I prefer the latter.

[hr][@Jeyma]
[i][b]Is there a special place our characters are all supposed to be? Are we all meeting in the tavern, or are we simply going to bump into each other out in the world?[/b][/i]

You can start in [i]any[/i] neutral territory (as long as it makes sense for you to be there), and bump in to each other.