When my buddy and I were in the business of creating characters, we couldn't decide upon a single protagonist - so we made two. I created Zuriel and my compatriot created Tarlin (hat-tip to you Luke). Typical Thuin, Tarlin is long, lanky, lean and unfortunately weak; he's orphaned (of course right?) due to his Thuin nature and harbors a great thirst for the magical world. It's just terribly unfortunate he's so clumsy...and such a chicken. His parents left him as soon as the farm fowl started to lay purple eggs (a side effect of the Thuin magic I suppose) and ran as far away as they could - Thuin tend to stir up quite a ruckus in towns.... something to do with magic being frightening and whatnot.
Regardless of his pitfalls, Tarlin is another cornerstone in the story of the Hierarchy. He is irreplaceable and vital to Zuriel's struggle. Tarlin's journey is one of self-discovery and of pushing past the deepest darkest fears that a sad and unloving childhood can manifest in a young man. Zuriel feels distant, but Tarlin feels familiar - he's a character that everyone can identify with, at least at some point in his or her lives. His anger is justified, but not really noble and full of purpose, and his fear stems from lack of acceptance. He's young, he's lost, and he needs a shepherd - that shepherd is Zuriel.
But that makes you think...what's the point of the shepherd if he doesn't have a flock to attend to?
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