Whilst there are excellent RPers on this mud, the meat of the game
is PK. Therefore, and since you are a beginner, you should focus on
survivability while you learn the mechanics of PK. Others have offered
good advice on this (stealth class like ranger, assassin) which you should follow.
If you really, really want to play the game for RP, you can try the herald cabal but you'll be disappointed.

CF is not Achaea. The combat mechanics are in a sense more primitive
but infinitely more addictive and fun. Achaea is built around taking your money.
CF is built around adrenaline and cabal dynamics via PK.
I play evil most of the time because i enjoy being the predator and
the freedom that this gives me when it comes to picking fights.
If i kill you and you ask me for a reason, maybe i give you one,
maybe i'm fighting someone else or focusing on escaping a difficult situation
or am simply not interested in explaining my motives to you
and say nothing at all.
It shouldn't make a difference to you, get your things and keep on trucking.

When you become better, have had a couple of chars under your belt,
been in a few cabals you will see that CF becomes a completely
different game from the one that defines your current impression. And
you will also find meaningful RP and behind-the-scenes politics and
character interactions. But in a sense, all of these grow out of PK.

The better you become, the more you can affect the world of CF.
People _will_ take notice and act accordingly. So, to end with, my
advice to you is to take things a step at a time. You will die a lot
and there is frustration galore to be discovered, but you will also
grow as a player and begin to appreciate things that now seem non
existent.