*** About the Characters ***

BALE - Keeper of the Kings Hawks at Hierath, and a lovely chap.  Brown haired, grey eyed, not very tall, smells (not unpleasantly) of birds.   Desperately and hopelessly in love with MEGANNE, who seems to be the only person in the world who hasn't noticed.  Bale is the International Rescue of the New Kingdom; he saves LYDIA from the First Battle of Hierath, saves ALEX from torture at EISEN's hands, and leads the party through the Deepdene Marshes and to the relative safety of Telesia.   An artisan and a dreamer, Bale longs to fly with the hawks he loves.  Has trained his mouzel, Sev, to carry messages, and has a bond with the little bird that borders on the telepathic.  Carries a unique weapon, the clarry, which has been described as a cross between an axe and a pizza cutter.  Sworn to protect LYDIA, he has taken on the role of Queen's Champion, but wants nothing of the honours that go with it.  Bale considers himself a simple and honourable man, one who will stick to his principles no matter what the circumstances.