Paldin is a big, burly Hawkwood from the world of Delphi. He is very strong, but not too smart. He tends to be loud and commanding, and while this often gets him what he wants, it doesn't endear him to people very much. He cared little for learning when he was young, preferring to play sports or go hunting. His father is the Earl of Tresset, a sizeable area of the continent of Doloria on Delhpi that Paldin stands to inherit someday (being the eldest of 3 sons and 2 daughters). While he is handsome and of strong will, he also tends to be self-centered and likes to be the center of attention.

He is well-known on Delphi because of his daring rescue of a group of Urth Orthodox priests whose aircraft had crashed in his father's lands and were in danger of being overcome by a lava flow on the slopes of the volcano they had crashed into. Unknown to most is the fact that their aircraft had been sabotaged by Decados spies. The Decados had also sent a team of assassins to finish off any survivors, but Paldin and his men fought off the assassins thinking they were barbarian raiders, earning the enmity of their commander, Durrell Falthesin.

Paldin has a degree from the prestigious University of Anschok, but it is a well-kept secret that his father bought the degree for him. During his time of partying and carrying on at the University, he became good friends with Anessa Justinian, and adventurous noble from Delphi's continent of Courai. Also while at the University, he stumbled across a secret enclave of professors who were Republicans. They do not know he has realized their secret, but he keeps this knowledge to himself for now as an ace up his sleeve.

Paldin now roams the Empire with his small retinue of servants and a few friends, looking for adventure and to spread the fame of Hawkwood by word and by deed.