This is a relaunch of a game from ogMW. The game kinda lost steam during transfer, so only a single original player remains. The original recruitment thread is here: https://og.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=542416

I'm not going to start over, I'm going to start anew. So in the original setup, you were soldiers returning from a bad defeat by Lumia, a break-away province in the Empire of Tûul-Abban. That's no longer the case. Instead, you'll be starting as indentured workers - more precisely oarsmen on an underground riverboat operated by a motley crew of dwarves, a goblin and an orc. The game will start with the encounter that frees you, so don't worry about that. You'll have no possessions except the ragged shirt on your back, but again - the first encounter will include loot with which you can equip yourselves. 

Important info: This game is open world, and it is plotless. 

I mean that in the most literal sense: You can go, and do, whatever you like. Things will happen around you, but there isn't any type of plot, no end goal, no BBEG. You can chose to fight for the Empire (which is frankly sorta morally deficient), join Lumia, or chose to travel the world, build a business. That means you need some personal initiative. I'll be more than happy to work with any ideas you have - but you do need to work together as a group. Conflicting goals or whatever will need to be hashed out. Or agreed upon, or something.

One caveat: Acts of evil are allowed, but will attract unwanted attention. Evil acts within the party are entirely untolerated. So no pvp.

How to character:

Characters in this game use standard array. You'll be starting at level 4.

Generally speaking, I only GM what I own, but I own only the PHB - so feel free to make suggestions. If I cannot look it up somewhere, however, it's a no-go. Also definitely no dragonborn, and no gloom stalkers. I'm afraid harengon are also going to have a hard go at it. They just don't fit in the setting.

You'll be starting as slaves. You will, however, find gear in the very first encounter, which is the opening of this game. If you need some particular bit of gear to be part of that loot, let me know. It's a pain to make a sword and board fighter only to find no shield got supplied. Or similar.

This game does not have a gold-to-power mechanic. You cannot buy magic items. Or, there are brokerages, but you cannot walk into the Ye Olden Magic Shoppe brand store, and walk out 10 minutes later with a suit of leather armor +1 and a dagger of poison.

For that reason, it makes sense to have some other idea what you want gold for.

Finally, I'll say this again: This game is open world. You can go anywhere, and do anything. It also has no plot, although it may feel as if a kinda plot unfolds before you where ever you go. But it means that you need to take initiative. If I present npc's like Sgt. Bromm or Prince Ashteen, you can work with either or none. It doesn't matter to me, but if you chose to work for Prince Ashteen, the job Sgt. Bromm had doesn't get done, or get's done by others. I ... try to make the world live.

Someone asked a clever question, and get's +1 Inspiration:

Hitpoints: Max for level 1, average +0,5 - that is to say, 4 on a d6, 5 on a d8, 6 on a d10, right? - for all subsequent levels.

Obviously, this is just so I can hit you harder =)

Why are you a slave?

Well, I leave that entirely to you. The Empire in which you live have numerous ways to wind up in slavery. No one is born a slave, however, and by law, no slavery is indefinite. So there is debt slavery, where you become a slave for a set period in exchange for having your debt paid. There is slavery as a sentence for certain crimes. And there is self-slavery, where you sell yourself into slavery, typically to pay for your family's well-being, or little Timmy's college education.

You decide why you are a slave, what you were before, and what you want to do when free - just moments from now, although your character doesn't know that.

Whatever the reason, you are an oarsman on an underdark river barge. It's manned mostly by dwarves, but operated by a goblin and an orc. They are, btw, Pashgir the captain, and Krgh'âahn the first mate. There is also a begoggled gnome, who hasn't been introduced.

The Empire, and Lumia:

Much of the known world is part of The Empire of Tûul-Abban. The Empire has been around for a long time, more than a thousand years, and is relatively benign. It does however allow for slavery, as you may have noticed. It also makes use of Deadmen - contract undead who serve in the military after the cessation of their bodily life functions.

The Empire has a state religion - The Nine - which is a rather strange religion, in that the gods are secret, there are few if any clerics (this is actually unknown), and the various cathedrals are empty, basically all the time. Two annual holidays are the exception to this, when it is mandatory for everyone to visit the cathedrals, say a short prayer, and leave a small sacrifice.

The Tûul-Abban heartland is a 'promised land' highland plateau, protected by tall mountains and narrow passes, which is a huge, mild-climate grassland with plenty of rain - unlike the surrounding countries which are mostly hot and dry.

The former Province of Lumia:

Lumia was the fourth region to be conquered by the Empire. It has been part of the Empire for over 800 years. Recently (6 years ago), in a sudden and unexpected coup, a well organized liberation force kicked out the Imperial officials, soldiers and so on, and declared independence. A large Imperial force was gathered and dispatched to bring it back in the fold. They failed rather miserably, and were sent back home with their tails between their legs, shattered pride and broken ego's.

Lumia is a theocracy, but with democratic undertones. In other words, the leader of the rebellion, Leora, has now been sainted and made queen. She does however have a freely elected council to advise her.

Ghazzad:

Where the original game started, and below which you are. Ghazzad is a large port city in the Province of Arcaeon. While it isn't any of those places, it has similarities with Ankh-Morpork, Mos Eisley and Lankhmar. It is a city of opportunity, but also of misery and poverty.

The Empire of the Shoals and the Depths:

Sahuagin control the oceans. They are quite, quite numerous - like fish in the sea, one might say - and ... difficult. Negotiations are ongoing, and treaties are in place, but the Sahuagin are so powerful on their own turf that it's challenging to make them feel any real obligation towards words on a page they signed off on.

Recently, there was a festival in Ghazzad, during which the Empress visited the city to meet with Prince Ashteen. This is something that happened, and not to be mistaken for a plot =)