The campaign starts in the eastern side of the Isle of Belegrim in the lands controlled by the Nadari and the Shield. (See River's Bend and King's Reach on the Game Map)

I've put up all the Human and Elven races that player characters might have access to at some point, but at the start it would be consistent with the Story to have the party be mostly Nadari or Hannan and Shield Humans. An odd Dragen or Arronean (not likely a recent transplant, but rather someone who's genes stayed true to the original stock) wouldn't be amiss though.

I don't want to stifle player creativity, but you'd just need to work with me to come up with a good backstory for the other races- like Jamnean, you'd really have to be a lost fisherman or an escaped serf- it would limit background and available classes.

The rationale behind this is primarily two-fold. 1) The War of the Dragonlords, over 500 years before the start of the campaign, was devastating both physically and psychologically to the Human nations- exhausted and ruined they turned isolationist (That Arrone actually came to the aid of the Elves was such a surprise to the Elves). 2) There is an unexplained phenomena that all but guarantees that sea travel past over the horizon from any shore ends in disaster. Eventually a ritual was discovered that made sea travel mostly safe if done correctly, but the phenomena dampens both trade and travel still to some degree.

Do we have any information regarding how or why we have gathered together? Or the nature of our first adventure?

In reply to Varence (msg # 2):

Yes, and the writing it up from my hazy memories is on this weekends to-do list. Thanks, missing character sheets, note cards, and paper notes for disappearing when I need you the most.

The 300 second version is that you found yourself in Feros, center of Shield mining operations, with an eye for the next bit of money to earn (or in some cases a job from your masters). Wuurlis Crackstone hired posters to appeal to adventurers to find out what happened to his daughter, Claire's, survey mission out past the border forts. The party had not communicated per plan. Your motley crew of strangers had a treasure hunter join as a guide for a share of the rewards. Your party left and headed westward. On the way you found a treasure hunter who had died apparently of illness and a goat of unusual intelligence. He was porting a load of Waste finds to the auction and also had an undelivered message from Claire's group. You got to the border forts and found where they had crossed into the Wastes. There was more sickness there. Your party headed into the Wastes, tracking Claire's group and having a few encounters on the way. Eventually your party found a site with signs of struggle, dead guards, and dead Orcs. The party backtracked the Orc trail into the mountains, apparently a pass previously undiscovered by either Orcs or Humans. The party turned back and followed the trail of the captured party, ultimately finding their captors at a set of ruins. A number of mistakes were made (by party, by Orcs, by the DM) at this point. There was a minor combat and Claire effected her party's escape by collapsing the ruins in the right way, thanks to her family's knowledge of mining and fortifications. The remaining Orcs were trapped further back in the ruins and headed down a passage into the mountain. Your party was not able to immediately pursue and beside you had Claire's tortured party to deal with. The lead Orc had been very concerned about why Claire just happened to be where his war party came over the mountains. Heading back east, the party found more ruins (that the party wasn't entirely sure that they weren't present before- but it might have been a mapping problem). Undead skeletons were fought and defeated. Continuing on, the party found the river that goes back through Shield lands and decided to build a raft. Rafting back you passed a party of your treasure hunter's friends. They looked to be preparing an ambush on your returning party but were set up in the wrong place. Your treasure hunter guide swore that he didn't know about it- and those scum weren't his friends regardless as treasure hunters don't have friends out in the Wastes. Rafting to River's Bend, you get in contact with the military to report that had found Claire, that there was this sickness, and oh by the way there were Orcs in places no one had ever seen Orcs before. The military placed you into voluntary custody for debrief by Command in King's Reach. And that's where it ended.