour of conquest to visit the lands claimed in his name. Unfortunately, he quickly fell ill on his journey, dying of fever and dysentery. At a loss for who and what was to blame, the empire reluctantly consulted Et Arvensis due to his botanical expertise. Not only did he determine the cause of death, but he also deduced the man who could procure such poisons. The feat got him citizenship and an official position as an herbalist in service to Emperor Tasque's establishment. His citizenship was accompanied by the new imperial name "Et Abhorum," referencing his expertise with the abhorrent circumstances of death.
While Et Abhorum has since been questioned about his home and the conflict that enraptured his early life, he is short with those who ask. Self-reportedly, he can't remember an empire and home that dissolved eons ago. The names Erinion, Emperor Tasque, and even Et Arvensis are retained only by Thanatorum.
"Unless unchanging, such as I, they've been destroyed by evolution. Their present has long amended and consumed their past."
-Thanatorum on Erinion
Exile to Exemplar
While Et Abhorum served the imperial military to survive their rule, most of his native contemporaries were dismayed by the decision. Not only was he using his professional skills to assist foreign occupiers, but the consecrated ossuary he worked in had been destroyed when the village was razed.
One of his people's core beliefs was that congregating in burial meant congregating beyond. When the foreign occupiers arrived, the ossuary's destruction meant the bones were eventually dispersed as the subterranean space was repurposed for storage.
While it's only known that his family disowned him for his rebellious decisions, one can assume that his greater community did as well, perhaps pushing him into the arms of the outsiders who welcomed his expertise. A famous quote from Thanatorum indicates he was an "honorary" exile from his home, as the locals may have despised him, but only the foreign occupiers had the authority to perform evictions.
Ascertainment
Et Abhorum, after years of continuing his imperial career and founding an ossuary, wished to understand death beyond its cause and development. His versatile and traveled position in the empire gave him the mobility to observe how several cultures revere death as a community. This path led him to several gods of death, each with their own interpretations and desires, yet none would yield a consistent meaning behind death and its purpose. Frustrated by fruitless results, Et Abhorum investigated a path of broader concepts, including annihilation, oblivion, and singularization: an original concept that he described as the known universe's ongoing simplification and reduction into an unchanging, infinitesimally small void. Little has been shared on how Et Abhorum's journey led to Ascertainment, but one central tale includes his creation of Words of Power. Intended to rewrite fundamental laws of the universe, Et Abhorum's Words focused on death and the absence of life. Few have accomplished the ability to write Words of Power, with Epitaph among the others. Some assume that the creation of these Words directly leads to divinity, but the theory's validity is unknown.After Ascertainment
Upon ascertainment, Et Abhorum took the name Thanatorum, which he shared with the ossuary he had previously founded. While he's best known for capitalizing on The Breaking of Dandoleon, he managed to infiltrate the pantheon of several cultures, revered as a god. Throughout his assimilation into these cultures, he realized he was filling the role of the gods he had once investigated- knowledge of him provided no insight into death's purpose. Realizing the folly of reverence, he devoted his life to being an emissary of death, taking direct action rather than settling as an icon. Upon his revelation and shift of goals, Thanatorum saw to the eradication of his devoted civilizations. The means of their destruction involved revealing his Words of Power to oracles and priests. Broad integration into scripture, rituals, and spells meant catastrophe once invoked by Thanatorum. Similar displays have been seen in cases such as Biomancy, which invoke Thanatorum's Words. Still, Biomancy pales in comparison to the Ancient Civilizations, who experienced existential apocalyptic events. When the mortals devoted to his visage were gone, he began traveling the outer planes, delivering his wisdom directly to those in need. He ambiguously spread replicas of his Words of Power throughout the universe, in hopes that studious minds similar to his would seek their source. Over generations, many found their way to Thanatorum, being ordained with various titles, including adherent, apostle, or disciple. As his following grew, the formal organization known as the Disciples of Thanatorum developed. These individuals were devoted to Thanatorum's ideals, and a portion went on to inhabit the Birdtowers. Unlike the sedentary civilizations of the past, the ranks of the Disciples were filled with competent and self-accomplished individuals. Each member attained their capabilities independently, as Thanatorum had.In Dandoleon
During The Breaking of Dandoleon, the Divine Justice2 sought a volunteer to guide the plane's denizens through the struggles that would accompany the Indictment of Chaimut. Among those who wished to take part was Thanatorum, who described his association with death to Bailum. In principle, the Indictment of Chaimut would cause unavoidable death across the plane. Unlike others who may wish to assist Dandoleon, Thanatorum's influence could grow as these deaths occurred, giving him more power to save those who remained; paired with his accompanying Disciples, the choice became obvious to Bailum. Once arriving in Dandoleon, Thanatorum set his disciples on various paths about the plane. Their task was to gather natives of designated sectors, spreading tales of the coming apocalypse and ways to avoid it. The natives that were convinced assisted the Disciples of Thanatorum in constructing the Birdtowers. Most of those who assisted construction efforts were buried beneath the tower courtyards, making each tower an ossuary in the likeness of Thanatorum's own. While the disciples toiled to spread their influence, Thanatorum remained close to the Summer-Winter border, growing his miasma3 with the cataclysmic extinctions brought on by the progress of Winter. Thanatorum and his Disciples predominately focused on preserving the denizens of Summer, ignoring those who suffered in Winter. In the eyes of Bailum, this was a deception, as Thanatorum had vowed to balance Dandoleon. Knowing his own power paled in comparison to the Divine Justice, Thanatorum fled in fear of an Indictment. The disciples remained in Dandoleon and evaded punishment for their leader's actions. While they still uphold the task assigned to them, their contact with Thanatorum is ambiguous, though they at least continue to follow his history and teachings.
1. Prin: derived from "yesterday," also refers to a previously inhabited Birdtower
2. The Divine Justice, or High Justice, is alternatively known as Bailum. As the human god of justice, his authority is widespread across the cosmos, with his and his siblings' lineages having conquered much of the universe. While he didn't directly cause The Breaking of Dandoleon, its knowledgable denizens put much of the impetus upon Bailum's lack of concern for how the punishment would affect them.
3. Thanatorum's "Miasma" is a merging of his spirit and physicality into one entity: a black gaseous substance that feeds on metaphysical activity. In this case, the metaphysical activity involves death. As Thanatorum perpetuates death, his spirit and body grow more robust. In the absence of this perpetuation, he grows emaciated.
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