Since I can't roll here in the thread, I'll just go ahead and plug away a background for the character I think I've finally settled on (if only because someone else mentioned being an awesome Koopa with shades :p).
[ +- ] Prince Mocha of the Latte Kingdom, Whip-Wielding Adventurous Heir
Anyone who's anyone has heard of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario? Luigi? Princess Peach? These are names that transcend borders, both beyond the stars and across all the land. Even Sarasaland's rightful heiress is a poignant figure on the lips of at least some people in positions to know of it.
But what about the Latte Kingdom? What, never heard of the Latte Kingdom? Nobody has, it seems, despite its rich and vibrant history that continues to go unsung. For as long as anyone can remember (that is, what few people even know it exists), the Latte Kingdom has lived in the shadows of its more royally prominent peers, forever forgotten by even some of the most astute historians. Even when its traders bring in spices and rich coffees, they are often confused for residents of Sarasaland's Chai Kingdom or, worse, Dry Dry Outpost, the latter an insult that cuts deeper than any other.
The latest heir in a long line of merchant-kings and adventurer-queens, Prince Mocha has always been a prideful lad whose only crime was that he resented the obscurity of his people. Raised on tales of bravery and daring exploits by his forebears, he always yearned for the opportunity to seek his own fortune beyond the borders of his otherwise unknown lands; to press beyond his home to spread the resplendent glory of the Latte Kingdom through his own heroic deeds. Alas! Royal duties long held the young prince at bay, forced to deal with the day to day drudgery of maintaining a kingdom for the better of its subjects alongside his parents, the King and Queen.
Tragedy, like all things, is often the beginning of great heroic songs; the disappearance of the Latte Kingdom's Coffee Reserves was the first riff to be played. The lifeblood of the Kingdom, panic and desperation soon set in when it was revealed that some dastardly villain had somehow managed to abscond with the precious wealth of Prince Mocha's home, leaving the remote kingdom destitute and, essentially, coinless. Unable to raise an army of its own without knowing the whereabouts of their most potent commodity, Prince Mocha took it upon himself as a call to adventure -- to find this blackguard and return that which was unjustly taken!
Armed with wit, whip, and a royal pedigree, the would-be hero of his people set forth from his homeland towards the Mushroom Kingdom and its surrounding areas in search of fame, fortune, and a boatload of missing coffee.
