The Order of Thanatos and the Mystery of the Threshold

When I set out to create the world of Lucardia, I knew that death wouldn’t simply be an ending—it would be something tangible that shapes the world as much as the living. Many fantasy settings leave the question of the afterlife to faith and speculation, but in Lucardia, there is no mystery about whether ghosts exist. They do. Some remain as lost echoes, bound by regret or unfinished business. Others gather in hidden enclaves, forming strange and silent communities in places where the living dare not tread. One unshakable truth unites them all: once a soul crosses the Threshold, it never returns- and this is terrifying.

The Threshold is not a metaphor. It is not an abstract idea or a permeable veil between worlds that one might drift through. It is a boundary, a dark and swirling void that separates the living from whatever comes next. Since the beginning of recorded history, humanity has believed that crossing the Threshold is a natural and necessary part of death. The Order of Thanatos has long served as its guardians, ensuring that the dead do not linger but instead take their final steps into the unknown. Yet, not every spirit crosses willingly. Some resist, and that resistance has only grown stronger in recent years. Whispers circulate among the dead and those who can hear them—”Do not go.” “Do not cross.” “There is nothing beyond.” Once dismissed as the ramblings of frightened souls, these murmurs are becoming impossible to ignore.

For millennia, the monks of Thanatos performed their sacred duty, ushering the dead into what they believed was their rightful place. Clad in brown robes embroidered with the inverted torch, they do not claim to know what lies beyond- that is the job of religion. Their task is simply to ensure that the natural order is maintained. They believe that spirits who remain behind grow unstable, twisted into something unnatural. Their rituals and prayers are meant to ease the transition, to keep the world of the living free from the unrest of those who should have moved on. But what if they are wrong? Or worse—what if they know they are wrong?

The growing influence of the Red Cloths, a fanatical offshoot of the order that has worked for years to alter the doctrine of the Caspian Church, has further fuelled these suspicions. While the Order of Thanatos ensures that spirits cross the Threshold, the Red Cloths believe the dead should be harnessed. Their teachings suggest that spirits hold untapped power that should not be wasted beyond the Threshold but instead collected and controlled. To what end? That remains a terrifying mystery. Some believe they seek to amass enough spiritual energy to shake the foundations of Lucardia itself, while others whisper that they are preparing for something far worse—a means of breaking a force long held in check.

These are not just philosophical debates or abstract theological concerns. In The Novice of Thanatos, Mishal’s journey brings him face-to-face with these terrifying questions. Born with the ability to hear, speak, and feel the dead, Mishal is drawn into the Order, where he learns that the spirits of Lucardia are not passive, nor are they at peace. He begins to see the fractures in the Order’s long-held beliefs, sensing that the dead resist for a reason. The more he learns, the more he realizes that the monks of Thanatos may not be mere caretakers of the dead—they may be unwitting participants in something far darker. And the Red Cloths? Their influence runs deeper than anyone imagines, stretching into the heart of Lucardia.

Regardless of what the Order of Thanatos or the Red Cloths truly believe, one thing is sure: something is changing. The dead are resisting, hiding, and gathering. Once seen as the final, necessary step of existence, the Threshold is now viewed with suspicion and dread. And beyond it, there are growing signs that something waits—something that does not fit within the accepted teachings of any faith. No one truly knows whether it is salvation, oblivion, or something far more terrifying.

For thousands of years, the world has accepted that death is a journey and that the Threshold is simply the doorway to the next phase of existence. But if that is not true—if the Threshold is not a passage but something else—then everything the people of Lucardia have believed has been built on a lie. And the most terrifying question of all remains: has the Order of Thanatos been deceived, or have they known the truth all along?

Be sure to check out the book trailer for The Novice of Thanatos, available now for preorder (release 3/7/25)!

Cheers!