Stoen

Name:
Stoen Pongram (Birthname unknown)

Physical Traits:
A young gnome. Forty-three years old (roughly 14-15 human years), but otherwise, he doesn't look special. He usually carries his brown twill clothes and a hood to hide his white hair. Despite several attempts, he is unable to grow a full beard, and has settled for a small mustache.

Race and Class:
Gnome mage, although currently attempting to become a paladin.

Guild:
The Order. Previously House Shrawardine.

Occupation:
Stoen considers himself a chef and has mastered the art of cooking. He is skilled in the ways of alchemy, but usually refuses to refer to it as such, instead insisting that he is “cooking potions.” He knows how to transmute, but considers it a shame to ruin the “pretty crystals.” Other than that, Stoen is a reporter at the Azeroth Journal, and usually considers Maud his boss.

Family:
Status unknow, presumed dead.

Background
Pongram Spoongear was raised in Gnomeregan, but due to his love for cooking, he never quite managed to fit in. Gnomes usually didn't care for his dishes, and were too caught up in their projects. Despite this, Pongram managed to lead a happy life and eventually married. Realizing that the gnomes would never appreciate his cooking, he finally moved the family to Goldshire to start an inn. Here, the Spoongear family grew and it wasn't long before Pongram was teaching his first born son how to cook and bake. Unfortunately, the Orcs soon entered Azeroth, and the small town was laid waste by the horde. Although Pongram's family survived, he was eventually drafted to join the humans in the first war.

It was here that he met and befriended Stoen Shadowbane, a human cleric. Pongram never gained quite the strength of the human warriors, yet his small size made him an excellent fighter, since the Orcs weren't used to fighting somebody so small. Although he got a few minor bruises, Pongram survived the war, but Stoen Shadowbane was eventually killed. When Pongram returned from the war, he renamed his then youngest son after his old friend.

The next six years remained peaceful, and the Spoongear family seemed blessed. Their small inn was getting a good profit, and the only problem seemed to be that the human children refused to play with gnomes. Pongram knew that they were the only gnomes in the area, but since their children seemed happy to play with their brothers and sisters, he didn't consider it a problem. Soon, however, the second war broke out and Pongram was once again drafted. This time, however, many gnomes had entered the alliance. This caused the humans to place Pongram in a gyrocopter rather than letting him fight as he had durring the first war. Pongram was unable to control the machine and was eventually dishonourably discharged from duty. As the rumor spread, he soon became the laughing stock of Goldshire.

For a long time, the inn didn't get any visitors. The situation grew worse, with the war veterans harrasing the family until, finalle, Pongram's oldest son ran out on the street screaming at them. Although the details about what happened never got clear, his son died that day by several strokes to the head. Pongram never quite recovered from this, and eventually lost his passion for cooking. His inn degenerated into a smelly tavern, only occupied by lowlife and drunkards.

One day, a mage from Dalaran entered the tavern for a quick meal. Disgusted at the food they served, he conjured some of his own. It was then that one of Pongram's eight remaining children, Stoen, got fascinated by the mage's skills. From that day on, Stoen spend most of his time imagining that one day, he would conjure food like that mage. Food good enough to make his father happy again. Although Stoen was very young, he still had vague memories of what the inn had been like in the old days, and he dreamed of restoring it.

The third war caused a great depression throughout the land, and many people turned to the bottle. Due to the many people who turned to the bottle, the tavern began making money, and Stoen's father, Pongram, slowly became happier. He slowly started to food again. Small dishes at first, nothing too fancy. Although the inn was starting to slowly restore itself, Stoen still hadn't given up on his dream to become a mage, and once he turned forty, he began getting training in Stormwind.

What happened afterwards is unknown. The inn seems to have vanished into thin air, and Stoen still refuses to talk it. Despite not having finished his mage training, the young Stoen, now terrified of fire, began searching Azeroth for what he refered to as “the recipe.” It was then that he met Bronwynne Shrawardine, a young noble attempting to restore her house. Stoen, having taking his father's first name as his last, joined her for a while. Eventually, however, Bronwynne's sister died of unexplained causes, and Bronwynne soon followed. This caused Stoen to slip into a depression, and, for yet unexplained reasons, made him decide to change his life and become a paladin.

The death of Bronwynne seems to have been the last straw needed for Stoen's tragic life to manifest itself into a depression, and he's now slowly convincing himself that everybody hates him. Even worse, he's starting to ponder whether or not his own existence is justified.

Criminal Record:
Clean.

Personal Notes:
Stoen seems convinced that humans hate gnomes. He has been considered stupid at times, but this is usually because he sometimes has trouble thinking 'inside the box.' He can be quite cheerful around people he knows, but turns equally terrified once they're in danger. He used to be terried of fire, but this has, over time, turned into a slight discomfort.

Interesting Facts:
-

Current Status:
Recently joined The Order, but is quite uncomfortable around the large amount of 'taller races.'