Help with a back story

[Fellen]

I am looking to make a back story for my half-elf ranger. He grew up an orphan in a mostly elf town. He lived on the edge of town near a forest and would practice his ranger abilities to eat and survive. Where in this world would there be a town to match this back story. thanx

[Mark Hoover]

You might have to make one up. You could add it on the north end of Darkmoon Vale.

[gnoams]

Lots of places could fit that bill. Kyonin is the even nation where the archetypal elves come from. There's lots of different elves too, desert elves of osirion, snowcaster elves from the far north, wild elves from the mwangi jungles, etc. I suggest checking out the pathfinder wiki.

[Brother Fen]

Fellen wrote:

I am looking to make a back story for my half-elf ranger. He grew up an orphan in a mostly elf town. He lived on the edge of town near a forest and would practice his ranger abilities to eat and survive. Where in this world would there be a town to match this back story. thanx

As stated above, Kyonin is the Elven nation in Golarion and has plenty of forests throughout. It also has a border that has been blighted by the demonbeast Treerazer so there are plenty of wild arcane things out there to hone one's skills against.

[Duckyours]

You could come from Northern Varisia? Theres a forest there that houses elves. Cant remember the name though.

[Harrowed Wizard]

There is always Sandpoint in Varisia. Plenty of source material to pull from and lots of wilderness around. In fact, most of Varisia would be good. As mentioned earlier, Kyonin would be a good place, especially if you want to play up your Elven heritage.

[Rich Rayburn]

Nirmathas is an option, plenty of forest and well within fluff to have Rangers and insert small elf towns on the edges thereof.

[AlanRex]

Town of Crying Leaf in Northern Varisia would be a perfect spot for you!

[Lorathorn]

Crying Leaf fits the bill, as AlanRex pointed out. Plus, Varisia just rocks as a region to be from. Darkmoon Vale isn't bad either, though it does lack an Elven community.

[Kale Truesilver]

For uniqueness, why not make him well-adjusted and accepted? Fun abound in giving your party strange looks, and calling them weird when they ask how "hard" it was for you. Could even take it a step further and act puzzled at Human-raised Half-Elves and their sob stories!

"You went through what? WHY?"

You'll throw people for a loop, especially those with ingrained expectations.

[NerdOfTheYear]

Key Harrington wrote:

For uniqueness, why not make him well-adjusted and accepted? Fun abound in giving your party strange looks, and calling them weird when they ask how "hard" it was for you. Could even take it a step further and act puzzled at Human-raised Half-Elves and their sob stories!

"You went through what? WHY?"

You'll throw people for a loop, especially those with ingrained expectations.

I love these kind of characters that throw everyone's expectation out the window. I once played a half-Orc, who referred to himself as a "Quarter Elf, on my mothers side". He grew up with his grandfather, an elf, and so despite stat wise being a Half-Orc, he always favours elf history and weaponry.

[Lorathorn]

I guess another option would be to have him be from Greengold, if that doesn't fall into the "too obvious" category.

[doc the grey]

I would put it somewhere near the Elven kingdom of Kyonin. They already have that distance and aloofness of the elves and a culture that isn't really trusting of most outsiders who aren't elves including Half-elves. Maybe have him grow up as a woodsman as an expression of his elven connection to nature and the best way to feel close to his elven roots even though he can't truly be a part of them like the full elves he lives with can.