[hider=Tobias][b]Name:[/b] Tobias Greenwood
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Race:[/b] Human
[b]Age:[/b] 17
[b]Major:[/b] Light arms/Ranger
[b]Familiar:[/b] None

[b]Appearance:[/b] Tobias is a slender but well-built youth, a little taller than average, with light brown hair and soft hazel eyes. His looks are a grade higher than what can be expected for his social background, but the clothes he wears are often worn down and patchy, reflecting his circumstances.

[b]Personality:[/b] Tobias is pragmatic, cautious, and downright miserly at times, but very straightforward in his approach. He tries his best to use what he has to move towards his goals, but his nature leads him to sometimes miss the opportunity to take initiative. He's not one to dwell on his mistakes, however. He takes it all in stride and moves on, so that he isn't weighed down by his past.

[hider=Bio (it's long)] Tobias was born to a large but poor family, and as is often the case in such families, they are very close with each other. His father was a hunter, who hunted animals from the nearby forest for food and money. The children who could work also helped to scrape together what little wealth they could. The family lived happily together, but they knew that their situation was tenuous.

One day, the worst happened. Tobias' father was injured in a hunting accident. His injury prevented him from going out to hunt for the forseeable future, which spelled disaster for the family. Worse yet, the eldest siblings had gone out to make their fortunes in the wider world. And thus, at the tender age of 13 years old, young Tobias had to take up the bow and fill the space. At first, he wasn't very good. His archery was fine and he had help from his father, but Tobias' father had little education, and didn't make the best teacher. He couldn't help being worse than his father, he didn't have the years of practise needed for an experienced hunter. Nevertheless, the family would suffer if he couldn't hunt better game. Recklessly, Tobias headed into the forest to force himself to become a better hunter.

He ran for hours before realising he had forgotten to bring arrows. It was another few minutes of walking before he realised he was lost. But standing in place wouldn't do anything, so he kept walking. Soon, he came across an oddity; a strange house in the middle of the forest. Inside was an old man wearing a strange robe made of leaves. More importantly, the man was tending to a pot of soup. Tobias stood at the doorway, unsure of whether or not to go in, but the old man noticed and gestured invitingly. He shared his soup with the boy and listened to Tobias' tale. Once they were done with the soup, the old man sent Tobias on his way with directions out of the forest. As he left, Tobias turned to thank the old man, who smiled and said he was welcome back any time.

Tobias visited quite often. As it turned out, the old man was a druid. He taught him many things about the forest, such as the habits of animals, which plants were edible, and how to set traps, among other things. He even noted that Tobias had some talent for earth magic, and taught him a little of what he knew. How to shift the earth to cover his tracks, how to use dust to cover his scent, and how to coat his arrows with the power of stone. The most important thing the druid taught him, however, was how to respect the forest - how the forest was a living ecosystem, and how he was a part of it. Under the druid's tutelage Tobias became a great hunter, capable of providing for the family and then some. Money was also coming in from his siblings, so things were going quite well for the family. His father had recovered somewhat, and though he couldn't hunt, he could do other work. Tobias was content to continue hunting for the family, but it seemed they had other ideas.

One day, his family confronted him with a letter. An acception letter from Alveos adventure academy. They had submitted an application in his stead, and it had been accepted. At first Tobias was shocked, but they had good reasons. 4 long years had passed since he began hunting, and his youth was quickly passing him by. There was more to the world than this, and they wanted him to experience it. He was still hesitant, until his master appeared. He told him there was nothing more he could teach Tobias, but the boy had more potential. He urged him to accept; the family was doing well enough financially and he should make the most of his own life. Tobias relented, reluctant as he was. It was already paid for, after all, and he didn't want their efforts to go to waste.[/hider][/hider]