Page 78 of the rulebook (version 1.2, I haven't downloaded the new version yet) has a "Starting Items" section that breaks down exactly what you get for your new character. You get 12 copper, a tag for whatever armor you're repping (up to your class max), a weapon tag for each weapon skill you have (including Shield), an extra weapon tag if you have Florentine or Two Weapons, a spell book if you have any spells, a quiver of arrows or bolts if you have Archery, and an alchemy book if you have Alchemy.
Beyond that, your character starts at 15 build and builds up experience the same as any character, although you can only do goblin blankets for one character in a chapter each month. You can set up a secondary as a generic "build blob" and just let it build up until you're ready to actually play that character - the race, class, and build aren't set until the first time you play them.