Primer

The world is being consumed by the Unmaking Tide. Reality itself is unravelling, and the Gods are being corrupted or destroyed, in an apocalyptic event being called the Collapse of everything. Only the continent of Tashyn remains, protected by a massive network of magical artifacts. But even these last barriers are failing, and so the only chance for survival is to escape this dying planet. A group called the Kindred have offered one slim chance. Ten huge portals have been constructed in major cities across the continent, leading to a distant habitable world outside of the multiverse. Amidst the chaos, a coalition of nations is struggling to organize the mass evacuation of the entire world, calling it the Great Migration. Refugees gather around the Gate-Cities in the millions, waiting for their turn through a portal, to safety and a new life on another planet, called Zeldryn. But there are only so many gateways, and they can only remain open for about six hours every other day. As a result, the evacuation proceeds slowly, with passage granted by the Coalition Nations according to merit, need, or even lottery, depending on the particular systems put in place by the different leaders. Travelers who petition for passage at the Gate-Cities are granted magical tokens, unforgeable and untransferable, that will allow them to use the portals at a specified time and date. Huge masses of refugees gather around the cities, waiting to be granted one of these chits of passage. Countless others keep their tokens close while trying to go about their lives, wondering if the barriers will fall before they get their chance to escape. And while they wonder, they also dream. Dreams of a dark, starless sky, split by a Scar of blood-red light. 
In the turmoil and uncertainty of these times, many people with complimentary skillsets and experience are banding together in cadres, either for safety or for gain. With the world unravelling, there is always work, or opportunity, for capable groups. Rumour has it that some of the Gate-Cities have even granted expedited passage through the portals for select cadres that have done extensive or extraordinary work for the good of that city or nation. In other Gate-Cities, it is said that enterprising individuals might…barter their way to the front of the line, for sufficient coin or favours. In either case, cadres often work with a broker, someone who arranges jobs or meetings, makes connections, and negotiates compensation. In exchange, if the broker can parlay a cadre’s deeds into expedited passage, they will get to travel through the portal with them. It is a symbiotic arrangement, one increasingly common in these dark times.
For reasons of your own, you have decided to seek out a cadre to travel with. Your journey has brought you to the town of Amberwells, a small but prosperous regional trading hub, and now a bustling waystation for travelling refugees. There is broker here by the name of Sansin Daro. He has a good reputation in the area, and is looking to work with a promising cadre. You have a meeting with him this evening, at one of the local taverns. There, you will also meet the other members of this would-be group, and learn what opportunities or plans this broker has to share.

Character Creation

You begin as a level 1 character. Any standard or exotic race is permitted. None of them will correspond to any particular alignment, and you can reassign ability score modifiers as you choose while keeping the value sets (ie, a +2 and a +1 to any two abilities, but not +3 to one). I use a modified ability score array of 16, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Every character also begins with one bonus feat, which must be well-justified as part of their backstory (this does not stack with the Human variant). You can use either the starting equipment for your class, or purchase equipment using the average value of the starting wealth for that class. However, excess starting wealth does not carry over into in-game gold. Backgrounds will provide equipment and starting wealth as normal.
You can refer to the setting Introduction and lore for ideas regarding your background. Aeldryn is home to a variety of cultures, with some twists on a few of the classic racial archetypes. I am more than happy to work with you to flesh out a creative backstory that fits into this world. As a house rule, each player character should have some sort of prior bond or connection to at least one other player character. This can be an important aspect of their respective backgrounds, or it could be something relatively trivial and recent. As examples: they could be siblings, they could have worked together in the past, or they could have simply met on the road to Amberwells and struck up a conversation over the campfire.
In this setting, the Gods are all dead or worse. Their names and appearances have been wiped from the memories of their former followers, as well as from all material records and artwork. Nonetheless, thanks to mysterious artifacts known as Deific Cores, characters can still access divine magic. These Cores align with a particular domain, and don't appear to be sentient, but can be drawn upon for power by those who have connected to them. However, spells that call upon a deity for specific advice or intervention will not function, or will facilitate odd, mostly useless effects. For wielders of arcane magic, it is important to note that the Planes of the multiverse have been largely corrupted or destroyed. Spells involving planar travel or summoning either don't function, or carry terrible risks. There may also be a variety of strange effects on magic spells or items that harness power from the Planes in some way. These will mostly be cosmetic differences, but may occasionally change how the spells or items function - which can be either detrimental or beneficial, depending on circumstances and player creativity.