Skyrim backstory help

[dragsaw]

So im trying to make a backstory for a Nord warrior but im having a lot of trouble, i want his story to be a redemption or something like that the thing is i don't know why he lost his honor or decided to go adventuring in the first place,was his village destroyed (im trying to make it lore friendlily), a knight or solider but ended up "quitting" (problem here is that he would of had to swear an oath so leaving it is bad) and a another problem is where did he live if he was born in skyrim why does no one know him? so far i have

"In his youth Joldar was a skilled warrior and spent much of this time training and hearing his father's stories about long dead heroes as well and teaching him about honor when he came of age he became a guard and one of the finest swordsmen in the surrounding area. His skill made him cocky and he would often go in to the surrounding wood land to try to root out evil (wolves and spiders)"

 

[Muspelheim]

Hmm, how old is he? Perhaps all of his relations are simply dead or scattered?

Honour is very important in Nord society. Perhaps he has disgraced himself in the past, to the point that everyone that he knew decided that he was unworthy of their acknowledgement, that he was not only banished but ceased to exist? Perhaps he fled from a battle, or killed someone weak who couldn't put up a fight while drunk in a tavern?

He could have come back to Skyrim in her time of need under a false name, with the intention to regain his honour and place amongst his people.

Another idea is that he could've been involved in the campaign against the Foresworn (where the Nords seized Markarth from the native Bretons in the area), and did some pretty horrible things during the war. Things he felt disgraced him, to the point that he broke his oath to Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak and left Skyrim, unable to quite cope with what he had done.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I'll give you a few of my backstories for inspiration (although they are mainly for races other than Nord)

A rich Breton from a wealthy background. Secretly a safecracker and master thief who used stealth and illusion to get in and out of places, and summoned weapons/tools to use, got chased out of Cyrodiil when his secret treasure trove was uncovered.

A Woodelf from a wealthy merchant family on the run from the Thalmor after insulting and striking a Thalmor diplomat in Valenwood. Moving across Tamriel as a vagrant lost with no purpose.

An orphan who had been adopted in Cyrodiil by Nord diplomats and raised as a playmate companion for their son. Got trained and educated alongside him, although always strictly maintained the status of a servant. Now in his 20-somethings he travelled with the Diplomat and family were returning to Skyrim to help negotiations over the war when the caravan was attacked by Bandits. The orphan was the only survivor and fled into the mountains with no connections, home or family left in the world.

A Dark Elf soldier who was fighting for the Empire as a scout in the Imperial city at the end of the Thalmor war, his squad was sent to chase after Thalmor mages who had stolen an Elder Scroll from the Imperial library. They caught them in the Skyrim border mountains and massacred them, the last mage casting a huge area blast fire spell just before he died that hit the elder scroll, sending the squad forward in time by about 40 years, the Dark Elf was the only survivor of the blast (natural fire resistance) and dazed and confused lands upon the Imperial ambush and gets mistaken for a uniformed spy due to old uniform.

Hope that gives you some inspiration, usually I also give them a few main points (pro/anti Empire? Main aims/desires, a weakness or personal flaw etc.) and most importantly a Dungeons and Dragons alignment which all the choices I make resolve around: This should help you roleplay as the character, and not just do the best thing for the metagame.

 

[oversoon]

So you just need 3 things: A strong enough reason to justify something like breaking an Oath,an explanation for why you are a stranger in Skyrim, and the element of redemption.

I say drop the detail that Joldar was KNOWN as skilled warrior in his youth, and just have him BE one. Have his father be exceptionally impressed at the boy's skill.


Your father was fiercely independent, and you lived on a farm a long ride from the nearest town, and only rarely rode in for supplies. It's a large land traveled by horse at the fastest, so most people shouldn't know you anyway. You were a young man ready to set out on his own, right around the time of the Stormcloak uprising, So when you first left home it didn't take long for you hear of the cause and join up. Sometime during your military exploits you are ordered by your superior to take part in some kind of unsavory deed (burning a village, kill women and children, etc) and the actions you either witness or take part in haunt you in such a way that you decide to desert and make your future deeds in life somehow make up for what happened that horrible day... You leave your unit during the night and are found the next morning by Imperials alone in a Stormcloak uniform.
The game begins.

You could also do it serving in the Imperial army and just have the desertion be the reason you are captured.

 

[Stu35]

Could he not be FROM Skyrim?

Perhaps something along the lines of a young lad from Bruma, maybe he was in the Imperial Legion (or if you want a Knight - A Knight of the White Stallion or Thorn), somehow dishonoured himself, decided to return to the land of his ancestors to atone?


That'd explain why nobody in Skyrim knows him, and could tie in quite nicely with the ongoing Imperial/Stormcloak thing - If he was in the Legion, he might have been ordered North to fight, upon which he turned on his oaths to the Emperor, appreciating that this has stained his honour he takes up a life of virtue and valour, until such time as he feels okay with what he's done.


*shrugs* Just some thoughts, and not very clear ones either.

 

[Asita]

For a Nord? Which way do you want him to go with the civil war? Because that gives you the easiest 'redemption backstory' right there.

He was a captain in the Imperial Legion in Cyrodil. While he distinguished himself admirably, he never saw much action (You are Level 1, after all). When he got his orders to ship to Skyrim and quell the Stormcloak Rebellion, he finally had his opportunity for glory...in a cause he could not support. Refusing to fight against his people's traditions and way of life, he abandoned his post and headed north, eventually getting caught crossing one of the borders to the land of his ancestors. (Workable for a Stormcloak supporter or someone eschewing the Civil War entirely)

He had been convinced of Ulfric Stormcloak's just cause when he joined the Stormcloak Rebellion, and as a 'true son of Skyrim' he believed that in following the Jarl of Windhelm he was securing a future for both Skyrim and its people. As time went on, however, he became disillusioned with the man who killed the High King and realized that he could not accept the way that the Stormcloaks ostracized races like the Dunmer and the Argonians. Ulfric may have had a claim upon the throne, but this Nord could not support him for his policies and in the dark of the night he slipped away from camp and headed towards Cyrodil where he hoped for a fresh start. (Workable for an Imperial supporter or someone eschewing the Civil War entirely)


(Cyrodil is a constant here because you're picked up very near the border between Cyrodil and Skyrim)

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Joldar's skill with a blade was ever-improving, and when he joined (whatever military, I'm going with the Legion), his skills only improved. He rose through the ranks quickly, with soldiers all around him praising him for his deeds. Bandit raids were nearly unheard of on his watch, and the wolves and spiders were pushed back into the deepest parts of their forests, away from the settlements.

Alas, Joldar's fame and glory were not meant to last. Reports began to come in of strange creatures roaming the ancient crypts of the Nords. Powerful foes, who walked like humans but fought like monsters. Their very words were said to split the air with enough force to crack a man's skull, and they showed no fear or care of their lives when in battle. Joldar and his men were dispatched to one of the crypts, thinking that some bandits had managed to recruit a mage or learn a few spells. Nothing to worry about.

Deep inside the crypt, the ancient dead began to rise. Joldar's men were cut down in droves, but they rallied and the survivors managed to drive the undead back. But then the Death Lords came--powerful Draugr with blade that cut through the thickest armor and voices that rend the very flesh. As more of Joldar's men fell around him and the legions of undead closed upon the last few warriors, Joldar felt something grip his heart that he had never felt before: Fear.

Fear won out that day, and Joldar abandoned his few remaining men to their deaths and ran for his life. But his dishonor would not end there. When he reached the entrance, he turned to see two of his men following behind him, along with countless Draugr. While they pleaded for his help, he sealed the crypt, locking them inside with the creatures, and continued to run.

On his way back to town, he began to form a story, something that would explain how he was still alive. But the story would not matter, for when he returned home he found that the two men he had sealed in the crypt had arrived first. They had found a secret passage, and while one of them had been mortally wounded, he had been able to tell the tale of Joldar's cowardly actions and confirm what the other survivor said before he passed. Joldar was branded a traitor and a coward, arrested and sent off to be executed.


There's my origin story for you if you would like to use it. I think it also fits a little well because, if I understand correctly, the Draugr weren't really known in the Elder Scrolls world until after the Dragons came back (yes, I'm aware they're in an expansion pack in III, but just role with it), so it would make sense that the first soldiers to fight them would have no idea what they were, and the shouts were unheard of, something only the Grey Beards knew how to do.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I think you're over thinking this. You can't actually input this backstory into the game so it only matters to you and how you intend to play this character. For me and my female Nord, I made up her backstory to say that she's a widow who left Skyrim with her husband to fight in a war in some other land, but her husband was killed in that conflict so she returned to Skyrim to deal with her grief only to be caught up in all that Stormcloak/Empire nonsense that kicks off the game.

 

[dwharmon]

As a child, Joldar lived with his parents and older brother on a farm outside Markarth, where he learned how to hunt and fight with a sword. One day, the Forsworn raided their home and took his whole family captive. As Nords, the Forsworn gave them the chance to join their cause and live, or refuse and die. The other family members bravely chose death over forced enlistment, but Joldar, still being young, lacked the courage to go through with it and reluctantly joined the Forsworn. While there, he furthered his weapons training and developed some skill at dark arts, but never gave his heart to the cause. Fortunately, when he came of age, a merchant caravan passed through. He offered to attack it for his Forsworn brethren and took two men with him to help. Instead, he killed the other two and asked the merchants to give him passage to the east, where he bided his time waiting for the opportunity to avenge the death of his family and make up for his earlier cowardice. With the Stormcloak rebellion, he saw an opportunity. Since both groups were comprised of Nords seeking to take over Skyrim, he figured that getting close to the Stormcloaks would give him a chance to eventually get back in contact with the Forsworn, so he began some freelance work with them, and then the game starts.

 

[magicspacechicken]

So im trying to make a backstory for a skyrim character. im thinking is going to be a nord warrior and around 25-27, part is thinking of being a ex-stormcloak but thats a bit of a mess due to oaths (why he quit why isn't he branded a traitor etc)and i kinda want him to have seen a lot of the world he will also be lawful good (or quite close)i do want him to leave Helgen with Hadvar (i have never followed him) and the civil war will be done after the main quest.