So the same tried and true "you meet in a tavern" beginning to the story is always fun, but can get a bit repetitive after a while. Personally, I plan on starting my next group off in an airship for some reason or another (could be having peace talks in the neutral skies above the lucidian ocean, or all the PCs are the catering/crew of the airship). Either way, the ship is attacked, and begins the process of crashing. Should spice things up a little bit, especially if none of them are familiar with the continent they crashed.