Baluk Valeir
Baluk Valeir
The son of Admiral Michar and Sera, Baluk Valeir stands front-and-center on the world's stage as three separate nations teeter on the precipice of war. In his hands, in his mind, is the power to shape and re-create the world at his will, for his is the role of Champion for Abbias, though he will not know it for a bit more time.
And to be the Champion of a Quarreling God is to be at the forefront of the world's turnings.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Birth and Estrangement from His Mother
Baluk's birth held little pomp beyond a wind that never seemed to flow in one direction. He was born to Sera and Michar Valeir on the 21st of Enlilian, 998 AD, in the town of Rovasa. Almost right away, as she held him in her arms, his mother Sera sensed something within the boy. Whether it was the powers that would, in their time, awake within him, or the effect those very powers would have, she perceived them to be a great evil and sought, very near the beginning of the child's life, to get herself as far away from him as possible. And she did. Little more than two years later, Sera Valeir fled to north Hian with the newborn Taileo Valeir (Baluk's brother) and never looked back. At the time, this had little effect on the boy, but that began opening a rift Baluk would never quite identify in his life. However, Sera's departure devastated Michar, then commander of Rovasa's guard, and made him all the more protective of his now-only son.Childhood and Growing up with the Faloran Twins
Michar Valeir's position as commander of Rovasa's guard afforded him consistent interaction with Rigus Faloran, lord of the lands that included Rovasa, Sheris, and Khyronstral. Naturally, a friendship grew between the two military men, and this friendship extended into their young children. Baluk took especially to Rigus's two youngest children, the twins Ezrin and Celira Faloran. In the fledgling days of their friendship, the sight of the three of them trying to climb the walls of Ivory Keep or splashing in the networks of creeks in the Aigan Forest or building forts of sticks and leaves in those same woods or playing Knight and Thief in the western fields or reenacting the battles their fathers told them about in the eastern fields was all too common. In those early days, the three seldom journeyed without each other. In Ezrin, Baluk found another boy who loved the histories of knights and valor, of war and conquest, of the gods and their hands in mortal affairs. Theirs was a friendship so much like any two boys; the limits of their imaginations were the only restraints on their play, and there were no limits on the words they shared. In Celira, however, Baluk found even more than the deep kinship he held with Ezrin. If ever, in the whole history of Galdrilas, there were kindred spirits united, it was in the relationship between Baluk Valeir and Celira Faloran. This may come only naturally; the two were both bearers of Champion-caliber abilities, and that linked them together from the start, even before their powers manifested. There was seldom a joy Baluk had that Celira also did not delight in, and rarer still a grief Baluk bore that Celira did not also carry.Raen Farthen
As he grew from early childhood into adolescence, Baluk came to befriend a young man near his age named Raen Farthen. Raen and his family had served the Valeirs for decades, and eventually, their constant interaction meant Baluk and Raen would inevitably become friends. Raen was fiercely protective of Baluk and any who accompanied him, which meant Raen was also usually present in the adventures Baluk, Ezrin, and Celira undertook in Rovasa. But in stark contrast to the warmth of those friendships, Baluk and Raen often clashed and quarreled, and most of the time, they did it with words and ideas, even when they were young. But whatever rough edges of theirs collided, they remained friends throughout the duration of their childhoods, the War for Whitecrest which took the innocence of so many, and into the days they spent as acolyte and sworn sword in Ara.The Blessing of Daromis
Humankind's relationship with the skivas has always been replete with gifts and blessings exchanged both ways, and Baluk Valeir was not the first to receive a blessing specifically from the skivas. The effect of his blessing, however, is, as far as all recorded history knows, unique. Most typically, a skivan blessing gives the beneficiary an extended, healthy life. This no doubt stems from the skivan worship of the goddess Eveyla and her influence in the world as a life-giver. And when Daromis Eydrial journeyed into Hian to visit with the humans he had sworn to protect, he thought much the same would happen when he extended his hand to a boy he thought in need of healing from merely a look. Fronen connected the two ever so briefly with golden chords, and the power slumbering within the young Valeir sprang to life. But the boy was far too young and ill-prepared to accept the weight of Abbias' power, and a fracture opened itself forever within his mind. Indeed, it seemed the Blessing exaggerated some of the qualities the child already had: curiosity, gentleness bordering on (and often crossing into) timidity, empathy for all living things, and, unbeknownst to those closest to him at the time, a connection to the realm of the divine. However, it must be stated that Baluk's encounter with Daromis at first seemed a curse to him, for the Blessing subjected him to night terrors he often described as visions "of a world of lights and flame and time's rending". When waking, the Blessing made him manic and unpredictable at times. It was clear the ramifications of the Blessing triggered episodes of intense pain, seemingly without a definitive source in his body. In the earliest days after these episodes emerged, he would often disappear for days. When he returned to those who knew him, they would take note of how bloodshot and wide his eyes always were, as if the terrors that plagued his dreams had somehow afflicted his waking. Bereft of any way to help his son on his own, Michar Valeir submitted him to the care of the healers of Rovasa, whose knowledge of the material world, as well as their piety, allowed them to understand, to some extent, the struggles Baluk faced.Relationship with Celira Faloran
One cannot mention healers, especially in the Set'ami and Champion Wars era, without naming the greatest healer of all time, Celira Faloran. Baluk and Celira, as mentioned before, grew up together, and their roles in the divine play, while mostly unknown at the time, showed foretastes of what was to come, even when they were young. During Baluk's deepest, most painful episodes following his skivan Blessing, Celira would often be the one to find him, whether from the connection they later shared or from the innate tuning of Eveyla stirring within her, we do not know. Her healing powers--present in her from nearly infancy--were the only balm for Baluk's mind, and their friendship (and eventual romantic engagement) may well have saved the boy from a lifetime of madness."Take my hand, Luka," whispered Celira. Baluk might have mistaken her for mother in that moment, but he couldn't open his eyes to meet her. So, when she felt her hand slide into his, tears sprang to his eyes. There were so many hands, so many claws and voices grasping at his mind, but hers was the only one that mattered now. "Just listen to me," she began to tone her voice as a song, and the dull red behind his closed eyes was the sign of her power starting to flow. With her voice followed the radiance that comes after a storm."
War for Whitecrest
(To be continued)
Current Location
Year of Birth
998 PS
3021 Years old
Children
Eyes
Wide, bright, and amber
Hair
Ear-length, wild, and sand
Height
5'8"
Weight
155 lbs
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