Haelen Blacklocks

Haelen Blacklocks

Biographical information

Birthplace Khazar Born Died Age 210 Home Sexuality Pronouns

Physical description

Race Dwarf Sub-Race Gender Male Height 4'6" Mass Hair color White Eye color Brown Skin color Fair

Political information

Affiliation(s) Kingdom of Khazar Occupation Clan(s) Blacklocks Caste Nobility Domain Masters Apprentices Alias(es)

Out-of-character information

Writer Dead Hearts Created on 17/09/2018 Avatar Even Amundsen

Haelen Blacklocks is heir to the lost Kingdom of Khazar. Son to the late King Flói and younger brother to the late Prince Dolgan. Once known as a great adventurer and warrior of remarkable deeds.

For many years he traveled far and wide before returning home shortly before the fall of Khazar. Since the tragedy of Khazar has passed he has sought refuge in the Valley of Tholbor and continues to seek asylum in neighboring lands.

Appearance
Haelen Blacklocks at his core is a warrior. He is hardly seen without his armour. A Dwarven warriors dress made of Khazars famous black steel. A robe of chainmail is adorned underneath and a wide leather belt wraps around his middle. His former lush black beard has whitened with age and reaches to his lower torso. It is braided and adorned in the jewelry of his father. His left eye has been permanently disfigured and commonly wears a black eye-patch to hide his scar.

Skills and Abilities
As mighty in strength as any young Dwarf and able to swing a hammer as well as the best smiths of Belgrath. Haelen traveled the land as a vagrant, honing his skill in wrestling in drunken brawls and lending his hammer to his friends and companions in combat. Trained as a youngster in Khazar by his fathers honor guard, he would grow to be among the best of them. Age may have deteriorated his speed and ability but not his fighting spirit.

Personality


Biography & Lore
Haelen Blacklocks is a well known name in the lands immediately surrounding Khazar and a warm memory to his friends in distant lands. Despite his notoriety in Dwarven society little can be found about his younger years. With the loss of Khazar many historical journals and artifacts were lost. It is only through word of mouth that knowledge can be gleamed about Haelen and such information is highly circumstantial and considered dramatized by rumor.

The earliest official written recording of Haelen Blacklocks dates back over one-hundred and forty years. A student of the academic arts encountered Haelen on the eve of the Fall of Kal'Bryst. At this point in time Haelen and his brother Dolgan were well into their adventuring years. Jon Bucklebolt, a researcher and professor at Belgrath, met Haelen and Dolgan outside of Kal'Bryst at the Drunken Commander, a tavern. He first sighted them stood atop a table, singing and dancing the night away as they sang merry tunes and got one another drunk. The night had ended in a brawl.

Jon Bucklebolt documented the events in his personal journal that was later archived in Belgrath. It was that night that the Dwarven city Kal'Bryst came under the invasion of a cult of warlocks and sorcerers. Their motives and purpose would not be discovered for decades to come. A plan to empty the city and unearth a temple that had been buried by the Dwarves on suspicion of black magic. Haelen and Dolgan were among the first volunteers to fight who were not in the local militia. Jon was impressed by their willingness to go above and beyond for strangers and friends. Come the next morning the city was devastated, left in ruin, but many had survived thanks to volunteers, local militia and auxiliaries sent from Khazar. Jon was unable to find Haelen following the battle.

Haelens journey can be traced by word of mouth. He was a friend of a Archmage known as Cataris, later befriending the magicians son, Ricardt, a magician of remarkable ability. Haelen would serve as Ricardt's companion, confidant and best friend for many years. When Cataris had been corrupted due to reckless dabbling in black magic, Haelen had joined a party of adventurers to stop the Archmage-turned-Lich. All things must die, and so the magician met his end at the hands of Dwarf. Haelen would return to Ricardt and serve him for only a few short years before Ricardt left without notice, leaving only a note in his sudden absence that he could not continue his studies with the memory of what happened.

Haelen returned to Khazar where he was reunited with Dolgan, sharing many a drink in the taverns of Khazar and frequently travelling to the Valley of Tholbor together. Dolgan was known to start fights and Haelen was dragged to the defense of his brother. Dolgan was rumored to have grown mentally unhinged during his travels and that he should not be heir to Khazar, despite Haelen being the younger twin it was well regarded he was the more responsible of the two. Succession could not be changed and against the wishes of the population, Dolgan would succeed their father.

King Flói was nearing his final years when Khazar fell. Rumor suggests it was his venerable age that left him clueless to the dangers that lurked at his doorstep, but it was not his lack of foresight that his Kingdom fell. Khazar was invaded quietly by a terrible curse brought upon by the return of Haelen. When the Dwarf had killed Cataris, the corrupted Archmage had placed a curse upon his people but such words were taken as threat and no real danger.

It was an infection of the mind. Corrupting only a single individual in Khazar, but spreading rapidly. It began in the poor quarter, a human living in squalor had fallen ill and when someone checked on him, he had bitten them. Corrupted, they had then go on to bite others, and with each bite another person was corrupted by the curse. A mindless horde that swept through the city. Many fled the city before King Flói could order the gates sealed. Runesmiths and sorcerers placed primordial seals on the gates. Preventing the cursed from getting out. Haelen was in the Valley of Tholbor at the time of the incident when he received word from those few that had fled.

It is a mystery what happened in Khazar once the gates were sealed. Magicians and renowned wizards have attempted to break the ancient and powerful seals but to no avail. It is believed King Flói and Prince Dolgan either died or were corrupted by the curse. Returning Khazar to its former glory has become Haelens life obsession, blaming himself for what happened to his people. He cannot bring them back from the dead but he can honor them and bring about vengeance.
References