Re-Inventing Ari

As most of you have probably already heard, we're starting Act 2 of our campaign. Which has presented a unique issue to me as a player. This will be the first character I have played that has returned (as a PC) in the same campaign setting. The difference: 4 years have passed since the first adventure concluded. So, how do you age your character 4 years, without the benefit of gameplay to provide experiences?

A Brief History of the Elf

Before I go any further, let me tell you a little bit about Ari beyond the odds and ends I've share thus far. I developed the elven fighter Sar'ruaselari (Ari, for short) based on the "Champions of Corellon Larethian" prestige class from the Races of the Wild supplement. Orphaned when she was very young, Ari grew up as a ward of a temple of Corellon; she admired the Champions, and upon reaching her adulthood, she began to pursue the Champion lifestyle. During the character development stage, I knew that the rest of the party were followers of Horus-Re (a sun god as opposed to moon favored by Corellon), so I needed a reason for Ari to be traveling with the rest of them. I developed a story where a messenger from Corellon charged her with a mission that would start with these adventurers. (Read the full backstory.)

Fast Forward Four Years

Upon successfully saving the world, the group disbanded. What would Ari do now? What cool stories could she share at the class, er, party reunion to make everyone jealous?

This is where having a fairly well-developed backstory helped re-invent Ari. I had details from her past that I could pull into her future. I created a brief history to fill the four year gap with details from before her adventuring days with sufficient detail to make it realistic to Ari and to inspire me during Act 2. (For the curious among you, I will try to get that posted soon.)