Post by Amur on May 21, 2012 20:32:39 GMT -5
Name: Baldur Vauxx –[Pronounced: VOX]-
Age: 317
Race: Half-breed
Sex: Male
Occupation: “Hidden Blade” of Nemesis Morona
Allegiance: His Brother and Nemesis Morona
Physical Description:
6’3” Baldur is relatively well muscled from years spent in intensive training, however, his build is closer to “regulated” as opposed to being too well muscled. So he is not built enough for his muscle-mass to stand out.
Much like his build many of Baldur’s facial features seem to be regulated, while he’s far from ugly, he isn’t exactly dashingly handsome either; in fact, his face looks almost startlingly average. It is merely given more definition by the fact that the only defining feature on his face is a thin scar running from just above his right eyebrow and down his right cheek and ending at his jaw. Other than that there isn’t a great deal that stands out about his face.
His hair is an almost pitch-black colour with no variation in it whatsoever. Reaching roughly half way down his back, Baldur keeps even his long hair in order and has it firmly tied back into a neat pony-tail.
His eyes are what set him apart from other people however; they are of a strange yellowish-gold colour which glow very softly when he is stood in strong direct light –almost unnoticeable during day hours-. However, in the darkness (during night hours or in dark areas in general) the odd luminescence of his eyes persists, however, it is still only a gentle glow, noticeable, but not glaringly obvious.
It should be noted, that the skin on his torso, arms and legs looks to be spread unevenly over his body. While in some areas it looks as it should, in others his skin seems much thinner and tauter than it should do, giving certain patches of his skin an almost translucent quality to them which gives a distorted view of the muscle tissue beneath. However, Baldur keeps this hidden beneath his clothes.
His dress sense also reflects a sense of high regulation and formality. An open-front button-up vest sits beneath a likewise open-front, button-up and knee length formal dull-white robe with a black thread trim. The robe itself has a low opening at the front, ending at the top of Baldur’s chest; this opening allows the robe to keep the formal black cravat Baldur has around his neck in place as it is tucked neatly into the robe.
The robe is constantly buttoned up. (The buttons end at the waist, so as not to restrict movement.)
Other than a formal pair of black trousers and a similarly formal pair of shin length buckle boots there is little else adorning Baldur’s form other than a small gold and amethyst brooch on his cravat. Baldur doesn’t follow a “dress to impress” philosophy, he just keeps his appearance regulated.
On a final note, his right forearm is covered by a plain gold bracer –this is normally covered by his sleeve- which serves as a parrying tool for combat.
Personality:
Baldur is a very calm and collected individual; in fact, he’s calm to a point that many would deem to be unsettling. He is reserved, and relatively formal, which at times can border on awkwardness when he interacts with other people. To top it all off he also takes a very no-nonsense stance with people, which, when couples with everything else can sometimes make Baldur come off as cold, however, this is simply not true.
To compliment his calm formality, Baldur places a high value on professionalism. He prefers to get things done and quickly, this holds true in most of his actions. But, more so in combat, Baldur views combat as a profession and that one should never hold back or treat combat as anything other than a profession, every battle should be fought as though it is the combatants last. To do anything other than that is unprofessional.
People that don’t take combat seriously or end up treating combat as a game baffle Baldur beyond words, combat is a profession where payment is the continuation of life, to treat that with levity is reprehensible conduct that should not happen.
During combat the calm and professional discipline that Baldur is most known for is seen in full force, he is always in complete control of his actions and never allows emotion to interfere with the moves he makes in combat. As if to demonstrate how in control of himself and how disciplined he is in combat Baldur fights strictly under the mantra of “one-cut-one-kill” only ever drawing his blade from its sheath in order to land the killing blow, or, if he really needs it.
During moments of rest, or just general silence where there is little to do Baldur enjoys reading. When he has nothing better to do he can usually be found with his nose in a book or some other form of reading material that he finds interesting.
However, Baldur rarely reads for leisure, under the firm belief that knowledge is power Baldur usually reads in order to gain knowledge. And his acquisition of knowledge isn’t simply limited to reading, no, he has all kinds of means at his disposal in order to acquire knowledge that he may find useful. He hoards his knowledge, often using it to bribe and blackmail people when the situation calls for such action, however, Baldur loathes giving information that does grant him power to other people, it is his knowledge, and he guards it well.
Only one person sees Baldur’s proverbial “other side”, and that is his younger brother, Ace. He holds a deep-seated and unconditional love for his younger brother, whom he would do anything for. He would kill for his younger brother, he would die for his younger brother, no task is too great and no sacrifice is too much for his younger brother. And while he would never “baby” or coddle Ace, Baldur is fiercely protective of him. Ace is the only family that Baldur has left, and he would do anything to keep him alive.
Trying to threaten the safety of Ace to get to Baldur is a bad decision, for when he is riled Baldur’s anger is something of a fearsome sight. He has control of his anger in this state and is more than capable of remaining in control and allowing his fury to add to his strength.
Finally, Baldur forces himself into a sense of detachment, Ace may be the only family that Baldur has left, but, his younger brother is a pure-breed human and has already turned down magical procedures that would elongate his life indefinitely. The knowledge that Baldur will out-live his younger brother is something that causes him pain, and it is pain that he will always keep to himself, he has to be strong, for Ace.
Cursed Blade: Findinokhind:
The Cursed Blade: Findinokhind is a katana-esque blade that has quite the reputation within the Vauxx bloodline. Forged a little over 1,000 years ago by a now nameless non-human smith it is a Warlord-forged weapon of the finest quality, the craftsmanship of the blade itself is matched only by the skill of other Warlord-smiths.
The Long and slender blade gleams brilliantly in the light, never dulls nor does it show signs of wear and tear, the surface of the blade is also highly reflective which causes very little blood to stick to the blade, because of this it also never requires cleaning. It is a marvel of Warlord craft, the blade itself is constructed of a metal not found in this world. The cross-guard is constructed of a dark-metal that seems to share the texture and consistency of gold, the pommel of the weapon is tipped with the same metal.
However, the reputation of this blade stems from its title “The Cursed Blade”, The first Warlord of the Vauxx bloodline was a paranoid elitist and firmly believed that if that this blade fell into the hands of outsiders, then it would no longer be fit for him, nor any of his future successors to wield. So, during its construction he had his best mages work in tandem with the smith in order to forge powerful curses into the blade itself.
Only two of the curses forged into the blade are now known by the bloodline, and one of them is a trigger-curse. Should any from outside the Vauxx bloodline attempt to wield this blade the trigger-curse trips and forces the hand of the potential wielder to remain closed around the blade, from there a second curse comes into effect which causes the weight of the blade to rapidly and continually increase. Eventually the weight puts enough strain on the body to kill the wielder, unless the curses are counter-acted, or until the potential wielder is killed before the curses become fatal for them.
It is known that there are many more curses forged into the blade; however, their nature has never been discovered as the mages that had cursed the blade were soon killed by Warlord Vauxx who then used their essence to ensure that the curses would be indefinitely self-sustaining.
This is the basis for its reputation, with no idea what the other curses do or how they work the Vauxx Bloodline has maintained a cautious sense of fear of this blade ever since. The fear of the unknown has only caused the reputation of The Cursed Blade to become greater over its 1,000 year life, tales of it often becoming distorted by myth.
History:
Born as the half-breed son of Warlord Vauxx it was only natural that Baldur would become his father’s heir. So, of course it was also only natural that from birth Baldur would have the weight of enormous expectations bearing down on him for most of, if not all of his young life. However, Baldur was strong, and would not be crushed by the weight of the expectations that were thrust upon him, that much had become obvious from an early age.
Up until the age of ten Baldur was taught at home by his mother and father, learning the importance behind the call of blood, how family mattered over all else. Among other things such as his duties as a future Warlord, and how he should strive to excel and live up to the name Vauxx. Alongside this he was also taught the history of his heritage in full detail, and very slowly, had the expectations that were placed upon him explained. Baldur each lesson to heart, making sure that he paid careful attention to everything his father was saying, resolving, even at his young age to make his father proud.
At the age of ten Baldur’s father walked him through the rite that his family simply knew as “The Long Walk”, a rite in which saw Baldur actually begin his tutelage as the son of a Warlord. The Long Walk is named as such since it is the only time in which the Warlord parent will take the conventional route to their allied grounds. During this time Baldur’s father told him of his own accomplishments, and fully explained the expectations that he had of Baldur as opposed to what everyone else expected of him.
As always, Baldur listened to what his father had to say intently, resolving still to make him proud. Upon the end seventh day Baldur and his father arrived at a monastery. It was here that Baldur was given The Cursed Blade and introduced to his three mentors.
The monastery was a hidden training ground for the families of several allied Warlords, along with a sect of warrior monks. Baldur’s tutelage began the day after his father left for home.
Baldur’s tutelage was intensive, he had very little time to himself, if he wasn’t studying he was training and if he wasn’t training he was being taught the importance of various things that mattered to a Warlord, and if he wasn’t being taught those then he was being taught of the exceptionally high value of discipline and self control. It was within the first month of his tutelage that Baldur willingly undertook an oath of celibacy, forsaking the pleasures of the flesh.
Things continued this way, the only deviation being that once per-week he would get a visit from his father in order to give Baldur some tutelage of his own. During those days Baldur had even less time to himself, the lessons on those days ending only when his father had to leave to do other things. But, Baldur didn’t crack, he didn’t let the pressure get to him and he excelled, pulling ahead of his peers –several of which were also the spawn of other Warlords- rapidly.
Once, every ten years there would be a coming of age ceremony for the oldest students within the monastery, whom had finished their tutelage. This was marked by a large trial-by-combat event which pitted each student against each other in supervised –non-lethal- combat; it was all friendly and was meant simply to allow the students to blow-off steam. However, as a future Warlord Baldur was expected to participate in and place-first in each of these events, as were all other future Warlords.
These events often closed with two future Warlords facing-off against each other, leaving the rest of the –now former- students in awe as the fight progressed. Baldur, of course always managed to place-first in these events, and only once was his final opponent not of Warlord blood, it was this opponent that taught Baldur, in only a single fight that pure-breed human’s were not to be underestimated.
Baldur’s tutelage finished at the age of 80, and, as always there was a trial-by-combat event to mark the occasion. With the Warlord parents of those participating gathered –Baldur’s father included- the event lasted longer than usual, with each fight being an intense struggle. However, as always, Baldur prevailed and placed-first. But, he was not finished, no; he still had his father’s expectations to fulfil.
Stood in the middle of the arena, Baldur issued a challenge to his three mentors. A three-on-one fight to the death, as proof that Baldur had surpassed them. His challenge was met with enthusiasm and the final-fight began swiftly.
As Baldur had expected it was the most intense fight that he had ever had –at least up to that point- it was a fight that tested him to his limits and then pushed him past them, he even suffered a small wound on the right side of his face. Even now Baldur has no idea how long the fight stretched on for, but by the time it had ended Baldur was the last man left standing. Having surpassed and killed all three of his mentors in three-on-one combat, Baldur had surpassed the expectations of those around him, and had fulfilled the expectations of his father.
However, it was not an outcome that Baldur could immediately be happy with, no, still holding great respect and affection for his three mentors he buried them himself, performing their send-offs in accordance with their beliefs. The resulting ceremony lasted two days, neither of which Baldur slept for.
Before Baldur could do anything with his life, he had one last trial. And that was to face his father in one-on-one combat, the reason behind that was to show that Baldur at the very least was his father’s equal, so nothing less than a draw was an acceptable outcome. Given a week to prepare Baldur took full advantage of the time allotted to him, studying his father’s background and just generally preparing himself in any way possible.
A large arena was prepared; the entirety of his father’s army was present, cheering. There was only tense silence between Baldur and his father as they faced-off. No words were exchanged between them, no taunts, no threats of death or pain, they just started suddenly. This was a fight that was on a different level entirely; never before had Baldur faced someone so skilled, so powerful. However, Baldur was as determined as he always was, he didn’t let the pressure get to him, and he didn’t crack under the strain. He kept himself under control and eventually the fight ended with both Baldur and his father on their backs, unable to get back up again.
The following celebrations after both Baldur and his father had been nursed back to full health were grand in scale, no expense had been spared. And while Baldur enjoyed what he could of the festivities he did not allow himself to become too involved with them, he was on the path to becoming a Warlord so it would have been unacceptable for him to do so.
The following weeks were filled with travel preparation for Baldur, he had been offered to become a tutor at the monastery he had learned from, but, he turned their offer down. He was only 80 years of age and didn’t want to bog himself down with unnecessary responsibilities before he succeeded his father, he had decided instead to travel Empire Nirvana to further educate himself. He wouldn’t have to worry about the common rabble or even the Hunters, he was the son of a Warlord after all, and he was too well trained for them.
He spent time travelling as he had intended to, however, his identity drew the wrong attention, a fact that he learned the hard way as he spent several years in Empire Nirvana’s Hallowed Capital. There he met an unfriendly Warlord, an enemy of his father, knowing that he was ill prepared to face a Warlord Baldur fled. His trip lasted only several hours as the hostile Warlord managed to close the distance impossibly quickly, so, with no options left to him Baldur stood and fought. It was here, for the first time in his life that Baldur made history.
Despite being outnumbered Baldur overcame the odds and not only killed the guard-corps of his enemy, but the Warlord himself. Knowing that this kill would definitely not go unnoticed Baldur continued to travel, visiting several other places of importance within the Empire, even going far enough to visit the Forsaken Land, the land in which the pure-breed humans had first invaded the land that was now Empire Nirvana from.
It was there that Baldur was attacked again.
The armies of the first Warlord had been thrown into disarray without their leader, and as such had been dissolved into the armies of another Warlord, and it was this Warlord that now confronted Baldur, and ally of the now deceased Warlord. However, this one was foolish, instead of using vast numbers to crush Baldur he had decided to confront Baldur by himself, the sentiment was flattering, but, when Baldur had his enemy on his knees it only got him a painless death as opposed to the mercy he ended up begging for.
With a second Warlord kill to his name Baldur had made history once more. However, Baldur did not stop, he left the corpse where it had fallen and fled once more, this time crossing Empire Nirvana and fleeing to the Isle of Freedom.
The reputation of The Hunter’s was enough to cause even Warlords hesitation on entering that Isle, a fact which Baldur took advantage of.
He spent some time travelling the land, witnessing many historical events. He grew comfortable there, even managing to live among The Hunter’s discreetly for some years. Baldur learned a lot from living among The Hunter’s, the value of the true history behind their founding, their original intention and why The Isle of Freedom had been cut-off from the rest of the Empire. Learned the unexpected had intrigued Baldur, and it is here that he was able to learn to appreciate the power that knowledge granted.
Baldur spent many years hiding among The Hunter’s continually learning from them, and being able to move freely among them allowed him to travel wherever he wanted among the Isle they clearly dominated, so he was able to keep his skills sharp and prevent them from going to waste.
One day, however, he received a message from his mother, she had given birth to a child and his father was trying to kill the baby. Baldur immediately packed everything he had acquired from his travels and started to make his way back to a point that would allow him to get back home, and once more Baldur found himself confronted by a Warlord.
This one was intelligent enough to bring a portion of her army with her; however, facing steep odd Baldur once more fought, it was what he was best at, after all. This time, with outside knowledge augmenting what he already knew Baldur was easily able to overcome the elitist “honour” of the Warlords army –had he been a Hunter, his actions here would have earned him the title “Legionslayer”- and dispatch them. He was the son of a Warlord; throwing fodder at him was ill advised.
And thus began Baldur’s third and final encounter with a Warlord, as expected the fight was one that he would remember, but eventually he stood over his latest history-making kill, tired, but with no time to stop. He had a younger brother to save, and if he allowed any harm to come to that infant, Baldur would never forgive himself.
When he returned home he went to check on his mother and younger brother first, it was there he learned that his mother had been unfaithful to his father and had given birth to a pure-breed human boy. Disgusted by the actions of both his parents Baldur devised a plan. Keeping his mother hidden he waited around in silence until his father was sleeping and after dispatching his father’s guards silently delivered a fatal blow to his father as he slept.
However, his father woke up as the wound was inflicted, on one knee Baldur apologised to his father for the act against him, but an attempt to kill his younger brother was unforgivable, that the call of blood took priority over all else and that he wished there could have been another way, but the well being of his little brother came first. It was at that point Baldur got a response that he had not been expecting; his father lovingly put his hand on the back of Baldur’s head and told Baldur how proud he was of him before passing.
He didn’t stop, there would be uproar once his father’s army discovered what Baldur had done, so, he took his mother and little brother from the manor and fled. Finding an out-of-the-way village Baldur hid them there, allowing his mother to raise his little brother until he was three years old before killing her for betraying his father after all he had done for her. He made sure that her death was painless, however, and also granted her one final request before he killed her. He would keep the name she had given his younger brother, Ace; his brother’s name was Ace.
He spent several years moving around as much as possible in order to keep Ace safe, after four years Baldur eventually made his way to a secluded monastery for Pyromancers. In exchange for Baldur’s services as a guardian they granted both him and his brother sanctuary, here they were able to relax and find a measure of peace, and Baldur spent the time he had alone with Ace teaching him the values that his father had taught him.
After growing accustomed to life among the Pyromancers Baldur was one day called from his guard duties to their grandest halls. When he arrived he learned of Ace’s decision and of his subsequent action of becoming a Pyromancer, knowing exactly what the Art of Pyromancy was like Baldur was not happy with his younger brother’s decision. However, having already given up his future as a Warlord for Ace, and following his brother’s explanation behind his decision Baldur had decided that it was Ace’s decision to make, and that he would help him in any way he could.
Three years later the monastery was attacked, panicking, Baldur took stock of the warriors amassing at the front gates of the Pyromancers home. They were former warriors of his father’s army, Baldur offered to join their defence efforts, however, the Pyromancers refused his offer and instead showed him a hidden passage out of the monastery. Baldur protested at first, but the Pyromancers insisted that they would defend their home until death and knew that Baldur would do the same for his younger brother. In the end, they had reasoned that Baldur backing both himself and Ace into a corner would not be helpful to either of them, so they fled, leaving the Pyromancers to fight for their home... Baldur still regrets his decision.
They spent some weeks on the run once more, this time their struggle ceased when they met a historical figure. Baldur knew this man Nemesis Morona from history, he knew of the lies surrounding his banishment even before he had started his tutelage, but however, he still held a sense of distrust toward Nemesis Morona... But, he was able to conclude that following Morona would be the best protection he could give Ace, not even Warlords approached Nemesis Morona if they were planning on being hostile toward him. And his plan to leave Empire Nirvana for other lands, Baldur knew; that this was his best chance to protect Ace.
To the masses the journey to follow Baldur’s alliance with Morona has been largely uneventful, however, Baldur knows better. He has been entrusted with an important line of work by Nemesis Morona, the “Hidden Blade” is a unit that takes action from the dark, allowing his monarch full deniability for his actions. Already, Baldur has been passing valuable information to Morona and has even quietly killed two Hunter’s whom were hidden among the people following Morona, he looks forward to finding a place to settle, a place where he will be able to protect his younger brother by any means necessary.
Notes:
Baldur carries the name Vauxx and has Ace carry the name Vauxx because he still holds a high level of respect for his father, and taking his name is the only way he can show that respect now that his father is dead.
Both Baldur and Ace learned English manually, and while their accent is still present and noticeable it is much more subtle than Solomon’s is.
Baldur fights using Iaido (At least I’m sure that’s what the style is called)
Physically he is more than capable of keeping up with Elves and matching their speed and strength, however, magically he is comparable to a human and is bound by their limitations.
Baldur is magically capable, however, he relies more on his intelligence to get the better of his foes as opposed to using powerful spells.
He surpassed his Mentors and became his father’s equal in terms of melee combat.
The Human form that Baldur walks around in, in a very technical sense is both what he really looks like and not. The reason for this is because it’s actually a highly evolved camouflage reflex that allows him to walk among human’s without detection, he is capable of making minor alterations to this form, however, much like “changing from one form to another” is very painful as it completely alters his body’s structure and physiology in certain aspects. He never changes form because of this, as it causes unnecessary pain.
Half-breeds are considered abominations in Empire Nirvana, Baldur accepts that he is an abomination and embraces his heritage... Much to the displeasure of Ace.
Baldur’s eye colour and luminescence is a common trait among Wyvern’s which has caused him to theorise that somewhere in his bloodline one of his ancestors actively copulated with a Wyvern. However, any attempt to confirm his theory has met with failure since his recorded family tree actually skips several generations of his ancestors, it doesn’t confirm Baldur’s theory, but it does make him think that his ancestors were ashamed enough to censor several generations worth of Vauxx blood.
Age: 317
Race: Half-breed
Sex: Male
Occupation: “Hidden Blade” of Nemesis Morona
Allegiance: His Brother and Nemesis Morona
Physical Description:
6’3” Baldur is relatively well muscled from years spent in intensive training, however, his build is closer to “regulated” as opposed to being too well muscled. So he is not built enough for his muscle-mass to stand out.
Much like his build many of Baldur’s facial features seem to be regulated, while he’s far from ugly, he isn’t exactly dashingly handsome either; in fact, his face looks almost startlingly average. It is merely given more definition by the fact that the only defining feature on his face is a thin scar running from just above his right eyebrow and down his right cheek and ending at his jaw. Other than that there isn’t a great deal that stands out about his face.
His hair is an almost pitch-black colour with no variation in it whatsoever. Reaching roughly half way down his back, Baldur keeps even his long hair in order and has it firmly tied back into a neat pony-tail.
His eyes are what set him apart from other people however; they are of a strange yellowish-gold colour which glow very softly when he is stood in strong direct light –almost unnoticeable during day hours-. However, in the darkness (during night hours or in dark areas in general) the odd luminescence of his eyes persists, however, it is still only a gentle glow, noticeable, but not glaringly obvious.
It should be noted, that the skin on his torso, arms and legs looks to be spread unevenly over his body. While in some areas it looks as it should, in others his skin seems much thinner and tauter than it should do, giving certain patches of his skin an almost translucent quality to them which gives a distorted view of the muscle tissue beneath. However, Baldur keeps this hidden beneath his clothes.
His dress sense also reflects a sense of high regulation and formality. An open-front button-up vest sits beneath a likewise open-front, button-up and knee length formal dull-white robe with a black thread trim. The robe itself has a low opening at the front, ending at the top of Baldur’s chest; this opening allows the robe to keep the formal black cravat Baldur has around his neck in place as it is tucked neatly into the robe.
The robe is constantly buttoned up. (The buttons end at the waist, so as not to restrict movement.)
Other than a formal pair of black trousers and a similarly formal pair of shin length buckle boots there is little else adorning Baldur’s form other than a small gold and amethyst brooch on his cravat. Baldur doesn’t follow a “dress to impress” philosophy, he just keeps his appearance regulated.
On a final note, his right forearm is covered by a plain gold bracer –this is normally covered by his sleeve- which serves as a parrying tool for combat.
Personality:
Baldur is a very calm and collected individual; in fact, he’s calm to a point that many would deem to be unsettling. He is reserved, and relatively formal, which at times can border on awkwardness when he interacts with other people. To top it all off he also takes a very no-nonsense stance with people, which, when couples with everything else can sometimes make Baldur come off as cold, however, this is simply not true.
To compliment his calm formality, Baldur places a high value on professionalism. He prefers to get things done and quickly, this holds true in most of his actions. But, more so in combat, Baldur views combat as a profession and that one should never hold back or treat combat as anything other than a profession, every battle should be fought as though it is the combatants last. To do anything other than that is unprofessional.
People that don’t take combat seriously or end up treating combat as a game baffle Baldur beyond words, combat is a profession where payment is the continuation of life, to treat that with levity is reprehensible conduct that should not happen.
During combat the calm and professional discipline that Baldur is most known for is seen in full force, he is always in complete control of his actions and never allows emotion to interfere with the moves he makes in combat. As if to demonstrate how in control of himself and how disciplined he is in combat Baldur fights strictly under the mantra of “one-cut-one-kill” only ever drawing his blade from its sheath in order to land the killing blow, or, if he really needs it.
During moments of rest, or just general silence where there is little to do Baldur enjoys reading. When he has nothing better to do he can usually be found with his nose in a book or some other form of reading material that he finds interesting.
However, Baldur rarely reads for leisure, under the firm belief that knowledge is power Baldur usually reads in order to gain knowledge. And his acquisition of knowledge isn’t simply limited to reading, no, he has all kinds of means at his disposal in order to acquire knowledge that he may find useful. He hoards his knowledge, often using it to bribe and blackmail people when the situation calls for such action, however, Baldur loathes giving information that does grant him power to other people, it is his knowledge, and he guards it well.
Only one person sees Baldur’s proverbial “other side”, and that is his younger brother, Ace. He holds a deep-seated and unconditional love for his younger brother, whom he would do anything for. He would kill for his younger brother, he would die for his younger brother, no task is too great and no sacrifice is too much for his younger brother. And while he would never “baby” or coddle Ace, Baldur is fiercely protective of him. Ace is the only family that Baldur has left, and he would do anything to keep him alive.
Trying to threaten the safety of Ace to get to Baldur is a bad decision, for when he is riled Baldur’s anger is something of a fearsome sight. He has control of his anger in this state and is more than capable of remaining in control and allowing his fury to add to his strength.
Finally, Baldur forces himself into a sense of detachment, Ace may be the only family that Baldur has left, but, his younger brother is a pure-breed human and has already turned down magical procedures that would elongate his life indefinitely. The knowledge that Baldur will out-live his younger brother is something that causes him pain, and it is pain that he will always keep to himself, he has to be strong, for Ace.
Cursed Blade: Findinokhind:
The Cursed Blade: Findinokhind is a katana-esque blade that has quite the reputation within the Vauxx bloodline. Forged a little over 1,000 years ago by a now nameless non-human smith it is a Warlord-forged weapon of the finest quality, the craftsmanship of the blade itself is matched only by the skill of other Warlord-smiths.
The Long and slender blade gleams brilliantly in the light, never dulls nor does it show signs of wear and tear, the surface of the blade is also highly reflective which causes very little blood to stick to the blade, because of this it also never requires cleaning. It is a marvel of Warlord craft, the blade itself is constructed of a metal not found in this world. The cross-guard is constructed of a dark-metal that seems to share the texture and consistency of gold, the pommel of the weapon is tipped with the same metal.
However, the reputation of this blade stems from its title “The Cursed Blade”, The first Warlord of the Vauxx bloodline was a paranoid elitist and firmly believed that if that this blade fell into the hands of outsiders, then it would no longer be fit for him, nor any of his future successors to wield. So, during its construction he had his best mages work in tandem with the smith in order to forge powerful curses into the blade itself.
Only two of the curses forged into the blade are now known by the bloodline, and one of them is a trigger-curse. Should any from outside the Vauxx bloodline attempt to wield this blade the trigger-curse trips and forces the hand of the potential wielder to remain closed around the blade, from there a second curse comes into effect which causes the weight of the blade to rapidly and continually increase. Eventually the weight puts enough strain on the body to kill the wielder, unless the curses are counter-acted, or until the potential wielder is killed before the curses become fatal for them.
It is known that there are many more curses forged into the blade; however, their nature has never been discovered as the mages that had cursed the blade were soon killed by Warlord Vauxx who then used their essence to ensure that the curses would be indefinitely self-sustaining.
This is the basis for its reputation, with no idea what the other curses do or how they work the Vauxx Bloodline has maintained a cautious sense of fear of this blade ever since. The fear of the unknown has only caused the reputation of The Cursed Blade to become greater over its 1,000 year life, tales of it often becoming distorted by myth.
History:
Born as the half-breed son of Warlord Vauxx it was only natural that Baldur would become his father’s heir. So, of course it was also only natural that from birth Baldur would have the weight of enormous expectations bearing down on him for most of, if not all of his young life. However, Baldur was strong, and would not be crushed by the weight of the expectations that were thrust upon him, that much had become obvious from an early age.
Up until the age of ten Baldur was taught at home by his mother and father, learning the importance behind the call of blood, how family mattered over all else. Among other things such as his duties as a future Warlord, and how he should strive to excel and live up to the name Vauxx. Alongside this he was also taught the history of his heritage in full detail, and very slowly, had the expectations that were placed upon him explained. Baldur each lesson to heart, making sure that he paid careful attention to everything his father was saying, resolving, even at his young age to make his father proud.
At the age of ten Baldur’s father walked him through the rite that his family simply knew as “The Long Walk”, a rite in which saw Baldur actually begin his tutelage as the son of a Warlord. The Long Walk is named as such since it is the only time in which the Warlord parent will take the conventional route to their allied grounds. During this time Baldur’s father told him of his own accomplishments, and fully explained the expectations that he had of Baldur as opposed to what everyone else expected of him.
As always, Baldur listened to what his father had to say intently, resolving still to make him proud. Upon the end seventh day Baldur and his father arrived at a monastery. It was here that Baldur was given The Cursed Blade and introduced to his three mentors.
The monastery was a hidden training ground for the families of several allied Warlords, along with a sect of warrior monks. Baldur’s tutelage began the day after his father left for home.
Baldur’s tutelage was intensive, he had very little time to himself, if he wasn’t studying he was training and if he wasn’t training he was being taught the importance of various things that mattered to a Warlord, and if he wasn’t being taught those then he was being taught of the exceptionally high value of discipline and self control. It was within the first month of his tutelage that Baldur willingly undertook an oath of celibacy, forsaking the pleasures of the flesh.
Things continued this way, the only deviation being that once per-week he would get a visit from his father in order to give Baldur some tutelage of his own. During those days Baldur had even less time to himself, the lessons on those days ending only when his father had to leave to do other things. But, Baldur didn’t crack, he didn’t let the pressure get to him and he excelled, pulling ahead of his peers –several of which were also the spawn of other Warlords- rapidly.
Once, every ten years there would be a coming of age ceremony for the oldest students within the monastery, whom had finished their tutelage. This was marked by a large trial-by-combat event which pitted each student against each other in supervised –non-lethal- combat; it was all friendly and was meant simply to allow the students to blow-off steam. However, as a future Warlord Baldur was expected to participate in and place-first in each of these events, as were all other future Warlords.
These events often closed with two future Warlords facing-off against each other, leaving the rest of the –now former- students in awe as the fight progressed. Baldur, of course always managed to place-first in these events, and only once was his final opponent not of Warlord blood, it was this opponent that taught Baldur, in only a single fight that pure-breed human’s were not to be underestimated.
Baldur’s tutelage finished at the age of 80, and, as always there was a trial-by-combat event to mark the occasion. With the Warlord parents of those participating gathered –Baldur’s father included- the event lasted longer than usual, with each fight being an intense struggle. However, as always, Baldur prevailed and placed-first. But, he was not finished, no; he still had his father’s expectations to fulfil.
Stood in the middle of the arena, Baldur issued a challenge to his three mentors. A three-on-one fight to the death, as proof that Baldur had surpassed them. His challenge was met with enthusiasm and the final-fight began swiftly.
As Baldur had expected it was the most intense fight that he had ever had –at least up to that point- it was a fight that tested him to his limits and then pushed him past them, he even suffered a small wound on the right side of his face. Even now Baldur has no idea how long the fight stretched on for, but by the time it had ended Baldur was the last man left standing. Having surpassed and killed all three of his mentors in three-on-one combat, Baldur had surpassed the expectations of those around him, and had fulfilled the expectations of his father.
However, it was not an outcome that Baldur could immediately be happy with, no, still holding great respect and affection for his three mentors he buried them himself, performing their send-offs in accordance with their beliefs. The resulting ceremony lasted two days, neither of which Baldur slept for.
Before Baldur could do anything with his life, he had one last trial. And that was to face his father in one-on-one combat, the reason behind that was to show that Baldur at the very least was his father’s equal, so nothing less than a draw was an acceptable outcome. Given a week to prepare Baldur took full advantage of the time allotted to him, studying his father’s background and just generally preparing himself in any way possible.
A large arena was prepared; the entirety of his father’s army was present, cheering. There was only tense silence between Baldur and his father as they faced-off. No words were exchanged between them, no taunts, no threats of death or pain, they just started suddenly. This was a fight that was on a different level entirely; never before had Baldur faced someone so skilled, so powerful. However, Baldur was as determined as he always was, he didn’t let the pressure get to him, and he didn’t crack under the strain. He kept himself under control and eventually the fight ended with both Baldur and his father on their backs, unable to get back up again.
The following celebrations after both Baldur and his father had been nursed back to full health were grand in scale, no expense had been spared. And while Baldur enjoyed what he could of the festivities he did not allow himself to become too involved with them, he was on the path to becoming a Warlord so it would have been unacceptable for him to do so.
The following weeks were filled with travel preparation for Baldur, he had been offered to become a tutor at the monastery he had learned from, but, he turned their offer down. He was only 80 years of age and didn’t want to bog himself down with unnecessary responsibilities before he succeeded his father, he had decided instead to travel Empire Nirvana to further educate himself. He wouldn’t have to worry about the common rabble or even the Hunters, he was the son of a Warlord after all, and he was too well trained for them.
He spent time travelling as he had intended to, however, his identity drew the wrong attention, a fact that he learned the hard way as he spent several years in Empire Nirvana’s Hallowed Capital. There he met an unfriendly Warlord, an enemy of his father, knowing that he was ill prepared to face a Warlord Baldur fled. His trip lasted only several hours as the hostile Warlord managed to close the distance impossibly quickly, so, with no options left to him Baldur stood and fought. It was here, for the first time in his life that Baldur made history.
Despite being outnumbered Baldur overcame the odds and not only killed the guard-corps of his enemy, but the Warlord himself. Knowing that this kill would definitely not go unnoticed Baldur continued to travel, visiting several other places of importance within the Empire, even going far enough to visit the Forsaken Land, the land in which the pure-breed humans had first invaded the land that was now Empire Nirvana from.
It was there that Baldur was attacked again.
The armies of the first Warlord had been thrown into disarray without their leader, and as such had been dissolved into the armies of another Warlord, and it was this Warlord that now confronted Baldur, and ally of the now deceased Warlord. However, this one was foolish, instead of using vast numbers to crush Baldur he had decided to confront Baldur by himself, the sentiment was flattering, but, when Baldur had his enemy on his knees it only got him a painless death as opposed to the mercy he ended up begging for.
With a second Warlord kill to his name Baldur had made history once more. However, Baldur did not stop, he left the corpse where it had fallen and fled once more, this time crossing Empire Nirvana and fleeing to the Isle of Freedom.
The reputation of The Hunter’s was enough to cause even Warlords hesitation on entering that Isle, a fact which Baldur took advantage of.
He spent some time travelling the land, witnessing many historical events. He grew comfortable there, even managing to live among The Hunter’s discreetly for some years. Baldur learned a lot from living among The Hunter’s, the value of the true history behind their founding, their original intention and why The Isle of Freedom had been cut-off from the rest of the Empire. Learned the unexpected had intrigued Baldur, and it is here that he was able to learn to appreciate the power that knowledge granted.
Baldur spent many years hiding among The Hunter’s continually learning from them, and being able to move freely among them allowed him to travel wherever he wanted among the Isle they clearly dominated, so he was able to keep his skills sharp and prevent them from going to waste.
One day, however, he received a message from his mother, she had given birth to a child and his father was trying to kill the baby. Baldur immediately packed everything he had acquired from his travels and started to make his way back to a point that would allow him to get back home, and once more Baldur found himself confronted by a Warlord.
This one was intelligent enough to bring a portion of her army with her; however, facing steep odd Baldur once more fought, it was what he was best at, after all. This time, with outside knowledge augmenting what he already knew Baldur was easily able to overcome the elitist “honour” of the Warlords army –had he been a Hunter, his actions here would have earned him the title “Legionslayer”- and dispatch them. He was the son of a Warlord; throwing fodder at him was ill advised.
And thus began Baldur’s third and final encounter with a Warlord, as expected the fight was one that he would remember, but eventually he stood over his latest history-making kill, tired, but with no time to stop. He had a younger brother to save, and if he allowed any harm to come to that infant, Baldur would never forgive himself.
When he returned home he went to check on his mother and younger brother first, it was there he learned that his mother had been unfaithful to his father and had given birth to a pure-breed human boy. Disgusted by the actions of both his parents Baldur devised a plan. Keeping his mother hidden he waited around in silence until his father was sleeping and after dispatching his father’s guards silently delivered a fatal blow to his father as he slept.
However, his father woke up as the wound was inflicted, on one knee Baldur apologised to his father for the act against him, but an attempt to kill his younger brother was unforgivable, that the call of blood took priority over all else and that he wished there could have been another way, but the well being of his little brother came first. It was at that point Baldur got a response that he had not been expecting; his father lovingly put his hand on the back of Baldur’s head and told Baldur how proud he was of him before passing.
He didn’t stop, there would be uproar once his father’s army discovered what Baldur had done, so, he took his mother and little brother from the manor and fled. Finding an out-of-the-way village Baldur hid them there, allowing his mother to raise his little brother until he was three years old before killing her for betraying his father after all he had done for her. He made sure that her death was painless, however, and also granted her one final request before he killed her. He would keep the name she had given his younger brother, Ace; his brother’s name was Ace.
He spent several years moving around as much as possible in order to keep Ace safe, after four years Baldur eventually made his way to a secluded monastery for Pyromancers. In exchange for Baldur’s services as a guardian they granted both him and his brother sanctuary, here they were able to relax and find a measure of peace, and Baldur spent the time he had alone with Ace teaching him the values that his father had taught him.
After growing accustomed to life among the Pyromancers Baldur was one day called from his guard duties to their grandest halls. When he arrived he learned of Ace’s decision and of his subsequent action of becoming a Pyromancer, knowing exactly what the Art of Pyromancy was like Baldur was not happy with his younger brother’s decision. However, having already given up his future as a Warlord for Ace, and following his brother’s explanation behind his decision Baldur had decided that it was Ace’s decision to make, and that he would help him in any way he could.
Three years later the monastery was attacked, panicking, Baldur took stock of the warriors amassing at the front gates of the Pyromancers home. They were former warriors of his father’s army, Baldur offered to join their defence efforts, however, the Pyromancers refused his offer and instead showed him a hidden passage out of the monastery. Baldur protested at first, but the Pyromancers insisted that they would defend their home until death and knew that Baldur would do the same for his younger brother. In the end, they had reasoned that Baldur backing both himself and Ace into a corner would not be helpful to either of them, so they fled, leaving the Pyromancers to fight for their home... Baldur still regrets his decision.
They spent some weeks on the run once more, this time their struggle ceased when they met a historical figure. Baldur knew this man Nemesis Morona from history, he knew of the lies surrounding his banishment even before he had started his tutelage, but however, he still held a sense of distrust toward Nemesis Morona... But, he was able to conclude that following Morona would be the best protection he could give Ace, not even Warlords approached Nemesis Morona if they were planning on being hostile toward him. And his plan to leave Empire Nirvana for other lands, Baldur knew; that this was his best chance to protect Ace.
To the masses the journey to follow Baldur’s alliance with Morona has been largely uneventful, however, Baldur knows better. He has been entrusted with an important line of work by Nemesis Morona, the “Hidden Blade” is a unit that takes action from the dark, allowing his monarch full deniability for his actions. Already, Baldur has been passing valuable information to Morona and has even quietly killed two Hunter’s whom were hidden among the people following Morona, he looks forward to finding a place to settle, a place where he will be able to protect his younger brother by any means necessary.
Notes:
Baldur carries the name Vauxx and has Ace carry the name Vauxx because he still holds a high level of respect for his father, and taking his name is the only way he can show that respect now that his father is dead.
Both Baldur and Ace learned English manually, and while their accent is still present and noticeable it is much more subtle than Solomon’s is.
Baldur fights using Iaido (At least I’m sure that’s what the style is called)
Physically he is more than capable of keeping up with Elves and matching their speed and strength, however, magically he is comparable to a human and is bound by their limitations.
Baldur is magically capable, however, he relies more on his intelligence to get the better of his foes as opposed to using powerful spells.
He surpassed his Mentors and became his father’s equal in terms of melee combat.
The Human form that Baldur walks around in, in a very technical sense is both what he really looks like and not. The reason for this is because it’s actually a highly evolved camouflage reflex that allows him to walk among human’s without detection, he is capable of making minor alterations to this form, however, much like “changing from one form to another” is very painful as it completely alters his body’s structure and physiology in certain aspects. He never changes form because of this, as it causes unnecessary pain.
Half-breeds are considered abominations in Empire Nirvana, Baldur accepts that he is an abomination and embraces his heritage... Much to the displeasure of Ace.
Baldur’s eye colour and luminescence is a common trait among Wyvern’s which has caused him to theorise that somewhere in his bloodline one of his ancestors actively copulated with a Wyvern. However, any attempt to confirm his theory has met with failure since his recorded family tree actually skips several generations of his ancestors, it doesn’t confirm Baldur’s theory, but it does make him think that his ancestors were ashamed enough to censor several generations worth of Vauxx blood.
