Player Introductions

Lost in the sand: You awake, stunned, and hot. The sun blazing high above, you squint your eyes and try to get your bearings. You are surrounded by sand on three sides, and the fourth has a large mountain range in the not-too-far distance. You blink, confused as to what happened, how the hell you got here, where the hell “here” is. As you stand up, dusting off the sand, you realize that you had been traveling with a merchant on his way through the desert. You remember that you had paid him to take you across the Burning Dunes and to the port city of Kalahar. Obviously, you are not in Kalahar, and the merchant is nowhere around, so you still don’t have an answer. Then you reach around and find your coin pouch had been cut, leaving only a few in the bag. You sigh deeply, realizing you must have fallen asleep on the extra camel, and the merchant stole both mounts and your money. Knowing you don’t have anywhere else to go, you begin to walk the long and grueling walk towards the mountains, hoping that you get to see that bastard merchant again.   Traveling companions: The two of you have been riding towards Hadarac for two days now, unaccompanied and exhausted. You have been acting as couriers for a shipment of goods to Hadarac, attempting to make some money for a ship to sail out of Kalahar. Your food and water is running low, and the town is in the distance. You are to meet with a merchant in the town, drop off the shipment, pickup the money, and get back to Kalahar. Neither of you know what the shipment contains, as that made the job more bountiful. As you ride along, and the town gets closer, you feel your attention, no, your being, is pulled toward the crate carrying your drop. It seems to hum with energy, as you are enraptured by the sensation. A loud CRACK is heard from the front of your caravan, and you are both thrown off balance. You stumble and try to regain your footing, but the horses pulling you forward, broke free from their holdings and were galloping into the desert. You two are now left alone, in the coming darkness, with your rations, your shipment, and each other. Luckily, you notice that you are only a short distance from the town, no more than half a mile. Hoisting the crate between the two of you, you start towards the cliff, in hopes that you will get back to Kalahar soon.   The Prisoner: You have been traveling in the back of a prisoner convoy for some time. Hungry, thirsty, filthy, you ride further and further into the desert, bound for the gallows in a city north of the Burning Dunes, Celebrimbor. You have been chained for a crime that you did not commit, fighting desperately for your freedom. You arrive in Hadarac for a brief respite that your captors demanded. They leave you alone in the caged back of the wagon, heading to the nearest tavern for a drink. You begin searching around the cart, looking for anything that would let you free yourself from your shackles. You find a small pin, conveniently located next to your foot. Bending it into a rigid shape, you insert it into the lock around your ankles and pray that it will dislodge something. By some miracle, the padlock pops open and you lurch forward towards the gate, at the rear of your cage. Jamming the pin into that as well, you’re able to jimmy the door open, and fall out onto the ground. You are now a fugitive, on the run from your militant captors, desperately needing somewhere to hide in this strange village. You disappear into the darkened streets, hoping to find refuge somewhere close by, hoping that you can survive the night.     A watery grave: You are traveling to the town of Hadarac to investigate rumors of an ancient civilization buried beneath the sands. You are skeptical of an entire society existing beneath your feet, but you have seen stranger things before. Your journey has been long and arduous, but as an experienced travller, you are simply looking for a short respite. As you travel into town, you pass the lagoons that line the borders of the town. You feel your heart start pounding and your breath quicken. You feel your attention being pulled toward the water. As your steps inch closer to the water's edge, you see a dark shadow move underneath the water. It remains dark for a long few seconds, then disappears as quickly as it approached. Your head begins to feel lighter, your breath slows down again; the feeling has gone as well. Shaken, you walk quickly towards town, seeking answers for whatever that was.