Players when creating your character and as you try and come up with a background for your character here are a few things to consider. Your character's age should be from 15-23 (or the demi-human equivalent) years of age. You should not be younger than 15 and I may be okay with a character starting the game at the age of 24 but that would be the limit. Your characters as 1st level characters should be fairly new in experience, and not long from completing their education/ training to be a 1st level person of the class you have chosen for the character. If you know anything about the Dragonlance War of the Lance Chronicles think of this as the same time period the heroes of those books were during the 5 years prior to the Dragons of Autumn Twilight began. (This is the Preludes books time frame). Your characters also will be in a like age category. During this Age people don't trust strangers. Strangers are watched carefully by the local watch, harassed (including being beat up and or thrown in a cell), or kicked-out of most places as people don't care much for even associating for strangers, and it is not unheard of a stranger being used as the target for a crime (or what have you) that they did not even commit. While I will allow players to create characters not from the local area of where the campaign will start (The City of Tarsis and/ or the nearby surrounding area). Those who are obviously not local will find their characters being charged more when allowed to enter an establishment. And given an all around hard time. This is more for you can have insight to what things will be like as the campaign begins. It is important that the players understand the atmosphere. Healing: Healing is almost a lost art form. Not may people are great healers. The best are the Druids who are not common and hardly ever seen in cities. They will not share there healing knowledge with others (which is mainly skill and herb lore/use). The have trades such knowledge with the Kagonisti (which the most known Druids live on the same continent as them). This healing is not magical nor divine. There are plenty of people who are charlatans selling "medical wonders" to the gullible. But, true divine healing has not been seen first hand by anyone in centuries. Many a stranger has weaseled themselves with their charm and associates to scheme on the unsuspecting. It has not helped the atmosphere for strangers at all. In human cities/ towns/ villages the other races, for the most part are not trusted. The other races don't trust the humans any more than the humans trust them (the feelings mutual). The most common non-human races that are tolerated in one form or the other is Hill Dwarves (and Kenders to a certain extent). The Dwarves because many sell/ make great weapons and armor and other smith-goods. The times are just bad, and race relations as a whole are terrible. Gnomes are also a tolerated races as Mount Nevermind is known to the city of Tarsis. and Finally, in case you don't remember or had no idea. The Knights of Solamnia as an organization keep to themselves. Many in hiding. No one trust them, and many still blame the knights for the Cataclysm. If you are making an elf or half elf (be sure that you take the necessary per cautions when traveling away from elven lands. Like trying your best to stay disguised (at minimum staying wrapped up in a hood cloak, watching how you speak and walk to appear more human like in human lands). This is not some race sing along time where they all get along. That is the period you live in and what the common person you meet are likely to be as written above. But, your characters are each special and an exception in a world of hate. It is okay for each of you not to harbor the same prejudices or at least have a more open mind or respectful mind. I will be acting out these perceived attitudes in game, it is best you all be warned first for you know what to expect. Magic and sorcery is not trusted either! So, don't walk around thinking everyone is waiting in exciment as a wizard prepares to cast a spell. People would rather no have magic cast on them if they can help it. Who knows, the spell the wizard is casting could turn them into something, curse them, or worse! Don't go running around casting spells in towns in the open. And yes White Robed wizards of the Tower of High Sorcery are saved to be good, but not many people really trust such rumors. You just never know with mages.
