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Born of an Elven maid and and a Human warrior, Gwyn has little recolection of her childhood. Her father died while she was still an infant. Her mother was so distraught by her father's loss, that she left Gwynn in the city of devardec, not being able to have anything that reminded her of her lost husband about her. Gwyn grew up scavenging the city for food and what money she had she gained by begging. And so she lived into her late teens.
Until one day, seated outside the monks guild looking for kind travelers, she noticed a group of the monks walking by, whispering to one another and laughing. They embraced one another and treated each other like family. Gwyn could not quite understand this concept, and watched them in awe. One of the monks finally spotted her and waved her over. Wary, she walked toward this strange group, and waited for the inevitable laughter that usually followed such meetings with strangers.
She was surprised as they asked about her life and the ways of it. In halting sentences, she explained about herself. Waiting for pity, she found none, only an air of acceptance with them. When they offered to take her in and teach her the ways of a monk, she was shocked. Who would wnat one such as her within their ranks? She was in awe of these proud and, as she would later decide, insane people.
In her new guild, Gwyn learned the ways of a martial artist, learned to respect herself and her ability, and most of all learned what it is to belong. As time passed, she made a place for herself in her guild, although to this day her fellow monks tend to be overprotective of her. Over the years, she garnered the nickname of Pooh, and it has stuck. She rarely recognizes the sound of her own name, and has taken the shape of her cuddly namesake.
In all of her travels within the lands, Pooh has developed a great sense of loyaty to her guild, and to her temple. Quick with a smile, she has been known to trick the unwary and be gone before they noticed what hit them. Her cuddly reputation aids her in her search for the greatest Trick to play on the unsuspecting. If in your travels you encounter a Pooh Bear eyeing you thoughtfully, be not fooled, and run.
Time passes and things sometimes change. And so it was with Gwynneth. As the years went by, Gwyn was hit with many life changing events. The first to shake her was the loss of her friend and mentor, Father Deward. Gwyn took the loss badly, and went into hiding for a long period of time. She lived as a recluse in the forests, and tried to heal the scar his leaving had left upon her heart.
Upon returning, many in the guild noted that she was not the same. Where once she had been quick with a smile or a joke, she rarely had a smile for anyone. She went about her business in silence, seldom speaking to her brethren. She took comfort in those she was close to, mainly Monica, Keraptis and Catseyes. Time began to heal her just as she suffered another devastating loss when her adopted sister Monica passed on to other realms. With a heavy heart, Gwyn again went into seclusion, to ponder her future.
She came to the only conclusion she could reach: the Monk's Guild was no longer a home for her, but a haven of the past and memories too painful to bear. And so it was that she left the guild and all she had ever known, and set out in search of her destiny.
Months passed as she wandered the realm, a ghost of what she had been. Her travels took her to the cold city of Frostfall, where she met with a lively bunch of mages. They introduced themselves as Enchanters, and Gwyn was intrigued. She had missed joy and laughter in her life, and these people had it in abundance. She questioned them about their ways, and was informed that they were a mage guild, specializing in Arcana and special enchants. She inquired what it would take to join their ranks, and was met with a fair amount of skepticism. She had been a monk all her life, and what did she know of Sorcery? Everyone knew the only magic practiced by monks were the healing arts.
However, Gwyn showed a deep desire to learn, and they took her to one of their Elders. After a long private interview with her, he informed her he could weave a spell that would erase any monkly skills she had acquired. There was, however, a catch: She would be as weak as she had been at 18, and in fact the years would be peeled from her life, and she would be 18 again. He gave her the night to make her decision. Gwyn spent the night in deep meditation and appeared at the guild door at dawn. She had made her choice, she would take on the life of a mage and leave her past far behind. This however, didn't keep her from keeping tabs on her former guild. She was saddened when Keraptis retired, and rejoiced with the monks when Mitchellx and then Ashryn stepped in to lead the guild. She felt their joy with every marriage, and every birth. She cried with them as news of Tariel's loss reached the lands. Always, she kept an eye on them from her new home. The Monk's guild would always be a part of her, no matter where she resided.
She resides with the Enchanter's to this day, though she is still no stranger to life's cruelties. In her time there, she was reunited with her lost love Liepo and they wed, after a 30-year courtship. The very next day, he was stolen from her, and this time she knew it was for forever. Her son Sycarth has since left the lands, off to gain a name for himself away from the shadows of his parents. Her temple, that of Lord Tazman, closed it's doors forever. Gwyn was left feeling lost again, but refused to let it chase her away from her life. She spent her time wandering from Frostfall to her old hometown of Devardec, visiting with old friends and practicing her new art.
It was there that she became reacquainted with her old friend Evangelion, gone for more years than he was around. He informed her he had returned, only to find himself alone as well. It was a happy reunion for both, and many monks stopped by to visit, including Keraptis, having since ascended to the Heavens. In their visit, someone asked why it was that the two had never married. There, on the spot, Evan proposed, and Gwyn happily accepted. He now brings a light to her life that she had forgotten could exist.
This brings us to Gwyn's life as it is now, and it can easily be said she has seen much in her many years in the lands. It can also be said that her story is far from over….