Roleplaying What Is Your Character's Background?

[Relinquish3d]

Alice, or so everyone called her, because of her stunningly beautiful looks, she looked like the daughter of a Jarl, but she was an orphan barely making her living helping at the farms of Rorikstead, making just enough coin to stay the night at the Frostfruit Inn. Some nights she couldn’t even afford a meal and went to bed hungry.

 

Mralki, the owner of the Inn, found her one night outside when she was just a baby. Someone left her there, with no note. For weeks after that, he asked around everyone in the village, traveling adventurers, khajit caravans passing by, but no one knew where she is from or who might have left her on his doorstep and why. He never took proper care of her, like a mother would, but at least he kept her warm and fed until she could make a living for herself.

 

She started helping the farmers when she was just six years old. When she was fourteen she was so bored with the farm work she just wanted to get away from the village, but the thought of not having a place over her head and a meal she could enjoy before bed was terrifying.

 

A few days after Alice had turned fifteen a couple of hunters stopped by the Inn to have a drink and some rest before heading to Markarth to sell what they’ve managed to hunt last week. She tried to start a conversation with them, asking questions about hunting. It’s something she could do for a living, if they’re willing to teach her a bit about it. With their bellies full and thinking dazed by the mead they told her where their camp was and that she could visit every so often for archery lessons and how to sneak in order to be able to hunt. Since this day every time there she was free she visited their camp for lessons. Soon enough she could kill goats and elks easily. Even small nimble animals like foxes and rabbits could rarely get away.

 

Alice had made up her mind that when she turns seventeen she will leave Rorikstead and start hunting for a living. The hunters she had been hanging out with seemed to make a decent amount of coin.

 

A few days before her birthday, immediately after which she had planned to leave, there was a bandit attack in the village. It was a dark night, but she wasn’t scared, took her sloppy bow she made herself, some stone arrows, jumped out of the window of the Inn and hid in the bushes. The guards seemed to have it all under control until a dozen more bandits showed out of nowhere, it was a full blown raid. It was not often so many bandits worked together and raided big villages since the war had begun. They were scared of the increased number of patrols. She waited patiently for an opening, the way the hunters taught her and she saw one. Two bandits were swarming a single guard who could barely dodge and block all of their swings. She pulled the string as far as her strength allowed, aimed very carefully and released it just as the guard had fallen to his knees and one of the bandits had raised his axe to kill him. The arrow pierced right through his ragged leather armor and he fell bleeding. Until the other bandit realized what happened the guard pulled of a dagger out of his boot, grabbed him by the hand and slit his throat.

 

After everything was over she was laying in her bed thinking about the bandit she killed. Not what would have happened if she didn’t, not what would have happened if they saw her, but how much she liked watching him die. She was still excited and rushed with adrenaline but those thoughts continued through the next week. All she could think about was murder…

*a bit of copy paste to complete the story*

 

Little did she know that she was a ningheim, a rare race of Nord who have been gifted by The Nine with otherworldly vision to serve as a physical connection between the realm of the spirits and that of the living…

 

Edited January 22, 2015 by Relinquish3d

[CapitalisticPig]

Taron is an old, gray haired Imperial with a lot of confidence, but a lot of wisdom. Realizing, even in his old age, he still has a lot to learn. Being an outlaw in his earlier years led to an unfortunate event where his arm was rendered practically useless. Many would see this as good for society, but bad for him, but this wasn't the case. Taron got into the wrong things when he was younger, so his word was disregarded before it had a chance. Before he had a chance. Fighting was his only passion and was actually freedom to him, but that was taken from him. However, his arm wasn't useless! He started lifting the heaviest tankards in memory of his old ways and the bad days to come. Completely wasted and useless, Taron stumbles out of Whiterun and is ambushed before he sees the bandits, he envied of late... but they see something in him. Something special. Potential and experience... at least that was all that was special to bandits. Someone to make money.

 

(This is where my game actually began. By the way, get "Take Notes! Journal of the Dragonborn". This is how I make my backstories alongside Skyrim Unbound)

 

So, they took him to their base at Valtheim Towers. It was simple and there were many of them. Maybe 10+. Taron wondered how they split loot and how to begin, but the bandit chief explained everything. There was an order to the system. A hierarchy of bandits. Unprovens, Young Bloods, Keepers, Bridge Junkies, Premiums and then the Chief himself. Starting at 0% for Unprovens you get 5% cut increase for every position increase. From each job you do you get that cut, but the rest goes into a designated location for safe-keeping. To gain a rank, you made so much money for the group. For the community. Taron didn't care. He wanted to kill again. To fight. He wanted the adrenaline. His first job was simple. Bring back an animal hide. Not realizing how bad a condition he actually was in, he ran headfirst in the fight and barely walked away with his life. (I have Requiem and die from a single wolf sometimes.)

 

But after dedication and re-learning skills, he made serious gold for the bandits. It wasn't where he imagined himself as a boy, but it was home. Then he met Uthgerd. A big, Nord woman at the Whiterun tavern. He must have been too drunk to see her before. She spouted off to him, some threat, but Taron didn't flinch. He made her a bet and won... They became great friends after she was knocked to the ground. In fact, under the guise of being a bounty hunter Taron slaughtered whole bandit camps with just her fighting by his side. This went on for several days until they saved up 10,000 gold for the bandits...

 

However, Uthgerd found out about the bandits and was disappointed. She was strong and did not give up on Taron, though. She marched in the bandit camp, no one stopping her. Only Taron leading the way so she could "speak" with the Chief. Taron knew how this would end, though. So he drew his sword only split seconds before everyone else and Uthgerd brought the Chief to his knees. In the end, it wasn't Uthgerd who threw the final blow. It was Taron.

 

After that, the rest of the bandits watched as Taron walked out with 10,000 gold and some supplies. Uthgerd insisted he move in with her and so they shared the same home... this wouldn't last long as Taron made a new connection with the Jarl of Falkreath and The Companions. Most of his time was spent running around, with Uthgerd of course. But eventually, he became Thane of Falkreath and bought a plot of land. He wanted Uthgerd to move in. She had saved him, in all honesty, but the house wasn't completely built yet, so there was no point in mentioning it yet... but that motive and desire was lost once he found the call. Once the talk of Dragons became something real. Something he could control. He realized he was no bandit. He realized... he was...

 

DRAGONBORN!!!

 

(Actually didn't even beat Bleak Falls Barrow. I was afraid to fight the dragon after turning in the quest to the Jarl, but that was the course the game was taking. I guess I'll never know what truly happened to Taron. I started a new game. I need to stop and actually beat one before starting over, but it's so fun and addicting to make a new character)

 

Also, loved everyone else's character. It's cool to see that I'm not the only one who makes up odd backstories and incorporates them.