Ballard was King of Aractrash during the Second Alliance War. He kept an isolationist policy due to the numerous casualties the Aractrash army suffered during the First Alliance War. Amalgami‘s desire for chaos eventually found Ballard. He sent an assassin to the court to kill the king with the hope that his death would be blamed on the Xorians. The assassin succeeded, but Amalgami’s influence was discovered. Ballard’s heir, Staynard, kept the kingdom out of the war.
Ballard came of age during the events of the First Alliance War. He saw his father captured, the navy burned, the army decimated, and the humiliating ransom payment required to recover King Willard from the Xorians. When Willard returned he was a shadow of his former self. He grew ill and died a few years later. Ballard buried his father and ascended the throne.
King Ballard earned a reputation for being strong, wise, and kind. He gathered a varied group of advisors from family, friends, and professionals. In closed court sessions they were free to disagree with the king without fear of punishment. Ballard listened to all and then made a decision that best fit his long-term vision for the kingdom. He maintained an isolationist policy in regards to the rest of Cimmeria. Aractrash would risk nothing as it rebuilt its army and navy. He married Queen Traliya and had one child with her, Prince Staynard. All the way Ballard cultivated a strong connection to the family silver dragon, Kinderax.
Ballard’s isolationist stance had some negative consequences. His conservative policies subconsciously instilled his son with a cowardly disposition. If his father would not take risks, then he shouldn’t either. Additionally, one of his advisors, Archmage Hektor Rackgard, felt that isolationism would only lead to the kingdom’s destruction due to the relentless expansion of the Xorian Empire. Hektor believed this so strongly that he vacated his position at court to prove it to his liege. The Persian outcast, Preta, moved in swiftly to replace Hektor as Archmage in the game of royal politics.
Ballard’s end came with the assassination contract put on his head by Amalgami the Betrayer. The Alliance Exiles learned of this assassination and did their best to defend the king from R, the greatest killer of Nomingburg. Ultimately they failed. R killed Ballard, sealed his soul within a gem, and gave the gem to Amalgami. Unable to return the King, even with resurrection magic, the crown passed to Staynard. Hektor spent a few years trying to retrieve Ballard’s soul from Amalgami, but was not successful.
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