What You Need Before Session One

This page is the pre-session checklist for players.

You do not need to know the entire world before Session One.

You do need a character who can begin the campaign aboard the Azure Aviary, a Maritheli vessel traveling through Windrider Gulf waters.

Windrider Freeport is expected to become the first major hub, but the opening location is the ship.

Your preparation should focus on three things:

knowing the starting frame;
making a character who belongs aboard;
being ready to play with the group when trouble begins.

Essential Starting Facts

Before Session One, every player should know the following.

Fact	Meaning
The campaign begins aboard the Azure Aviary.	Your character starts at sea.
The Azure Aviary is a working Maritheli ship.	It has crew, passengers, cargo, routines, and shipboard tensions.
The ship is traveling through Windrider Gulf waters.	The starting region is maritime.
Windrider Freeport is the first major hub.	It matters early, but the party does not begin there.
Marithel is the starting continent.	Ships, law, freeports, refugees, factions, and sea roads matter.
The campaign is spoiler-controlled.	Hidden events and deeper mysteries should be discovered in play.
Each character needs a reason to be aboard.	The campaign starts in motion.
Each character needs a reason to cooperate.	Party play matters.

You do not need to know every faction, continent, god, law, or historical event.

Minimum Player Prep

At minimum, prepare these items.

Needed	What to Prepare
Character sheet	Your class, species, background, ability scores, equipment, spells, and core mechanics.
Reason in Marithel	Why your character is in the starting continent.
Reason aboard	Why your character is on the Azure Aviary specifically.
Reason to continue	Why your character will stay involved after danger begins.
Party compatibility	Why your character can work with other player characters.
Basic tone fit	Your character fits a maritime, political, mysterious, morally complicated campaign.
DM-approved secrets	Any hidden identity, faction tie, unusual status, or special backstory has DM approval.

If you have these, you can begin.

The Four Core Questions

Every character should answer these before Session One.

1. Why Are You in Marithel?

Marithel is the starting continent.

Your character may be here because of:

work;
passage;
exile;
refugee movement;
legal hearing;
trade;
ship duty;
family;
pilgrimage;
study;
medicine;
privateering;
debt;
faction assignment;
hidden identity;
missing person;
old oath;
no better option.

A character can be local to Marithel or newly arrived.

Both work.

2. Why Are You Aboard the Azure Aviary?

Your character may be:

crew;
working passage;
paid passenger;
hired guard;
shipboard healer;
scholar or scribe;
courier;
legal witness;
refugee;
protected traveler;
patient escort;
family escort;
faction-tied agent;
privateer veteran;
shipborn traveler;
person using a false name;
someone who boarded because no better option existed.

Your reason does not need to be dramatic.

It does need to be clear.

3. What Might You Want From Windrider Freeport?

Windrider Freeport is the first major hub.

Your character may want:

legal hearing;
Blue Lantern protection;
registry papers;
ship work;
ship repair;
a healer;
a temple;
a missing person;
a market;
a faction contact;
a safe room;
passage onward;
debt negotiation;
a court record;
a false-name review;
a place to disappear;
a place to start again.

You do not need to reach Windrider Freeport before caring about it.

The desire to reach it can help explain why you are aboard.

4. Why Will You Stay Involved When Trouble Begins?

This is the most important question for party play.

Your character might stay involved because of:

compassion;
duty;
curiosity;
faith;
debt;
loyalty;
survival;
guilt;
oath;
professional responsibility;
payment;
legal obligation;
someone aboard matters to them;
they cannot safely leave;
the trouble connects to their own goal.

Your answer should make it easy for your character to join the story rather than walk away from it.

Character Sheet Checklist

Before Session One, have the following ready.

Character Sheet Item	Status
Character name	Choose true name, public name, ship name, or false name if relevant.
Species / ancestry	Choose mechanical species and cultural background.
Class	Choose class and subclass if required at starting level.
Background	Choose rules background and setting interpretation.
Ability scores	Confirm method and final values.
Proficiencies	Skills, tools, weapons, armor, languages, and saving throws.
Starting equipment	Gear, weapons, armor, tools, money, spellcasting focus, and personal items.
Spells	Prepare or choose spells if your class uses magic.
Features	Know your key class, species, background, and feat features.
Hit points and defenses	HP, AC, initiative, passive perception, resistances, and common modifiers.
Personality notes	Values, flaw, bond, fear, habit, or roleplay anchor.
Campaign tie	Reason in Marithel and reason aboard the Azure Aviary.
DM approvals	Secrets, rare items, unusual status, or special exceptions.

Character Concept Checklist

A strong campaign character has more than mechanics.

Use this checklist.

Concept Element	Example
Homeland or origin	Marithel local, Caerlon refugee, Suthrani healer, Ilyrian medicine courier, Veyrskoldic sailor, Vorrak defector.
Current role	Crew, passenger, healer, scholar, guard, courier, witness, pilgrim, privateer, scribe, protected traveler.
Immediate goal	Reach Windrider Freeport, protect someone, deliver a letter, find work, seek hearing, avoid claimant.
Personal stake	Debt, missing person, oath, guilt, secret, family, faith, patient, record, route, ship.
Relationship to law	Trusts it, fears it, uses it, misunderstands it, broke it, needs it, serves it, or was harmed by it.
Relationship to the sea	Home, work, fear, escape, exile, duty, livelihood, sacred road, or necessary evil.
Reason to cooperate	Shared danger, moral duty, professional role, practical survival, curiosity, or prior relationship.
Open question	What happened to someone? Who changed a record? Why does a faction care? What name is true?

You do not need all of these in detail.

Choose enough to make your character easy to bring into the opening scene.

Party Connection Checklist

It helps if at least some characters know each other before Session One.

Choose one or two connections if possible.

Connection Type	Example
Same ship role	Two characters are both crew or working passage.
Protector and protected	One guards, escorts, heals, or watches over another.
Shared employer	A merchant, faction, temple, or captain hired both.
Shared homeland	Both came from the same continent, city, route, or refugee group.
Shared danger	Both are avoiding the same claimant, faction, debt, or enemy.
Shared destination	Both need Windrider Freeport for different reasons.
Shared secret	Both know part of a hidden name, debt, or past event.
Professional pair	Healer and guard, scholar and translator, sailor and scribe, cleric and patient.
Old disagreement	They mistrust each other but have reason to cooperate.
Family or found family	Blood, ship family, oath kin, refugee bond, or crew bond.

A party does not need to be fully united at the start.

It does need enough reasons not to immediately split apart.

Character Secrets Checklist

Secrets are allowed, but they must be playable.

Tell the DM if your character has:

a false name;
hidden homeland;
disputed identity;
faction tie;
old crime;
debt;
claimant;
noble or legal status;
former privateer service;
religious conflict;
forbidden research;
stolen or inherited object;
hidden illness;
secret passenger relationship;
unusual magic;
knowledge that may overlap with campaign mysteries.

Good character secrets create pressure.

Bad character secrets solve the campaign, force betrayal, or make cooperation impossible.

Good Secret

I am using a false name because a creditor has papers that might not be legitimate.

Difficult Secret

I secretly know the full answer to the campaign’s main mystery.

Use secrets to create hooks, not spoilers.

What to Read Before Session One

The ideal reading list is:

Read extra pages only if they help your character.

If You Have Ten Minutes

Prepare this:

Character Name:
Class:
Background:
Homeland:
Why I am in Marithel:
Why I am aboard the Azure Aviary:
What I want from Windrider Freeport:
Why I will help when trouble starts:
One person, place, faction, debt, oath, or rumor I care about:

That is enough to begin.

If You Have Thirty Minutes

Prepare the ten-minute version, then add:

One connection to another player character:
One reason my character trusts or distrusts law:
One thing my character fears at sea:
One thing my character carries that matters:
One rumor my character has heard:
One question I want answered in play:
Any secrets I need DM approval for:

If You Want Deeper Prep

Read character-specific pages.

Character Concept	Useful Page
Refugee or exile	Refugee and Exile Characters
Healer or caregiver	Healer and Caregiver Characters
Scholar or scribe	Scholar and Scribe Characters
Sailor, privateer, or shipborn	Sailor, Privateer, and Shipborn Characters
Faction-tied character	Faction-Tied Characters
Outsider from another continent	Character Origins by Continent
Person far from home	People Far From Home
Maritheli local	Marithel Player Guide

Mechanical Prep

Confirm with the DM which rules and options are being used.

Before Session One, know:

starting level;
ability score method;
permitted species and backgrounds;
whether 2024 / 5.5 rules are being used;
allowed books or sources;
starting equipment rules;
starting gold, if any;
house rules;
table safety tools;
digital tools or character sheet format;
whether party roles should be coordinated;
how character secrets should be submitted.

If a mechanical option does not clearly fit the setting, ask the DM before assuming it is available.

Equipment Prep

Because the campaign begins aboard a ship, consider whether your equipment makes sense for travel.

Useful starting equipment may include:

practical weapon;
armor appropriate for shipboard movement;
knife or utility blade;
rope;
healer’s kit;
waterproof pouch;
writing tools;
holy symbol;
spellcasting focus;
travel cloak;
small keepsake;
trade tool;
musical instrument;
map or notebook;
token from home;
letter, seal, or document;
item tied to your reason aboard.

You do not need perfect gear optimization.

One meaningful personal item is often more useful for roleplay than five generic tools.

Name Prep

Names matter in this campaign.

Before Session One, decide:

Name Question	Answer
What name do you use publicly?	The name other passengers or crew know.
Is it your true name?	Yes, no, partly, or complicated.
Do you have a ship name?	Nickname used by crew or route communities.
Do you have a homeland name?	Name used by family, temple, court, or home region.
Do you have papers?	Clean, missing, false, damaged, disputed, or unnecessary.
Who might recognize another name?	Family, claimant, faction, court, ship crew, old enemy.

Not every character needs false-name drama.

But every character has a name, and names can matter.

Tone Prep

Before Session One, make sure your character fits the tone.

Your character should be able to function in a campaign with:

maritime danger;
mystery;
faction pressure;
legal conflict;
refugees and exile;
old wounds;
practical survival;
combat;
moral choices;
shipboard tension;
religious and cultural complexity;
ordinary people who matter.

Your character does not need to be good-hearted in every way.

They do need a reason to stay playable with the party.

Table Prep

Bring or prepare:

character sheet;
dice or digital roller;
notebook or notes app;
spell cards or spell references, if needed;
basic understanding of your main features;
questions for the DM;
any approved secret notes;
patience for Session One setup;
willingness to connect to other characters.

Useful player habits:

take notes on names;
write down rumors as rumors;
track promises and debts;
ask what your character would know;
share spotlight;
ask before assuming hidden knowledge;
remember that NPCs have motives;
remember that law and morality may differ.

Final Pre-Session Checklist

Use this checklist before the first game.

[ ] I know the campaign begins aboard the Azure Aviary.
[ ] I know Windrider Freeport is the first major hub, not the opening location.
[ ] I have a completed or mostly completed character sheet.
[ ] I know why my character is in Marithel.
[ ] I know why my character is aboard the Azure Aviary.
[ ] I know what my character might want from Windrider Freeport.
[ ] I know why my character will stay involved when trouble begins.
[ ] I have at least one personal hook, debt, oath, rumor, fear, or relationship.
[ ] I have considered a connection to another player character.
[ ] I have cleared any secrets or unusual backstory elements with the DM.
[ ] I understand the campaign tone.
[ ] I know not to rely on DM-only knowledge.

Summary

You are ready for Session One if you can say:

My character is in Marithel because...
My character is aboard the Azure Aviary because...
My character wants or needs Windrider Freeport because...
My character will stay involved when trouble begins because...

Everything else can be discovered at the table.

What You Need Before Session One ​

Essential Starting Facts ​

Minimum Player Prep ​

The Four Core Questions ​

1. Why Are You in Marithel? ​

2. Why Are You Aboard the Azure Aviary? ​

3. What Might You Want From Windrider Freeport? ​

4. Why Will You Stay Involved When Trouble Begins? ​

Character Sheet Checklist ​

Character Concept Checklist ​

Party Connection Checklist ​

Character Secrets Checklist ​

Good Secret ​

Difficult Secret ​

What to Read Before Session One ​

If You Have Ten Minutes ​

If You Have Thirty Minutes ​

If You Want Deeper Prep ​

Mechanical Prep ​

Equipment Prep ​

Name Prep ​

Tone Prep ​

Table Prep ​

Final Pre-Session Checklist ​

Summary ​

Related Pages ​