Balinor

Balinor was a warlock with very rare and special ability: he was the last of the powerful dragonlords. Forced into hiding by Uther Pendragon's Great Purge, he has been living as a hermit in the wild for twenty years. Balinor is the key to Merlin's past and to the future of Camelot, which is doomed to destruction without his help (The Last Dragonlord). He is revealed as Merlin's father, before being killed the next morning by a patrol of soldiers from a neighbouring country.

He was the son of a dragonlord, and the grandson of a dragonlord; upon his death, he passed the ability to his son Merlin.

Biography
Near the end of The Great Purge, Uther Pendragon approached Balinor and asked him to bring The Great Dragon to him so he could make peace with it. But instead, Uther imprisoned the Dragon beneath Camelot and then had all the Dragonlords rounded up and killed. But Gaius, an ally of Uther, chose to hide Balinor with his sister Hunith. Gaius' actions would lead Balinor to consider him a great man. During his time with Hunith, Balinor fell in love with her and ended up fathering a child with her. But when Uther came after him again, he was forced to leave his family behind so he wouldn't put them in danger. Hunith later gave birth to their son, Merlin, who Balinor never knew about.

Balinor lived for the next twenty years as a hermit. His son, meanwhile, traveled to Camelot to live with Gaius and study magic. Because of a deal he made, Merlin was also forced to release The Great Dragon, who proceeded to devastate Camelot. During this time, Gaius mentioned that Balinor was Merlin's father and was still alive. He also said the only way Camelot would survive the Dragon's wrath would be to go to him for help. Uther thought it was too dangerous to try and find him, but his son Arthur Pendragon and Merlin went anyway.

Merlin eventually found Balinor, who healed a wounded Arthur. At first, Balinor didn't want to help Camelot because he felt Uther and the kingdom were getting what they deserved for the suffering they had brought to the Dragonlords and Dragons. But after finding out that Gaius was in trouble, he decided to help. During their time together, Merlin revealed to Balinor that he was his son, a revelation that shocked him. Sadly, the party was ambushed by a group of knights on the journey back to Camelot, and Balinor was fatally wounded saving Merlin. With his dying breath, Balinor told his son that he knew he would make him proud.

Merlin later confronted the Dragon, and heard his father, Balinor's voice, which gave him the ability to call upon his hidden Dragonlord powers to banish the Dragon from Camelot.

Personality
Once a noble and just man, Balinor had become a bitter shell of his former self by the time Arthur and Merlin discovered him. While he heals Arthur who had been raked by the claws of the Dragon, he flat out refuses to help Uther. He angrily recounts how Uther destroyed his people, the dragons and then had the nerve to imprision the Great Dragon under the pretence of peace. As far as he is concerned, the Dragon's anger and actions are justified and Uther and Camelot are getting what they deserve for the Great Purge.

However, Merlin is able to get him to reconsider when he mentions how Gaius told him about the Dragonlords nobility, causing him to realize that he still had some friends left in Camelot who he owed a debt for saving his life all those years ago.

Abilities
As a Dragonlord, Balinor had great power over dragons. He could communicate with them, control them, and even kill them. He also had enough knowledge of magical healing to heal Arthur's wounds.

Balinor also had some skill with a sword, as he was able to kill at least one knight when they attacked him, Arthur and Merlin and hold his own against a second, presumably killing him, before being killed by a third when he tried to defend Merlin.

Behind the Scenes
Merlin's father was first mentioned in The Sins of the Father. Since then, fans speculated exactly who he was. Some of the most popular candidates were Gaius, Uther, Gorlois, a Druid, a fairy or other creature of magic (likely because of the legends) and the Devil. However, in The Last Dragonlord, Balinor was revealed to be Merlin's father.