Balin Sketch
Early Life[edit]
The earliest known incident involving Balin Xiv Sketch was a bandit raid. One of the Aiphe caravans were assaulted by a group of bandits, and among them, the young Aiphe was the only survivor, when the Wreckage was found by the Hellhounds of Nalian. Training would continue for a number of years as Balin awakened to his magical potential, the ability to manipulate wind. It’s during these younger years that Balin adopted the complex that would shape his life.
“There are those with the ability to control mana, and those without it. The fact that I can mean something. It means I am a god. And it means others can be too.”
This was met with various results. There were some who treated the Hellhound commander as a mad man. There were those who respected him. And there were those who insulted him. It was this attitude that would drive him from the Hellhounds, being kicked out by the Leader Persephone for refusing to take back his divine claims. And it was stated that it was for similar reasons that he participated in the tournament of Nalian. Not to win, but it was stated that the God of Storms sought simply to maim a girl who had done him an insult. Following this, he would be defeated by the Warsinger in battle. But there was little time for him to focus on that.
The Bandit War[edit]
The Children of the Sand attacked Tarn soon after the finish of the tournament, and the participants had chosen to rush there, the Stormgod among them. Seeing the ruin of the homeland of the Aiphe, Balin would decide that he was finished with his work in Nalian. Dismissed from the Hellhounds prior, Balin would move to Tarn along with others, going to regrow his homeland and fix it after the damage done by the bandits. This would become his permanent residence for days to come.
It was during this period of time that Balin and Felsen Skarn would become friends, as well as the earliest time where the Stormgod was known for being social. It was said that he dated Nuwa Long during this period, the Esche he would eventually marry. He made friends with Dario, and Agrelite, working with them to best restore the village. He even worked to mend the relationship between himself and Tielle, the woman he maimed during a Nalian duel.
However, it was not a time of peace. The War against the Children of the Sand picked up, and the anti-bandit forces would find themselves aided by the Spirit of the desert, Ladis. The Desert Moth spirit granted boons to the five who had been chosen to make a pilgrimage to her shrine, granting Balin a staff that he would often be seen carrying, allowing him to control the southern winds.
It was stated that among the bandits, Balin found himself a rival in Centerfold, fighting him at the apex of the war. The God of Storms reportedly sent the Aiphe into the mountain and a massive detonation occurred, only barely stopping it from harming others. And it was also stated that the one who eventually killed the leader of the bandits, Niah, was Balin himself, after Ladis had chosen for her death. And so much was quiet for a time… But quiet times do not last.
Reign of an Emperor[edit]
For a century, the Aiphe known as Balin Sketch would lead his followers to new heights. Balin would often be described as manic, ever speaking of his desires to be a god, and to see humanity transcend what they were to be gods as well. This often led to Balin trying to obtain artifacts, or greater innovation to channel more mana and magical strength. It is due to this that a lot of Isegrad’s focus tends to be of Sorcery and Artificery, of exploring newer fields of magic and less natural fields of magic in the world.
It was during this time that Balin began to enact the four tenets of Isegrad, the four ideals he gave to those who would follow his path.
1.Magic is the key to the stars; if not in my lifetime, then in the next.
2.An individual must pursue their own success without forsaking their virtues.
3.Legends connect us to our ancestors, and stories connect the next generation to the last.
4.Godhood is obtainable for those with the will to pursue it.
However, during the year 750 AC, fifty years after the Bandit War, Balin would start to become aware of his own mortality. It is said that while he was happy with his power, and with his relationship with Nuwa Long, his wife by this time, the so called God of Storms was deeply aggravated by the loss of power, loss of pride, or loss of possessions. To prevent this from occurring, Balin would eventually seek out the rumors of a great being deeper within the Desica Desert. While the full details on how this happened was unclear, one thing is certain;
Balin met Zahhak, the Dragon of Fire, and made a deal with them. From this Deal, Balin was granted a boon, an increase of power. However, this boon, this increase of power, was not enough to sate the ever greedy Emperor. Balin sought more, Balin sought immorality. However, the public record states it was not to be.
Disappearance[edit]
The Public Records of Isegrad hold that in 800 AC, Balin Sketch died without fulfilling his ultimate goal. The circumstances of the death aren’t stated in reccord, some suspect poisoning, some suspect that in an attempt to gain more power, his own storms destroyed him.
The fact is that Balin died…?
It was this death that solidified Isegrad as a Nation.
Trivia[edit]
Due to the lack of information on how Balin died, some suspect that he never perished at all…