Beneth (Jourilan Army)

Beneth was the spiritual leader of the Jourilan Army of Reform. Previously he had been called a "heretic mystic of the mountains" and had been hunted for many years. He was an old, blind man with a bald gleaming head, and a cloth wrapped round his eyes.Stonewielder, Chapter 3, US HC p.150-152
While unable to see in the traditional sense, he saw visions of the past, present, and likely future.Stonewielder, Chapter 3, US HC p.154Stonewielder, Chapter 8, US HC p.432
== In Stonewielder ==
From a young age Beneth represented a challenge to the authority of the Lady, patron goddess of Jourilan and the Lands of Fist.
Left to die in Stygg, he discovered his visions now showed him a shadow version of the land. He saw images of the past and present which made him aware of the Lady's twisted and evil grip on Fist and made him determined to root her out and cleanse it.Stonewielder, Chapter 3, US HC p.154
Beneth escaped to the mountains where he lived for decades. Fifty years before the march of the Reform Army he had sworn a vow of non-violence, and instead cultivated legions of free-thinkers, pilgrims, agents, and missionaries to lay the groundwork for a society-wide revolution. During this time he saved the life of the former Malazan officer Martal. All the while, he resisted the will of the Lady.Stonewielder, Chapter 7, US HC p.365/370 Then the Priestess arrived sparking uprisings and insurrections followed by a second Malazan invasion and Benneth knew it was time to come down from the mountain.Stonewielder, Chapter 8, US HC p.432
Martal led Beneth's Reform Army of peasants as its Black Queen and Beneth recruited the ex-Grand Champion Ivanr as its Deliverer. Beneth ultimately succumbed to the overwhelming will of the Lady despite the efforts of the Synod of Stygg's Sister Nebras to fortify him. Before he passed he named Ivanr as his replacement.Stonewielder, Chapter 7, US HC p.365/370 The Reform Army went on to victory outside the walls of Ring.Stonewielder, Chapter 11, US HC p.536
 
==Notes and references==
Category:Males
Category:Humans
Category:Priests and acolytes