Here is my character concept.
I am a young soldier from Brindol. As a child, I was always fascinated by the tales of old Rhestilor my uncle would tell us around the hearth, and I wanted to one day join the Army of Brindol to help restore the glory of the fallen kingdom.
However, basic training was a rude awakening, and I came to realize that our leaders were more interested in securing their own petty fortunes than in taming the land. When I was assigned to guard Brindol's foodstores--largely to keep hungry citizens from trying to pilfer a bite to eat here and there--my disillusionment threatened to squash my nationalistic spirit.
To avoid a growing cynicism, I decided to set out with a group of adventurers I recently met while drowning my sorrows at one of Brindol's drinking establishments. Certainly this is a better way than guarding foodstores to experience the glories of old Rhestilor. But it means going AWOL, and now I can't return to Brindol as anything less than a hero.
All doubts vanished once I hit the open road with my new friends. The air is cool and fresh, the sun is shining, and birds swoop in the air overhead. Though, to tell the truth, that forest up ahead does look unnaturally dark...
I have not played or read the Red Hand of Doom, so I would be happy to change any details of the above to fit with the setting. BTW, this character would be a male human fighter.
Edit: To account for the fact that we would be starting at 5th level, my mysterious old "uncle" was himself a grizzled old veteran who, seeing my fascination with his tales of old Rhestilor, took it upon himself to train me rigorously in my early teen years. Because of this, I entered the Army already more skilled than my peers and became a quick study during basic training. Although my superiors recognized my advanced skills, I didn't come from one of the "right" families in town, so I was relegated to guarding the foodstores.
Of course, what my "uncle's"
real history and motivations are is up to the DM.
