The Ballad of Balrath, the Broken Flame

(Sung in low halls and whispering fires)

Oh Balrath once a gentle child,
Born to earth but never wild,
Bound in flesh that would not stand,
He cursed the strength denied his hand.

A voice of shadow called his name,
“Take my power, take my flame.”
He rose again through ash and ire,
A walking throne of smoke and fire.

So beware the one who bargains pain,
For mercy dies where devils reign.