Tiadam

Biodata

Name	Tiadam Qi Yadala
Alias(es)	Hero; Holy Son
Species/Race	Human; descendant of the first Hero
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Former leader of a Canfor bandit gang; later enlisted in Eliyi and Dilanna's Hero project
Occupation/Role	Bandit leader; Holy Sword wielder and proclaimed defender of Canfor
Status	Alive
First Appearance	3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Hero's descendant	16	His inherited Hero bloodline makes him valuable to Yetara and other powerful factions.
Awakening signs	28	While fighting to reach Yalila, he destroys lesser demons barehanded; the ruined Hero statues react to the power within him.
Publicly proclaimed Hero	39 40	The Ouston Church presents him as Canfor's chosen savior. Tiadam accepts responsibility for confronting the undead despite his doubts.
Holy Sword wielder	49	In the darkness within the Giant Dead, he accepts the living sword's offer of power, proving capable of wielding the Holy Sword and annihilating the Giant Dead with a pillar of light.

Background / History

Tiadam grew up in poverty under the shadow of his family’s heroic legacy. His father, Elandor, was remembered by Deanna as a man who protected others despite being unable to wield the Holy Sword, while Tiadam resents how society glorifies his celebrated cousin Ocast and forgets sacrifices such as Elandor’s and his mother’s death. 26 40

At twelve, Tiadam attended his mother’s sparsely attended funeral, where he met a young Yalila after she threw him a pouch of silver. Seeing Oyana mistreat the abandoned half-elf girl, he promised that he would save Yalila from the witch’s control. 28

By the time he appears in Canfor, Tiadam leads a bandit group that robs caravans around several neighboring cities. He occasionally sells stolen food to Canfor’s poor below market price, but remains violent, exploitative, and willing to loot the dead. 3

During a Black Snow raid, Tiadam takes two Dragonblood gemstone rings from Denolan. He conducts an invasive search of Denolan, gives him a single gold coin afterward, and threatens his followers into silence; Fanafuna later recognizes that Denolan was coerced. 3

Appearance

Tiadam is a strongly built young man of about twenty, with a stubbled jaw, scarred arms, and short hair described as golden in his early appearance and light red later. 3 32 38

• Strong physique developed through banditry and close-quarters fighting. 27 38
• Often carries a shortsword or other concealed weapon. 17 46
• Can appear convincingly noble when dressed by Yetara’s household, despite his discomfort with formal clothing. 35

Personality

Tiadam is blunt, impatient, and proud. He openly condemns Yetara’s indifference toward Canfor’s slums, refuses to flatter the nobility, and repeatedly creates trouble through provocation, threats, or reckless schemes. 16 32

His bravado conceals insecurity about his bloodline, poverty, and whether he deserves to be called a Hero. Although he initially insists that he wants only a modest life as a roadside robber, he cannot accept abandoning others when Canfor’s leaders choose to flee. 26 44

He is deeply protective of people he considers his own. His enduring attachment to Yalila begins with a childhood promise, while his relationship with Denolan gradually changes from coercion and intimidation into loyalty, practical support, and mutual reliance. 28 44 47

Abilities & Skills

Heroic Bloodline and Holy Sword

Tiadam carries the bloodline of the first Hero. Only descendants of that Hero are believed able to summon and be acknowledged by the Holy Sword. 37

• Accepted the Holy Sword’s offer in the Giant Dead’s inner darkness. 49
• Released a massive pillar of holy light that destroyed the Giant Dead, purified its miasma, and reduced its assimilated victims to dust. 49
• His bloodline attracts exploitation from Yetara, Dilanna, Eliyi, Veil Nas, and the Church. 24 36 40
• Bloodline alone did not protect him from coordinated elven magic, demonic flames, curses, or captivity. 24 29 37

Close-Quarters Combat

Tiadam is an agile, opportunistic fighter whose style emphasizes timing, terrain, and improvised tactics rather than formal honor.

• Reversed an ambush by using the Dragon Tooth youth’s own chain against him. 16
• Fought in Oyana’s cramped shop with a shortsword, books, and scrolls used as improvised weapons. 17
• Dodged Lufa’s repeated flaming-fist attacks through physical training alone. 27
• Defeated numerous Forest Elves by exploiting their casting time, spell cooldowns, weak bodies, and inability to fire safely near allies. 38

Endurance and Improvisation

Tiadam continues fighting through burns, blood loss, wounds, and exhaustion.

• Fought waves of possessed clay vessels unarmed while wounded and searching for Yalila. 28
• Analyzed the Endless Corridor’s looping structure while evading Gundaljika’s attacks. 29
• Removed condensed arcane energy from his own wounds while under sustained missile fire. 37
• Survived betrayal by his own subordinate, undead capture, Yetara’s attempted blood-draining, and the Giant Dead’s assault. 20 24 47

Criminal and Commercial Knowledge

His years as a bandit give Tiadam practical knowledge of Canfor’s underworld and magical-item trade.

• Understands the value and danger of Dragonblood Rings and refined Dragonblood Gems. 15 31
• Recognizes Oyana’s political influence over Canfor’s magic shops and correctly interprets Eliyi’s indirect dealings. 31
• Uses deception, distraction, and dirty fighting to escape stronger or more numerous opponents. 32

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Holy Sword — A living, unadorned sword that answers Tiadam’s plea for power and confirms him as a Hero. 49
• Shortsword — His usual weapon during the fight with the Dragon Tooth youth; later lost when his bandit group betrays him. 17 20
• Warhammer — A heavy weapon originally bought for the banquet preparations; Tiadam later carries it when preparing to face Canfor’s monsters. 33 46
• Mithril dagger — A polished dagger concealed in his clothing before his confrontation with the Giant Dead. 46

Relationships

• Denolan — Former victim of Tiadam’s banditry who becomes his unwilling Dragonblood business partner, then a loyal companion. Tiadam eventually compensates him for the gold and rings he stole and entrusts him with fleeing if the battle goes badly. 3 30 44
• Yalila — Former girlfriend and the focus of Tiadam’s childhood promise to save her. He rescues her from thugs, but she later rejects him and insists she only valued his gifts. 13 28 29
• Oyana — Former business partner who uses Tiadam as a bodyguard, tests him with lethal magic, and later saves him from Gundaljika. She considers his bloodline politically dangerous. 16 29 37
• Elandor — Tiadam’s father. Deanna cites Elandor as an example of heroism without the Holy Sword. 26
• Ocast — Tiadam’s celebrated Hero cousin. Tiadam resents being compared with him and rejects the legacy imposed by their shared bloodline. 26 40
• Deanna — Leader of Ellina’s Home, who helps rescue Tiadam and challenges his cynical understanding of heroism. 26
• Eliyi — Merchant and manipulator who traps Tiadam in debt, pairs him with Denolan, and helps engineer his public rise as a Hero. 30 40
• Yetara — Blood-drinking immortal who covets Tiadam’s Hero bloodline and attempts to drain him before he is rescued. 23 24

Story Role / Major Arcs

Bandit of Canfor

Tiadam commands a gang operating around Canfor, steals Dragonblood Rings from Denolan, and maintains control over his men through threats and profit-sharing. 3

He saves Yalila from attacking thugs and brings her severed fingers back so Oyana can heal them, demonstrating the protective attachment that drives much of his later behavior. 13

Betrayal, Captivity, and Rescue

While covering his gang’s retreat from undead, Tiadam is stabbed by a traitor and abandoned as his followers scatter. 20

He is transported unconscious to Yetara, whose fixation on Hero blood leads to an attempted blood-draining ritual. A masked girl and an unidentified boy free him from Yetara’s basement. 23 24

Deanna, Kilis, and the residents of Ellina’s Home later recover Tiadam from Canfor’s southern district. Although they urge him to embrace his heritage, he initially rejects the role of Hero and wants to return to banditry. 26

Break with Yalila

Tiadam fights through Oyana’s shop and the Endless Corridor to reach Yalila, surviving attacks by lesser demons and Gundaljika. Oyana intervenes before Gundaljika kills him. 27 29

Yalila rejects his plea to reconcile, declaring that she liked his gifts but never cared for him personally. Oyana then challenges him to prove his supposed bloodline by slaying a Demon King. 29

Manufactured Hero of Canfor

Eliyi forces Tiadam and Denolan into a Dragonblood venture, while the Round Table Council assigns Tiadam alone to eliminate Canfor’s undead. 30 36

The Church remakes his criminal past into a public story of divine redemption, naming him Canfor’s Hero and Holy Son even as its leaders prepare to profit and flee. 39 41

Tiadam accepts the task despite lacking confidence, explaining that he will stand against the undead because the mages, witches, and martyrs refuse to do so. 40 44

Awakening of the Holy Sword

Tiadam confronts the Giant Dead alongside Denolan. When the creature overwhelms him, rumors of his death trigger panic and social collapse across Canfor. 47

Trapped in blood-filled darkness, he chooses power and the identity of a Hero. The Holy Sword answers, allowing him to destroy the Giant Dead and establish himself as a genuine Holy Sword wielder. 49

Notable Quotes

“Since those mages, witches, martyrs, and the rest refuse to step forward, since they all want to flee using teleportation arrays, then—I’ll step up.” 44

“I want to become a hero—I want power—” 49