Jack Benefort Appearance Race: Human Gender: Male Age: 24 Birthday: 91 of Winter, 488 AV Birthplace: Zeltiva Appearance: Jack is a man of average height, standing at 5'11”. He is thin and toned, weighing around 140-50 pounds and able to lift around 200 at the most. His skin has a light tan from years spent training with swords on the beaches around Zeltiva. His hair is pitch black and about an inch long all around. He keeps it cut regularly, letting it get out to about 2 inches at the longest, though that is a rare occurrence. He has eyes reminiscent of a hawks, very pointed in shape. They are a striking hazel blend of bright green and deep brown. His clothing as of now is nothing special really. He wears simple brown pants and a green shirt with long sleeves. He wears his shortsword in a brown sheathe hung on his belt. His boots are black and his cloak, when he wears it, is maroon. Character Concept Jack has always had a bent toward helping others. Even from an early age, he has always fulfilled the role of 'teacher' in his relationships with others. When other children were struggling to read a word, or to build some contraption, he was always there, by their side, helping them along. He has always been a teacher at heart and is willing to teach just about anyone-provided they are willing to be taught, and he actually knows something that they want to learn. Jack is a man who is passionate about many things at many different times, though not usually many things at one time. He is quick to let people get fairly close to him, but it is next to impossible to truly be his 'friend'. He has never let anyone really see him as he is, and is often, in truth very lonely. He fills his days with conversation and adventure, but much of it is just a balm to subdue the true pain he feels in his loneliness. Updated Concept| Since his run in with the concepts of faith and the role of the gods in his life, Jack has changed in some basic ways. He's still embraced his role as a helper of others, even as a teacher, but in terms of his relationships with people, he is hardly the same person. He has learned to let go of the traumas of his past and allow people to truly know him. He has also adopted a teaching stance of one on one friendship with students, as influenced by his personality changes. He is much more balanced now, having reconciled much of his personal baggage. He is more driven than ever to experience the cultures of the world and spread the knowledge and good will across the continent. Character History Jack was born 24 years ago in Zeltiva, to the Stroud family. His father maintained boats, and before her pregnancy, his mother was the assistant of a local doctor. His mother died in childbirth, so Jack was raised by his father for the first years of his life. Only a few memories remain of that time, but what is clearly known is that around the time of Jacks 2nd birthday, his father disappeared without a trace. A friend of the family stopped by the home the next day and found Jack there. This man, Athanasius Benefort, was a former professor at the University and had been a close friend of Jacks family. As there were no other Stroud's that he knew of, upon taking Jack into his care, Athanasius decided that, he would raise the boy as he would have his very own son. As opposed to the usual childhood of play, Jack was raised to be what we would call a 'renaissance man'. He was made to be skilled both in mind and body. Jack proved up to the task as years went by. He became well acquainted with the lore of his home and proved to be competent as a teacher and-much to the pleasure of Athanasius, who had hoped for a well rounded result- as a swordsman. By the time Jack was 20, he was teaching most of city's young men basic swordplay. At this point, Athanasius had not divulged the truth to Jack about his lineage, but decided that the time had finally come. One night after supper, he chose to break his silence. “Jack..” He said, sighing as he said it. There was an aura of heaviness about his words. “Jack, you have called yourself a Benefort for these 18 years now. But you are no longer a child. I see you in the town, showing others how to wield the sword, equipping the men of this city to defend themselves and each other. You are no longer a child, for a child could not lead this people as you do.” As he spoke, Athanasius rose from the table and stood by a window looking out onto the moonlit harbor. Jack was slightly taken aback. He knew that his father was smart enough to realize that Jack was 20, not 18. And he wondered at the reason he was making this opening speech about him being a man. But then he realized that Athanasius never said he was 18 years old. He said, for 18 years he had been a Benefort. But what could that mean? Could that mean...? “Jack, it is time you know who you are. If you wish to no longer wear my name, I will not stop you.” Taking a deep breath, he sighed once more and turned around to face Jack, the same aura of heaviness even more tangible than before. For a single moment, the room stood still. Time, smell, sound, heartbeats, breath, all seemed to stop and wait in suspense, as if the universe could not possibly continue until these words were spoken. “Jack, I am not your father. Your father was a wonderful man, and your mother was a wonderful woman. Both were, at different times and in different ways, my pupils when I was a younger man. When they married, we became truly fast friends and my love for them went well beyond my teaching years. But they are both dead now. Jack, your blood is Stroud, not Benefort.” Jack sat in shock at such a massive revelation. In truth, it did not affect him very deeply, though it made everything a great deal clearer. He had often wondered in his life about certain things. Athanasius was going on 85 this year and it never made sense to him that he and his wife had still been having children at 65. And when he simply could not find the grave Athanasius claimed existed for his deceased wife, and a plethora of other mysteries. In truth Jack probably expected this day would come on some level. Thinking back as he reclined at the table, all the pieces started to come together. His knowledge that on some level he was out of place had been a nagging thought even when he was too young to realize it. It probably contributed greatly to the facade he had built around himself. Who knows what other impact it had? But he was not angry. “My blood may be Stroud, but I am your son, father.” Jack said, standing from his seat. He walked over to his father and embraced him. “Father, thank you for telling me this.” But there was little emotion in it, though there was rarely that much emotion in anything Jack said that dealt with himself on a deep level. When the moment was done and the embrace was over, his father looked Jack in the eyes, and said with a sorrowful voice, “If you are my son, then heed me this once. As your father. I look into your eyes and I see a wall around your soul. You have fought all these years to keep everyone out, but it will kill you if you keep going like this. Please, just consider what I have to say. Call it elderly wisdom. But one day you must allow someone-anyone- inside your heart. We were not created to be alone, my son.” Jack could never escape those words. Maybe one day, he often thinks, maybe one day he will heed them. Athanasius died within a year of that day. In the time that followed, Jack spent several months thinking on how best to honor the memory of this man who was a father to a fatherless boy. In the end, he decided that he would take up the cause of his late father. In his dying days, he had often spoken of his desire to bring education back on a large scale- to have a university in every nation, and wisemen abounding in every town. He wanted to see the successes of Zeltiva everywhere, and the passion he held for this was contagious. So Jack ultimately chose to give his fathers home and possessions to the university, take what he needed, and become an adventurer. Now he wanders the world, learning all that he can, teaching all who will listen, and seeking to leave every place a little better than it was when he arrived. He has now been traveling for going on 3 years, and has picked up some skill in storytelling and knowledge of other languages in his many adventures. He currently finds himself in Riverfall, looking for a crew to travel with. Language Fluent Language: Common Basic Language: Char Poor Language: Fratava Skills
Possessions 1 Set of Clothing (Colorful) -Simple Shirt -Simple Pants -Simple Undergarments -Simple Cloak or Coat -Simple Boots 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack which contains: -Comb (Bone) -Brush (Bone) -Soap -Razor -Balanced Rations (1 Week’s Worth) -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel Heirloom: Jacks shortsword. It was given to him by Athanasius when Jack began his sword training and is among the very few things Jack took with him upon leaving Zeltiva. Housing Location: Currently staying in Riverfall. House: Atri's Place Travel package: 1 large tent (4 person) large tarp 100 ft of rope flint & steel lantern 2 torches bedroll blanket fishing tackle & hooks Zavian horse a full set of tack a large set of saddlebags ledger :
Thread List flashbacks :
SUMMER 513 2 Of Summer |Water, Water Everywhere 20 Of Summer |Crossing Blades, Crossing Paths 22 Of Summer |A Horse and His Boy 25 Of Summer |For Love of the Father 48 Of Summer |Jack's Fortune |