Returning WY member- Shawn Ellasser-No CC Needed

[Eqwina]

Name:Anwashawn Ellasser--Shawn for short

Age:16

Origin: Unknown-raised outside a small town on the shore of Amadicia.

Shawn assumes from his looks he might be from somewhere in Andor but

he doesn't know for sure.

Hair:Whitish blond when it grows in but usually keeps it shaved to

honor his father. Also has a pointed goatee, to remind him of his

foster-father.

Eyes:Captivatingly Blue, something everyone notices and the reason

he would have to wear a hood if he wanted to avoid notice.

Height:@16 is 5'8"

Weight:@16 is 140lbs.

 

Personality: Has a certain charisma that draws people to follow him.

Very confident in himself but still humble--he simply knows what he's

capable of and has no qualms about admitting his shortcomings. Feels

an overwhelming need to defend and protect others, especially those

that can't protect themselves. Has deeply felt emotions but does all

he can to hide them from others. Keeps his emotions guarded because

he fears that if others get too close to him then will wind up getting

hurt. He is always pushing himself to do more, train harder, learn

more, and be better than he is. His father taught him, and his

foster-father reinforced the idea that, "You can keep your mouth

closed and let people think you foolish, or you can open your mouth

and remove all doubt." Thus he seldom speaks, preferring to let his words carry more meaning to others by how seldom they come.

 

 

Brief History: At the age of seven he had to swim for what seemed like days on end to reach shore after his parents and two younger siblings were killed by pirates when their ship was attacked at sea. He escaped the carnage only because his father threw him overboard and the attackers didn't see him. He knows nothing of where he came from, or where they were going, only that they had been traveling for as long as he could remember.

 

When he finally reached the shore he was found by a blacksmith that

made weapons for a Whitecloak garrison. He had nothing on but his

smallclothes as he had shed the rest to make swimming less cumbersome.

 

The blacksmith, Uzziel, and his wife, Alexis, adopted the boy, and he became the blacksmith's apprentice. During this time he spent his days working in the forge and swimming, thus developing his muscles while staying slim. He also would watch the Whitecloaks training, with the dream of one day joining them. Then at night he would sneak into the forge and attempt to mimic what he'd seen with one of the swords his

foster-father had made. He didn't have much luck, but he was patient

and cautious, and so managed to never get seriously injured in his

unauthorized self-taught nightly studies.

 

His apprenticeship was set to end, and he would attain the rank of

journeyman, when he was fifteen. But alas, it was not meant to be.

Unbeknownst to Shawn his foster parents and the local garrison commander, Ely, had grown up together. When Alexis chose to marry Uzziel instead of him Ely joined the Children of the Light and moved away. Years later he came back, risen in rank but too fast for his own good. He had only recently been given so much authority and the power went to his head. When he saw how happy Uzziel and Alexis were all of his jealousy came back and he had Uzziel hung as a "darkfriend". When Alexis still refused to marry him he had her hung as well. Shawn tried to stop this and now has scars crisscrossing his back from the flogging he received for his interference. The Whitecloaks left him to die, tied to a post, and then burned the house and the forge next to it.

 

Two days later he was found by some Tuatha'an, still tied to the

post and as near to death as one can be without dying. After twice losing his parents to violence, he thought their basic philosophy of nonviolence was the right way to go and traveled with them for awhile.

 

About a year or so later the tinkers were attacked by bandits an hour's ride outside of Tar Valon. During the attack Shawn gathered all the children into one of the wagons and used a carving knife to kill the two bandits that tried to enter. After the attack, when the adults found out what he had done, they said he could no longer travel with them. He tried to argue, saying that he was only protecting the children, not attacking anyone, but they said that that was no excuse and that he must leave. When he left the tinkers he had nothing but the clothes on his back.

 

He decided to become a warder because it was their duty and

responsibility to protect others, especially Aes Sedai. Also, since

the Whitecloaks he had so admired had betrayed him, he thought that

protecting their enemy would have a certain ironic justice to it. But

mainly he just wanted to become the best fighter the world had ever

seen so that he could better protect those of the world who could not

protect themselves. He found his way to Tar Valon and set about

trying to find his way to the Tower so he could seek acceptance as a

trainee.

 

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Update:

Age: 20

Height: 6'2"

Build: Think Olympic-class swimmer

Appearance: Still has the shaved head and goatee and his eyes are still his most outstanding feature.

Primary Weapon: Dual-weild katana and wakizashi

Secondary Weapon: Composite bow

Tertiary: throwing knives

Spring Philosophy

Speed Discipline

Path of Water

 

After being mentored by Corin Danveer, Shawn completed his training and was accepted into the elite Tower Guard.  Soon after that he applied for and received permission from the Master at Arms and Commander of the Guard to return to his blacksmith training, provided it did not interfere with his duties as a guard or as a mentor for trainees.

 

Four years later he completed his training at the forge by crafting a beautiful custom designed sword which both of the Tower's master smiths agreed far outshown the work of many other competent smiths they had met.  They said that he had a special flair for custom work and began sending any Tower Guards or Warders that needed such work to him while they focused on making and repairing the various weapons for the Tower's armory.

 

This started a series of emotional upheavals surrounding his relationship with another Tower Guard, her affair with a Grandmaster, and the loss caused by a sparring accident of a child that may or may not have been his.  The final straw that broke Shawn was when she left without trying to reconcile their relationship or even say good bye.  Shawn had tried to move on but it soon became obvious that his fractured emotional state was causing his job performance to suffer.

 

The Commander had sent him on a hiatus, hoping that a change of scenery would do him some good.  He was told to return when he felt himself fit for duty, or in one year's time, whichever came first.

 

Six months of solitude and living off the land had been enough for Shawn to acept his loss and learn to be content in himself.  The pain was still there, but it was no longer the consuming force it had been when he'd left.  He returned to the Tower with a renewed passion to serve and his mind unclouded by distractions.

 

 

Thank you,

Asfaloth

 

 

**Note** The Blacksmith training was approved **Eqwina**