Unbeknownst to his people, Balak is actually an Immortal. He was there when Graxia was first settled, and selected the Scoldamarr Mountains as the home for his people. Because he had no interest in ruling over his would-be subjects, Balak was content to step aside and let his true identity vanish in the mists of time. Adorned with a necklace amulet made of pure crystal (which Balak calls the Heart of the World), Balak was forced to reveal his true identity when war began to sweep across Graxia. He lost his arm to a dragon in the earliest days of the fighting.

When the dwarves first discovered that Graxia's crystals were dying, Balak believed that the world should be allowed to die its natural death. That is the way of the universe. However, he now has no choice but to fight for his people and represent them as their Immortal.