GoA- Glen Ashwood

Edit (5/16/2012): Finally updated his reference.

Name: Glen Ashwood
Race: Human
Hair-Color: Gray-Brown
Eye-Color: Amber
Size: 6'3''
Age: 21
Occupation: Guildmaster, Warrior’s Guild
Mana: Plant

Hobbies: Training and exercising, taking naps, cooking (although he often makes food that’s a bit sour), playing clarinet (he kind of gave up on the clarinet for now)
Loves: Sour food, sparring, gentle people, fluffy animals, music
Hates: People invading his personal space, rough or loud people, revealing clothing

Abilities: Hand-to-hand combat, plant mana abilities: rather nimble and flexible, packs a strong punch and often incorporates mana in his attacks. However, he wears no armor and must be careful to dodge strong attacks, although he does have a relatively high tolerance for pain. Also knows a little bit of first aid and always carries a few bandages and medicines with him.

History: As a child, Glen was clumsy and awkward. He was a whiner, a pushover, a crybaby, and a tattletale, and had a bad habit of saying whatever came to his mind, often saying blunt or unnecessary things that would irritate others. As such, he was often picked on and bullied, getting shoved and slapped around. He still had his family who loved him very much and tried to protect him as best they could, but he quite simply had trouble fitting in and just seemed to naturally attract bullies who took advantage of his meek nature. Things seemed to get a little better around the age of six, when he met a kind, mature boy named Nate who always helped and comforted him. However, around twelve years of age, his close friend left town to become a tactician, leaving Glen on his own.

One day, Glen was getting pushed around by some fairly aggressive bullies. Downcast with his best and only friend gone, Glen finally snapped and retaliated by punching one of the boys straight in the nose, despite the peaceful nature his parents had reinforced. Shocked, the bullies ran off, leaving Glen with the idea that if he was strong, he wouldn’t be pushed around anymore. With that in mind, Glen became obsessed with the idea of somehow becoming so tough that no one would mess with him ever again. He began to exercise and train his body. In the end, that did scare the other children into leaving him alone- but it was just that, leaving him alone. His parents became concerned with their son’s current circumstance and sat him down for a talk. While being able to defend yourself was fine, it wasn’t good to just scare everyone off. Glen didn’t make it a point to intimidate others, but he just quietly kept his distance out of shyness and fear, and by now, generally so did the other kids.

Then something of a turning point occurred around this time when Glen was sitting in the woods near the town by himself. He was attacked by a wild beast, and a passing stranger, a mercenary, stepped in to save him. While Glen was frozen in terror, the man shoved Glen out of the way of the beast’s attack to protect him, sacrificing an injury to his back. Once the man was rushed to the clinic and patched up, Glen apologized to the man for not being able to do anything – he had wanted to be strong, but in the end he was useless. The mercenary wiped away Glen’s tears, saying that it was alright, and that he had potential to become strong if he wanted to. The man left the town soon after, but his presence had inspired confidence in Glen to change for the better… even if Glen didn’t quite recognize the mercenary at first when he would meet him again several years later.

Not long after, Glen’s father suggested the idea of Glen joining the Warriors Guild, since the boy seemed so adamant on improving himself. There, Glen would get proper guidance in how to fight, and he would be able to get out and see the world a little more. Much to Glen’s mother’s dismay, the rest of the family (which included Glen and this grandmother) seemed to approve of the idea, but eventually she also conceded, so that is where he went at the age of thirteen. There, he learned new things, met new and old friends, and grew in both skill and as a person. Years passed, and he came to love the Guilds, ultimately becoming the Warriors’ current Guildmaster.

Personality: He still retains much of his traits from childhood. He remains clumsy, a crybaby, and easily pushed around or manipulated due to his timid nature, although not to the same extent as when he was a child. He gets flustered very easily and is often tongue-tied and awkward, sometimes making silly comments by accident. He is also honest to a fault – he has a difficult time deceiving others or keeping a secret if pressed.

Lately, he has been changing ever so gradually, growing up a bit. He’s become a bit more open and expressive of how much he cares for people, less likely to shy away from hugs and the like, and less hesitant to reach out to those he’s worried about. He’s also trying to think things through more before he rushes into things impulsively. While he remains a bit unconfident in himself at times, particularly in his ability to be a leader, he is determined to try his best.

He actually enjoys fighting, usually in the form a friendly spar; somehow it makes him feel more relaxed, being able to let loose. However, he will only attack someone seriously if he or his allies are attacked first – it’s something of his own honor code. Also, despite his partiality for fighting, he is otherwise quite gentle and caring.

Other:
-His childhood friend is Nate, and the mercenary in his story is Marion.

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