Benedict Whiteraven
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Benedict Whiteraven
"I am a man of keen eye and slurred speech! A marvel of the world I live in and truly a man well past his expiration date! I am a whisper on the lips barflys and broken down limosan hookers! I am BENEDICT!" -Quote from a VERY drunk Benedict.
"You know, the only thing I remember from Sunday school is the martyrs... the saints, the saviors... they all end up the same way. Bloody and alone." -Claire, Daredevil
Benedict is a male midlander in his mid-thirties and a medium athletic build. He is about average height, maybe slightly on the shorter end of average. Despite his height he strikes a commanding visage with his striking blue eyes and mess of shoulder length white hair that has turned black at the edges since he picked up the dark knight crystal but has since began to fade as he starts his path to redemption. Casting aside his traditional arms and armor and always being a fan of longcoats, Benedict often wears a long white coat of exceptional quality, a gift from his teacher upon agreeing to study as a healer. This is worn with most of his daily activities but he also carries a long hooded white robe when either weather or the situation dictates he dress more in a conservative manner. Aside from the two scars on his face, one over his left eye and the other across his right jawbone, anyone who ever got a look under his shirt or at his legs would notice that his skin looks more like a topographical map of scars spaced out across his body more than anything else. Benedict has seen many battles and because of his past chaotic impulse to throw himself at a cause or a person in need and combined with his near suicidal and overly aggressive tactics as a dark knight, this means he has taken quite a few injuries in his time. Before he began his studies as a healer, which has made up much of his life, Benedict often traveled alone and thus his body has not had the benefit of much magical healing. Instead he tried to take care of injuries as best he could and this usually ended in jagged scars and misaligned stitches. Most of these are hidden under his clothes but with his flair for wearing fairly open clothing, they would not be hard to see for one who was looking.
 Benedict is still finding himself after being offered his chance at redemption. Where once stood a man of great confidence instead is found a man unsure of his own skills as a healer and reader of fates and stars. He often feels vulnerable out in the world without the familiar hilt of a sword in his hand and the weight of a suit of armor on his back. He tries his best to put such thoughts out of his mind and focus on mastering his new studies but that is often easier said then done. He fails in his attempts to heal a fair amount of the time and the temptation is always in the back of his mind, "If I just had a sword, then I could . . .," but deep down he knows the horrors he brought about at the end of a blade and so he reluctantly holds to the vow he made to his teacher to not make use of the tools of his former life again. As a result of his budding study of Astromancy, Ben has begun to pay close attention to the small details of life that may (or may not) be connected to the subtle hands of fate. He has not quite gained a mastery to tell the difference from a minor event that has greater meaning and a minor event that is simply that, a minor event. This has led to Ben becoming quite innocently obsessed with small pattern events, like mentally referring to a person sinister who always seems to stand to his left, or questioning if there is deeper meaning to seeing the same person at seemingly random locations in a given week. This is something he will get better at as his skills as an Astrologian improve, but for now it is an odd quirk that most find a bit annoying.5 traits that describe Benedict Whiteraven:
https://www.16personalities.com/ This is what I got when I took it as purely Ben: (Campaigner (ENFP-a) The Campaigner personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike types in the Explorer Role group, Campaigners are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate, the 7% of the population that they comprise can certainly be felt in any crowd. Other Campaigners you may know: Robin Williams/Wash from "Firefly"/Robert Downey Jr, and my favorite on the list, Willy Wonka). Quirks
Other
This is a list of the items that Benedict currently is keeping on his person. He carries a pack on his back at all times while travelling, only putting it down in an inn room in large cities if he'll be there for more than a day. Feel free to use this information if it comes up logically in the course of RP, such as pickpocketing, a search, etc.
Combat use to be Ben's bread and butter, as he became a skilled swordsman at an early age and continued to perfect his skills into adulthood. Since he shifted towards the role of a healer combat makes him quite apprehensive and he doesn't have the confidence to trust in his magic to help resolve an issue. This has caused him to fall back more heavily on diplomacy and trickery, something his current teacher says is good skills for him to hone. Despite this, Ben still struggles with tackling his problems head on as he has always valued the direct approach for finding a resolution. For now, he avoids combat whenever he can and if he feels his magic is not up to the task then he will often place his body in harms way so that others may flee. As one thing his life has taught him, few can take a beating like he can. If he were forced into combat then he will struggle with keeping his anger in check and if things got desperate he would be hard pressed not to look for a blade, which he should never wield again.
Benedict, “Ben” to his friends, has always been a simple man with simple desires and pleasures. He grew up on the dirty streets of Pearl Lane in Ul’dah being raised by his grandmother. His parents had both decided early on that they were not ready to be parents and left him in her care never to return. Every day his grandmother would load up a wagon of shawls, blankets, and other assorted articles of clothing she had made and they would trek down to the Vesper Bay docks and sell her wares to the people getting off and on the boats. He still holds very fond memories of playing there as a child. He was barely a decade old when his grandmother passed away and with no means to make a decent wage he was forced onto the streets. It was here that Benedict first truly encountered the blend of apathy and cruelty that faces the poor and neglected. Benedict scrounged for several years as he did all he could to survive in a world where everyone is out for themselves and if you have something there is a line of others who wish to take it from you. He learned to fight in those days with whatever he could get his hands on. It was after one such battle with several other street boys that Master Swordsong from the Galdiator's guild took notice of the boy's talent. It's not that he was always faster or stronger than the other boys, it was that he could take a beating and never failed to get up. It was shortly after that Benedict was brought to the arena. There he would take care of the armory and clean up after the gladiators in exchange for a cot, warm food, and training in the ways of the blade.
When Benedict heard about the Garlean invasion force he wasted no time and signed up with the Immortal Flames. For Benedict this was just another example of someone trying to take from others by force and entitlement and he was quite eager to put the skills he had honed in the arena to the test against the Garleans. It was in the military that Benedict met Adaris, one of the best friends he has ever had. Adaris was a highlander whose family was wiped out in the fall of Ala Mhigo and had joined the Immortal Flames as soon as he got to Ul'dah. Benedict and Adaris were thick as thieves and on several occasions had saved one another from certain death promised by the imperial war machine. Their unit was at the Battle of Carteneau, a reserve unit near the edge of the fighting. Both men gave it their all as the were outflanked and the imperials swarmed in around them. Bloodied and near exhaustion they fought until a misstep gave a Garlean the opening he needed to end Benedict. The enemy blade never fell upon him, Adaris leapt at him before he could strike Benedict. As Adaris took the blade to the gut the moon fell from the sky and hell erupted around them. The shockwaves tossed Benedict and all those around him to the four corners. It wasn't until the following day when Benedict woke amongst the wounded. For days he searched frantically for any word or sign of Adaris. Finally Adaris was located and Benedict put him to rest in a solemn grave in Carteneau flats and officially left the Immortal Flames.
Benedict wandered Eorzea alone for years afterwards. Sleeping in barns and under bushes, wherever he could. Often times he would trade manual labor for food and a cot or he would make use of his sword skills and deal with some beast that chose to prey on the common man in his dark hour and at the very lowest he would setup near some tavern or inn and simply panhandle his way across Eorzea. It was during this time that Benedict was perhaps his most content, but this is also where he found that when good men become desperate men they will lie and cheat for whatever they can. Many deals for services rendered were reworked because funds were not available or food was too scarce. Never did he complain or take issue with those who had so little and needed his aid, but deep within him there was an outrage at the deceit which had become commonplace. He existed as such for several years until he made his way to Gridania one autumn night. The air was filled with the scent of harvest and Benedict had traveled there after he had helped a local farmer bring in his produce to sell in the capital. He was enjoying the simple pleasure of a warm meal when he spotted a young miqo'te woman whose striking look and warm smile almost made him forget about his stomach. Never one for being shy Benedict made his way to her and introduced himself. They ended up talking the night away and from there things blossomed into a relationship over the next few months. Much like himself the miqo'te was skilled in natural lore and survival leading them to spend much of their time outdoors enjoying the bounty of the Twelvewoods. Sadly for Benedict, such happiness was not to last and by the next summer the two began to drift apart. One day Benedict came back from hunting and she had taken her things and was gone. He was never sure what it was that had caused such a chasm to form between them, but he had seen it growing by the day. Although it was not unexpected, he was still devastated by her disappearance. For a time he tried to console himself with friends he had made since putting down roots within the Twelvewoods, but in the end he simply felt lost and again he buried his anger. When he had be come so disillusioned with the world around him he was reminded of the contentment he had found on the open road and made plans to leave Eorzea. Finally he gained passage on a ship as part of her crew and took sail over the open waters of the world. That was a little over a year ago and although word had circulated that Benedict had perished at sea in a storm he has once again returned to Eorzea's shores, but he is not quite the man he use to be as an ill-fated trip to the recently opened gates of Ishgard led him to the discovery of a Dark Knight soul stone. Rather than control the power of a Dark Knight, Ben surrendered to it and allowed himself to become swallowed by the well of darkness and heartache he had kept buried for so many years. What began as the brutal maiming of cutthroats, thieves, and low-life's of all caliber, ended in everyone around him whether they be friend or foe, suffering at his hand. After a bloody encounter in the frozen plains of Ishgard with several people who had once called him friend, Ben was left alone to his dark fate. He found shelter in a frozen cave and lashed out violently at any who intruded on what he considered his domain. Finally after quite some time an aged astrologian followed the signs and portents he had read in the cards and stars and found Benedict. As Ben made his way to dispatch another who had dared to intrude upon his solitude and self-imposed exile, the astrologian held up a soul stone that began to glow with such intensity that Ben had to shield his eyes and abort his murderous plans. The old man spoke and offered Benedict a chance to live in the world as a man again, not some cave dwelling monster that he had become. He offered him a chance to not only reclaim his humanity but to make amends for his past horrible deeds by serving as a healer and guide to those who needed it most. All he need do was relinquish his sword and armor, leave them there in the frozen cave, and return with the old astrologian to the city. Ben accepted this new path and now walks an uneasy path that his teacher tells him was always meant to be his . . . .
Recent events had reached him that street folk were being taken at night off the streets of Limsa Lominsa and never seen again. This prompted Ben to start sleeping in the areas where folks went missing and in no short order he found himself magically slept and hauled away in chains to an island where he was forced into hard labor mining aetheryte for the pirates in charge and their Sahagin allies. Luckily no one expected a bum to have a link pearl and using a bit of stealth learned over the years, he was able to sneak away periodically and get messages back to Alyria, who then organized a grand rescue party. Once Ben had secured the coordinates and gave a landing strategy to avoid the Sahagin charmed krakens that guarded the deep water docks, a great landfall was made and many adventurers arrived to find a near exhaustive Ben and free the island. He later reported that the majority of the pirate fleet had made off with most of the aetheryte they had been mining. He also revealed a few journals and an star chart that he had stolen from the captain's chambers when he got the coordinates for the island. He believes these journals are what is guiding the pirates in their task and unraveling their mysteries will help the group get ahead of their plans. Once back he found time to rest and recuperate and doing so was able to express to Alyria that he was willing to try and make something more of their friendship, a sentiment that she agreed with. After that he made his way back to Ishgard to inform his instructor of what had transpired over the past weeks. To this his teacher proclaimed he had overcome his doubts and fears and used his talents to guide and heal others, even in the thick of battle, and in doing so was ready to be proclaimed a full astrologian in his own right. He then gave Ben a new suit of robes and bid him to continue down his path and seek to raise not only others, but himself up to that stars.
These are mostly backstory-related relationships.
Listed here are the non-family characters, both PC and NPC, that Benedict has interacted with enough or in such a way for him to form a real opinion about them. Please don't take personal offense if your character isn't listed here, or how the interaction or relationship is described. All descriptions are purely based upon in character experiences and opinions! Last Update... 06/13/17
◢ Common Rumors - Easily overheard. Use these freely!
◢ Uncommon Rumors - A little more difficult to hear. Use sparingly or ask first!
◢ Rare Rumors - Very rarely overheard. Please ask before using!
◢ Player Character Rumors - Feel free to add rumors of your own!
Really I'm up for just about any RP but these can help with ideas if needed!
Rp Style: I would say that I'm a medium roleplayer with some leanings towards heavy. Although I find the story well written and the combat enjoyable, roleplaying with others is where I get most of my enjoyment in game. I am perfectly ok with having OOC discussions but I prefer they not interrupt roleplay if possible. Views on RP combat and injuries: I feel roleplay injuries and combat to be a natural part of the game. I have roleplayed Benedict suffering from many injuries throughout his career and find that when combat is called for then it adds to the roleplay. That being said, I do not believe it ever benefits anyone to break from lore or take things to a godlike extreme when it comes to classes and combat. Such as, don't all of a sudden pull a magical knife that has the power to never have the injuries it inflicts be healed and constantly cause crippling pain and expect me to not hit the PAUSE button and ask, "WTF?" I am also a fan of incorporating class abilities into my combat descriptions if I am roleplaying to be a member of that class. Views on IC romance: I think this is another area of the game where doing it well is beneficial but going overboard can bring misery to all. I love the idea of character meeting and relationships being formed, romantic or not. This is one of the great joys of mmo roleplaying, the ability to interact and have relationships with other characters. If this becomes romantic, then you get to explore something new in character. My only real advice is keep it IC and not OOC. Views on non-romantic RP: See above. Caveat: Nonromantic relationships are a pillar of a good roleplay community. Friends IC usually make good friend OOC. Romantic IC count as good friends OOC in this case. Views on lore: Lore is the backbone of the game and without it then we are basically playing in the plumb pudding of fantasy rpgs. The lore is what makes the world and the game itself, unique. I try not to break the lore, although I admit to not being so well versed that I don't do something by accident. Once I know better, I tend to adjust my roleplay accordingly. Views on chat functions (/say,/linkshells, etc.): I use says almost exclusively IC. Linkshells, tells, and other sorts of contact I adjust based on who I am speaking with. If a LS is mostly OOC then I use it for OOC, but if it is designed to be a hub for RP, then roleplay it is.
Overall, I'm pretty chill as far as guidelines go. I don't have an extensive list of 'Do's or 'Don't's or things that I personally find triggering. So chances are, you won't offend me or make me uncomfortable unless you're trying and putting in extreme effort. That being said there is a big difference between me being frustrated and "Ben" being frustrated. Still, for the sake of making sure everyone's on the same page here, let me make a few mentions in particular:
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