Dig This!
Okay so the party starts the campaign knowing that there family is completly "wiped out" by the plague 19yrs ago. Then they grew up in an orphanage only to be turned out to the mines as endutured slaves(to pay back Smenk for growing up in his orphanage). I gave them minimal supplies (bottle [2 days water], bowl, 1d4-1 knive, bedroll, pesants clothes. Then when they leave the mines they had to convince the bookkeeper that they worked for three mths. extra to earn gold. (Dip.15 as the bookkeeper is sayin only 2mths. worth of work). So the campaign started off with the party betting on dogs, doing the knive throw anything to make cash to begin there adventuring career. It makes for a comical start to the game and builds a bond from the start as they all hate Smenk, and possibly have to sleep in an alley because they lost there few gold gambling and drinking there first night out. Also i added a 1st Lv. pickpocket named "Fourfingers" into Kullens group that on the 1st night robbed one of the players it ended up with a monk PC fighting Kullen for his and Kullens loot. (The monk lost really bad.) But yet another "tie that binds" the party. I also used the info from the book about cha. generation. The Wiz. payed 25gp to Illistan for apperenticing, ftrs. pay 10 gp. for training, monks, rogues, and rangers learned there crafts for free. All in all it was a difficult abet awsome start.
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Sounds like your trying to connect them to the Land family???? if not well its still a great way to give them a reason to be bitter. I am working on my wife's characters background currently she is a former orphan and now a harlot working for Zalamandra at the Emporium. She hates Zal because Zal beat her severly for accidently killing one of her "guest"(She is a Air Gensai Warlock, with manifesting powers)needless to say she is trying to find a way out of being a harlot. I think however I might steel the indentured servent thing from you cause I had her character living in the Jalek's Flophouse before she became a "woman", with fellow orphans when the orphanage that she lived in from just after her birth shut down. But I think I could put a spin on it that Smenk caused the Orphanage to be shut down so he could make the orphans have to work for him for a meger wage. Making it more interesting when she becomes a harlot for Zal whose many clients include Smenk. Someone she has always suspected of being a bit of a evil bastard.... ;)
No not family land, (laff or at least i don't think so, but that may change.) I just wanted to give the players a feeling of destitute-ness. You always start with a bunch of gold through the hand book so i wanted the total effect of being flat broke and being under someone elses thumb (Smenk) would unite the party "off the bat". Which it did (two of the players lost there gold in the Feral Dog the first night). Forcing them to do "bout anything to earn more cash. It was funny to watch them when the figured out they may have to sleep in the alley, but when they got treasure in the Carn so were so happy to stay at the Coaster. "Look ma um on top of the world." Brings a tear to an Evil DMs eye.