Thaler
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Thaler has worn many masks, both figuratively and literally. He was born Ducat Robus, a penniless street urchin in Titanus before it became Liberus. He was always apt at magic even from a young age but he didn't have the money, connections, or recommendations to enter the prestigious Arcane University in the city. Through struggle and more than one small scam he earned enough money to take the entrance exam. With no formal training he only barely passed and became a student.
There he became friends with an Elf named Isunder, Tandil Eranthur, and Adam Faera; all students who entered at the same time as him. They rose through the ranks of the university quickly becoming privy to many of its secrets. The four of them graduated with legendary status, spoken of as some of the best students that ever walked the university's halls.
Ducat took on the name Axton and used his magical skill to become a werewolf hunter, writing a well known guide on the beasts under that name. It was during these hunts however that he killed a werewolf that happened to the cursed form of a woman betrothed to a certain Arcadian mob boss. Thaler attempted to change his name again to evade him but this man was known for never letting someone leave a debt unpaid. Thaler was found within the year.
The mobster, Sigi, had Thaler start doing work for him to pay his debt. Work that he quickly found an aptitude for. It wasn't long until Sigi found himself teaching him everything he knew about how to run an operation like his. Thaler's eventual job was to watch over a meadery in northern Arcadia where much of the mobs business was handled. He once again took on the name Axton and established himself in the nearby town.
It was in this town that he met a group of Ascended Heroes, the very same legendary group of travelers that under Adam Faera’s guidance were able to save Loredas from corruption. Soon afterward Thaler broke his ties to Sigi using deep knowledge of his operations as a threat to not come after him, determined to start his own enterprise. He took on the name Thaler for the first time. After a few run ins with those same travelers and a couple false starts he started to establish himself in Titanus, his old home.
Using his respected name of Axton to run a small shop, his dealings in the shadows were done under his new name. During his time there he employed a few adventurers to start digging into the local mob boss’ business. A man named Cleaver, all his business was done through an intermediary. The closest anyone got was to his personal ward, an elf who went by the title Katana. His team established connections with the Arcane University, uncovered state sponsored vampire plots, and helped Thaler uncover the true identity of Katana, his old friend Isunder; though not before they fought and killed the elf.
It was then that he received correspondence from an old friend. Adam Faera was fighting an invisible war on two fronts for Arcadia and he needed someone to assist him in throwing Caeladonia off balance. Thaler moved quickly. Having found Isunder it wasn't long before he was able to find Cleaver’s true identity. He captured Cleaver from his home, who he sent off to Faera in Arcadia, only the two of them knowing he was the mob boss. With him gone and Katana dead, no one knew the true Cleaver was gone. So Thaler took on yet another identity assuming control of his operation. At the same time he sent word to the Arcane University to engage a plan very few knew about. The university rose into the air splitting itself from both the city and, symbolically their home country of Caeladonia. He then very publicly revealed the conspiracy of vampire influence being openly allowed by the government.
It wasn't long before the city was in revolt. It fought for its independence and won, renaming itself Liberus. During the strife Thaler was able to grab even more influence though his direct control was helping the city. The downtrodden and poor would whisper the name Cleaver with reverence. From there Thaler continued assisting his old friend in destabilizing Caeladonia building a mostly new team . It wouldn't last long however. While Thaler was in the City of Glass for business he watched a great beam of light shoot from the Pseales temple towards his home city. He saw the aftermath of his home where he started as nothing, but earned it's independence and became it's most powerful citizen get turned into a crater by the falling Arcane University. The same structure that gave him his start, ended everything he earned.
Thaler assisted more directly at the end of the corruption war then moved back to Arcadia. With his remaining resources along with what he recovered from Sigis now defunct mob established a legitimate business using the name Waterfront Industries, the same name he used as a front for his Liberus mob. His connections to Faera allowed him to quickly re-establish himself and the post corruption war era allowed for much innovation. He used the need for advanced technology and worked together with his friends Adam and Tandil to become the largest and most respected business in Loredas. His capital and business inventions were instrumental in getting the ARCS federation on its feet, making him a board member alongside his friend Adam Feara, Prince Maximilian Caelos V of Caeladonia, Eric Valthiem of the Sapphire Isles, and Gregory Paull of Randgriz.
He was a ruthless businessman and Crux believed him responsible for killing his father and stealing their invention , an advanced firearm. When Crux attempted to steal it back and his friend betrayed him during their attempt to escape, Thaler caught them. He offered Crux an ultimatum, reveal everything he knew about the gun so that he could mass produce them and, because Thaler felt his skills were shown to be above average, work as security aboard one of the expedition ships. If he didn't accept, he would rot in an Arcadian dungeon for life. Crux accepted and Thaler returned his gun to him.
He went on to mass produce the weapons for the ARCS federation. He developed a good working relationship with Maximilian Caelos after they found themselves agreeing on certain approaches to ways to serve the expedition teams. During their time working together Thaler allowed Maximilian nearly limitless access to Waterfront Industries resources. From the information found by Samuel Eshpard and Iman, it was there that Maximilian had a second Ifrit airship developed and got a hold of Tandils secret weapon, a automaton spider with a pure Dimeritium core that can latch onto a target and absorb all magic they attempt to use. With these resources Maximilian and Thaler had Adam Faera assassinated. Though suspicion fell on Tandil and, through Maximilian influence, the Godkillers; the team suspected Thaler. They were unable to prove anything, but their revenge would finally be taken years later.
Thaler went on to study the Gigas of Life and realized the extreme usefulness of such a creature. He hired the future members of Fortune Networks under the guise of trying to solve the issue of the gigas overcorrecting in the wake of the battle against Balimor and the Soulburst. He hired them with offers of a vast fortune to get certain items needed to enact his plan, warping these treasures to his own ends (and inadvertently forever changing a tribe of elves into Taken in the process). When he finally held the godly power he so long sought in his hands, he found the sword ripped from his hands by Drake and with the assistance of the Time Squad the members of Fortune Networks were finally able to kill him.
The Ascended Heroes who had become gods held him for a time before the surfacing of the Taken. Fearing what plans Thaler could be attempting to enact with this long seated time-bomb, Aria Luxord completely shredded his soul to erase all chances of him being able to act upon any world again.
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