Baldr

* Biography
* Threat Assessment
* Trivia and Notes
* Gallery

### Background

Prior to her wedding and bedding of Odin, the goddess Frigg made a dark deal with an otherworldly being that promised her firstborn child would be protected against all harm. Frigg may have used this as a means to convince Odin to marry her, assuring prosperity for the pantheon with a well protected heir.

### Baldr: ~5 CE - 423 CE

Baldr was the first child born of Odin and Frigg's marriage. He was a frail boy at birth, which prompted Frigg to test the limits of her son's promised protection. While Frigg was investigating Baldr's mystical protections, Baldr's adopted brother Loki knew there was no such thing as an absolute in magic, and he began his own inquiry. Though Frigg came to the conclusion that her son was entirely safe from harm and turned her focus to treating his frailty with further magical enchantment, Loki was a cunning trickster and realized that the simple apotropaic mistletoe could interfere with Baldr's protections. Fearing what could happen to his brother if this information was discovered, Loki kept this to himself.

With his mother's magic augmenting his youth, Baldr grew into a mighty god, bolstered further with significant purviews. During the Aesir-Vanir War, Baldr was perhaps the most feared for of the Vanir, through using the superior control of the environment to ensnare him with weeds, sink him in mud, or bury him under rock slides. Growing tired of his most ferocious champion being dismissed due to lack of foresight, Odin ordered Loki to mentor Baldr.

The mentoring had mixed results. While Loki succeeded in expanding Baldr's strategic thinking, it also stressed the relationship between the brothers. As Odin's oldest legitimate heir and having never experienced pain or fear, Baldr was filled with hubris and entitlement that did not sit well with his ambitious runt jötunn trickster brother; especially whenever Baldr humored himself by ridiculing Loki — which was rather often. This planted a seed in Loki's mind which would eventually nurture into the intent to give Baldr a much-needed lesson in humility.

Ultimately, Baldr never had much chance to put Loki's training into effect. Loki was called away to perform a scouting mission. While away, Loki got up to an adventure that would bring about the alliance between the Aesir and the Vanir, which would later further evolve into a merging of the pantheons through the marriage of the poetic Aesir god Bragi and beautiful Vanir goddess Idunn.

### Baldr: 423 - 888

Baldr never much cared for the joining of the Aesir and the Vanir. Part of the reason for this was that Loki was so instrumental in the creation of the alliance. Baldr was certain Loki was up to no good with this. At every chance, Baldr tried to undermine the alliance. However, this backfired on Baldr when Odin ordered Baldr to marry Nanna, a Vanir goddess.

Though he objected to his own marriage, Baldr did find himself falling in love with Nanna. He fathered a son with her and developed a pristine reputation as a sound leader and an icon of morality. It seems like Baldr was well-suited to married life, with Nanna softening Baldr's flaws and bringing out the best in him.

Then came Loki's marriage to Sigyn. During the wedding, Baldr, made a drunken toast to the groom that rambled on in details about Loki's previous affairs with the goddess Angrboda who Baldr bragged was far more beautiful than Sigyn. Though Thor got Baldr to shut up, the damage was done and Sigyn was brought to tears.

That night, when the drunken gods got to playing their games, Loki suggested they play a favorite game — taking turns throwing weapons at Baldr and watching them fall to the ground without effect. As Baldr's younger brother Hodr's turn came up, Loki handed Hodr a mistletoe arrow. Hodr took the bow and fired a shot, though he aimed for Baldr's heart, he never intended to see the weapon hit its mark.

Baldr stumbled back, let out a startled gasp as he saw and felt the burn of his ichor for the first time on his skin. Then Baldr dropped to the floor, lifeless and cold.

## Threat Assessment

### Resources

* **Daimon Physiology:** Baldr is a daimon born of two daimonic parents.
	+ ***Gift of Tongues:*** Baldr can speak, read, and understand all languages of man. By way of a blessing of Frigg, Baldr can also speak and understand animal's speech.
	+ ***God of Innocence:*** Rarely does guilt affect Baldr's mind and if it should, it would remain a secret to all but him as his essence makes too pure of spirit to pierce his mind through magic or psionics or cause an unnatural effect to influence him. Furthermore, he can extend this protection to any he wishes in his proximity. It should be noted that illusions or deception that do not affect his mind directly are not hindered by this ability.
	+ ***God of Joy:*** Baldr has the ability to fill those around him with a sense of elation. This can cause a dull feast to become a party, fill routed warriors with new resolve, or bring peace to a troubled soul.
	+ ***God of Light:*** Baldr has the power to generate light, which can emanate from his own body or another source within his line-of-sight. The light he generates is made of empyrean essence, allowing him to dispel certain evil spirits or beings, attempt to purify areas subjected to unholy contamination, or enhance the healing of others that rest under the light.
	+ ***Mythical Physicality:*** As a daimon Baldr is much stronger, faster, and more agile than mortal creatures. Also, he does not age or suffer from most illness. Though his mother's magical blessings, Baldr is even stronger, faster, and more agile than most other gods.
* **Otherworldly Protection:** Though an agreement between some unknown being and Frigg, Baldr was given extensive mystical protection.
	+ ***Baldr's Brands:*** Baldr's hands are marked with sigils of protection. When Baldr is aware of an attack against him and makes any effort to prevent it, his brands will activate, and his hands will reflexively move to block, deflect, catch, parry, and/or counter the assault against him. Once activated, the brands are almost perfect in their success rate, only hindered by Baldr's general health.
	+ ***Baldr's Barrier:*** When something or someone moves toward Baldr with harmful intent or potential without Baldr's awareness, a mystical failsafe will negate the movement — causing thrown or propelled objects to fall to the ground harmlessly or block persons from moving forward, as if met by an unseen wall.
	+ ***Baldr's Belly:*** Baldr cannot be harmed or affected by any poison, toxin, or disease except that which he wishes to affect him. Likewise, he can breathe smoke or water without ill effect. Furthermore, he doesn’t need to eat or drink — though he will find living without nutrition to be uncomfortable.

### Weaknesses

* **Fearless:** Baldr is foolishly fearless. He runs into danger without hesitation.
* **Flawed Resurrection:** After's Baldr's death, Loki was imprisoned. In protest, Loki's daughter Hel prevented Baldr's soul from resurrecting. Then in turn, next time Loki was captured, Odin commissioned chains enchanted to never release their prisoner until Baldr breathed again and used them to bind Loki. Then, in the last fifty years or so, Hel suddenly released Baldr's soul to allow Loki a chance to make an unexpected escape — but not before she tampered with his soul using essomancy. However, at this time, while Baldr's mother Frigg can detect the use of essomancy on his soul, she is unable to identify what exactly Hel has done to her son.
* **Hubris:** Baldr is a proud god. He is woefully not self-aware, particularly when it comes to his faults and shortcomings. As a Prince of Asgard, he is also entitled.
* **Mistletoe:** Mistletoe is not affected by Baldr's Otherworldly Protection. It cannot be detected, it cannot be hindered, it cannot be blocked. Any weapons wrapped in mistletoe, poisons treated with mistletoe, and persons wearing mistletoe have this same protection. Mistletoe in Baldr's immediate presence or worn on his person will also negate his protections. Finally, such injuries will heal much slower.

### Analytics

* **Physicality:** 8 — Paragon
* **Occult:** 4 — Expert / Enhanced
* **Weaponry:** 8 — Paragon
* **Expertise:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
* **Range:** 4 — Expert / Enhanced
* **Strategy:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
	+ **TOTAL:** 230
	+ **RANKING:** Apex Threat

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* After his death Odin fell into a deep magical sleep amidst the mourning, which Frigg identified as a torpor compelled by magic. Investigating further, Frigg discovered Odin leveraged his own children's lives in a bargain for magical power.
* For his death Odin ordered Fenrir and Jörmungandr imprisoned.
* When he was in Helheim he was chained next to Loki, sharing in his torture.

### Notes

* Baldr is a character from the Norse mythology.

## Links and References

* Appearances of Baldr

1. ↑ Network Files: Baldr
2. ↑ Network Files: Frigg
3. ↑ Network Files: Jörmungandr
4. ↑ ObMod: The Bargain for Baldr