I wnated since some time to play a solo game. I am not very familiar with your homebrew world, but as you ask to make something that give life to it, I decide to write down a background, without much naming place, just decribing them to gives them life. Names will come as we see if it fits with teh world. So here a little background:
[SBLOCK]
Your dreams...
Isaac wake up. He is nine years old. He jump out of the bed. He looks behind him. Sarah and Loïc are still sleeping. The day is to the one who wake up early told his father, trying to get his kids out of the bed to help him in the field... he was right. Waking up earlier than his father, he could escape from the first hours of work, until his belly call him back home to eat and his mother, after giving a good meal, bring him to his father and help at the field. Today might be different he thought. He had found something in the forest, only an hour of walk. Strange ruins. He wanted to explore them. He silently move in the house. It seems this morning, his feet were doing more noise than usual. The cracking wood under his feet was filling the silent room. Even the hinges of teh door was too loud for him, but as the door close behind him, he knew no one would see he has left before it would be too late.
He start to run in the field, in direction of teh forest. The sky starts to take a taint of dark blue, but the field is still in total darkness, as the mountain near his farm was hiding the sun at least until ten o'clock. This marvelous moutain, with there snowy hat, was the edge of the empire. in it, rumors of an endless war was in action. the dwarves and the goblins were fithing each other since man can remember. A few merchant was travelling on the road a few miles from the farm and was bringing news from both the dwarven kingdom and the capital of the human empire. The young boy imagination was full of image. Maybe these ruins were old dwarven ruins. An outpost build by them. Or maybe it was one of the place of power some ancient wizard.
The empire had been a center of a powerfull wizard guild, until the church call heresy on them. The wizard had gone into hiding. Many had build hidden holding to continue to practice there arts. During two decades, there had been a war between the church and the wizards, but the king had rehabilated the wizards, after many of them had join the empire in there last conquest war, and had given many victories to the empire. Now, wizard were seen as strange men, but were tolerated by the population, even if intrigue were strong between the church and the court wizards.
Isaac was hoping he might find some old magical artefact in the ruins. He was running in teh forest. he still could hear the owl who were waiting to spots a mouse and feast on it. At a moment, he stop, as he thought he had seen a coyote, but his curiosity was stronger than his imagination and Isaac continue to run toward the ruins. The ruins were old, and all that was build over the earth was destroyed, but he had found a hole. This time, he will be able to explore it. He had a torch. He light it up and start to crawl in it.
Your dreams grow restless...
Isaac found himself into a small corridor. He couldn't see the end, so he starts to walk. Moss was covering the walls. He could hear the drop of water, falling from the ceiling. He walked slowly and look around. But he heard a loud cracking noise. before he could react, the ground under him failed and the kid falled into a hole. Dirt and stones falled over him, filling part of the hole. The torch extinguish, choked by the dust. Isaac was in a pitch dark hole, in a ruin known of no one. He felt pain in his legs. His left foot had been crush by a large rock. He shouts, he panicked, but no one was coming to his help, time flowed, and the panicked grow to a point that he lost consciousness...
When he woke up, he was still stuck there, alone in this hold. He was fealing the cold in his skin, teh darkness was starting to suffocate him. Seeing that no help would come, Isaac tried ot get out of there. Taking is fingers, he start to dig vthe earth that was covering his legs and torso. He digs, but he had no where to put teh dirt, more dirt was falling when he was digging too much. It takes hours, maybe day to finally get free, but he was in pain. By some chance, the falling mud and stone had made it possible for Isaac to climb up. He crawled out of the ruins, unable to stand on his broken feet.
Outside, it was pitch dark. The sky was covered by clouds. He crawled in the forest. It was slow, it was painfull, but he wanted to reach home. the sounds of teh forest become scary, and he was seeing all kind of monsters around him. It was about an hour he was crawling, and he found himself lost. He didn,t remember to have come by that path... there was no more path. And he heard a growl. He search the bushes to find where it was coming from. He saw a coyote. Coyote doesn't attack men... but Isaac didn't trust his fathers words presently. He feel that this coyote might do an exception. Isaac shout for help, but no answers. he shouts he panicked. The coyote jump on him. Issac barely escape teh bite, but he found himself clawed to teh blood. It was painfull. teh coyote turned around to attack again when an arrow end just between the kid and the animal. the coyote flew quickly before Isaac faint.
You dream of war...
Isaac wake up. He is eigteen years old. He was in a barrack. the war had been declared between the dwarves and the humans. the impossible had happen. the goblins and dwarves have made peace. Not only that, an alliance. no one know for sure what have happen, but they had started to strike on the border land. Isaac's farm had been one of the first to be burned. his father died in the attack, as Loic. Sarah and his mother escaped with him. They were in teh capital now, living at the expense of Marrik. Isaac owe him too much. He remember that night, when he was attack by that coyote. Marrik arrow had saved his life. At that moment, Marrik was responsible of an outpost, and he was leading the search for the kid that had dissapear. He had been missing only a day, but Issac felt it had been a week. Marrik had continue the search during the night, knowing the forest wasn't a safe place.
Today, Marrik took Issac as his second. He was just an helper more than a leader, but that way, he was less likely to be in the front and get killed quickly. Also, Marrik took care of his training. Martial talent wasn't all, stealth could do just as good, if not better. It is in his presence that he met Youval, teh head of the church, and Allinda, the court wizardress. He had been impress by these two figures. he also had seen the emperor, a charismatic man who only presence was fascinating. When he spoke, it was natural that everyone listen to him. It seems like he had been chosen by the god. It is rumored he was almosy eigthy, but his body was more looking as a man in the fifty, in good health, still able to endure the battlefield. he was always surrounded by these two mystical figures, Youval and Allinda. Marrik had been responsible of teh security of the general Henri, it is how he had been able to enter the palace. Irony of teh fate, that palace was a gift of teh dwarves, and it is there the war was planned.
The first battle had been won by the goblins and the dwarves. the empire didn't expected to be hit on that side, and the defences was weak. They were reinforcing there position. Marrik was told he was about to take control of two hundread man and slow down the dwarves attempt to take control of the iron mines. Isaac knew what it meant, he was about to go to teh battlefield. He was about to see his first battles.
You dream of blood...
A month later, he was in the outpost. A small fortification made of stone near a village. It was large enough to contain all the population of the village, who was taking care of the mine. Temporary bed had been place in some rooms, so the people who didn't wanted to sleep in there home, in fear of being attacked, could sleep in the outpost. Skirmish attack was done between the dwarves and the humans. Isaac was sometimes the leader of some of these raids, as Marrik had to stay in teh outpost to coordinate the attack. One night, a large attack strike the village. Almost three hundreads goblins attack the outpost. They killed all man, woman and kids they could put an hand on. Marrik was seriously wounded. Being second in command, Issac took control of the outpost. Half his men were wounded or killed. Reinforcement was not about to come, but the goblin had been push, for the moment.
During a week, he had gather the deads and they burned there body, before some disease start to spread from them. He make sure the wounded were taken care of, and sent even some back to the capital. Issac intensified the skirmish attack, taking the lead of many of them. His order were clear and without pity. Kill them all, except the leader, who would be taken for interrogation. Even when they surrender, Isaac gave the same pity than the goblins had given to the villagers. His superiors didn't like much his way to lead, but the region around the mine have been secured again, and for that reason, they told nothing.
One night, the fall on a group of dwarves. They never attacked. When they saw the small troop, they ask for there help. Isaac didn't cared, he tell his men to kill the dwarves. Trevor, his second, was against and made protest, but Issac were clear and the dwarves were all slaugthered. After that they searched the bodies. A message written in dwarven was found on one of them. He tooks the bodie sand burned them and put the letter in his pocket. He will look at that later.
You dream of salvation...
A week, later, a large offensive was done by teh dwarves on some outpost, but there goal was to reach the capital. Isaac outpost wasn,t on the army path, but there line of supply was cut. the goblins had lost interest on the outpost and things had grow calmer. Isaac found back his letter in his cloak. He took it and start to study it. He knew a bit the dwarven, so he took the time to translate it. It took him all the night, but when he finally decripted the letter, he knew the mistake he had done. The alliance was force by a small group of Duergar, who had the dwraven Thane and high priest under there infuence. the people couldn't revolt in fear that the head of there society fall, and without it, it would become teh chaos, and the goblins would take control of the dwarven kingdom. That alliance was the only way to maintain an hope the duegar would lose. This letter was a call for help.
Isaac had no way to reach the emperor. His thought of having killed a few rebel that could have help him make him thought how rutless he has been in teh last months. But was to do, he didn't knew. In the night, he left and take a walk in the mine, to make an inspection, as he wasn't able to sleep. In the mine, he had a surprise, he saw a dwarf. He knew the mine wasn't linked to the dwarven empire, and anyone who would have tried to pass the line he had made would have been spotted. So how he came there. the dwarf ask to Isaac his help. All this war is in the hand of a single dwarf, a Duergar who had bound by magic the leaders of the dwarven race. He told him he needed someone to kill him, as no dwarves would dare to try, in fear the Thane would pay with his life the failure. only someone outside of the dwarven society could do that. Isaac told him he wasn't in position to help, and even if he wouldlike, he couldn't hope to pass through the dwarven line. the dwarf answers he was there to make sure he would be able. He gave isaac a map of the dwarven city, with some place marke din red, other in blue, and gave him a coin. He told to present that coin to these blue spot, and he could reach the Duergar without problem.
Isaac left teh dwarf and thought about it. It was crazy. And why would he trust a dwarf? But if it was true... if he could stop that war, repair the mistake he had made... the next day, he left to trvor the head of teh outpost, telling him he would try to pass through the goblin,s army line to reach the emperor and warn him about the letter. In truth, he decided to follow the dwarves advice.
You dream of being buried alive...
Isaac followed the mountain path up to a cave. He saw many trace of goblin patrols, but it seems that he was lucky to never meet one. He enter the cave and follow it, but not without hesitation. he remembered the ruins of his youth, and it seems teh courage was failing him. He wondered why he was there, why he was doing this, he was a fool. But he told himself it was too late to trun away. He followed the map and end in a small cave that had been made by some hands, not by natural mean. A dwarf spot him, and he was quickly surrounded. He show up the coin. They where all surprise to see that. One tell Isaac he was a spy, but the lieutnant, a dwarf named Ardak, hold that guy. He ask to Isaac if he knew what he was holding. Isaac didn't knew. The dwarf told him ot was the holy symbol of Guelim, god of nobility of teh dwarves. the only known follower was the Thane himself, and having one was a crime if you weren't the Thane or one of his heir. But it is also known that in case of great trouble, that symbol could show up. It has appearde once, and it has caused the ostracism of the derro, who were exiled in the deepness of the mountain range. Ardak trust that he was there to stop the duergar. He told him about the secret word of the rebellion. He told him to use it before showing that symbol, as not everyone will be as open minded as him, and that some wouldn't beleive that symbol to be true.
Isaac pass throught the other checking point with the secret words. Many dwarves were surprised to see a human in there caves, but being part of teh rebellion, they let him pass. he reach teh lair of the wizard. He snkea inside and saw the wizard concentarting on some crystal ball. he saw the visage of some dwarves in the crystal ball, changing than dissapearing. He slowly walk toward the dawrves... things was too easy he told himself, but the moment after, a bolt of electricity came out of somewhere and stike Isaac. The dwarf turn around and create a wall of fire around Isaac. Isaac was confused. It was the first time he was seeing a wizard into action, and it seems not to be the weakest one. Isaac jump over teh fire, feeling the fire burning his flesh. He tried to strike the dwarf, but he parried with his staff quite easily. The dwarf quickly cast anotehr spell and the moment after, Isaac was blind... he was now easy to hit. the duergar tell him he was a fool to come here, that he would die, and he will make sure to bring more misery to his kin. In an hopless move, Isaac make a large swing with his weapon. The duergar easily dodge it, but that wasn't his objective. Isaac guess the crystal ball had something to do with his power. The weight of his weapon shattered the crystal ball. The wizard start to shout of anger, but he hadn't the time to do anything, as an explosion come from the crystal ball. Isaac was prjected throught the fire wall and finish his course on a wall. He heard the sound of falling rock. the room was collapsing. Blind as he was, he was unable to find the way out he felt a stone crushing his legs, he saw the dirst and rock of the ruins he had explored falling on him again, but that time, he knew he ould escape...
Then you wake, in pitch darkness. You try to move, but your hand hits solid stone. Panic momentarily overwhelms you. Then, a hazy memory returns, and you push upwards with all your strength.
Isaac was under some panic. He felt teh darkness cruching him. He felt the air going out of his lung. the memory of the old ruins, the memory of the dwarven city was coming back to him. He wanted to escape, he wanted to see some light, to breath fresh air, he want to escape this narrow place. He hits the walls, the ground, the ceiling of this narrow room. He push the bottom, nothing seems to work. He hit the ceiling and felt it moving. He put all his strength to push him, control by a madening panic.
The lid of your stone coffin gives way. You sit up, look around.
Isaac calm down. His mind become clearer, the air smell bad, but al least, he has place to move. A faint light show the surrounding. He wondered what he was doing there. It doesn't look like the dwarven city, it look like more...
You are inside a tomb. Most likely, your tomb.[/SBLOCK]
Ok, there might have many mistake and typos... I'll correct it later, when I'll have more time. I wrote that a bit in a hurry as I didn,t had much time, for too much ideas.
Crunch side, most likely he will be some kind of Ranger and/or Rogue and/or Figther and/or Scout and/or [you see the picture i think...] with maybe a few level of Favored Soul of Guelim (God to be stated)
Possible Plothook:
The war continue: the empire want is winnning while the dwarves are in a civil war. Isaac is know as a deserter in the empire army, and an hero among the dwarves. A clostrophobic warrior stuck in the deepness of a dwarven kindom
The war is finish, Isaac is a hero. He come back to the empire, where Youval see his miraculous reappearance as a possible heresy, but striking at a hero in the plain light is dangerous. Allinda decide to use Isaac in her intrigue against the church. The warrior is stuck in the intrgue of the court out of his element. Allinda might send him on some mission too to seek some knowledge in old wizards ruins.
Trevor didn't liked Isaac type of leadership, and see Isaac as an enemy, and want to make him fall from the pedestal his heroic deed have put him. Trevor want to show to everyone who is the true Isaac, the merciless captain and the deserter, leaving his men alone.
Marrik is now invalided by his wounds, and see Isaac a way to acheive his dreams, and use him as a political tools to gain power. Marrik body might not be able to fight again, but his mind is clear and seek to replace general Henri who is growing old.
