Project Hood – Who Is Baron De Bellac?

Character by Daniel Kamarudin

Whilst the current play test rules for Project Hood only have the Nottingham and Sherwood factions established, there are several more being devised. The De Bellac faction is close behind the first two in terms of development, so much so we have a first visual of the faction leader – the Baron De Bellac.

The Baron is a man of great standing. Well known for his charm and good looks, despite his age – he is a popular figure amongst the powerful and wealthy circles in which he moves. A widower for some years, he never re-married after the death of his wife during childbirth – his now teenage daughter, Lilith, a constant reminder of his lost love.

But he has a secret. He intends to bring his lost love back to life and will do whatever it takes to see his beloved wife Catherine again.

He fought as a knight for King Richard in the Middle East and remained there a long time once the fighting was done. He soaked up the culture and studied many ancient texts, learning the art of suggestion and mind manipulation. Now he uses these skills to gather together the resources he needs to perform a ritual of rebirth. Whilst now totally comfortable with the path he's on he is unwavering in his dedication to it. Wearing the mask helps him to mentally separate his public life from private.

Lilith is fully aware of her father's plans and has helped him in his studies. She too has learned a thing or two but her goal is power and the thrill of having power over others. Aided by her malevolent wet nurse and a host of cultists, she'll manipulate anyone – including her father – to get what she wants.

I love a bit of sword and sorcery and whilst I wanted to touch on magic in this game I didn't want it to get all arcane blasts and fireballs. It's magic as the people of the time would perceive it, easily explained these days by slight of hand and the power of suggestion (aided by the odd mind altering drug or two). It's about the illusion of magic and the power that comes with that. Whether this will develop further into something more supernatural in the future, who knows. If the Baron can crack the ritual then a whole other door opens up for him.

Character-wise the Baron takes on a Mr Freeze type role, with his only focus being his lost love. Unlike Freeze, the Baron could end up dabbling in necromancy rather than science to achieve his goal. I also like the spoilt child working behind the scenes on a completely different end goal, both with and against the father. This injects another strong female character into the mix and the faction as a whole offers great visual variation to Nottingham and Sherwood.

Unsurprisingly, this faction is Willpower focussed. Whilst not heavily armoured they are (almost) all very agile – assassin like. We will see how they stand up to arrows and steel.