The Fall of Wesnoth (Storyline discussion)

[Pewskeepski]

SPOILER WARNING

Due to the story getting many revisions, I've posted it here so it'll be easier to find the one we're actually going with.

Spoiler:

Part 1:
Alitar gets sent to a penal colony on the three sisters for taking action against the king of Wesnoth. The unjustly action was taken because Alitar strongly disagrees about the king raising another sun into the sky. On the three sisters, Alitar's warden (Rovsitar) leaves the penal colony because the undead are getting too great in numbers. Alitar leads the exiles in a desperate objective of survival. They find a gryphon on the island and, thinking it could be their ticket off, they follow it to the gryphon's nest which is located on a mountain. While they are up there, Alitar finds an unexplored cave and the exiles enter it. They find signs of necromancy and are encountered by an ancient lich, who the believe to be the master of the island. They escape the mountain with the gryphon eggs and head back into the jungle where they'll have a better chance to live. Alitar decides to explore some holy temples on the island, (there are temples as seen in HttT) and find holy water inside which gives them a better chance at holding off the undead until the gryphons are fully trained and ready to fly. Towards the end, Alitar's men are confronted by the lich himself. It is here that they find out about the third sun being raised and it's foreseen failure. Shortly afterwards, the exiles fly off the island in a desperate attempt to stop the foretold doom!

And here's the original post:

About a year ago, I had an idea for a campaign called 'The Fall of Wesnoth.' I was thinking that this idea has surely been done before by somebody else, and it turns out I was right. But the campaign does seem to be in a 'Abandoned' state. It's on the 1.6 server so I assume that its alright if I take it over.

However, I do not want this campaign to be an 'Alternative ending.' I realize that UtBS is not the only campaign which follows events after the fall so I need to know what other people have done. I'm not going to play any of those campaigns because, like UtBS, I'll race through them trying to only get the story elements striate.

Below is what I have for the story. (Sorry that it's long, I got kinda carried away and went really detailed in some spots ) Of course, there are extreme spoilers, so read it at your own risk.

Spoiler:

Part 1 begins:

It all begins with an ordinary orc attack. Alitar (The player) defends his village, but his father is slain by a general named Rovistar, who then escapes the battle field. Alitar finds out that the Wesnothian general was a traitor and he stole something of great value from the capital. Because of his father's death, Alitar lives his dream by joining the army, not knowing that this is the Beginning of the End.

(Time passes)

Alitar's military duties put him at the southern city of Westin. He is suprisingly attacked by undead, (Surprised because undead haven't been around a long time) but he manages to repel the invasion. After the battle, a messenger reports that a HUGE army of undead are attacking Cammisk - the city even farther south - (See the south-of-wesnoth map for more information) A lieutenant, who's not important in the story, stays in Westin and sends reinforcements while you go back too Weldyn to report the undead's presence too the king.

(Short time passes)

You are recalled too a meeting with King Murdoch III. In the meeting, you discover that undead have also laid siege at the eastern borders of Wenoth. Another HUGE army. The disscusion is long, but it ends with the fact that the kings advisor had a dream. He dreamed that Wesnoth would be destroyed by a massive army of walking dead and the only way to stop the evil from taking the kingdom would be a great battle: Life against Death. The council reaches a decision: Wesnoth must ally themselves with Elves, Dwarves, and even Orcs. (Not sure if this is a good idea?) The undead armies are massive and there is a huge possibility that they are even forming up in the northlands. General Gwadoc and you are sent to alliance with the other species. (Note: That Northern Alliance is dead [Again, not sure if this is a good idea?])

The dwarves agree to ally with the Wesnothians if they clear out a cave of trolls. "If ye expect us to fight in yer land, then we expect ya to fight in ours" Is what the dwarf lord says. However, you enter the caves only to find out that the troll leader has betrayed his tribe. (The trolls stole a ton of gold from Kalga's treasury. While most of the army was fighting against the dwarves in the mountians, the troll boss decided it was a good idea to boogy outta there with ALL the money)

The elves (Of lintanir forest [Wesmere has been destroyed]) ally themselves with you, but, like the dwarves, they do not want to have an alliance with orcs. Alitar convinces both species to go along with it by reminding them of the Northern Alliance.

The party then travels high into the northlands, hoping that the united orcs will agree too be allies. They arrive in prestun (For more informantion, see 'farnorth') to hold council with the orcish sovereign, Blood-Bone Secadus. (The tribes name is 'Blood-Bone' because that's the name of their sovereign. He gets that name because of his fighting, and punishment, tactics of breaking peoples bones.) Secadus is the kind of orc who won't have a problem with you if you don't have a problem with him. He agrees for the pure fun of it, but only if Alitar can defeat him in a duel. Of course, Alitar does and orcs become allies of humans, elves, and dwarves. Naturally, there are arguments between elves, orcs, and dwarves (That's just nature ) The party realize that there is undead covering the northlands by now so they travel back to Wesnoth by ships. Before they do this however, they encounter a troll; But this is not any ordinary troll, this is Gruu. Turns out he was the troll that stole all of the dwarves money, and he's a good friend of Secadus. (I figure this means the campaign takes place about 800-900 after SotBE) The old troll (After a heated disscusion with the dwarves ) joins you in your struggle, and gives you the stolen gold. The party is, unfortunately, ambushed by undead and to make things even more unfortunate, Gwadoc is captured. Captured!? Why? That is the question everybody asks. Alitar leads the elves, orcs, dwarves and trolls in pursuit of the undead captors. They follow them all the way too a BIG castle in a swamp! A battle happens, but the living cannot win so they retreat. Now Alitar realizes that the undead have Wesnoth surrounded.

The party arrive at Elensefar by ships and are greeted by royal troops. (King Muroch III has already told the kingdom of their alliance. However he doesn't want to spread panic over the nation so he keeps his mouth shut about the undead armies' massive size) After a series of battles, Alitar and his human army travel
into the desert because they believe that the head lich is in the mountains of Triththa. Along with him, he brings Secadus and Gruu with their armys while the elves and dwarves help defend Wesnoth from the north and south. They cross the Flamebreath desert and find a shrouded castle of evil. A big, bloody, and hard battle takes place, but our heros find it impossible to penetrate the magical fortress gates. Alitar and some hand picked warriors make their way through an old tunnel that they discovered, and into the basement. The plan is to find, and open, the gates from the inside so the fighting soldiers can pour into the castle in hopes of destroying the lich leader. They frantically fight their way through the castle while smashing guards hear and there. In the dungeons, they find a prisoner. A woman. The question of why the undead are keeping prisoners pops into Alitar's mind again. The woman says that the lich keeps the key to the cells and Alitar promises they will get her out once they open the gates. After some stealthy searching, the group of soldiers find the gate to the castle and start to open it.

But while they're opening the gate, arrows shot by a skeleton's bow sink into the heads of Alitars chosen warriors. Before Alitar can react to the death of his companions, a loud 'THUD' is heard in the back of his mind. Shrieking pain flows through him as he falls to the ground. Unconscious... (To be continued)

Part 1 ends:

Now that you've read that big wall of text. Take a rest, grab some coffee, and enjoy yourself before you read the next one

Spoiler:

Part 2 begins:

Alitar wakes up with dried blood on his neck, he struggles up and after rubbing his eyes for a short time, he realizes where he is. He's laying on a stone alter. He is wearing a black robe with a necromancers label, and to his left stands a skeleton. A moving skeleton. A lich. Alitar's master.

It all comes back to Alitar then, he is this liches best general. The two of them are on their way to destroy Wesnoth. Alitar will lead decaying soldiers into a showdown that'll decided the fate of not just Wesnoth, but the whole world. Alitar's master explains that he was knocked by the out by the enemy so some things may seem a little weird at first. But right now, some orcs are attacking the castle, and it's time for Alitar to get back in the action. Alitar wages war against the orcs, but when they see who he is, they try to convince him that he ISN'T the liches servant. Alitar ignors their deceitful words and continues to
fight, but the orcs and trolls retreat, and escape. Troubled, Alitar discusses some things with his master, they realize that it will be a lot harder to take Wesnoth now that they've allied themselves with elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls. For a couple weeks, Alitar takes command of his master's minions and fights a large
battle at 'The Valley of Heros' (A great battle took place there during Wesnoth's last civil war, the battle there was hard an bloody, but it ended the war) Alitar's master wants to go to The Valley of Heros because there are a ton of corpses there, just waiting to be raised. Throughout his duties to his master, Alitar is requested to intarrogait a prisoner. A woman. Alitar scarcely remembers her from somewhere, but
he can't quite put his finger on it. It's almost as if there's something in his mind blocking memories out. Alitar's master wants to know the location of a place called 'The Holy Sanctum'. It's apparently a temple of some kind that is the power source of Holy Magic and this woman knows where it is. (There's nobody else alive who does) A few days pass and Alitar can't get the information out of her, but it occurs to
him that his master feels uneasy in the presence of someone, or something, Holy. Alitar suggests that his master himself searches for this 'Holy Sanctum' instead of sending his scouts to do it. You, your master, the girl, and an army search, search some more, and then they find it! They descend into the cave where they believe it is, and they discover that your master's sensing proved accurate. However, before your
master can do what he wants, a dragon attacks the undead hordes. In the chaos, the woman (She has no name yet) breaks free and enters the sanctum. Your master orders you to go kill her while his minions attempt to slay the dragon, but when Alitar enters, he finds it very compelling to kill the woman. After some dialog, she get's Alitar into a white funnel of light (Just like what the white mages fight with, only bigger ) which causes (some magical things to happen) Alitar to be 'healed', he drops to the floor. Unconscious...

Deja-Vu occurs. Alitar wakes up and struggles too his feet after rubbing his eyes for a short time. This time however, there is no dried up blood on his neck, and it is not his master who is leaning over him, it is the woman. He's still wearing the black robe with a necromancers label, but what he remembers about himself is very different - He is a commander of the Wesnothian army and he was recently sent into the desert by King Murdoch III to destroy an evil lich. He slowly begins to realize what happened, he was 'evil' for a while, However, him being evil seems like a dream now. Strange. He remembers thinking that him being good
was just a dream while he was corrupted. Alitar doesn't know what evil magic went to work on his brain, but he does know that there's a lich outside the temple who must be destroyed at all costs! Alitar destroys the lich, his old master, and the undead minions - his, and his master's - who have already wounded the dragon
pretty bad. The dragon dies, Alitar and the woman flee from Minoiaars lake (Look east of Wesnoth for more info) confident that no evil will ever find the sanctum again. Along the way home, a clan of drakes joins and helps, but they find themselves surrounded by your 'master's' left over minions. However, just
when they're about to kill you, the undead get wiped out by a massive magical force. A man named Evad steps over the dune who has apparently been studding the dark arts of necromancy in hopes of finding their weakness. He says that he is very close to completing something that could expel black magic once and for all! Alitar thanks Evad for his help and continues his journey too Wesnoth, leaving Evad behind.

They return too Wesnoth, Alitar explains the events that occurred in the desert and announces that they just made an alliance with drakes! Things go back to normal. Or do they? After you reunite with our old friends, Alitar discovers that undead are attacking from the west now. They rise out of the ocean and wage war at Blackwater Port and Elensefar. King Murdoch III sends Alitar to The Three Sisters (Which have changed considerably. Two of the islands are now military bases [The other one is a prison]) in hopes of finding out where these undead are coming from. Alitar arrives, talks a bit, finds a secret passage that leads underground, goes in, finds the lich, fights the lich, destroys the lich, and returns back too the mainland. Two lichs down, two more to go!

When Alitar returns, he finds out that King Murdoch has been captured by the northern undead! Alitar's party makes haste to save the king. Once again the question pops into Alitars mind - Why did the undead take him prisoner? Alitar tracks down the kidnapers too the Swamp of Dread, where he attempts to destroy
the northern lich a second time, but again, Alitar is forced to withdraw his army from the battlefield. More bad news once he returns to Wesnoth; Westin has fallen, and the undead are marching against Wesnoth's last southern defense. Fort Tahn. All seems lost now, but there's still one last sliver of hope. Evad. The mage
arrives in Wesnoth and declares that darkness has not yet won, but we must expel the darkness by raising another sun into the sky! This itself would not defeat the undead, but it would give all living things the ability to do so. The best wizards in the world are recalled. Humans, elves, even trolls and orcs. They all gather around and, with their magic, raise a rock (Where did they get a rock that big!?) into the sky as a second sun... blah blah blah... you know it from UtBS.

With the newly lengthened night, Alitar leads all living things (Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls, and Drakes) in an attempt to save the king, and destroy the undead! They arrive at The Swamp of Dread and enter an old underground tunnel (When the undead became aware of the attack, they told their master of the intruders. Because of this, the northern lich has ordered King Murdoch's execution) Alitar, the dwarves and the trolls make their way underground while the elves, orcs and drakes attack from the overground. They break through the dirt and pop out right in the middle of the execution arena! They signal their allies to attack and fight against the forces of evil. (All of the captured people are in the arena. Gwadoc, and some others) Alitar recognizes the man who's standing next to the northern lich. Rovistar. (Remember him?) The general seems very confused, beaten, and tortured. He says he's looking for a book, and that his name is no longer Rovistar, it's Ystara. (Recognize it? ) Anyway, being the coward that he is, he flees the battle field when the northern lich is destroyed. After another long, hard, and bloody battle, King Murdoch III escapes. Although he demands you go back to get the Scepter of Fire, you still press on due to the dangers that remain back in the arena. Unfortunately, King Murdoch gets killed by an arrow shot from a pursuing
skeleton's bow. The party returns too Wesnoth, Murdoch's son takes the throne and Alitar leads all living things once again into battle. Against the southern undead. It's time to end this once and for all! The army repels the unending invasion at Fort Tahn, and marches. Past Westin, past Cammisk, they march to Adu-Alakh where the fourth and final lich awaits his doom. A battle happens, victory goes too the living, and the surviving party goes back home.

With evil defeated once and for all, Wesnoth and all other living nations hold a month long party. Evad becomes advisor to the new king, the other species go back too their homes, and Alitar marries the unnamed woman who was the undead prisoner (Naturally, they slowly fell in love throughout the campaign ) Peace and happiness is restored!

But peace and happiness are not to last...

Blood-Bone Secadus (The orc) attacks Wesnoth's borders with not just an army of orcs, but with undead minions. Secadus apparently raises the dead now. Most people think he's an orc, so it's expected for him to betray Wesnoth like this, but Alitar knows better. He knows that whatever spell changed him and Rovistar/Ystara, also has gone to work on Secadus's mind. Puzzled by this appearance of evil, Alitar hunts down his friend in hopes of returning him too his natural state. (Whether or not Alitar kills Secadus, I don't know yet) Alitar returns to his home and discovers that the young King of Wesnoth is going to raise ANOTHER sun into the sky, partly because he wants evil and darkness to be dispelled entirely, but also
because he was always jealous of the glory his father received for being a hero. We know (From UtBS) what happens, but I'll say it anyway. The rock is raised, Alitar tries to stop them, a mysterious portal is opened, Evad gets sucked into the portal, demons (From what I've heard, IftU has demons so I'm explaining how they got here) come out of the portal and kill everybody, Alitar manages to enter the mysterious portal before the rock crushes everything... (To be continued)

Part 2 ends:

You ought to be pretty tired by now. But don't worry, the next one isn't nearly as long

Spoiler:

Part 3 begins:

I don't have the full story planned out yet, but I know the following things will
happen...

01. Alitar finds himself in hell... literally.
02. Suspicion of Evad being scum is brought up
03. Alitar escapes from hell... barely
04. Alitar is found by some surviving elves
05. Rovistar/Ystara finds the Armageddon Sword (Which is something really powerful)
06. Some elves are captured by Emperor Evad and sacrificed
07. Evad realizes that Alitar is still alive and attempts to kill him
08. Alitar escapes Evad now knowing fully that he is scum
09. Alitar finds ruins of Wesnoth (Stuff happens)
10. Whether or not Alitar's wife is still alive, I don't know
11. Alitar meats Ystara and takes the Armageddon Sword from him
12. Alitar searches for the lost runes which will give the sword power
13. Evad pursues Alitar more vigorously
14. Alitar finds all of the lost runes
15. Almost ever single person in the world gets corrupted by a mysterious evil
16. The demons continue to reek havoc around the world
17. Alitar (And his wife?) are not corrupted by the mysterious evil (It's the ruby)
18. Alitar leads a tribe of survivors into the Holy Sanctum
19. The holy sanctum heals Alitar's survivors
20. After writing a journal of everything that has happened, Alitar gathers his followers to confront Evad
21. A long, hard, and bloody battle happens
22. Evad retreats into hell via his portal
23. Alitar enters the portal to confront Evad personnel
24. Evad reveals a TON of mystery’s and everything becomes clear
25. Alitar and Evad have a duel in the deepest parts of hell
26. Evad's body is destroyed but his soul is confined to the Ruby of Fire
27. To actually 'kill' Evad, Alitar destroys the Ruby of Fire
28. The massive explosion, caused by the ruby, kills Alitar
29. Evad and Alitar are dead, the portal too hell is closed forever and the undead have fallen
30. The followers of Alitar settle in the desert and preserve his journal so history of the golden age will be remembered... (The End)

I thought i'd be very cool if the Ruby of Fire was the main reason behind the fall of Wesnoth.

My logic on the Ruby are as follows:

The Ruby of Fire constantly unleashes a dark power that corrupts people. It turns out, the Scepter of Fire never blocked that power, but contained it. Evad discovers this, breaks the scepter and, in doing so, unleashes a HUGE unseen cloud of corruption.

Part 3 ends:

Thanks for reading all that. Yeah, it's a long story, but dooms day is a long process. As you probably already guessed, I plan to split this into three parts, each part will have about 25 scenarios.

So, how far off was I from the storys which have already been told? Don't forget to not only tell me where I went wrong, but also tell me what you did instead. I'll try to incorporate any story elements that I went wrong on as best I can.

[Pewskeepski]

Well, I guess utter silence is what I expected. (given my history of receiving it) Did I post this in the wrong place?

I want to make this campaign, but I'd rather wait until I sort out the story. Unless nobody cares if I don't follow the plots of other campaigns like Invasion from the Unknown. C'mon, guys, Replying to this is only going to take a little bit of your time. And it wouldn't hurt you to give some feedback like you do to the other campaigns

[bigkahuna]

The Ruby of Fire (unshielded) gradually corrupted the bearer. Held within the Sceptre, the corruption continued, but was blocked by a filigree of white magic infused into the gold lining surrounding the ruby.

Making an "alternate" history of the Fall is difficult, as I and most others are completely used to UtBS and IftU. If you want to at least be mainline, the Fall did NOT happen until the THIRD sun was raised. That THIRD sun fell and destroyed everything in a massive explosion.

Everything else can be either seen in Future History of Wesnoth (on the wiki somewhere; it was written by Shadowmaster and was made to be synched with IftU) or made up.

The whole thing at the moment seems like a giant fetch quest... Find and kill the three liches! Then, get the magical sword and find all the lost runes of power!

[pauxlo]

@Pewskeepski: This is surely not the right thread to speak about this - better try in Writer's forum (or ask some moderator to move these posts there).

[Pewskeepski]

@Pewskeepski: This is surely not the right thread to speak about this - better try in Writer's forum (or ask some moderator to move these posts there).

That's what I was thinking. I posted in here merely to say "I've taken over this campaign." I suppose it should be moved, but since nobody has said anything here I was thinking my story was OK regarding IftU. Especially because Shadowmaster is not only the Lord of the forums but he's also the creator of the campaign

Anyway, I've changed the storyline some. But ultimately, if the story posted above is truthful to IftU, then so is the edited version. (I know it follows UtBS perfectly.) Could these please be moved to the Writers Forum?

[Bennoman]

Hi Pewskeepski just been taking the time to read your wall o text!

My initial response should be that any story concerning the fall should not directly involve the actual event which brings it about and that it should also be a natural event (well as natural as you can get involving fantasy Armageddons).

I will explain my reasoning. The power of any myth that explains the end of things as we know it are much more powerful if there is vagueness to it, when there is room for imagination to fill in the blanks. Here's just a few examples off the top of my head.

28 days later: The protagonist awakes in a ruined London, the scenery alone tells a wonderful story without a single word of exposition. Later on we are filled in on the events of what has happened, but before that we have already come across those infected with the rage virus so we know what everyone faced. And when the survivors tell their stories we can place this in context. Our imaginations fill in the gaps trying to envision a scene of thousands of people being torn apart by a growing tide of people infected with the rage virus.

Terminator: Why was terminator 3 rubbish? Because they showed us what was happening, and how they tried to explain the nitty gritty details of how judgement day came about. It was all unnecessary because the concept alone of Skynet becoming self aware and nuking the world is chilling and so grimly described. The only moment in terminator 3 which you suddenly got a shiver down your spine is at the very end of the film when John Connor starts picking up calls from military units around the US asking for orders, they are panicked and scared. That moment works not because you see what happens but you see what happens to the people .

Battlestar Galactica: Ok so in this one you do get to see what happens. However the reason the show has won so many awards, is because it shows how the apocalypse is effecting the survivors. The human context so to speak.

I suppose what I am getting is show don't tell. Show what happens because of the epic tragedy that is the fall not how it happens.

My advice would be to take the battlestar galactica route. That any campaign based around the fall would best suit describing a group of refugees trying to escape the chaos around them. You can describe the events via map design, dialog and intro story boards. Keep the details a mystery, let the player fill in the gaps in their own mind, the characters may or may not know what is happening. But they sure as hell can describe what is happenin... show don't tell.

Anyway thats purely just my opinion, but I would be very curious as to what you think.

Ben

[Pewskeepski]

I think you're right. I plan to make it so game play is the past leading up to the present where Alitar tells the tale of the fall - which can be read in the story parts before each scenario. UtBS does something very similar to this, the difference here is that the Alitar is telling the story BEFORE the final battle. So the last few scenarios take place in the present. Follow me? It might sound a bit confusing, sorry if it is.

As for "Show don't tell." That's what I plan to do. In most (If not all) of the talk only scenarios the characters have 'real' conversations with each other. Not just, "Lets go get those badguys!" Alitar and Secadus (The orc leader) become good friends, and you get to see their friendship get made via the dialog in the scenarios. This should make the campaign more interesting because when someone dies, the player might say "Oh man, he was a cool guy." instead of "Drat! I lost a good unit."

And this is ultimately a good thing because then you feel bad when Wesnoth get's destroyed. Speaking of which:

the Fall did NOT happen until the THIRD sun was raised. That THIRD sun fell and destroyed everything in a massive explosion.

I guessed you misinterpreted the way I told it, the third sun IS the one that destroys everything. They raise 1 sun, (Now they have 2) they raise another, (To make it 3) but it fails.

[Bennoman]

Fair enough, I just have my reservations with trying to tell the story of the fall, its details.

Such things are best left vague because to describe it in detail removes the mystery. And the power of post apocalyptic worlds is that its happened, it cannot be relived and is effectively myth, it becomes entwined with the culture of the people who live in that time. To describe it in detail removes myth, mystery and imagination and replaces with fact.

The other thing I would consider is that at the point of the fall I personally viewed that the world of Wesnorth had become something of a decadent and lazy empire. The reason they are making new suns is because they do what all empires do when they are on top of the world. they do stupid things and over stretch themselves, sometime leading to their own demise.

What I am getting at is the idea of huge armies clashing in the times leading up to the fall just doesn't jibe with me. The fall is a product of an empire with no challenges left, who chooses to do things for the sake of vanity alone. The last thing you would do in the sake of a great war is to undertake a massive vanity project.

Not saying that the story is bad. There's plenty of twists and characters in it to make it a wonderful narrative. I just think it would be better suited to the immediate aftermath of the fall, with desperate survivors banding together, or in a different era altogether.

[Pewskeepski]

Agreed. Here's the redone storyline I mentioned.

Note that this is just a 'rough sketch' of the story. I have the whole thing planned out in a lot more detailed than this but to right it all in detail would take a lot of time. I agree with Wesnoth being in peace before the fall. Problem is that Wesnoth is a TBS game so with out any battles, it'd be rather boring. To address this problem, I made wars take place in the north while Wesnoth is at peace.

The story has been split in two. I didn't like that everything happened to Alitar in the original so I've made the story not just about him, but also about a Wesnothian General named Gwadoc. So now the story is from 2 people's point of view. Oh, and the ones which are numbered 0 take place before the campaign begins and are just mentioned.

Spoiler:

Part 1 begins:

00. Orcs unite in the north lands and become a critical fear
00. To satisfy their fear, elves meet with Wesnothians to form a treaty (Just in case the orcs stage a war)
01. Rovistar (A traitor to Wesnoth) hires Alitar (An assassin) to kill a general
02. Alitar kills the general but finds out that he's actually the King of Wesnoth
03. Rovistar double-crosses Alitar and because of that, he wants revenge
04. Gwadoc (Wesnothian sergeant) discovers that the king has been murdered (By elves apparently)
05. The high-lord of elves is poisoned (The kind of poison used can only be made down south. Wesnoth is assumed guilty)
06. War breaks out between Humans and elves (But to keep peace in Wesnoth, the war remains unknown to the infidels)
07. Alitar pursues Rovistar but gets captured by the united orcish tribe
08. Alitar makes a deal with Secadus (Sovereign of the tribe) to help him kill Rovistar
09. The Wesnothian army pushes the elves even father up into the north
10. Secadus's tribe pursues Rovistar to the Northern Alliance
11. The Northern Alliance and the orcish tribe join forces
12. Rovistar is apparently part of the northern alliance
13. Rovistar flees into a cave when he spots Alitar
14. Alitar and the northern alliance discover that Rovistar has been hiring evil mercenaries over the years
15. The Northern Alliance enters the cave and soon discover that it's actually a volcano
16. The volcano erupts and most of the Northern Alliance is wiped out (However, a lot of people survive)
17. Just when they (Gwadoc's men) expected the Northern Alliance to intervene, a mountain mysteriously erupts (And the war between elves and humans continues)
18. The Northern Alliance send scouts to search for Rovistar (The NA is now dead. Pretty much)
19. The scouts return with news that Rovistar is in the Swamp of dread
20. Because they know Rovistar is planning to do something really bad, the NA attack the Swamp
21. Meanwhile, the Wesnothians make a reckless move and enter Lintanir Forest
22. The humans underestimate the might of the elves in their own backyard and the Wesnothian troops are forced to withdraw
23. The NA struggles to break the gates of Rovistar's castle in the Swamp of dread (They also realize the traitor is working with a lich named Mal-Yercyn)
24. Alitar and some hand picked men enter the evil castle through the sewers (The plan is to gain access to the gate by stealth, open it, and let their soldiers move in)
25. The Wesnothian soldiers are trapped in the Lintanira forest (And they're about to die)
26. As they open the gate, Alitars men are killed, and he is knock out (To be continued...)

Part 1 ends:

Here's part 2.

Spoiler:

Part 2 begins:

01. Alitar is woken up by his master, Mal-Yercyn (Regardless of locations, the entire first part stays the same)
02. Mal-Yercyn claims that he never heard of Rovistar
03. Gwadoc and his men are saved from the elves by Evad
04. Gwadoc flees from Lintanira forest (And they suffer a major defeat)
05. By now, Alitar has turned good again and has found out about the "Humans vs Elves" war
06. The lord protector of the late NA suggests they break up the fighting
07. Alitars men arrive to put an end to the war
08. The lord protector of the late NA, Alitar, Gwadoc, The high lord of elves, and Secadus hold council
09. Alitar reveals that Rovistar killed the king of Wesnoth and poisoned the elvish king (He sorta lies to protect his own skin)
10. It becomes apparent that Rovistar is the man behind their troubles
11. The war is declared over and the elves join forces with you to help find Rovsitar (As does the Wesnothian army)
12. That party returns to Mal-Yercyn's castle and searches for anything that might indicate Rovistar was there
13. They find a secret tunnel, enter it, find Rovistar, kill Rovistar, and leave (But as Rovistar dies, he yells out something about a disease)
14. As they journey home, the party lives a nightmare: Every night, flesh runs from there skeletons and makes people mindless undead minions
15. However once dawn approaches, everything goes back to normal (Mysteriously, Alitar and the unnamed (Still no name) woman are the only ones who aren't affected)
16. The king of Wesnoth orders - to prevent repetition - the disease to not be recorded in anything
17. Alitar's party searches for the cure to the disease, but can't find it
18. Because of the power of mages, it is decided that a rock shall be raised into the sky as a second sun (They want to put an end to the disease)
19. The sun is raised, and nobody has to put up with the disease for anymore than a few hours
20. Research reveals that there may not be a cure, but there is a source of magic that is causing the disease to occur
21. Alitar and his army sets off in search of this source
22. After a long time of searching, they find it and destroy it
23. But upon there returning, they discover that the king is going to raise ANOTHER sun into the sky (Even though the disease is gone)
24. Alitar attempts to stop the madness
25. A portal is opened, Evad enters, demons come out and begin to kill everybody (When the mages get killed, the rock begins to fall)
26. Alitar leads his men into the portal in hopes of saving them (But only Alitar makes it) (To be continued...)

Part 2 ends:

And part 3 is getting closer to being finished but I'll wait to post it.

[johndh]

Err... those numbers aren't supposed to correspond to scenarios, are they? I hope not, because that would be outright ridiculous.

[8680]

Err... those numbers aren't supposed to correspond to scenarios, are they? I hope not, because that would be outright ridiculous.

What? It'd only be twice as long as IFtU. Anyway, most of them sound like cutscenes.

[TheGreatRings]

Err... those numbers aren't supposed to correspond to scenarios, are they? I hope not, because that would be outright ridiculous.

Why? Its basically three campaigns, two of which are as long as Heir to the Throne.

Also, I'm fairly sure I've seen at least one add-on with around 40 or more scenarios.



Now, regarding the OP, I have some comments. There are probably others I'll want to make, but to start with:

-I like the idea of

Spoiler:

allying with orcs

.

-I dislike

Spoiler:

the demons

.

-I dislike your Ruby of Fire idea.

Spoiler:

Having the symbol of Wesnothian royal authority be a demonic item means that the protagonists for much of mainline were using dark magic

, which casts the canon in a rather disturbing and sinister light.

-I presume General Gwadoc is the same one I invented? In which case, he served Murdoch the First, and by now would most likely be quite old. So unless you plan to write him as such, consider making this character a son of General Gwadoc instead.

[Pewskeepski]

Err... those numbers aren't supposed to correspond to scenarios, are they? I hope not, because that would be outright ridiculous.

No they're not. The first part has 20 scenarios and the second has probably 20-25.

-I like the idea of

Spoiler:

allying with orcs

I do too because it eliminates a supposed 'evil' foe

-I dislike

Spoiler:

the demons

Well, they're in for story purposes (Orginally because IftU has them) But I now I have a a different purpose for them. In part 3, Evad declares himself the ruler of the ruined Wesnoth and says that to defeat the demons, they'll all have to raise undead. He convinces everybody that raising the dead is not evil and that it's the only way they can stop the demons. But nobody knows it was EVAD who opened the portal to hell.

-I dislike your Ruby of Fire idea.

Spoiler:

Having the symbol of Wesnothian royal authority be a demonic item means that the protagonists for much of mainline were using dark magic

, which casts the canon in a rather disturbing and sinister light.

They didn't know it would be destroy. And nobody ever even knew what would happen if it was destroyed.

-I presume General Gwadoc is the same one I invented? In which case, he served Murdoch the First, and by now would most likely be quite old. So unless you plan to write him as such, consider making this character a son of General Gwadoc instead.

Honestly, I just stole his name I suppose it could be Gwadoc II.

[Bennoman]

Right ok I will be honest allot of my concerns about the narrative remain, so to just discuss in detail.

What is the source of conflict? (in a story telling sense)

Spoiler:

That this is a large war right before the cataclysm before the fall:
It is described that it was purely an act of decadences and hubris that they started creating extra suns. This is an action of empire with a total hedgemon (which is to say it is the unmatched power in all things), there are no enemies to fight. And if they are they can be crushed utterly.

So you have to consider the source of conflict in the story carefully. By conflict I do not mean the people that the player will fight against, but rather the issue that needs to be resolved in the overriding story arc. For example in Pride and Prejudice the conflict is this, the main character is an eligible young woman who is expected by her culture to marry and become a dutiful house wife. However the main character is headstrong, and refuses to settle into this role, to add to this the only really eligible man in the area is an emotionally closed misery guts called Mr Darcy. The conflict is finally resolved by the main character realizing that despite grumpy exterior My Darcy is a generous and brilliant man who appreciates her mind and views. Thus they totally get it on.

In the case of any story that deals with the moments before fall the conflict of the story has to deal with the arrogance or shortsightedness of the empire that compelled the people of Wesnorth to create an extra sun that would ultimately doom the world. The conflict of the story is resolved when we realize these facts (i.e. at the point the sun fails and brings about the cataclysm).

Any extra narrative at this period distracts from the real conflict, which is the creation of the sun and its failure. To have the protagonist fighting other battles at this time introduces unnecessary and extraneous conflict (in the manner i described earlier). The message of the story becomes diluted and thus you loose the real punch of things.

Why is this story specific to this time era?

Spoiler:

Simply as far as i can see your story could be told in any era of Wesnorth's history. What makes it necessary for it to be told at this period of history?

It's an epic zipper plot

Spoiler:

A Zipper plot is a story told from a number of different points of view that during the course of the tale weave together till they essentially become one and the same. Now these are hard to do well, and easily confused, so I would warn against it. If you want good examples of writers who can do zipper plots in thier sleep check out Dan Simmons, Neal Stephenson and Peter F Hamilton.

If you want to do a plot about the events leading up to the fall (though i would personally start in the immediate aftermath), here's what I suggest.

1. Main character is an agent of the crown sent to kill leader of terrorist/dissident group who are seeking to disrupt the creation of a third sun (for what ever reason.)
2. The main character is a member of a terrorist/dissident group who believer the creation of a third sun is a bad idea for what ever reason and tries to stop it.
3.The main character has a vision about the on coming Apocalypse and convinces others to join them finding a safe place to rebuild after everything has gone to hell.

To be honest none of those really excite me... If i were to write something about the fall here's a few I would consider.

1.The main character is a commander at a border fort, he witnesses the sun fail and fall and the devastation around the area. He has to rally his troops to build a safe haven in the area and ensure that he can protect the local populace in the chaos.
2. The main character was in the capital city at the time of the sun's failure, and by some miricale they survived, they must work to gather other survivors and lead them out of the devastation to somewhere safe.
3.A year or two after the fall the Main character has to head to the impact site of the sun to retrieve a McGuffin (an object that is there for story telling purposes).
4.The main character is a mage and witnessed the fall. They must gather and preserve the knowlage they have gained lest it be lost for ever.
5. The main character is a dwarf who's patrol has been cut off from the main city by cave ins and earthquakes caused by the fall. They must brave the unknown (and perhaps even end up top side) to reach home.


Just a few ideas

[Pewskeepski]

What is the source of conflict? (in a story telling sense)

Spoiler:

That this is a large war right before the cataclysm before the fall:
It is described that it was purely an act of decadences and hubris that they started creating extra suns. This is an action of empire with a total hedgemon (which is to say it is the unmatched power in all things), there are no enemies to fight. And if they are they can be crushed utterly.

The disease is the reason they raise another sun into the sky - so they won't have to put up with being mindless skeletons for very long. But (in UtBS) the merfolk do not know of this disease because it was never recorded. And it was never recorded because they don't want anybody attempting to make it again.

So you have to consider the source of conflict in the story carefully. By conflict I do not mean the people that the player will fight against, but rather the issue that needs to be resolved in the overriding story arc. For example in Pride and Prejudice the conflict is this, the main character is an eligible young woman who is expected by her culture to marry and become a dutiful house wife. However the main character is headstrong, and refuses to settle into this role, to add to this the only really eligible man in the area is an emotionally closed misery guts called Mr Darcy. The conflict is finally resolved by the main character realizing that despite grumpy exterior My Darcy is a generous and brilliant man who appreciates her mind and views. Thus they totally get it on.

I myself am not so sure about humans and elves waging war. I'll tell you what Rovistar's plan is. It won't be told in gameplay, natually, but this is why he does the things he does.

Rovistar wants to steal the Scepter of Fire for some dumb reason. But he knows that Wesnoth will pursue him if he does so he keeps Wesnoth distracted by starting a war and killing the king. His plan is to keep the Northern Alliance from intervening somehow which is why he goes there. But when Alitar arrives, Rovistar changes his plan and flees. Evad get's a hold of his mind (just like he does to Alitar at the end of part 1) and takes the Scepter, Rovistar then has a new plan. Evad's plan. He sets off to the Swamp of Dread to start working on the disease.

In the case of any story that deals with the moments before fall the conflict of the story has to deal with the arrogance or shortsightedness of the empire that compelled the people of Wesnorth to create an extra sun that would ultimately doom the world. The conflict of the story is resolved when we realize these facts (i.e. at the point the sun fails and brings about the cataclysm).

It's their shortsightedness that makes them easily deceived by Evad. I suppose the war between humans and elves could be a result of their arrogance too.

Any extra narrative at this period distracts from the real conflict, which is the creation of the sun and its failure. To have the protagonist fighting other battles at this time introduces unnecessary and extraneous conflict (in the manner i described earlier). The message of the story becomes diluted and thus you loose the real punch of things.

As I said before, I'm not so sure I like the humans vs elves war. In a nutshell, part 1 is the preparation of the fall and kind of the introduction to everything. Part 2 itself is the fall and part 3 is the conclusion.

Why is this story specific to this time era?

Spoiler:

Simply as far as i can see your story could be told in any era of Wesnorth's history. What makes it necessary for it to be told at this period of history?

It takes place a couple years after SotBE. Gruu is in this campaign, but he's a very old troll. I think it takes place somewhere in the year 1200 YW. (Trolls live to be like 900 years old I think)

It's an epic zipper plot

Spoiler:

A Zipper plot is a story told from a number of different points of view that during the course of the tale weave together till they essentially become one and the same. Now these are hard to do well, and easily confused, so I would warn against it. If you want good examples of writers who can do zipper plots in thier sleep check out Dan Simmons, Neal Stephenson and Peter F Hamilton.

Thanks for the heads up

If you want to do a plot about the events leading up to the fall (though i would personally start in the immediate aftermath), here's what I suggest.

1. Main character is an agent of the crown sent to kill leader of terrorist/dissident group who are seeking to disrupt the creation of a third sun (for what ever reason.)
2. The main character is a member of a terrorist/dissident group who believer the creation of a third sun is a bad idea for what ever reason and tries to stop it.
3.The main character has a vision about the on coming Apocalypse and convinces others to join them finding a safe place to rebuild after everything has gone to hell.

To be honest none of those really excite me... If i were to write something about the fall here's a few I would consider.

1.The main character is a commander at a border fort, he witnesses the sun fail and fall and the devastation around the area. He has to rally his troops to build a safe haven in the area and ensure that he can protect the local populace in the chaos.
2. The main character was in the capital city at the time of the sun's failure, and by some miricale they survived, they must work to gather other survivors and lead them out of the devastation to somewhere safe.
3.A year or two after the fall the Main character has to head to the impact site of the sun to retrieve a McGuffin (an object that is there for story telling purposes).
4.The main character is a mage and witnessed the fall. They must gather and preserve the knowlage they have gained lest it be lost for ever.
5. The main character is a dwarf who's patrol has been cut off from the main city by cave ins and earthquakes caused by the fall. They must brave the unknown (and perhaps even end up top side) to reach home.


Just a few ideas

Those ideas take place after the sun has fallen so they'd be part 3.

I'd like to get some opinions on the humans vs elves war.