“ | Speaking of things I don't understand isn't my way. | ” |
— Talio to Arminius[src] |
Talio is a supporting character on the Netflix original series Barbarians. He is portrayed by Florian Schmidtke.
Talio is a Germanic mercenary who initially worked for Varus and the Romans before he joined Arminius, who staged a rebellion and led Rome to their defeat.[1]
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1[]
Searching for the Standard[]
Talio is fighting with the Roman guards when he is approached by Arminius. In Latin, Arminius informs him of their mission to retrieve the standard that was stolen. In German, Talio tells his men to prepare for sunrise. He adds "We have to lick Rome’s stinking cunt again." Unbeknownst to him, Arminius speaks their language, and he orders for Talio to be whipped for his bad mouthing. They head out the following morning and split up to find the standard.[2]
Staging a Mutiny[]
Talio witnesses from the infirmary as Arminius kills one of his wounded men. Arminius meets his gaze and asks why he's in recovery. Talio reveals that his back is infected from the whipping he received. Just as it seems Arminius is reaching for his blade to kill Talio, the doctor returns.
Arminius invites Talio into his tent and asks if he’s spoken to anyone about what he saw, which he hasn’t. Talio later reveals that he knows Folkwin Wolfspeer is still alive as that is not his head displayed for the public. In exchange for his silence, Talio tells Arminius that he wants a plot of land and a year’s salary for him and his men. When Arminius asks about Talio’s family, he reveals that he has six children. Arminius tells him that he should be thinking of his children’s future and suggests a possible mutiny. The Romans pretend to be friendly, though domination is their aim.
Talio and his men follow Arminius into Cherusci and declare that it's under the protection of Rome, running the Chatti out. After Arminius claims his birthright as Reik of Cherusci, he asks Talio about the proposed mutiny against Rome. Talio replies that he needs to know more about Arminius’ plan, which Arminius is more than willing to divulge, but first, he needs Talio to find Thusnelda and Folkwin.[3]
Finding Folkwin's Body[]
Talio and takes Arminius and Thusnelda to the campsite where he found the necklace lying next to a pile of charred remains, who they believe to be Folkwin.[4]
The Battle of Teutoburg Forest[]
Talio gets word from Arminius that the summer campaign is over and that the time has come to enact their plan. So when Arminius and Varus lead the three legions to Vetera, they part ways throughout the forest as planned. Varus sends Arminius and Talio ahead to secure the path. Instead, they lead their men into an ambush, forcing the Romans to retreat to the field, which has been parted with an accelerant, which is then ignited, dividing the Roman legions, allowing them tribes to attack from all sides as they’re trapped within the flames.
After defeating the Romans, Arminius joins Talio around the fire and drinks to their victory.[1]
Kill Count[]
Roman Soldiers — Talio killed numerous roman soldiers during the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
Appearances[]
Season 1[]
Trivia[]
- Talio is not a historical figure. He was created specifically for the series.