| “ | If someone touches you when you don't want them to, or if they even look at you sideways, cut them! This knife here is good for slipping in between the ribs to the heart. Practice a little on some pigs or something. And one more thing - keep it hidden so no one knows you have it. Surprise is the greatest weapon you can ever have! | „ |
| ~ Black Balfour's advice to his daughter Tawni. |
Black Balfour is an antagonist in the Heroes of Might and Magic IV campaign A Pirate's Daughter. He was a pirate captain and the adoptive father of Tawni Balfour.
Biography[]
Black Balfour was a prosperous pirate on Enroth who had his own crew and ship, which he named the Black Death. He accumulated his wealth and valuable property through plundering merchant ships. Captain Black gained notoriety throughout the world for his greed and cruelty; he was also said to have knifed his own brother over a few copper pieces, which was barely the price of a bowl of porridge. Balfour was even feared by the kingdom of Erathia, whose navy he often battled.
One day, Black Balfour stopped at the Rusty Mug, a tavern in Nighon. Tawni's mother worked as an attendant and Balfour was attracted to her. Because he had drunk a lot, Balfour passed out on his way up the stairs to her room.
Ten years later, Balfour returned to the Rusty Mug in the summer with his second mate Oba and he bought drinks for everyone three times that night. He met the woman and her ten-year-old daughter Tawni. The woman joined his table and they talked for a while as they drank. Since Balfour had no memory of the night they met, the woman convinced him that he was Tawni's father and to send her some gold to support the girl. Oba gave his dagger to Balfour, who gave it to Tawni as a gift the next morning on Oba's request and advised her on how and when to use it.
During the Reckoning, Black Balfour and his crew sailed to Axeoth, but he lost most of his wealth in the destruction. He became a pirate on the Gold Sea, where they spent most of their time battling other pirates. One day, Tawni saw Balfour in an inn and approached him. She reminded him who she was as he did not recognize her, and asked to join his crew. Black Balfour refused, saying his crew was full. When Balfour's first mate Gory Gordy teased and sneered at her, Tawni cut off his earlobe with her dagger. As they were about to duel, Balfour roared with laughter, which stopped them. He stood, patted Tawni on her shoulder and complimented her for following his advice, before leaving the inn with Oba and Gordy.
Nevertheless, Tawni found the Black Death and watched it over the next two weeks. One night, she stowed away on the ship as it set out to sea, hiding in the cargo hold. Tawni exposed herself nights later, and was dragged to Black Balfour, who slapped her face hard and ordered her to be thrown in the sea. Nights later, the ship returned and she was rescued. Balfour pressed her dagger into her hand and told her because he had a full crew, she needed to eliminate one member if she wanted to join him. Tawni killed the nearest man with her dagger and became part of the crew.
Tawni served Black Balfour for years and eventually he gave her command of the Lightning Crack, one of his three ships, possibly as a test to prove her worth. On the way to a pirate port in the southern Gold Sea, they spotted a pair of ships on the horizon. Balfour circled the ships for the next few hours and believed they were merchant ships. Against Eight-Fingers Oba and Gory Gordy's recommendation, Balfour attacked the ships. He soon realized he had been lured into a trap by the rival pirate Captain Swift, as two more enemy ships appeared. The Black Death engaged Captain Swift's ship, the Assassin, and the crews of Balfour and Swift fought hand-to-hand. Facing Captain Swift in sword combat, Black Balfour fought valiantly even after Swift stabbed him in the chest to the hilt. Swift plunged his sword through Balfour's heart, finally killing him.
Black Balfour's crew recovered his body. Tawni later prepared a sea burial for him, pouring most of the contents from a flask onto his corpse before the sailors heaved Balfour into the sea. Tawni had secretly cut the ropes securing her father, so that when the weights broke free, his body would rise to the surface and be eaten by sharks. As his daughter, Tawni succeeded Black Balfour as the captain of the Black Death.
Personality[]
Black Balfour was a charming yet vicious pirate, whose actions were largely motivated by his desire for wealth. He was easy to anger and showed his ruthlessness at its most intense toward Tawni when she tried to join his crew, going so far as to throw her into the sea. It is also implied that Black Balfour never cared about his subordinates, as he did not defend Gory Gordy when Tawni lashed out at him. Although he reluctantly allowed her membership on his crew, he forced Tawni to kill one of his own men to do so. Black Balfour showed to be quite brave during battle, fighting with a legendary rage, but stubbornly refused to listen to Oba and Gordy with regard to strategy, which ultimately led to his downfall. Tawni hated Black Balfour for his cruelty and was pleased at his death, even remarking that she would have killed him if Captain Swift had not done so already.