TW: Nothing yet.

Thrown Into The Fray
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• Balaenoptus was the first-born son of his family, some rather well-off sorts of Ivras citizens living in Faline. Not quite noble, but their connections with nobles may as well have made them so. But despite this comfortability, they were hardly comfortable with the beast that their first child had shown to be.
• The source of the complications that his mother had experienced with birthing him became rather apparent even before examination. He was huge by newborn standards and attached to his rear was a thick, whale-like tail. But even aside from that, his face was the most unnatural of it all. It was a dark, smooth face, broad and with little nasal definition, with large, dark brown eyes and little-to-no ears. 
• His parents knew immediately that he was a magic-touched child, and for some, this was fantastic news. His father had actually dreamed of it, but they never thought it would do... this.
• As quickly as they could wean him off, they ushered Balaenoptus into the hands of those in Namarast without so much as a word of what his name should be, preferring to put his existence out of their minds. 
• When Balaen was too young to know the gravity of what had happened to him, he was largely raised within Namarast's child-care system under the watchful eye of several caretakers.
• There was one, however, that seemed to grow particularly attached to Balaen. A hulk of a woman named Colette, who seemed quite out of place amongst her smaller coworkers, but as soon as she learned of Balaen's background, she nudged the young lad under her wing as well as any mother should. Though she often kept him away from those with unaffected appearances, he never seemed to mind.
• Under her care, Balaen was a perfectly gentle soul, who had to resist squealing with joy when a butterfly landed on his snout, and listened to all she said with wide, wonderous eyes and all the curiosity in the world.
• However, as he grew older, and the question of his magic came further and further to attention, the less Colette was able to shield Balaen from unkind stares and biting words. It was when his schooling started that his innocence began to slowly chip away.
• He had not the slightest idea what his magic should've been, and that paired with his appearance made him the target of many kids with nowhere else to focus their frustrations with life. It didn't just stay with others calling him a freak of no reason, no, they got quite creative.
• The isolation was quite a beast, but around the age of 9-10, Balaenoptus was put in front of another, slightly older child. Enn Marrr... he couldn't quite get that last name to settle on his tongue, but "Enn" was easy enough to remember.
• This, he would learn, would be the student who would be somewhat tasked with trying to figure out Balaen's magic. The idea faintly intrigued the young boy, though he could clearly tell the other boy very much did not share the sentiment... at least not at first. A bit saddening, he had to admit, he thought Enn looked cool, but he didn't lament for long.
• Curiosity was sparked, it seemed, when Enn shared with him and the ever-watchful Agathias that he suspected that Balaen had some kind of water-based magic. Yet, neither he nor Balaen could muster the ability to actually control what water they had around them. A failure, by some accounts, but at least a direction was figured out.
• Outside of these occasional visits to the offices of the Theurgical Analysis department, Balaen's behavior was regrettably worsening. Each word thrown against him was being turned into fuel against other kids, more and more verbal lashings broke out where he would physically intimidate other kids, and a most certain precipice was slowly being reached.

• That precipice crumbled when his parents showed up around age 12-13, clearly quite reluctant. They'd vaguely visited him some times before, but they were so distant that he hardly considered them important. But this time... they had another with them. A young lad they introduced as his little brother, Steno. And Steno... was quite pretty. Perfect, bright little amber eyes, a smooth, healthy coat of stormy greys, and soft, wavy locks of hair.
• This perfection, the way his parents almost guarded Steno from Balaen's inquisitiveness, the way they all looked at him... what in gods name did they hope to gain from this? Did they just do this to rub it in his face? That they hadn't wanted him? Did they think this was funny? 
• The interaction was short, admittedly, they left within the half hour, ushering their youngest out, away from Balaen's sights, but his behavior took a steep nose-dive off a cliff after that. The day following was the start of many fights that Balaen instigated between himself and the other kids, as he started goading them into attacking him just so he could attack back with unprecedented force.

^{Called By The Sea
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• Despite extensive research and attempts, Balaen's magic was a shy thing, as the Order came to find out. Enn, now close to being a young adult, was still quite certain that Balaen had some form of water magic, but no water would shift or appear. The two got along... surprisingly well. They were no friends by any means, neither of them made for being a good friend to anyone, and their difference in experience had become great, but both were atypical enough to have agreed on mutual tolerance. Balaen trusted Enn's judgment, at the very least, but it perplexed everyone just what water it was supposed to be. Was it even water at all? Was it just a liquid??
• Balaen during this time had taken a habit of testing just how unsettled others were by him, including but not limited to Enn. He would smile in the most unpleasant of ways at teachers, he'd speak the most off-the-cuff words in casual conversation, he would make sudden movements just to watch another jump at them. A new form of entertainment.
• Things changed, however, when a Naval recruiter arrived to Namarast to check in on two mages that had been labeled as possibly useful for the Navy. They'd heard of Balaenoptus, and rumors of his magic, or lack thereof, and a curiosity had driven them to take a look at him. 
• They connected dots that very few would make if they were not familiar with the ocean... he looked like he belonged in it. No inland critter had the traits that he had. So, on a whim, they asked to take Balaen out to the sea, and test his abilities there.
• Lo and behold, the sea bent to his command as he stood upon that ship, summoning a wave that pushed the ship utterly sideways of its sails. 
• And it was those famous last words... "Interested in bein' a navy soldier, kid?"

^{But The Sea Demands Sacrifice
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• Despite being an utter menace to Namarast (they were rather glad to have rid of him), Balaenoptus was surprisingly well-behaved in the company of the Navy. He still had his bouts of aggression, especially when other soldiers attempted to haze him, but as long as he kept a good face towards an officer, he found that they largely didn't care.
• Issues did arise, however, when he completed training and was placed under a captain for the first time. The captain, a self-loving geezer by the name of Marcellus, had been a thorn in his admiral's side for some time. He was a crass individual, known for his inflated ego and his lust for control, but it was difficult to demote him given that he never did anything strictly against rules. Nobody thought it was a bright idea to put Balaenoptus under the eye of this man, but nobody thought it a bad one, either. Just putting soldiers where they needed to go.
• Nobody was sure who started it, Balaen or Marcellus, but it was clear rather quickly that the two did not get along. Balaen was content to point out his captain's flaws in both judgment and behavior, often using code of conduct to excuse his words. Marcellus despised this behavior, and often singled the new soldier out, trying to press his buttons and forcing him into unpleasant or outright embarrassing situations.
• Balaen was keen to keep his face stony and his replies sharp. Really, it wasn't the insults or the attempts to embarrass him that insulted him. It was the stupidity. The fact that he was put below someone so idiotic, so cowardly, so prey-like, was more than enough to annoy Balaen.

• How unfortunate it was when the ship suffered a catastrophic failure in the middle of a storm just two years into his deployment... Balaen had survived the ordeal, as had some of the crew who remained frazzled and thankful they had survived such a horrific event.
• Admiral Lucian Caine just so happened to find the stranded survivors who were part of his captain's remaining crew, hanging on desperately to parts of the ship, many of which described Balaen helping them find such floating pieces of wood as he swam about them. He readily admitted the crime he'd committed after the ship had folded on itself, that he'd stained the waters with his captain's blood. Though he'd said it was a regretful decision, one made in great emotion upon seeing the "guilty captain" had survived the neglect he'd placed upon his own crew.
• Lucian seemed sympathetic... Marcellus was a pain in the ass after all, it wouldn't have surprised him at all if the ship's failure was indeed due to an overflowing ego, and he found understanding in Balaen's described plight and guilt. Kind as he was, he did not report Balaen's crime. He reamed him for taking better control of his emotions, most certainly, but he otherwise brought him back to his feet and restored his position as an unmarked soldier under the mutual agreement that they both work to cover up what had happened.
• It was then that a proposal was made... perhaps a promotion could allow Balaen to better cover up what had happened, no? Besides, even if rumors spread, it would've been easier to defy them in the position of a captain. And... Lucian needed a new captain, did he not?
• His usefulness was undeniable... unfortunately. And though there was hesitance, Lucian put in the good word about him, and soon enough, Balaen had become a fully-fledged naval captain.

^{The Iron Whale
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• With his new position as a naval captain, Balaenoptus's behavior took a complete turn for the near-worst.
• Coastal work was a job that was oftentimes quite monotonous and typically avoided for the fact that it often brought little glory. Nobody praised you for catching petty thieves, and the full pirate crews were often more trouble than they were worth. But Balaen... he thought differently.
• Balaen made it a hunting game to track down and wrangle sea-based criminals into his hands, dead, alive, or mangled, and he proved horrifically skilled at it. However, it came with a propensity of wrecking his own ships, for common sailing ships didn't hold up well to being offensively slammed into the side or another ship or barely scraping over rock fields. 
• It was something he was reprimanded for time and time again, but trying to find good reason to discipline him was proving difficult. Though he was costing them thousands in ship repairs, crime rates were indeed starting to dull thanks to his efforts.
• Some reprieve came in the form of Nymene gifting Ivras with three warships as a gesture to solidify their alliance. The smallest (but toughest) of which being the Iron Whale.
• Giving such a ship to Balaen was greatly deliberated. Many higher-ups feared that he would find a way to wreck this ship just as well, and then how would Nymene feel? But others believed firmly that it may just stand up to his method of work. Eventually, a decision was made.
• He came to surprise them when he treated the Iron Whale with much more respect and care than any of the ships before, they hardly thought he could see the value in such a thing, but no less. Additionally, they were proven right that it could hold up to his offensive tactics, and it was solidified that the Iron Whale would remain under the command of Balaenoptus.

• As the years have passed, the lengths at which he will go to attack pirate crews and other related criminals has become more and more questionable, with a crew made up of those who did not immediately bend under his extreme habits and behavior. And it only seems to be getting more extreme.