Thaliak

Thaliak, the Scholar [ˈθæl.iˌæk], is one of the Twelve in Final Fantasy XIV. He is ruler of rivers and wisdom and god of knowledge, commands the element of water and is tied to the Second Astral Moon (third month). He is depicted as a reserved scholar holding an ashen staff, and his symbol is the scroll. Thaliak is the patron deity of Sharlayan, Byregot's teacher, and father of Llymlaen and Nophica.^[2]

History[]

Creation myth[]

According to the creation myth, Thaliak borned from the Whorl. He looked upon the silent and unchanging lake left by Nymeia's tears and coaxed from it a river to carry that water to the far corners of the realm. Azeyma, drawn to Thaliak's sagacity, professed Her love to the new deity and begot Him two daughters; the first being Llymlaen, who took the water created by her grandmother and expanded it into the world's seas. The second daughter was lonely Nophica, who, wanting for companionship, created Her own playmates, and thus brought life into the world. This was a time of great creation, but great chaos. Oschon's mountains rose and fell at His whims, Thaliak's rivers flowed hither and thither, and Llymlaen's seas ever expanded, swallowing entire swathes of land before the gods even knew they were gone. To bring order to this chaos, Nymeia prepared a powerful comet and gave it life, becoming Rhalgr. She directed him into the world so that he could destroy the excess that her children had wrought, and thus bring harmony back into the realm.^[3]

Byregot, the Builder resented His new stepfather, Rhalgr, who could teach him only of destruction, choosing instead to spend most of His time in the tutelage of Thaliak. The Scholar bestowed upon His eager student the knowledge He would use to forge the tools and techniques of creation.^[3]

When the Twelve considered their work in Eorzea complete, they proceeded to create a realm in which they could reside and watch over their creation, thus leaving the rule of Eorzea to mankind. This realm is known as the seven heavens that were associated with each of the six elements. To create the river which runs through the Heaven of Water, Nymeia melted a star, to which Thaliak added the essence of knowledge and then poured it forth from his Ewer. Here reside the scholars and inventors, the teachers and the entrepreneurs. From the bed of the celestial river did forsaken droplets fall to the Pit where they settled and stagnated, creating the Hell of Water. Here drown deceivers, counterfeiters, mountebanks, and false prophets. This Heaven is represented in Sharlayan astrology by the constellation of the Ewer.^[4][5]

Eorzean worship[]

The people of Sharlayan came together in the pursuit of knowledge. The city itself was raised to aid in this endeavor, and in the process Thaliak was named the guardian deity. However, the choice had less to do with pious worship than the creeds of the Sharlayans. Thus, little importance is placed upon religious rites, and many pray to others among the Twelve.^[6]

Thaliak has three saints canonized by the Council of Loetstym. The first is Saint Nonoya, a soldier who exposed the true character of her general and testified against him, finally bringing him to justice. The second is Saint Leseraux, an elderly scribe who condensed all the knowledge he had copied over the years into a single tome, no matter who the reader was, they could find the answers they needed in the tome. And lastly the Saint Tataroon, a Qiqirn who led a voracious goobbue through a series of traps, finally stopping it to open the roads to the mountain villages.^[7]

In preparation for the Seventh Umbral Calamity, the archon Louisoix Leveilleur carved the symbols of the Twelve across Eorzea and encouraged adventurers to pilgrimage and pray to the Twelve. When the Calamity arrived, Louisoix used the accumulated aether from the prayers to summon a primal manifestation of the Twelve in an attempt to defend the realm from the elder primal Bahamut.^[8][9]

Characteristics[]

Appearance[]

Thaliak appears as a handsome man of fair skin, blue eyes and blond hair. Unlike his depictions in folklore, Thaliak wears modest clothing consisting of a blue and white uniform with flowing robes and gold accents. While his clones wield his fabled ewer, his real body occasionally manifests a cane.

Personality[]

Thaliak like most of his brethren is kind-hearted and soft-spoken, eager to pass on knowledge to those who wish to learn. This was reflective of his former life as head of Akademia Anyder who likewise had a passion for teaching.

Gameplay[]

After creating a character and choosing a birth date, players must align to one of the twelve deities. Originally, this slightly raised the character's elemental resistances based on the element of the chosen deity. As of Patch 4.2, elemental resistance stats were removed, leaving this decision with no in game effect.

Miscellaneous[]

The Living on a Prayer quest in version 1.0 required the player to visit all the Twelve symbols throughout Eorzea. Once completed this rewarded with the ring of one of the Twelve, this included the Thaliak's Ring. Although the original quest was removed with the re-release of the game, in patch 2.45 the quest The Ties That Bind was added, which repeats the same pilgrimage through the marks of the Twelve. The mark of Thaliak is located at Rathefrost in Mor Dhona. Prior to the Calamity, it could be found on a crystal pillar at the Tomb of Xande, northwest of Camp Brittlebark in Mor Dhona.

The removed Miner action Thaliak's Ward increased the drop rate of water shards, water crystals, or water clusters while gathering. The Fisher action Thaliak's Favor restores 150 GP. The Astrologian card The Ewer represents the Heaven of Water, the card artwork depicts Thaliak pouring the water with his Ewer, His and Nymeia's symbols can be seen in the background.

Behind the scenes[]

It is said that when Thaliak poured the waters of knowledge into his river, the spiral shell became their keeper. Such a legend in which the nautilus came to symbolize wisdom, and became the inspiration for the Sharlayan flag.^[6]

The names of the Thaliak River, Thaliak Caiman, Thaliak's Thumb, and Scholar Sculpin all allude to Thaliak.

Thaliak's Chestwrap equipment is inspired by Thaliak. They are available for purchase in Wolves' Den Pier for Wolf Marks.

Tupsimati, the Louisoix's staff, bears the mark of Thaliak.

Gallery[]

Stone with Thaliak's symbol in version 1.0.

The Ewer constellation.

The Ewer card.

Thaliak's Gear of Healing and Casting.

Citations[]