Lords of Balic

Old Balic was a kingdom founded in 64 St. After defeating Storm Lord Saervio, the 5 nations that had been built on the ruins of the Prsigoth Empire joined together to protect themselves from future calamities. 1534 years later in 78 Ws, an outbreak of ghouls from a city near Balic’s center, Balsadran, caused Balic’s central government to collapse. The kingdom fell apart. 3 years later the plague was brought to an end, and people began to claim the leftover land. They all signed a treaty to becomes the city-states of Balic – a region of united nations without a central government. The following are the current Lords of Balic as of 101 Ws.

## LORD DUSTIN THRESHER, THE PERFECT LORD

Age: 19

Race: Human

State Ruled: Paraith

As the Plague of Teeth spread across Balic, many landed nobles in the far northeast asked Thay, their northern neighbour, to assist them with the crisis at hand. Thay marched their forces through Balic territory and helped defend the people against the plague; they secured borders, refurbished fortresses, and strengthened infrastructure over the next three years of their occupation. In the final months of the plague, the representatives of the territory which Thay had recently dubbed Paraith, discussed with Thay the terms of their soldiers’ departure. Thay refused to yield any territory they defended during the crisis, and so tensions flared as the populace began to view Thayan troops as hostile invaders. Events culminated with violent protesters assaulting an archmage - an incident that reduced several city blocks to ash. Thay withdrew its forces and stated it would offer no more assistance to the nation of Balic over this slight.

Concurrently, Matheston pushed heavily for borders to be established inside what was once Balic, and to create official city-states for each territory that had successfully defended itself during this time. As the discussion regarding this was still open, Dregoth of Fire-Way began aggressively claiming Paraithic cities as his own, a task made easy now that Thayan forces were no longer present. Paraith once again had to ask Thay for assistance and this time Thay was prepared. Thay presented a list of demands that had to be met including yearly tithes, the election of a noble of Thayan blood as lord of Paraith, and the construction of a temple to Tiamat. Paraith was forced to accept, or be overrun.

A noble of half-Thayan blood by the name of Dalton Rivers was selected by the occupying forces to lead Paraith in its early days as an independent state. Dalton’s loyalties lay only with Thay, and the laws that he passed made this quickly and readily apparent. Dalton ensured that Paraith’s values were slowly mirroring Thay’s, and this unsubtle erosion made him wildly unpopular. After decades of governing Paraith, Dalton’s rule was challenged in 98 Wandering Sun by a young man from the house of Thresher. Following the traditional rules of Old Balic that had carried over to Paraith after the establishment of its stateship, Dalton was to duel this young man to the death for the leadership. Though a competent mage himself, Dalton lost to the would-be Lord, and Dustin Thresher became the new leader of Paraith at sixteen years of age; the youngest lord in all of Balic.

Lord Dustin Thresher is the adopted son of Marlos Thresher, a high-ranking noble of Paraith.

He was adopted from a countryside family at age six and began to show signs of greatness soon after, excelling at everything he tried his hand at, from horsemanship and swordplay to etiquette and statesmanship. His photographic memory allows him to capture minute details in his environment and use them to his advantage, also giving the illusion that he is incredibly lucky instead of incredibly focused. Wild rumors surround the circumstances of his adoption as it is well known that The Perfect Lord has a unique marking - a small, black star tattoo on his left ankle. He has made it a point to seek out if there are any others with such a brand, though no one has come forward as of yet.

He is a level-headed leader with the best interests of Balic as a collective nation in his heart. Few find fault in his governing or policies, and those who do are generally not thought well of at court in the first place, and so their voices find no welcome reception.

## LORD MEDANI

Age: 87

Race: Half-Elf

State Ruled: Trennal

Lord Tendil Talus was a landed Elven noble at the time of Balic’s collapse. When his subjects were raided during the plague by bandits and terrorized by ghouls, he quickly conscripted and trained troops to protect himself and his subjects against these threats. During this time, many nearby towns suffering from similar raids asked for his protection, and this formed what many people believe was Balic’s first free state. This agreement to band together under one banner was called “The Talus Pledge” and was subject to end once order in the capital was restored. However, as other states rose up and began to seize land, the towns subject to his rule voted to stay unified under the Pledge. When the Eastern Kingdoms invaded less than a century later, Talus fought back, and after several devastating naval battles, Talus sunk over half the enemy fleet in three days, though he lost his own life in the process. This was what came to be known as the Battle of the Ashen Straight.

When Talus was killed, his second in command, Medani, was put in charge. Shortly after taking the lordship of Trennal, a Doppelganger posing as his wife attempted to replace him. He managed to slay the Doppelganger, though soon after he found his wife locked away in a cellar, deceased. The grieving lord had his two children sent away to other lands in an attempt to eliminate their involvement and ensure their safety. It is said that after he made this painful decision, his dragonmark of Detection awakened. He used its power to hunt down the group of shapeshifters that had put the plot in place to remove both himself and his wife. He imprisoned the plotters before publicly demanding that Greybank pay reparations “for what it had done”. Greybank denied any knowledge or involvement in death of the lord’s wife or the intentional placement of the group, but agreed to pay the reparations if the shapeshifters were returned as they were sovereign citizens, terms which Medani reluctantly agreed to. However, before the Doppelgangers could be sent back to Greybank, the lord ordered several of them killed in the same way that his wife had perished - starvation. No official reason why Medani acted this way has ever been released, and though some wild rumors regarding psionics circulate, most are in agreement that this was an act of revenge. This created an international incident that heavily damaged relations between the state of Trennal and Greybank, resulting in a travel advisory warning being issued for any shapeshifters moving to or through the region. In recent years Lord Medani has fathered several Dragonmarked children, but has not remarried during this time. It is said that his family line can pick a changeling out of a crowd with ease.

The state still maintains a large military presence, and security has steadily been increasing since Medani acquired leadership; his paranoia regarding shapeshifters of all kinds has made it a subject of curiosity among non-citizens, though his leadership is often described as fair and just.

## HIGH GENERAL DREGOTH, THE BURNER

Age: 79

Race: Dragonborn

State Ruled: Fire-Way

When the Plague of Teeth occurred, the half-dragon Dregoth was a mercenary living in northeast Balic. He had recently purchased a small keep and made himself a self-proclaimed lord. When the Plague of Teeth began he saw an opportunity to expand his holdings, and hired mercenaries companies that he had worked with before - claiming ownership of the settlements and/or enacting martial law as he did so. He then used the conscripted armies of the larger settlements he acquired to defend against the ghoul threat. Dregoth successfully managed to drive the ghouls elsewhere, often leading them to the settlements that did not join his cause. He also created the four great kilns that he used to cremate all of the dead and infected in his lands. After the embers had died and the ashes from the kilns had settled to the ground, the land of the Burner became known as Fire-Way. When Matheston pushed the idea of a coalition of city-states with established borders, Dregoth was quick to agree and established Fire-Way’s boundaries – he refused to back down on almost any of his claims. He remained in power after the establishment of Fire-Way as a state, removing any governments in his holdings that took issue with his command. He paid most of the mercenary companies in titles and lands, making them nobles or governors within his kingdom.

Dregoth keeps a strong military presence in Fire-Way; he is determined to protect his land at any cost. He leaves most of the responsibility of running and maintaining his city-state to his advisors and counsellors. Fire-Way is very self-sufficient and therefore exports and imports very little. It is famous for its sellsword companies and Balic’s only legal fighting pits, making it popular among young adventurers and seasoned veterans looking for a challenge. Though these towns are considered rough and tumble by outsiders, they all follow strict codes and laws – Fire-Way has one of the lowest crime rates in Balic as the punishments are quite severe.

## KING RICHARD FHELT, THE IRON BASTARD

Age: 52

Race: Human

State Ruled: The Core

The capital city of Balic held the central governing body of the nation before the Plague of Teeth wiped out a great number of the population. After the plague ended, people moved to reclaim the land, and they were led by Richard Fhelt. Fhelt is one of the bastard sons of the old king’s half-brother – the closest blood relative to the old throne that had survived the plague. He proclaimed himself the king of Balic’s Core, and set about restoring the land; although the sewers and undercrofts are still home to undead, grells, and lycanthropes, much of the culture and history above ground was able to be reclaimed.

Fhelt currently seeks someone to marry his eldest daughter and become heir to his throne. He invites nobles from far and wide to compete for her hand, but none have measured up to his high standards so far. Fhelt also has a famous soul-trapping longsword and a willingness to use whatever means are necessary to achieve his goals, whatever they may be at the time. Many who challenge his rule often find themselves having unfortunate accidents before they can try to usurp him. Those that lose to him in a duel are executed, followed by their families and supporters.

Fhelt seeks to revive Old Balic in The Core, reinstating laws and traditions where he can based on salvaged records and texts. The core values of unity, freedom, and security for humans are still upheld within its borders. Though his land is but one city-state, Fhelt is intent on eventually controlling all the land the former nation was once comprised of, restoring it to its former glory.

## LADY MARIAN

Age:                          84

Race:                        Human (reforged)

State Ruled:             Darynos

Darynos has been heavily focused on industry and technology since even before the dissolution of Old Balic. Research, development, and “fringe” experiments were held here, near the Free Lands, and away from the general populace. Allister and Marian Durant were in charge of one of the municipalities of Darynos when word of the Plague arrived; they played a key part in protecting the region at this time, though due to its natural isolation and distance from the capital, it was mostly untouched by the Plague of Teeth. They were granted control of the entire region during the Plague, as none of the other community leaders had a more impressive military background. They mobilized troops, set up barriers and stationary defenses, and ordered research into preventative medicines during this time. The pharmaceuticals created in the next three years were able to prevent turning upon death, drastically reducing the number of new ghouls created.

After the Plague ended, Allister and Marian maintained leadership in order to rebuild Darynos, planning to relinquish it back to its previous factions after the restoration was complete. However, after receiving word that the Old Balic government was no more coupled with Matheston asking all the regions to come together to establish new borders, they reconsidered their previous stance. After a government meeting to decide the fate of the region, it was declared that they would elect a leader and join the other city-states. The election was held to determine the leader of the region shortly afterward - Allister and Marian ran together and won with a majority vote.

Immediately after borders had been established with the other city-states, Allister and Marian went about establishing the same with the Warforged just north of their state. Old Balic law had prohibited contact with them, but new Darynos was eager to welcome the fledgling race. Within months, trade had been successfully established.

During the Warforged-Thayan war, Darynos was not able to commit any troops to its ally, as it was still struggling to sustain the refugees that had fled from other city states that fared poorly during the Plague.  Instead, they sent diplomats to vouch for the Warforged when they entered Freeland settlements, and to help ward off fears and mistrust from other city-states of Balic. The Warforged returned the favour in 75 Ws when Marian was fatally wounded in an assassination attempt - she was placed in a Creation Forge and reborn as Warforged. After seeing this technology in action, Darynos become much more interested in what the Warforged had to offer, so relations strengthened and trade flourished.

In 92 Ws Allister passed away. Marian decided not to remarry, and instead now rules the state by herself. Although she has two children, Darynos elects leaders once its current ones pass away – they are not automatically considered as successors as would be the case in many other lands. Marian rules with great leniency. After a sustainable approach to government was established, following the founding of New Balic, she took a laissez-faire attitude which she continues to showcase in her leadership style. Her reforging has had surprisingly little impact on her personality, and although it was difficult for her at first, the growing number of Warforged living in Darynos (roughly 12% of the population) means she receives few curious stares at all anymore.

Darynos remains very liberal-minded; new technology and non-conformist attitudes are encouraged. While dangerous and typically taboo research does require permits, such things are not forbidden as in other states. The people do not often use magic, instead focusing on electrical and mechanical devices, as well as application of elementals. In a similar vein to the Warforged, freedom of choice and expression are important values in Darynos.

## MASTER BRIVGOTH MORDEN-STRAKEN STARFALL

Age:                          340

Race:                         Dwarf

State Ruled:              Mazhar

The Starfall clan has famously hunted down falling stars around Hegan for millennia; Drift-Steel and other rare metals from said stars have made them incredibly wealthy. They were one of the original five kingdoms to form Old Balic, and the only one that survived the Plague of Teeth intact. They accomplished this by abandoning their mainland stronghold of Brassgate, and retreating to the island fortress named after their clan..

As the Plague began to die down, the Starfall clan headed for the mainland again and raided every town they could for wealth and artifacts; with most towns abandoned, they managed to secure a sizable amount of land for themselves. When the new Lords of Balic started to draw territorial boundaries the Starfall clan bartered with their hoard of riches for more land (historical artifacts for The Core, magical ones for Eleparr, gold and favours for the rest).

Mazhar itself is governed by a series of sheriffs with each reporting directly to the capital. In turn, a small governing body in the capital makes decisions for the state. However, it only exists to deal with outside threats – it rarely ever makes any changes in the state or deals with any problems that don’t personally affect any members of the government. All the sheriffs are Starfall clan members, and it’s no secret that they’re all corrupt though fortunately not actively tyrannical. The real power lays the city of Starfall. All decisions including trading, military action, and political movements originate there.

Master Brivgoth Morden-Straken Starfall is the lynchpin that holds the Starfall clan together. As is his clan’s tradition, he traveled to the City Of Doors in Sigil at a young age to train in the art of forging Drift-Steel, an art at which he excelled. Even greater was his ability to shrewdly negotiate, especially when it came to selling his work or pressing his ideals. Extremely amoral, Master Starfall bartered his way through the next several hundred years of his life, rising through the ranks of his clan. He eventually garnered enough support to overthrow the traditional bloodline monarchy of his clan and was elected as a new leader for a new age; over fifty years of prosperous rule and a very favourable outcome for his clan after the Plague of Teeth has cemented Master Starfall as one of greatest leaders in Starfall history.

## MASTER ELDON DAERGELL

Age:                           115

Race:                          Gnome

State Ruled:               Eleparr

Old Balic had many nation-wide laws; its lack of provincial government combined with strict national laws meant that different cultures were hard-pressed to express themselves. Laws on magic were especially strict, with only court wizards being allowed to openly practice magic. In eastern Balic an underground movement began to form, determined to take over a section of Balic and instate legal magic use and freedom. In 50 Ws they began planning their uprising - in 60 Ws, the Plague of Teeth provided an opportunity for them. As the government of Balic was consumed with the crisis, the movement acted quickly, taking over many eastern cities by force. They usurped the local governments and established themselves as the new rulers of the land with a human sorcerer named Callistra as their leader. Callistra and her army of arcanists defended against the ghouls, gaining the support of many of the people over the next three years. When the Plague ended, Callistra refused to relinquish power though most citizens were not opposed to their protector being named ruler in an official capacity. Beyond magic being permitted, their base freedoms were not infringed upon, and through this time more laws were repealed than added.

Callistra held leadership until she stepped down for unknown reasons in 65 Ws. Eldon, a gnomish refugee from Niben, stepped up to take her place and ordered drastic reform of the state. Under his rule, magic is allowed in any form that does not endanger the stability of the plane. He separated the state into east and west, with the east acting as a ground for citizens to live in peace and for official government business (trade, politics, etc.) to take place. The west became an experimental ground for arcanists. Three major cities were repurposed for the specific focus of sorcerers, wizards, and warlocks, while bardic colleges remained in the east. Portions of the western area outside of city limits slowly became a lawless land where magic was used in any way a user saw fit; even forbidden magic and traditionally illegal actions (i.e. murder) are not policed in these lands.

Despite his negligence of the west, Eldon has established the National Scrying Agency, a state-run organization dedicated to protecting the plane from dangerous magic. Any particularly powerful magic is watched carefully to ensure no international disasters occur. The Agency does intervene when these threats occur, though less than a dozen events of this magnitude have been recorded over the past 35 years.

Eldon distrusts Thay, and though they have occasional trade, he has the Scrying Agency look at them particularly closely.  In contrast, Eleparr has numerous schools of magic, some of which are funded by Whitesun. Much funding, in fact, comes from the region in return for Eleparr sharing the results of that funding with the desert nation.

## CHANCELLORS SEDRIN MADRIDAN AND TORMONT ANVILBREAKER

Age:                            34 ,270

Race:                          Dwarf, Human

State Ruled:               Matheston

During the Plague of Teeth many of Balic’s lords took their armies afield to conquer and pillage nearby towns to expand their holdings. Lord Tormont, however, took a defensive stance when the dead begin to rise; he gathered his clansmen, as well as many of the nearby towns, and sealed everyone in his mountain stronghold. Hunger drove them out after three years, near the end of the Plague of Teeth. However, thousands of ghouls lay waiting at the gates of the stronghold when they emerged. A six day battle ensued, coming to be known as the battle of Broken Fang; it’s said that the last day of the battle was spend digging through the mountain of corpses to escape. After the dead were put to ash, it was Tormont’s voice that called for unification of Balic and the creation of the city-states.

When the gates were first sealed, the dwarves were forced to share their home with the human townsfolk. Sedrin acted as a mediator, ensuring fairness and equal treatment for both sides. After she stopped a rogue human faction from opening the gates early, Tormont invited her to join the dwarven council. After the gates were open and the ghouls slain, Sedrin supported Tormont in the unification of Balic, and played a key part in drawing the boundaries of the city-states. Sedrin now shares leadership with Tormont as chancellors of Matheston.

## HIGH CONDUIT VISTRA ARIMEN

Age:                           52

Race:                          Human

State Ruled:               Kelesen

No state was better prepared to deal with the Plague of Teeth than Kelesen. Kelesen was a region of Old Balic predominantly inhabited by worshipers of the Raven Queen, and High Conduit Vistra was given visions of the events to come prior to the Plague. She prepared her people to defend against the abominations, and during the Plague, Kelesen took in numerous refugees of all creeds. On numerous occasions the Raven let her power be known, allowing her clerics and paladins to channel power that would normally be beyond them. After the Plague many refugees converted; due to its successes, Kelesen became the only city-state to grow in population after the Plague.

The state’s views and values are in line with the Raven Queen’s portfolio - upholding her tenants always comes before one’s own needs. Worship of other gods is not outlawed, but is controversial and frowned upon though generally accepted. Most people stay within the borders of Kelesen, leaving only to go on lich hunts or divinely mandated undead purges within Balic.

## ARCHON DAUNTLESS

Age:                            Ageless

Race:                          Empyrean

State Ruled:               Creston

Shortly after the Plague of Teeth, Lord Dauntless, a disgraced Empyrean, arrived alone from one of the higher planes. He used his divine might to dispatch the state’s former lord with ease and began his rule without delay; his first mandate was to erect a massive temple to serve as his stronghold. His second decree as lord was to denounce all other faiths and close all other temples.

Dauntless rules with an iron fist, and any voice of dissent is summarily met with execution or imprisonment. However, punishment is meted out to only the individual offender; the families and holdings of the criminal are left untouched. In this way, Dauntless allows each citizen to prove their individual worth. He has no advisors and holds court with nobody who would disagree with him. He has yet to attend or even reply to any of the summons of the other lords of Balic.

Dauntless’ preferred instrument is a Marilith named Sava, whose true name he holds. Sava leads his troops when he does not, and she carries out executions in his name.

## THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Age:                            Varied

Race:                          Human, Dwarf, Changeling

State Ruled:               Meletass

Before the Plague of Teeth, the southern tip of Balic was a hotbed for industry. It was famous for its successful and numerous private companies that controlled export of grain, metals, precious gems, and livestock. When the Plague of Teeth began to creep its way south, Meletass’ industry spiked as they supplied those fighting the ghouls with food and other necessities. As they attempted to meet the demand for armaments, they began producing fabricated goods in lieu of raw materials. As Balic’s government had all but disappeared, leaving no ruling body to distribute goods throughout the nation, Meletass quickly took advantage of the situation to become a private empire.

When the Plague ended, Meletass’ trading empire continued to thrive. After 15 years of the various companies and businesses within its borders amalgamating or acquiring each other, eight large companies remained. These companies came together to form a ruling body for the state; they work together to ensure Meletass brings in the most income possible for each company.

Meletass has always been zealously pro-human, though they see dwarves as trustworthy and fair trading partners; many dwarves call the state home. Several dwarven holds still exist here, and as such they make up about a quarter of the population. However, Meletass is inhospitable for most other common humanoids, including elves, gnomes, and shifters, and can often prove deadly for uncommon races such as tieflings, dragonborn, and half-orcs. Many citizens in Meletass view these races as less than human (or dwarf), often refusing to trade with or talk to them, charging them more for purchases than other races, or refusing them entry into some stores or areas of towns. The citizens view the more monstrous races as dangerous and feral. It is not uncommon for visiting tieflings to be arrested for no reason or even to be attacked or killed on sight.

## HIGH PRIESTS VANIFER AND GAR

Age:                            xx,xx

Race:                          Tiefling, Genasi

State Ruled:               Ferveo

Since the Dawn War there have always been links between the Prime Plane and the Elemental Chaos; two of these links can be found within Old Balic. The nodes in eastern and southern Balic act as windows into the Elemental planes of fire and water respectively. Around the time of its founding, the people of Balic created temples of worship around these nodes, effectively keeping them under governmental control. Throughout the passing millennia these nodes remained only for worship until 54 Ws when the Plague of Teeth arrived. The local governments had relied heavily on policing and support from Balic’s central monarchy, therefore, upon Balic’s formal collapse, the temples had no defense against the ghouls. As the state descended into panic the leaders of the temples independently shepherded their followers into their nodes and performed rituals to grant the power of the respective element to those inside. Upon seeing how the followers had been blessed with this power, and how they were beginning to turn the tide of battle against the ghouls, more and more citizens embraced the elemental cults; thousands of sorcerers were created in the span of a few months.

As the ghouls pushed east, the thousands of citizens they slaughtered began to rise as ghouls, creating a seemingly unstoppable ever-growing hoard. Everything seemed hopeless until the fire elementalists joined the fight. Adopting the name of their place of worship, the Temple of the Eternal Flame pushed back against the ghouls, using their fire to both kill the creatures and stop the dead from turning. There was no clear leader during the Plague, but the Temple managed to coordinate enough that boundaries were able to be established by the time Matheston pushed for unification. Various priests and priestesses running the temple spoke on behalf of the people and acted as a temporary government for many years.

In 86 Ws, a tiefling named Vanifer, formerly a dancer in the court of Dregoth of Fire-Way, made her way to the temple and joined as a priestess. In 89 Ws she convinced the priests to create a more official government and spearheaded the task of enforcing laws while setting up a system of rule for the land.

During the Plague of Teeth, the worshippers of the water node who called themselves the Cult of Eventide, proposed to the local government that they take control to help command the newly empowered water sorcerers. The government stepped down and the cult led the people against the ghoul threat with great success. The worshippers also renamed themselves the Cult of the Crushing Wave during the Plague. Three years later, with the ghoul threat eliminated, the cult was asked to step down from power. After negotiating with the old government, it was decided they would share power with the cult acting as figureheads while the old government worked to keep the nation running smoothly.

In 83 Ws, a water genasi named Gar arrived in the land owned by the water cult. Gar had escaped from slavery aboard a pirate ship and fled to the mainland. Unbeknownst to him, he was drawn to the water node, and upon his arrival he was immediately adopted into cult. Never before had the cult seen a water genasi, a being they saw as the perfect fusion of man and element. Gar accepted this new life, demonstrating both great faith and leadership; within two years he was named head priest.

In 92 Ws, pilgrimages to the two nodes reached an all-time high; most pilgrims were citizens of one node seeking the power of both. Although Gar initially pushed to close off the water node from outside use, Vanifer, now the Fire Temple’s unofficial leader, offered another solution: merge their nations. They would rule as equals and represent their respective elements. Gar eventually accepted her terms, and the lands of the Temple and Cult became rebranded as Ferveo. Using their mastery of the elements, two more nodes, albeit much weaker than the original two, were created in a central location in the new nation and a joint temple was erected around them. Vanifer and Gar became high priests of the land, though with the old government in truth still running much of the country.

Over time the people asked for the other two elements to be represented; the call was put out for two people willing to represent the elements of Earth and Air. A winged elf named Aerisi and a male medusa named Marlos became figureheads in 98 and 96 Ws respectively, opening up their own nodes in the temple. Although they share equal status as far as figureheads go, they have much fewer people in Ferveo wielding their elements, and are not permitted to appear before the other city-states of Balic as representatives. Nonetheless, Aerisi’s Temple of the Feather Gale is growing quickly as people flock to her beauty and charisma.

The government running Ferveo is intent on making the nation run smoothly. They stay neutral on the elemental front, allowing the figureheads to sort out the issues thata rise between factions. Although many citizens remain devout to only element, particularly water wielders, the amount of citizens wielding two or more elements helps to keep intra-elemental tensions low. Laws are fairly strict in Ferveo, with varying lengths of jail sentences for lesser crimes, and various executions for the more severe. Those who have trouble controlling their elemental powers are sometimes exiled to Eleparr to either wreak their havoc elsewhere, or to refine it before they are allowed to return. The government is engaged in trade primarily with Meletass and The Core.