The State of things before we begin.

Since folks are rightly asking the current situation of things for the start of the campaign, short of reading through all the wiki pages and getting a more thorough knowledge of things so far, here is a short summary of relevant events most PCs would be aware starting out....

The High Elven Empire is in slow decline though still the greatest in power (a close analog would be the Roman Empire in decline).

In the power vacuum of their withdrawal, wars erupted. It was Uther Pendragon years ago that first began the dream of a unified human kingdom instead of many squabbling warlords. But it took his son Arturias (Arthur), with the help of Merlinus to stabilize and hold that dream. Now Camelot is a reality, and the unified kingdom of Regnum Sapientium has steadily ruled in relative peace for decades. However...

The illegitimate son of Arturias, Mordred has been building forces in other lands, and over the past several years has been taking entire kingdoms across the seas, and growing his forces ever larger. He has declared publicly he is coming to seize what he feels is his rightful throne from his father...

Meanwhile, the summers have been growing shorter, and the winters longer, and the great ice of the north is steadily creeping farther south with each passing year. With this change, the Northrons are becoming bolder and more aggressively testing the northern boundaries of Sapientium.

The humans of Sapientium are highly superstitious, mostly ignorant/uneducated/illiterate, and completely untrusting of non-humans of any kind. Any PC that is not human is strongly advised to use either an effective disguise or keep the hood of their cloak over their heads to obscure their ethnicity. Though since Port Balcoth is a major port city, they are less likely to get violent with most races (though elves are the most despised, and the local guards might decide to "detain you for your own safety"), most PCs will find they won't get any regular services beyond the docks, in town if they are not human. And when traveling farther inland, the prejudices are typically worse until getting to the east, west, and north borders of the kingdom.

There is a small reward for the body of any cats. Rumors abound that they are servants of Mordred's forces, so in recent years they have been wiped out. While before only a few pence were offered, now one can get several pounds in payment for the body of a rare surviving cat. The black ones are the most valuable.

Meanwhile, everyone is complaining that the vermin have been getting worse in recent years, and they blame Mordred, or "Evil spirits" for the infestations of rodents and other critters.

Each of the PCs have come to Port Balcoth, the largest of the Sapientium ports (on the southern border). It has been sacked in with impenetrable fog for days now. Ships can't come in or leave safely. The few that have tried have met with unfortunate results.

Worse yet, rumors abound that the near southern Islan of Grecos (south of the Thrikeenius) has been attacked by Mordreds fleet, and that they are going to next attack somewhere along the southern shores of Sapientium.

The port is packed full of people wishing to flee before the supposedly imminent war. The harbor is overflowing with ships of all kinds, coastal and deeper sea-faring vessels from many lands. The inns are packed to overflowing, and the streets filled with soldiers. There are watches all along the entire southern coast of Sapientium.

Combined with the fog, despite the pack of bodies, there is a waiting hush over the port city.

Those of you that just arrived have heard rumors that it is no longer the fog keeping all the ships at bay, but that Mordred's Armada has already arrived and has created an impregnable wall of ships so that no one can escape. But so far this sounds like just one of the many rumors floating around in the numbingly cold oppressive fog.

For various personal reasons, you have each come to Port Balcoth. You have been asked to wait in the common room of Numien's Inn & Tavern. Your room was already reserved for you by your contact. And you have been told to wait there, keeping as low a profile as you can, until your contact appears in person. Some of you have been here a few days (if came by sea), others have just arrived (if by land)...