Background:
Alan was born into the somewhat wealthy Taselson family in the Dockway of Magnimar. After it was discovered that he was incredibly gifted in mathematics, he became a bit spoiled, and drew the ire of his physically strong, but less talented brother, named Josh. On several occasions, his brother actually threatened his life, and it was later discovered that Josh was mentally unstable, and had developed elaborate and entirely untrue realities in which Alan lorded his greater intellect over Josh and scorned him with it.
When the boys came of age, Josh left to fend for himself in the wilderness, as he was tired of "civilized" life, and Alan was sent off to university to be classically schooled in engineering. After becoming proficient in several fields, including mechanical, siege, architectural, and civil engineering, in addition to tactics and strategy, Alan turned his eye towards the magical arts. Unfortunately, his parent were less interested in future schooling, since they desired for Alan to become a siege engineer like his grandfather, so Alan was forced to take out a hefty loan to pay for his continuing education. After a few years of magical training, he grew out of the simple classes offered at the university and set off to find better schooling.
Straight out of school, Alan found a good job working for a builder named Kern in New Stetven. He made good money, and was able to begin paying off his debts. However, Alan was not content to coast along in his career, being so achievement oriented, and quickly developed an acute case of "the itch." He needed to move on and continue his achievement. Despite this, and because of it, Alan soon made a name for himself among the various construction firms as a capable architect. Just in the nick of time, he received a very lucrative promotion offer from a rival business. He quit his current job to take the offer, but Kern pointed out that he had signed a contract that included a non-compete clause. Furious, Alan began to argue heatedly with Kern, right out in the middle of the builder's guild. After his poor display, he was unofficially ostracized from the community. Now unemployed, Alan seeks to satisfy his itch by adventuring, cultivating, and conquering. At this point in his life, Alan is a talented engineer, but a novice magician. He would rather focus on building up his weakness, rather than relying on his strengths.
Rights, wrongs, motivations, and personality:
Alan is task focused, and prefers whatever accomplishes a task most efficiently. The most heinous act in Alan's eyes is foolish error. He has no patience for repeated mistakes, and will not hesitate to express such displeasure. Alan is forceful and has a strong personality, but has little regard for emotions or feelings. He is interested in facts and evidence, not opinion or hearsay. Alan's desire is to see order brought to chaos; to see the wilderness - natural, political, or otherwise - cultivated and brought to a useful, efficient state. He is not predisposed to good or evil, but prefers good when the opportunity presents itself. He would never kill an innocent person, but has little qualms defending himself, stealing, lying, cheating, or any other manner of lesser transgressions.
Relations:
Good friend: Annalise Schuler - Anna was a fellow employee of Kern's when Alan worked for him. She and Alan quickly became close friends, as they both shared a desire to build and understand how thing work. Anna is highly independent, but she carries a special fondness for Alan, possibly love, although he has never reciprocated her feelings, as he is so busy with his material pursuits. She stayed in close contact with Alan even after he lost his job, and is excited to see him pursue his dreams, but sad to see him leave. She would very much like to journey to the stolen lands to be with Alan eventually.
Friend: Grandpa Alan Taselson, Sr. - Despite Alan's divergence from his path, Grandpa Alan is still very proud of Alan, Jr., and would like to see him succeed at whatever he does. Grandpa is concerned for Alan's safety in adventures, and would like to keep written correspondence with Alan during the adventure.
Acquaintance: Alan made several friends during his school years, not the least of which was Professor Childress. Professor Childress taught general mathematics, and Alan later discovered that he was never once paid for his work. He simply worked out of love of knowledge and teaching. In retrospect, Alan realizes that, despite his close relationship with the professor, he has never been made privy to the man's first name.
Rival: Kern Locken - Kern is respected and successful businessman in the trade of building and construction. He is bitter towards Alan, as Alan was a large part of his success in recent years. He does not wish Alan any harm other than a powerful serving of humble pie.
Enemy: Josh Taselson - Josh is Alan's older brother. As very young boys, the brothers got along spectacularly, but as Alan began to pull away from Josh academically and drew the favor of their parents, Josh grew bitter. Josh is stricken with acute paranoia, and that mental illness caused him to create irrational fantasies to justify his hatred of Alan. In Josh's mind, Alan is a cruel and mocking overlord, who demeans Josh at every opportunity, and is dead set on making him as miserable and inferior as possible. Josh ran away from home to live in the wilderness, intent on proving his own worth to Alan and his parents.
