Thyatis
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"I yearned for sleep - or death - each night as Ista died again."

Summary

Once the Hero of Ista, Thyatis was ambushed and slain by an evil adviser to the throne. Brought back to life unwillingly as a living weapon, Thyatis now serves as the Captain of the Guard. Thyatis is sworn to protect his wide-eyed queen, but longs for a way he can escape his artificial existence.

Biography

Thyatis was related to a philosopher of no small reknown, and Thyatis himself once imagined following in their footsteps. Unfortunately, he lacked the necessary insight to obtain anything more than rudimentary grasp of such abstract concepts. He did excel in one field however: that of physical prowess. As a youth, he quickly emerged as an outstanding wrestler. His exceptional skills drew the notice of Ista’s military officers.

While initially reluctant to pursue a career in warfare, poor Thyatis found himself on the losing end of a love triangle. He threw himself into the soldier’s lifestyle, reasoning that if he was to be denied romance, perhaps he might find glory. Thyatis rose through the ranks and earned a reputation for himself as an efficient fighter and leader. Though he’d never admit it, he secretly reveled in his city’s adulation.

After emerging victorious in several campaigns, Thyatis was hailed as a hero, and received accolades from the Royal Court. It was there that Thyatis first met Karavakos, a wizardly adviser to the throne. Karavakos had been brought to Ista to help create a deterrent to the Therens’ Unborn agents. When he unwittingly stumbled onto a plot by Karavekos to seize power, Thyatis rushed to warn his lieges. He was ambushed by Karavekos’ minions, overpowered, and murdered.

The people’s grief over the hero’s death played right into Karavekos’ hands. He promised Ista that their champion would live again, and within a year Thyatis was unveiled as the first Unborn not created by Theren hands. The people cheered the reborn warrior, and applauded the Queen’s new Captain of the Palace Guard. A pity no one consulted Thyatis, untimely ripped from Death’s embrace and denied his eternal reward. Worse still, he was now the unwitting pawn of Karavekos, who wiped his memory of the wizard’s plot and commanded him for his own dark agenda. During these missions, Thyatis remained aware of his actions, but unable to resist. Afterwards, he found himself incapable of communicating these experiences to others, another aspect of his creator’s dominance. Thyatis did his best to remain stoic in the face of these violations, and focused his attentions on understanding the full potential of his new form. Despite his diligent efforts though, he was unable to find a way to circumvent his creator's control.

As horrifying as these episodes were, they were only the prelude to the Curse of Ista. All living creatures became trapped in a cycle of death and destruction. As a magical construct, Thyatis retained his memory from one day to the next but was unable to alter the course of events. For fifty years, he watched his friends and neighbors’ revelry turn into terror. Combined with his own loss of humanity, this took a considerable toll o his psyche. He managed to keep his sanity by becoming emotionally detached and running military drills in his mind helped stave off the effects of isolation.

This cycle was finally ended trough the efforts of a band of heroes, including the Queen’s long-lost granddaughter Alexis, her consort (of sorts) Lucas, and their priestly companion Bhaum. Together they defeated Karavakos and freed Ista from its curse. As some of their company headed north on other matters, these three stayed behind to aid in the rebuild of the city and its surrounding area. It was during these efforts that Thyatis was discovered, buried beneath the debris of his ruined barracks. After some initial wariness, Thyatis was informed of Alexis’ identity and vowed to protect and support her to the best of his ability.

In recent months he has organized Alexis’ personal guard and acted as Ista’s Warden and Marshal. While it was hoped that Thyatis’ reputation might aid in rebuilding the populace’s loyalty, ill fortune brought a host of unsavory characters through the gates in hopes of exploiting the fledgling city and its naive monarch. At last a worthy and capable Captain of the Guard could be found and Thyatis was tasked with exploring the countryside with Lucas and Bhaum.

Personailty

-Analytic: Thyatis now approaches every aspect of his existence as a tactical puzzle, his mental gears whirring to help him determine the most efficient course of action. It’s not that emotions won’t play into his decisions, but rather that he has lost the ability to truly feel any of his own.
-Withdrawn: Likewise, his experiences as Karavekos’ puppet and survivor of the curse of Ista are traumas he has only been able to deal with by detaching himself from the world around him.
-A Man Out of Time: Everything Thyatis knows or cares about is fifty years out of date.
-Protective: The foremost personality trait remaining to him. Thyatis will gravitate to those he feel are most vulnerable, and make their safety his priority.
-Tormented: Thyatis remains haunted by those actions he took while under Karavakos’ control, and would eagerly pursue any opportunities to make amends. He remains deeply concerned that such manipulation might still be possible. He also seeks a way to escape his existence without leaving Alexis vulnerable.
-Hapless: Poor Thyatis! Despite his nobility and surprisingly gentle nature, the Captain just can’t seem to catch a break.

Relationships

Thyatis was created by the evil wizard Karavakos as a counter-weapon against the Therens. He was chosen because he unwittingly discovered Karavekos’ villainy, and was assassinated before he could alert the Queen.

Thyatis is fond of his young queen Alexis, almost paternally so. To the extent that she enjoys the company of Lukas, he is perfectly content to do the same. Ever the analyst though, he may devise subtle tests to assure himself of Lukas’ good character. After learning of Lukas' own story of tragedy and loss as a Captain of the Harbor Guards in his homeland, Thyatis hopes that might have met a kindred spirit, and maybe even a protege.

Thyatis longs to discuss the Set-cult’s outlook on death with Bhaum. It is his most fervent desire to one day regain the eternal rest he once enjoyed, but he would never be able to pursue such a selfish course while his Queen and City need him.

50 years older than the rest of his companions, it’s possible that he may have had dealings with their ancestors as well, especially if there was any connection to Ista or Corinth.

Motivation

Thyatis’ objectives include the following:

-Defend Alexis, and allow no harm to come to her and those she commands.
-Aid in the rebuilding of Ista, especially in the reformation of a Palace Guard that can be trusted to defend the Royal Family.
-Escape the thrall of Karavakos and the possibility of being controlled by him again
-Track down trustworthy survivors of Ista and the descendants of Thyatis’ family, comrades, and loved ones.
-Find a way to return to his Eternal Reward without forsaking his Queen.

Trivia

Although Thyatis can easily survive under water, the fact is he will cetainly sink like a stone.

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