Thallos

Thallos, god of strength, encourages his followers to be strong in body and mind, willing to accept and overcome any challenge. At the core of his belief structure is that the strong should rule, regardless of heritage or title, which leads his followers towards a meritocracy at best; at worst, they tend towards something akin to a violently authoritarian kratocracy. His clergy tend to be small but influential in most lands, but are extremely prominent in Halgard, where worship of Thallos is second only to Virtus, the national patron. Worshippers vary from laborers who seek to improve their lot in life to military commanders willing to accept the challenges of war. Though Phemos, God of Sport, is an ally, the friendly competitions between the two are legendary. Thallos’ gravest enemy is Ruminus, God of Disease, and to die of disease in one’s own bed is considered the worst of deaths to Thallean worshippers.

Thallos’ mother, Pelactere, Goddess of Rage, tricked Virtus, God of Courage, into lying with her intending to give birth to a god who would serve her, but Thallos rebelled against his mother, which has put their respective followers at odds.

Thallos

God of Strength

Descriptive Info

Gender: Male

Avatar: Balukor the Brave

Consort(s): None

Allies: Baelthor, God of Earth (paternal grandfather); Kratos, God of War; Ladon, God of Work; Mulciber, God of the Forge, Ophion, God of the Sun; Orestea; Phemos, God of Sport; Selene, Goddess of Beauty and Virtus, God of Courage (father).

Foes: Pelactere, Goddess of Rage (mother); Phlegethon, God of Tyranny; Polydorus, God of Wild Beasts; Ruminus, God of Disease; Stheno, God of Decay and Zephyrus, God of Nightmares.

Spiritual Info

Rank: Intermediate

Nature: Anarchistic

Ethos: Agathocacological

Major Influence: Strength

Minor Influence(s): Challenges, Sport and War

Depictions

Statues and art of Thallos, unsurprisingly, depict him as muscular and fit and often naked, though in the former Imperial lands of Aurea he'll often have a light green breechcloth or perizoma for modesty. He has a full head of curly brown hair, a clean-shaven face and bronzed skin. As Balukor the Brave, Thallos is typically depicted wearing the heaviest armor appropriate to the local culture, though his face and arms remain bare.

Symbols

The holy symbol of Thallos is a closed fist, usually made of gold or steel chased in gold, often terminating in a long handle, forming the shape of a mace. The fist is downturned in times of peaceful competition and upturned in times of war. The arrowwood tree and the edelweiss flower are sacred to Thallos and often used not only in ceremonies, but are often planted in gardens at temples and sacred places to Thallos (though the edelweiss flower tends to flourish only in cool mountainous climes). The apple is also significant to Thallos, particularly green apples, for promoting overall health and strength. Yellow (or gold) and light green are Thallos's sacred colors.

Dwelling Place

The Acropolis of Triumph at the peak of the Stepped Mountain of Ushna

Servants

Though served by several scores of Ascendants, Thallos' ten Prime Ascendants are St. Katerina (Confidence), St. Bartholo (Courage), St. Salas (Determination), St. Sébastien (Excellence), St. Falania (Fairness), St. Tiago (Loyalty), St. Palen (Preparedness), St. Thérèse (Self-Discipline), St. Jožka (Self-reliance) and St. Ágota (Tenaciousness).

Doctrine

The foundation of Thallean worship is the Decodigies, the Ten Teachings, with each book describing the life of one of the ten Prime Ascendants and each providing lessons in the Ten Pillars of Thallos.

Virtues

Confidence, Courage, Determination, Excellence, Fairness, Loyalty, Preparedness, Self-discipline, Self-reliance, Tenaciousness

Vices

Arrogance, Complacency, Fear, Indecisiveness, Injustice, Mediocrity, Sloth, Surrender, Treachery, Uncertainty

Mission

The mission of the Church of Thallos centers around the cultivation, preservation, and celebration of strength in all its forms. They work to create a community of strong, resilient individuals who embrace challenges, excel in competition, and are prepared for the trials of war, all while upholding the values of self-reliance, courage, and determination.

Theological Mission

Thallos seeks to empower His followers to develop both physical and inner strength. Through rigorous training, discipline, and spiritual guidance, adherents are encouraged to become the strongest versions of themselves. The Church of Thallos upholds a sense of fairness and loyalty, teaching its followers to act with integrity, courage, and determination. Strength is seen not just as physical power but as a moral and ethical force for growth. Thallos enjoins his faithful to strive for unity through shared goals and challenges, fostering a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect that is strengthened through shared struggles in individual effort.

Social Mission

Though the social interactions of any given Gymnasia vary greatly depending on cultural and regional needs, Thalleans are typically committed to using its strength to protect the weak and defend the community they are a part of. This involves not only physical protection as members of the local guard or militia, but also fostering resilience and self-reliance among their neighbors. Priests guide their congregation through personal and communal challenges, helping them to grow stronger in body, mind, and spirit. They encourage others to seek out challenges as a means of honoring Thallos and achieving personal growth.

Geography

No geographic information available on Thallos

History of the Church

No historic information available on Thallos

Organization

The Church of Thallos has a decentralized structure with minimal hierarchy and a focus on individual empowerment and autonomy. The Church consists of loosely affiliated groups or individuals who share common beliefs and practices related to Thallos's principles of strength and self-reliance. Each group or individual is encouraged to determine their own path of worship and action. Though there are certainly groups that have grown large enough to constitute a congregation and build their own Gymnasia, even those Gymnasia are generally independent and hold little to no influence over nearby worshippers.

Central Authority

There is no true central authority or High Priest of Thallos, though there are certainly Thallean Priests who are more well-regarded and their leadership respected because of the challenges they have faced and overcome. In the traditions of the Imperial Ecclesia, the Emperor serves as Pontifex Maximus of Thallos (as he did for all recognized faiths of the Great Empire), but since the fall of Zeth, the Thallean faithful in Aurea have forged their own path and recognize no central rulership.

The Warden of the Gymnasia of St. Sébastien in Ressex, the royal seat of Halgard, tends to be the most respected of Wardens and is often considered something of a High Priest of the faith, though a true Thallean would blanch at the suggestion of anything like a centralized authority in the Church.

Regional Authority

Though some Priests are prominent due to a regional role or title they hold independent of their faith, there are no established regional authorities recognized by Thallean worshippers.

Temple Heirarchy

Generally, a Gymnasia of Thallos is a place of physical training and challenge for its loose congregation. There are typically two to three roles taken on by Priests of Thallos at a Gymnasia, with itinerant priests sometimes taking on one role or another for a time. In keeping with the Thallean traditions of self-reliance, these roles are usually assumed by a member of the congregation for as long as the other members of the congregation support them. When a challenge comes, however, the congregation gathers to determine the type of challenge to be undertaken and adjudicates the winner.

The typical roles are as follows:

• Gymnasia Warden: Usually the member of the congregation with the most leadership or business skills, the Gymnasia Warden is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the physical structure, including ensuring an abundance of training materials. They also supervise of any temple lay people or independent contractors hired to perform specific tasks for the Gymnasia. The Warden is the material leader of a given Gymnasia, responsible for its interactions with the physical world. Where the Church has formalized secular responsibilities (such as sitting on a town council or providing volunteers for a local militia), organization of these duties falls upon the Warden.
• Gymnasia Mentor: This role is typically taken up by the most experienced Priest of a given congregation and is responsible for setting training regimens for adherents, establishing and enforcing a Gymnasia Rule and coordinating the various members of the congregation during major holidays. They are the closest thing to a Temple Priest the Thallean worshippers have and are, essentially, the physical trainer of a given Gymnasia.
• Cantor of Valor: This role is often taken on by the the Mentor in smaller Temples or else by itinerant priests who may visit for a few days or even weeks or months at a time. They are responsible for leading the congregation in song, reading from the Decodigies or the writings of popular Thalleans and generally lifting the spirits of the congregation. They are the spiritual leaders of Thallean worship and often have a wide range of talents beyond physical acumen in sports or combat.

Priesthood

The priesthood of Thallos is relatively small, but tends to be influential in the communities they operate in. Physical fitness is paramount, and many priests are seasoned fighters, capable of leading troops in battle or defending their Gymnasiae. The priesthood is generally organized around merit; leadership roles are not inherited or assigned based on lineage but are earned through displays of strength, leadership, and tenacity. The strongest and most capable rise to the highest ranks, as adjudicated by the congregation or community.

Often priests of Thallos are valued as advisors or even military commanders on behalf of secular nobles (irrespective of whether that noble actually calls on Thallos as their Patron). In addition to their martial roles, priests serve as community leaders, offering guidance in overcoming personal challenges and ensuring the community remains strong and resilient. In regions where judges of Aridnus are rare or not present at all, Thallean priests may be granted secular authority to act as judges or arbiters because of their focus on fairness, though they tend to view law through a lens of the idea that strength has legal merit. Even where Aridnus is strong or secular judges are preferred, priests of Thallos often serve as bailiffs or guards in courts.

Priests of Thallos are particularly vigilant against disease, seeing it as an insidious threat to strength. They may lead efforts to combat plagues, viewing such struggles as part of the ongoing war against Ruminus, Thallos’s gravest enemy. They may serve as guardians of physicians and healers during times of plague, even allying with worshippers of Clementia (who are often at odds to Thallean goals) for the duration of a disease outbreak.

Any aspirants to the Priesthood must first prove themselves in tests of mental aptitude and physical strength. Typically, when a Priest of Thallos is ready to take on new Seekers, he will organize an event in a local community and invite their adolescent children to participate in a series of games. These games involve overcoming significant physical and mental challenges, demonstrating the aspirant's strength and commitment. These rites are often grueling and are designed to push the individual to their limits. Upon completion of the games, those who've been the most successful (in the estimation of the attending Priest) will be taken on and initiated as Seekers of Thallos. As Seekers they are expected to obey their Mentor Priest in all things until their training is judged completed, usually a process of 2 to 4 years.

Once a Seeker has met the challenges put before him, he may then advance to being either a full Priest (if capable of such) or Champion of Thallos. Though Priests are obviously more adept at channeling Heka, there is no formal distinction in role between the two and no assumption of advancement to leadership positions based on their magickal capabilities: if you can meet the challenges Thallos sets before you and remain true to the Ten Pillars, you can achieve the role most suited for you.

Those Thallean ecclesiasts who are injured beyond the capabilities of healing or suffering the ravages of time may choose to retire from active duty and become Sentinels. Sentinels are roughly analogous to monks in other faiths, spending their time in worship and writing the story of their life or stories about heroic contemporaries that exemplify Thallos (whether they are stories about Thallean worshippers or not). They also have a responsibility to provide younger members with their advice and wisdom, adjudicate challenges (as they are able) and provide for the general upkeep of the Gymnasia they have retired to. They are not expected to take up combat and are considered exempt from challenges... they have met the challenges put before them in their lives and have nothing left to prove.

Religious Practices

Worship of Thallos typically involves regular competitions for congregants and the local community, symbolizing the struggle for strength and the overcoming of challenges. Called Fortitude Trials, priests may engage in or adjudicate these rituals, which serve both as worship and as training. Though there is no specific day of the week considered particularly holy to Thallos, Fortitude Trials tend to happen every five to ten days. Each Trial might involve various forms of physical exertion, strategic games, or mental puzzles, reflecting the diverse ways in which strength and resilience can be developed and demonstrated. A young Thallean who shows promise in the regular Trials may be considered for indoctrination into the Church as a Seeker, should they be capable of wielding magick and have an interest in progressing in their faith.

Offerings to Thallos often involve displays of strength or endurance. Priests may lead followers in feats of strength or endurance as a form of worship, dedicating their efforts to the god. Though donations to maintain or expand a given Gymnasia are welcome, Thallos requires no material offerings or sacrifice. Meeting challenges in His name is a more valued offering.

Customs

Thallean Vanguard

Many Gymnasia maintain their own militias, called Vanguards, with the Gymnasia Mentor responsible for training these forces. These militias are often called upon to defend the temple, the community, or to take part in larger military campaigns, either arriving on the field in support of Thallos' goals or as paid mercenaries. There are stories of Thallean Vanguards appearing uninvited to a battlefield and offering their services to the side who's commander could prove himself in various challenges. As the name suggests, any given Vanguard tends to be melee-focused, front-line infantry... the greatest challenge is at the front of the line, where you can test your strength against your foe directly.

The Sentinel's Anchorage

If a worshipper becomes ill with a disease that cannot be cured by magickal means, they are expected to go into the Sentinel's Anchorage. This is a solemn ceremony where the usual funeral rite is conducted and the stricken Thallean is taken to a small chamber in the undercroft of a Gymnasia, home of a fellow Thallean who has agreed to provide for the Anchorite or even a tomb in a proper graveyard. Once the Anchorite Sentinel is in place, the entrance to the Anchorage is bricked up or sealed, with only enough space to pass a plate of food through to the Anchorite. There they wait out their remaining days for their body to succumb to the disease. As they are already considered deceased in an ecclesiastic sense, when they do die it is not considered death by disease by Thallean tradition. Once an Anchorite can show no signs of being alive (often a chain with a bell is installed just outside the chamber to provide the easiest means of confirming this), the remaining hole is sealed up and the room becomes their permanent tomb.