Personality
Gabe tends to act like he's quite sure of himself, even cocky, while secretly he's constantly trying to prove himself. This can lead to him biting off more than he can chew. True, it can make him seem confident and decisive, but he can be quite impulsive and seems to have the urge to take on the world, not always fully considering the consequences. He's very curious about anything that strikes his fancy, but he can also be a carefree spirit and may be inclined to be playful when he should be more focused on serious pursuits, such as work or study. His need to prove himself can sometimes make him seem selfish and unreasonably overconfident, he has a strong compassionate side. He hates to see others genuinely suffering, and while he might tease others for a bit of fun, he will stand up against true bullying or mistreatment. Despite appearances, he's internalized something of a sense of duty. His family wields their power responsibly, and while Gabe isn't always responsible, he does aspire to be... and he's at least protective of those weaker than himself.
Background
The Greythorne family can trace its roots back for centuries, to the dark ages of Britain's past and beyond. The sire of their line was Draconar Greythorne, a sorcerer who was famed for being able to change into a dragon--though, in reality, it was the other way around. Draconar was a warlord, controlling a large span of lands in Brittany before it became a province of France. He vanished from the world, never to be seen again, when he became enamored of a lady known among mortals as Ceinwen, though she was in reality a daughter of a fairy king. Over many generations, the Greythorne line often interbred with the Fae, keeping close family ties, and so the family line continued. Many of them never died, simply crossing over into the fairy realm of and vanishing amongst their immortal relatives when they grew too old to remain in the human world.
Eventually, some two hundred years ago, Alastor Greythorne inherited the family's wealth. He built the family's current home and founded Greythorne's Mystic Emporium. The manor house and shop have been passed down from father to son from generation to generation, and the last to receive it was Mal Greythorne. Mal had a younger brother, Adalric, who had married a fully human woman, Raquel Derring, and had children. Adalric and Raquel raised their sons until the youngest was five, but then they were killed in an accident when trying to lift a very dangerous curse without a full circle of sorcerers. They were powerful, but one mistake was all it took, and they were gone forever, leaving their sons orphaned. Mal was kind enough to take the boys in, and while he proved limited as a parent, he treated them well.
As the boys grew up, Mal realized that they would need a proper education. He also realized that Gabriel, in particular, had become quite unruly and wild. True, young Gabe had great promise as a sorcerer -- despite the embarrassing but admittedly magically potent result of his First Spell -- but he lacked discipline and showed far more ambition than common sense, to say nothing of enthusiasm over focus. So, Mal decided to enroll his nephew in the venerable Queensmouth Academy, where the boy would receive a first-rate magical and classical education.
