Soldiers of Winter, the nobles of House Balor style themselves the guardians of the kithain from the minions of the Dark. With an arrogance that would make a lord of House Gwydion seem humble, they boast of their royal lineage. Some even claim to have Fomorian blood, a boast most other kithain dismiss as shameless self-aggrandizement. Indeed, it is easy to dismiss sidhe of House Balor as pretentious thugs - that is, after all, the reputation the house publically cultivates. Behind this fa�ade hides an army biding its time and honing its strategy as it sharpens blades of iron for the conflict to come.
Since members of this house returned to Earth almost exclusively in Hibernia during the resurgence, they played no part in the claiming of the county by the Shining Host. Indeed, few fae in Rowan-Oak have had the opportunity to meet nobles of the House of the Serpent, and aside from their reputation as brutes and enforcers of the Unseelie Court, little is known about them even by the countess and her counselors.
As guardians of the trod-ways, a role they frequently play elsewhere, House Balor has found it difficult to make a place for themselves in Rowan-Oak, where the Seelie knights of the Order of Foresters have the duty of patrolling the Silver Path and watching the adjacent regions of the Near Dreaming for possible threats. Still, it is not uncommon for Knights Forester to come across House Balor scouts beyond the borders of the county proper, and at times even inside it. Such encounters have been occasion for an exhange of contemptuous words, but not yet for open violence.
Alone of the houses of the sidhe, House Balor can claim descent from both the Tuatha de Danaan and their loathesome Fomorian foes. Believing they are destined to rule all fae in the Endless Winter, they have infiltrated many Seelie households, and also found Prodigal allies from among the most corrupt and degenerate fringes of the Autumn World.
Boon
Because the blood of the Fomorian Courts runs in their veins, members of House Balor are immune to many of cold iron's debilitating effects. While a mortal wound from a weapon of the Banal metal will destroy their fae souls, nobles of House Balor experience no other effects from exposure to cold iron. The Fomorian heritage of this house also prevents the Seelie legacy of a House Balor noble from ever becoming dominant.
Flaw
Like their monstrous forebears, each member of House Balor has some deformity, be it physical or psychological. This flaw cannot be cured or corrected, but it can be disguised. Also, due to the conflict between their dual heritage, members of House Balor can never have a Willpower trait greater than 6.
Quote: "We're perfectly capable of watching our own trods, but thank you for the offer, all the same."
Her Ladyship, Ausmandine ap Fiona
Provincial Knight-Marshal of the Order of Foresters
and Baroness of Ben Bison
