Clouded Horizons:Alidar Nox

Alidar Romulus Nox Bladeturner, the Black Balancer
Alidar training outside of Trabia Garden
Character Profile
DOB:	July 10, 2125
Age:	27
Race:	Hume
Gender:	Male
Profession:	Blademaster
Theme:	Dance of Curse
Artist:	Yoko Kanno
Garden Profile
Garden Attended:	Trabia Garden
SeeD ID Number:	51602
Highest Rank:
	Field Marshal Command Division
Merit Awards:	Promotion to Field Marshal
Additional Information
Birth Realm:	Eighth Realm

Alidar Nox is the General of the Sphere for Trabia Garden in the Clouded Horizons series.

Personnel Information

Biography

"Victory is not the battle won, but the battle never fought. Victory is when no foe would dare raise their blade against you. Fools fight wars to win. I don't have to."

―Alidar Nox during a SeeD exam

Born on July 10th, 2125, Alidar was the oldest son of a relatively nameless family. His family, whose allegiance in the Trabia Aristocracy was buried beneath larger and more prestigious families, earned a living acting as couriers and enforcers, and due to their successes, manged to stay one step ahead of becoming expendable, if just.

It wasn't until he and his younger brother, Jarok, got caught up in a turf war between the two largest families in the area, the DeValle and Roche families, that their lives turned around. The two managed to run through the worst of the fighting and still deliver their package, if quite a bit bloodied for it, a feat not unnoticed by the DeValle family's head, Darius DeValle. Weeks later, the man would give them an offer than would bring their family out of obscurity and line their pickets quite nicely, as both his personal couriers and agents.

Working for the DeValle family was different from working with the smaller families, as the jobs they were given were often quite creative, even if they were twice and dangerous and increasingly less than legal. While Jarok found himself picking up more and more secretive work, Alidar was constantly in the thick of the action in various turf disputes, family attacks, and attempted assassinations against family members. He learned, and quickly, the value of quick reflexes and decisive action, and rose through the ranks until he stood as the Senior's right hand, his brother having worked his was as the left.

The perspective he got fighting in the field would help inform his decisions as Trabia's General of the Sphere; his understanding of small, skirmish encounters was easily adapted to the SeeD outlook, and even large-scale encounters could be broken down into disparate fights, allowing him to efficiently direct elements where necessary.

Personality

"Here, in this place, I am the Law. Cross me, and you'll find my less-forgiving brother's definition of Order spares no expense in creative ways to puncture tender flesh with all manner of cruel steel. Make it easy on yourself and be free with your information. No? Ohhh, that one is his favorite, see, he takes the blades and-you want to talk now? I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until he's stopped being irritable. I did warn you."

―Jarok Nox about Alidar during an interrogation of a human trafficker in the Dark

No one would ever accuse Alidar of being a gentleman. A lifetime living among the criminal underworld has given him a thick skin, and a thicker tongue, as he's not afraid to call anyone a fool or worse when he sees incompetence. A grim sense of humor and an intolerance for weakness generally sets him at odds with his peers, but those who look a little closer under the surface will notice a genuine concern for those around him.

Even if that concern is for focused on the level of foolishness around him. He is quick to temper, usually brought on by perceived immaturity in others, especially the SeeD cadets. He respects those who fight back, and is constantly irritated by those who cow easily.

Combat

"Your technique is flawless, your stance fluid, your motions controlled, and yet, your strikes will never reach me. I will turn aside your strikes with little effort until I grow bored, and then I will run you through. Mercilessly. Be thankful, worm; it's better than most get."

―Alidar Nox

Alidar is a specialist with light blades, from rapiers to katana to daggers, he's used all manner of blade. In the vicious infighting of street combat, his skill at turning aside attacks before delivering a fatal strike earned him the title of Bladeturner, while his tendency later in his career to be deployed as a leveling agent between mismatched groups, often with grisly efficiency, earned the additional "Black Balancer" moniker.

In a duel, Alidar expends minimal energy, utilizing quick, solid footwork and parrying strokes to unbalance his foe before lashing out unexpectedly, often with fatal results. When facing larger groups, the entire battlefield becomes his weapon, from tossing enemies into each other to redirecting their blades into one-another, Alidar fights dirty, but he fights to win.