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Born and raised in the small mining community of Stonehills, Magritte learned early that folk must stick together and rely on each other to survive and thrive in the fair but stern land of Skyrim. During her childhood and early youth she witnessed two bandit raids which forced women and children to hide in the mine while the men and the jarl's guards dealt with the attackers; the experience of cowering helplessly and scared in the dark made a deep impression on her, and she resolved that when she was grown up she would hide no more but become a guard herself and protect her people.

She started training with a wooden sword but soon realized that she felt more comfortable with two-handed weapons and switched to a wooden battlestaff. The jarl's guards, both amused and touched by her zealous determination to become one of them, took turns training with her and showed her many a trick of the fighting trade. Her parents initially opposed her wish, fearing for her life, but were won over by and by, and her father Jesper bought her her first iron battleaxe.

A week after her sixteenth birthday Magritte went to Morthal, sought audience with Jarl Idgrod and asked to be accepted into her guards. Idgrod must have seen something in the girl, for she assented, and after a year of further training Magritte was sworn in as a guard of Hjaalmarch. She served with distinction and caught the eye of the jarl's housecarl, Gorm, who became her mentor and took it upon himself to supervise her career personally. (Or maybe she caught his eye in a different way and his unwanted attention contributed to her defection, see below.)

Magritte's political views were largely shaped by Sorli the Builder, head of the Stonehills community, who was her teacher and mentor in childhood and early youth and had also supported her wish to join the guards; in other words, she was raised believing that Ulfric Stormcloak was the best thing that had happened to Skyrim since the invention of mead, and she never had any reason to question this belief. At the same time growing up next to the Argonian Teeba-Ei, an esteemed member of the community, had taught her tolerance and respect for all races of Tamriel, as long as they in turn respected the Nord, their beliefs and their way of life.

When the news reached Morthal early in 4E 201 that Ulfric had killed High King Torygg and was rallying forces to make a bid for High Kingship himself Magritte was torn between her duty to her jarl (who was known to lean towards the Empire) and what she felt was her duty as a true daughter of Skyrim (TM); the latter won, and she defected and left Morthal heading for Windhelm in order to join Ulfric's forces. But her course was changed when she spent a night in Dawnstar and overheard Brina Merilis and Horik mentioning an imperial plan to ambush and capture Ulfric at Darkwater Crossing. Immediately she turned south and hurried to either defend her future High King with her life or help him escape. In Whiterun she learned that if Ulfric had been taken he would be brought by way of Helgen or even executed right there, so this was her next destination; but when she reached Helgen she found the town and keep in smoldering ruins. She feared the worst until she talked to Gerdur of Riverwood whose brother Ralof, a Stormcloak soldier, had brought both the good news that Ulfric had escaped and the bad news that Helgen had been burned down by a dragon.-

Born on the 15th of First Seed in the 182nd year of the 4th Era to a pair of Nord hunters, Narji was being raised as a true Nord. Her parents were devout followers of Talos (and the rest of the Nine Divines as they were citizens of the dwindling Empire) and chose to live in the Talos-worshipping city of Windhelm; it was the only place that welcomed people like them, as Talos worship had been outlawed by the Dominion. Her family believed that to be a shame, but they harbored no ill-will for the Empire.

Of course… Not all their time was spent in Windhelm; Narji’s parents were avid hunters and often went on trips far outside of the city to find good game. The two older Nords would take little Narji with them. It was never an issue for them as Narji was always a well behaved little girl; she stayed with her parents and even assisted them when she could. At six years old, she was given a small bow and taught how to use it. She already knew how to wield a knife –which felt like a sword in her tiny hands- and was eager to learn how to use other weapons. The hunter’s nature was in her blood.

In the spring of the 188th year of the 4th Era, Narji was accompanying her parents on another hunting trip in the volcanic tundra of Eastmarch. It was night when the monster struck. A massive werewolf with golden eyes and the grey-brown fur of a timber wolf attacked their camp. Narji’s parents were slaughtered in front of the little girl. She fled, gut the werewolf spotted her; lifting its bloody muzzle from the steaming flesh of her dead parents, the werewolf blinked once and charged. It roared and raked its dripping claws across the girl’s face. She crashed to the ground. As the werewolf opened its jaws to rip into the girl’s flesh, she thrust her skinning knife up into the roof of the werewolf’s mouth. The blade entered its brain and severed multiple major blood vessels. Choking on its own blood, the werewolf thrashed about until it finally died, half drowned in its own blood.

Little Narji was unknowingly infected with Sanies Lupinus. She stumbled away from the scene of the attack with a hand pressed against the deepest portion of the gashes across her face and wandered, confused, until she was rescued by a hermit that lived in a shack down by the river.

He looked after her for a month… Until Masser and Secunda rose full once more. Narji transformed for the first time. Her werewolf form was nothing more than a pup compared to an adult, but it still held all the cunning and brutal fury of the larger beast; in the uncontrollable –especially for a child of six years- bloodlust of the werewolf, Narji leaped upon her new guardian and ripped his throat out.

When she awoke the next morning and saw the ruin her jaws had made of the man’s throat, she vomited. The memory of the attack on her parents, the memory of the werewolf’s claws digging into her face all came back and she wailed. She was only six years old. How could that have happened? Even at that age she knew that she could not live amongst others; if she did, what happened to the hermit could easily happen once more. The girl took everything she could carry from the hermit’s shack and left. There was nothing more she could do.

Narji wandered for several months until her clothes had rotted away and the winter snows began to fall. She was half starved and didn’t have the strength to make a fire; the girl collapsed, not even caring about her survival. As her body began to shut down, she was plucked out of the snow by a warrior of the Companions. She wrapped Narji in her travel furs and built a fire to warm the girl up. The warrior –a woman named Rael Stormborn- ran a gloved hand across the angry red scars and she knew what had happened; the scent of the werewolf was strong on the girl. It was easy for another werewolf to smell it.

When Narji woke up, Rael explained what she was… What they were. The Companion informed the little girl that she was a member of an order or warriors that could help her. With nowhere else to go, Narji accepted Rael’s offer. They set out together not long after that. When they arrived at Jorrvaskr, Rael brought Narji to the Harbinger –Kodlak Whitemane- and explained what she knew; he looked long and hard at the girl before he too ran a finger along the length of the scars.

Narji didn’t know why, but she found herself telling the older man what had happened to her. He listened quietly while she told him her tale, even held her little hands when she began to cry. Kodlak Whitemane did not hesitate to grant her a place amongst the Companions; Rael agreed and offered to raise the little girl as her own child. From that point onward, she was raised as a Companion. She learned how to use all manner of weapons from the other warriors and, though she favored light armor and heavy two-handed blades, she was quite skilled.

As she grew older, Kodlak and Rael noted that Narji retained several aspects of her werewolf form in her natural morph: she had bright golden eyes (which she wasn’t born with); curiously thick hair all over her body, with the hair on her head –a jet black mohawk- almost resembling a mane; and, despite her relatively narrow frame, a greater height, strength, speed, and stamina than most. Her golden eyes gave her a unique beauty and it amused them when men attempted to flirt with her, only to find that she was attracted only to other women. Their disappointment –and sometimes disgust- was palpable.

A new man joined the Companions when she was 16. He was a Dark Elf named Athis. To his surprise, Narji was the one sent out to test him. It was the idea of Vilkas. Everybody came out to observe as Athis was defeated over and over again by a girl so much younger than himself. He was embarrassed, but after the fight, he approached the Nord with questions; she informed him that she had been training since she was six years old. Not many could beat her. Narji invited him out to deal with a group of bandits near Whiterun. Athis –looking for a chance at redemption- agreed and followed her. He –along with several Whiterun guards- witnessed her slaughter ten bandits on her own, turning the waters of a small pond red with their blood. The red water flowed towards the city and Narji earned the name Blood-Bringer.

Three years later, Narji was mistaken for a Stormcloak soldier while hunting on the borders of Eastmarch and the Rift. A group of Imperial Soldiers had caught her and ordered her execution. She was taken to Helgen along with the others. Unlike them, though, she planned on transforming (she had gained control over her transformations after several months, thanks to the intervention of the Circle) and fighting her way out. If she was going to die, she would not go quietly.

It was soon discovered that Narji was the Last Dragonborn of legend. She was amazed and shocked, but she followed that path as best as she could; after two or three months (with a considerable break to fight in the civil war for the Stormcloaks), she defeated Alduin. That attracted the attention of the cultists of a Dragonborn known as Miraak. Narji did not like it, but she was forced to cooperate with Hermaeus Mora in order to defeat the First Dragonborn.

Her adventures did not end there. When she returned to Skyrim, she joined an organization known as the Dawnguard and helped them end the vampire threat to Skyrim. Then, when she returned to the Companions, she found herself rising through the ranks; after a lengthy war with the Silver hand, she became the next Harbinger after old Kodlak (who had been like a father to her).

And there she remained. Jorrvaskr was where she belonged.

Born and raised in the Imperial City into a family of entertainers, Eryniel learned early to play the lute and use Illusion for show purposes. Her uncle, however, had chosen the trade of an alchemist, and taught some of his skills to her when he saw she was interested. Her childhood and early youth was happy.

At the age of 20 she went to live on her own and made a living as a travelling singer and illusionist. She was in Leyawiin when the Great War broke out. The Aldmeri forces conquered the city before Eryniel could flee. At first she didn't much mind the occupation, thinking that at least the conquerors were of her own race. The oppression meted out to the members of other races sickened her, however. Then the commander of Dominion forces gave all Altmer and Bosmer of eligible age that lived in the city a stark choice: Either join the Aldmeri army or be executed as a traitor.

Eryniel reluctantly joined and was hastily trained as an auxiliary archer. At first her unit was used solely as a guard force in the environs of Leyawiin. But after some months it was ordered to move to the front to aid the first-line troops in their push against the Imperial City. This was too much for Eryniel; doing guard duty was one thing, but she couldn't stomach going to battle against the Empire. This feeling was only heightened by the atrocities she had witnessed. So she deserted the first chance she got, somewhere in southern West Weald.

After wandering a few days she met a guerrilla group composed of diverse refugees and soldiers stranded behind the lines. They caught and almost killed her, but luckily she could convince them she was not an Aldmeri spy. She was accepted into the group and spent the rest of the war fighting against the Dominion army, and spying for the guerrillas in the guise of a bard. When hearing about the Emperor sieging the Imperial City, the group fought its way to the main army and took part in the final parts of the recapture of the city. There Eryniel to her immense relief learned that her parents and other family members were safe and sound.

After the war was over, Eryniel returned to her former life. Despite her having fought for the Empire she was not eligible for any veteran benefits, firstly because she had briefly served in enemy ranks and secondly, because she had not belonged to the Imperial army proper. This made her somewhat embittered towards the Imperial bureaucracy and army, although it could not wipe away her pride in having gone to battle for her country.

As the years went by, she began to be ill at ease in Cyrodiil. The Thalmor influence in the province was stifling the atmosphere, and rumours began to circulate, saying that the Thalmor were planning to wreak vengeance upon all Altmer that had fought against them during the war, and that all deserters from Dominion army that had managed to stay in Cyrodiil after the war would be rounded up and given over to the Thalmor. Belonging to both of those groups, Eryniel started to worry, especially as she knew how relentless the Thalmor could be if they bore a grudge.

Although her family pointed out that there were nothing to prove the rumours right, Eryniel was adamant: She would leave Cyrodiil, at least for a time. She chose to go to Skyrim, because in the turmoil of the province she could easily vanish if needed, and because the demands of the Thalmor could not be fulfilled that efficiently there anyway. She didn't realize at the time the extent of the Nords' antipathy towards the Elves.

So, she took off and reached Jerall Mountains without a hitch. But as she was crossing the mountains, an angry bear attacked her in her camp one night, maybe angered that the camp was too near its cave. Eryniel's weak Illusion skill could only delay the beast so long that she could run away into the darkness, with only the clothes on her back. A blizzard completed the disaster; she lost her way completely. At dawn she realized there was no point in trying to find her camp; snow had covered all tracks. So, she pressed on to generally northerly direction. The next day she stumbled into the Imperial troop planning to ambush Ulfric. She was actually relieved to be arrested, certain that she would be eventually released unharmed, and in the meanwhile at least be warm and safe.

And that's where the curtain rises for the game intro.

History: Not much is known about her past, even by herself, as she suffers from amnesia and her memory is fractured. She was born with albinism, and her ears bear a distinctly elf-like pointed look (a very rare genetic throwback to the Bretons' elven heritage). Due to her appearance, which seemed strange to the people around her, she was generally treated like an outcast as a child. She had little social interaction, and instead spent time alone immersed in her studies. She was an excellent student, especially in magic. Her parents were very loving, and they did not care how she looked, though they were concerned about her lack of friends. At some point, she set out for Skyrim, and built a small cottage deep in the woods of Falkreath, presumably where she could focus her studies in isolation. Eventually, she would awaken in a cell in an abandoned prison somewhere in Eastmarch Hold, stripped of her possessions and her memory, with no idea how she got there. In time, she recalled her name, but little else. She would escape the prison, and begin her life from scratch, eventually rediscovering her cottage and joining the College of Winterhold. Her memories slowly returned to her in small fragments, but not completely. Soon after beginning her adventures anew, she wandered near Helgen, chasing rumours of an impending execution, and witnessed a huge black dragon flying overhead...

Personality: Neutrality in corporeal form. Owing to her sheltered, outcast upbringing, she never developed socially. The result is a very dull, softspoken girl with little ability for interacting with people. She speaks in a bored monotone, and perpetually carries the same dead-fish look in her eyes. She never smiles or laughs, even when happy (or what passes for happy with her). Vanille is solitary and prefers isolation. She's incredibly smart, and she knows it, which gives her a biting sarcasm at times, and she seems to enjoy belittling her opponents. She spends most of her day practising spells, even while walking to and from places. Vanille's actions are very utilitarian, and while she will generally not do anything outright "evil", she will do whatever she feels will further her studies or help her become a better mage. Because of whatever it was that caused her to lose her memory, she still suffers from memory lapses, and can be very absent-minded, often forgetting what is was she was doing, or finishing entire quests and forgetting who it was that gave them to her. This does not cause her panic, and she usually just shrugs it off and carries on until she remembers. Due to her rare condition, she's been mistaken for many things: a Snow Elf, a ghost, a vampire, a wispmother, etc. Though generally emotionless, this almost universally angers her.

Hobbies: Vanille has few hobbies that are not related to her studies. She spends nearly every waking hour practising spells and incantations. She is also very intrigued by enchanting, and has dedicated a large portion of her time to studying it. Outside of that, Vanille usually doesn't do anything most consider "fun". She does have a natural curiosity, and will often take on odd jobs for people if it seems like it might be interesting. She's also an impressive chef, which may be a leftover from her lost memories as her mother was known for her recipes.

Abilities: She is a talented conjurer, and usually eschews normal weapons for bound ones. As a result she's a respectable swordsman and archer, but prefers to let atronachs and ranged spells do the work for her. She has a good command over destruction spells, but seeks to become better at them.

Affiliations: Not many, given her isolated nature. She's managed to become Thane of Whiterun, and has taken on Lydia as a companion, which is notable for someone as antisocial as Vanille. She's a member of the College of Winterhold, and has become one of Tolfdir's favourite students.

Religion: Vanille is not very religious, seeing Aedra and Daedra in a very utilitarian way and instead of praying she interacts with them as though they were simply very powerful people.

Rufus was born during the Great War in the Dominion-occupied territory of Cyrodiil. His mother Paulina died of puerperal fever a few days after his birth. His father Lucius never even saw him because he perished in the war, having been conscripted just days before the Dominion forces occupied their home village. Rufus' parents were poor tenant farmers.

A neighbour, Galla Caelia, who had given birth some weeks before, took Rufus in and nursed him alongside her own son. But as her own husband was also killed in the war, she couldn't support two children indefinitely even though she had become very attached to Rufus. So a year after the war she regretfully had to take Rufus to an orphanage in the nearby Chorrol. She visited him regularly accompanied by her son Titus, however, and after remarrying and that way getting a bit more affluent again sent him books and small gifts. Her new husband, however, would not consent Rufus moving with them to be ”another mouth to feed” as he put it. He didn't prevent Galla's keeping touch with Rufus, however, since he was not completely heartless, but only didn't want to take responsibility for a boy that was a total stranger to him.

Life in the orphanage wasn't too bad for Rufus, but was sometimes very boring. The books Galla sent him were therefore very welcome and kindled a love for reading in him, especially history and old legends. He never got any formal education of the academic sort, however. Instead, he was apprenticed at the age of twelve to a blacksmith, Galla paying half of the tuition fee and her husband, whom she had with some difficulty persuaded, provided the other half.

At the age of seventeen, Rufus had enough of the apprenticeship, since his master was a harsh-mannered tyrant. Although grateful to Galla for her support, he asked her consent to quit. She reluctantly consented, but only on the condition that Rufus acquires some other honest trade. He thought about it and joined the Fighters' Guild as he was strong and hardy even at that age. During his training he quickly acquired a liking to using a waraxe and shield, and learned some archery too.

He spent in the guild the next eleven years, but was ultimately disillusioned. Contracts didn't pay as much as he would have liked, and he hadn't distinguished himself in any notable way, if on the other hand never dishounoured himself either. Also, he was restless and desired something more adventurous than the humdrum troll-slaying gigs. So he decided to become a freelance mercenary. Having heard the news about the turmoil Skyrim was in, he decided to head there. He sent a letter to Galla informing her of this, to which she replied inviting him to visit her.

He did as she bade, and went to see her. She was tearful to see her foster-son of sorts to go, but gave some pieces of jewelry to him to sell as a final gift. Rufus thanked her for all the kindnesses she had shown him and bade farewell to her and Titus, who had always been friendly to him. Even Galla's new husband deigned to appear to bid Rufus a cordial farewell, even though they had only met a few times before.

So, that being settled Rufus headed north and eventually reached Falkreath. There he spent the first night in the inn, then bought some armor and set off in the direction of Helgen. When he arrived there, however, the place was a smoking ruin and a great black dragon was just flying away. Rufus searched for survivors in the rubble, but only found a dead adventurer's journal. Guided by it he found a nearby cave where an injured Legionnaire named Hadvar had taken refuge. Rufus gave Hadvar a healing potion and the men set off for Riverwood to warn the village.

Rufus is headstrong and stubborn and rarely backs out from a challenge. He's an aggressive fighter that favours attack tactics. At times he is short-tempered, but if treated civilly is amiable enough. His reading of old books has convinced him that there must be some truth to Talos' divinity, even though he's not completely sure about that. What he is sure about, however, is that he hates the Thalmor, as he blames them for killing his father and for his mother's death. That is the reason that discourages him from joining the Imperial Legion even though he doesn't support the Stormcloaks. Namely, he wants no part in enforcing the dicates of the White-Gold Concordat.

Backstory: Rift was born in Cyrodil in the city of Anvil. The son of the captain of the guard, his father trained him in all of the traditional Bosmer fighting styles. But there was one thing holding him back: Rift was aggressive, and would often get too angry at his friends. After the great war broke out, both of his parents were killed. He journeyed Tamriel in grief, living off of the land and visiting all of the imperial provinces, including the home of his people, Valenwood. Upon nearing the border of Skyrim, he was met with a Stormcloak patrol. They ridiculed him, and suspected him of being a Thalmor spy. Rift lashed out, knocking out several soldiers and breaking Ulfric's nose. Before the stormcloaks had a chance to fight back, they were ambushed by imperials. And so begins our story...

Falanu was born in Cheydinhal into a Dunmer family established there generations ago (in fact, Newland Lodge's former owner Dervera Romalen was her grandfather's cousin). His father Adaves owned a modestly succesful jewellery shop and her mother Alfe was a housewife. Even at an early age Falanu was interested in rocks and metals and decided to study to become a mine prospector, which her parents allowed. Her other hobbies included music. She also liked helping her father to repair jewelry and to watch the local blacksmith working, from which pastimes she learned a thing or two about smithing.

At the age of 17 she obtained through her father's connections an apprentice post in a small mining company named Dragontail Minerals, then operating in High Rock. The Great War broke out only a few days after her arrival in the company's main office. The war meant a great boost for the company's fortunes, since vast amounts of iron and steel were needed to manufacture equipment for the Legions and the Imperial government placed orders to any and all firms that could supply it.

Therefore Falanu was immediately placed in a prospecting team setting out to find new sources of iron ore. The mission was a success, as a very abundant mine was found in a relatively convenient location. Falanu learned a lot during this trip, and honed her skills during many subsequent ones. By the end of the war, she had mastered the art of sniffing ore veins out so well that she was regularly employed as a solo prospector.

After the war Falanu continued to work for Dragontail Minerals, which had swollen to a very respectable-sized corporation. She still worked mostly solo, but sometimes also as the head of small prospecting teams of three to four members. During her career she also took time to learn some alchemy and alteration to help her during trips to inhospitable regions. Having Oakflesh active, for instance, could be a life-saver in case a rock would fall on top of her from an unstable cave roof. She also learned to use weapons, for hunting purposes and because there sometimes were scuffles with bandits.

In 201 Falanu was at an unfruitful work trip in the Wrothgarian Mountains, when she was delivered a letter from company headquarters. It curtly informed her that she was fired because her last two expeditions had been failures. That actually was due to the fact that most suitable sites in the province had already been found and taken into use. But that didn't bother the new management of Dragontail Minerals, who wanted to make a few examples to raise the performance of the remaining prospectors. Falanu was an unfortunate victim of this decision.

As enraged by this ungratefulness as she was, Falanu could do nothing about it. She headed to Jehanna and spent a few days there to think about her future. Then it dawned to her: She would go to Skyrim and found her own mine. Because of the war there, land might be had for cheap prizes, but only if the owner didn't know he was sitting on top of valuable ore. So Falanu decided to pose as an immigrant interested in acquiring some farmland. She would scout for a suitable site, having gold or maybe even ebony deposits. Then she would buy the land, start digging and become filthy rich. Oh yes, she thought with sullen satisfaction, she would show that rotten company and everyone else. She would be nobody's hireling anymore.

Accordingly, she sent a letter to Dragontail Minerals demanding all the backpay due to her. After receiving it, she hurried to the nearest port town and bought a ticket aboard a ship headed to Solitude.

Falanu is stubborn and prone to bearing grudges, but loyal to those who befriend her. She likes to grab a septim whenever she can and by whatever means short of actual crime. During her work years she learned to love the beauty of the wilderness and the solitude of long expeditions in the middle of nowhere. That, however, doesn't stop her being a bit of a cynic when it comes to people.

Coming from an ”Imperialized” family, Falanu worships the Imperial pantheon, albeit rather lukewarmly. As a result of her upbringing she is quite ill-informed about the Dunmeri traditional practices, but that suits her just fine. She remembers the stories her grandmother told her about the Tribunal Temple's oppressiveness, and so is quite happy to live by the more relaxed Imperial mores.

Cantamu, the Redguard who was once the most notorious bounty hunter of the 4th era, was the son of the King and Queen of Daggerfall. He was entitled to many comforts as a child, and was being raised as a diplomat. However, that all changed when his father went of a hunting trip in the Alik’r Desert. Foolishly, the King entered into the wastes without his escort, and a terrible sandstorm hit their camp. Lost and confused, the child Cantamu wandered the desert, half-dead. He fell unconscious, but was saved by the Alik’r Caravans.

They considered him a son, and raised him in their ways. A decade later, at age nineteen, he departed the caravan, and returned to his home in Daggerfall, only to find that his father thought him dead. He was accused of being an imposter, and was exiled once more to the great desert.

Thus, he became a bounty hunter, called by some the best in all of Tamriel. Many years later, he received a job by an unknown employee, who wanted him to join a group of horse thieves and gain evidence to convict them. However, all did not go to plan, as they were accidently captured by a group of Imperials who were trying to capture Ulfric Stormcloak.

As they all captured, Cantamu tried to convince the Imperials of his true nature, but to no avail. Strangely enough, these horse thieves also included the Dragonborn, who had joined them earlier. After the awakening of Alduin, the two became close friends, and while the Dragonborn continued to find his destiny, Cantamu decided to join the Companions, where he eventually became their current Harbinger. He later found the Dragonborn once again, and they are still friends to this very day.