Post by theleadingman on Sept 2, 2012 19:32:36 GMT -5
Ffamran mied "Balthier" Bunansa
"Princess! No need to worry. I hope you haven't forgotten my role in this little story. I'm the leading man. You know what they say about the leading man? He never dies."
Custom Title: the Leading man
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Family: Cidolfus Demen Bunansa - Father
Race: Hume
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Home World: Ivalice - Final Fantasy XII
Alignment: Good
Job: Sky Pirate / Leading Man
Items: N/A
Accessories: N/A
Appearance
Short brown hair, slicked back against his scalp, sits atop his head. Brown eyes and, honestly, a quite charming expression is always upon this man's face. Some might say he looks rather suave. The leading man, in all rights, he dresses to impress and acts the part to boot. He wears a long sleeved white shirt and a brown vest around his torso. Plain earrings puncture his earlobes and a pair of black pants and shoes cover the lower half of his body. Two thick black belts with golden buckles sit around his waist.
Personality:
Balthier is quite the charmer. He has a silver tongue and will gladly try to talk his way out of a situation whenever he can, finding it much preferable to dirtying his hands. However, this doesn't mean that he is afraid of dirtying his hands if he has to. He is a sky pirate after all, so dirtying his hands comes with the job. Not everyone is willing to part with their valuables, despite how much he might want them to. This isn't to say he enjoys violence, though he does count it as one of the better stress relievers out there. When one is in a bad mood a round of fisticuffs can be quite the way to ventilate one's anger.
Upon first meeting Balthier, one might think that he's rather self-centered and, perhaps, callous considering when he is 'on the job" so to speak, he is sometimes willing to disregard the safety of others for the benefit of himself. However, anyone who truly knows him can see through this facade. He cares deeply for those that are close to him as well as the general safety of most people. Though, cross him and it won't be a pretty sight when he's got you in his grasp. He can be quite cruel to those who wrong him.
History:
Born in 684 Old Valendian, Balthier, as Ffamran mied Bunansa[1], is the third son of Cidolfus Demen Bunansa[2], a scientist in employ of the Archadian Empire. He showed such promise at a young age that he was made an Archadian Judge at only sixteen years old.
In 700, six years prior to Final Fantasy XII's storyline, after his father returned from Giruvegan, he noticed Cid's sanity fading, as he was constantly talking to someone who wasn't there, raving on about "bringing the reins of history back to the hands of man". This strained their relationship, and eventually Ffamran couldn't stand the sight of his father.
This, combined with the way Archadia was moving, made him decide leaving his post as Judge and run away, stealing the new prototype fighter ship as a means of escape from Archades. Since then, having gone into hiding, he has heavily updated the ship, so much so that it no longer resembles the original design, and named it the Strahl.
During this time, Ffamran took on the name Balthier as an alias to help cast aside his ties with Archades. Partnering with his viera companion, Fran, he flew the skies of Ivalice, searching for treasures, gaining notoriety as a sky pirate, and also an increasing bounty on his head.
In 706 Old Valendian, Balthier and Fran head to the Royal Palace of Rabanastre's treasury, where they find petty thief Vaan already holding their treasure: the Goddess's Magicite. Balthier demands that he hand it over and when Vaan asks who he is, Balthier responds with "I play the leading man, who else?". Before he can retrieve the magicite, the Ifrit attacks, allowing Vaan a chance for escape, as Balthier is reluctantly forced to follow him.
He chases Vaan out into the Palace Grounds, where amidst the chaos of the fight between the risen Resistance and the Imperials, he loses his patience with the young thief and throws him onto his hovercraft, piloted by Fran. His plan is derailed as the Goddess's Magicite, really a piece of nethicite, renders the hovercraft unresponsive, crashing into the Garamsythe Waterway.
Reluctantly, Balthier is forced to join forces with Vaan in order to escape the Waterway, though Vaan seems determined to keep a hold of the magicite. As they cross the waterway, Balthier expresses his suspicions concerning the new consul Vayne Solidor, and the possibility of him deliberately luring the Resistance out of hiding to attack the palace. By chance, they encounter a Resistance fighter named "Amalia", who also joins them in search of an exit, despite her evident distaste of her "thieving" company.
At the Waterway's exit Vayne and a battalion of Imperial Soldiers ambush the party. Despite Amalia's insistence that her company is innocent, they are sentenced to imprisonment. As they are marched out onto the streets of Rabanastre, Balthier gives a weeping Penelo his handkerchief as she watches Vaan be lead away. Unknown to Balthier, the bounty hunter Ba'Gamnan watches the exchange from the shadows, with a great deal of interest.
In Nalbina Dungeons Balthier sends Fran to find a possible escape route while he attempts to find Vaan. He finds the young thief in battle with three seeq dungeon masters, and joins the fray. After defeating them, Balthier and Vaan hide within the arena, where Balthier overhears Ba'Gamnan has followed him to Nalbina, along with Judge Gabranth. They use Gabranth's visit as a means of escape by following him into an Oubliette, where they are surprised to find an emaciated and weak Basch fon Ronsenburg imprisoned.
Following Gabranth's leave, Basch pleads the party to set him free. Despite Balthier's indifference, Vaan cannot control his resent and jumps atop Basch's cage, attracting the guards. Fran is forced to drop Basch's cage down to the Barheim Passage as a means of escape, inadvertently freeing the supposed king slayer. Though Vaan obviously despises the disgraced knight, Balthier allows Basch to join the party as another sword arm.
After emerging in and crossing the Dalmasca Estersand to reach Rabanastre, the party disperse. While Vaan and Basch go see the Resistance, Balthier and Fran retire to the Sandsea tavern before departing. While enjoying a drink on the second floor, he is accosted by the bangaa Migelo, who claims Ba'Gamnan has kidnapped Penelo because he mistook her as someone close to Balthier. He is initially unwilling to go to Bhujerba to rescue her, but Basch appears to ask him to fly him, too, to Bhujerba. When Vaan promises Balthier the Goddess's Magicite in return for passage to Bhujerba, he finally agrees to fly them all to the sky city.
In Bhujerba the group meets up with a young boy, who introduces himself as "Lamont". Balthier is suspicious of him, but allows the boy to accompany them to the Lhusu Mines where the Archadian Empire is mining magicite to be used in Draklor Laboratory in Archades. Hearing about magicite perks Balthier's interest and he attempts to force the boy to reveal his true identity as Larsa Solidor, but Ba'Gamnan interrupts the group and they are forced to escape. After losing Ba'Gamnan and his group back in the mines, the party hear Larsa has taken Penelo to Marquis Ondore's estate.
Balthier suggests they gain the attention of the Resistance in hopes of getting into the estate. After Vaan runs around the city, proclaiming to be the supposedly executed Basch, the Resistance approaches and grants them an audience with the Marquis. In hopes of Basch rescuing "Amalia", Ondore alerts Ghis as to the party's whereabouts, and has them arrested aboard the Dreadnought Leviathan.
Aboard the imperial airship the party is reunited with "Amalia", who is revealed to be the reportedly dead Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca. Judge Ghis takes the Goddess's Magicite from Vaan, though Vossler's interference allows the party to escape imprisonment and defeat Ghis, while Balthier manages to pilot an Atomos Imperial carrier ship back down to Bhujerba. After Ashe is advised to stay within Ondore's estate to bid out the Archadian Empire, Balthier finds Ashe aboard the Strahl attempting to steal it.
She asks Balthier to "kidnap" her and take her to the Tomb of Raithwall, where the proof she requires to prove her royal lineage lies. Balthier is again reluctant to get caught into Imperial business, but is sorely tempted by Ashe's promise of Raithwall's treasure. Under her word, he and Fran accompany her across the Ogir-Yensa and Nam-Yensa Sandseas to Raithwall's Tomb.
Vossler, who again accompanies the party, openly voices his disdain of traveling with sky pirates, which Ashe is quick to defend. After fighting the Esper Belias, Ashe acquires another piece of nethicite, the Dawn Shard. Much to Balthier's disappointment, the treasure of Raithwall's Tomb turns out to be control of the Esper, and naught of monetary value. Upon exiting the tomb Ghis's Imperial Fleet accosts them again and it turns out Vossler has betrayed them.
Ghis takes the Dawn Shard off the group and attempts to evaluate it himself, but manages to unleash the nethicite's magick and destroy the entire Archadian fleet, while Balthier and the others escape, with Balthier piloting another carrier ship. Spotting the Dawn Shard glinting in the sky after the explosion, he steers the ship to retrieve it, before descending back down to Rabanastre.
After seeing the nethicite's power Ashe decides to use it as her weapon to protect Dalmasca, but does not know how to use it. She wants Balthier to accompany her on her way to Jahara to ask the garif's help, but Balthier is skeptical. As collateral, Balthier requests one of the rings on Ashe's finger.
Ashe reluctantly surrenders the ring to Balthier in return for his help. Due to the Strahl being damaged in the 8th Fleet's destruction, the group is forced to walk their way to Jahara, and then through Golmore Jungle to Mt. Bur-Omisace and Stilshrine of Miriam where Ashe retrieves the Sword of Kings.
With the sword she vows to destroy the Empire's nethicite and the party heads to Archadia with the intention of destroying the nethicite within Doctor Cid's possession. When they stop to rest in the Phon Coast's Hunters' Camp, Balthier questions Ashe's intentions with the nethicite, comparing her drive to that of his father's. He reveals his Imperial past as a Judge and his relation to Doctor Cid, as well as his suspicions of an unknown creature named Venat his father spoke of. He vows to persevere in their endeavor now to finally cut the ties to his past, and implores Ashe to not allow the stone's power to consume her, as it did his father.
Finally reaching Archades, Balthier is noticeably irate, separating himself from the party. They come across Balthier's old "friend" Jules, who ends up embezzling the valuable chops Balthier gave him to give to Vaan and the others. They reconvene and head to the Draklor Laboratory in search of Cid, which they find to be suspiciously lacking Imperial presence. On discovering Cid's ransacked office, Balthier inspects some old papers of his father's and questions what madness found him six years ago in the Jagd Difohr.
They proceed to the 70th floor to find Reddas, who is apparently responsible for the lack of guards and soldiers. They follow him to find Cid, where Balthier demands he turn over the Dusk Shard. Balthier questions his father's descent into insanity, but is forced to draw his weapon when Cid challenges the party, backed by the power of deifacted nethicite and his Occurian ally, Venat.
After Cid's defeat, he retreats and lures the party out to the Ancient City of Giruvegan. The party return to Port at Balfonheim with their new ally, Reddas. Before heading to Giruvegan, Balthier expresses his suspicion over Reddas's intentions concerning nethicite, inferring he knows of Reddas's true identity, past within the Empire, and his hand in the destruction of Nabudis.
With their trip to Giruvegan remaining fruitless, Reddas accompanies them to the Ridorana Cataract after his fleet were mysteriously brought down there. On the Cataract Balthier tells Vaan to take the Strahl should anything happen to him inside the tower. After climbing to the top of the Pharos at Ridorana to reach the Sun-Cryst, Ashe attempts to destroy it with the Sword of Kings, only to be intercepted by Cid. Balthier furiously confronts his father about his plans to use the nethicite, only to fight him once again, this time fatally wounding him. Balthier has to watch his father die, and up to his dying breath, he believes what he was doing was best for mankind, much to Balthier's disappointment.
Despite Cid's death, his plan has still been realized - the Sun-Cryst has awoken the Sky Fortress Bahamut, and the volatile Mist it seethes seems impossible to stop. Overwhelmed by the Mist Fran falls to the ground and insists they go without her, while Balthier vows to never leave her behind. Seeing the party's struggles to defeat the Cryst and leave the Pharos, Reddas sacrifices his life to ensure the stone's destruction and the party's safe exit to confront Vayne Solidor aboard the newly awakened Bahamut.
During this time an all-out war is about to break out on Dalmascan ground. Balthier pilots the group on-board the Sky Fortress Bahamut, where they confront Vayne. After Vayne's defeat Balthier and Fran remain behind to start up the Bahamut's engines and stop it from falling on Rabanastre. Balthier manages to fix Bahamut's glossair rings in time to save Rabanastre, but together with Fran they are stuck inside as Bahamut crash-lands outside the city and he and Fran were believed to have died in the crash.
It would only be a year later that Balthier, both he and Fran alive and well, took back the Strahl from Vaan and Penelo whom he had entrusted it to, leaving them a note and Ashe's ring, signifying he has found the treasure he was looking for. On the note, Balthier explains he is going for the Cache of Glabados at Bervenia Palace, wishing Vaan and Penelo to join in on the spoils.
Vaan and Penelo arrive at the Glabados Ruins to meet Balthier and Fran, who have made their way to the Cache chamber and defeated the Ifrit guarding it. The foursome spy twin auracite crystals atop a pedestal and Balthier teases Vaan he's a bit too young to partake in any treasure, and moves in to take both crystals for himself. When Vaan protests, Balthier laughs and throws him the green crystal, taking the purple one for himself. The Ruins begin to crumble and the sky pirates make their way out to their respective airships, however, the falling debris destroys Vaan's. Balthier returns Vaan and Penelo to Lowtown.
Soon after, Balthier makes his way to Lemurés to search for the auraliths and ends up confronting the Judge of Wings at the Fane of Tehp Qul. The Judge reveals what went on between her and Balthier by projecting her memories into Vaan and his allies' minds. In the flashback, Balthier is seen in the same Fane, with an unconscious Fran behind him. The Judge of Wings approaches him from the right, and the auralith is still intact between them. Balthier acknowledges the Judge's power, but says she has been holding on to her illusion of Eternity for too long. He then throws the purple crystal he found in the Glabados Ruins in the air, then shatters it with a gun blast before it reaches the Judge.
His auracite willingly destroyed, Balthier points his gun at the Judge, vowing to stop her from pursuing her goal of eternal life. Before he can fire, the Judge uses her own crystal to summon the Esper Shiva, who appears behind Balthier and uses her Diamond Dust attack to render Balthier unconscious. He and Fran are left lying on the stone floor.
The two manage to escape this encounter, as Fran meets Vaan on the island of Arda, Heaven's Pillar, and leads them to the Ymir Qul Underground, where Balthier waits. Ba'Gamnan interrupts the reunion, and the party is forced to battle the group of bangaa before they can reach Balthier. After Ba'Gamnan's defeat, Balthier shocks Vaan by moving to destroy the auralith deep within the Underground. Fran defects to her partner's side, and the two summon another group of Yarhi for Vaan and his party to deal with. Though Balthier and Fran are defeated, Balthier still manages to start up the machines flanking the second auralith, which is subsequently destroyed.
The auralith's demise frees a great deal of aegyl anima. Vaan, Penelo, Llyud, Filo, and Kytes are sent to Lesrekta, Isle of Illusions, while Balthier and Fran commandeer to the Galbana. After Vaan's return, Balthier explains he destroyed the auralith simply to restore the aegyls' souls. By releasing the anima, Balthier prevented the Judge of Wings from getting to the crystal first and stealing the anima within. The motivation behind the Judge's actions and the aegyl god, Feolthanos, are finally understood, and Balthier and Fran join the allied party for good.
Abilities:
Fires of War
A powerful, fire-based attack. Cooldown of 4 posts.
Tides of Fate
A powerful water-based attack. Cooldown of 5 posts.
Element of Treachery
A powerful non-elemental attack that summons forth a powerful meteor. Can only be used once per thread.
Hamstring
A shot at one of his opponent's limbs in an attempt to disable or immobilize them. Cooldown of 2 posts
Percussive Slug
A shot that isn't meant for a kill but rather used for knocking an opponent back to slow them down. Cooldown of 2 posts.
Summons: N/A
Magic: N/A
Strengths:
-Confident, but not overconfident.
-Overall good combat prowess
Weaknesses:
-It's quite easy to say that Fran is his weakness, as she is someone he cares for deeply and wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.
-Prone to looking rather arrogant
Weapon
Rigel
An elaborate gun woth noble words etched into the handle and sides. It's nothing special, but to Balthier it's a weapon that a sky pirate can't be without.
Crushes: "A leading man has many admirers."
How did you find us? "I have my ways."
Role Play Sample: "Good things come to those who wait."
Password: Glorious Walruses