Apollo Vallroux

Apollo is a young man who found himself growing up within the Carmine Corridor of the walled city of Belamere. Born to a skilled archer and hunter and an aspiring painter, Apollo lived a rather quaint life learning from his mother and father during his early childhood years. But soon, all of that came apart after his parents were tragically slain by monsters that breached the walls of Belamere. WIth his father's skills and bow in hand, Apollo had helped stop the monster that had killed his parents and ultimately avenged them. But soon after, Apollo found himself lost -- without guidance and without hope as the tragedy struck. That is, until he was taken under the wing of Father Desmond, the leader of the tiny little group known as the Apostles of Helios, who had seen Apollo's heroism and how it reflected the mirror image of their god Helios, known as the Banisher of Evil and the Light of Salvation. Father Desmond saw something in Apollo that the young man still needed to figure out. And so, Apollo trained and learned under Father Desmond's guidance, raised into the image of their radiant god and with hopes that one day Helios would walk the lands again and using Apollo to do so.

But even after over a decade of training, rites, and studies, Apollo -- though hoping to one day be as great as Helios once was -- found himself questioning what would really happen to him should he become the new Helios one day. With how grand the occasion was for the Divine Radiance, which would revive Helios with Apollo as his vessel, Apollo felt as though his fate was sealed and one day, Apollo would be a forgotten memory. It was a thought that terrified him. And thus, in an attempt to combat this, Apollo fought tirelessly to help out the people in Belamere to hopefully make his mark on history.

About fifteen years later of heroic deeds and attempts to make the city a better place, Apollo was invited to a small little tavern VIA a letter from a potential hire, a realization of Apollo's reputation at this point. But as he arrived, he was met with three other faces within the group: Val, a barbarian woman who often sought out a fight by acting as a bodyguard for the local taverns; Eldan, a mysterious half-elf man that would take on a variety of detective tasks to solve the mysteries at hand; and Sadi, a tiefling rogue with a pension for stealing from the rich to give to herself. Brought together with the same strange invitation, the party soon discovered that it was a trap set-up by the Red Right Hand, a powerful criminal syndicate that dealt with all sort of shady things across Belamere. Together, the party fought off the attackers and came together to solve the mystery of the Red Right Hand and just how strong the Hand's hold was on Belamere.

As their adventures unfolded, Apollo began to learn more about himself and how in some cases, he can't quite help everyone in need. He made his own fair share of enemies, as his impulses often lead him to challenge different figures who abused their power to hurt the weak. And even though he found himself clashing with powerful foes, Apollo always felt guilt over his actions. Even after his companion, Sadi, had been killed by the Red Right Hand's leader, Sid Mar, he felt sorrowful and mourned the death of not only his ally but the broken man who had killed her. Apollo shows a great deal of empathy to those he crossed path with -- hoping that even though they don't see eye to eye, Apollo's rivals may one day find redemption and peace. After all, everyone deserves a second chance.

Throughout his journey, Apollo has struggled with the ideas of what it would take to become the next Helios as well as how he can preserve himself and his own legacy within the world. As time passed, Apollo began to accept that he needed to do things for himself as the world should remember Apollo as the hero that he himself wanted to become. Despite his nervousness, Apollo had told Father Desmond this, who ultimately agreed. As much as he wanted Apollo to become as good of a man as Helios once was, Apollo needed to do that in his own way. But not wanting to leave Apollo to take on the journey alone, Father Desmond gifted Apollo with an ancient relic known as the Lustreblade, said to have been the blade that Helios once wielded. Apollo was honored by this and accepted the blade. But as soon as he took hold of it, the blade began to speak to him. And to Apollo's surprise, the voice was that of Helios himself.

Apollo learned that Helios had once been a simple mortal man within the world. Good deeds and kindness had eventually ascended the man to the status of Aasimar, where he personified the teaching and intentions of a god within the world. In Helios' case, he was the Aasimar of the goddess of creation, Phaen. However, the fabled hero had one day ventured to help out someone who needed his aid. But after hearing a strange word in his ear, he suddenly passed with his soul being sealed in the Lustreblade. Apollo found his world shaken-up by this revelation of Helios's mortality and true origins. And yet, he was relieved by it all. If Helios was but a mere mortal before, then that meant that the godhood he was soon destined for no longer needed to become a thing. Telling Father Desmond that news, however, would surely do quite a bit of damage, however.

Apollo eventually told Father Desmond of Helios' true origins, allowing the man who was once unable to wield the blade to converse with the man he thought to be his god. Though saddened by the revelations, Father Desmond was understanding of Apollo's worries, but was glad to have gotten to speak to a hero like Helios. But now with Helios and the Lustreblade at his side, Apollo uses Helios as his role model. And one day, he hopes to protect the city of Belamere as the fabled hero, Apollo Vallroux.