Balthasar Mannsworth

**Balthasar Mannsworth** is a Homini conman posing as a doctor who was introduced in Asphodel. *(Played by Comrade Squid.)*

## Biography

Balthasar was basically your average, run-of-the-mill con man and peddler of cheap tricks back in the day. Dealing in Ponzi schemes, bounty frauds, and fake magic tricks, it was rare for him to stay in any one place too long for fear of retribution from disgruntled victims and law enforcement. One day, after being run out of town on a rail yet again, Balthasar stumbled upon a venerable plague doctor- men of healing and salvation within the Homini world- laying dead in the road after succumbing to the plague he had once treated. Feeling a stroke of genius, Balthasar stole the dead man's costume and status, forging the identity of *Doctor* Balthasar Mannsworth.

His luck increased from there. He traveled from town to town, approaching the local leadership and requesting free room and board in exchange for his services as a town doctor and/or personal physician. Balthasar, obviously, had no medical knowledge, and what little he did have was totally unbound by ethics- if there's anything close to a Hippocratic oath in Asphodel, Balthasar would have an allergic reaction to it. Once people began to grow suspicious of his act, or the need for an *actual* doctor arose, he'd flee into the night with all his ill-gotten gains.

For most of his tenure, he'd limited his activities to independent Homini towns outside the bounds of fiefs. However, his spree of successes prompted him to stroll into Spieti hold, where he approached the ruling Lord Cato and once again offered his services as a medical expert in exchange for a sizable estate. Cato hesitantly agreed, but soon recanted the offer as he got the (entirely correct) impression that Balthasar was doing absolutely *nothing* besides wasting his money and being very rude to people, and thus banished him. Before his eviction, Balthasar gave a dire warning that a terrible pox was to fall on Spieti, and that without his medicine, nothing could stop it.

This was, of course, a bluff. However, Balthasar had only been away from Spieti for several weeks when, by sheer happenstance, an *actual* plague struck. Cato was convinced that Balthasar had predicted the plague and quickly tracked him down to beg him to come back. Balthasar accepted, as his wealth in Spieti was greater than in any of his other trickeries, and 'prepared a cure' just long enough for the plague to have mostly run its course.

Since then, Balthasar has maintained his cozy position as Spieti's chief doctor and personal physician of the local Lord Governor, but he did not spend his time outside of Spieti unwisely- during the weeks of his exile, his wanderings caused him to stumble upon a degenerate town, populated by an order of fallen scientists. Cautiously, he struck a deal with one among their number, promising gold payment in exchange for some of the advanced medicine they had in storage, a tool that would increase his legitimancy tenfold.

## Physical Appearance

Balthasar is a bony scarecrow of a man, standing at 5 feet and 11 inches tall and possessing a thin and narrow build. Further details such as facial features are obscured by his ridiculous costume, which he wears during all his hours outside his home. The costume entails a wide-brimmed hat topping a frightening bird mask, with the rest of his body is cloaked by a black leather coat.

## Personality

Balthasar is devious, underhanded, and snide. He's a slick conman, a coward, and a liar, as well as a greedy scoundrel with a penchant for profit. Immensely skilled in deception, every aspect of his personality is attuned to his desire for pleasure and success. While a charming medical man on the surface (at least to people he needs something from- he's rude to everyone else), underneath it all he's a smug snake willing to undercut just about anyone and anything for his own interests.

### *Strengths*

He's a proficient liar who's good at getting what he wants, and he does have have some medical skills- fake something for long enough and you'll get at least some idea of how to actually do it.

### *Weaknesses*

He's a coward and a liar and the people who realized they'd been fooled by him likely want him arrested and/or dead.

## Relationships

**Lord Cato** - Cato was Balthasar's first employer, and the good doctor did not hold a very high opinion of him. Like all his employers, Balthasar provided the bare minimum of actual service and faked most of his work. Cato was seen only as a means of income and their unpleasant personalities saw them frequently in disagreement, especially after Cato once banished Balthasar from Spieti.

**Dr. Oswald** - Balthasar only barely escaped with his life the first time he met the Order of Ultra-Science, and every meeting since, he's had to barter with the esteemed Dr. Oswald. Balthasar merely sees her as an annoying roadblock in his business transactions, and only time will tell if he'll honor the mysterious request that the scientist has made of him...

**Dux Nereida Dorean** - Balthasar does not have a high opinion of her either, but he recognizes that she is far more principled than Lord Cato, and also more dangerous. He treads carefully around her, hoping to fall in her good graces so that he may reap the substantial rewards they entail.

## Weapon

**Tallying Stick** - A wooden rod created with the intention of being used to touch potentially contaminated bodies for inspection, Balthasar has found greater use for it in physically beating disrespectful peasants, angered relatives of people he was unable to cure, and anybody he happens to not like very much.

## Trivia

* "Balthasar Mannsworth" is not his real name, and in actuality, merely a pseudonym adopted to increase his credibility.