EARLY YEARS:

Stephen James Souza was born Nov. 20th 1896 in New York, NY to immigrant parents. The oldest of five children he sold newspapers to support his family and go to school when ever he could. His mother insisted on his training in the arts and Stephen excelled in music. However, in 1910 an international aviation contest was held on Long Island. The local railroad ran special trains, thousands of people came from all over the New York area, and most of them had never seen an airplane fly. In a drawing he won a free ride in a rickety open fuselage biplane. It was then that he knew he wanted to learn to fly. His mother, an extraordinary woman, saw the future in this new innovation and as soon as he was old enough, he left for the Curtiss flight school in Buffalo.

THE GREAT WAR:

When the Great War broke out in Europe he was convinced to join the French Foreign Legion. First acting as a flight instructor, he was put into the Esc. 124 "Lafayette" Squadron in 1916, flying along side aces such as Raul Lufberry and Victor Chapman. He quickly earned a reputation as an aggressive and bold fighter. Flying his Nieuport 11 and using Raul as a role model he learned the fundamentals of aerial warfare. After scoring his sixth victory he was promoted to Lieutenant. Not long after, he traded in his Nieuport 11 for a Nieuport 17, also he began to paint sections of his airplane blue. Over enemy lines he and his wingman were jumped out of the sun. He defended his friend's wounded aircraft shooting down five airplanes in 12 minutes. During the ensuing fight he was shot in the leg and crashed his N17 at a nearby airbase. This act of selflessness earned him the Legion D; Honneur and a reputation. While he was in the hospital, word spread about this pilot with the blue airplane. The Legend of the Blue Baron was born.
When America entered the war in April of 1917 he transfered to the 103rd Aero Squadron. Soon he was promoted to Captain and transfered to the newly formed 54th Aero to fly Sopwith Camels for the remainder of the war. During this time he was shot down and crashed outside a small farmhouse. Here he met his wife to be, they soon had a baby girl and happieness seemed all to close untill missdirected artilery fire destroyed the village. He believed his wife and child dead. With nothing to loose he turned to the sky for comfort and distraction. By the end of the war he had scored a total of 67 victories.

POST WAR AVIATION and the JOURNEY TO AYENEE:

After buying his airplane he returned to his home. Like most pilots from the Great War, he began to barnstorm, making a living off of dangerous stunts and aerial feats. Then on a trip over Nebraska he was caught in a violent storm that all but destroyed the Sopwith Camel. Crash landing on a river shoreline he found himself in the realm of fantasy. That day he met Talisment of Blackwolf Castle. This mysterious woman reminded him of his long lost wife, they became friends and over the years she helped him become accustomed to the ways of the new world he found himself in.
Landing his airplane on the roof of the floating castle, he became a knight and defender of the kingdom fighting along side such greats as Altherise, Lord and Lady Starbuck and of course the Red Dragon. Having flown from one end of the continent to the other he has seen things beyond his wildest dreams and fought many foes from the cockpit of his small blue biplane. On one such adventure he was reunited with his daughter, who somehow must have entered this world with her mother. His daughter Azuka, has all the makings of a great mage and leader, traits she must have inherited from her mother. He settled a plot of land on the outskirts on the countryside. Here he hoped to raise his daughter. However something was wrong, while flying he would often end up in areas of the continent that were beyond the range of his airplane. Furthermore it was almost always into some sort of battle or catastrophe.
Seeking wisdom and counsel about the magic abilities of his daughter, as well as the mysteries of his jumping. He brought the young girl to Talisment for training. At the suggestion of his fiancée Angel, he went to the Underground Library for research. It was here that he met Jade of the Caverns and discovered the nature of his leaping. Although he does not understand this "Realm Focus" Jade described, some outside force or being moves him into areas of conflict to even out the odds.

RECENT EVENTS
His life has stabilized and with his daughter Azuka, he lives in the quiet countryside of Southern Ayenee. There his small airfield has recently been rediscovered by the local inhabitants and although they do not understand this strange man and his flying machines (and never have). The farmers and merchants have made use of his services for crop dusting, delivering packages, and the occasional charter.
However with the appearance of villainous dragon rider and political turmoil in the ULT, Blue always has his Sopwith Camel, loaded, fueled and ready to fly should the Telorians ever need him.