[Bio] Robert Anderson

[Nonfictionless]

Name: Robert Anderson
Age: 19
Race: Human
Gender: Male

Appearance: Robert stands around 6' and has an athletic build. He has jet black hair which he keeps fairly short and a full but very short beard. He shows all the markers of someone who has worked hard for the majority of his life. He wears hardened leather armor with light chain-link shoulder pads. Most of his armor has the appearance of being hand crafted by himself. Having worked with animals in the more recent years of his life his hands and forearms show fresh and healed bites and scratches, although this is as much from his hunting as his work. He carries one pouch at his side containing his most vauable possessions and along his back is strapped a buckskin quiver with a few arrows and a yew shortbow. Last but not least along the back of his belt, lengthwise, he has a very used hunting knife.

Pet/Companion: His companion Snap is a sea turtle with deep green skin and a darker than average beige colored shell. Snap is roughly 4 feet in height, 3 feet in width and a little over 4 feet in length, from the end of his jaw to the tip of his tail. The two fangs in his mouth are duller than usualy as he likes to break bones rather than tear flesh with his powerful jaws while he keeps the fang on the bottom of his chin is kept to a thick sharp point. As with the rest of his kind in the river near Southshore, he has powerful legs instead of the normal flippers you would see on most sea turtles. While he is still a strong swimmer, he is equally strong on land.

Snap has a very strong survival instinct, perphaps too strong at times. This has made him over cautious but next to Robert it almost seems justified. He has become a bit lazy since his companionship with Robert but again this seems to have taken a positive effect on Robert and helped him to enjoy life more than he used too.

Personality: Robert is a do-er and very self sufficient. Being semi-poor from a young age he learned to get what he needed from the wilderness. He is an open person and very accepting of others. He enjoys company but more often than not he is contempt to talk with Snap. He will usually try and help others as much as he can, but by teaching not doing for them. He refuses to take handouts and hates people who look down upon him simply because of his lack of money.

Since the war in Arathi Robert has become a much more focused individual. He hasn't become war hungry but likes to push the limits of his skills and endurance in the heat of battle.

Class: Robert is a hunter, but has never had a formal training. Most of what he knows comes from his instincts and over heard conversations of other hunters that have passed through Southshore and tricks he learned while working for Wesley.

Likes/Dislikes: He first and foremost loves his life long sea turtle companion, Snap. Past that he often likes riddles and games of the same sort. Robert doesn't hate much but one thing he can't stand is overly helpful people. He knows being raised as an orphan "must of been hard" and doesn't like people that only see him for that and try to help him. He has a hatred for the Forsaken that consumes his purpose in life. Robert generally enjoys the company of others and hates to ever be alone for an extended period of time, but ever since he met Snap that hasn't been the case.

Languages: Robert speaks common but understands little of the runes used to write in it and therfore can not read. This is not to say he couldn't learn but thinks that writing and reading are luxuries for the wealthy. He also has a basic understanding of Nerglish and Nazja, but far from ever speaking it himself. His run-ins with these creatures have helped him learn basic words but more than anything he relies on the motions from the creatures.

Strengths/Weaknesses: His most valuable strenght would have to be his stamina. Never having a real shoulder to lean on, or wanting one, in his life has forced him to keep going on few resources throughout some of the more difficult times. He is a quick learner because he has often had to learn from his own mistakes or from the glanced conversations of others. His major weakness is his lack of knowledge of the world outside the Hillsbrad Foothills. While this region has always been a center of interest to the races of azeroth Robert often ignores anything that doesn't directly effect his way of life. While he does ignore the going ons of the outside world, he can't help but listen to the secrets of others that live in Southshore and this eavesdroping has landed him in trouble more times than he cares to remember.

History:

Robert never knew his mother or his father, and neither did any of the townspeople of Southshore. One day he was found on the steps of the Town Hall only a few months in age. Having no real orphanage in their town and no one willing or able to take him to the larger orphanages in Ironforge or Stormwind, the local Innkeeper, Mr.Anderson, offers to raise the child.

Robert starts to grow up as a normal child, not overly cared for by Anderson but well enough. He quickly becomes an interesting young boy and developes a wild imagination, mostly from all the storys he hears while playing near the bar. Unfortunately around his 10th birthday he learns of his parentage, or rather lack there of, from a rude local shopkeeper. He confronts Mr.Anderson about this and the Innkeeper tells him what little there is for him to know. He developes a slightly more somber attitude about his life and from then on decides to work to pay back Anderson for all the help he has given him. Robert still loves to hang around Inn but became more distant to its Innkeeper.

Probably putting more hardship on himself then he needed to, Robert decided to find any job he could. Unfortunetly not being of the age to become an apprentince few to none options were open to him, until one day on in the middle of the summer of his 14th year. Robert always had a natural gift to interacting and communicating with the local animals and pets that lived in and near Southshore and one day his wonderings took him to the river running parrell to the town. Locally turtle was always considered a delicacy with the wealthier indivduals and as he often had seen in the river, today there were traps laid out for them. The first thing Robert noticed was a medium sized juvenile snapjaw turtle, but something in its eyes just looked different to him. Unlike most turtles who had lived their lives in those waters, and had accepted the fact that these traps meant certain death, this one was fighting for its life to remove the trap holding two of its legs. By this point though by the law of the town there was nothing Robert could do because once the turtle was traped it was considered property of the owner of the trap. Something kept Robert in place though, watching the turtle. A calling? A plea? He wasn't sure but after a few minutes the turtle noticed him standing there. There certainly wasn't a plea for help in his eyes but more a fury that this other animal, Robert, would not help him get out of the trap. The simply stared for moments and then a force of the future, destiny, what have you, took over Robert and he rushed to the side of the turtle and destoryed the trap. He urged the turtle to flea before someone noticed them, but he simply started to follow him. From this momment on they became not just friends but partners in life.

A few weeks pasted by and it just became common to see Robert and his turtle, Snap, walking around town or heading off into the ocean swimming side by side. A one faithful afternoon the local stable-master Wesley stopped Robert and told him to come to the stables later that night. Wesley informed Robert that he knew about how Snap came to be with him and that he was impressed by his natural gifts with animals and offered him a job. Robert was unsure of this arrangement because at anytime Wesley could turn Robert and Snap over to the Magistrate. But that fear quickly subsided as he learned more about Wesley and from Wesley.

When he finally turned 15 and became a man, Robert asked Wesley to teach him how make a proper bow and arrows. Stubborn as ever to not accept to much free help Robert declined Wesley's offer to teach him how to shoot and hunt. Roberts first few attempts at hunting failed mirserably and it wasn't until he allowed Snap to come along with him that he got his first kill, a young fawn. But as time wore on Robert honed his skills with his bow and more importantly his teamwork with Snap.

At the age of 17, a particularly famous hunter passed through Southshore on his way to Northrend, Hemet Nesingwary. While Robert didn't know much about this hunter, from the reactions of the towns people he was something impressive. When the dwarf hunter arrived Robert could feel the strenght that eminated from him. While the grand ship he arrived on was stocking for its hard journey up north, Hemet was enjoying some ale in the Inn with his hunting mates. Robert had difficulty bringing himself to ask for tips and tricks from the seasoned hunter but he made up his mind that this was too important an opportunity to pass up. Always the teacher and lover of the hunt and hunter alike Hemet gave him a quick rundown on how to assemblem and use an immolation trap. As he described, always useful for bringing down the bigger game. Soon after that Hemet's ship was ready to launch, as time was of the essence in their treck up north.

One day while relaxing with Snap on a sun baked rock about a league from Southshore on the open sea, as this was the first time in weeks they were able to as the sea had finally calmed, he heard a "BOOM". He had heard simular sounds over the past few days as there were a serious of what Anderson called "earthquakes" but this time something was off about it and Snap felt it too. He rose up from this rock and climed to the higher part of the rock, that usually sheilded him from view of the town and the creatures on the beach alike, and saw light green clouds arising from the towns edges and he instantly knew that this had something to do with those monsters from Tarren Mill.

While he often went toe to claw with bears and the wild cats in the hills, this panic that over took him was something different and he froze. Snap sensing the danger too tried to nudge Robert to move and head for somewhere safer, even farther from the town. A few minutes pasted and Robert finally over came his panic and told Snap that he needed to head to town and make sure that Anderson and Wesley were safe but Snap remained firm in his want to keep his friend safe and blocked Robert from moving. As serveral other explosions went off deeper in the center of the town Robert realized that he was no trained soldier and he gave into Snap's urgings and they swam heading for the shores near Dun Garok.

As they arrived at the shore and procced up the hills that lined it Robert spotted a patrol of undead soldiers and quickly pushed Snap down to ensure they weren't seen. Quickly going over the situation in his mind he decided, as did Snap, that for them to escape this onslaught of enemies they were going to need to seek safety in the Arathi Highlands at a place he remembered called refuge point. Unfortunetly their only safe passage would be the sea and even they weren't sure it was anymore. Most of what happens next Robert barely remembers other than the first few leagues of swimming with Snap. He was told by the doctor there that he was carried into the camp by Snap, both of them barely alive. But now he was bandaged up and feeling worn out but alive. Snap laid by his side sporting a few bandages of his own eating some of the fruit given to them. They looked at each and said a silent thank you and procced to watch and listen to the going-ons of the camp.

The Highlands

A few weeks after his arrival in Refuge Point war came to Arathi. Thorlin Thunderhammer and his Thunderhammer army were able to secure funding to fight to take back Stromgarde and the rest of the Horde controlled portions of Arathi. New weapons soared in the sky and created massive explosions the likes of which Robert had never seen. Throughout the campaign Robert acted mostly as a scout for the League of Arathor and for his actions was made a Corporal within their ranks. Because of his age and youth he did not participate in the two larger battles of the war but did help durring the fight to take back Thoradin's Wall. Once the battle ended he joined Field Marshal Oslight at the newly rebuilt Stromgarde for further training and education of the world.

After several months of hard training Robert had to leave Stromgarde. Too much of the world was passing him by and as much as he wanted to recapture South Shore the war there had been drawn into a stalemate. He learned much about the larger conflict between the Horde and Alliance. He wanted revenge but he decided this wasn't the way to go about it. Being an Arathor soldier wasn't going to get him what he wanted out of life. Robert had come to a conclusion. Soldiers just follow orders. Watching Oslight made him realize that some Forsaken commander had issued the order for the plague to be used on his town. He knew his skills with a bow were something to be proud off but the soldiers told him of the Light. Some people practiced it South Shore but he was more often in the woods than not and holy men didn't really come to the bar to preach the Light. For now Robert is wondering with vengeance on his mind...

Last Name: For a time Robert was known as Robert Anderson as the Innkeeper had essentially raised the boy. While Mr.Anderson was never truely a father to Robert he had always treated him right. But since the shock of knowing, or not as it is, about his true parents he slowly droped the Innkeeper's name. If this hurt Mr.Anderson he never showed it. Perhaps distant to Robert at times but never outright. Unsure of the fate of his sudo-father after the Forsaken attack Robert feared the worst for Mr.Anderson. So he decided, out of respect and appreciation, to carry on the Innkeeper's name.

[Khorianas]

Solid Bio, something that is kind of missing is where Robert was during the Cataclysm, and what happened to him, when it struck. That would have of course been prior to the bombing of Southshore.

I think your meeting with Hemet was brief enough for it not being an issue at all.

[Nonfictionless]

Well considering that the shattering didn't really hit Southshore or Hillsbrad Foothills, but rather the surrounding zones, and since Robert tended not to really listen to the going ons in the outside world, I decided not to include it's significance. Instead I decided to focus on the part of events right after the shattering that directly affected him.

These past events are what I intended to serve as what was the shattering, at least the small part of it that affected Hillsbrad:

One day while relaxing with Snap on a sun baked rock about a league from Southshore on the open sea, as this was the first time in weeks they were able to as the sea had finally calmed, he heard a "BOOM". He had heard simular sounds over the past few days as there were a serious of what Anderson called "earthquakes" but this time something was off about it and Snap felt it too.

But if you think I should extend on it I can.

[Khorianas]

Hmm you're right. Must have missed that. That's basically enough. Then no objections.

[Kuniku]

I've noticed some questions about the light in our RP, and its touched very briefly at the end of your very solid bio, I'm just curious where you were hoping to go with the light aspect of things?

[Nonfictionless]

Well he is going from a simple hunter from south shore to eventually something more dealing with magic but for now, with his hatred of the forsaken, he is turning to the Light but only to try and use it as a weapon. Hence why he doesn't care for the whole "priests/praying/healing" thing.

[Kuniku]

so you're looking for a smite shot? =D