Backstory From My Old Comics: Christopher is the rightful prince of the desert elf kingdom, Aridia, but most of it was wiped out long ago by the Fire Lord, Karma. Long thought to be dead, Christopher had actually escaped fate because he earlier ran away, due to irreconcilable differences with his father, the Desert Elf King, Shaddah Palain. He didn't want to be the prince because of his beliefs that the people should choose who they want for their leader. He was also tired of having every aspect of his life controlled, due to his belief that everyone should be free to choose their own path. Nucleo McRaven was very happy to discover that he turned up alive and well later, because Christopher had been a student of his. He was, in fact, traveling with a circus, but because his act didn't bring in a lot of money, the circus owner considered him a liability. Professor McRaven paid off Christopher's debt to grant his freedom.

Christopher is a bit goofy, and really clumsy with a sword, but he has a heart of gold and strong magic potential. However, he doesn't take his powers seriously, so they're underdeveloped. Although Nucleo generally agrees with Christopher's political opinions, he is a bit concerned that the young elf doesn't really know what he does want to be. Christopher was also a major reoccurring character in the old RAU. He provided much needed comic relief in both series, but he also proved he could get the job done in more serious situations when needed. He has a mind and heart completely unclouded by prejudice and does not see others in terms of race or species. He even befriended the synthetic human, Samantha, and caused her to abandon her preprogrammed mission to help Zimosa take control of the Great Phainein Tower.

Christopher's weapon is the Light Scimitar, a sword with the emblem of a half-moon and imbued with the power of Leohtiss, the Great Light Spirit. He is also left-handed, and about 15 years old.

Character Design Notes: I was about 10 years old when I first created Christopher Paladin. He was originally supposed to be a pigeon based on a real-life pigeon who was also named Christopher, but I decided (thankfully) that idea was too ridiculous to work. The feathers around the real pigeon's legs reminded me of "genie" pants, so I sketched up an elf in a genie-like costume. (I am not sure why I made him an elf except for maybe a mental association on my part of elves with curly-toed shoes.) Uh, instead of actually going to a library or bookstore and maybe getting a book that had pictures of clothing like that, I pulled them from memory and Christopher ended up wearing overalls instead of a vest. I later decided I actually liked that better for him anyway. Several changes and inconsistencies in earlier versions of the character include:

1. My first few drawings of Christopher had a mustache. This was probably a holdover from the "genie" idea and also because I didn't really know how old this character was supposed to be at first. I quickly got rid of it and decided on an age of 15 for him. I have not actually posted any of these in the scrapbook yet and probably never will, but I thought I should note it anyway.

2. Placement of Christopher's eyes changes. Sometimes they are right close together and sometimes there is space between them.

3. When I learned that "Arabian Nights" type costumes typically have vests (and not overalls), I started drawing Christopher with a vest. You can see that in many old pictures of him. I later decided I liked the overalls more and did away with the vest.

4. There is one version of Christopher that looks sowewhat different from all the others. This was the one I drew for the short-lived Minerva Project. This version has a red vest, red shoes, and a different kind of turban. Like most stuff from TMP, I generally do not consider that version canon at all.

Christopher's standard attire is an Aridian outfit that consists of blue overalls with blue-sheened sleeved shirt, baggy pants, and curly-toed shoes. He also wears a turban, but sometimes takes it off. Sometimes Christopher has a yellow rope/strap around his chest that is holding his sword scabbard to his back. He also sometimes has a large blue feather (or two) in his belt for no explained reason.

Christopher in the RAU Gallery: With the world safe from Zimosa and the elemental gods, Christopher has returned to the Grimmora University as an understudy of Nucleo McRaven. He still retains his laid-back outlook on life and goofy sense of humor. He tends to instigate misbehavior in classrooms, which greatly annoys some teachers like Crow and Honen Calzoun. Although Christopher is Samantha's steady boyfriend, he seems to enjoy playing off the homosexual stereotype often associated with elves to get reactions out of people, particularly the school psychiatrist, Dr. Preston Abirok, who is also a desert-elf.

First RAU Gallery Appearance: Adventures in Site Tracking #1: Of Hypocrites and Fire Eyes

The cardboard cover had fallen off of one of my notebooks in college, leaving this section divider for its "cover", and in an effort to show off how much of a geek I was, I had this drawing of Nucleo McRaven and Christopher Paladin on it. I had more than a fair share of people ask me what they were from and I had to explain they were my own characters. Unfortunately, the divider got a tear in it that went straight through Christopher's torso, but now that I've got it scanned I don't have to worry as much about it getting any worse.

Christopher making an "Alex from A Clockwork Orange" face. This one looks similar to his original RAU Gallery profile picture, but I'm not sure which was done first. This one's definitely not as good. The shape of his face is rather wonky.