Benjamin Kirk

"That one breathes fire."

Player: Ethan

First Appearance: Joe's Time Travel Questline

Last Appearance: The Battle Of Calgan

Also Known As: Ben, Maestro Benjamin

Height: 6'0

Weight: 156 lbs

Age: 62

Class: Fighter

Race: Wood Elf

Ben is a player NPC created by Ethan and has appeared in two different questlines. He is known for his downbeat, pessimistic, and often apathetic and discouraging personality; as well as a dependency to smoking cigarettes and cigars, usually filled with Southern Fog Leaves. He is also known for his close, though often reluctant, friendship with a Frost Dragonborne, named Korin. Ben never knew his parents, and was raised by a man named Jax Kiro.

Ben is from a western country known as **Leyraine**. Leyraine has escaped most of history's scope due to their hermit-like tendencies. Ben grew up in the town of **Denlodge**, a town of only about 850, and at the age of 17, joined the local town guard, where he developed his preliminary fighting abilities. Ben took great pride in his title and has said that he "could have lived the rest of (his) life in Denlodge." On the day of his 19th birthday, Denlodge was overrun with a herd of **Wild Dinosaurs**, who were driven from the canyons to the east following the occupation of **East Leyraine** by the Neo-Warlord **Dyson Red**. After the destruction of Denlodge, Ben led the 100 survivors of the disaster through the **Red Forest**, into the canyons that the Dinosaurs were from. After escaping the remaining Dinosaurs, Ben led the group into Leyraine, where though they would be under Dyson Red's regime, they would live without danger. Ben then struck out, with the desire to one day return and free East Leyraine from Dyson Red. Ben first sought out a famed dojo and requested Martial Instruction. The head of the dojo, **Desheng Lee**, sympathized with his goal of freeing Leyraine, but after a time, found that he could teach Ben very little in the ways of Martial Arts, mostly due to his strong emotions and brash tendencies, though Ben did attain a level of reflexes and agility that would help him later in his life. Ben then sought out a legendary hero named **Owen The Haunted**, but upon arrival to the hero's home, he discovered Owen to have been dead for seven years. Frustrated, Ben set his sights on a tough destination; **Highland: Home of Heroes**. Ben reached Highland nearing his 20th birthday. After 6 months of apprenticeship as a carpenter and a blacksmith, Ben was accepted as a fencing apprentice by a respected knight, **Sir Antonio Reyes III**. Ben trained for 15 years, and was granted the title of **Maestro del Rapier**, or Master of the Rapier. Now 35, Ben returned to Leyraine, and challenged Dyson to an **honor duel**. Dyson accepted. Ben showed great skill in the duel, but when Dyson felt his life was threatened, Ben was shot in the back by an archer, resulting in a near death experience. Ben was held captive for 10 years, until he escaped at the age of 45, still quite young for an elf. When Dyson learned of Ben's escape, He hired a strong group of mercenaries as protection. Ben was chased out of Leyraine, and ended up fleeing the entire continent in shame for his failure to save his homeland. Ben encountered many strange occurrences in his travels after, including but not limited to fights with **mummies**, **krakens**, **dragons**, **dinosaurs**, and **giants**. Upon meeting **Korin**, he encountered many different situations, such as, **being sent back in time**, being **cursed by mummy gold**, and **riding giant mosquitoes**. All of his adventures since leaving Leyraine took place over the course of 10 years, leaving Ben as a grumpy 55 year-old.

Ben is now currently employed by **The Almighty Dawn,** hired to investigate several attacks on Military outposts.

Being an Elf, Ben's facial hair is unusual, as most elves do not have facial hair. It was thought for a long time he was a half elf, but he was later confirmed to be a full blooded Wood Elf by a scholar in highland. No explanation has been provided for his abnormality.