Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jun 13, 2016 20:40:18 GMT
Name: Benjen Blackfort
Age: 23 (Nameday: second day of the second month)
Relation to Lord: Cousin
Position at Harrenhal: Sworn sword, scout
Skills:
Fighting
87 Bow
71 Two Handed Axe
10 Leather Armor
Leaderhip
33 Ambush/Scouting
Social
51 Charm
40 Persuasion
Intrigue
50 Observation
60 Stealth
Physical Abilities
40 Agility
20 Swimming
20 Riding
Knowledge
35 Survival
20 Fletching/Bowyering
Language
20 Common Tongue
Character History: Benjen Blackfort is the son of Ser Bruce Blackfort's youngest brother, Richard. Ser Richard spent most of his time travelling from tourney to tourney to support his family, leaving Ben to his own devices. Not that Ben minded; it gave him plenty of free time to explore the woods around the town and get into trouble with his cousins. When Richard did come home, he did his best to school his son in the knightly armaments of sword and lance, but Ben was an indifferent student. He was a fair enough fighter with an axe, and more than fair with a bow, but he never showed much interest in the chivalric virtues of knighthood.
Growing up in the shadow of cursed Harrenhal had a profound effect on Benjen, as he grew progressively more interested (some might say obsessed) with the strange occurrences which plagued the region's history. He talked every old fisherman's ear off looking for tales of grumpkins in the God's Eye and green men on the Isle of Faces. He snuck past Harrenhal guards at night in hopes of catching a glimpse of some cursed specter amongst the ruined towers. He bought trinkets and fetches off of woods women who claimed supernatural power. To this day he wears both a seven-pointed star and a carved weirwood pendant around his neck, reasoning that the protection of two pantheons is twice as good as one.
Life went on, with Ben hunting and trapping for coin, until war broke out. The Blackforts were for the black dragon, so Ben grabbed his bow and axe and set off with his family. He didn't like war as much as he thought he would. Too many dead faces showing up in his dreams. But Ben wasn't about to let that stop him from fighting alongside his family, and besides, that was what the booze was for.
It turned out Ben was just as good at bringing down charging knights as waterfowl, but his greatest accomplishment in the war stemmed from shooting down a different type of bird. As the Blackfyre host approached an enemy held keep, King Daemon sent out word through his army for skilled marksmen to be sent to him. The keep could be taken, the king thought, but only if not reinforced by the enemy. When the besieged keep sent out its ravens to summon reinforcements, Benjen shot down five birds in a row on the wing, the messages pleading for aid still tied tightly to their legs. When the keep was taken shortly after, Daemon Blackfire -- the king himself! -- clapped Ben on the back and said he would not want for wine that night, and nor did he.
Ben's luck would not always be so good, however. Years after the battle of Bloodgrass field, a Dornish host routed Blackfyre's force, and Ben sensibly took to running for the godsdamned woods. He looked behind him just in time to see a fellow archer being skewered by a richly adorned Dornish knight, and paused in his flight to send an arrow through the Dornish sandsteed's eye. Somehow, the Dornishman not only landed on his feet, but blocked the next shaft Ben sent his way, and then the next two after that. Ben dropped his bow and grabbed his axe, but his foe was better equipped and better trained. Benjen took a series of nasty wounds, including a gash along his cheek which would leave a deep scar. As he collapsed at the Dornish knight's feet, the last thing Ben heard was "Does some pissant archer have any way to pay for my horse?" Benjen just managed to mumble the word "Blackfort" before passing out.
Benjen heard a lot about that damn horse in the next months of captivity and recuperation, as well as its master, who turned out to be no less august a personage than Prince Maron of Dorne. Blackfort was not yet a lordly house, but Prince Maron was canny enough to realize that the son of Baelor Breakspear's killer and the cousin of Bloodraven's killer would be worth something eventually. Captivity wasn't so bad, anyhow. For all that Ben liked to run his mouth off, he possessed a certain sort of rustic charm and in time he developed something close to a friendship with his captor. When Benjen was shipped back to Sunspear to await a ransom payment, the Prince allowed him freedom of the castle in return for an oath that he would not try to escape. And so in the last year of the war, while his kin were still busy sweating and bleeding in the attempt to capture King's Landing, Ben mostly spent his days drinking Dornish wine and screwing servant girls.
When the war ended, Belric became the Lord of Harrenhal and finally had the money to pay Benjen's ransom. The world was different now -- Ben had no idea what to think of his father becoming a Kingsguard, and still had a hard time picturing his cousin as a lord. But Ben figured he might as well do his part and/or leech off the family treasury and wine cellars.
Physical Description: A rough-hewn but handsome young man, with long wild hair and a prominent scar marking one cheek. He looks a bit prematurely aged from drink and scarring. Benjen is a tall man with overdeveloped shoulder muscles from many years of practice with his longbow.
Reputation: Cousin Ben's a little wild and a little weird, too fond of the bottle and talking back to his betters to ever amount to much. Still, the man's surprisingly clever in an out of the box way, and damn if he can't shoot.
Boon:
Triple Shot: Benjen may fire up to 3 arrows each round of combat, all at the same target or at 3 different ones. He suffers -20 to rolls for each additional arrow fired.
Curse:
Haunted-War and captivity has left Benjen with memories that torment him. He suffers -10 to fighting rolls in first round of combat
Bloodline Trait: None
CHARACTER UPGRADES:
+3 Ambush/Scouting
+1 Bow
+1 Bow
+1 Axe
(http://breakthecurse.proboards.com/thread/88/lands-surrounding-harrenhal?page=10&scrollTo=4431)
+1 Charm
(http://breakthecurse.proboards.com/thread/157/inn-kneeling-man?page=4&scrollTo=5492)
