Leadbelly Balnar is the dwarven son of Leadbelly Fargus. He left home to see the world, but was forcefully inducted into the Darkheart as per the whims of Tarisi. He desperately wishes to escape. Currently, he functions as the Twisted Knight, after the Nightseeker completed some strange ritual on him.
Description
Balnar bears a strong resemblance to his father, with a strong brown beard, and a mostly serious expression. If anything, Balnar puts less time into his appearance that Leadbelly, opting not to wear traditional dwarven garments.
Balnar is somewhat naive and green, a fact that Mardyth took advantage of. While not cowardly, he is not decisive in tense situations.
As the Twisted Knight, he wears a bizarre suit of dark steel armor that appears to twist unnaturally, with areas in the arms and legs appearing just a bit too thin where his body does not reach. He wears a helmet with a demonic face featuring horns that twist upwards into the sky. The knight stands nearly 8 feet tall, and holds a similarly styled great hammer that he wields with surprising ease.
As the Twisted Knight, Balnar is apparently void of personality.
Skills and Abilities
Balnar is a somewhat capable fighter, and at the very least is physically fit, with Mardyth electing to use him as a pack horse during their time together.
The Twisted Knight is a competent combatant, and seems to be capable of feats of great strength.
Wildforge Armor
The Twisted Knight's armor appears capable of changing its form at his whim, constantly morphing and changing to suit their needs. When bulking up certain parts of his armor for a powerful strike, he leave himself open for a counterattack as the mass of the armor must thin out at other points.
History
Balnar once lived with Leadbelly Fargus in the Leadbelt Peaks of Fusalis. Dissatisfied with such a cold and isolated life, Balnar set out to explore the world, sending his father and mother back occasional letters to update them on his travels. At some point, Balnar stopped sending his letters, which prompted Leadbelly to embark on his expedition to find his son.
While working in Tevari Port Town, he met Mardyth, who enticed him with sweet-talk and the promise of riches to head north with him to Vardev in order to do some mercenary work. The relationship quickly became abusive, with Mardyth using Balnar as a pack horse and constantly insulting him. After a period of working in Vardev, he and Mardyth were approached by Yyk Sen and Abrax, who hired them to find the Sallow Stone. Based on loose descriptions of the people that held the stone, Balnar cooperated in the muggings around the city.
Balnar first met with the Peas at night on the road between Whort and Kerakoss, right after Mardyth whisked Kradva Ospen away from the party's camp. He fought against the party, but they didn't attack him, and he refused to his it own father. Conflicted and confused, he admitted to his father that he was scared and needed help. After explaining his connection to the Nightseeker and her ability to pull him into her shadows, Leadbelly carried his son on his shoulders all the way to Kerakoss and up to Hazerhorn. After multiple attempt to retrieve Balnar, the Darkheart finally succeeded after Yyk Sen managed to push Balnar into a shadow.
In Madrioc when Leadbelly tracked Yyk Sen to the Darkheart hideout, he heard the muffled cries of Balnar on the other side of a door. Eventually these cries turned into pained screams, and then silence. Ill-equipped to fight all the members of the group that were present, Leadbelly backed off, leaving his son to whatever torture the Nightseeker was performing on him, which turned out to be his transformation into the Twisted Knight.
The Twisted Knight appeared alongside the Nightseeker during her first official meeting with the party during the Batra full moon. They later attacked the party alongside Yyk Sen and Mardyth on the road to Hymathel. During this time, the Nightseeker kept Balnar's soul close to her, and spoke to him often. Over time, he became her confidant, bound by a contract of secrecy to assist her. Balnar eventually became infatuated with the tainted elf, and in time, she began to feel the same.
The Twisted Knight assisted in the sealing of Tarisi, dealing substantial damage to the demigod, as well as placing the final sealing rod at the end of the ritual. He teleported away alongside the Nightseeker after the ritual completed.
Phaelnah later spotted the knight through scrying alongside other members of the Darkheart in a rocky tunnel. Later, the knight was attacking a dwarven outpost, mercilessly slaughtering the guards without pause.
Balnar was present at the Revival of Vortek and fought against the Peas as the Twisted Knight. Following the revival and the ascension of the Nightseeker, the twisted metal crumbled around Balnar's body, leaving him listless. In truth, Balnar's body had simply been a puppet controlled by the Nightseeker for some time, while Balnar's consciousness inhabited a shadow that did work on her behalf. Balnar assisted in keeping the Nightseeker's enemies at bay, even going as far as taking up her guise to attempt to detract others from pursuing her.
Balnar appeared ahead of the Peas multiple times, usually masquerading as the Nightseeker, and using a special staff capable of warping time and space to slow the progress. Hesitant to attack his father and his friends, tensions finally came to a head when Balnar was made to protect the Nightseeker during her final ritual, trapping the Peas in an impenetrable shell that propelled them forwards in time. Balnar was eventually defeated by the Peas, and forced to help them by way of Wander's influence. Balnar dropped the shell, but was prevented by the Nightseeker from entering the ritual room. After the Nightseeker's defeat, Balnar vanished, and his soul supposedly returned to his lifeless body. It is unknown whether this came about naturally following the demise of the Nightseeker, or if it was the god Kalar making good on his promise with the Peas. Regardless, Balnar's now animated body ran from Dragon's End, and vanished for many years.
Balnar resurfaced in Iron 963, having gathered a significant number of powerful relics. He was discovered breaking into a guarded vault owned by the Ereidin High Council, and successfully stealing an object of great import. Leadbelly Fargus then pursued him for a time before he disappeared again.
In Iron 978, Balnar was spotted heading to the Frostwilds, and was again pursued by his father.