I started doing something kind of similar for my homebrew -- a rebellion oriented campaign. Maybe you'll find some of these useful. Some of them aren't fleshed out yet.
The Apprentice
Performing acts of demeaning and/or grueling labor in servitude to a mysterious and aloof master, the apprentice suffers through this indignity because he knows the true power his master holds and dreams of one day possessing this power himself. Masters may be kindly (albeit in a begrudging fashion), cruel, demanding, cold and distant, ominous, patronizing, or even fatherly, but they all realize that the best way to teach is through the time honored tradition of instilling in their apprentices a well cultivated sense of patience, diligence, perseverance, and discipline by any means necessary. They know that those who are not adequately prepared for the intense rigors of the arcane mysteries are not likely to survive and flourish. The path of the apprentice is never an easy one. Some day, however, the apprentice ultimately must leave their mentor. Armed with a few spells learned from his master he sets out into the world to meet his destiny. Many apprentices seek membership in the Sorecian Enclave of Magi for access to the enclave’s extensive resources and knowledgeable membership.
The Arcanist of Forbidden Arts
Not content with the tame dabblings of the conventional magi, this character realizes that true power can only be obtained at great risk and is fully willing to take that risk. Those who follow the dark path are scorned and reviled by peers and possibly hunted by the law, but that is a small price compared to the dark compromises they must make to plumb the depths of forbidden knowledge. While most who follow this path do so purely to satisfy a ruthless desire for power at any cost, this is not always the case. There are always those rare people who must reluctantly make this compromise as the lesser of two evils. Likewise there are those who believe that only with fire can fire be fought, and the souls of such people ever straddle the razor’s edge between vengeful righteousness and ultimate corruption. Finally, some people are not given a choice, but are born into a legacy of dark arts tied to their very bloodline.
The Artisan’s Child
This middle class character is the son or daughter of a craftsman, shopkeeper, innkeeper, or the like. Such trades are usually considered a family tradition and it is often frowned upon for this character to forsake their future in the business for a different life. Nevertheless, taking one’s destiny into one’s own hands rather than simply taking that which is given is truly the stuff of heroes. Very often such characters do not even need to find this destiny themselves, but rather are drawn reluctantly through circumstances beyond their control into the glory of great adventures and desperate struggles.
The Artist
A romantic hero who believes in powerful ideals and lives life with an unquenchable passion, the artist stands for his principles against those who fear the power of his art. Painters, writers, poets, musicians, and sculptors – the artist may work in any medium, or even several. Some artists are jaded and cynical, others look to always see the great beauty in life and the human spirit, and yet others hold to the ideal of true beauty to the point where they find most other people to be boorish, lacking in refinement, and utterly without grace and aesthetics. Because artists tend to be outspoken and opinionated, they sometimes find themselves entangled in conflict with political powers. The sharp wit of a satirist is his greatest asset and his greatest peril alike. Some artists also seek out adventure solely for the excitement and experience it brings in an endless bohemian quest for the inspiration needed to fuel their art.
The Clan Warrior
Medain is a wild place with rugged people. The laws of the king in far off Ta’er Airelay have little effect on those who still live the traditional clan life of the Medain. In this near lawless environment, the clans must sort out their differences with each other in one way or another. In many cases this means warfare, and bloody feuds between various families have been part of life on the Isle for as long as anyone has known. The clan warrior was taught to fight by his father’s side and holds nothing more sacred than his family name. There are several reasons why such a character might have left his homeland for the city. His clan might have been destroyed in a deadly feud and as the last survivor he broods over someday claiming his debt of blood from his enemies, or perhaps some disagreement or action has caused his clan to disown him. Alternatively, he might have joined the Sorecian rebellion to win honor and glory for the name of his family, who wait for the day he returns home a hero of his homeland.
The Criminal Prisoner
This character may have committed any manner of crime – petty theft, murder, vandalism, assault, or just about anything else. Whatever the nature of the crime, they were caught and now languish in a dark, damp, prison cell. Many such people are toughened criminals with few redeeming qualities, but others yet are street-smart people who were down on their luck and simply had no other options. Perhaps a chance will come for redemption and possibly even amnesty from previous transgressions. After all, things are desperate in Ta’er Medain and desperate times call for desperate people.
The Deposed Noble
Born into a well ordered society and expecting a future with the world at his fingertips, a series of events tosses this character’s world into complete chaos. His rightful claim taken from him and his honor stripped, the deposed noble curses those who brought about his downfall and laughs at the ironic fickleness of fate. Down on his luck and possibly in hiding, he waits for a chance to gain revenge on those who brought about his misfortune and reclaim that which is rightfully his. There are many opportunities for such a character in this campaign as King Falarun, at Ambassador Drevin’s insistence, has very recently undergone a massive removal of nobility on the South Isle for fear of their questionable loyalty to the Empress.
The Exotic Mystic
This character belongs to a foreign occult tradition and is privy to the mysterious and ancient secrets of his art. He may have been trained in the arts of the Tsa Shapers in a remote mountain monastery, or perhaps initiated into the ancient rites of the sun in an Anuri temple. These people from distant lands are misunderstood, mistrusted, and often feared by most locals. This status can be both a blessing and a curse.
The Fledgling Sea Witch
The old native religion of the Sea Mother remains strong in Medain, despite attempts by the Empire to convert people to the faith of the Bressian god, Nomos. Worship of the sea mother is strongest in the more remote locales, and those who live near her crones hold them in awe and sometimes fear. Possessing old wisdom and powers of divination, the sea witches see all and know all. The Medain see them as sources of wisdom and a chance to glimpse at fate. Crones begin their career under the guidance of a more experienced sea witch. They are often abandoned or unwanted girls adopted by the crones.
The Freedom Fighter
The freedom fighter believes strongly in the fight for the independence of his homeland from oppressive outside rule. He may have been personally wronged by the oppressor in some manner or might just have joined the fight as a matter of principle. The freedom fighter is devoted to a higher cause, the liberation of his people, and often possesses an unparalleled level of determination and courage. What is a life without freedom? The Sorecian rebellion against Dorian rule is, of course, a perfect place from which such a character can emerge.
The Fugitive
The Local Garison Soldier
The Mercenary
The Wanderer with a Mysterious Past
The Nomitic Priest
The Outcast (exiled)
The Pastoral Hero
The pastoral hero typically comes from a small rural community, such as the inland hills of the island of Medain where people live humble lives sheparding flocks of sheep and tending to the fields of small farms or the many small fishing villages that dot the coastline. There are many reasons for such a character to seek life in the big city, but if the character is Medain it should be taken into consideration that most rural Medain look at the Ta’er Medain as a center of sin and wickedness. The character might be the youngest of several siblings who, not likely to inherit land, must make his way in the world and earn his own fortune. The character might also have made some type of promise that can only be kept by seeking fame and fortune in the world. Another possibility is that the character simply seeks more out of life than the simplicity of his/her upbringing and is off in pursuit of excitement. The pastoral hero usually has strong convictions firmly rooted in what they believe is right and wrong and a folk wisdom that city folk often mistake as naivety or stupidity, sometimes much to the regret of those who underestimate them.
The Pirate Recruit
The Political Prisoner
The political prisoner has powerful enemies. Caught for any type of action seen as seditious by the powers that be, it was determined that this character was a danger to the status quo and had to be silenced. Political prisoners are often the victims of tyrannical rulers who seek to crush all who speak out against them. His imprisonment has only given him more time to brood over the injustice he has been served, and should he get out of prison his resolve will only be that much stronger.
The Sailor
Many sailors drift from port to port, seeking work on ships as they travel the world. A sailor may know a great many people in distant ports, from barkeeps, thugs, and cheap whores to harbormasters, military officers, merchant princes, and minor nobility, depending on the types of functions they fulfill on the ship and the types of ships they sail on. Common tars, officers, navigators, pilots, cooks, blacksmiths, sail makers, harpooners -- all types of workers are needed aboard the larger ships.
The Shady Character
Nobody wants to trust this character, but he makes sure that many people have to. His goals and loyalty are questionable, his past less than pristine. This anti-hero might be a pragmatist, an aspiring power broker. He might just be in it for himself. For some reason, despite it all, he gets tangled up into something greater than himself and perhaps, incidentally, finds himself a called a hero along the way.
The Soreanist Heretic
Hunted by agents of the Nomitic church, the soreanist heretic faces certain death should he be discovered. Many soreanists have fled to areas where they can avoid this persecution. The heretic believes that he has found the purest form of faith and despises the wicked manipulations and political nature of the Nomitic Church hierarchy. The true power of faith lies in the people, not the institution. With it’s remote rural areas and strong support for native worship of the Sea Mother, Medain remains one of these areas. It is certainly the safest place within the Empire proper for a heretic to hide.
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