I kinda agree with drew. True having them be natives would mean more of a personal stake, and their backstories would matter more maybe but... I mean, Arty’s backstory is immensely important to her characterization and plot and it informs her stakes in the story, even tho she’s an outsider. Sure she’s not a native and her backstory happens in a faroff land, but I think it’s pretty relevant to her side of the rp’s plot. And I do like that our characters are important [b]because[/b] they’re outsiders. Their otherness makes them special and they therefor have more weight. They’re unknowns that both have to discover the world and their stakes in it, while also having to be discovered by the natives. Everyone has to decide what to do with this unknown quantity, and how to deal with them when they don’t do what they’re supposed to. 

Plus just from a mechanics perspective I think it gives you, the GM, more control over the world. As outsiders, we discover everything and you get to set up the world, but if we were natives then we’d have more control over the rules and norms of the world, and while that would be cool, it’s be harder to make sure everything stayed consistent and logical.