Balin Ill-fated

knight

Don't read further unless you had chosen the character!

52 yo. They call you Balin Ill-fated because misfortune had been your faithful mistress your whole life. Somehow it seems you have always chosen the wrong side to fight for. But finally, in the last war against Claudas, you had proved yourself worthy and got a piece of land and a small castle in Benoic. 

Christian
Your parents were Christians who had been burned alive by pagans. You hate all pagans.

“I might be the world’s most unhappy and unlucky man… but I won’t let you run away with your sins.”

They call you Balin Ill-fated because you had bad luck throughout your whole life.

Your parents were Christians spreading the word of God in the land but they have been burned at stake by the druid Kian and his mistress who persuaded the whole village to kill them. Orphaned, you became soldiers of the king. Later on, you found that druid Kian and killed him. In war, your king fought against Arthur and in the battle, you killed Arthur’s cousin. Spending one and a half years in prison, you have been pardoned. Wishing to repay for your sin, you had become the most loyal of Artur’s soldiers. But the temptation didn’t take its end. You have been seduced by Morgana, and later on by the queen Guinevere herself. 

You remained faithful to Morgana and you had been carrying her messages about Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere. Partly, you had been jealous, because you loved the queen and wanted her for yourself, but you also loved Morgana, and you could have neither one of them. But thanks to that you also know that she was raising Mordred and you learned he is a son of Arthur.

When Guinevere was accused of being an imposter (see False Guinevere blueprint), you took Lancelot‘s side (because you cared about Guinevere’s safety) and offered them refuge in your castle. Arthur took and destroyed the castle from you when the episode was over. You ended up as the only punished rebel. 

When Claudas imprisoned Queen’s cousin and maid Elyzabel, it sparkled a war. When Claudas released her, you were leading the convoy accompanying her home. She was in a horrible state. You were horrified and swear to avenge her. 

You proved yourself worthy during the war with Claudas, and Lionel, the new king of Benoic, gave you a piece of his land. That’s why you could offer a marriage to Elyzabel, cousin of the queen. You are engaged, but since Claudas is coming to the court and it is unclear who will have Benoic. Neither your future nor your lands are secured. 

You also took part in the Quest of the Holy Grail but reached nothing.

But the worst is happening now: the mistress of that druid who killed your parents came to the court. She is calling herself Nineve. You need to find a way to kill her. You also need to be sure that Claudas will not retrieve his lands and finally marry Elyzabel. 

Arthur: In your life, you had been serving many lords. Some of them were better, some of them worse. Arthur is just one of them. He made you rich, he made you poor, he made you knight, he made you prisoner. You don’t care to whom you serve if he is paying. 

Morgana: you were happy to do what she asked for. You loved her. It is a pity she never married you. Maybe you still could change it. 

Guinevere: how sweet was the queen. You slept with her only a few times and since then you envy Lancelot the happiness in her bed. You decided to be protecting her as a chivalrous knight. 

Mordred: Morgana’s nephew, Arthur’s son… He could claim the throne more than Gawain. And he might be a better king than Gawain. But everybody thinks he is Morgana’s son…

Lancelot: nice guy. You have just one reason to hate him – he is way too nice, way too strong, way too popular. 

Claudas: possible threat. If he is going to get back Benoic, you will lose your land. And what he did to Elyzabel was horrible. If you ever get an opportunity, you will kill him. Very… slowly…

Lionel: less perfect than Lancelot, but somehow you would prefer Bors on the throne of Benoic, because Bors is a true Christian. But Lionel gave you a piece of land and you have reason to be thankful. 

Elyzabel: she suffered a lot in King Claudas’ prison. You were the man to take her from him when he released her at the beginning of the war. You had been horrified. Now, it seems you could finally marry her. 

Nineve: when your parents were burning, she was watching and smiling. You already killed her lover. Now you are going to kill her. You don’t know what she is and you don’t care. 

From childhood, you had to survive somehow. Now you are old. You believe you deserve a little bit of comfort, gold, and peaceful life with a wife and kids, and servants. You don’t care who will provide it to you, you just want it. 

TODO

  1. Go to Morgana and offer her a marriage secretly. You still love her. You might also try to go to Roisin (Isolda’s maiden) and ask her for a love potion. They say she made one for Tristan and Isolde. 
  2. Together with Elyzabel arrange the wedding. Decide if you want to be wed by priest Patrick or by Camelot’s priest Eivyn.
  3. Find a way how to get revenge on Claudas for torturing Elyzabel. Maybe you could ambush his son Claudin and give him some beating. But you will at least 2 more men for this.
  4. Get sure you won’t lose your castle in Benoic. You can search for support from Arthur, Lionel, or – in the worst case – you might abandon your revenge and start to negotiate with Claudas and Claudin. You can also seek support from Mordred – blackmail him that you will tell Arthur about his origin unless he supports you. 
  5. The most important – find a way how to kill Nineve. You are not sure if she is vulnerable by a mere weapon, but you can seek help from Morgana, Merlin, or maybe Viviana, priests Patrick or Eivyn, or astronom Gariole
  6. Your friends Galeholt and Hector seem to be in great distress. See if you can support them somehow.