Tathallion (Tay-thal-eon)
The Knight of Justice
A human who fought off the orken god Ghrek to become the god of Knighthood and Chivalry. Tathallion became a great warrior known throughout the world for his bravery and honor, becoming known as the Knight of Justice and the Hero of Humanity.
Divine Domains
Tathallion holds domain over the ideas of chivalry and knighthood, as well as mounted combat. He grants his divine followers access to the Animal, Good, Law, Nobility, and Strength domains, as well as the Competition, Fur, Leadership, Loyalty, and Redemption subdomains.
Artifacts
Tathallion is said to sometimes grant his followers access to a mighty greatsword known as the Sunshine Greatsword. The sword is said to cut away all darkness and even expel the evil from those hit by it.
Tathallion's herald, Tyngaer, wields a unique weapon known as Falor, which is a holy blade welded to the end of a mighty chain, which exudes holy fury.
Holy Books & Codes
Tathallion has two holy books, Path of the Knight and The Majesty of the Mount. The Path of the Knight outlines the chivalric code, the proper steps of achieving knighthood, and the stories of Tathallion's mortal upbringing and adventures in the world. The Majesty of the Mount is an extensive guide on how to properly raise horses, both for workforce and for the battlefield.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Tathallion's holy symbol is his favored weapon, a greatsword, impaled into a large silver stone. Gold and white are his sacred colors, and he is often depicted astride his mighty warhorse.
Tenets of Faith
The followers of Tathallion must follow the strict codes of honor and chivalry, and nearly all stick to the following tenets:
- I will always carry myself with honor and chivalry. To fight without honor is to tarnish one's soul.
- I will always strive to be truthful, even when it might be easier to deceive.
- I will stand by my tenants, even when my enemies will use my restrictions against me.
- I will act with honor, if an enemy surrenders, I will accept it. But I will only go so far. If an enemy refuses to repent and it is in my rights to do so, I will end them.
- My steed is my soul. I will never mistreat it, nor allow it to fall to harm.
- My power is not my own. It belongs either to my church, my liege, or to those I swear to protect.
Holidays
The followers of Tathallion, the Order of the Shining Riders, celebrates two major holidays. The first, held on the 5th of Ixa, is the Day of Triumph. It is a day of Tathallion's ascent to godhood, and the faithful gather to feast and celebrate the joys of the church. It is also a day of grand storytelling and recounting of war stories, with crusaders spinning grand tales of their victories and priests stating the legends of Tathallion's days as a mortal.
The second holiday, Joust Day is held on the 15th of Usa. This is a large-scale festival, which is open to the public and members of all faiths, and is most often held in large fields. It is a day to celebrate mounts and other hardworking animals, and is celebrated by feeding them exotic foods, and holding animal based contests, such as saddle decoration and grooming competitions. But the most anticipated event of Joust Day is the titular jousting, with members of the faith showing of their skills and even teaching those outside the faith the basics. Vendors often discount mounts for the entire day, and any horses that are born on the day are considered lucky and blessed by Tathallion.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Tathallions main goal is the protection of humanity, and he seems to specifically favor the country of Welthrone, who consider him his patron deity. He seeks to defeat all evil that permeates the world, either through redemption or though combat.
Physical Description
Body Features
When manifesting, Tathallion usually takes the form of his appearance in life, which is a massive man with strong features with slicked back dark hair and a intense gaze.
Apparel & Accessories
When manifesting, Tathallion almost always appears in a set of golden full-plate armor.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Tathallion was born a lowly stable boy in Welthrone before it became the major power of Central Matera. He worked for his family tending to horses for the army, but hoped to eventually ride into battle himself. One day, while a local lord was looking at the horse stock, the horse became spooked and would have trampled the lord's son to death, if Tathallion had not intervened and saved the boy. Greatly impressed by the courage displayed by Tathallion, the lord immediately sponsored him as a squire in the army. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Welthrone army, proving his valor on the battlefield time and time again. Eventually, he was granted command over his own order of knights, and soon became a legendary figure in all of Matera, even travelling to other realms to combat evil all over the world. Legends tell of him stopping the schemes of Fiendish Lords, fighting dark creatures from beyond the stars in The Nightmare Crusade, preventing The Dark Spirit from expanding eternal night to all realms, and even wounding Grimm, the god of the undead.
In 3600 AC, the largest Rumbling of orcs Welthrone had ever seen descended on the realm, and Tathallion was selected to lead the defense. Despite the immensity of the invaders, the battle went relatively well for Tathallion's forces, but when his forces were about to achieve victory, the orcs grew to extreme desperation. In their haste, they summoned the avatar of Grehk, the orken god of battle, and begged him to save them from the knights. Disgusted by the weakness of the orcs, Grehk killed his summoners and entered the battle, slaughtering both sides indiscriminately. In an attempt to stall the bloodshed and give time for the armies to escape, Tathallion challenged the avatar to single combat. Despite facing the avatar of a deity, Tathallion was able to hold Ghrek at bay for a whole day and night, and eventually was able to defeat Ghrek after some of his allies severed the source of the ritual while the avatar was distracted by the duel. Despite all the atrocities that Ghrek had performed, Tathallion spared the obviously defeated Ghrek, allowing is essence to return to Ygg instead of scattering it to the winds, and this act of mercy combined with the essence of a deafeated god sparked Tathallion's ascension to godhood himself.
Education
Tathallion received excellent education, especially in the arts of war, as a knight in the military of Welthrone, and thus was an excellent tactician. It is belived that he travel to Armarium to learn from the five Celestial Paragons. He mastered the sword under the tutelage of Imperious, the Warrior Paragon, studied the methods of healing under Hazerial the Healing Paragon, learned the art of diplomacy under Leoaton, the Speaking Paragon, and even scaled the Spiral Range to commune with Namane, the Enlightened Paragon. The only paragon he was said to not have left on good terms with is Vohmana, the Freedom Paragon.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Tathallion accomplished many things in his life as a mortal, and continued to fight for justice and chivalry as a deity. He is often found in the deepest reaches of the Cosmic Battleground, fighting against the forces of corruption and evil.
Failures & Embarrassments
Despite his good education, it is said that Tathallion's penmanship was quite atrocious, as he struggled with learning to read and write and his large hands were ill-suited to holding any forms of writing utensils.
Legend states that he was expelled from the Elysium Wilds by Vohmana, that even he could not pass a trial set by her. Many of his church claim that she expelled him unjustly, and that she could not accept his talents, but her followers state that he failed to adapt his methods and allowed himself too much restrictions, binding himseld to the persona of Hero of Humanity, thus preventing him from passing the Trial of Freedom.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Tathallion's herald is a knight known as Tyngaer the Thrice Cursed. Despite the normal tenets of the church, Tyngaer emanates an aura of dark necromancy, chaos, and rage. He wields a holy sword welded to the end of a chain, entering into frays in a storm of chaotic swinging and holy death. He always seeks to combat the enemies of the church; anyone who successfully calls Tyngaer to force him to do any other task incurs his wrath, often resulting in a duel that leaves the caller broken and battered, although there is no record of him slaying a member of the church in this fashion yet. The loremasters of the church state that Tyngaer was a close friend and fellow knight with Tathallion in his mortal days, but his desire to surpass Tathallion led him to several series of bad choices that led to him becoming the victim of several curses. Despite Tathallion's status as a deity, he as yet to find a way to break the curses afflicting his old friend, and thus uses him as his herald to keep him out of trouble until he can restore his friend to full lucidity. When being summoned, Tyngaer enjoys offerings of mead, exotic weapons, and expensive tents.
Tathallion is a member of the deific group known as the Thirteen Star-Bearers, whose likeness makes up some of the major constant constellations. Tathallion is represented by the sixth constellation, the Rider, who helps watch over the others from his mighty steed. His position in the Star-Bearers is contested by the Orken god Grehk and his follows, who state that he appears as the Rider, chasing the rest of the pantheon.
Tathallion and the deity Alka are great friends and comrades, as Alka's dominion over loyalty and friendship go hand-in-hand with Tathallion's codes of chivalry. He also is enamored with Herthicara the dwarven goddess of battle and Damon the nekoan god of crusades, as they all share an interest in hunting down and destroying evil beings. He is respectful of Sartos, the dwarven gods of family and honor, viewing him as a patron and mentor.
Tathallion detests almost all of the evil gods, but especially distains Asmodeus, as he perverts the ideals of loyalty into tyranny, and the entire Orken pantheon. The orcs of the Orken Hold have constantly plagued and threatened the humans of Welthrone, and Grehk, the Orc god of war, goes out of his way to torment and kill his followers, as he has never forgotten his past defeats at Tathallions hand. Despite his low opinion of the evil deities, Tathallion still follows his code when interacting with them, offering them mercy and chances to repent, believing that with the codes of chivalry even some of the most vile creatures can achieve redemption.
Family Ties
As he was once a human, Tathallion is descended from Eve, the first Edaan and the progenitor of humanity. Several of his stories have Tathallion journey to and commune with Eve, and receiving many blessings from her as a mortal.
Relationships
Divine Classification
Human Deity
Alignment
Lawful Good
Species
Ethnicity
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Tathallion is known as the Knight of Justice to most, but many of humanity consider him their patron protector, and has thusly gained the additional title of the Hero of Humanity. Some also name him the Vanquisher of Orcs, for his defeat of the orken god Ghrek.
Date of Birth
3600 AC (Reborn as deity)
Year of Birth
3600
503 Years old
Circumstances of Death
Died of wounds after fighting Ghrek
Place of Death
The future location of Fort Tathgyr
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Gender
Male
Quotes & Catchphrases
Famous phrases of the Order of the Shining Riders is as follows:
Ride Well, Fight Well: This saying is said to followers of the Knight of Justice before a battle or when they partake in a perilous mission. It is a hope for them to excel in battle, not only to bring personal glory, but to survive and return to the church.
Your Mount is Your Life: Said to the young in training, it is said to reaffirm the bond between a rider and their mount. A simple mistake can mean the difference between life and death in the heat of a ride, and to be out of sync with your mount is to court death to the fullest.
Honor Those Who Honor You: Honor is of the utmost importance to a Tathallionite, they believe that all those who show you honor are equally deserving of honor in return.
Chivalry Shall Never Die: Said to cynics who state that “chivalry is dead” or to enemies who mock them for their restrictive principles, it is a statement that even if many abandon the concept of honor and chivalry, there will always be those out there who will uphold the code.
Aligned Organization
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