Tanus Sane

There is no escape from Wake. This is truth. You cannot, you will not, leave. You will leave out each of your remaining breaths in this place But remember that each breath you take is your breath. These breaths are yours and yours alone. You cannot take your freedom from Wake... But neither can Wake take the breaths you have made from you. Even if you die and no longer draw them, those already drawn are forever yours.

I take peace in that.

— Tanus Sane

Wake leeches the hope and joy from people and leaves only despair behind it. This despair crushes ambition and any desire to seek escape. Many believe that this despair is actually a significant source of the unusually high mortality rate within Wake. The Church of the Formless God can sometimes be an inspiration... for a time... and then the people realize just how hollow and empty that church is.

And this is the world to which Tanus Sane arrived. Tanus has lived in Wake for longer than anybody dares to measure or count. He can often be found sitting perfectly still on the wall around Safehold, or at the bank of the Chains River. Tanus discovered a sense of tranquility in the thing that poisons so many of Wakes inhabitants: its hopelessness. Per Tanus's instruction (and those of his followers), one should not despair in the hopelessness of reality that Wake conveys, but instead embrace it. Revel in it. By accepting your fate of inevitable (and probably terrible) death, you no longer need fear it, nor should you fear living your life until it comes.

Physical Description

Physical quirks

The most unusual trait about Tanus Sane, and a doubly ironic trait, is that Tanus does not appear to need to breath (which is made all the more ironic by his followers calling his faith the Church of Breaths).

Mental characteristics

Personal history

It's said that long ago, Tanus was far more forth-coming about his past, sharing intimate details with any who would listen. Now, should he be asked, he will often smile wanly and say nothing. However, stories do persist. It is said Tanus's wife had been murdered and he was saddled with the blame. His punishment was to be tossed from one of the highest cliffs. At the last moment he somehow fell through the barrier and found himself in Wake.

Within Wake, he lead many endeavors doomed to failure: An attempt to cleanse Ruin, multiple insurrections against The Lord Beneath,

Employment

Although Tanus filled many roles within Wake, most commonly he served his town (often Safehold) as a blacksmith.

Failures & Embarrassments

Tanus has failed every attempt to turn the situation in Wake around for all the people stuck there. He has tried to overthrow The Lord Beneath, tried to get the people to disregard the mandates completely, and even attempted to become Lord himself. However, each of these attempts failed, often in spectacular ways. This caused Tanus to retreat a bit from the public, as he found it difficult to live with his shame. As time went on, however, Tanus grew comfortable with his failures, They weren't his best times of life, of course, but neither were they things he spent any real amount of time lamenting or brooding over. It was a fact of life. Once he accepted this, it quickly took the sting out of his failures and allowed him to focus solely on building a strong future, often completely abandoning the distractions of his indulgences.

Morality & Philosophy

Tanus believes simply in accepting each breath taken in life as a treasure, and then moving forward. Do not fret the bad things that happen any more than celebrating the positive. Pain and joy will fade with time. Instead, embrace your own life, and the things you enjoy or accomplish and do not get caught up trying to figure out what they might mean in the long run.

Age

Unknown

Eyes

Gray