Another idea rattling around in my head is that, after a setting where racial tension was so at the fore, maybe we experiment with something where it's a non-issue? I was thinking that would dovetail nicely with Fergus's desire to play a goblin paladin, but maybe not, if the point is specifically to play something off-type?

Came across this thread about race in D&D on Twitter today, thought it was interesting and relevant to some things I've been thinking about when plotting the next campaign. Author is Keith Ammann, author of The Monsters Know What They're Doing.

Centuries ago, the races of the world were united into a vast empire ruled by dragons and their humanoid offspring. With time the dragons grew greedy and apathetic. They were content to collect their tribute, paying no attention to how it was raised. Thanks to the innovation of a gnome named Sprazzle Cognelius, the city of Crimson Dale (now renamed Coglinton) developed steam powered factories and, with the aid of an army of constructs, overthrew its dragon overlords.

Now Soggindale Cognelius is dead and his vast holdings divided between his squabbling sons, Crocklespring ("Crock") and Janpool "JP" Cognelius. The city is essentially divided into two company towns, with the majority of citizens of each laboring in their respective baron's factories, living in company housing, and shopping at company stores on company credit. Some praise the gnomes for bringing them the freedom to work for wages instead of laboring as slaves under the dragons, while others see a new form of servitude evolving. Some even romanticize the glory days of draconic rule and work to bring about the return of dragons who would reclaim the world anew.

Amidst the chaos, a new player emerges to challenge the barons: Bazzle "Baz" Cinderhorn was a gnomish orphan who, after losing an arm in a Crocklespring factory, found himself on the streets with no means of supporting himself. He fell in with a guild of thieves and, despite his missing arm, proved valuable to them for his ability to mechanize their operations. Though still not above cloak-and-dagger tactics, the Cinderhorn crew is seeking to go legit with factories of their own, organized under a new model where workers share in the revenue.

I'm envisioing Coglinton as a large and rapidly expanding and industrializing metropolis built atop a dormant(?) volcano that was once the lair of a red dragon. The city's factories are powered by steam from the volcanic crater's many vents. Non-exhaustive list of potential PC roles:

• "Fixer" for one of the gnomish barons
• Inventor/entrepreneur with dreams of becoming a baron oneself
• Union organizer
• Pinkerton-style union buster
• Scion of a wealthy industrial family (wouldn't have to be a gnome, they could have other allies)
• Rogue trying to eke out a living without submitting to one of the barons, may or may not be allied with a guild or larger organization
• Constable
• Government official interested in rooting out corruption and busting up the gnomish monopolies
• Member of a draconic cult (with or without draconic ancestry of your own)

That's quite a lot, sorry!  This just got my head spinning with ideas.  A lot of this is probably beyond the scope of the campaign, but hopefully might spark ideas to develop the setting and culture :)

Amidst the chaos, a new player emerges to challenge the barons: Bazzle "Baz" Cinderhorn was a gnomish orphan who, after losing an arm in a Crocklespring factory, found himself on the streets with no means of supporting himself. He fell in with a guild of thieves and, despite his missing arm, proved valuable to them for his ability to mechanize their operations. Though still not above cloak-and-dagger tactics, the Cinderhorn crew is seeking to go legit with factories of their own, organized under a new model where workers share in the revenue.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this section speaks to the current thinking about where our PC group will fit into this setting:

So we're the Cinderhorn Crew, a band of misfits and underdogs brought together by a disreputable visionary with big ambitions to go legit and get rich in an equitable way!  I wonder what sorts of interesting characters might be drawn to such a crew...? :D

This hook and the setting info have given me lots of new character ideas for my bard, but I'll need to make them into something sensible before sharing ;P

You know I don't have it in me to create a cut-and-dry "good guys" faction. :-)

If anyone wouldn't be too bothered knowing I can write out my concept more

The Back Door. The adventurers find a curious brass key. When inserted into a door, it transforms that door into a portal to the First Hearth, an inn in Fernia. Who does the key belong to? How often can its power be used? The barkeep Ashe is always happy to see a few new faces, but who else will the adventurers meet at the bar?

These small layers reflect the comfort fire can offer. A campfire layer can be a literal campfire, a lonely light out in the darkest wilderness. Another campfire layer is an inn called the First Hearth, where the angelic barkeep Ashe offers warm drinks around the fireplace from which the inn takes its name. Campfire layers are safe havens, and a perfect place for travelers to rest.

Mark of Hospitality Halfling
Source: Eberron - Rising from the Last War

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Ever Hospitable. Whenever you roll a Charisma (Persuasion) check or an ability check involving Brewer's Tools or Cook's Utensils, roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the total ability check.
Innkeeper's Magic. You know the Prestidigitation cantrip. You can also cast Purify Food and Drink and Unseen Servant with this trait. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can't cast that spell again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your Spellcasting Ability for these spells.
Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class features, the spells on the Mark of Hospitality Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.
Mark of Hospitality Spells

Spell Level Spell
1st Goodberry, Sleep
2nd Aid, Calm Emotions
3rd Create Food and Water, Leomund's Tiny Hut
4th Aura of Purity, Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum
5th Hallow

I know nothing is set in stone at this point, but what have we generally committed to at this point in terms of character concepts? Its been difficult to follow the flow of the thread at times as so much has changed. It sounds like we're running with Coglinton, which I love. Has anyone resolved on a character at this point or are people still brainstorming?