After player characters have been generated and a short description of appearance and personality (some input here is required, more detail can be added later, but the GM needs to know something of the PCs basic personality traits and motivations) the GM will generate an appropriate background description. Players are free to offer up some input, but the ultimate decision as to where and how they spent their pre-Inquisition lives rest with the almighty GM (he already has some cruel ideas worked out).

Additional detail will be give as to how and when the PCs came to the attention of the Inquisition and how they were recruited into Tancred's Cadre. More on that later, for now it is sufficient to know that all players will have had a personal (but not necessarily pleasant) encounter with Interrogator Xerza that led to their recruitment. Pending, of course, approval by Tancred himself, which involved an excruciating mind-scan. And before that a period that has left only hazy memories of endless interrogations, testing, and seemingly meaningless psycho-mental training.

The PCs will also have seen field service together once (on both counts). More detail will be provided on this later, but it will be a narrative based upon the Free Demo Adventure 'Shattered Hope'. The PCs, embarked on a starship with Xerza and a few others are en-route to Scintilla when they are diverted to the frozen hell-hole called Sepheris Secundus, where something dark and foul is stirring in the deep mines. We won't actually play the adventure as such, but rather use it as a way of describing how the PCs came to be blooded together. Oh, maybe you'll be allowed to offer some input along the way, which could help out your character – or not. If you're lucky you might get some additional XP, gear and/or NPC contacts.

Beyond that the PCs are very junior agents of the Inquisition, recently recruited and accepted, and although they have had one impromptu field assignment they are as green as they come! Each one has been sent separately with cover identities from Hive Tarsus and the Haegum to the capital Hive Sibellus in the north, where months have passed without word from their new masters. Have they perhaps been forgotten, a clerical error ending their careers before they could even begin? Only time will tell...

Anyway, the goal here is to have the characters ready to start play once we're ready to roll beyond just having some stats on a problem; that is is many way the least important part). IMO it helps a lot if the PCS already know each other, know of at least some NPCs, and generally be somewhat integrated into the setting. If you'd rather start from scratch, i.e. meeting the Inquisition for the first time I'm willing to discuss such an approach. Also, since you're so green your PC might not know everything that is presented in this blog; some of that knowledge might come only later. I have provided it because I've found that having MORE info is generally better, since it makes it easier for players to envision the world – things hidden in my mind alone does no-one any good. So keep that in mind.

Ah yes, one final thing. PCs are supposed to be men of character, skill, and determination. They need not love the Inquisition, may even hate it for all I know, but they all bring special skills to the table and are all motivated to work for the Inquisition. So maybe you're a witch and was forced to choose between the Inquisition and the Black Ships (tough choice that one ;-), but since then you've come to grudgingly accept the work that you do. Something like that. So no starting heretics...