Growing up as an orphan in the unruly port city of Ilizmagorti, Ban dreamed of sailing the high seas in one of the grand ships he saw dock everyday. He joined a crew at the age of 13 as a galley boy. However, as the years went by and the boy grew older, it was discovered that he was blessed with great strength. By the time he'd reached adulthood, he was going on boarding parties with the rest of the crew. He could often be seen charging in recklessly swinging a large oar or plank.
Ban spent several years content to raid the high seas. However, this would not last. One stormy night, their ship, The Ornithia was attacked by a monstrous creature from the ocean depths. Before anyone had a chance to put up much resistance, the creature had ripped open the ship's hull and was pulling it beneath the waves. Ban was tossed clear of the ship with the others and dragged under by the current. As he struggled to get back to the surface, he felt something wrap around his ankle and begin to pull him rapidly to the bottom of the sea. Ban held his breath for as long as he could but eventually lost consciousness.
When he awoke, he found himself in an underwater cave, surrounded by rusted ship parts and the dead bodies of various creatures. Among these was a young kraken seemingly having fallen victim to the same monster he had. When he approached the corpse, the kraken suddenly sprang to life, capturing him in a death grip with its tentacles. Perhaps out of reflex or just plain spite, it seemed the Kraken would use its last moments of life to devour Ban whole. However, instead Ban felt a strange energy enter his body as a fractured piece of the dying kraken's soul searched desperately for another vessel to give it life. Bluish green runes appeared on his skin and he suddenly felt as if he had the strength of 30 men. Embued with this new power, Ban managed to swim back to the surface and was picked up by a passing merchant ship. As he's suddenly found himself without a job, he's come to First Landing to find work and eventually a way to get back out on the water.