application: songerein

[grappleking]

Player: Christine
Age: 36
Contact: necrofancy or PM
Current Characters: N/A

Character: Balthus von Albrecht
Canon: Fire Emblem: Three Houses; White Clouds: Chapter Eleven (Golden Deer route)
Age: 27


Background Information: Balthus & the Ashen Wolves @ the Fire Emblem Wiki

Personality:

Though not especially bright in the most traditional sense of the word, what Balthus lacks in brains, he makes up for in heart. While he absolutely has his share of troubles, he’s always energetic and enthusiastic, open and friendly. He makes friends quickly and becomes protective of them just as fast, even if some of them might find his attention overbearing or annoying— though rough around the edges, he always means well. He would rather solve most problems with a brawl, opting to play to his strengths, but can usually be persuaded to take a more peaceful route by a friend, as he tends to defer to those around him under the assumption that their ideas are better than is (they usually are). He is surprisingly insightful, however, and possesses a level of emotional intelligence that many would not expect from him, being an excellent judge of character and often able to see right through other people’s bluffs or sidestep their deflections.

Despite his good intentions, he struggles with impulse control. He’s known for having a love of drink and gambling, both of which are largely to blame for the fact that he never has any money— while a fraught family situation was the primary reason for his going into hiding prior to canon, the sheer amount of debt he’s racked up for himself over the years sure as hell hasn’t hurt. While his debts are considerable, he refuses to take handouts and insists on paying them back himself. This is incredibly hard to do thanks to the fact that he spends money as quickly as he gets hold of it, but the insistence remains. Even with his well-known vices, he is actually quite generous with money when he does manage to find himself with it. Rather than use it to pay his own gambling debts, he sends almost everything he can spare (and even some of what he can’t) to the small, remote village his mother lives in on the border of the Leicester Alliance, with the intention of helping to keep her comfortable and the village itself safe.

His determination to pay back any debts or favors goes well beyond the financial aspect, and fortunately, he has better success with the non-monetary sort. The best example of this is the debt he feels he owes to Lysithea’s parents, the heads of House Ordelia— though their own situation was desperate and they hadn’t much to give, they assisted him in his escape from Alliance territory as he left noble life and debtors behind, feeding him and helping him to secure safe passage. As a result, he is determined to repay that debt however he can even if he cannot do so immediately, and manages it in part by keeping an eye on Lysithea and taking an interest in her safety during their time at the Officer’s Academy.

No matter how desperate his own situation gets, his loyalty is unwavering, whether it’s to a friend, classmate, or superior. Any task he sets for himself— or even those that are set for him by someone else— he dedicates himself to fully, sometimes even a disproportionate level of enthusiasm. As close friends with Holst of House Goneril, he promised to “keep an eye” on Holst’s sister, Hilda, while away from home, which seemed simple enough. In actuality, he wound up being so reckless regarding his own safety in his attempts to ensure hers that Hilda herself has had to give him multiple lectures on how her brother won’t care if he kept his word if it cost him his life. “Moderation” isn’t a concept that Balthus is really able to grasp in any area of his life, but he is, at least, receptive to the attempts friends make to help keep him in check.

Balthus is blessed with enough self-confidence that it often spills over into conceit, whether it’s about his strength, his ability to hold his drink, or his luck with the ladies. While never mean-spirited in his boasting, it’s definitely worth noting that his title of “King of Grappling” is absolutely self-appointed. In most areas, his confidence is well-founded: he’s an absolute force of nature on the battlefield and isn’t afraid to use his strength and durability to its every advantage, and he does have a solid track record when it comes to his casual-but-frequent romantic pursuits. However, there are times when his confidence definitely isn’t warranted, and once again, his gambling habit comes into play. As much as he loves to play cards, roll dice or make bets, he is often trumped by other participants (most notably Yuri, leader of the Ashen Wolves) but is too stubborn to know when to quit, which is a large part of why he often gets himself into trouble. He would do well to learn to quit when he’s ahead in general, or at least not to dig himself into deeper holes than he already has, but that’s a life lesson that’s very much still in progress.

Though born to a noble family and having long been the heir apparent to House von Albrecht, Balthus has no love of the noble lifestyle or Fódlan’s politics and the importance that both place on Crests. He has never held his parents’ separation against either of them, continuing to live in his father’s household even after his commoner mother went back to her home village, but it wasn’t until Balthus’ stepmother entered the scene that he began to think that noble society wouldn’t be the right fit for him in the long run. While he was very close to the younger half-brother that his stepmother gave birth to not long after marrying into the household, it became more obvious as he grew older and as his own Crest of Chevalier manifested that his stepmother would stop at nothing to ensure that her son became the rightful heir instead of him. His desire to avoid being pitted against his brother because of politics and the bloodshed he had seen them cause elsewhere was one of the largest factors in his decision to flee, nevermind the fact that he had never wanted to inherit his father’s title in the first place. Noble life simply doesn’t agree with him, but he is resentful of the fact that it has kept his family from being able to stay together— he looks forward to the day when Fódlan society can cast aside its focus on the importance of bloodlines and Crests and put its prejudices aside, if it ever does.

Abilities & Inventory:

Canon Abilities
➤ Balthus possesses the Crest of Chevalier, one of the Four Apostles, making him a direct descendent. His Crest allows him to occasionally heal himself a small amount after dealing damage to an enemy and, more importantly, allows him to safely use the relic Vajra-Mushti safely and without turning into a demonic beast.
➤ Balthus' primary strength is in brawling, and he can fight just as effectively bare-fisted as he can with a weapon.
➤ Built like a tank— he's big, sturdy, and has a lot of stamina, so he can take a lot of damage before going down.
➤ He is proficient in axes, swords, heavy armor, and Faith (white magic), with aptitude for Reason (black magic).
➤ Has some training as a War Monk, giving him limited access to spells. His magic isn't particularly powerful, but gives him some versatility. They include Heal (basic healing spell, can only be used at close range), Nosferatu, Seraphim (both offensive white magic), Fire and Bolgannone (both offensive black magic).

Inventory
➤ Vajra-Mushti, the Hero's Relic passed down through Chevalier's lineage.
➤ His Ashen Wolves uniform.
➤ A spare set of handwraps.
➤ A whetstone.
➤ An almost pitifully small pouch of gold pieces. He definitely lost the rest gambling.

Suitability & Plans: Balthus is a character who never really gets to stretch his legs and wander off a certain path— because he spends the years prior to canon and the first half of FE3H itself largely confined to living underground and the second half of his canon involved in a war spanning the entire continent, there is a lot to be explored with him in a new setting. Even back home, he wants nothing to do with the political and social issues that his bloodline and Crest link him to; despite living underground in Abyss, he makes a big effort to try and just live the life he wants, free and full of indulgences, as best he can within certain limitations. In Songerein, he would be able to explore that kind of life outside of those limitations and have an opportunity to grow and find out who he might be aside from being a student, a soldier, and a runaway noble.

Balthus himself would be an easy fit in the game. He is energetic and engaging, friendly and inclined to reach out. He's definitely a helper and would be quick to throw himself into any situation where he thinks he might be able to be useful, even as he gets into his own brand of trouble along the way. He's indepedent and inclined towards action and adventure, so he would do very well in paving his own way and making use of the opportunities granted to him by the setting.

Test Drive Sample: One, Two

Questions: None!