Note To Beren: (And Anyone interested)
At this point Timeline is extremely vague so working within your Time constraints initially will be no problem at all. In fact I see you more as a writing coordinator if that make sense than the writer of the entire storyline. Take on as much or as little of the writing as you see fit. Invite whomever you wish to help. With the potential to have so many people involved I believe it will be essential to have one person in charge of keeping the story part of the project in check able to Co-ordinate with the Map designers.
Your analysis of the basic economic factors affecting the races is bang on and I believe that we have a do-able project. Having said that this is a very broad outline of how I see the Camapign Storyline. (This outline is purely discussionary and subject to change but I believe we need to start with something concrete.)
Preamble:
Explamation of the outcome of AOW1. Julie Wins and the Keepers establish rule over the Valley of Wonders. (The keepers are a coalition of Elves, Dwarves and Halflings, with the Highmen friendly to them but not part of their group.)
The Humans are expelled from the Valley and the Highmen although not expelled leave the Valley willingly. The Lizards, Azracs, and Frostlings are left to their own devices but lands taken from them during the Wars are not returned.
The Cult of Storms is shattered and the Races of Evil retreat to the frontiers and the deeps returning to a fuedal system of stormlords and fiefdoms. The Undead seem to fade away....
It has been years since the War at the Valley of Wonders and the Heroes of that Age are preparing for their Journey to Evermore and entrusting the leadership of the Valley to the new generation of Elves. The transition of leadership provides a time for rethinking amonst the races and certain races want to go it alone so to speak. (Dwarves and Halfings) The Elves wish for them to continue in step with the Keepers but agree to allow the Dwarves and Halfling their own leaders.
Story for Good Hero
{Now I realize that the good hero can be acording to the campaign a Lizard, Azrac,Elf Dwarf, or Halfing; but I think for now we will assume that we want to restrict his alignment to Good).
The Story starts on the Edge of the frontiers with our Hero (a dwarf, halfling or elf) questioning the decision of the Dwarves to go it alone without Elvan protection. He begins in the Dawarven mining giving the task by his superior to protect the mines from raiders. I think it will work for the superior to be a Wisened Highmen who forsees the trouble cause by the transitions in leadership of the Keepers. Unlike in the Original Camapign, this Highmen leader wishes to preserve what the keepers have built believing that Time has proven the keepers to be right all along, and he seeks to persuade the Dwarves, Elves and halflings to retain the coalition and even to bring the Highmen into it.
Of course out on the frontier where we begin the Evil races have begun to rebuild their numbers, and the Neutral races are beginning to fight to reclaim ancient lands lost in the old wars.
It is during these first three skirmishes that our good heroe realizes that the other raves are far more powerful than the Keeprs imagine and he under the guidance of his Highmen Leader begins his journey back to the Valley.
At the End of the third map the Good Hero is faced with a decision. He has lived among the dwarves and admires their self reliance, He sees and advantage in being able to react to situations in the field without needing to recieve instructions from his superior on every task. His Superior wishes him to tavel into Halfling Territories to upgrade their defences against the coming storm but he sees an opportunity to reconcile with an ancient enemy of the dwarves and may instead travel further North to Help the Frostlings. After all it is true that their Holdings were reduced after the great wars and much of this was unjust in their eyes.
If He Chooses to travel Northwards. He no longer is under the guidance of his Highmen superior. But in the North he will come face to face with true Evil in the form of the Undead and their minions the Goblins, Orcs and Dark Elves.
He shall begin by fighting Goblins who threaten to overrun frostling territory. He also will engae in a fight with the Keepers to reclaim ancient land of the frostlings. His last Battle will be with Humans must be brought into the fold so to speak such that the nuetral races can be united against the coming dread of the Undead. It is during these skirmishes that the hero becomes truly aware of the coming war and realizes that the Valley of Wonders is at stake. Being of nuetral alignment at this point and acting as a raider/trader/capitalist he is face with three decisions. He can go back to his original alignment having seen what is coming and serve his Highmen leader. He can now that he has brought the Humans into the fold serve a new charismatic human leader, Or He can travell a darker path lured by the spoils and riches he has seen and imagined and follow a new and as yet unseen leader who calls to him.
Now back to the good hero if he chooses the good path and helps the Halflings. The Halflings find themselves assalted on two sides by Raiders from the South and By things they have disturbed in the deeps. Basically their mercantile ways have opened trading route to the south and North but instead of decent law abiding traders, Azracs, Frostlings and humans swept in to exploit the new oppertunities. Trade Wars erupt with the Orcs, dark elves and Goblins eager to pick at the remains. At the End of this chapter the hero is face with a decision. The human Leader has demanded capitulation but offered a post in his Army, but the Highmen leader Calls him to abandon the Halflings to Help the Elvs prepare for the next great War at the Valley.
Depending upon the pathe taken Our good hero Can now serve any alignment. If he serves the Good alignment we have three battles to bolster the defenses of the Valley serving the Elves. If he serves the Neutral alignmernt we have the hero serving the Azracs recaliming territory in the south and pushing northwards towards the Valley as the Human leader realizes that the wealth of the Valley is key to overall power. If he has taken the Dark Path he serves as leader of the Orcs, smashing all opposition Eastward toward the Valley to sieze and control it once and for all. The third path is very dark and Moody and it is not revealed until After the Third Map that you are really serving the Undead.
Finally the Last Battle a Completely redone Valley of Wonders Map for control of the Valley. (This map is almost done. You act as a Highmen, A Human or as the Undead. highmen will restore the Keepers sytem, the Humans will establish the valley as the center for commerce and trade, but the Undead would Turn the Valley of Winders into a wasteland raping its resources and turning it to dust,.
I could also give you the complete outline for the Nuetral Camapign and the Evil Campaign but their is much overlap in story so I will just fill in the missing details. The Nuetral leaders starts by serving the Lizards and spends three maps reclaiming territory taken by other races. He actually has three choices at the end of his first chapter. He can hear the call of the Highment leader and jump to the Good path. he would do this as a result of seeing how the Raiding system has led to skirmish after skirmish and he is enticed by the peace offered by the keepers. He can keep with the nuetrals and go North to Help the frostlings, or He can Jump to the Darkside so to speak and Serve the goblins who have lost more than the nuetrals. This decision would be done more from the standpoint of reward than any magnamity towards the Goblins.
The Evil campaign starts off as it always does for Dark Elves. With undeniable arraogance towards other races and a feeling that they deserve better and the best way of Getting better is to take it.
So to recap:
True paths are:
Dwarf - Halfling - Elf - Highmen
Lizard - Frosling - Azrac - Human
Dark Elf - Goblin - Orc - Undead
You can only jump one alignment at a time at the end of the cahpters so the most interesting movement occurs when you are nuetral because you have three choices. There is no choice for the last branch which is the final battle. Reasoning here is that the stakes are too high for other alignments to consider you at this point, and you have committed yourself by your actions.
What do you think???
[This message has been edited by Arctic Wolf (edited 01-25-2005 @ 01:09 PM).]