This game interests me. I am not going to play in many games, but those I choose will be good ones. This is one of them I like the premise of.

My character is Ragnar the Red, a wizard who is also a Sentinel of Bharrai, from Book of Exalted Deeds. This seems more natural for a druid character, and I would prefer that, but the skill requirements mandate that the only character class which qualifies pre-epic is the wizard, so that is what I will go with.

Ragnar is descended from Duke Forknar of the Duchy which was annihilated by the fae's creatures. They fought a losing battle, and ended up having to withdraw to another land. The Duchy they went to was beheaded in a battle with the fae monsters, when they went to help the besieged neighbour. Forknar was recognised for his nobility and was anointed as Duke of the new land, Veran.

Veran has a governing body called the Althing, which consists of half esteemed retired warriors and half spellcasters. The Duke is first among equals, and is the battlefield leader of the Althing. Domestic and foreign affairs are decided by the Althing as a whole, though the Duke's voice is preeminent, and the Althing almost always agrees with him, effectively serving as an advisory body, though in theory they could overrule him if united.

Ragnar is the current Duke, and he is always accompanied by his niece, a paladin who is also a were-bear. This is actually common among his line. Ragnar is a rare member of his line who is not a were-bear, and to gain prominence among his line, and to gain the respect of the Althing, he became a Sentinel of Bharrai, serving the Guardinal Lord of the Ursinals. Now he can become a bear at will, which is the symbol of his line and has become the symbol of the Duchy as a whole.

Veran is a good aligned nation, with many rangers and paladins among their number. They are unusual in that they don't favour barbarians, and knowledge is revered. It has a fishing based economy, and is volcanic in origin, with many small island communities, though the capital city of Sera is on the mainland and is therefore heavily fortified. This is to defend the capital against the dark fae forces which still cross over into Veran from time to time, avoiding the guard patrols.

Ragnar rose to prominence as a mage as head of the Herst College of Magic, the principal seat of learning for the Duchy. He was apprenticed as a youth, and spent many years alternating between studying at the college and accompanying the patrols along the border. When he became more senior, he became a teacher there, and started to not simply accompany the patrols but to lead them. This was when he became a Sentinel of Bharrai, and his ability to become a bear at will and to therefore track enemies became useful, along with his spellcasting ability. He became Duke after his father was killed in a major attack on Sera. Ragnar fought at that battle, and was instrumental in successfully protecting the city from falling. His massive dire bear body was seen everywhere on the battlefield, and when it wasn't to be seen, his human form was visible casting spells of great power. He was grievously wounded that day, and he was left with a pronounced limp in one leg.

After this battle, he was given the care of his niece who was to be both his heir, who needed instructing, and also was assigned to be his bodyguard, as a powerful warrior in her own right. She is wise, and tends to be less reckless than he is. He can be a bit wild, having gone from being a physically weak wizard to being able to turn into a dire bear at will, so he thinks of himself now as being physically invulnerable. He considers his scarred leg to be a marker of courage, and scars are respected by his people, but they also respect physical perfection, which he no longer possesses. He is a little envious of his niece, Lara, as she is physically perfect and even her few scars are more markers of her perfection than blemishes. The pair are close, but she tends to act as a scold to him, affectionately telling him off when she feels it necessary.

Ragnar is well aware of his responsibilities, but he is an active sort, having been raised that way with his service on the border, so he chafes at spending so much time consulting with the Althing. He respects them, but considers them a little too conservative and safe for his tastes, and he is a little more adventurous compared to them.