Thoth

Overview

Named by Durandal after the Egyptian deity of the same name, Thoth is an extremely old A.I. construct within the Marathon universe, and an important figure within the plot lines of Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity. Much like its namesake, who is known, among other things, for being a mediator between good and evil, Thoth acts as an arbiter of sorts; it shares no innate alignment with any particular group, wishing only to ensure that no one party gains undue advantage over its peers. Created by the S'pht'Kr prior to their departure from Lh'owon (perhaps to ensure that the warring brethren they left behind did not destroy one another), Thoth is the focus of Durandal's search during the second game in the trilogy, and its activation is a decisive turning point in the game's story.

Once awakened by the security officer, Thoth appraises the situation, determining that the gathering of humans and S'pht in the Lh'owon system are simply no match for the attacking Pfhor. In order to rectify this imbalance, Thoth aids the player character in defending his compatriots, and also summons the S'pht'Kr, who are sympathetic to the plight of their fellow S'pht. Durandal, who had been assumed dead, resurfaces just as the S'pht'Kr enter the fight in earnest, causing Thoth to reevaluate the proceedings. It begins to offer assistance to the Pfhor, believing that they are now disadvantaged, though the Pfhor are less than receptive. Durandal explains that his absence during Thoth's activation was not accidental, and that he knew the A.I. would not have aided them at all had it been aware of his presence.

Thoth is known for speaking in terse, often cryptic sentences, and his characteristic terminal color is white. At times these sentences may contain bracketed words preceded by question marks; though the exact reason for this is not known, some have postulated that, being of an alien nature, Thoth is in these instances attempting to communicate concepts to the player character that do not have a direct equivalent in his language. In one of the prevailing interpretations of Marathon Infinity's final chapter, Thoth and Durandal merge into a single being, whose combined knowledge helps the player defeat the W'rkncacnter.