Just a lot of different fandoms

First off: what we know.

We know Thjazi was blackmailing Bolaire, misgendering him, forcing him to keep his true nature a secret and not to reveal anything to Hal. We know Thjazi threatened Bolaire into subservience, treated him like an object, refused to look at him, and used Thimble to give him orders - which obviously would be upsetting, given Bolaire's past.

That's without digging into the insinuations behind 'he taught me to hate' and 'the worst things I ever did were because Thjazi made me'.

Now, I personally am not 100% sold on Thjazi abusing Bolaire. I acknowledge that Bolaire COULD be manipulating the narrative, given Tal keeps rolling very high for persuasion/deception when talking to the rest of the party. I think that would be a VERY fun story arc, especially if we got actual villain Bolaire out of it! I love villains. I'm down.

...But I AM acknowledging the goddamn possibility.

Because even the person in the world who has done the most objective good, could still be an abuser. No one is immune to abusing others.

Acknowledging this, in fact, would NOT undo any of the good Thjazi had done. Nor would it change the fact that Thjazi dedicated himself to saving people, fighting oppression, or helping others. It certainly wouldn't make him 'irredeemable'.

All it means is that Bolaire, as the person predominantly affected by this abuse, doesn't owe him shit.

Now, to be clear: this is not me saying 'You Have To Acknowledge Thjazi Is An Abuser Or You Are Defending Abuse', or 'You Have To Treat Bolaire As An Innocent Victim Who Did No Wrong Or You Are Hurting Actual Real Abuse Survivors'. No one is saying that.

However.

You DO have to acknowledge that in real life, people like Thjazi - people who ARE working for the good of the many, DO still abuse people. They DO still bring serious harm upon others, or decide that those over whom they have power are Less Than Human and treat them such.

Acknowledging this Is really important for how you approach abuse within society.

Thjazi disliked Bolaire for entirely understandable reasons! Bolaire... is not exactly a stand-up guy. Whether or not he abused his own victims before Thjazi - and it's insinuated that he didn't, as seen by how he spoke to Castep; but we just don't know - he escaped a lifetime of slavery ... by parasiting others and denying them free will. I doubt Thjazi, who cares deeply about freedom, would've taken that well.

This doesn't change the fact that Thjazi denied Bolaire his own freedom and mistreated him. It certainly doesn't change that this mistreatment has left deep, obvious scars on Bolaire.

All Bolaire being a 'bad person' means, is that Thjazi thought he was justified. Just like Bolaire does, when he 'punishes' the people who attack him and his friends with drawn out torture-murder.

NEITHER OF THEM ARE CORRECT. That's the whole. Damn. Point.

To be clear: You DON'T have to interpret Thjazi as an abuser. But you DO need to consciously control your kneejerk reaction to that word. You DO need to stop claiming that when someone says 'this sounds a lot like a narrative about abuse!' they are ACTUALLY saying 'Thjazi is an evil villain and Bolaire is an innocent victim'. You DO need to stop claiming that survivors going 'oh wow that hit home hard' are Just Not Media Literate, when you yourself are betraying a clear misunderstanding of what we are talking about.

The following is very, very base-level for understanding abuse.

Survivors can be anyone. Including terrible people. Including abusers themselves.

Abusers are not inherently Irredeemable Awful People Who Can Never Ever Do Good And Who Are Tarnished Forever, Who Should Die Alone.

This presumption only ever makes it harder for survivors to talk about what they went through. Hell, it makes it harder for abusers to have even a chance of changing, for which a vital step is recognising the harm they have caused.

Abuser = / = evil villain. Abuser = abuser. Someone who chose to consistently mistreat and harm another person, particularly one over whom they had power.

Like Thjazi did to Bolaire.

Like Bolaire does to his victims.

Survivor = / = good person. Survivor of abuse = survivor of abuse. Someone who was consistently mistreated and harmed by another person, particularly one who held power over them (such as... the secret of their existence, which might see them reduced once more to a weapon without any agency or an object that could be packed away and forgotten about forever).

Like Bolaire.

Like Bolaire's victims. Y'all seem to understand that he abuses them, right? Yet somehow, you can all fathom that this doesn't mean they are 'woobified' and automatically in the right for every action... Just as we understand the same, when talking about the fact that Bolaire has undergone abuse.

Exploring how a PREDOMINANTLY GOOD GUY WHO WAS FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT might have STILL caused genuine lasting trauma through his abusive treatment of a person who he felt did not deserve agency, while neither demonising this man or claiming his victim is therefore absolved of any wrongdoing, while also not downplaying the abuse itself or its ramifications; is actually a very interesting storyline. One that would be very meaningful for me and many others.

Thaisha was well within her rights to tell Bolaire and the others off for dissing on Thjazi in the house where he had laid for Farramh, part of her culture, in front of Thjazi's own brother. Especially as this was long before she knew any details about Bolaire's past.

Bolaire has been keeping the ugly details a secret. In part because Thjazi blackmailed and threatened him, but also as his own choice, because he was understandably afraid of losing his new friends and 'family'.

That is tragic, yes. But trying to 'blame' Thaisha for this and act as if she was In The Wrong when Bolaire, like Julien and Murray, were absolutely disrespecting her culture and family, and she knew none of the context behind Bolaire's hatred (which as we saw in 31 would've made her MUCH more empathetic!) feels like, once again, jumping on the Black-coded woman for the sin of being justifiably upset with another character played by a white guy.

Bolaire is NOT Black-coded, regardless of whether he was enslaved (slavery has always existed across every race, and telling a story featuring the trauma of slavery isn't the same as telling a story about the horrific multi-generational chattel slavery that Black people were subjected to as part of the TransAtlantic trade.) He's not designed to be a commentary on Black oppression.

Thaisha IS.

Thjazi and Hal are of the same fantasy race as Thaisha, but their white players have been VERY careful NEVER to imply that they are claiming the same explicitly racialised narrative that Aabria is telling, and have in fact taken steps to ensure that they aren't trying to author a Black story from a Black perspective that they have no experience of. They have melded their own Irish culture into the Rungjani to expand on for their particular characters, and are - as far as I can see - respectfully supporting Aabria's work with the Rungjani without trying to vulture off of very real generational trauma and oppression.

Let's be clear on that before talking about Bolaire and slavery, please. Particularly if you're going to make wild accusations about Thaisha of all characters - THAISHA - in the same breath.

For those less familiar with Brennan's prior DMing, Cloudward Ho! was one of the recent Dimension 20 seasons that Brennan DM'd on Dropout.tv. That season is particularly relevant to why I think Thjazi acting horribly is on the table.

Cloudward, Ho! was a season of a pulp adventure late-1800s-ish steampunk novel played in D&D. Decades back, Comfrey MacLeod became a world-famous adventurer and inventor. She created the first flying machine, then recruited a crew to explore the world, frequently saving it in the process, and one of the crew wrote novels based on them, making them all famous. Years later, the PCs are the core members of her old crew, now coming out of retirement because Comfrey's granddaughter and the grandson of her primary financier discovered a SOS message from Comfrey that she needed help and had found the fabled lost continent of Zood. The audience is essentially in the same boat as the two youngest PCs as we gradually learn the truth of Comfrey's adventures and her relationships with her old crew.

The PCs go on many adventures in their attempts to find Comfrey, eventually traveling to Zood and beyond. Comfrey is constantly one step ahead, having fled danger and leaving clues. As the PCs catch up, they find more and more information confirming that Comfrey has not changed: she legitimately does save the world as often as she can and at great risk to herself and her crew, but she also invites danger by making deals with nefarious organizations, taking their money, and running when they come to collect, often causing incredible collateral damage to others. One of those factions nearly ended the world, and she had no idea.

Brennan did a very gradual build of discordant information about Comfrey. All of the recordings and writings were full of energy, zest for life and adventure, and encouraged her granddaughter to follow in her footsteps. However, people who knew her had a wide variety of opinions. Comfrey's son was a recluse and obsessed with safety, and his daughter simply didn't understand why he wasn't interested in adventure like she was. Marya, Comfrey's protoge and former captain, was on a suicidal quest of revenge, believing that she had offended the spirits for taking to the skies because her own protoge had died, and she blamed Comfrey for saving her life in the accident when it happened. Daisuke, Comfrey's former husband, felt abandoned because Comfrey had treated him like a dog who needed to retire. Van, one of Comfrey's closest crewmates, lost her arm on a mission to find Zood and was left behind after Comfrey made her a mechanical arm. Monty, the author of the books, quietly resented Comfrey's irresponsibility and ego. The NPCs that met Comfrey were all treated as either useful or distractions, but her sheer charisma usually got her more help than not.

It's about halfway through the campaign before the granddaughter discovers one of Comfrey's notes where she rather cruelly criticizes her old crew in an explanation why she had not brought them with her to Zood. Until then, everything could have been disregarded as bitterness or jealousy that had fermented in the decades that passed. The truth was that Comfrey was not just a hero; she had put herself before everyone else, including her loved ones. She was egotistical to the point that she felt Monty had unfairly gotten rich and famous off of her adventures. Her son was a coward in her eyes and not worth visiting; Comfrey only went to visit her granddaughter in the hopes that she would take flight after her. Daisuke was past his prime. Comfrey had some regret towards what happened with Marya and Van, but didn't really care to give them closure or a chance to pursue it.

Comfrey wasn't a villain in the story. The PCs finally catch up, there is an explosion of emotion and dialogue, including some incredibly cruel statements by Comfrey--and they agree to work together. Comfrey is forced to face the harm she caused to everyone, and they have tough conversations about it, but don't really forgive and forget. While she dies in the final battle, it wasn't some grandiose heroic sacrifice. She just rolled badly and died. The PCs got their chance to reconcile, and the story was that the next generation learned from her mistakes.

That was the season that aired in 2025 during the gap between C3 and C4. Comfrey was not a good person, but she also wasn't evil. Calling her an abuser isn't a helpful label for addressing her themes. The horrid way she treated people who loved her didn't change that she literally saved the world numerous times. The fact that she loved them enough to reconcile didn't change that she had been too absorbed in her adventures to realize the threats she'd left in her wake.

So, having seen that season before C4, I am of the belief that Thjazi is yet another take on the complex hero. I would not be shocked in the least if Bolaire is being truthful about everything he's said about Thjazi.

I don't think that would take away from the story. I think it just means that it's a different story than what people expect of Brennan. As I've said a handful of times, Thjazi's story is that he failed. He died before he could achieve his goals, and the only reason he's still around is sheer chance. He doesn't have agency as Julien's shadow. He can't communicate. C4 is not a story that the PCs need to be like Thjazi because the opening scene showed us that being like Thjazi gets you killed too soon. I like this set up because Thjazi achieves narrative weight that is usually assigned to villains: he's an example of what not to do. The story is figuring out where he made the wrong choices.

That said, even if he did everything that Bolaire claims, calling Thjazi an "abuser" doesn't help interpret the story. When it comes to analysis, labels are useful when they have an agreed-upon definition. Using a word like abuser brings in a ton of baggage for anyone who reads it, and it becomes a discussion of, "Well, he's an abuser, so X must also be true." That drifts away from analyzing the story as is.

I don't think any of it makes Thjazi evil, even if Bolaire is 100% right. Bolaire is such a unique type of character that I cannot blame Thjazi for reacting poorly while still also allowing Bolaire his freedom. Bolaire still got to live the life he wanted. Whatever Thjazi's opinions or behaviors were, he didn't take away the things Bolaire wanted most. There was some level of trust there.

There's also the possibility that Bolaire and Thjazi deeply misunderstood each other to the point that they each thought the other was holding one over them. We don't know the details of how they actually worked together. Thimble does, but she hasn't been the type to blab about that sort of thing.

As for what I hope: I would really like it if Thjazi was that terrible to Bolaire. Brennan handled that wonderfully with Comfrey, and I'd like to see that come in again.

Much of C4 has been pointing out that every person, no matter how flawed or selfish or petty, can contribute to a revolution. Murray's a great example: she was so flabbergasted that Thjazi thought to ask Hal to help her because Murray thinks she's a shit person. She steals from the school she works at despite that it would obviously negatively impact the students whom she's so protective of. She's all three of those things and still making a huge difference in this rebellion. People don't need to be perfect to be heroes.

As a final note: I'm a whistleblower attorney. 95% of the people I work with are in it for (a) money, (b) revenge, or (c) avoiding consequences. Very few heroes are people who do it because they want to do the right thing. Moral purity doesn't really hold any ground in this business. People do the right thing because it's in their interest to do it, and that's great because that means the right thing gets done.

This was not sprung on anyone. Tal has dropped... more than enough hints. I and SEVERAL others have been picking up on those hints from episode 4 c'mon.

This is NOT coming out of the blue. This has very much been a thread throughout the ENTIRE campaign so far, and it builds perfectly into everything we know about Thjazi as a predominantly good guy who cares very much for the underdogs, was genuinely trying to do the right thing, but who wasn't afraid to take risks with innocent lives and, evidently, had limitations to the groups that he was willing to consider 'people'.

That's interesting, actually. Confident, close-knit players like the CR gang will dig deeper into that and explore the ramifications thereof.

And like... Tal has discussed his backstory with Brennan, who is obviously aware of the shit that happened between Thjazi and Bolaire. THIMBLE AND LAURA WERE AWARE THAT THINGS WERE REALLY FUCKING BAD. This is made very clear in this episode! This is not 'news' to anyone who has been paying attention, the cast included - and we don't know what else has or has not been discussed among the cast! It's a complete - and unjust - presumption that this wasn't discussed beforehand!

Why are people assuming this of Taliesin in particular? Why is no benefit of the doubt being given? Why are people making wild accusations rather than acknowledging that we do not know what the cast have and have not discussed? Hm, I wonder.

Like I've been saying repeatedly: reckoning with the fact that Thjazi abused Bolaire does not undo all the good that Thjazi did. Just as reckoning with the fact that Bolaire is an abuse survivor does not negate all the fun nasty immoral stuff Bolaire does to his own victims.

People who are overall Trying To Do The Right Thing, can still abuse others and cause immense harm.

People who treat others like shit, as Bolaire does with the bodies he possesses, can be victims too.