Ieyoshi Takemitsu

Please keep in mind, some aspects of his backstory are left vague on purpose, such as the identity of his partner and individual events in his life.

General
Name: Ieyoshi Sige Takemitsu
Alias: Ash
Race: Half-elf
Age: 27
Class/Occupation: Ranger (cook, repairman, blacksmith)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Deity: Shaundakul
Origin: Deepingdale

Appearance
Height: 5'7"
Bodytype: Lean, even slender -- but not excessively so due to muscle
Skin: Lightly tanned, rough in texture, with the occasional freckle.
Hair: Upper back length, black, usually tied back into a ponytail -- face clean-shaven whenever possible
Eyes: Grey, with a little bit of green towards the middle
Scars: While not having any major scars, he has many smaller marks on his hands and lower arms from his work -- and a few other faint scars from unwise decisions and general clumsiness
Tattoos: On his lower right arm, a somewhat misted form of the upper body of a raven and the upper half of its wings, all in black ink -- at the bottom, by his wrist, it swirls down to a solid design, and the rest sweeps upwards to his elbow to resemble smoke.
Piercings: Normal earring piercings w/ silver studs
Items of Note: On his left hand he appears to wear some sort of wedding ring, but it isn't made of gold, instead, it is made out of steel -- it is otherwise unadorned. He also wears a necklace on a plain black cord bearing a small rectangle made of silver, with a symbol cut out of it -- the symbol appears to be an old Dales-druidic rune embodying protection.

Personality
While often keeping to himself, Ieyoshi is friendly when approached, and goes out of his way to help others. He will often try to ignore discomfort or pain to himself in order to give others even a bit of comfort in this dark place, and it is very difficult to truly raise his ire -- even if he's angry, he doesn't typically raise his voice. However, those good at reading people can see the subtle signs of forced endurance, putting on a brave face as he deals with an inner turmoil that he refuses to talk about. In any case, he seems to be a gentle, very kind soul -- though with a quiet strength that speaks of the heart of a warrior.

Quirks
- Deathly afraid of deep water and being completely submerged -- also can't swim
- Occasionally walks with a limp, favoring his left leg, particularly when it's cold
- Hardly sits still without being hard at work on something -- even if it's just a bracelet made from braided leather or cloth cords
- Tends to meticulously care for plants anywhere he calls home
- Centipedes and large spiders incite comical reactions
- Usually chooses work over sleep -- the space under his eyes is often somewhat baggy and dark as a result

History
Born to a simple family, Ieyoshi has lived in Deepingdale for most of his life, and rarely ventured beyond -- if he did, it was only to neighboring dales. While he would not remember much of his human father -- due to him leaving when Ieyoshi was small -- he could speak for hours of his elven mother for her perseverance and many skills. While not always having the funds for any form of luxury, Ieyoshi's childhood was a very happy one filled with running about in the woods, with an inquisitive mind that wished to learn about everything, always asking the what's, why's, and how's. Having no siblings, he also frequently made friends out of animals, even beyond the household dogs and cats.
But, about the time he hit puberty, Ieyoshi began to develop strange problems. Even though his life was mostly unfettered by traumatic events, he began to act out in anger over small things, and became very prone to gloomy periods, especially during the winter. While he tried his best to hide it from his dear mother, outbursts still occurred, and as time passed, he had to fight harder to keep his anger under control. This continued for several long, painful years, and was exacerbated by feeling somewhat isolated as it was difficult for the shy young man to make friends -- it even came to a point that he would have thoughts of harming others over small, easily ignored slights. His confusion became torment when those thoughts came, as the rest of the time, he was horrified of the idea of harming anyone without a damned good reason.
As a teenager, however, he was approached by another person with whom he made quick friends. The two grew closer quite quickly, and it was hardly long before they were romantically involved partners. Throughout this time, Ieyoshi's partner helped him to unravel the web of his anger, allowing him to learn how to set it aside once more -- it never really went away, but Ieyoshi no longer felt lost in the darkness. It was at this time he also regained a passion for life that had faded for several years beforehand, and he forged ahead with a new courage for facing future challenges.
At the same time that this transformation was in process, he had met an old, wandering swordswoman by the name of Selior who had learned from the lineages of many master swordsmen of the past. She taught small clusters of folk at a time, and Ieyoshi -- having been fascinated with the way of blades anyhow -- followed her way, as she had now settled permanently in Deepingdale. Her philosophy resonated strongly with him -- to reserve doing harm to others, to always attempt to solve problems from a peaceable route first. As his head cleared, Ieyoshi took these lessons to heart, and as a young adult, made a vow to himself never to draw a blade or raise a hand in wrath or anger, only in defense of himself or another.
Life continued in Deepingdale for several more years, but the time finally came that Ieyoshi's partner wished for both of them to depart to another place to begin their own life together. While Ieyoshi was hesitant to leave his mother and the household's wreath of comfort and traditions, at the same time he looked forward to a new adventure. He agreed, and the two traveled westward to the Sword Coast both by caravan and on foot until finally reaching Waterdeep, from which they set sail to an island they had heard of -- Siranda.
Unaware of the calamity that was upon the place, they made their route there, but the ship transporting them ended up being destroyed, crashing against a dangerous reef while caught in a storm. Ieyoshi had managed to cling to a large piece of broken lumber and make his way to the shore that he saw on the horizon, and collapsed onto the beach. Even though he was exhausted, however, he searched frantically, becoming more panicked as he realized that nobody else had made it -- including his partner. He searched up and down the coast for hours, but no other bodies ever made it, and the ship sank into the ocean beyond. He collapsed once more, in despair.
After finding out -- with much shock -- the plight that afflicted the island, he put his lifetime's worth of skills from the woods to use to live off the land for several months, scraping out a living in the wildest parts as far from former society as he could find. However, as his resources dwindle and his sense of isolation grows, he has decided to seek out other survivors -- having seen the occasional smoke of a fire in the distance...