Theric is an elf horizon walker. In my setting the abilities that horizon walkers possess are a genetic ability that some elves possess as a race that originated from the fae. While Theric was developing his skills as a ranger and horizon walker, he worked as a guide for hire during the Imperial Invasion of his northern homeland. After the war, his own people scorned him for his aid of the enemy. When Theric then tried to head south to the Empire he had worked with, he found them too prejudiced to accept him, even though he had saved the lives of many of their kin. When the expedition was announced, Theric signed up as a chance to get a fresh start, and his burgeoning skills as a horizon walker will certainly help out in uncharted lands. Theric's smoking was a funny thing that the other players at the table decided he does when he gets frustrated, and it's a fun trait that stuck to the character.