Balaan Sha’Durathis

“You know me as ‘Reth Talaka’. It is a name which I calved out of my opponents in the arena and wrote in their blood. You shall now learn why your kind fears it.”

History
• Balaan’s village was attacked by a band of hobgoblin pirates calling themselves the ‘Slavers of Bane’ when he was 12. The hobgoblins took him and most of the other inhabitants of the village as slaves. They killed all the rest.
• A hobgoblin named Skarling Deadeye bought Balaan and forced him to fight in the arena.
• Aged 29 and with an already feared reputation, Balaan was ‘gifted’ with a wicked gauntlet which was fused to his left forearm and hand. This item is called ‘Reth Talaka’ which is goblin for ‘Red Talon’ (and over the years Balaan became known by the hobgoblins as ‘Reth Talaka’).
• Balaan escaped from his owner ten years after he received the ‘Reth Talaka’. He slaughtered many of the guards (all hobgoblins) and travelled for eight years through many lands.
• During his travelling he hunted down any hobgoblins that he found, often spending months chasing tales alone.
• Whilst passing over a range of mountains Balaan (aged 42) fell ill with a mysterious fever and passed out. When he awoke he was covered in strange, dark red tattoos. He vividly remembers having dreams of a formless entity calling itself Tz’Zanthas (creator of the tattoos).
• Aged 46 Balaan rescued a displacer beast cub from a band of kobolds and named it Rumour. They quickly became friends and have been together ever since.
• Eventually he came to Silverwell in search for more hobgoblins to vent his anger upon (aged 47).

Personality
Balaan is both reserved and relaxed when talking to people whom he has never met or does not trust fully. He chooses his words carefully and never gives away too much information. Having travelled with no-one to rely upon but himself and Rumour for so long, Balaan is very self-assured and gives his trust only to those who have earned it.
When it comes to making tough choices, Balaan is adaptable but makes sure that all choices are considered. Towards those worse off than himself, Balaan is thoughtful and protective if he deems the subject worthy.
In battle, Balaan is both brave and fierce. He is stoic towards setbacks and has unshakable nerves. Against hobgoblins, Balaan fights with a savage and unreserved fury, rarely showing any mercy.
The ‘Reth Talaka’, Balaan’s gauntlet, is both a blessing and a curse. It strikes fear into hobgoblins as the tales have spread quickly and it is a deadly weapon. Balaan, however, hates it as it is one of the only physical reminders of his slavery (besides his scars). He has tried to free himself from it countless times but nothing worked so he vowed that he will use it on his crusade to cleanse the world of hobgoblins.

Mannerisms
When waiting for long lengths of time (such as when camp is set up) Balaan will often sit away from the others with Rumour and stare off into space, caught up in his own troubled thoughts.
His hatred of hobgoblins is such that if he hears of any in the area, even if just a rumour, he will go off immediately and seek them out.
Appearance
Balaan is unusually tall for an eladrin at 6’2”. He weighs 164lb as he is well muscled. His white hair is shoulder length and his eyes are a deep green. He is covered with scars from thousands of fights and has strange, dark red tattoos. These tattoos, which are small, indecipherable elvish words, cover his entire torso and both arms.
On his left arm, from elbow down, is fused the ‘Reth Talaka’, a vicious gauntlet with the fingers ending in inch long ‘claws’ or ‘talons’. The metal is a dull grey and despite being pitted and scratched, is virtually unbreakable.
Balaan wears brown fur trousers and sturdy fur boots. He also wears a fur cloak which rests upon his right shoulder and passes under his left arm. His torso is always bare as the tattoos provide all the protection he requires.

RB.