Need Help Fleshing out a Character

[Halae]

Alright, I'm going to be joining a campaign that starts at level one here on the roleplaying boards, but I'm having a bit of trouble developing my character's past.

See, I want to play a Half-Orc cleric of Pelor named Tormag (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=287857). There's a few big things I want about him though - He has a level of confidence in himself that's rarely seen in Half-bloods. Enough that he doesn't really care about the prejudices being thrown at him all the time. He's also got an intelligence of 14, meaning he's smarter than the average human (I got some awesome rolls). and finally, he loves Garlic. In fact, sitting in his pack is 100 cloves of garlic, so that whenever he wants he can just reach in and munch it.

This is a character I'd love to play, but I'm drawing a massive blank on how to develop his backstory and personality - So, I've come to the playground for help in this matter!

[Dylaer]

Questions are likely the easiest thing to go with here. Stuff like, what was his childhood like? Did he know both his parents? Why did he choose to become a cleric of Pelor? What degree of prejudice has been thrown at him (ie just insults or actual violence)? and so on.

[McSmack]

Yeah the best way I've found to develope a character's backstory is to ask questions about what made them the way they are.

1) why is he so confident? Perhaps he believes he has a destiny, so he 'knows' that he will be a mighty hero someday. Maybe it's just show.

2) Why is he resistant to the prejudice? He could have come from a village of half-orcs, or two loving half-orc parents. Or he was an orphan taken in at a monestary full of old blind nuns. The nuns could not see him so they had no reason to treat him differently. Maybe he's just arrogant, and could care less what the rabble think.

3)Why does he love garlic? Maybe someone he grew up with loved to cook with lots of it and the taste reminds him of them/home. Maybe he was an orphan on the streets, stealing for his meals, and he managed to steal an entire bushel of garlic. He learned to tolerate, even love, the strong taste.

[Halae]

I actually wanted to tie the reistance to prejudice and confidence together. I really do like the idea of having a pair of Half-Orc parents - something about that really appeals to me.

I also like the suggestions about living with a cook. Maybe his mother was the chef for an Inn? They might have always had extra foods that needed to be eaten by the staff before it went bad, and so she fed her son whatever he wanted, and he took a liking to garlic. it would be both a taste he likes for the sake of the taste, and it would remind him of his mother.

This makes me wonder though, what would have gotten him into the clergy of Pelor? Maybe he nearly got killed once as a child but a priest saved him?