I started this PC wanting to play an ancients paladin, but I didn't know anything else about him.
So I asked my D&D buddies to pick a race and background for me. Those jerks chose goblin criminal. Alright, let's work with that. When I don't know what to do with a PC, I usually roll on the trinket table and generate a backstory from that. I rolled, "tiny portrait of a goblin." How fitting.
Then I saw the DM's "Reason for Bring Here" and saw The Mystery of the Magic Trees. Oh my is that perfect for this PC.
So here we have our little goblin. He found himself in prison after a life of thievery, doing hard labor on a local farm. He has a son, but he hasn't seen him since he was captured a year ago. All he has is a small portrait of him. He keeps it close to his heart. He writes letters when he can, and when the caravans show up to bring in goods or haul off product, he tries to convince one of the caravanners to deliver it. He has never learned whether they arrive.
While working the farm, the ground beneath him collapsed and he found himself in an old abandoned chamber underneath the farmland. It seemed to be a temple of some sort, dedicated to some old forgotten hero. He explored a bit, and found an odd orb, which when touched, imparted visions into his head. After the first vision, he quickly scampered out to resume his labors, praying he wasn't caught; he didn't know how long he was gone. He wasn't missed, his absence wasn't even noticed. It turned out, the farm owner couldn't tell one goblin from the next. So with a combination of safety in obscurity and a bit of curiosity, he snuck back in to experience it more. And he continued to do so every day he could. Not every day, mind you, sometimes not for weeks at a time, but when he could slip away, he did.
Over time, he learned that goblins weren't always the nasty little creatures everyone considers them - him - to be, but were actually one of the great races, respected by all others. They were the heroes of the land, the warriors of justice and light, protectors of the natural world. But this was a long time ago, so long it's been forgotten by everyone, even his own people, even the elven historians. This place, this Temple, was the home to one of those ancient and respected warriors.
Seasons passed, and then came the day he heard word of his son. A strange illness had befallen him; his son was dying and no one could cure him. He knew he had to escape. He knew he had to make his way to the fabled apples of the Goblins of the Ravine to save his son. But he couldn't go as himself. He would have to adopt a disguise, change his name, be someone he was not.
So he rushed to his secret place and grabbed the weapons and armor from the ancient heroic warrior. He would become that ancient warrior; mimick the ways of the the Goblin's anceint ancestors who once served the Light. And he would go by their old forgotten name for such great heroes: the !Ko Bei Len.
