Shawn stumbled upon the Phoenix House as he was making a grand escape from the Ebene.  When they attacked his village, he escaped by fleeing into the woods.  When they found out that there was a survivor, however, they took him captive, forcing him to be a slave to them.  He was at their mercy for several months, finally finding a way to escape from their horrible clutches.  Shawn has never been exposed to any links of time travel, so its obvious that if he does get near a portal, he's not immune to it.  When his village was standing, Shawn was a Potions Shop Keeper.  He's a quiet, secretive, yet kind-hearted person, and tries to help any way he can with the knowledge that he does know of potions and spells.