Baltzer

Baltzer (バルザー) is a secondary character in Zill O'll. Although his appearance is brief in the original game, Zill O'll ~infinite~ includes him in two scenes to better establish his character.

Known for his undying devotion to his lord, he is known as "The Risen" (蘇らせるもの) with his fellow demons. He prefers to call himself by his alternate nickname, "Lord of Lances" (槍の主), in ode to his weapon of choice.

Role in Games
Baltzer was created eons ago by the holy deity as the first prototype for humans. His creator deemed him to be a "failure", as he was "too perfect" and lacked the passion it wanted. It was because of his creation that the holy deity thought it best to grant love, ambition, and jealousy into the hearts of humans. Since his creator wanted to cherish the life it had created, Baltzer was allowed to descend from the void and into the mortal realm. When Tiera's revolt struck the nameless land, Baltzer sided with Ulugh and fought as one of his twelve elite knights.

He joined his lord's corruption and became a demon. His divine lance was corrupted with him and was named the Lance of Ruin, a tool which was used to purge the land of his lord's foes. According to him, he was the last demon to fall in the war between Ulugh and Vyashion. His body was lost and he fell into a deep slumber.

Over twelve centuries later, Baltzer was summoned by Zofor into the mortal realm. The chancellor ordered him to be loyal to the malevolent Balor, a command which the demon had obeyed. While serving under his lord within Ancient, he attracted the attentions of Balor's daughter, Esalen, who admired his noble and kind spirit. Though the feelings were alien to him, Baltzer eventually consummated her affections and eloped with the princess in secret. As he spent time with her, he began to relish the joys of human love and forgot his duties for Balor.

Soon after he made this revelation, Zofor proclaimed the prophecy of Balor's death due to his descendants. Baltzer believed the sorcerer's words and renewed his unthinking devotion to his duty. He personally hunted for Esalen with his squadron and left her die in Wisemen's Forest. Her death would have not fazed a demon, but his new human emotions found it to be a deplorable end. Feeling guilty and disgusted, the demon chose to desert Balor and leave the emperor to his fate. Before he left, Zofor warned Baltzer of another prophecy which stated he would meet his end to the "lion of death".

Baltzer secluded himself in the dimension of darkness and waited for the day of Ulugh's awakening. During the main setting of Zill O'll, a portal to his hideaway opens at the Abandoned Citadel. The protagonist chooses to investigate it and is sucked inside it. As he/she explores the inner sanctum, he/she is attacked by a specter. If he/she is defeated by it, Nemea arrives to rescue them. Since he has yet to find Baltzer, he agrees to join them in their escape of the labyrinth. In this scenario, the protagonist can face Baltzer with Nemea.

Defeating the specter normally leads to the protagonist witnessing the end of Baltzer and Nemea's duel. Defeated yet defiant, he forebodingly warns Nemea that he would be a fine human host for Ulugh, and that the world will experience another dark age. Nemea allows him to say his last words before finishing the demon's body. The demon returns to his slumber, his dimension crumbling away after his defeat. His weapon is wielded by Nemea for the rest of the story. Baltzer's relation with Nemea is later revealed to the protagonist by Orphaus.

infinite introduces his relationship with fellow demon, Astia. Weary of her close attachment to the human realm, he visits her during the "Starting Grounds" scenario to remind her of her task to revive Ulugh. He threatens to kill her adopted child if she doesn't comply. Astia accuses him of hypocrisy due to his past love with Esalen. Unable to argue against her, he stays his hand.

In Astia's ending, Baltzer somehow regained his mortal body and visits her again at the same village. With Ulugh vanquished by the protagonist in this story, he announces to her that their duty has ended and that their next slumber will probably be their last. Content to leave her to her new life, he vaguely states he has something else to do before he reunites with Esalen in the afterlife.

Personality
Like Vashtar, Baltzer is presented as the authoritative figure amongst Ulugh's knights. He is dead set on reviving his lord and will not tolerate disobedience. Yet his devotion to his duty conflicts with the emotions he learned from Esalen, and he remains internally torn over her death.

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