Balador was a Horizon Realm controlled by the Cult of Ecstasy, where members of the Tradition and their honored guests could engage in a variety of mind-altering pleasures. It was destroyed in the Avatar Storm of 1999.
Overview
The history of Balador is somewhat hazy, but it existed at the time of the Grand Convocation, when it shocked visitors from other Traditions who only saw the debauchery without the discipline. The only major law on Balador is "An it harm none, do as thou wilt"; a more detailed code of conduct was drafted after one too many visitors violated the first clause of this basic principle. Non-Ecstatics must earn access to Balador by performing services to the Tradition, and those who violate the code of conduct are swiftly exiled. The punishment for rape or child abuse, however, is stricter: the offender is forced to relive the crime from the victim's point of view, and then placed in sensory deprivation to contemplate the harm they have caused. Then they are exiled.
The central Pleasuredome of Balador resembles the Hagia Sophia, and the entire Realm has a similar mix of Greek and Muslim architectural influence. The Pleasuredome contains a selection of subrealms crafted to resemble extreme environments, for visitors who want to chase a different kind of high. The town around the Pleasuredome, Altua, supports the full-time residents of the Realm.
The Council representative of the Cult of Ecstasy, Marianna, was also the Mistress of Balador. Whether she perished when Balador was destroyed is unknown.