The Legend of Bālthazar 3rd Edition Volume One: Proof of Valor

FRAMING DEVICE: The Legend of Balthazar was originally written by Skáld-Sōbizel, composed in a more dramatic re-telling of events, only some of which she was present for. This was the 1st Edition but is not looked on favorably because Sōbizel seems more interested in telling a story than recounting history. Later, Inquisitor Mitsuyo, Lead Historical Researcher III of the Academy of Tarus A’bid would be commissioned to compose a 2nd Edition that sought to ground the work with facts and testimonials from people still around. This version of the tale, the 3rd Edition, was composed by Odindis Skorgrím, the granddaughter of Sir Balthazar. Odindis sought to keep Sōbizel’s flare for storytelling, maintaining the truth with the Academy’s research, and drawing logical conclusions where possible. Readers should take the events with a grain of salt as they are literally reading the third-hand account of an addendum written as a correction to a musical folk myth of a legendary knight almost 300+ years after the events took place.

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PROOF OF VALOR is the 1st Volume of the 3rd Edition of the Legend of Bālthazar, originally composed by Skáld-Sōbizel Summers, and presented by the Maiden Odindis, Princess of Atalland.

Plot points/Scenes

• Prologue; Introduction by way of Odindis Skorgrím establishing that the tale you are about to read is a re-telling of a re-telling of a musical written almost 300+ years ago by her time. Lady Odindis elaborates on Sōbizel’s perspective and then Mitsuyo’s before explaining her unique approach.
• Act 1; Balthazar meets Yad and Emeric in the Bedlam Realm. They begin their 5-year-long training under Round Tabel Knight Ar'Rygin.
• Intermission 1;
• Act 2; Balthazar, Yad, and Emeric embark on a quest to prove themselves to their Master. Assassins from the Sarkari Clan trying to kill Yad leave them stranded in the Realm of Tears. Balthazar finds and steals the sword God Shattering Star that belonged to his father Balkyth. They escape with the aid of a young child priest, Vaatu.
• Intermission 2;
• Act 3; Vaatu enlists their aid to save his mother from the once golden god Rakises who sustains himself from fruit harvested with the bodies of anointed priests. Yad and Emeric help the remaining priests escape. Balthazar kills Rakises, the 1st time anyone has been allowed to kill a God in ages. The dying Realm falls apart and they all escape.
• Intermission 3;
• Act 4; The USC prepares a new Chapter of Guardians to pair with the upcoming Chapter of Dragon Knights. They fear Mordred's weakness leaving them too vulnerable. Prince Melehan struggles to keep control of his father's Round Tabel who fear a billion enemies encircling them and question Mordred's legitimacy as King. Mirjam fights for the honor of forging the armor of the 7th Arcane Lord, striving to prove herself and restore her House to greatness. Queen Hermeline of House Reris makes the journey to Camelot to witness the Knighting of Balthazar, seeking to connect with the son of her distant cousin so he doesn't feel alone as she once did.
• Intermission 4;
• Act 5; Balthazar is officially armed by Mirjam Frey. He and the other Squires are Knighted by an aging King Mordred, assigned to the newly formed Knights of Valor with the new USC Chapter. Hermeline meets with Balthazar but he is only interested in moving forward, not looking backward. Master Ar'Rygin gifts Balthazar the ashes of his departed mother and the birthday present from her he never opened. He cries, he has yet to move past what happened. The Knights of Valor officially embark.
• Epilogue; an afterword by Odindis Skorgrím

ACT 1 serves as the introduction to our main characters and sets up their situation. ACT 2 marks the start of the unexpected journey and the dragon's lair. ACT 3 allows the main characters to display their skill and face the narrative weight. ACT 4 builds up the current state of the Realms. ACT 5 is the conclusion and the start of the Legend.

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Themes

Proof of Valor relates to Bālthazar's need to prove his courage and bravery, to prove that he is ready to brave the cosmos in service of the Dragon Knights. The climax of Volume One sees him help the young disciple El Vaatu rescue his mother from the depraved God Rakises and his fallen church. El Vaatu failed to save his mother, a failure similar to Bālthazar's own failure regarding his mother, the details of which are not revealed to the reader, but they should be able to piece together that she died and Bālthazar blamed himself. Seeking to right El Vatatu's wrong, he saves the mother and kills Rakises.

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Yād is a prince of The Risauyama Dynasty, exiled and stripped of rank for the murder of Hayuba Bhari, the Wheel-Stopping Lord, a crime he claims he did not commit. Yād has lost his family, his people, was forever banished from the only home he has ever known and was hunted by the Imperial Sabbid-Nin. A great conspiracy surrounds him but he cannot yet uproot it.

✦

Émeric is an escaped pleasure slave from Midgard, previously owned by a USC Senator, Count Draz. Émeric killed Draz one night and serval of his other slaves before making a daring escape aboard a vessel bound for New Camelot. He was sold by his own parents to the CANDYLAND mega-Cooperation and has never had real companions, real brothers. He has taken a vow to stand by them, the Realms and Yggdrasil could burn down to nothing but ash and cinders, but so long as he is with his brothers, it matters not.

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Relations

Protagonists

Bālthazar R. Skyburner II

The lead protagonist of this Legend is a young boy from the Planet Mars in the Midgard Realm. Balthazar is forced to watch his mother killed by Khaos Daemons and joins the Dragon Knights to absolve himself of internalized guilt and help others.

Émeric Desjardins

Émeric was a slave owned by the CANDYLAND Mega-Cooperation, sold as a Pillow Boy to Count Draz, the lord of a lesser USC House in Midgard. Émeric escaped his enslavement and liberated himself, he seeks independence and freedom.

Yād Järnefelt Sarkari

Yād, Son of Erik, Blood of Ragnar, Scion of the Sarkari Clan, and Prince of The Great Empire. Or, rather he was. Yād murdered his cousin, the King, in cold blood and fled his kingdom. Yād is the runt of his kinfolk, his abilities are yet to manifest, but he walks the way of warriors.

Allies

The House of Camelot

The House of Camelot was founded by Constantine Ambrosius III, father of Uther Ambrosius and the conquering king. It stands to serve as the head of the Archdragon Knight Order, hence the king title possessing the suffic pendragon, or Head Dragon". The House has long had close ties with the USC and the Dragon Cult, but its glory days have faded, relegated to the rule of a bastard born from an incestious relation.

• Mordred le Fay: Acting King Pendragon.
• Cwyllog Cynwrig: Mother Superior, Queen-Consort of King Mordred Pendragon.
• Melehan F. Cynwrig: Crowned Prince, heir to the throne.
• Medraut F. Cynwrig: Squire, Prince, Fireteam E.

The Order of the Archdragon Knights

An order older than most species, commanded by the Lineage of Good King Uther of House Pendragon, the Dragon Knights serve the Dragons of Olde who once ruled Yggdrasil before Hasadiah, the 1st Name of God, usurped them. However, they are not what they once were. King Mordred the Black Dragon sits dying on his throne in Camelot, and his leal Lords now stand divided on the future of their Order.

• Ar'Rygin: Round Tabel Knight & Commander of the Iron-Horned Knights.
• Gonkuro Sakuma: Dragon Knight & Captain of Iron-Horned Knights Division Six.
• Ævardottir Osk: Æsir Godling and Squaire, Fireteam E.
• Khaldur Roz: Squire, Fireteam E.
• Zainabu Soyinka: Scion of Themiskyra and Squire, Fireteam C.
• Jana de Blázquez: Squire, Fireteam C.
• Moacir H. Sakagut: Squire, Fireteam C.

Disciples of the Golden Oak Church

A religion once belonging to the God Rakises, a veteran who survived the Great War in Heaven, but is a far cry from what he once was. His Realm has suffered and he has been reduced to consuming the very life esscense of his own followers to sustain himself thus far.

• El Vaatu: Son.
• El Kamuu: Mother.

The Blackstone Hammer Forge

A forge founded by outcasts and banished smiths from the Sons of Ivaldi, the Blackstone Hammer Forge stands as an alliance of Thousand-Head Clans, Guilds, and Companies founded during the Great War in Heaven. They found great success as arms dealers for their more creative use of conventional weaponry. They now serve as the smiths of the Starguard in defense of the Realms and the Dragons of Olde.

• Mirjam Frey: Last Scion of House Frey. Kell Undrin within the forge. Eager to regain her House's lost valor.

The House of Maleperduis

• Hermeline Reris: Queen-Consort of Maleperduis and Duchess of the Hunt. Cousin of Balthazar Skyburner.

The U.S.C. Starguard Corps

• Robb Bramour: Major General of the SGAC.

Adversaries

• Zu Tan Xo, Khaos Dragon of the Realm of Tears

A ruthless Dragon who does not take theft lightly.

• Rakises, Once Golden God and Leader of the Golden Oak Cult

A dying God, perhaps once he was golden. But the Great War in Heaven extracted a heavy toll, and he is no longer what he once was.

• Yisu Qatun Torganiin, Scion of the Torganiin Clan

Dispatched by Bataar Khan to kill Prince Yad Sarkari for the murder of his cousin, Hayuba Bhari Sarkari.

Backdrops

Locations

• Bannavǫllr, Plains Once Golden; A small Realm once teeming with life as the seat of power for the Golden Oak Church, commanded by the Golden God Rakises. But the Great War in Heaven extracted a heavy toll on us all, and Rakises is no longer what he once was, ruined by time and tarnished by desperation. The Realm is dying, the seas are black and the skies are cracked open, the Minor World Tree is hollowed out and soon travel to this Realm will not be easily done. Yet still, Rakises clings to life.
• Bedlam, Where Knights Go Frenzy; One of many training Realms the Archdragon Knights have, Bedlam is extremely inhospitable. Storms constantly walk across the surface, the water is scarce on land and the seas are infested with Sea-Kings. And this is to say nothing of the deadly flora and fauna the Knights have imported to the Realm. Surviving training here is a testament to one's abilities and strength.
• The Realm of Tears; The resting place of the Kháos Dragon Heilong and his massive treasure horde, a civilization of Khaos Worhsopers has popped up here and prayed at his feet. It is the resting place of Bālkyth, the Star-Javelin and where Balthazar steals God Shattering Star.

Threats

• Wild Life of the Bedlam Realm ()
• The Torganiin Clan of The Celestial Empire (Yisu Qatun Torganiin, Torganiin Household Knights and Divine Beasts)

Plot type

Complete Novel Outline Plan

Related Characters

• Billy the Hero, Beholder of the Word Legendary
• Kell Undrin Mirjam
• King Medraut Pendragon, Courage of a Lion
• Lord Desjardins Paramount Ⅰ
• Mordred, King of the Black Winter
• Queen Hermeline, Beholder of the Word Voyage
• Yād the Unconquerable

Related Organizations

• NONCANON Dragon Knights
• The Academy of Tarus Abid
• The Commonwealth of the United Peoples of Midgard
• The Risauyama Dynasty
• The USC Starguard

Related Locations

• Midgard, the Home of Man
• Yggdrasil, the Tree of Worlds