Raised by an adoptive father and mother, Ariel hails from the city of Lanberg, many leagues to the east of Thunder Rift. Her father, Condra, a powerful wizard, has sent Ariel and her brother to the Rift so they can establish themselves as adults and learn to live on their own skills, alone. Starfire's own heritage is a mystery to her. She only knows what her adoptive father has told her: that she was found as a baby, wrapped in a blanket, while Condra was out gathering herbs. She doesn't know who her parents are, or where she originally comes from. Socially, Ariel is very outgoing and somewhat of a flirt with the men. She seeks the comfort of close friends to help fill the void of never knowing her real parents and due to a confused self-identity. She however paradoxically does not trust most people with her inner thoughts.

Condrasson is another adopted child of the wizard Condra, though his background isn't mysterious, like his sister's. As opposed to Ariel, who took after her father's profession as a wizard, Condrasson took after his mother's profession as a fighter and mercenary. Condrasson excels at the physical aspects of his craft, but is not a master of strategy or tactics. He is much more of a brawler, and has a well-earned reputation as a hot head. His bad temper has gotten him into significant trouble before, and one of the largest landed families in his hometown of Lanberg has sworn vengeance on him for killing their eldest son and heir in a duel six months ago. Condrasson has also managed to cross Grimacing Graham, a noted mercenary captain and leader of Black Steel, an accomplished mercenary company. Condrasson was drunk and made fun of the mercenaries, so Graham gave Condrasson a nasty cut across the face with his black steel dagger in return. The wound never healed properly and has left a nasty scar across his face. Condrasson has come to the Rift with his sister, looking to make his place in the world.

Born in the ancient mountain strongholds to the far east, Drugar followed in the footsteps of his fathers and became a hard-working, skilled worker of stone. The king at the time ruled the kingdom with an iron fist and grew more totalitarian as he aged, waging wars against his neighbors on what seemed to be fanatical whims.

As Drugar matured, he began to grow complacent and wished to do more than simply carve stone for the rest of his days. He also began to question the authority of the king, at first privately, and then more outspokenly. During a purge of dissidents, the king's private guards rounded Drugar and others up, imprisoning most and slaying a few. One of the slain was Drugar's brother, who was guilty only of being in the same room as Drugar. Drugar seethed with rage and stewed in his cell for three long years. His family blamed him for his brother's death--even if indirectly, and would not visit him. Alone and friendless, Drugar planned his escape for many months. Finally, his chance to escape came and he fled, killing a guard in the process. If the king's soldiers ever came after him, Drugar never knew, as he left the mountains altogether and set out on the long trade routes to the western regions.

Drugar has since cut off the forked beard that was the sign of his clan, and now wears it in a single short braid. He is generally distrustful of others--especially those in authority. At times, he misses his own people, but his temperament makes friendships very rare. He has spent the past two years doing odd stone masonry jobs as he works his way west. He has traveled to Thunder Rift as a caravan guard, and is looking to make a fresh start.

Finri Evilbreaker Dwarven Male Cleric of Aequitas, level three Strength: 9 Intelligence: 11 Wisdom: 16 Dexterity: 13 Constitution: 13 Charisma: 13 Finri was raised in Hearth-Home (the dwarven clan home within Thunder Rift) by parents who were both involved in the temple of Aequitas. Following in the footstep of his parents, Finri has taken on the life of a cleric of Aequitas. However, unlike his parents, rather than working in the temple he has decided to go out into the world and protect the law. In Finri's mind, right or wrong is not near as important as much as following the letter of the law. Only by following the letter of the law can order and harmony be maintained. However, though he's neutral towards good/evil, because the law is generally geared towards moral and ethical behavior, this tends to lead towards goodness. Full of fire and righteous indignation at the world around him, Finri has set out to find like-minded souls to join him in his quest for justice.

Moziah was a farm boy. His father died when Moziah was still too young to farm, and his mother remarried; his stepfather, seeing Moziah as a threat to his new estate (Moziah's father's farm), mistreated the boy badly until he ran away. Moziah moved from town to town, alternately begging and stealing to get by. He'd like to join a band of adventurers, as he sees that as a more honorable way to make a living.

Quint grew up in the Rift, the son of a farmer family in the southern part of the grasslands. Farming didn't really suit Quint, though, as he found all of the hard work tiring, and it seemed horribly unfair to put in months of work only to get a poor harvest due to things that can't be controlled, like not enough (or too much) rain, insect infestations, and the like. In fact, Quint has found the world to be unfair his entire life. Why should some merchant get rich off the labors of others who create the items the merchant sells? That isn't fair. so when Quint happens to take some of that money for himself, he's only balancing the scales, that's all. It's nothing to get excited about. While Quint could get rich off of his thieving activities, he makes sure to spread the wealth around enough to keep powerful people placated, including the head of the local Thieves' Guild, with which Quint is loosely associated.