Lord Thomas Reikhart VIII

Lord Thomas Reikhart VIII, better known as the God Tom began life as a Human. For his Strength and Honor in defeating the Fell Horde, he ascended to Godhood.

Early Life.
Tom was born on the continent of Ortus, birthplace of the Human race, 5,000 years before the Frontier was discovered by Humans. Born into a noble line of Paladins, Thomas received special training in the ways of Holy magic and swordplay. Receiving only the best food, Tom found his growth to be rapid and fruitful, his strength great enough to lift a broadsword by the time he was 13. At the age of fifteen, he granted the honor of joining the order of Pyavian Paladins, being the youngest to join by four years. It was there that he met Clayne, his friend and compatriot. Clayne stood a solid foot over the already-large Thomas, as well as having a great passion for peace. As Paladins, it was their Holy duty to end the wars breaking across Ortus, using their skills and holy magic. Perhaps it was this self-righteous method of ending wars that sent Clayne down his path to darkness.

The details of Clayne’s ascent to Godhood remain unclear, some believe a dark God offered him power, other believe he was created by Pyavo as a test for Tom. What is known, is that when Thomas was 23, Clayne stabbed him in the chest, and released a tide of evil across Ortus. These creatures were comprised of primarily undead, with corrupted Elders, Humans, and other such species interspersed in the horde. This indomitable army was later known as the Fell Horde.

The Black War.
The following war took ten years of death, misery and dishonor. Only the Paladins managed to retain their honor throughout the fighting. Many Humans left Ortus, prompting the settlement of a majority of the world in later years. Within the first five years of the Black War, over half of the population of Ortus had been slain. Were it not for the Golden Sword of Tom, granted to him by Pyavo Himself, the war would have ended in defeat. The sword was blessed with the ability to bind a God in mortal form, allowing them to be slain like a mere man. Thomas fully realized the power he held in his hands, but he only intended it for a single God, Clayne.

The remaining five years were a grueling gauntlet of monsters as the last remaining paladins, five hundred in number, pushed their way towards the center of Ortus, where Clayne lay. By the time they reached sight of his stronghold, there were only four left (Elspeth Tirel, Mirela Azure), including Thomas. Thomas could not bear to lose another Comrade, so he bid them to stay, and went for Clayne himself. This began what is known as the eight-day cleave. It is said that never once during the period did Tom stop moving, cutting through beast after beast as he made his way towards the stronghold.

Tom made his way into the stronghold, finding no opposition, and Clayne waiting for him, blades at the ready, still an honorable warrior at heart. They clashed blades for many hours, perhaps even days, but in the end Tom won, driving the Golden Sword through Clayne’s head.

The Apotheosis of Tom.
Pyavo was pleased and impressed with Tom's Victory over Clayne, which caused the subsequent collapse and dispersal of the Fell Horde. As a gift and reward for his undying faith and service to Pyavo, he channeled the godly energy inside the Golden Sword of Tom into the Paladin.

Tenets of Thomas
-Thomas despises all forms of undead and necromantic magic.

-Thomas has a very clear view of Good and Evil, and which is which.

-Thomas praises and rewards honor and sacrifice.

-Thomas does not care for worship, simply for the maintenance of honor and chivalry.

Unorthodox Adherents
The religion of Thomas grew very quickly, and was immensely popular amongst humans. However, in time a schism occurred within the ranks of the church. Specifically, while Thomas was very clear in praising and rewarding honor, "honor" was not particularly well-defined within the church. Both groups agreed on a basic definition of honorable conduct, such as both agreeing that the harming of innocents and telling of lies were taboo.

However, where the normal followers of Thomas held that not striking the unarmed was of the utmost importance in maintaining honorable conduct, the unorthodox followers were adverse to striking the innocent, regardless of whether or not the innocent were armed. The latter eventually developed from "protecting the innocence of others" to "punishing the guilt of others". The different values of the two groups, in time, led to two almost contrasting views of honor: the orthodox would value a fair, honorable battle between two warriors, one of Good and one of Evil. If the Evil warrior were to yield, or otherwise surrender, this woul be a victory for Good.

For the unorthodox followers, however, best of all would be to slay the Evil-doer in their sleep, or with poison, so as to prevent any possibility of harm being committed by the Evil warrior, even upon the battlefield.

The schism has only widened over time, and while the two groups both venerate Thomas, and will both band together in times of crisis, they otherwise view each other with a dim light. The unorthodox followers have taken to wearing black and gold, to mark their rejection of the traditional definitions of honor, whereas the orthodox followers traditionally wear white and gold.