Basic Information
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The Foxen Knight
Zelanze Balestra> Knight Errant and Loving Father; Knightly attire and posture was readily apparent on the orange fox. High quality silvered chainmail was drapped over by black tabard with obvious golden trim and a golden symbol embroided on the front. Red cape hung from golden clasp falling down to behind his heels, though it's upper half pinned back by the impressive kite shield bearing his family heraldry. Black belt held two different weapons, the duelling rapier strapped next to the larger longsword, knife strapped to the back of his belt. Second belt crossed over the first, carrying various packs.
Name: Zelanze Balestra
Gender: Male
Breed: Red Fox
Build: Medium, Fencer's Build
Orientation: Bisexual
D&D 5e: Paladin, Duelist, Oath of the Crown
Combat Proficiencies: Rapier, Longsword&Shield, First Aid
Children: Ariel(Adopted Daughter), Cassius(Son)Pronunciation: Zel-aunse Bah-les-tra
Apparent Age: Thirties
Height: 6'0 | Weight: 170
Hair Color: Red (Graying Slightly)
Faith: Protestant Christian
Occupation: Master of Ships on Etla Island
Alignment: Lawful Good
Mate/Lover: None
Personality
Ever the calm, warm, and friendly knight; Zelanze is often considered to be very personable and difficult to stay upset with. Always with the best intentions and rarely found to be untruthful he is perhaps one of the few sources of truth left in such dark times. With a strength in leadership and willpower others often follow his lead in dire circumstances even when his plans sound unreasonable at best; Be it leaping from an airship or bringing the dragon right to you. His personal mantra is "There is always hope."
"When you get to the end of all the light you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”
― Edward Teller
Character Background
Zelanze was born in a country on the northern end of the Olde World continent to the east of Kasuria. He was born in a merchant family, the older of two children. A child who aspired to be something greater than he was born he became fascinated with the knights of his country, he idealized them and everything they did for the people. A strong sense of doing the right thing, of protecting the people who couldn't help themselves, burned in to him from youth. He decided at a young age that regardless of his status he would become a knight, and he'd do everything he needed to to reach that goal. In his country there were only three ways to reach knighthood; You must be of a knight's bloodline, you must be of a noble family and chosen by the king during military service, or you must past the knight's trials.
He became a stable hand at the age of eight in order to get in the good graces of a Sir Willhearth so that he would take Zel on as his squire for the duration of his trials; as he eventually did at the age of twelve. The upkeep of Willhearth's armory, weapons, and horses became a part of his regular job alongside his full training regiment. Fencing forms and practices were burned in to him so firmly that he still does them to this day. At the age of sixteen he became a full knight apprentice and started on the trials. Far too many to list here, involving strict tasks, rites, quests, and even competitions.
For the first time in centuries someone passed all the knight's trials, and that person was Zelanze. These trials,t laws that were instated to give the people hope and inspiration without actually offering a feesible way to knighthood, had been conquered by a single young man. The wise king, worried what it would mean for a commoner to become a knight, ordered a final challenge. Zelanze was to head to the western continent of Kasuria and "Become a hero of repute" bearing the title of knight errant, not to return until he succeeded. A fool's errand meant to show the country how far Zelanze had gotten without ever actually knighting him.
He traveled Kasuria for over a year before he found his way to the port off of Southern Kasuria that took him to Guilderem where he settled in to humble beginnings hand build shack at the end of the island....
Seven Years Later
Zelanze has reached some renown since his arrival at Guilderem. Years of freelance work and arena victories eventually gave him the income he needed to start working on his estate, built from the ground up along a trading route to the west of Port Lathora. He has two children, an adopted daughter named Ariel and a blood son from his previous marriage with the demon Alyssia, though he remains a single father. He owns his own airship, The S.S Faithful, which was constructed mostly by Koda and runs with a Levistone/Steam hybrid engine.
During his time in this country he has had many numerous adventures. He's slew demons and dragons, traveled through high mountains and floating islands, fought off slavers and soul hunters, lead adventurers and heroes, and patches more wounds than he could count. It's no surprise now that he is head of his own house and running an organization of fighters and travelers like himself. The Balestra Heraldry, a golden crowned circle with expansive wings, now represents more than it ever has before. Yet still, after all of this, he has never found himself worthy to return home. -
Gallery
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