D&D 5E Need some PC "background hooks" for new campaign!

[Werebat]

Starting a new campaign tomorrow night, set in dual primes (one arid and desert, the other wet and swampy). Players will be rolling new characters, and I want to give each of them some sort of special background blurb like the ones in Out of the Abyss, that might tie them in to something happening later in the campaign. It's a homebrew mess that I'll be mostly running on the fly for now, so I'm not worried about whether or not it'll all fit into "the big story", because right now there isn't one.

So, stuff like this:

"As a child, you befriended a playful sprite in the woods near your village. She never revealed herself to anyone else, and no one ever believed you when you talked about her -- but she was real."

"You are the distant relative of a famous warrior from an earlier generation, who led the campaign that drove back the slavering gnoll hordes of Garthanhack the Reaver."

"As a child, you became lost in the swamp and likely would have died had you not been found by a small tribe of diminutive froglike creatures (Grippli), who protected you and led you back to the lands of your people."

"For the last year, you have had recurring dreams about an ancient pyramid of blue stone, located somewhere in the middle of a vast desert."


Any other ideas?

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I'd generally wait until I have an idea of the background of each character, so I could tie the hook into it.

 

[Eltab]

(Pseudo-Chinese merchant family): You have been sent out into the world to look for situations with the potential for future profit. Explore widely, remember all, and report it to your grandfather when you return. Especially look for places where order is being built out of chaos. (If you do the building yourself, rather than travelling widely, contact the family soonest, so they can 'get in on the ground floor'.)

Half-orc: The harsh demands and dire needs of the wild have been your familiar habitat. But you have the desire to experience different things - the fabled luxury of the rich, a full stomach every night, training in weapons that is taught only in formal dojos. So you set out.

Zhent: You and your cell thought you had found a 'sure thing' - but your leader swindled you all and disappeared. Rather than face guilt-by-association, you left the area and found a new territory for The Company. Some lonely nights, though, it still feels like you have been exiled.

Half-elf: The love of your youth, a human girl, recently passed away. You could not bear to remain amid the memories, so you took up the vagabond life. Maybe you are ready to find a new place to settle down?

Elf (from swamp world): Fantastic rumor claims that elves also live on the desert world, but they are nothing like you and yours - they may not even be civilized. (Player: The rumors sound a lot like Athas elven culture.) You are going to search out the rumors and learn the truth of the matter.

Wizard: Hints and clues in a number of scholar's tomes led you to think that the other world has access to forms of magic not known on your own world. Working under other wizards in the field has confirmed your suspicions but provided you no real clues. Now you must strike out on your own - to make a discovery that will be remembered for ages, or to become a legend of foolish pursuits.

Fighter / Barbarian: The number one rule of Fight Club is: you do not speak about Fight Club. But somebody spoke about a Fight Club on the other world. As a contestant in Fight Club, that piqued your curiosity. Maybe you can learn a technique that will make you unique and memorable.

Noble: You should quit taking dares during drinking contests. 'Around the World in 80 Days' was a difficult challenge. But you boasted that you would 'Go to the Other World and Come Back Again.' How the heck do you do THAT? Your reputation (and maybe your inheritance, since your family threatened to disown you over this very public incident) depends on finding an answer.

Cleric: The gods work in mysterious ways. Yours told you to join with certain people - and showed you their faces - to aid them in their endeavors. You never expected to meet them all at once in one place. Now you are ready to assist in whatever way you can.

 

[Quickleaf]

Folk Hero: "Your supposedly anonymous tip-off led to a crackdown on a slave ring operating on both sides of the portal. While many folks applauded you for it, there's that nagging doubt in the back of your mind - if they know your identity, so too must the slavers."