Ok, here's my background so far. Let me know if it fits ok/floats your boat, etc.
Mattin Sartore was born in the Sembian city of Saerloon, in the Year of the Morningstar. He was the son of a tailor, his father attempted to teach him the family business, but Mattin was at best halfhearted in his apprenticeship, always envisioning greater things for himself. As he grew up, he began spending more and more evenings crawling the taverns in the company of aristocratic young-bloods, who had time and old money to squander. Though not of their social class, he found he could make friends easily by relying on his wit. Eventually however, he saw that in order to keep pace with his new social circle he would need money, and to this end he undertook a number of “odd jobs” and shady deals with the local criminal element. His last such job, in which he acted as middleman in a large shipment of rare “medicines,” turned sour when the shipment failed to arrive, after he had spent his advance. Unable to repay his sizable debt, and with enforcers from one of Saerloon’s largest criminal syndicates breathing down his neck, he decided that the time was ripe to skip town.
Mattin caught a ride on an Amnish caravan heading west, through Dearlun, and on past the Thunder Peaks. The caravan stopped briefly in Wheloon, and Mattin, tired of rough nights on the road, decided that he had put enough space between himself and his debts, and took a room at a local inn. A short while later he was approached by a local merchant who had information on a suspicious disappearance. His cash reserves dwindling, he decided to take up the merchants offer, thinking that at the very least he might be good for an evening’s drinks.
Mattin stands a hair over six feet tall, with black shoulder length hair and green eyes. He wears a neatly trimmed goatee and moustache under a somewhat aquiline nose. His clothing marks him to the casual observer as a young aristocrat, but on closer inspection the cut is a few months out of date, and in places wear has been repaired, albeit with an expert needle.
Havent worked out all the crunchies yet, but so far have:
Mattin Sartore
Human Male, 24, Born 17 Uktar, 1350 DR;
Level 1 Rogue,
AL: Chaotic Good
Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 13 (edited to conform to rolled scores).
But anyhoo, that is up to you guys if you want to switch to dice rolling.
Well, do you have any knowledge of the Forgotten Realms? I'm not sure of this, but there could be some links to some sites that may help you with info on the FR in one of the sticky threads. However, I'm sure I could help you out as well. Let's take a look at some of your character ideas and maybe we can put some Faerun flavor to it. 
