M A I Z E B E N S E N / / T H I R T Y - F O U R
"For what it's worth, I felt sorry knowing that you didn't have a chance against me." [ β ] O R I G I N
Title(s): Sir, The Dauntless
Race: Beorc
Birthplace: Blackwater, Anarcas
[ β ] I N F O R M A T I O N
Class: Hero
Height: 6'1
Weight: 202lbs
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Fair
Body Composition: Muscular
[ β ] P E R S O N A L I T Y
As dauntless as his nickname may suggest, Maize can actually appear to be quite the opposite; in the warmth of his home and the halls of his kingdom, he is a loving husband and father to his wife and children, and a frequent jester to those who call him friend. He does have a casual swagger to his tone through the accomplishments that he has claimed, although he himself does not wish to reminisce of those times, showing a stout opposition to killing without a worthy purpose.
While Maize does enjoy fighting of all sorts, he judges the strength of the individual through their own morals and their actions beyond fighting. Like most knights, he holds himself to the code of chivalry, and respects honor and loyalty out of others. He will only use violence if it is to combat violence, not wishing to spill unnecessary blood over any matter. The knight has a habit for attempting to instill these principles and lessons on others, showing an immense care for younger children.
[ β ] B I O G R A P H Y
Life was not all that difficult for Maize Bensen and his family; despite the inclement weather conditions, his father, Mael Bensen, was able to cover the expenses of their livelihood through his mercenary work, possessing many ties to the crown in Blackwater, Anarcas. He was the younger twin to Hassan Bensen, which would later lead to many feuds over who was superior over the other in whatever regard.
By the time the twin brothers were strong enough to hold a blade in their hands, Mael intended on grooming his sons to serve in the Anarcasi Army, putting them through questionably intense training throughout the tundras of Anarcas. They would accompany their father on their first mercenary work at the age of fourteen, and later that year, they were sent into the recruitment drive for the military.
Despite all of his father's emphasis on fighting as a career, Maize himself was not keen on the profession as a killer, and went through the process with many reservations. While he decided to go into the servitude as a squire towards knighthood, his brother would drift from his life momentarily after their separation. Wishing to uphold the law instead of committing what he considered to be barbaric, he sought to hone his swordsmanship ahead, becoming quite the skilled fighter and duelist by the time he turned nineteen years of age.
Watching the fever rise to a pitch between the warring kingdoms concerned Maize greatly, who had been known as a vocal conscientious objector to the war. He would later recount this conflict as 'nothing but a cesspool of selfish murder, the lives of countless people lost over some man's lust.' He holds a grudge towards all of the involved parties to the present day, including his own King Erigan.
As a protector to the realm of Anarcas, Maize was called upon to fight against the Estalans, though their efforts were crushed under the mystical might of the Archsage. While his liege lord fell in the melee that ensued at their castle's gates, he was but the sole survivor of this battle, forced to surrender his service to Anarcas. Within the palace, he would also be among the few to bear witness to the burning of Theodorus and Jaedal.
As shell-shocked and disturbed as he could be, the conflict would only take a greater toll on Maize as he attempted to search for his family, only to find that his mother and younger brother were missing, and his twin brother, Hassan, had slain their father, who had intended on surrendering to the Estalans. This caused the young man to cut down his twin brother, only to bask at his own hands; the hands of a kinslayer. With his dying breath, Hassan Bensen revealed that their mother intended to return to her tribe in Ibion.
While Maize was forced under the servitude of Estala for the remainder of his years to come, he would lighten to the once-hostile kingdom over the times of reparation, though he would remain a squire until his mission to Ibion in search of his mother. The journey would turn for the worst as they were ambushed by a raiding party of tribesman, crippling Sir Lunis, the knight that he was serving under.
In their captivity, Maize was thrown into an arena of sorts, forced into a pit fighting routine for others' entertainment at the expense of his and Sir Lunis' own survival. By the grace of the goddess, the swordfighter survived through the countless rounds of duels to the death, which would grant him his freedom. They rode back to the Estalan capital where Sir Lunis preached to the council of the young man's actions, his speech spawning the nickname, The Dauntless.
In addition, Maize was anointed as a knight of Estala at the age of twenty-three, becoming one of the youngest to ever be knighted in Estalan history. Since then, he has served the crown well, and has been appointed as the guide to Crown Prince Eli Estali in their mission to Rozel.
[ β ] F A M I L Y
Wife: Miranda Bensen (nee Leylal) β Alive
Son (Older): Maize Bensen II β Alive
Daughter (Younger): Amaranta Bensen β Alive
Father: Mael Bensen β Deceased
Mother: Su'lon β Unknown
Brother (Older Twin): Hassan Bensen β Deceased
Brother (Younger): Mendes Bensen β Unknown
[ β ] I N V E N T O R Y
Iron Blade, Hand Axe, Elixir
[ β ] O T H E R
His nickname is a not-so-safeguarded secret, and on occasion, he is formally addressed in futility as The Dauntless Sir Maize. Loves to eat corn, and dislikes storms. He has many scars along his arms and body, scattered slashes and cuts from battles long past.