Character backgrounds eh? Alrighty then, I hope you don't mind if I take a bit of artistic free reign over the manner of how magic is used/enforced in the game?
Aramil, when asked about his background, is quiet for a moment, as if he is comtemplating the answer, before answering in a resolute voice. He was born 19 years ago in Southport, his father was a retired adventurer and his mother, and he quotes this dryly, was the village horse that stuck with his father when she got pregnant and caused him to retire lest she send bounty hunters after him to bring him back. His family was well off for awhile compared to a lot of others in that time, and as he was being raised, he took an interest in the finer arts, namely education and it's uses. His father however was also a drunkard and was prone to fits of anger when dipping too much into the drink, and his mother was of no use as she basically was leeching off his father for money, and neither really supported his interests all that much. Aramil does not continue into the topic of his parantage further, and avoids it upon further questioning.
One day, one of the crown wizards and a local priest made their yearly rounds through the city, searching for youths that had a talent for magic or the holy arts, and as he had recently come of age, he was required to take part in their tests. As it turned out, he has quite the talent for magic, especially for finer manipulations of magical energy. He was very lucky that day to find out that a wizard that was living near the city was also available for taking on an apprentice, and he was taken on at the age of 10 by a wizard that was also a retired adventurer, albiet a more sucessful one, and Aramil left his family in order to learn the arcane arts.
His tution was eventful as well as insightful, as his master knew the value of practical uses of magic and knowledge and had him often practice his arts 'in the field' after properly learning them. He was also versed in the ways of nature, and was often sent out into the wilderness alone for days at a time in order to gather large amounts of ingredients in a single go, as well as perform various other tasks.
After 9 years of hard work, learning, sweat, blood and tears, he was pronounced ready to leave the service of his master in order for him to learn magic on his own, before most likely returning some time later to serve the crown in some manner. He was given some basic supplies by his master, and Aramil left Southport and never looked back.