WD, you don't need to sweat character background too much if you are having trouble. There's plenty of scope to come up with details in play - actually, as an elf it might make in-character sense for him to be evasive and vague about his past and homeland anyway, makes him more otherworldly. I'll be putting up the first IC post soon to give you all a chance to introduce your characters, and also to get a better idea of the scope fo the adventure.