Talis Cormaeril

Perception
this is the history of Talis, as played by Jorge Jaramillo

Exposition
''Talis Cormaeril steps into the ancestral home of the Cormaeril family. His father, Tagreth, is a great man; Talis has always known this. His ambition is staggering; his vision, unparalleled. When Azoun IV tossed the Cormaeril family from the borders of Cormyr years ago, he thought he was saving his own skin.

Funny, the way things never work out quite as planned.

''His fur-lined Damaran boots echo resoundingly as he walks down a chilly hallway. Castles often harbor an oppressive chill, even in the summer; while Westgate as a whole maintains a temperate climate (owing to its location on the Sea of Fallen Stars), the Castle Cormaeril defies all attempts to warm it.

''The main hall is where his father has gathered the surviving members of the Fire Knives – that extraordinary league of assassin noblemen exiled from Cormyr. They were nearly broken, a score of years ago, when the adventuress Alias of the Azure Bonds slaughtered their leadership in retaliation for the geas placed upon her. His father had shared only fragments of that battle with him and his older brother, Armen … but it sounded terrifying. Liches and witches and a God of Decay and a beholder … what business did the Fire Knives of old have consorting with such filth?

''The enormous oaken double doors swing open before Talis – the enchantment which binds them will only respond to a true-blooded member of the Cormaeril family. When his grandfather had taken over the Fire Knives quite some time ago, he’d collected the remaining rabble and transformed them into something to be feared. As one might imagine, though, it is often best to take precautions when dealing with assassins.

''Beyond the doors lies the Great Hall – and the Fire Knives are all assembled. His father, the great Tagreth Cormaeril, Grandfather of Assassins, strokes his white beard and calls out in a resounding voice: “The summoned approaches. Step forward now and claim your inheritance.”

''Talis’s footsteps are muffled as he walks down the red carpet leading from the door to the throne at the far end of the Great Hall. All around him, dark figures framed by glorious tapestries brood. Tonight’s experiment is … not something to be taken lightly.

''At the base of the throne stand several figures. His brother, Armen, looking at him with a great deal of contempt … nothing shocking there. His brother has always been of the opinion that his younger sibling should be dropped into the Sea of Fallen Stars. And, seeing as I’ll soon remember not a whit of my ancestry, Talis thinks, I’ll no longer be a threat. Hasn’t improved his mood much, though, has it?

'' Anchir Baenrae, exile drow magician and the member of another organization which is bidding for magical domination of Faerun … his presence here is unsurprising. It is his magical arts, as well as a few extra tricks brought along from his master, the goblin-mage Shoovekapek, which will seal his fate.

''Szass Tam, of the Red Wizards of Thay … his presence is unwelcome. Talis holds no quarrel with the Lich-King, but he’s always been of the opinion that the dead are best left in the ground. Where the Mages’ Regal would provide the geas, it is the Red Wizards who will provide the special abilities to compensate.

''The cat-man, Micah of the Torvanki … his tail swishes back and forth. Micah is obviously agitated. And why not? Since their arrival, the Fire Knives and Red Wizards have abused them mercilessly. Much like the saurials Moander once imported from beyond Toril, these are the slave race used to feed the spell. Micah’s own death will provide the ethereal animation.

''Mordeth is here. Talis has known Mordeth for as long as he can remember. He was his grandfather’s bodyguard, and now his father’s bodyguard. When Tagreth passes on, something which is bound to happen sooner or later, Mordeth will align himself with Armen. The tiefling has not aged in the 25 years Talis has known him, and perhaps spoken fewer words. Mordeth is a man of action, not a thinker.

''A representative from the Church of Cyric is here. The Church is the final tie in the process: to turn Talis Cormaeril into the Knife of Destiny, thrown by his father and sent to destroy the nation of Cormyr once and for all. The process is irreversible, but some semblance of life will be achievable, if he survives.

''Miranda is also here. Miranda is an outside operative who serves the Fire Knives as a double-agent on the inside of the Night Masks. The information she’s recently provided will allow Tagreth to strike down Orbakh, the Night King who rules over the Night Masks. Miranda, in her spare time, resides in the Castle Cormaeril. She and Talis have come to an … understanding.

''She objected vociferously to this idea – “there’s no reason for you to brainwash yourself into becoming a mindless zombie, you’re a damn fine assassin and one of the most ingenious men I’ve ever met and I won’t stand by while you—“ – but once the Grandfather of Assassins made his command clear, Talis could not turn away. Blood is thicker than water; blood is stronger than justice; and blood bonds far more tightly than the pair of rings Talis has stashed away in his room … golden bands that neither he nor Miranda will ever wear.

''“Step forward, Summoned Knife of Destiny, and be sharpened.” Tagreth’s voice is cold. So far as he can remember – not that he’ll remember for long – Tagreth’s voice has never held a note of compassion for either of his sons. Talis complies immediately.

''“Talis Cormaeril, to further the goals of each of our respective organizations, you will be mind-wiped and converted into a magically enhanced assassin. Six geases will be laid upon you, as will numerous enhancements. Your mind, free of your former life, will not be detected as a knife until the moment you are thrown toward your fate. Do you understand?”

''“Yes.”

''“Then here are your geas:


 * ''From the Fire Knives, you are to slaughter any and all members of the House Obarskyr you meet, as quickly and efficiently as possible.
 * ''From the Red Wizards, you are to destroy a certain wizard inside the borders of Thay who seeks to raise a Blue Insurrection.
 * ''From the Mages’ Regal, you are to eliminate any members of the Wandering Guardians you find. These are a troupe of adventurers, well below your strength, who are becoming an annoyance to their plans.
 * ''From the Torvanki, you are to ... negotiate in their favor, using your diplomatic talents to turn people to your point of view.
 * ''And the Church of Cyric: you are to slay Fzoul Chembryl, the current head of the Zhentarim and an upstart to Cyric’s position.”

''Talis nods. “What of Master Mordeth?”

''“Master Mordeth’s geas,” the tiefling replies in a rumbling voice, “is that you obey instantly one-word commands from any of the important individuals here. A back-up geas, in case things go awry.”

''Tagreth clears his throat meaningfully. “Mordeth. Less talk, more silence.”

''Mordeth bows his head. “Yes, Master.”

''“Now,” Tagreth continues, “your new abilities. You will be untraceable by magical means and all known spells, including scrying, divination and others. Your true nature is undetectable, and no one will ever know if you’re lying. You have enhanced skill abilities which will manifest themselves when you’re in danger – and your arm will begin to itch if danger is nigh. You will recover from unconsciousness and fight like a man possessed in order to finish an assignment.

''“The down-sides: you will not remember your name or history. You will be forced to wander outside the protection of the family, a man alone until all his assignments are complete. None of us will acknowledge or help you in your missions; we will not provide aid, or even acknowledge our presence to you.

''“Do you accept your mission, with all the weight it carries?”

''“I do.” Talis’s reply is born of heavy consideration. He knows that Miranda is not, in fact, breathing right now, in an attempt to keep a sob from escaping her lungs. “Very well, then. Lay yourself out on the altar, and the ceremony shall begin.”''

In the darkness, there are only fragments.

''“Mordeth’s geas is in place, though there’s something a little odd about it –“

''“Someone get that wench out of the room? We’re going to have to cut him open—“

''“—the Nine Hells would the Torvanki want negotiation as a geas? They have no rights here on –“

''“—protection, Master. Remember what happened with Alias, the last time we tried this –“

''“With this information, Orbakh will be dead in a matter of days. Thank you, Miranda—“

''“—should dump him? Cormyr, perhaps? We should activate him immediately –“

''“—silence, Mordeth, you idiot. When you’re my bodyguard, I’ll tolerate no such lip from you –“

[a whisper] “Don’t forget me, please …”

Revelation
Talis woke up with no memory of his origins. And every time he pieced together clues, the mystery would prove harder and harder to unravel, for one simple reason: all the clues were leading him in the wrong direction.

Stumbling blindly out of an Inn in Suzail, prodded along by the concerned hand of Miranda DuLaras, Talis found himself in the oddest group of characters he had ever met: Cirque de Suzail.

Construction
In reality, Talis was the first of twelve cloned Shards of Tagreth Cormaeril. (After the disaster involving Alias of the Azure Bonds, the reasoning was that someone of Tagreth's own blood would be easier to control.) He was put into action in order to facilitate the death of Alustair Obarskyr; clues left behind by Miranda continually pulled him off-path.

When the Fire Knives realized what had gone wrong, they activated the more advanced Shards to eliminate the original.

Talis's bonds, which glowed an eerie emerald green, were slowly peeled away as his creators were slain. Unlike the case of Alias, he was also imbued with special abilities, on top of the layers of geis placed upon him. These manifested themselves at odd times.

Disintegration
Talis was the last of the Shards to pass on. After the fall from the flying citadel, his mind and body slowly began to disintegrate. Miranda DuLaras, fearing for both her own safety and his well-being, worked to imbue a pair of bracers with the true soul of Talis.

The body, which was now barely Talis at all, was left behind in Phlan, where it would eventually be discovered (along with Loralei) by Melfaren Bauduril and Hedjtep Kanut of the Jade Lion Mercenary Group. After receiving a lot of information and some warnings from the husk, Melfaren committed a final act of mercy and snapped the neck of the body. As in the case of all the Shards, this body detonated resoundingly upon its death.

The soul of Talis, in the interim, would be handed off to Asmodian, a bard of that same adventuring troupe and someone of whom Miranda was quite enamored. The battle between Talis's and Asmodian's souls would come to a climax at the top of Thaymount, when Asmodian attempted to slay Laharl (revealed as a servant of Mordeth, Talis's blood-brother and hated enemy). Szass Tam, realizing the situation, eventually disintegrated the bracers.

Talis's soul was freed from the bracers and moved into the realms of the dead, where it sits in wait of judgement.

The Siguls and the Bracers
As was the case of Alias before him, Talis was branded with several siguls by his creators. These were imbued with both a geis and an ability -- to guide his path and assist him in his quests, respectively.

When his soul was transferred to the bracers, the siguls (and their respective abilities and geis) moved with him, carving themselves into the brass almost instantaneously.

Unanswered Questions

 * Why did Talis trust Miranda so implicitly, when she proved to be so consistently duplicitous?
 * Why did Talis really transfer his soul to the bracers?
 * What would have happened, had Talis (or the bracers) made its way into the presence of Mordeth?
 * Where were the other Shards located, and what happened to them?
 * Can a created soul actually receive judgement from Kelemvor?