Sir Vahr Carrigon ap Balor

The Left-Handed Shadow of the Crownless Year

Overview

A name that still inspires shudders among elder commoners of Forest City County, Sir Vahr Carrigon ap Balor is remembered more as a storm than a man—a furious gust of cold steel, howling proclamations, and uncanny silence. He is most commonly associated with the mysterious and bloody event known only as Vahr's Black March, a campaign that began in 2002 and which reportedly ended somewhere along the Northeast Ohio lakefront.

Though few details of the March are agreed upon, all reputable accounts describe Vahr as merciless in battle and strategically ruthless. He was said to bind a wickedly curved sickle to his missing left hand, and fought like a beast from the old wars—silent, relentless, and impossible to forget. Whether the sickle was cold iron or something far worse remains debated.

Known History

Vahr first reappeared in the world during the First Resurgence, a rare Unseelie Sidhe to return from Arcadia during that era. He rose quickly to prominence by seizing a freehold of black basalt and hoarfrost in the wilds near Calgary. The structure, known to some as Thalvan’s Moan, was said to sing in harmony with the northern wind and to house chimera bound into eternal servitude.

For decades, Vahr kept to himself, playing host only to scattered Balor loyalists and two notable sidhe duels—one of which left a Liam knight permanently maimed. Then, in 2002, he left his freehold in the care of a lesser squire and crossed into Ohio, drawn by motives unknown and accompanied by a host of foul, tatter-shrouded chimera.

He was not seen again after 2003.

Rumors and Reputation

• Vahr was obsessed with legacy, but perhaps too aware of how little trust his word earned him. He reportedly paid mortal poets, Kinain troubadours, and even chimerical heralds to compose and spread exaggerated ballads of his deeds. Many of these songs end with glorious conquest. None explain why he disappeared.
• One particularly repugnant rumor—never uttered near titled Balor—is that Vahr had a taste for roasted Pooka, particularly in their animal forms. A flamingo, a pangolin, and once even a manticore-kitten are listed in such whispers.
• Some say that Vahr’s warband included actual ferrymen—cloaked chimera with oar-staves and blindfolds—who never spoke, but always knew who was next to fall.
• According to a few select trodsmen, the mists near Fairport Harbor still curl tighter in early March, as though something large is breathing just out of sight.

Legacy

In official Concordian records, Vahr is simply listed as Missing Since the Black March. But his shadow lingers. Among the more militaristic factions of the Unseelie Court, he is remembered as a martyr of ambition. Among commoners of Cleveland, his name is still treated with caution.

No one claims to know where he went.

Some fear he’s still watching.