So I apologize in advance- I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to audio stuff, so my samples aren't exactly wonderful. They're pretty quiet, too- you may need to turn up your volume to hear them. If they're not up to par, I suppose I could try fiddling around a bit more with Audacity to maybe lay down some better ones.
Also, I took some liberties with Merovahn society and stuff. If any of that clashes with the lore/background you had in mind, just let me know.
Name: Sir Benjamin Broadshield (“Benjamin One-Eye,” to some)
More Properly: Sir Benjamin the Broadshield, of the Noble House of Siskus
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 48
Appearance: Aging, with fair hair now going gray, Sir Benjamin remains an imposing sight. Tall and broad, arms and legs corded thick with muscle. His square jaw is obscured by a neatly trimmed beard, and his lone, dark brown eye shine from time to time with what might be a youthful vigor. His other, lost to battle, is covered by a bit of black cloth. He is most often seen in plate and mail, atop a warhorse, a heavy visored helm obscuring his face. A fine longsword is girded at his belt, and his shield bears his personal arms: a fist of silver on a field of green, broken shackles hanging from the wrist. Away from battle, he dresses comfortably, often in a simple leather doublet, a woolen tunic, and simple trousers, all of which belie his noble status.
Occupation: Knight-errant/Turncoat
Location: Heading North
Born the second son of a wealthy nobleman in southern Merovah, Benjamin lived his early life in accord with his status. Slaves nursed him, cleaned his bedchamber, and cooked his meals. One slave, an educated elf, even tutored the young aristocrat, teaching him to read and write, to count, and revealing the brutal history of his people.
His elder brother, Jorik, was destined to take over the house upon the death of Lord Siskus. Benjamin, meanwhile, was expected to play a supporting role, either as a commander of Siskus troops or as a steward. Showing little aptitude for administration, he began training for knighthood by the time of his eighth birthday. At ten, he began to serve as a squire, first for his cousin Sir Aetius, and later for Sir Konnan, his uncle. Years passed, and, shortly after his assension to manhood, Benjamin was knighted, and served in many small-scale conflicts, participating in jousts and tournaments during more peaceful periods. He won great renown in this way, and became rather well known for carrying a great, heavy kite shield, earning him the moniker “Broadshield,” to differentiate him from Sir Benjamin Bloodaxe.
As the years passed and his name came to carry greater weight, Benjamin considered taking a wife. With the blessing of his brother, now Lord Siskus, he married Brienne Roux, the daughter of a rival House. They settled in a small fortified keep which he held in the name of his Lord brother. The marriage was happy enough, as far as the arranged ones tend to go, and there was genuine affection between them. Shortly thereafter, the first of their three children was born, a son called Jacob.
As master of the hall, Benjamin for the first time held direct authority over slaves. Only a score, give or take, and mostly elves. The arrangement made him uncomfortable, to say the least. His upbringing aside, he had moral qualms with the whole affair. But he was just one man, so what to do? He endeavored, then, to treat his slaves with a kindness few others showed, occasionally even paying cash bonuses to the most capable and loyal among them.
Time and again he would be called upon by his brother to lead the levies against this or that problem. More often than not rambunctious slaves were the issue. Ofttimes they revolted, crying out for liberty, and the blood of their masters. This could not be tolerated in the prevailing Order was to be maintained. Once, on one particular occasion, he was sent to slay a group of rabble-rousers, and, for good measure, to butcher the women and children and put the village to the torch. An example must be made, Jorik had said. But Benjamin could not do it. Would not do it.
Cast from his home and charged of treason, Benjamin fled, taking his horse Alexander, along with his arms. Caught on the road by a group of knights in the service of his brother, he was forced to fight for his life. Against long odds he struck down half a dozen men, forcing the rest into a route, but he was badly injured. He could hardly see out of his left eye. In time its vision would fade entirely. Wounded, and thoroughly disoriented, he wandered into an impoverished little farming village, and was sheltered by a local priest. In time he recuperated, and came in secret to visit a family of slaves working a nearby plot of land. An orc maiden, not seventeen by the look of her, took something of a liking to the old knight, and offered to repaint his now-battered shield. At his request, she replaced the old markings- a tower of red on a field of black- with the fist and shackles design that would grace the shield from then on.
For several years thereafter Sir Benjamin, now called “One-Eye” by his enemies, roamed the sparsely-populated quarters of Merovah, seeking refuge where it was to be found. When he heard whispers of a force of liberation marshaling to the north, in the Land of the Valleys, he began traveling in that direction. He hoped that he might, with his firsthand knowledge of Morovah and its methods of warfare, lend aid to Stormvhak and his cause. He was seeking personal redemption for his own small part in maintaining servitude, yes. But he sought a higher thing, as well, as all men sworn to honor and righteousness. And that was Justice.
Voice Sample: “I don't need more than one eye to kill a whelp like you.”“I come from Merovah. You can see my shield. You know very well who I am.”
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