The Academy of Higher Learning

Character History

As the first part of the class comes to close, a new one begins. Alewyn closes her tome of knowledge and approaches the class in a more open and relaxed manner. The students leave their seats and gather around the Chronicler to listen to her words more closely. She places her tome under her own seat and begins speaking to the class.

"Character Histories. This aspect of building your character is probably the most important one. It will give your character the depth and feel of a real living entity. It will reflect exactly who you want your character to be and how he or she came to be in their nation. It will also give others an understanding of why your character acts the way he or she does in certain situations. A history can be as long as you want it to be and have as many stories to it as you wish, as long as it holds some main components Read the following to help you build all the components of a proper character history."

Place of Origin:
In your story, be sure to include where your character was birthed and raised. A description of the lands and any possible conflicts that occurred during your time in these lands should also be mentioned.

Conflicts/Problem:
Your character should face a problem or conflict that he/she needs to spend some time on resolving. For example, Seth Zarathos's family was brutally murdered, but no remains of his baby sister were located. You could also make an arch-nemesis for yourself, but this is not mandatory. The arch-nemesis of Seth Zarathos is Jereb the Necromancer (ref. "Complete Chronicles of Ort'Anask").

Goals:
Your Character should have a set goal/goals made for him/herself, that would, upon reaching, solve the major problem that your character possesses.

Explanations:
Your History should mainly include explanations of why he/she acts the way he/she does. For example, people sometimes noticed Caithris Horn speaking to herself sometimes or drifing off, and wondered why. In the history you will learn that she hears the spirits of the dead constantly as a form of background chatter, which is a lingering effect of Kala's presence during the tensions with Micarthia. The history should also explain what brought your character to their current nation, and why your character decided to join their current profession.

Family:
An explanation and description of the role your character's family played in your place of origin, whether it be royalty or magic users or blacksmiths etc. This will give insight as to how your character possesses the traits that he/she does.

"With these major components, you should be easily be able to conjure a history for your character that will explain why your character act's the way he/she does. The background of your character is what makes him/her unique from everyone else, so take your time when writing this."