As an assassin...

In 13th Age, there is a background system for skill checks - essentially you allocate skill points an abstract background. then, when a skill check comes along, you roll against the difficulty, adding the background that is relevant. You explain why this is relevant in the game. I think it makes a nice background.

So, for Fate of the Norns, I propose the following:

• 1. Ignore the skill boards and all the skills in the book

  2. Pick a number of backgrounds

  3. Assign your Essence in points/runes to them

  4. You can assign no more than four or your Destiny in (whichever is less) runes to any one. You can add 1 to this limit for every Disir level you have.

  5. Additionally, you gain one for your sub-archetype (assassin for Sceadegengan, enchanter for galdr, etc) because of your void rune. This is explicitly defined by your sub-archtype.

So, Björn the Berserker (Essence 6, Destiny 3, Level 12) might have

• • Rower on the Jarl's longship - 3

  • Apprentice to the great smith Wayland - 2

  • Lived in the wilderness for a month - 1

Marvin the Multifaceted might have

• • Lived in the wilderness for a month - 1

  • Lover of the ladies - 1

  • Merchant for a summer - 1

  • Saw a sword get made one time - 1

  • Got some basic rune lessons - 1

  • Sami-friend - 1

Norn Note: this might require tweaking. Animal Shapeshift, or various passives based on skills, might put a kink in this. Many of these cases can be dealt with by creating a background that actually gives the skill in question. For example, if you have a passive that relies on War Tactics, creating a background that is something like "Sub-jarl under Jarl Borg" will fill the need there.