Balitor

Balitor is a Darkonian character associated with Azalin Rex. After his service to Azalin in 579 BC, he was granted the title of baron of Il Aluk. Balitor is featured in a few Ravenloft products of varying levels of canon: the novel King of the Dead, the novel Lord of the Necropolis, and the unpublished module Death Undaunted.

In King of the Dead

Manipulations of the Karawinns

Like his younger friend and apprentice Oldar Wahldrun, Balitor was of simple commoner stock whose background extended into the false history of that domain. In 579 BC, he and Waldrun were hired by Lady Karawinn to retrieve some allegedly magic water from a stream near Castle Avernus. They were attacked by undead but rescued by a stranger, a newcomer who vanquished the undead. This newcomer, Firan revealed this substance was in fact a deadly poison. Firan accompanied Balitor and Oldar back to the Karawinn mansion. Upon their arrival, Lady Karawinn took the delivery and offered them a poisoned wine. Firan too revealed this betrayal and called out Lord Karawinn. Firan ultimately uncovered a conspiracy and assassination planned by the Karawinns against Darcalus Rex, then ruler of Darkon. Lord Aldewaine, then baron of Il Aluk, was another key conspirator. Instead of revealing the conspiracy, Firan used it to his advantage, for the Dark Powers had made him believe that Darcalus was responsible for the death of his son, Irik. In truth, Firan and Darcalus Rex were two halves the same whole, split apart by the Dark Powers each with fragmented memories.

Firan informed the Karawinns and Aldewaine of Darcalus' undead immortal nature and engendered their wary cooperation in his plan to destroy Darcalus. Firan, Oldar, Balitor, and the three noble conspirators went to a baronial ball throne by Darcalus Rex at Castle Avernus. The king appeared briefly to welcome his guests to the feast before disappearing back into Castle Avernus. Firan then launched his plan to destroy the immortal Darcalus Rex. Irik's ghost briefly took possession of Oldar, a similarly innocent soul, and spoke through him to Firan. Irik attempted to persuade Firan from his course of action and stated that he forgave his killer, unable to say more due to the influence of the Dark Powers. Firan nonetheless continued with his scheme. He discovered Darcalus' phylactery and smashed it. As Firan confronted Darcalus and began to throttle him, the truth of their connection came to him, and the now whole again Azalin Rex was welcome to his new domain.

Azalin assumes the throne

The newly whole Azalin gathered Darcalus' former guests and declared he was their ruler. Azalin slew the Karawinns and Aldewaine for their conspiracy had led to his entrapment in Darkon. Oldar and Balitor, both pawns in the scheme and by now loyal friends, were offered property and the noble rank of baron. Balitor accepted, becoming the new baron of Il Aluk, but Oldar refused the title and lands of Baron Cauldry. Oldar only wanted to return to work the farm with his father. Oldar feared further involvement with Azalin might spell his doom, and he held no lofty ambitions. Azalin accepted this refusal, but then swore to protect Oldar for the rest of his life.

Azalin later betrayed his word, for he sent his undead to kidnap Oldar from Balitor's mansion in the dead of night. They dragged him back to Castle Avernus where Azalin attempted a soul transference ritual to put Irik into Oldar's body. With Irik's help, Oldar resisted and ran off into the night. Irik chided his father for the breaking of his oath, and Azalin seemed to regret his betrayal. Oldar returned to his family's farm, still benefiting from the protection of Azalin, as much as he feared him.

In Lord of the Necropolis

After Oldar ran away into the night after escaping Azalin's kidnapping, he never spoke to Balitor again. Unlike Balitor, Oldar never accepted Azalin's offers at life extensions and lived out the rest of his life peacefully, dying of natural causes. By comparison, Balitor continued his duties as baron of Il Aluk. He accepted rejuvenating youth stolen by Azalin from those the wizard-king deemed unworthy of youth. Balitor remained baron of Il Aluk for many, many years before finally being allowed to retire. After relinquishing the position, Balitor retired to the manor formerly occupied by the Karawinns. Excepting for the odd mission here or there, Azalin left Balitor to his own devices. Although he would sometimes serve as advisor for a political figure or other person of import, Balitor's existence became one of keeping busy between periods of rest.

In 740 BC, Azalin called upon him to find and recruit the assistance of a descendant of the first Oldar who bore the same name. Balitor met this second Oldar at the first one's grave, and Balitor recognized Oldar's descendant by site alone. Oldar the second told Balitor of his dreams, ones that seemingly included memories of Oldar the first's life with Balitor. When this information was brought to Azalin, he speculated that Oldar the second might somehow share the same soul as the first one. In any case, Oldar was recruited in a plot t help Azalin attempt an escape of the Demiplane by assassinating Strahd in the past. The attempt ultimately failed, and most everyone's memories (save for Azalin's) of the event were wiped away by mysterious powers.

In 748 BC, Balitor was again told by Azalin to get Oldar the second, meeting each other again as if for the first time. Azalin and Oldar were successful in retrieving a soul-draining machine Azalin intended to use in escaping his corporeal shell and therefore the Land of Mists. Azalin spent two years studying the device and creating a miniature copy in Nartok. Because of his loyalty and trustworthiness, Balitor was called upon to be this duplicate machine's test subject. However, Lowellyn Dachine, an elite officer of the Kargat, became highly jealous of Balitor's position and jumped in after him. Their essences became conjoined into a being born of the Mists and with enough power to challenge Azalin. However, Balitor and Dachine warred for control over the entity as it disappeared into the Mists.

Gaining momentary control, Balitor heard mysterious voices speaking of doom should Azalin use Albernarl's machine. He told Oldar to warn Azalin not to use it, and Oldar passed along the information. However, Azalin ultimately did not heed them, bringing ultimate disaster as the Dark Powers began to escape their shackles. Before passing on to join their ranks, Azalin reached out to save Oldar and his family, fulfilling his promise to protect them

Meanwhile, Balitor had ultimately won control over Dachine and became resolved to hold them both in the Mists for all eternity. However, Azalin drained away Dachine's essence to Balitor's shock and horror. Azalin assured him Dachine would not escape, that Azalin had come to keep the promise to watch over Balitor.

LotN ends ambiguously, for in the epilogue Oldar awakens from another nightmare in the year 739 BC, memories of the events only as horrid and hazy dreams. He had, however, recently met a new friend, an oldar man named Balitor.

In Death Undaunted

Balitor was a former Baron of Il Aluk. He was one of the only two of Azalin's subjects the latter could expect to be loyal. (The other being the peasant Oldar Wahldrun.) Azalin attempted to grant them the knowledge that would allow them to create Azalin's Soul Focus, but they were not up to the job. The notes Oldar had taken were brought by Balitor to Tavelia. Neither party trusted each other, but they worked together for the time being.

While Tavelia supervised the soul focus' construction, Balitor and Oldar saw the fulfillment of Azalin's other plans. Balitor enlisted the assistance of the crime lord Galf Kloggin to retrieve Azalin's Phylactery from the vaults of Avernus and watch over both until Azalin's return.

Unsurprisingly, Tavelia betrayed Balitor, her agents filching Azalin's phylactery while she created a weaker soul focus to materialize Azalin and enslave him. She sent her Kargatane minions to steal the true soul focus. Meanwhile, Death had sent out his horsemen to destroy all those involved with the soul focus. Balitor and Oldar were overwhelmed. To this end, Balitor enlisted the aid of adventurers to help them achieve their tasks.

Balitor and Oldar assisted the adventurers in defeating the Horsemen.. Their efforts together eventually restored Azalin to (un)life. Azalin gave Balitor back his immortality, but at the cost of his spirit's corruption. Knowing his benefit had come at the cost of others, Balitor became emotionally withdrawn.