Building your character's background

You led an ordinary life once, save for an uncanny knack for something that kept you from serving a master and being defined by the traditional roles of your society. You did your time as an apprentice to your betters as we all must, but when you heard news of hideous, powerful monsters ravaging some of the greatest cities in the civilized world, you felt the call to act.
You come from a region that, although not ruled directly by the Holy Roman Empire, is close enough to depend upon trade and good relations with its imperial neighbors. Lands that fall directly under imperial control include Paris and the Ile-de-France, Orleans, Burgundy, Franconia, Alsace, the Rheinland, the Swabian Lands, Bavaria, Bohemia, Austria, and Venice. Normandy, Lombardy, and Genoa are on the verge of collapse before the rising tide of Imperial ambition. The pope has been kidnapped and forced to move the Holy See to Cologne.
Where do you come from? How has your land been spared the carnage and terror of the Perchten hellequins up to now? See this map of Europe for more information.
Are you fully human, part fey, or a full member of a nonhuman race, such as a dwarf, an elf, a faerie, or a lycanthrope? Are you undead, perhaps? And whatever your true nature may be, do you reveal it openly, or do you disguise yourself as a normal human? What exactly do you look like when others encounter you along the road?
What is your role in society? Do you have a profession? Is it something you take with you as you travel? Are you a jack-of-all-trades, or a specialist of some sort? What is your special knack or gift?
Do you have an interesting history? Are you wanted for a crime? Do you come from noble lineage?
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Be thinking about all these questions. Since this is a fantasy roleplay setting, you are welcome to use the rules and guidelines of a fantasy roleplaying game to create your character, but please do not let the rules show through when you describe yourself. Stay in character. Also, whatever rule system you choose is what you choose for yourself, not for other members of the forum, so please do not correct others on whatever set of rules you think they may be using. Also, remember that this setting is the real world, only different. The geography and astronomy are the same. If you are not well-versed on the time period, c. 1000 A.D., try reading up on it a little before you join in. My hope is that we will all learn from each other, for the most part. When you are ready, post a description of yourself along with a little bit of your background. If there are details that you would like for the moderator to know but not the other players - such as that you are a lycanthrope or a vampire or that you have magical powers but do not wish to disclose that fact - please send these details to me in a private message, and I will weave them into the plot. I am looking to run groups of no more than ten players at a time through specific storylines. If it turns out that I'm completely clueless to the normal roleplay process, let me know. Like I keep saying, this is my first go-around. Thanks, and happy character creation!

Jesse

My name is Oberon. I am an elf. I come from Brittany, and have served in the court of Brittany for a hundred fifty-three years. I am a wizard, schooled by my old friend Alanoz of Morbihan in the arts of Illusion and Transformation. I am not physically particularly strong, but I am quite deft, and can pierce a gold coin with an arrow at fifty yards, and with a dagger at ten yards. Primarily, though, I defend myself and my friends with magic.
As with all fey, I rarely appear in my manlike form by day. I usually only appear in my fetch-form, that of an ermine, while the sun is in full view. In darkness, mist or shadow, I appear as an elf, with small fangs, since I am of the meat-eating variety, and stoat-like ears that extend outward and upward further than those of a human. My hair is reddish-brown, and my eyes are dark brown. Normally, I find a place to rest and meditate during the day, and come out after sunset or during periods of strong mist or fog, unless I am particularly motivated to do otherwise. That said, having mastered the arts of illusion and transformation, I often appear as a normal human when traveling in human lands.
I carry very little in the way of equipment. I prefer using magic to obtain what I need, and my needs are not great. I search for the ingredients for my magic spells in the wild while traveling, carrying them in my ermine skin (the very one I don to take on my fetch-form). I generally eat only while in fetch-form, as it is easier to obtain my preferred diet of insects and snakes that way.