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After many months, finally beginning this (classic?) campaign in the setting of Taladas (Dragonlance), League of Minotaurs, 352 AC (Age of Despair).
The Cast
Marcus (magus) - son of Dietrik Cicaeda (cartographer) and garrison soldier who secretly learns magic from Allustan
Duncan (monk) - monk of the Twilight Monastery who upon adulthood has cut loose from his peers with only a handful of coins in his pockets to expand his pursuit of drunken master techniques
Blue Sky (barbarian) - an exotic tamire elf from the north, last fighting member of the Wolf Clan, who makes ends meet by feats of strength at local bars. She seeks more from life than a day-to-day existence.
Garook (wizard) - goblin tribe outcast who earns his keep in Chaum's mines. His blood burns for the study of magic rather than the poisoned air of the iron mines.
Ten years ago a group of Diamond Lake children got lost following one of their peers to spy on an old cairn rumored to be an unexplored sorcerer's tomb full of magic and treasure. The other children became lost and tired, and their peer laughed at them. These children taunted her back that if she were so brave, she should spend the night at the tomb. They would spend the night in the girl's "secret base," an abandoned mining base.
The next morning, the peer did not return, and the children became lost trying to find her and the hidden cairn. Adults from Diamond Lake would eventually find them but not the girl who took the dare. To this day, no one has run across or found an overgrown tomb with a particular sigil on it that seemed to breathe air out of its entrance.
Modern day, these children and the adults have stayed in touch, some becoming good friends. All seem destined for life in the mines or drudgery in the garrison. The thought of the cairn has bothered Blue Sky, who helped find the children a decade ago. She is certain the tomb still exists. After hearing an offhand story retold by Duncan about an explorer from the metropolis of Kristophan named Uluvant who, 60 years ago, bragged he'd found a cairn and would be rich (the story being told to discourage foolish errands since Uluvant never came back), she told her idea to her friend Marcus. Marcus snuck into his father's maps and after many days found a map with a notation "for Uluvant" and a cairn location. They recruited Garook on his day off and presented the idea: this cairn may be unexplored and contain riches that could allow them to leave this life, find a better one.
Further, they discussed that the expedition needed to leave earlier than later. A trio of adventurers from Kristophan, who by rumor were skilled and had won the Champion's tournament last year, were in town bragging they'd be clearing out some of the deadly tombs. Blue Sky heard the first they'd try was the Stirgenest, which she knew had been looted years ago. But, every possibility existed that they waited, the more likely this trio would come across some map leading to their tomb!
So it began. Four intrepid adventurers visited Taggin's General Store and invested in gear. Taggin, twirling his moustache ends, applauded their vigor and zest for what appeared to be a great expedition, though as everyone knew the local cairns were probably all empty.
Of all the settings out there that seems like an odd choice. I remember when I bought the Time of the Dragon boxed set; I wanted to like the setting, but I could never get into it.
That's not to say it wouldn't work or be fun though.
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The tone of the setting - a gritty Age of Despair with a world still reeling from plague and disease, no high-level heroes in every town, clerical magic just returned to the world, and magic a thing to be distrusted and feared - seemed to be a good transition for an Age of Worms. The old sorcerer-emperors of the Aurim Empire and jungles of Neron areas laid good grounds for the BBEG.
One of my players is only a year or so older than the books. Makes me feel old.
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Best of luck. I think the setting, while seeming odd considering the classic Greyhawk intention, is well-suited for the gritty and dark tone the campaign flaunts. I say this, but I am running it right now as a modern World of Darkness game. The campaign is fantastic and I have been wanting to run it for quite some time now.