For the past six years a vicious war was going on between the two Kingdoms of Kalamad and Vastinsha.  However, now the war has ended with a truce being agreed upon.  Now as a sign of good faith a transport ship, which will return captured soldiers, is heading for Vastinsha.  The Kalamad military are still guarding the Vastinshan soldiers, but it is mostly for show as the hostilities between the countries are over.  At least on paper.  Also aboard the ship are several non-military adventurers and mercenaries.  The ship is not fated to reach its destination.

A large storm hits and blows it off course, and eventually, the ship breaks up, spilling its occupants into the unforgiving sea.  The guards release the Vastinshan soldiers to allow them a chance at survival.  Majority of the passengers are killed, but some are fortunate enough to wash up on a tropical island.  The inhabitants are not used to foreigners, and many don?t understand common.  The island itself holds a variety of mysteries, riches and dangers.

How will the beached adventurers react to their new surroundings?  Will old animosities and friendships last?  Will they attempt to join the island culture, or will they seek a way home?  Or perhaps will the try and dominate?

Kalamad-  The mother country, and considers itself the center of culture and civilization.   It is ruled by a council of elers, with each elder representing one of races.  Beneath the race elder is an expanding tree of power, with the lower branch answerable to the higher.  At one point in time the government was just, however the passage of time has caused its lustre to fade.  The lower branches have noticed that their higher ups could easily be bribed with gold.  Of course not all in the heirarchy are corrupt, but many are.

Many of the races possess their own lands where they are the dominant race.  However, it is very rare that any decently sized city is made up of a single race.  Humans are the dominant 40% of Kalamd.  Dwarves and Elves, and their subcategories, have roughly the same population.

Vastinsha- The Vastinsha Archipelago neighbors Kalamad.  At one point it possessed its own indigenous life, but the expansionist ways of the Kalamad "civilized" the natives not too long after it was discovered, about 150 years ago.  Since then Vastinsha has drawn those who are disillusioned with life on the mainland.  Almost every island has its own unique mixture of races, and many of the racial prejudices have been left behind on the mainland.  It is often joked that the dominant race will soon be Half, be it Half-elf, Half-orc, or even the rare Half-gnome or -dwarf.

Although there is no central Vastinsha government, the islands are sworn to each others protection.  This is mostly due to the belief that if the Kalamad were to get a toe-hold on the archipelago, soon the entirety would fall.  Being a new entity the islands are still working out their kinks, but majority are fiercely patriotic to their way of life, even if this way of life greatly varies island by island.

This game starts with an ECL of 3.  Character creation will work on a stat purchase system of 80 pts.  We will be using 3.5 DnD base rules.  Base races plus those from Forgotten Realms are okay.  I have the Base books, plus Complete Warriors guide, and the 3.0 Forgotten Realms guide.  Please limit yourselves to these books.  I live in small-town Japan and my resources are limited.

No money will be alloted for equipment in this game, because almost everything characters "purchased" would likely end up at the bottom of the ocean.  Instead characters are able to make it to shore with a weapon and no more than 35 lbs of equipment.  You are of course limited in that whatever you have with you must come from the ship.  It doesn't have to be a ship supply, but it must be something likely to be found aboard an average military transport ship.  Since I am kinda screwing you on equipment, all PC weapons can have a +1 enhancement.

Languages will be important.  Majority of the inhabitants will be of the same race, but due to isolation most will not speak common.

Emphasis will be on ?role? not ?roll? play.  But I like good brawl as much as the next guy.

Questions that should be answered while creating a charcter:

Are you a adventurer, mercenary, or aligned with a country?

If aligned with a country, which one?

What are your opinions about the war?

Do you have a bias for or against either of the countries?