Before memory was measured in years and before borders were drawn in ink and blood, Thaliondor was a land sung into being by legend. Its mountains rose as monuments to forgotten oaths, its forests whispered the names of heroes long vanished, and its roads were laid atop the bones of empires that dared to dream too boldly. In Thaliondor, history is not a distant past, it lingers in the air, waiting to be disturbed by those who walk its paths. Every stone, sigil, and scar carries the weight of a story unfinished.

Yet Thaliondor is no relic preserved in myth alone. It is a living realm, ever-shifting and alive with consequence. Its lore is shaped not by a single author, but by the collective will of its people—warriors, wizards, clerics, and archers who bring the world to life through their choices. Triumphs ripple outward, failures leave lasting scars, and even the quietest decision may echo across generations. To enter Thaliondor is to step into a story already in motion, one that invites its inhabitants to become legend themselves.

What sets Thaliondor apart is the way its mythology breathes alongside those who inhabit it. The world does not wait passively for heroes to arrive; it challenges them, tests them, and remembers them. Alliances fracture, ancient powers stir, and prophecies reveal themselves not as certainties, but as fragile possibilities. In this land, fate is never fixed—only forged. And with every gathering, every clash of steel (or thwack of foam) or spark of magic, Thaliondor grows richer, deeper, and more alive than the tales that first gave it shape.

And that’s where we meet our hero, Nicko Muti, the founder, architect, and caretaker of Thaliondor, though he is more affectionately known as Nickolas Oscar, Commander of the Vargrik Order within the lore of Thaliondor.

He is sat in the corner of a local tavern, known by most as Starbucks, looking in every part like that scene in Lord of the Rings where we meet Aragorn for the first time. He is dark and mysterious then immediately warm as I sit down to talk with him. When asked about the origins of Thaliondor he gave a simple answer.

“A buddy reached out to me one day and was like, ‘Hey, do you wanna hit people with foam sticks?’ And I was like—that’s all I want to do forever.”

Muti had spent some time while in school for physics at University of Florida playing a campus-wide LARP known as Humans vs. Zombies where the “Humans” team try and survive the outbreak of the “Zombies” team armed only with NERF guns.

LARP stands for Live-Action Role Playing, where you can create and embody your own character within the setting of the role play and complete challenges, quests, and goals as said character. Think stepping into the role of your favorite movie, book, or video game character and being able to act and play as them. But it is more than just a role—it’s also a full contact sport consisting of padded weaponry such as swords, spears, arrows, and more called “boffers”.

Wanting a more melee forward aspect to Humans vs. Zombies and being inspired by the video games he was currently playing, Muti immediately jumped at the chance to start a new game. Originally grouped with four others as the original council of Thaliondor, Nicko is now the last remaining founder and has taken great care of nurturing this game, along with growing it from a handful of adventurers to full-blown guild of Heroes.

“We’ve grown a lot over these 11 years. We tried to create a game all our own—somewhere between Dagorhir and Amtgard (two of the most popular versions of LARP). There’s been countless changes and tweaks to the rules to make this a unique experience for our members.”

When asked about the influences behind Thaliondor, Nicko opened up about his childhood spent moving around a lot and how he looked for solace in video games and creating his own armaments.

“When moving all over the place it was easier to get sucked into a video game than it was going and making new friends over and over again and The Legend of Zelda was a huge one for me. I think my mom has pictures of me crafting Link’s Hylian Shield out of card stock and running around with a plastic katana. I’ve always been into that kinda stuff. I’m a big f–––g nerd, but I also love going outdoors and exploring and I think Thaliondor marries those two things really well.”

And he was right.

I had the opportunity to experience their “Big Bunker Day” which is a huge event held every three months in a large field in Florahome, FL. It comes complete with a more complex battlefield layout with inflated bunkers—something unique to Thaliondor’s gameplay—and a gauntlet of objectives and game modes. I was impressed not only by the physicality of every single combatant on the field giving 110%, but also the diversity of backgrounds from whence they came.

“I’ve seen everything from medical professionals, attorneys, and contractors, to service workers, law enforcement, and military. Bradley, one of our players, is currently serving in the National Guard—we got it all. The stigma is always, ‘a bunch of nerds’, but in reality that stigma is less and less a negative as things like Dungeons & Dragons, Anime, and video games become more mainstream.”

When it comes to the reason why people are so keen to join, Nicko offered this wisdom, “The world can really suck, you know? But if you could for a minute, just take a step back and not worry about politics, bills, family illness and just focus on a dude, with a sword, charging at you and making sure you strike him before he strikes you and the dopamine that gets released from winning that bout, it’s all about having a good time.”

Muti also relishes in the thought of inclusivity within Thaliondor, “I’ve harped on this from the beginning. It doesn’t matter who are or where you come from, hold this sword and go stand over there. Let’s play.”

Nicko now runs Thaliondor with his wife, Marci and together have not only strengthened what Thaliondor was, but has even grown it outside the battlefield. Keeping the spirit of his childhood crafting sensibilities, Nicko has expanded his builds from card stock shields to all different sorts of custom made foam boffers constructed by himself then detailed and painted by Marci and has even started selling custom-orders pieces on the side. But he doesn’t gate-keep and instead teaches you how to craft on the Thaliondor YouTube channel, along with fighting techniques and how-to’s.

“I’m an open book, I’ll teach you how to make whatever you want. Whether it’s a basic sword or a fancy fantasy sword, I love getting into the weeds with builds.”

He’s not only taken on the mentor role with his build, but also within the game itself. His character, being one of the originators of Thaliondor’s lore, has since been in slow retirement as he looks for other Heroes to fulfill the role of the “main character” and start expanding the lore. That doesn’t mean you won’t find Commander Nickolas Oscar on the battlefield every Sunday at Brick City Adventure Park running the gambit on new players. He is very much still at the center of the action and runs every practice, quest day, and Big Bunker event like a wolf in his prime.

“Thaliondor is my passion and my purpose. Finding others who also love the immersion aspect is always the goal. I’d love to have multiple stories going on within Thaliondor, like character arcs for people who want step into a lead role.”