House Balor

House Balor is one of the noble houses of the Unseelie Court.

Overview
Though it has been forgotten by all but a few of the eldest fae, the Kithain of House Balor trace their ancestry back to a line of sidhe who mixed their blood with that of the Fomorians. Most changelings believe that the house name is simply an Unseelie joke, a slap in the face to the proud Seelie. The twisted members of House Balor have no intention of disillusioning them. Because of this, most Seelie believe that members of House Balor are like bad children, that since they are dissatisfied by their place in fae society, they say and do things merely to shock their Seelie cousins. Few understand the true danger House Balor poses.

The house reckons their founder as Lugh of the Long Arm, grandson of Balor of the Evil Eye, king of the Fomorians. Thus, they believe they are doubly royal and laugh at the pretensions of House Gwydion. As Lugh slew his own grandfather, they believe that they are destined to rid themselves of the weak and foolish Seelie, and take their rightful place as the rulers of the fae. They would then demand tribute from all their subjects, and rule the humans as overlords. House Balor believes that the Endless Winter is almost here, and that a strong hand needs to guide the helm to steer the fae through it. They actively work to bring on the Winter so they can seize power as soon as possible. Most sidhe from House Balor belong to the Reformist party. They want power in both the mortal and supernatural world and seek to gather as much Glamour as possible to aid them in their takeover attempt before the Endless Winter. Some among them see no future for the fae at all and these follow the anarchists. They care for nothing but spreading chaos and fulfilling their current desires as completely as possible. Believing they are doomed anyway, they want to spread the wealth.

All members of House Balor are marked by some sort of deformity, a throwback to their Fomorian blood. Such deformities are not always apparent, nor are all of them physical. They might also be mental or emotional. Many changelings of House Balor flirt with disaster by carrying and utilizing iron weapons as a way of thumbing their noses at the other sidhe. They do not suffer from Banality’s Curse, the frailty of most sidhe. They are even more likely to fall into fits of depression, however. Unlike Balor’s burning eye, their deformities give them no special powers.

Members of House Balor can often be found pretending to be from other houses (especially Eiluned or Dougal). They are highly skilled in both warfare and infiltration. Many bide their time, worming their way into the confidence of Seelie they perceive to be weak and ripe for takeover, acting as knights, confidants or courtiers. While some members of House Balor cooperate with the Shadow Court, the house has its own agenda, which it hopes to eventually implement. For now, they act in concert with Houses Ailil and Leanhaun, content to bask in the prestige of bringing the Black Spiral Dancers and the modern Fomori into an alliance with the Unseelie.