Valdrik

Prince Valdrik Vandolph Nordrilark (a.k.a. Bjark)

"You are going to destroy the world someday. I just think you should know that."

- Marx

Also known as "Unis' Father Frost," Prince Valdrik Nordrilark is the soon-to-be successor to and son of King Gwarvyn Nordrilark. The unique circumstances surrounding his birth initially left the people of Ursund uneasy, yet Valdrik found no issues fitting into society. After coming of age, Valdrik founded a team of adventurers to journey the land in search of glory, status, and, most importantly, a cure for his dying father's illness.
Note from Marx: The main reason he's such a problem is that he simply knows too much for his own good. No, really, he's a little shit. It's Morgan's fault.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Rough Beginnings

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Valdrik’s birth was unexpected. King Gwarvyn Nordilark posed a problem to the people of Ursund when he had grown old and hadn’t a wife. As thanks for ending Segoma’s reign, King Nordrilark was granted a single wish. Understanding that his kingdom needed an heir (and untrusting of his cousins to do the job), King Nordrilark wished for a son fit to be a king.
So came Valdrik Nordrilark in 5579 A.A., born from this wish. His birth sparked controversy from the other two branches of Nordilark, with the leaders of each criticizing the king for such "wanton use of divine magic" and "a disgrace to the Nordilark bloodline." It was Xeimos, an old friend of King Nordrilark (and Chosen of Sarenrae), who chimed in with a helpful "If you believe you can perform better than King Nordrilark, feel free to ask him to retire." The bolder of the two leaders, Hoggard Nordrilark, visited the king at his doorstep and did just that. In response, King Nordrilark challenged Hoggard to a duel. Despite the King's illness, Hoggard was sent home in bruises.
Begrudgingly, the three branches of Nordrilark accepted Valdrik as the heir to the throne, though the prince's childhood years weren't easy. Valdrik stood out from other dwarves due to his uncanny resemblance to duergar. It was no secret that the Nordrilarks had duergar blood, but they had all but separated themselves from their ancestors. As Valdrik was a reminder of this fact, he was hated, and King Nordrilark, in his attempts to protect Valdrik from public scorn, inadvertently made the prince a shut-in.

A Second Life

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Valdrik grew up out of touch with society, having interacted with barely anyone aside from his father’s friends, but he adapted quickly. When Valdrik was allowed to leave the house, King Nordrilark instructed him to wear a charm to hide his appearance. At home, he was Valdrik, but in the outside world, he was known as Bjark, a pureblood mountain dwarf. King Nordrilark made sure Valdrik understood the dangers of revealing himself, so Valdrik didn’t have any qualms.
Fortunately for the prince, his natural charisma endeared his alter ego to many of his clan. Bjark was known as a very odd dwarf, airheaded with sparing moments of clarity. Bjark brought an unrelenting cheerfulness wherever he went, and it seemed like he was always ready to work for the sake of working. If it seemed like Bjark would move mountains for someone he met a day ago, it was because he would. What compelled him was circumstance; “Why not?” he would ask.

A Second Chance

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In 5609 A.A., King Nordrilark was visited by a man named Dr. Leviticus Morgan, Esquire. Despite their shaky past, Valdrik’s presence made the discussion an amicable one. It was Morgan who suggested Valdrik finally quit living as someone else. As Valdrik had just turned 30, King Nordrilark gingerly agreed. Fortunately for the prince, the allies he’d made as Bjark had accepted him as Valdrik, to the shock of King Nordrilark. Times had changed, and it looked as though Valdrik could finally have a life of his own. King Nordrilark thanked Dr. Morgan for the suggestion. Before taking his leave, the devil said one last thing.

"If you will, inform your son that my debt to him has been paid."

Education

Valdrik was homeschooled since his childhood. Though he was by no means skilled, Valdrik was excellent at retaining information. King Nordrilark noted that Valdrik had a strong aptitude for magic, so he encouraged the prince to study whenever possible. King Nordrilark, though not the strongest mage in the Nordrilark clan, was well-read and known for his adaptability, and his son took after him in many ways.
In time, Valdrik became a relatively strong mage in his own right, dangerous, if anything. He had his father’s adaptability as well as a knack for raw power. He studied the intricacies of rhupite and affixed a small piece to the charm that cloaked his identity.
The faction he was most interested in was the Oculon. After seeing the achievements of Amberhold, Valdrik suggested journeying abroad, having heard much of Prostesa’s industrial revolution. After visiting Garvinel and Bergeron, Valdrik has developed a habit of reverse-engineering any machine he encounters.
An Irresistible Offer
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Unknown to King Nordrilark, he was only one of Valdrik’s two instructors. The other was Dr. Leviticus Morgan, Esquire. Their partnership consisted of very brief sessions over an extended period (presumably years), but their conversations always bore fruit.
Note from Loremaster Kh’Vur: The following information was taken from Marx.
King Nordrilark said something along the lines of “If you’re so curious, talk to him yourself.” So, that was what Valdrik did. There was a nursery rhyme that children often sang to summon him, and Valdrik had heard of it once or twice. He never expected it to work, but while King Nordrilark was away handling diplomacies, Mr. Morgan appeared before him. Without knowing anything about the devil he was speaking to, Valdrik took a shine to him almost immediately. Morgan came to snatch the spare change Valdrik offered, but the devil wound up staying after Valdrik handed him a contract.
The devil, rightfully so, was skeptical, having been offered a faux-Faustian contract by a child of all people. In what Morgan recognized as amusement—often felt by himself—Valdrik smiled and began making a case for himself. There were three main points addressed:
1) As this contract was not written by any Archduke of Baator, it was invalid under Infernal law. The only way Valdrik could enforce this was through the Council of Ursund, and that would mean revealing his connection to Morgan, making this deal a criminal offense.
2) Even if Valdrik were a devil, he’d likely be under Morgan in rank, making the contract nonsensical as Valdrik would have no real authority to enforce it.
3) If Morgan refused to honor the contract, it would imply that Valdrik had some level of control over Morgan, including the authority to enforce the contract—it implies Morgan’s afraid of a child.
To prove that his words held weight, or to get Morgan to believe he was sincere, Valdrik produced 100 current standard Ursund mint platinum pieces. However the conversation may have continued, Morgan humored the boy and began the first of twelve years of instruction.
And then Morgan ruined this child for everyone.

Morality & Philosophy

Having come of age, though his heart was in the right place, Valdrik had no qualms about using every tool at his disposal to meet his goals. Though he often offset this fickle attitude by working off his crimes for no payment, Valdrik has often left trails of chaos where he walked. Still, his peers insist that, at the core of his being, Valdrik is a good person despite his actions.
Valdrik believes that the best way to solve social disputes is to learn to think like the opposing side. It’s through this mindset that Valdrik has made the most unlikely of allies, and it’s what helped him found New Arcana, his adventuring party. This mindset has, however, blurred Valdrik’s perception of right and wrong, though it can be argued (and Morgan certainly has) that this perception was stunted due to the circumstances of his birth.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

"Well, I don't have a reason not to do it."

The image above is of Valdrik's alter ego, "Bjark Ashbeard."

Alignment

Chaotic Good

Date of Birth

14th of Noxen, 5579 A.A.

Year of Birth

5579 AA 42 Years old

Circumstances of Birth

Wished for

Gender

Male

Eyes

Faded blue

Hair

Long, bushy, silver

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Dull gray

Height

5'0" or 1.5m

Weight

135 lbs or 61.2 kg

Quotes & Catchphrases

"It's a cultural thing!"

Known Languages

Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Halfling, Gnomish, Draconic, Infernal

Volatile Energy
Part of the reason Valdrik was hidden away from public eye was the nature of his divinity. It developed at a much younger age compared to most children and ceased to change. It's believed (by Loremaster Saalvunder) that the reason for this is because of the circumstances of his birth. Divinities at their core manifest from a being's life energy and force of will. Valdrik was known for having excessive amounts of the former, making his divinity extremely hard to control. 
It's effects are only broadly known, though it's documented that it is capable of "bestowing life," animating objects and boosting an individual's divinity to frightening extents at the cost of Valdrik's own life energy. However, he has simply so much life energy that expending it doesn't concern him, and he seems to regain this energy after a certain period of time. Effects of this amplification range from finer control, greater raw power, or even the alteration of the divinity in its entirety. Still, these effects are temporary, reliant on how long Valdrik is willing to supply the target with energy. He cannot control the effects himself, meaning he is gambling whenever he targets someone.