Now we all know that our characters ended up in Helgen after trying to cross the border into Skyrim (unlesss you roleplay something different, that is) so my question to you, as i'm interested, is why did your character go to Skyrim in the first place?

My character, Sherryl, headed to Skyrim after her cousin, Ria, sent her a letter inviting her to join the companions (an invitation she could't refuse) promising her adventure and a life of freedom.

What about you?

I was on my way to assassinate the High King myself, but Ulfric beat me to it and I wasn't aware. Seeing as I was taken prisoner for a crime yet committed and being found with that Jarl, my next quest is to slay him where he stands.

I just missed being a prisoner so much.

Last thing I knew I was in the photobooth getting my new passport pics done, then flash, and the next thing I'm in the back of a wagon!

I forgot to take the left turn at Albuquerque

I was at this drinking contest in Cyrodiil... I woke up on the wagon without knowing what the hell happened. Heck... at least my knee is fine.

Is that a Derren Brown reference?

I've yet to come up with a fleshed out reason. I kind of imagine he grew up in a somewhat traditional Nord family already, maybe the son of a poor blacksmith.. and his dad's last dying suggestion was to go back to his homeland, make a better life for himself there. Instead, he ended up on the chopping block. Kind of imagine it like the first Rambo movie. Just some dude hiking his way through, and ends up getting persecuted by some overzealous law enforcement (in this case, imperials).

I just needed a specific Alchemy item only available in Skyrim. Then i ended up killing Dragonpriests 'n such.

My character, Hjortr Glen-Song was trying to re-enter Skyrim after a simple hunting trip. Made camp, next day the Skirmish ensued all around him! Trying to flee he was captured by the Imperials.

Astian Lambert (Breton Soldier/Aspirations of Holy Knight) has been hunting down the Necromancer who killed his family while he was on active duty with the Imperial Army, its been 14 years now since he left, and he had all but given up, and his focus slowly shifted to redeeming himself for his perceived failure to protect his wife and daughter, by protecting those who are true to the Nine Divines (at the age of 49, he still holds to his upbringing prior to the White Gold Concordant, and veteran of the Battle of Red Ring). His travels finally took him to Cyrodiil, only to find the Necromancer involved was already killed in battle with a guild mage.
His revenge unfulfilled, Astian was making his way back his old family estate in High Rock and converting it to an anti-necromancer training ground with roots in stories of the Knights of the Nine, when he heard sounds of fighting, and came across the Imperial ambush of the Stormcloaks. Mistaken for a rear guard, he was knocked out by an overzealous imperial scout...
The Lambert family has a long tradition in the Military, and proudly trace their ancestry(albeit marginally) back to Tiber Septim himself, and the Dragonborn bloodline.

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Senna Vayn (Imperial Smuggler) is a descendent of a wealthy imperial family whose roots have been closely tied to the thieves guild*, and contraband smuggling. Training to take over from her aging parents, Senna has started taking a more serious involvement with the criminal side of the family, taking part in smuggling operations across Cyrodiil. It was part of a smuggling caravan that got caught up in the imperial ambush. Initially thinking the Imperials were there to catch them in the act of smuggling, Senna made a run for it, and ran straight into an imperial soldier.
* Descendents of the Gray Fox whom rumour has it was involved in assisting Emperor Martin during the Oblivion crisis, however, due to the nature of the cowl of nocturnal, the family is unaware of the connection.

because they wanted to play the game!!!!

.... Why bother replying to this thread if you don't care about this sort of thing?

Wanderlust and boredom.

I was an agent for the Aldmeri Dominium trying to spy on the Stormcloaks and got caught along with them.

he came from solstheim, wanted to see the homeland of his people. his people turned out to be dikes who tried to behead him for no reason :sadvaultboy: .

Manys years ago my imperial assassin listened to a bard sining about young hairy guys who fight against shining bloodsvcker. Actually this made me scared and i looked away in disgust. Then i heard about guys like that living in skyrim and from that day on my mission was clear.

My Imperial has had something of a checkered past which left him with a bad reputation throughout many parts of Cyrodiil, so he thought traveling to a new land might be a way to start life anew and become a better person.

My Master Race Altmer mage was probably spying on Stormcloaks for the Thalmor when got caught by the Imperials. Don't know much about those cool fellows in black coats, but I hope they will accept my character to their ranks. If they will, the aforementioned will be my official RP.

Because white Argonian looks stupid in Great Marsh.

My Nord grew up in Bruma, but his older brother took over the family business and after service in the Imperial legion, he thought he'd try and find out where his great grandfather came from just after the Oblivion Crisis. Needless to say, over-zealous guards thought he was in league with Ulfric's men, and arrested him soon after he'd come through to Skyrim. That, or he just got lost looking for Akaviri artifacts around Pale Pass.

I like to think my main character was traveling back to his home province, ended up paying the wrong people (Stormcloaks) for safe passage, and got captured along with them.

Cue the Imperials, their lists, and the lady captain who doesn't care about due process. As a Breton this was highly offensive. :shakehead:

I left my stronghold in search of wealth & glory, living by the code of Malacath

First a little back story. I been playing a Redguard as main character in every TES game. And each game is a story that is pass down in my character family history.

So in this story I'm on my way from Hammerfall to Morrowind to visit the home where my ancestor the Nerevarine once lived. But on the way I comes across a group and ask for directions when out no where the Imperial army shows up and arrested everyone there no question ask. I knew I should have gone thought Cyrodiil. Well now on with the story.........

My dragonborn character is a Nord actually born in Helgen - bit of a backstory but to cut it short he ends up fighting for the Stormcloaks and is captured, coincidentally sent to be executed in his place of birth.

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My other character is a young female Bosmer from Valenwood, handy with a bow and two blades. She is attacked by a vampire in the forest, manages to escape but not without becoming infected. She spends months after turning feeding on visitors to her village - traders and the like, refusing to harm the people she knows. The mystery killer is not found until the vampirism begins to consume her, and she realises that she actually enjoys the killing and the power. An incident with a friend causes her in her bloodthirst to attack and brutally kill him in the middle of the village, and she escapes into the forest, pursued north by hunters from her tribe. She evades them all the way to the Jerall Mountains, feeding along the way until she runs right into a group of Stormcloaks and is captured, believed to be a Thalmor spy.

Shortly after, the group is ambushed by Imperial soldiers and almost all her captors are killed, only for her to be instead taken into Imperial custody. It was her luck that one of her Stormcloak captors was none other than Ulfric Stormcloak himself, and despite her pleas of innocence she is roughly taken away with Ulfric and the other survivors, to await... something.

After escaping Helgen, to cut an even longer story short, she finds sanctuary and a new family in the Dark Brotherhood (you guessed that one).