Thallo, Lord of Death

Thallo holds domain over Death. His role in this consists of the guiding of Souls through the Plane of Dusk in preparation for their judgement before Meridon and their eventual rebirth. Whilst he is not directly responsible for much of the death that occurs, he does hold the power to cut a life short with little more than a thought, should the need arise.

The official holy symbol of Thallo depicts two half-face masks next to each other. One pale in colour with rounded soft features, and the other darkly coloured with sharp-edged menacing features. This will sometimes be simplified to a circle with one half black and the other white. As may be expected of a death deity the combination of the colours black, dark teal and gold are known to be favoured by Thallo.

Thallo has a known preference for badgers and as such these creatures are often thought to be his messengers. Sometimes a badger's face will be used in representation of Thallo in lieu of his usual symbol. Such is the perceived link with Thallo and badgers that people will often make signs and gestures of protection should they encounter one in the wild.

Plants associated with Thallo are poppies, sandalwood and violets, with the scent of poppies and sandalwood often being used to overlay other odors at Thallos's Chapels of rest. Additionaly to these plants, the stones most associated with Thallo are moonstone and obsidian. There is an image of Thallo's holy symbol above the entry to the Chapel of Thallo in Osthaven is carved from these two stones.

Many of the favoured colours, plants and stones are used in some form for funeral rites of those who have passed. It is thought that these items will be used to garner the attention and favour of Thallo in ensuring the Soul of the deceased person has indeed been guided onwards. The exact format of the rites vary depending on the area, but the inclusion of these symbolic items remains consistent.

The worship of Thallo has a strong focus on the understanding that death is a natural part of life, and not something to be feared. They preach the importance of living well in the life you are in and not focusing solely on its end. 

• Fear will not fight Fate.
• Thallo does not follow, he had no need to run. He waits and time runs for him.  
• Do not waste this life chasing the next.

The month related to Thallo is the last of the year, Markmune with the Full Moon also coinciding with the Midwinter Solstice. Unlike most other Aspects within the Pantheon, Thallo shares this day of acknowledgment with Kalani who takes the night time portion of the celebration as she goes about covering for Thallo's duties. It is therefore during the daytime that remembrance of Thallo and his duties take place. 

It is well understood in the beliefs of the Pantheon of the Triarchy that after death and judgement before Meridon, a Soul will be reborn into a new life. This means that it is always hoped that departed loved ones are not lingering in the Plane of Dusk unable to pass through the eternal cycle. 

During the day of the Midwinter Solstice altars in allocated areas are erected in towns and villlages for a dual purpose of gratitude and guidance. These altars are often decorated with ribbons or cloth coverings in Thallo’s favoured colours and dried poppy and violet petals scattered around. Offerings of small food items and decorated evergreen wreaths are left in thanks to Thallo and his work throughout the year of shepherding the deceased onwards. In addition to this, those who have lost someone close to them during the year will leave a candle with a token of that person, something that would draw their attention. This is in the hope that any Souls who are still wandering the Plane of Dusk will gather at these altars, the easier for Thallo to guide them on.

One of the shorter in height of the Gods, Thallo stands at 8'10". He has skin in a shade of mid grey which plays with the light around it, appearing darker in area of highlight and lighter where there should be shadow. There is a distinctive streak of deep navy blue marking upwards from the tip of their nose upwards into their hairline. Scattered over their body are further streaks of this same blue shade, including on the tips of his elongated ears. He favours flowing robes of black, dark grey, and navy blue with small accents of gold.

Thallo has heterochromic eyes with one side a glowing golden yellow and the other fully black, including the sclera. These unique eyes allow him to see both the Material Plane and the Plane of Dusk in tandem at all times. While he does have hair of a very dark blue black with streaks of bright white, it is often unruly and so in a majority of depictions and sightings Thallo remains hooded.

At an initial glance Thallo can appear to be unarmed, however upon his left hand is an armoured glove with viciously sharp claws. It is made of a dark coloured metal with a golden hue to the sharp tips. Alongside this clawed hand he employs a shadowy form of magic, not dissimilar to Kalani's own.

Like many of the Gods, Thallo has had occasions of interference and activity directly in the mortal realm, but the tale of Thallo and Mara has endured for centuries. Mara was a Moon Elf who captured the heart of Thallo in a way that no other had before or since. He took on a mortal form to be able to talk to her and after a time she fell for him too. Even after discovering the truth of his identity, Mara continued to love Thallo for the entirety of her long natural life.

Such was the love that Thallo felt for Mara that when the time came for her death he could not bring himself to carry her Soul away. He beseeched to his own Triarchy Aspect, Meridon to change or pause Mara's fate, and to Xivan to grant her immortal life, but neither God could risk the catastrophic imbalance that such actions would cause. In compromise, and with the assistance of Odhran, Thallo created a rare species of otters with the magical ability to halt the progress of any ailment, curse or poison. He gifted these unique animals to Mara, so that she may use their powers to live a form of immortal life.

The flaw to this plan was that Thallo could never again be within arms reach of Mara, for now her intended time of death had passed, his own deathly aura would cause her to immediately die. All he could do was stand upon the shores of Starsong lake, looking out to the Isle at its center where Mara lived, knowing she was still there by the lilting mournful song drifting across the water. The grief that both parties felt from this separation was so great that it drew the attention and sympathy of Kalani herself. In support of her former Aspect, she offered to Thallo that for one night a year, their own shared Full Moon at the Midwinter Solstice, she would take up His role as the Soul Shepherd. For that night Thallo would have none of his godly powers nor his deathly aura, and so he and Mara could be reunited, if only until dawn.

Whilst Thallo has a fondness for all badgers there is one who is his immortal familiar and companion. Iszra is known as Thallo's Badger and like Thallo shares his heterochromia, and through this connection Thallo is able to also access Iszra's vision also. Iszra will undertake the gathering of Souls alongside Thallo, able to appear as a small gentle woodland creature for those who may need a friendly face at their end, but also as a huge fearsome beast for hunting the worst kinds of mortal.