I'd say a bunch of people influenced me as a newbie:

Veonira - Veonira was essentially my idol when I was new. She answered endless questions, pretended to laugh at my inane jokes, and made me feel involved in the guild and like I could actually be capable of doing work. Hmm, now that I think about it, she kept doing that even after I was a n00b.
Daevos - Similar to Veonira, Daevos made me feel involved in early combat-ish situations. He chaperoned me on a few revolts when there weren't any other Geomancers around to break melds (back in the days of 200 room demesnes, demesne summon and willowisp) and basically made me feel like he actually cared about the little people in Mag if they were willing to pull their weight.
Arilyon - Similar to Veonira she was a big help for making me feel like my newbie character could go somewhere.
Nali - My mentor and eventual adoptive mother, she was essentially my stress relief. Whenever I felt like I had done something immensely stupid she made me feel better and told me how to fix things up.

Mystagogue Vauraugli first took notice of a clueless mouthy Nihilist. Helped me out a lot

Neerth for those hours long tests about the Supernals and Celest Law when I became a Celestine.

Riesa... For all the games he has got me to try, and always being there to help me out. Miss him.

Amazingly, Kharaen wasn't influenced by anyone, she was pretty much left alone in her newbiehood. She's been left alone her whole life pretty much, and still is, and she's happy with that.

Othero was fairly uninfluenced. I guess Vauraugli had some influence though

It was all about Aiakon for me when I started out, and obviously for Lin IC because he's her father.

Lakshmana and Mire had a big impact on my beginning RP and fleshing out who Lin is, getting acquainted to the game, etc.

Rhysus. That was way back when... He was my mentor, and I basically saw him and Kaervas as equivalents, Rhysus in Celest and Kaervas in Mag (and I hated Kaervas at the time, I think it was because he jumped me for no reason while I was a noobie). So I basically idolized him. And he really was a great mentor, he taught me lots about the world and combat, and used to take me on hunting trips in the Inner Sea.

And Myna. Myna. She's what influenced me in my scholarly ways most, always cheerful and ready to hand out help to anyone that required it. I would so not be where I am if it weren't for her.

And lol, to think I betrayed Celest. Tsk @ me. But meh... Mags rule.

Murphy (yes, I do like Murphy) Ixion Athana Gabranth Flarya a whole bunch of other cool people. You know who you are.

EDIT: I just realized this is the gayest post I ever made. But I'm so happy (for some reason) now, -smileys are the best!

Alyssandra and Lisaera. (Also Charis, for how not to be.)

Ironically, the person who was the nicest to me and the person who I admired the most as a newblet was Visaeris.

Am I the only person to ever say that?

99% sure.

Nobody.

Considering I joined the first day and never had a mentor I don't really have one person who sticks out as the person who really made me, as a newbie, feel included and what not, but Arilyon was one of my best and only friends for a bit of time and really helped me out in the beginning.

I had a very puzzled expression on my face, before I read the last five words.

They're all short-- they can't matter much, right?

Definitely Aiakon. Sthai stumbled right out of the portals as an ickle merian in Magnagora, and he recommended that she be strangled for her own good... awesome RP. His praise for my first book made me all kinds of gleeful, and helped me kick off the next thirteen or so. Kind of ironic now that Sthai is a d'Murani in all but name after that kind of beginning.

Vesar.

Saaga for mentoring me around as a little clueless newblet and generally being nice.

Nejii for prodding me to not be shy, and generally tracking me down and making me actually talk to people over the first 10 IG years or so.

On Dylara, Shorlen and Charune especially.

I see how it is!

Oh, and I wasn't influenced by anyone for a while, and after that while, I guess it was Roark. Comes from being a closed beta player, having no predecessors.

I guess I thought Gwardinen and Calesco were awesome, though I didn't like their characters as much when they both became full-time gods. Chade was cool too, probably because I knew he'd done some work on Lusternia in alpha, building or something. And anyone remember Alistair? I think he became... someone else. Who I don't know.

Wuylinfe and Vesar.

Lenalith pretty much idolises Aiakon, for his books. Gabranth has had a big impact on her motivations so far, too.