Name: Balthazar Vorhut
Aliases: The Sage of Soot and Iron
Titles: Grandmaster of the Way of Red
Age: 134
Place of Origin: Aureas
Gender: Male
Build:6’3 - broad shouldered and strong of limb
Eyes: Hidden, but when he slings powerful magics around his eyes glow like molten iron.
Hair: None
Skin Tone: Hidden for the most part, but one can guess that he is fairly pale by looking at his jaw… despite the scars.
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: Hidden by The Aegis, but Balthazar is covered in extensive burn scars. Usually one only gets to sneak a peek once he removes his “jaw” for eating, drinking, and the occasional smoke.
Day To Day Attire: The Aegis, a set of armor and clothes in equal measure. The armor covers him head to toe, something of a point of vanity to hide away the extensive burn scars that cover his body, however the inside is padded with soft silks and fabrics. The face is set in a frown as a constant reminder for past mistakes, but is otherwise crafted for comfort and protection. The green cloak was a gift from someone dear to him, crafted out of a heavy, tough fabric and embroidered with gold thread. Inside is a very special pocket that will only open for Balthazar.
Strengths: Heated, resolute, inquisitive, and friendly
Weaknesses: Unsubtle, rigid in his morals, and a little too empathetic to those who can’t defend themselves
Passionate * Scholarly * Hot Headed * Paternal
Sexuality: Balthazar is attracted to ability, skill, and personability. He isn’t going to let something like gender get in the way of pleasant company.
Relationship Status: Single
Personality: Balthazar is a fairly simple man put into the boots of eccentricity. His title of Grandmaster of the Way of Red has made him defender of the Spire and bureaucrat in equal measures, having to mediate between the squabbles of wizards and the various ceremonies of the Red Collage when he would much rather tend to his garden, read manuscripts on magical theory, and blast the Horde back to their holes.
To this end he is hairpullingly casual with the aristocracy and informality has become his staple attitude in all but dire times, more than just nobles and kings up the wall. However this very attitude endears him to the common soldiers who keep the wall, his casualness letting them relax for just a little bit gives him supreme pleasure. The world is far too dire at times, a breath of fresh air is needed just as badly as good food and strong drink.
However as carefree as he likes to portray himself, Balthazar is deathly serious about the lives of those who he is close to. Any injury to them being a deep and long lasting wound, even the deaths of soldiers on the wall is enough to send him in a spellslinging frenzy as the passions of Red have always dictated.
Habits: In times of distress or sadness Balthazar will retreat into the confines of Cyrinth’s cloak, seeking it’s comforting warmth. When anxious or nervous, Balthazar tends to place his hand on the hilt of his sword and grip his staff tightly.
Hobbies: Reading about new things always interests Balthazar, especially if it pertains to the refinement of metals and ores. Otherwise he has a collection of fine wines, brandies, ales that he’s always looking to expand. He’s also taken to growing his own stain of Pipe-weed, known as “Dragon’s Fyre”. Finally he has taken up “Dazzle Lights”, using powders, fire, and a little magic to create great displays in the sky.
Fears: That the Spine will break and allow the Hordes to swarm across the lands behind it and that he’ll lose someone close to him and be powerless to stop it… again.
Likes: Manuscripts, that peace between sieges, children, The Crucible, cooking, chili, spicy foods, strong liquors, pipeweed, and salted pork.
Dislikes: The Horde, violence for violence sake, destruction of relics, disorder, abuse of any kind, disloyalty, and arrogance.
A listing of skills, such as horseback riding or cooking. Levels include novice (1 pt), apprentice (2 pt), journeyman (3 pt), expert (4 pt), master (5 pt). Each character can spend 21 points & only two skills can be mastered.
- Way of Red (Master): In the simplest of terms, Balthazar is a pyromancer, a wizard who bends fire to his will as easily as one breathes. However to be an adherent of Red means being in tune with all facets of warmth. To this end, yes, Balthazar can cover your enemies in swaths of flame or call forth flaming rocks to rain on your foes, but he can also make foes turn on their comrades as their hearts are seized by burning hatred. Let nothing be said against the utilities of a walking inferno who knows what it’s doing. However, let it be known that all power comes with a price. Should Balthazar become careless in his spell slinging than the magic coursing through him will begin to tear him apart, burning his flesh into nothing. The only ways to prevent this is to either let himself cool off naturally by waiting or forcibly venting the magic from his body, an act that feels much less than pleasant but is much preferable than death.
- Way of Many Colors (Master): Something that Balthazar isn’t particularly proud of, but in an effort to protect his people he is willing to do much. Taught by Daemons, the Way of Many Colors is a chaotic magic fraught with many dangers. One could fall to the tricks of Daemons, becoming possessed and nothing more than a powerful tool for a being who wants nothing but pain, or you could simply explode in a wave of chaotic magic, melting flesh, mutating innocents, and corrupting the land. Despite this however, it is incredibly powerful. Able to wield the forces of change like an artist wields a brush, Balthazar can summon daemons, warp flesh, and burn souls with but a stare and some honeyed, forbidden words. Should his people find out about his consorting with Dark Gods he will be exiled from the realm, if not put to death.
- Cooking (Expert): A skill learned in tandem with his studies in Pyromancy and through his tutor, a thick-set woman of impeccable skill and taste. Through her he has learned how to cook excellent meals with limited resources and has been imparted with a great deal of recipes. Unfortunately for some, all of Balthazar’s meals tend to be incredibly heavy with meats and breads. He can make do without those, but prefers not to.
An aside, he has a tendency of making his foods very spicy as all Red Wizards are drawn to that particular sensation. - Enchantment (Expert): The act of folding magic into an item, giving anyone who has ownership of it a great boon. Balthazar has taken quickly to the art, and is able to bless a wide range of effects onto many items. However he hasn’t mastered the art and thus he needs a great deal of time and magical materials to do any significant enhancements.
- Swordsmanship (Journeyman): Something of a back up plan incase of the worst, Balthazar is able to keep up with most rank and file soldiers in terms of skill. Though his magic tends to put him above them in terms of raw power. Still, he is but a floundering child in the eyes of a true master.
A listing of unique powers, magic, artifacts, and techniques. A maximum of four only.
- The Aegis: Balthazar’s armor, crafted after his… incident at the Sixth Spire. The Aegis is crafted from Cold Iron, an ancient metal infused with Blue magic. It’s surface is perpetually cold to the touch, an aftereffect of Blue magic, and acts as excellent insulation for the wild magics of Red. In times of extreme stress and magical energy, it’s surface will glow red with heat.
- Cyrinth’s Cloak: A gift from a simpler time, Cyrinth’s Cloak is an enchanted green cloak of fabulous quality. While already made from tough materials Balthazar commissioned a master enchanter to make it indestructible, or near to it. In addition to this the cloak is heavier than you’d think, but in a comforting way not unlike a warm embrace. Finally there is a hidden pocket within the cloak, able to hide a great deal of things within its cavernous holding space.
- The Red Torch: Balthazar’s staff and badge of office, the Red Torch is a relic from the old Collage of Red back before the Horde invaded. It stands several inches taller than him and is burning hot to the touch to all besides the Grandmaster and those it deems worthy. Crafted from brass that has been steeped in Red magics, this staff is constantly on releasing flames from it’s sconce like head making it perfect for grabbing flames to be thrown around.
- Arming Sword: A basic arming sword that has been enchanted to channel Balthazar’s magic, causing the blade to glow red in combat. Every cut causes excruciating pain as well as having a chance to outright catch someone on fire if they have the right (or wrong depending on who you ask) clothes on. It can also channel cantrips, small spells like that do not take much effort to activate.
Parents:Hodrick Vorhut I and Aeowin Vorhut-Tryndamere, Lord and Lady of the Seventh Spire, Deceased
Siblings: Hodrick Vorhut II, Deceased
Childhood: Balthazar is the first wizard in a long line of warriors, the Vorhut line drawing it’s history as knights and royal guardsman for generations. However at the tender age of ten years old it was made clear where his destiny lied when the young Fetch Rat breathed a gout of flame into the face of an Orc, ceasing its advance up the wall. With a tearful goodbye from his mother, a beaming smile from his father, and a warm hug from his brother, Balthazar was shipped off to the Red College to harness the boys growing power.
At the college he spent most of his first couple of years doing grunt work, cleaning shelves and scrubbing floors mostly, until it was deemed he had the discipline necessary to move up. At thirteen he was given an official mentor, Elinessa Gheist, a plump woman whose love for food was only matched by her passion for teaching. Through her rigorous and unorthodox way of teaching, Balthazar was able to advance from Journeyman to adept within five years.
Adulthood:A little past his eighteenth year was when Balthazar was first shipped to the Spires, the walls always needing another Battle Wizard. It is here, at the First Spire, that Balthazar met Cyrinth. Cyrinth was an incredible woman, a wizard of the Way of Green who did everything she could to save lives. A furie to those who ignored treatment for the sake of bravado, but an angel in the eyes of those she saved. Balthazar was smitten soon after meeting her and with gentle courting, the two soon became an item.
However the needs of the Spires meant that the two would soon be needed elsewhere and forced the lovebirds to be apart more often than not. Thankfully though, writing each other became second nature and the two kept a correspondence for many years, staying with each other on the rare occasions they were stationed together or were able to steal away some time. This continued for nearly two and a half decades before she was taken away from him. Since then Balthazar has kept from his duties, mourned her loss, and moved on. Remembered fondly.
Special Moments:Balthazar has acquired a great many experiences in his long life. There is the day where he first manifested his powers, blowing out flames like a dragon of legend. Images of Elinessa teaching him how to control the flames for the best stew whenever he begins to cook. There is that night when he and Cyrinth first kissed, the night where they did more than kiss. Seeing his niece and nephews and becoming an Uncle.
But two memories stick with Balthazar the most. The day Cyrinth was taken from him, how that blade ran through her gut as she shielded a fallen soldier. Of his rage that followed, burning away the Horde in a swirling inferno and leaving the lands beyond the Sixth Spire blighted to this day. How the pain that wracked his burned body never compared to the pain he felt inside that day.
Then there is the Uncle, watching over his brother's children when he fell. Of the eldest, who gave his life in defence of his Spire and came back stronger than he ever could be in life. Of the middle born who continues to use his brilliant mind to better guard the Walls and the World Behind. And of the youngest, the niece who followed in his footsteps and learned to bend the winds of Red to her will. He’s seen them grow and learn and become legends, and he couldn’t be prouder.
Current Events: Balthazar was defending the Seventh Spire with his eldest nephew, Hodrick, when a great beast came screaming from the clouds. It belched a fire unknown to Balthazar, but nonetheless burned like flames. Uncle and nephew worked together to strike the beast down, running away with it’s tail between it’s legs before he was ripped from his world.
Climate: The Spine, a great mountain range separating the small sliver of Athel Loren from the blasted lands of the East. The Seventh Spire is one of 13 mountains on the range and the smallest in height, making it a choice target for the Horde and is frequently attacked. The Keep is built into the mountain and overlooks the East, a land blighted by scorched earth, weapons of war, and an uncountable amount of bones. The air is dry and cold in the winter, snow falling rarely. The summers are dominated by harsh sunlight and an unrelenting heat with very little wind.
Ruling(s): The 13 Spires are the ruling military commanders and noble houses ruled by its chief defenders. Five houses to the Elves, five to the Dwarves, and three houses to the Men. Every house wages war against the Hordes, defending it's mountain to the last in their own way. Each Spire is self sufficient in terms of water and food, gaining soldiers in the form of yearly Tithes from The World Behind. And true, the Houses are separate by law, in reality it is a single unified people sharing in their knowledge, cultures, and support. Only fools divide themselves.
History: In the beginning the Kingdoms of Aureas were massive, spanning the entire continent. In those times Man, Dwarf, and Elf squabbled amongst themselves over petty things. Then the Horde arrived, a great swarm of black blooded beasts from the east that butched their way across the continent. The Kingdom of Man fell first, the tides crashing against the too proud Kingdoms and humbling them in the blood of their people. The same fates assaulted the Dwarf and Elven kingdoms, until their backs were pressed against the wall of the Spine.
On this mountain range the three races came together, uniting in the face of extinction. Many a legendary warrior was framed in those days, beating back the Horde and securing their survival. It is here that the three kingdoms put aside their differences and came together in an effort to survive. While the lands behind the Spine where settled, the Spires were founded and reinforced. Great keeps were carved out of the stone and warriors trained in their defense, for if the Spine breaks than the world fallows.
Notes:There are two races of people that settled the lands beyond the Spine long before the Three Kingdoms fled there. Halflings, who are made from a gentle cloth, and Gnomes, inquisitive creatures with a knack for creation, they welcomed their weary neighbors with open arms for the most part.
Magic is dictated by six winds, the winds of Light, Shadows, Life, Death, Fire, and Fate. To call these magical forces winds would be inaccurate, but in essence it gets the message across. There are very few who have the will and souls capable of bending these winds to them, these few are called Wizards and even then it takes years of training to truly be capable of doing anything helpful. The magic that runs through Wizards grants them extended life, around three hundred years has been the highest recorded years. Magic also runs through certain materials, giving these things extraordinary properties like increased durability or magical conductors.
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Character Quote: “By the fire in my heart, you will not pass!”
Theme Song: Iron - WoodkidAura Color: Bright and large, a column of wild, swirling red and white.
Scent: Smells of smoke, pipe-weed, and and hot metal
Anything Else: Balthazar's voice is strange, wickedly smooth but carrying an otherworldly air that brings to mind fireplaces, warmth, and foreign spices.
Guardian Angel Haruki
