Arlo Thacker

Arlo Thacker is a member of the Pine Guard who went to Sylvain to study the feral Sylvans living in the corrupted lands outside of the city and never returned.

He was eventually discovered by Mama in Sylvain six years after his initial departure, in a feral state under the influence of The Quell. She brought him back to Amnesty Lodge, where he was kept in a kitchen alcove in the cellar of the lodge for his and everyone else's safety. The area was covered by a large net made up of threads described as "shimmering."

After the defeat of The Countenance and the death of Ned Chicane, Janelle and Aubrey Little worked offscreen to find a cure for his affliction. They ended up removing the Quell's hold over him, and brought him back to full consciousness. From that point onward he replaced Ned as the player character of Clint McElroy.

Having years of knowledge navigating in Sylvain, Thacker returned to help guide the Pine Guard to the heart of The Quell.

Physical Description
Thacker is described as "an older man with unkempt wild gray hair and [a] ratty-looking beard." He is said to be wearing a tattered button down shirt and khakis, and is described as having a black sheen of sorts over his eyes.

Personality
Thacker, post-Sylvain, is almost entirely feral, exhibiting aggressive behavior and animal-like traits. While captive, he sits folded over his knees, head lowered, staring at the floor. However, when the net is removed, he begins to climb onto the ceiling and rotate his head almost 180 degrees.

He was possessed in some manner by The Quell, which communicated with Aubrey and referred to Thacker as an "unintentional host".

In episode 29, he was brought back to his former state by Aubrey's magic.

He takes on the role of a mentor figure for Juno Divine and is a self-proclaimed loner.

Basic Moves

 * Act Under Pressure: Used for any difficult or dangerous action that isn't covered by another move.
 * Help Out: Used to help another hunter do something. If Thacker succeeds, he'll give them a bonus on their task.
 * Investigate a Mystery: Used to work out what kind of monster Thacker is dealing with, what it can do, and what it's planning.
 * Kick Some Ass: Used for fighting. Fighting monsters, mainly.
 * Manipulate Someone: Used to try and get someone to do something for Thacker after he gives them some kind of reason.
 * Protect Someone: Used to save someone from danger.
 * Read a Bad Situation: Used to work out what dangers are immediately threatening Thacker. For instance, if he thinks he is walking into a trap or wants to do some tactical analysis.
 * Sensitive: When you open up your brain to the psychic environment, roll +Weird. Allows Thacker to psychically connect with other creatures.

The Searcher Moves

 * Psychic Event: Thacker can act under pressure to use the sensitive weird move.


 * Cosmic Insight: Thacker never needs to act under pressure due to feelings of fear, despair, or isolation, and will have an automatic success instead.

The Monstrous Moves

 * Unholy Strength: Thacker can roll +Weird instead of +Tough when he kicks some ass

Trivia

 * Prior to episode 29, Thacker was overcome with The Quell and controlled by Griffin. However, since 29 he's been the PC of Clint McElroy, meaning he is one of the only characters in TAZ to have been controlled by two different players.
 * He shares this trait with Sylvain, as well as the three PCs from Balance.