Balcot

* Biography
* Threat Assessment
* Trivia and Notes
* Gallery

### Balcot: 1697 - ~1800s

The elf called Balcot was born under mysterious circumstances. Like many young elflings, he was left in the care of Knecht Ruprecht and his Fellowship. Balcot would suffer under the reign of that notorious knecht but not as much as some of his peers — which is itself a small miracle considering that, during the time of his youth, the Nóatún of his time was not the near-egalitarian utopia it is today.

In those days, like in other lands, elves of mixed backgrounds were treated as second-class citizens of inherently distrustful creatures. Though Balcot look mostly like a Plain Elf with his fair complexion and general demeanor, his stockier build, hazel eyes, and black hair — not to mention the presence of facial hair and thick, coarse body hair hinted at some lingering stocky Elf lineage.

At a young age, Balcot proved to have an interest in the sciences and tinkering. He possibly made himself of use to the knecht and his fellow Fellows by tending to the Lodge's upkeep, keeping himself out of sight and out of mind as he spent most of his time up in the rafters, behind the walls, and hidden in nooks and crannies as he patched holes, sealed cracks, and mended that which was broken.

Something of a late-bloomer, Balcot did not see it prudent to set out on his spiritual sojourn until her was well over a hundred years old. What kicked off his decision to leave Nóatún is not well-known, at least to my research. It's possible that he simply left when the new Knecht has risen to power — afraid that he might be seen as a loyalist in the former knecht's ranks. It's also just as possible that he simply has not been allowed to leave under the old knecht's watch.

### Balcot: ~1800s - 1933

I don't know what Balcot go up to while he was away from Nóatún. It is likely he learned his aptitudes during his time, or further improved any aptitudes he may have developed on his own as the caretaker for the Fellowship's Lodge.

### Balcot: 1933 - 1940

While we know next to nothing about Balcot's sojourn, we do know that when he returned to Nóatún he began to work at the town's sleigh stables. It was her that Balcot would have a hand in developing Nóatún's system of public transportation, not only building custom green sleighs that were ideal for navigating Nóatún's streets, he would also organize the system of scheduled stops and routes for the red sleighs that would run concurrent to the green sleighs — effectively making the green sleds Nóatún's taxis while the long red sleigh wagons would function as the city bus service.

### Balcot: 1940 - 1966

When the former engineer for the Santa's sleigh retired from service to hold a seat on the Council of Elders, Balcot was summoned to Thrymheimr and asked to lend his skills to aid Sandan, Fusquod, and other highly-skilled elves to oversee the design and construction of a new, more modern sleigh. The world was changing, and with the world, Santa needed to change as well to keep up.

During the process, the need for a new sleigh became all the more clear when the sled was caught in a Nazi airstrike, during which the house baker Panacea would be tossed from the sled and severely injured. Those who knew Panacea best withdrew from the sled's redesign for a time, during which time Balcot continued to work.

Though Sandan and Fusquod would return to the sleigh project in time, much of the most difficult work was carried out by Balcot already. For his preserverance, Balcot would be awarded with the position of Sleigh Engineer.

### Balcot: 1966 - Present

In addition to his work as the caretaker of Santa's sled, Balcot would be given a different task — this one given to him by Skadi. Due to his own high intellect and odd social ticks, Balcot was asked to look after the mad elf Romint, becoming his keeper, translator, collaborator, and friend — whatever was needed at the time.

## Threat Assessment

### Resources

* **Ljósálfar Physiology:** Though some more traditional elves argue that Balcot is a Dritálfar, or an elf of mixed heritage, most elves in Nóatún consider him to be a Ljósálfar — or Light Elf, with some distant Swarthy Elf heritage.
	+ ***Enhanced Agility:*** Elves have a level of agility coordination, and general dexterity. As such, most elves are very graceful and quick on their feet.
	+ ***Enhanced Balance:*** Typically, an elf never loses their balance. They can run across icy ledges without fear of slipping and can climb the tallest of trees without trouble.
	+ ***Enhanced Hearing:*** Elves have hearing far more sensitive than humans.
	+ ***Enhanced Reflexes:*** Elves have exceptional reaction time and reflexes.
	+ ***Enhanced Sight:*** Elves have sharp eyes that can make out incredible detail, even in low-light environments and situations.
	+ ***Longevity:*** Depending on their diet, lifestyle, and the ambient essence of their environment, elves can live several centuries to thousands of years.
	+ ***Nightvision:*** Elves have excellent low-light vision.
	+ ***Supernatural Senses:*** Elves can see, hear, and interact with ethereal entities.
* **Arcane Aptitude — Enchanting:** Balcot knows the techniques to imbue objects with magical abilities through the alchemical art of enchantment.
* **Arcane Aptitude — Incantation Improvisation:** Balcot's alchemy, magical spells, and rituals do not have to use the exact ingredients as called for. As long as Balcot is involved in the creation process, he can substitute one ingredient in a simple concoction or up to three ingredients in complex rituals. The results will not be exactly the same, unpredictable side effects may result, but the overall effect will be fairly close to the intended result.
* **Arcane Aptitude — Master's Hand:** By giving his mind over to the spirits of those that have gone before him in his craft, Balcot can close his eyes and undertake complex or precision work with his hands and simple tools. This intense trance allows him to ignore circumstances and distractions around him that may impair his final product.
* **Legendary Sleighmaker:** Balcot is considered to be the best sleighmaker in Nóatún.
* **Accomplished Alchemist:** Balcot is considered to be a master alchemist.
* **Accomplished Blacksmith:** Balcot is considered to be a master blacksmith.
* **Accomplished Electrician:** Balcot is considered to be a master electrician.
* **Accomplished Mechanic:** Balcot is considered to be a master mechanic.
* **Accomplished Tinker:** Balcot is considered to be master tinker and inventor.
* **Hat and Shoe:** Balcot is in possession of one of Romint's old hats. "Hand-me-downs" among elves is considerered a great honor as ancient elf custom held that essence of an elf would be imparted upon their posssessions, so gifting another your lucky hat or shirt was a great honor. Balcot having worked closely with Roming for the last fifty-plus years, he's also gathered up quite the collection of footweear that Romint was tossed out for various reasons — many of them quite impressive relics that Balcot was able to make use of despite not meeting whatever measure that Romint keeps for his personal "standards".

### Weaknesses

* **Ancient Rules:** Elves are bound by the ancient laws of the Void.
* **Vice — Gluttony:** Balcot is often found lingering around the bakery, eating its sweets.
* **Vulnerability — Pure Adamant:** Elves find the touch of pure Adamant painful.
* **Vulnerability — Pure, Unforged Iron:** Elves cannot abide the touch of pure iron.

### Analytics

* **Physicality:** 4 — Expert / Enhanced
* **Occult:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Weaponry:** 2 — Basic / Typical
* **Expertise:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Range:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
* **Strategy:** 2 — Basic / Typical
	+ **TOTAL:** 50
	+ **RANKING:** Low Threat

## Trivia and Notes

### Notes

* He is based on Earth-27 community member, CobaltKent

## Links and References

* Appearances of Balcot

1. ↑ Network Files: Balcot