It's nice to see a GM devoted enough to write even with a headache.  

I might succumb to the desire to write a short intro before officially meeting the group. 

In that regard, I'd like to ask a few things. 
What is the geography like in no-man's land and around Arcadia, Hyznia and Illon? 
And would anyone from either faction like for our characters to know each other vaguely from before the IC events?