Here's my first contribution - an alternate background for the Warrior. A bit long but hopefully not too bad!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J1r ... Geir4/edit - a link to the google doc if you'd like to view it there for some reason
WARRIOR ALT - Bodyguard
Your earliest memories are of the Imperial City. When your parents left {home province} in search of a better life, you were too young to remember the journey. Instead, your memories are of running, laughing, through crowded city streets, and of the halls of the palace where your mother worked as a lady in waiting, and your father served in the Imperial Guard. When you were old enough, he even taught you a little bit about
Most fond of using:
Short-bladed weapons - how to fight with a knife.
Hand-to-hand combat - the martial arts - punching, kicking, blocking, and how to defend yourself without weapons.
Axe fighting - the proper way to wield an axe.
Blunt weapons - fighting with clubs and staves.
Archery - how to aim, draw, and accurately fire a bow.
Longblade - sword-fighting, how to thrust and parry.
Even now, you look fondly on those memories every time you
Shortblade - sharpen your blades,
HtH - practice your katas,
Axe fighting - see a lumberjack chopping wood,
Blunt weapons - take up your walking staff,
Archery - hit your target,
Longblade - draw your blade,
though always with a hint of bittersweetness, as those days did not last long.
One night, your father came into your room, accompanied by a young boy in rich clothing and with eyes as wide as saucers, and shook you awake. He introduced the boy to you as {Imperial Name}, a name you recognized as belonging to one of the Emperor’s sons. He refused to answer any questions, simply telling you it was of the utmost importance that you and {Imperial Name} leave the city at once. Your mother, crying, helped pack you and your charge a few basic necessities, including
Loaned and allowed to keep:
100gp - some extra money she had been saving for a rainy day,
A book - her favorite book, so you would think of her often,
A cuirass - your father’s old cuirass, which he’d loaned you when you began training for the Guard yourself,
Pauldrons - your father’s old pauldrons, which he’d loaned you when you began training for the Guard yourself,
A dai-katana - a dai-katana, meant to be your nameday present that year,
some food for the road, and a set of common clothing for {Imperial Name}. She hugged you close, begged you to never forget her, and sent you and {Imperial Name} on your way. It was the last time you ever saw her or your father again.
Your flight from the Imperial City was fraught with danger, and between battles with bandits and close calls with traitorous Guardsmen, you were able to learn some of the truth from the prince; Emperor Uriel Septim VII had been usurped by his battlemage, Jagar Tharn, and the imperial family was in danger. Until Tharn was overthrown, you would have to live your lives in hiding. The first few months were the hardest for both of you, as once your food ran out, you were reduced to hunting in the wilderness and scrounging for food in alleyways to survive. One memory that stands out is when {Imperial Name} came back to your camp with
Scrounging through an alley, you found:
200gp - a pouch full of money, more than you’d seen in weeks
A book - a battered, dirty tome
A ruby - a flawless, blood-red gem
A silver flail - a heavy silver flail, tarnished but sound
An amulet - an amulet bearing the symbol of an unknown god
which he had found in a gutter, on the corpse of a nameless man. That was the day you first saw the fear leave the prince’s eyes, and be replaced with determination. It was the day your fortunes began to turn around.
Shortly afterwards, you and {Imperial Name} (now going by {male name} to hide his identity) finally caught your lucky breaks.
Intimate friends:
Monk - A wandering monk noticed the young prince one day while passing through your town and took a liking to him, taking him on as his apprentice, where he learned martial arts and self-discipline.
Mage - The prince had been tutored in the basics of magic as a young child, and took his skills to the local Mages’ Guild, where he discovered an aptitude and love for the magical arts.
Rogue - The prince’s discovery in the alley awoke less savory talents in him, and he began to learn thieving skills from the local children, plying his trade on the corrupt nobles working for Tharn.
Warrior - Seeing your daily weapons training, the prince began to join you in your practice, and proved to have a natural inclination to the ways of the sword. Soon, he joined you as a sellsword.
Assassin - After an attack by Tharn’s agents, the prince swore never again to be helpless. He began to practice with knives, and often disappeared at night, only to return with money and no explanations.
You, on the other hand, found work with the Fighter’s Guild, killing rats and bats, serving as a bodyguard for local merchants, and occasionally working as a bouncer at local taverns, allowing yourself to earn an honest wage and sometimes even
After a month’s work you have:
100gp - a little extra savings on top.
A great book - enough to buy a book for your collection.
A dozen arrows - enough to buy some extra arrows for your bow and meat for the stewpot.
A ring - some jewelry for yourself or {male name}.
Whenever you had free time, you spent it honing your skills with weapons, particularly
Free time training with:
Short-bladed weapons: knives and tantos.
Hand-to-hand combat: your own hands.
Axe-fighting: axes and halberds.
Blunt weapons: staves and flails.
Archery: target practice with your favorite bow.
Longblade: swordfighting.
For ten years, you and {male name} lived this way, eking out an existence on the fringes of society and clinging desperately to the knowledge of who you really were. Then an imperial courier found you with news that a hero had rescued the Emperor and saved Tamriel. You and {male name} were summoned back to the capital, where you were rewarded handsomely for your service to the Imperial Crown and granted a position in the Imperial Guard, just like your father before you. It was some time after that that the Emperor requested your presence, personally, in the dead of night, and told you of the affair of Daggerfall.