Campaign Start

Your world is struggling for resources. There are too many people and not enough of anything to go around. You are all adventurers who have been working together for the last few months. (More like mercenaries.) For the last 6 months you have been working for a noble lord through his associate Karl. Karl recruited you all and while other people have come and gone your core group has worked all jobs together. Those jobs have tested the limits of your abilities, some people have died, others simply chose not to work for Karl anymore. He always says you may walk away at anytime with what you have earned. 

Karl demands absolute respect both from you and amongst each other, he also treats you with more respect than someone of his station usually would. He does not tolerate dishonesty. He has not, to date, revealed who he works for. But the money is good and the work is plentiful. You work out of one of the largest cities on your world. There are people who literally spend their entire lives in the city never having the need to leave.

The kingdoms alignment is LE with some Neutral tendencies. They will do what they must to maintain power but there are those in power who want to try and do right by their people. Being one of the larger kingdoms in the world they are always at war with someone, somewhere. There is always a need for bodies to fill those wars.

The Campaign starts:

You are summoned by Karl, via messenger, to a secondary palace owned by the royal family. The note simply says come here and bring all your stuff. You will be gone for quite some time. Say your goodbyes to your loved ones. (For the sake of the campaign you should probably be either not very fond of your family or you should not have one)

You all arrive at the same basic time. Karl is flanked by 7 very serious looking bodyguards. Which in itself is very unusual, you have never seen him arrive with or leave with anyone else.

“Thank you all for coming. I am sorry for the continued secrecy but my lord will explain everything once we are inside. I trust you have all your belongings. ( You should have spent most of your starting wealth at this point)

He turns to walk inside and you see that all of the bodyguards all stay in every space around him except the direction he is walking. He leads you to a throne room and stands aside after he opens the doors.

“I bid you farewell and godspeed on your journey.” He shakes each of your hands in turn and pulls you into sort of a bro hug and you feel a small object, likely a folded piece of paper, pressed into your palm. He whispers "Wait until you get there to look at it." 

As you step into the throne room Karl shuts the doors behind you and you hear him begin to bark orders at various people in the hallway.