Balshazzar Bel-Dagon

Balshazzar Bel-Dagon is the inaugural captain of the Ashtaroth Eagles, currently The Hexarchy's national football team.

Personal Life

A native of Asshyria, Balshazzar is a native of the city of Dagon, where his family was originally a group of local city rulers before joining the former tribes of Nippur and facilitating their settlement west of the city. The second son of the family, he was passed over early on for succeeding his father for leadership of the city due to his general lack of ability to rule the region. However, he did show exceptional talent in sports, and with managing teams during uncertain times.

Upon joining the Ashtaroth Eagles, he continued to tour with the team. He is currently unmarried and without children, and according to inside sources this might not change before the 2021 FMF World Cup is over.

Balshazzar keeps his own religious beliefs largely to himself, although publicly he still adheres to the native religion practiced throughout most of the western and northern regions of The Hexarchy. This being said, he exercises little apparent faith in his home city's eponymous local deity, and instead has been known to state that faith is a matter of action, rather than hope. This belief still propels him forward as a leader both on and off the football field.

Football Career

It was largely for this reason that, when the Astaroth Eagles formed, he was chosen as the team captain. The team was built around his exceptional skill in acting as a strong balancing agent between the center field and forward play styles, which contributed to the Eagles' flexible 5-2-3/5-3-2 formation at any stage of the game. By acting simultaneously as the forward, center fielder, and as the team captain, he's able to direct the team's offensive strategy from the front. It was thanks to the skills he quickly built in this position that the team rose to win the Six Nations Football League and become The Hexarchy's official national team.

2021 FMF World Cup

Qualifiers

Debut (vs. Normark)

His first international debut was the opening round of the 2021 FMF World Cup qualification, where the team, in capacity as his nation's football team, played the first of two rounds against Normark. Due to the team's first time traveling outside their country, nervousness contributed to a loss of two goals in the first half to one. During the second half, the team made an epic recovery, scoring two goals while the defense recovered and held the line, with the ball being under the Eagles' control for most of the remainder of the game. The tie-breaking goal was scored within the last five minutes of the game, giving the country's first major win.

Along with the rest of his team, he received a national medal, along with a congratulatory letter along with a healthy cash purse from the Praetor himself for a strong showing during the team's first match abroad, citing the team's significant contribution to national pride and strong morale among their countrymen.

Subsequent Matches

His strong leadership of the team contributed to narrow wins versus other established teams, starting with a 2-1 win against Wechua during their first qualifier match. This was followed by a similar win (2-1) against the Dark Berry Islands some weeks later.

The team's fourth match was with Lostisland. Unfortunately, the string of narrow victories the Eagles enjoyed to this point ended here. The Lostislander defense was airtight, and the Eagles' offensive strategy made no significant headway throughout the game, with only a single goal being scored during the second half. Unfortunately, the opposing team scored two, resulting in a narrow loss and a drop outside the qualifying spot until the next match.