The Novice of Thanatos and the Red Cloths

The Red Cloths, with their red cowls and branded foreheads, are not merely rebels or cultists within the shadowed world of The Novice of Thanatos—they are zealots who know something of the mysteries beyond the Threshold. Known formally as the Followers of Eosphorus, these mysterious figures began as mere observers in my Lucardia world. However, they play a much more sinister role in The Order of Thanatos series, and it is here where many of their secrets are revealed.

The Followers of Eophorus first appeared in Dawn of the Lightbearer as silent and mysterious nighttime watchers. But, as the main Absolution of the Morning Star series continued, their Red Cloth priests stepped into the light in the opening chapter of Noonday in the North with a proclamation and challenge against Vesper the Uniter. Suddenly, they took on a more active role in my world as chaos agents.

The Red Cloths might appear as nothing more than fanatics to the uninitiated. But beneath the veils of their crimson robes lies a cunning philosophy: the belief that humanity’s salvation rests in breaking the chains of Lucifer’s (or Eosphorus) imprisonment within the sword, Ljós Leggja (which Erikson Gray calls Lightbearer). This doctrine challenges the very foundation of Lucardia’s beliefs. While the the Caspian faith extols this imprisonment, the Red Cloths see Lucifer’s freedom as the key to opening heaven’s gate and destroying the Order of Thanatos’s mission of guiding spirits across the Threshold.

For the Red Cloths, Lucifer’s entrapment in the sword Lightbearer is not a victory of light over dark but a betrayal of divine potential. They see the Great Beholding not as salvation but as the shackling of humanity’s soul. They preach that true freedom can only be attained by opening the gates of heaven, which Yahweh sealed upon Lucifer’s imprisonment. This raises the question of what the Threshold is and where the souls of the dead are going?

But the Red Cloths’ path is treacherous and not entirely altruistic. They infiltrate and manipulate, their red tendrils reaching into government, the Caspian faith, the Alchemists of Ignis, and even the hallowed halls of the Order of Thanatos. They are not simply a threat from without—they are a poison within, sowing seeds of doubt and rebellion.

Mishal’s journey in The Novice of Thanatos places him on a collision course with these dangerous minds. As he uncovers more about the Threshold and the Order’s true nature, the Red Cloths’ promises may prove all too tempting—or all too damning.

What will Mishal do when faced with the choice between a comfortable lie and a perilous truth? When the Red Cloths whisper in the dark, will he listen? Find out in The Novice of Thanatos, available for preorder now, released March 7, 2025. Watch the book trailer here.

Cheers!