Here is another idea I had for alternate start - delayed main quest. You arrive in whatever city. You accept a job to deliver a letter and an offering of food to the emporer in person. You meet the emporer give him the letter and food. He reads the letter and asks you to stay and await a reply. He decides to have lunch right there, but it is poisoned! He dies, but before he does, he gives you the amulet and asks you to find his heir. Guards come in and you get blamed for the death! You can either run away and try to escape, or fight or go ahead to jail. Once there you meet the elder council for trial. Your lawyer, the prosecutors, and yourself address the council. However a caviat, the prosecution brings in the guy that hired you, he is with the Mythic Dawn and testifies that you indeed are also a member! IF you are convicted, it is the death penalty! So, you go back to jail to await execution. You have a certain amount of time to try to escape. If not the guards come, you can try to fight through, but will prove futile. and off to execution you go in the arena. If you escape, you have a 1,000,000 gold bounty for killing the emporer. The ONLY way to clear yourself is to do the main quest. Is this workable?