PC Hadden Balthier
A plucky little forest gnome that insists that he's the captain of a pirate ship.
Background
The only child of Sinni and Yexim Balthier was a blessing and a curse for them. Though young Hadden brought some light to the poor fisherman family’s life, it was but a temporary relief from the insidious conditions in Waterdeep’s dock ward. With no siblings to occupy his time he was a child of ill temperament with many streaks of bad behavior.
With his father at the docks and mother tending to medicinal herbs for the local apothecary he had to find ways to spend his own time. And more often than not Hadden would sneak out of school to play dice with the alley vagrants and lowlife that filled the urban landscape. If was ironically the day after his mother had harshly scolded him for his mischief that he was abducted and dragged to his new life in the dregs of Skullport.
The Riverborn Gang would often fill their ranks by taking from the easily forgotten members of Waterdeep’s poor citizens. Hadden was one of many of the Riverborn that were dragged out to sea by scoundrels and slavers. It is in the underdark, a cavernous world filled with the vilest of monsters and men that Skullport sat, beneath the streets of Waterdeep at the mouth of the river Sargauth. It was in the shape of this river that Hadden and every member of the gang had a black snake tattooed on them, a show of their unwavering loyalty.
For many years he lived in the abandoned wreckage lining the dregs of Skullport, doing petty crimes, drugs, and no good until one day the gang leader Gory Gregory sold him to a renown pirate sailing through town named Sharlasta Stormsword. It was on the deck of her infamous vessel “The Ravenous” that Hadden would find not only his future, but a piece of himself.
Sharlasta saw something in Hadden that not even he noticed, a resonant magical energy, waiting to be unleashed. As the captain sailed across the Trackless Sea she tied Hadden to the bow, rain or shine and encouraged him to find a way to harness his energy or be fed to the sharks. One stormy night his powers manifested and he helped Sharlasta pirate across the isles for years. No matter how good the pirate, there is the law. And when Sharlasta pushed her luck too far she lost her ship and all her crew were to be arrested. When lord Dagult Neverember’s troops began to impound the pirates, Hadden hid himself in barrel and ushered a gust of wind to throw it into the water.
When he washed ashore along the Sword Coast he knew he couldn’t return yet for fear of the law. He would have to find a new way to mature his powers and find a use in this world. Hadden traveled and experienced much since his time on the docks as a boy. He was pleased with the progress made so far, but he wondered what his parents would think, and if they are still alright now. BG: Sailor
Additional BG feature: Scoundrel - No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a civilized settlement, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, since most people will not report your activity to the authorities. However law enforcement treat you with disdain and keep an attentive eye on you.
With his father at the docks and mother tending to medicinal herbs for the local apothecary he had to find ways to spend his own time. And more often than not Hadden would sneak out of school to play dice with the alley vagrants and lowlife that filled the urban landscape. If was ironically the day after his mother had harshly scolded him for his mischief that he was abducted and dragged to his new life in the dregs of Skullport.
The Riverborn Gang would often fill their ranks by taking from the easily forgotten members of Waterdeep’s poor citizens. Hadden was one of many of the Riverborn that were dragged out to sea by scoundrels and slavers. It is in the underdark, a cavernous world filled with the vilest of monsters and men that Skullport sat, beneath the streets of Waterdeep at the mouth of the river Sargauth. It was in the shape of this river that Hadden and every member of the gang had a black snake tattooed on them, a show of their unwavering loyalty.
For many years he lived in the abandoned wreckage lining the dregs of Skullport, doing petty crimes, drugs, and no good until one day the gang leader Gory Gregory sold him to a renown pirate sailing through town named Sharlasta Stormsword. It was on the deck of her infamous vessel “The Ravenous” that Hadden would find not only his future, but a piece of himself.
Sharlasta saw something in Hadden that not even he noticed, a resonant magical energy, waiting to be unleashed. As the captain sailed across the Trackless Sea she tied Hadden to the bow, rain or shine and encouraged him to find a way to harness his energy or be fed to the sharks. One stormy night his powers manifested and he helped Sharlasta pirate across the isles for years. No matter how good the pirate, there is the law. And when Sharlasta pushed her luck too far she lost her ship and all her crew were to be arrested. When lord Dagult Neverember’s troops began to impound the pirates, Hadden hid himself in barrel and ushered a gust of wind to throw it into the water.
When he washed ashore along the Sword Coast he knew he couldn’t return yet for fear of the law. He would have to find a new way to mature his powers and find a use in this world. Hadden traveled and experienced much since his time on the docks as a boy. He was pleased with the progress made so far, but he wondered what his parents would think, and if they are still alright now. BG: Sailor
Additional BG feature: Scoundrel - No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a civilized settlement, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, since most people will not report your activity to the authorities. However law enforcement treat you with disdain and keep an attentive eye on you.
Comments