So right now, I'm thinking of two main ideas.<br/><br/>- Zenith Caste - He was part of a large farming and vintner family on the coast before a Dragon-Blooded of House Sharji decided that they wanted the land and the view of the sea for a vacation home.  Declaring the land and the people to now belong to them, MC refused to work the land that was unjustly taken away from his family, despite threats and beatings, he wouldn't relent.  While the Dragon-Blooded could have just killed him, they knew that if they did that without beating him, it would admit to losing the contest of wills.  Deciding to remove the annoyance as a favor to their master, the Dragon-Blooded's major domo sold him to the mysterious person taking who has taken him and the others to the magical cave.  This character could be the reincarnation of the queen, perhaps.<br/><br/>- Twilight Caste - The son of a Scavenger Lord based in Great Forks, he was exploring a ruin with his father's company when an artifact was accidentally triggered.  Knocking his father out of the way of the device, he appeared thousands of miles away in the region of the Dreaming Sea.  Trying to reach civilization, he was caught up in one of the strange storms and found himself slightly changed (thinking of taking the Gills Mutation) before he was captured by a slaving group and sold into servitude.  His knowledge and skills made him useful for upkeeping the weapons and devices of House Sharji and despite being a slave, he earned a good position.  However, this also made him a perfect choice for being sent into the mysterious cavern.<br/><br/>Any thoughts?