Prince Benjen Stark
Prince Benjen Stark / Anárion Telcontar (a.k.a. The Bane of the Orcs, the rouge prince, the shadow wolf)
Prince Benjen Stark was the youngest son of King Rickard Stark of Arnor and his wife Lyarra and born to the elven name Anárion. Benjen had four older siblings growing up, two older brothers named Brandon and Eddard and an older sister named Lyanna. When Benjen was a young man, he felt trapped within the shadow of his father and brothers, not sure how he could make his mark on their house as anything Benjen could do, his father and brothers could do better. When Benjen was eight he went on the Stark's pilgramige to the wolfswood where he found a black direwolf pup whom he named Shadow and raised as his faifthul companion. Benjen was very close with the twin sons of Lord Elrond, Elledan and Elrohir who he often went hunting alongside and visited in the valley of Imladris.
In the year 279, when Benjen was fifty eight years old, bearly twenty five in Dúnedain years, his sister Lyanna was kidnapped by a warband of orcs and taken to the orcish fortress of Gundabad high in the far north beyond the lands of Arnor. Benjen wanted to ride out with his father and brother Brandon, but was barred by his father who told him to remain at Kaer Invaerne. Little did Benjen know that would be the last time he saw his father or eldest brother as both were killed in the first battle, Brandon being slain and postumously beheaded by the pale orc in battle with his head held high as a trophy while his father was filled with arrows and died days later in Rivendell on the retreat south.
While waiting for word for his brother Eddard to return north from Redania, a messanger came to Kaer Invaerne saying that some prisoners from the battle had been freed by the orcs and sent south to relay what they saw. The night of the victory over the Arnoreans, the pale orc had a feast to comemorate his victory, carrying a staff with Branon's severed head hanging from it, the pelts of Brandon, Rickard and Lyanna's direwolves laid out at his feet and Brandon's body mounted on a horse with the head of his direwolf, Fang, sewn onto Brandon's headless body and paraded around by the orc army as a final act of mockery and desecration while Lyanna was suspended from a cage hanging high and made to watch.
Benjen became overrun with hatred and anger and wished to ride north and slaughter every orc he could get his hands on, including Azog. When Eddard arrived north, Benjen begged his brother to take him north so they could rescue their sister and avenge their father and brother together, but Eddard refused stating Benjen was his heir and needed to live incase Eddard died in battle.
Almost a year later the war against Azog was won and Eddard returned home with the remains of both Brandon and Lyanna as she had died of the torture and brutality of her orc captors. The two Starks were laid to rest beside their father and mother in the crypt of Winterfell and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen of the Westrosi Emprie was in attendance, having been betrothed to Lyanna before her demise and having ridden north to war alongside Eddard to rescue her.
A few months after Eddard's return to Kaer Invaerne, Benjen told his brother of his intent to join the Rangers of the North and rode out for Kaer Morhen alongside his trusted direwolf Shadow where he began his training under Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, the old bear.
Benjen's reasons for joining the rangers were never specified but most believed it was due to the rangers being professionals in dealing with orcs and their raiding parites and Benjen's hatred for orcs after what happened to his family.
After completing his training as a ranger, he began to travel Arnor, protecting it's people and hunting bandits and orcs. Benjen's travels mostly kept to the north, venturing further than most into the lands of always winter where he and his fellow rangers hunted Orc clans and wiped them out, Benjen becoming known as the bane of the orcs. Benjen became a captain among the rangers and travelled with a group of fifteen brother rangers often being joined by his lifelong friends Elledan and Elrohir.
Benjen regularly visited his home of Kaer Invaerne and was beloved by his many nephews and nieces who his brother had sired over the years. When his nephew Jon, the bastard son of his brother, turned sixteen he wished to become a ranger like his uncle and with King Eddard's blessing, Jon went north to Kaer Morhen where he was trained by Jeor Mormont but taken back to Kaer Invaerne every summer by Benjen where Benjen continued his training so that Jon could remain a part of his siblings lives.
Now Benjen continues to travel Arnor leading his company of rangers as their captain, sometimes joined by his nephew Jon, sometimes joined by Elledan and Elrohir and occasionally joined by the wizard Gandalf the Grey. Benjen travels Arnor looking for monsters and brigands to stop and people to help and winters at Kaer Morhen where he and his rangers call home.
Relationships
