Onos T'oolan

Summary

Onos T'oolan — known simply as Tool — is the First Sword of the T'lan Imass, the highest military rank among the undead Imass armies that have wandered the world for three hundred thousand years since undergoing the Ritual of Tellann. The Ritual stripped the Imass of their mortality, transforming them into desiccated, undying warriors in order to prosecute their endless war against the Jaghut. Tool is the greatest warrior among them, a being of immense martial skill who has fought for longer than most civilizations have existed.

What distinguishes Tool from his kin is his capacity for growth and emotion. Separated from the other T'lan Imass for millennia, he develops an independence of thought and feeling that the Ritual was designed to suppress. His friendship with Toc the Younger awakens something approaching warmth in his ancient, desiccated heart. Tool represents the tragedy of the T'lan Imass — beings who surrendered everything, including death itself, for a war that was won long ago, leaving them purposeless and unable to rest.

Tool's eventual reclamation of mortality — his willingness to become mortal again and accept the death that the Ritual denied him — is one of the most powerful arcs in the series. It speaks to the idea that death is not a curse but a necessary part of a meaningful life, and that even three hundred thousand years of existence cannot replace the ability to truly live.

Arc by Book

Book 1: Gardens of the Moon

Tool first appears as a lone T'lan Imass who allies with Adjunct Lorn to locate and release the Jaghut Tyrant buried beneath Darujhistan. His vast knowledge and lethal combat abilities are established, as is his separation from the main T'lan Imass armies. He begins to display the independent thinking that sets him apart from other T'lan Imass. His interactions with Lorn hint at a capacity for something approaching emotion.

Book 3: Memories of Ice

Tool plays a major role as the T'lan Imass armies are summoned to join the war against the Pannion Domin. His relationship with Toc the Younger deepens — a friendship between an undead warrior and a mortal man that brings out Tool's buried humanity. He confronts the other T'lan Imass about the futility of their existence and advocates for change. Itkovian's act of taking on the grief of the T'lan Imass directly affects Tool and his people. The loss of Toc devastates Tool in ways that an undead being should not be able to feel.

Book 7: Reaper's Gale

Tool has become mortal again, now living among the Barghast as their war leader under the name Onos T'oolan. His mortality brings both joy and vulnerability — he can feel, love, and die, things denied to him for millennia. He leads the Barghast clans and faces the political challenges of mortal leadership.

Book 9: Dust of Dreams

Tool leads the Barghast on their march, facing both external threats and internal dissent. His mortality is tested as the Barghast fracture and threaten civil war. He must navigate the complexities of mortal politics — something far different from the simple obedience of the T'lan Imass. His family — wife Hetan and their children — gives him everything to lose.

Book 10: The Crippled God

Tool's story reaches its devastating conclusion during the final convergence. The cost of mortality, which he embraced willingly, is paid in full. His role in the final events of the series ties together the themes of sacrifice, mortality, and the meaning of a life well-lived.

Key Relationships

• Toc the Younger — his mortal friend; their bond is one of the series' most moving
• Hetan — his wife after regaining mortality; Barghast warrior woman
• Silverfox — the Bonecaster with the power to release the T'lan Imass from the Ritual
• Itkovian — the Shield Anvil who takes on the T'lan Imass's grief
• Ganoes Paran — Tool serves as his bodyguard in GotM
• Logros — commander of the Logros T'lan Imass clan
• Lorn — the Adjunct he accompanies in GotM

Notable Quotes

"I am T'lan Imass. I was made to fight a war that ended long ago. What purpose remains for me?" — GotM

"I think I have found... a friend." — MoI (regarding Toc)

"We surrendered our mortality for a cause. When the cause was won, we discovered that mortality was the one thing worth keeping." — MoI

Appearances

See Also

• T'lan Imass
• Tellann
• Ritual of Tellann
• Jaghut
• Barghast