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So, since we have the factions laid out, maybe we should come up with a story for a campaign, because IMO the game will be nothing without a good campaign.

The fact that we don't have a real good vs. evil thing may make things a bit complicated. 

I think it's been established that the game is going to have a Blizzard-esque storyline, with back stabbing, allies out of necessity etc. As such, it would be best to have a continuous storyline that ends with a final campaign. You start with say, the Tharwain campaign (it ryhmes!), move to the Varnost campaign (which is an entirely different beast), then go to the Balkurn (I think that's their name) campaign etc, all of this advancing the storyline continuously. The player will both play as and fight against all of the factions in turn.

We have three options.  We can either have a sequential campaign where you play as one faction, then the next as the story progresses.  The other option is a "simultaneous" campaign where each faction's campaign more or less overlaps chronologically, and each time you play you get a different insight into what is happening.  The third option is to have a "modular" campaign where you get to pick your faction for each story arc.  There might be 8-12 story arcs, and since there are five factions you'd get to shuffle around a bit.  You could play the whole game through as one faction, or rotate between them all.

The sequential campaign seems to be in style currently, and is best exhibited with games like starcraft and warcraft III.  The simultaneous campaign is more reminiscent of Warcraft I and II, the old C&C games.  The modular campaign is an invention of my own to take the best of both worlds.

unfortately the simultaneous campaign has a problem
- if you have a really cool mission, for example a big siege, you can't play it as the attacker first and the defender after that. that'd just be weird
and the modular too
- if you get to pick a faction before every battle, you'd bassically be playing against yourself

what id personally prefer is a campaign like BFME 1 should have been
- 1 campaign per faction (or per alliance)
- between missions a map with an overview of what's happening
- possibly a choice between missions
- events in 1 mission influence later mission. e.g. if you lose a not-so-important-hero in mission 1, he'll not be there in mission 2 (if the hero is a key character, then you'll lose and must replay the mission)

[story arcs]

Ah, but did I say pick your faction for missions?  I did not; I said pick your faction for story arcs.  For instance (and I'm just making this up) the Nisyrran story arc might at some point involve splitting off from the main army to launch a surprise attack against a Balkurn settlement, only to hear that the main army was defeated in a decisive battle by Balkurn's forces.  You can guess where the Balkurn campaign takes place.  In other words, the storyline is still the same, but the only time you will witness the same battle from two different perspectives is when the result was inconclusive... difficult to write into the story, but it can be done.

Simultaneous campaigns would work the same way.  You might be impacted by the events occurring in the other campaign, but you won't end up on opposite sides of the same battlefield.  The other option with the simultaneous campaign is to give slightly different storylines while holding to the same general plot (in other words, your intervention in favour of one faction has shifted the outcome of the world slightly).

oh i see. in that case i would like your modular campaign, with some of the elements i posted above (particularly the events that have impact on later missions)

[Tharwain]

Background / Tutorial Storyline

Tharwain:
The lands Tanerre have a long history of peaceful years, and bloody feuds.  The years of Tharwain's prosperity have dwindled away, and the great empire has been reduced to a fractured managerie of squabbling kingdoms and lordships.  The alliances and loyalties between them are weak and frail.  Wars are not uncommon, but matters are growing out of control.

Tharwain's traditional enemies have long since fallen to dust.  The scattered dwarves of the north have never been thought of as a threat, and the traders of Caeluin have long been tolerated as they keep to the scattered isles far from the coastline of Tharwain itself.  The Nisyrran elves, arrogant and mighty as they are, have never before threatened the security of Tharwain.  But matters have changed greatly.

The lands within and about Tharwain are no longer safe.  Infighting within Tharwain itself threatens to devour the kingdom, and it is beyond the imperial army to hold all the vying lords in check.  To the north, poorly defended lands are being staked by the dwarves of Balkurn, pressing further into Tharwain's territory.  The Caeluites have turned to piracy, and recently they've had the audacity to attack coastal settlements directly.  Nisyrran aggression remains the greatest threat to Tharwain; other neighbouring states have been devoured, and scouts suggest that an offensive against Tharwain itself may occur in the near future.  By imperial order, the great armies of Tharwain are to be reinvigorated, their strength doubled twice and the navy rebuilt. 

Your father has recently been sent to the northern front, where he is to confront any further incursions by Balkurn aggressors.  In the meantime, you're expected to learn how to manage his fief and raise new armies to properly defend it.  Already bandits have moved into the territory and are threatening to cut off trade income in the region.  Re-establishing order will do well to impress your father, and others who are looking to appoint new commanders to the expanding army.


Balkurn
The lands Tanerre have not seen a dwarven power as mighty as Balkurn in many long ages.  The age of prosperity enjoyed by Tharwain has come to an abrupt end, and bloodshed will now define this new chapter in history.  Mighty Balkurn stands to ensure that the dwarves of these lands are protected, and that their enemies know the true might of dwarven kin.

The armies of Tharwain are weak and divided, their people squabble amongst themselves, and their demise is already sealed.  Yet the remaining imperial forces of Tharwain are still a threat; they still hold claim to dwarven lands they have long stopped patrolling.  Corrupt lords now control these realms with an army of mercenaries at their beckon, and will surely be aided if they are attacked.  Balkurn will not simply stand by while its kin are so abused.  Tharwain is not the only threat to Balkurn, however.  Its close kin in the Calthinir valleys grow wary of the presence of the Nisyrran Elves in their lands.  Many human realms have already fallen to the Nisyrrans, and Balkurn fears that their kindred may well be next. 

Regardless of the threat, regardless of the strength or will of its foes, Balkurn shall not be deterred from its task.  For all its kin, for all the dwarves in all of Tanerre, Balkurn cannot allow itself to shirk responsibility, to turn in cowardice; Balkurn shall fight every foe which stands in its path, and by the will of its warriors and leaders, it shall prevail.

You have spent the early part of your life in the military academies of the north, where your talent for strategy and command was recognized early.  It is now time for you to practice training maneuvers on the hills of Harauthud in the desolate eastern stretches.  Your superiors will be watching closely to determine if you have the skills necessary for promotion.


Caeluin
The coming of the Caeluites to the land of Tanerre was not by choice.  Their people were the loyalists, those who refused to bow to the false king.  They were shackled and chained, branded - in the most literal sense of the word - as traitors, and sent to the farthest reaches.  Most of them ended up in the isles outlying Tanerre, ruled by the mighty empire of Tharwain.  There they founded the second kingdom of Caeluin, and await the return of the true king.

The Caeluites have long been prosperous merchants, but the fall of Tharwain's empire turned the region's trade to ruin.  The old ports are condemned and broken.  The traders from distant lands no longer come, and their own domestic troubles make them turn away the those from Caeluin.  Hapless Tharwain peasants have begun overfishing the waters.  For all the warnings given by Caeluin's fishermen, nothing was done, and now there is not enough to go around.  Taking matters into their own hands, Caeluin has turned to piracy along the high seas for survival, and has become one of Tharwain's greatest enemies.

Caeluin's fortunes have not been kind, however, and Tharwain has yeilded little riches, and barely enough food to feed the hungry people.  Worse yet, the Nisyrran elves, the immortal elves of the west, have risen from their long slumber and now seek dominion over these lands and all who dwell within.  They are warriors beyond peer, in strength, mind, and sheer discipline.  The loyalists of Caeluin have learned, however, how to defeat a foe of greater strength.  They shall not fall to any might of Tharwain nor Nisyrra, and for all the people who have long given hope and help to the people of Caeluin, they shall not surrender.

You have recently been promoted from battlefield duties to be an assistant to vice-admiral Erillien of fourth fleet.  He has entrusted you to look after one of Caeluin's outlying defense posts, which ensures that Tharwain's defunct navy stationed on a nearby island stays that way.  You will be expected to manage the defense of the community.  Should there be an attack, a successful performance on your part could result in a very useful recommendation from the vice-admiral.


Varnost
The old land is gone; all that is there now is dust and death.  The cities are ruined stone, devoured by the encroaching desert.  The forests are petrified and leafless.  The clouds are black and the water is turbid.  The ground is harsh, and nothing shall grow there.  There is nothing left for the people of Varnost.  All that remains for them is to move on and hope that their salvation lies just beyond.

The fall of Varnost is known to few now, and for most of this time, the people have moved along the ridge of the fallen desert, pushed onward by their unending numbers, searching for some new home.  There have been struggles, battles along the way between one another and outsiders who turn upon the travelling host.  Where the people of Varnost tread, the curse of desert soon follows, and they are pushed onward, barely managing to feed themselves as their unending procession moves onward.

Recently, word has come that the lands of Tanerre are free from the blight and darkness of Varnost, and people now flock in uncounted numbers into the west where they might find at last refuge from their eternal strife.  There is hope that perhaps this land will be different, perhaps the people of Varnost shall finally find their home... but each home they have found before now has turned them away by force.

You have been placed in charge of a scout force meant to determine the suitability of one of these regions for settlement.  Your warlord has determined that the locals may have already spurned Varnost's forward scouts, and you have permission to defend yourself if you are attacked.  The warlord himself will arrive shortly, and his opinion of your work shall be instrumental in your future status within the clan.


Nisyrra
For many ages Nisyrra has existed peacefully along the edge of Tanerre.  The worldly threats beyond its borders have been of little concern to those who took refuge within.  The Nisyrrans were the divine, the benevolent, the wisened of the earth.  They were the keepers, the guardians of all that lived and ever would live.  Their lives were long, but not limitless, though they were named immortal by those who knew them.  The elves died of age, but no wound would end their earthly existance, for their spirits would be drawn back and reformed in flesh anew.

The ages of peace where this was rarely needed have passed.  A new generation has risen to power, and the long apathy to the outside has come to an end.  The people there live in fear; fear of their own kin who would harm them, of lords who squabble over power at the cost of their people, of thieves who steal out of greed and desperation.  The Nisyrrans are the guardians of all who dwell, not just those who dwell within their lands.

The war has been long in coming, and the preparations have taken great length.  A hundred years have passed, and the soldiers of Nisyrra are now trained and ready for war.  The outlying kingdoms beyond Tharwain, if they can even claim to represent law and order, are the first to fall.  Their people shall be liberated and shall live within the prosperity of Nisyrra, free from the worries of oppression, violence, and disorder.

You were born into the high nobility, and when the call for warriors was sounded, you were chosen to lead and direct them.  Your skills in planning and direction have been honed, and you are now ready to test your skills in one of the more trivial outlying conquests.  The coastal kingdom of Elbannan is no longer under the protection of Tharwain.  You will demonstrate your skills in both rebuilding the outlying countryside, and laying siege to the capital.  Your success here will determine your postings in future endeavors.

wow, all that just for the tutorials?

anyway, looks good. this is really your thing 

Well, a tutorial should have a decent story to it.  In any case, most of that is actually historical background from the perspective of your chosen faction, and it'll play into the entire storyline.  Unlike an RPG, there won't be a player character.  Aside from the tutorial, you will hardly ever be referenced at all, an the focus will be on NPC's that will have a powerful role in the story.

I just threw these together.  I like how I was able to intertwine the Balkurn and Varnost tutorials:

Tutorial I:
Focusses on troop movement and management.

Balkurn: march to Harauthud through the canyons
Tharwain: patrol the main road
Caeluin: scout the island for shipwreck survivors
Nisyrra: rally the various dispatches to the main camp
Varnost: establish scout camps at the desired locations

Tutorial II:
Focusses on base building and management (including razing, capturing, etc)

Balkurn: rebuild the ruined fortress at Harauthud
Tharwain: establish a defensive fort along the main road
Caeluin: refurbish the abandoned town on the other side of the island
Nisyrra: build a Nisyrran settlement to replace the old town
Varnost: capture and fit an abandoned Tharwain fortress for your purposes

Tutorial III:
Focusses on raising an army and fighting with it

Balkurn: hunt down those who attacked the fortress at Harauthud
Tharwain: raze all nearby bandit camps
Caeluin: turn back the surprise attack
Nisyrra: slaughter the Elbannan military
Varnost: destroy the poorly defended Balkurn fortress at Harauthud

Tutorial IV:
A culmination of all you have learned gives you a full-sized mission with a calm guiding hand and a low level of difficulty, focusses on the basic strategies of your faction.

Balkurn: slay the Varnost warlord and raze his settlement
Tharwain: attack Lord Amring's fief as retaliation for his banditry
Caeluin: counter-attack the Tharwain port to ensure another attack cannot be launched
Nisyrra: attack the capital of Elbannan and destroy the remainder of their military
Varnost: conquer the outlying human settlement that reinforced the dwarves at Harauthud

if that is just the tutorial, i wonder how huge the full campaign is going to be

but i think we'll be able to handle it

[Captain Brallich and Captain Tarasis:]

Here are some story ideas that I want feedback on.  I'm currently working on a variety of subplots that will all weave around the various story arcs and give ones that aren't directly connected some flow to them.  These are more minor characters (although they may have bigger parts in later story arcs), and I am currently working out one of the more epic plot lines that will serve as a backdrop for several story arcs.  There should hopefully be three or four such major plot lines, with dozens of minor subplots tying them together, all built around the single war that define's the game's storyline.

Captain Brallich and Captain Tarasis:
These characters would be introduced early (in the first chapter in fact).  The earliest major conflict in the game is the border dispute between Tharwain's successor states and Balkurn.  No longer complacent enough to let Balkurn trample over its outlying allies, Tharwain sends a large contingeant to their aid.  Brallich finds himself ordered to engage the Balkurn advance, while Tarasis finds himself leading it.

These two captains, although they have never met before, are of like spirits.  Tarasis rose to prominance within the Siarkan, or berserker core.  He is a violent dwarf with a penchant for battle, and little taste for defeat.  However, he often shirks the restrictive orders of his superiors, and greatly outsteps his boundaries, which has put him on a tight leash.  Brallich takes equal liberties with the rules.  He is fiercely loyal to his people and the empire, although he holds the emperor and his court in very low regards.  Brallich believes the future of Tharwain lies with its people, and not with the rich and corrupt lords which rule them.

Brallich finds himself in a difficult position.  He finds himself very sympathetic to the Balkurn position, which sees their dwarven brethren - and even much of the human peasantry - oppressed by a few nobles who act more like knaves.  He is very reluctant to stop Balkurn's advance, and believes it may be better to retreat to the Amistine and hold them off there (Balkurn's intention, on the other hand, is to push Tharwain to the Amistine and then press for a formal treaty recognizing it as a permeanent border).  Depending on the difficulty level, Brallich may be forced by his superiors to stop retreating and fight back.  Another important note about Brallich's character is that he has the unquestioned support of his troops, so much so that if the time came they may well turn from the emperor's command if Brallich beckoned.

Near the end of the skirmishes, approaching the Amistine bridges, Brallich and Tarasis meet face to face, and in several skirmishes identify each other as the ranking captains.  Throughout various dialogue sequences they exchange taunts and jabs at each other.  In the end, Tarasis feels his pride has been wounded, and disobeys orders by crossing the Amistine in order to face Brallich in single combat.  Although he is victorious, he is subdued before the final blow can be given, and taken away as prisoner.  To save Tarasis from the humiliation of being branded a traitor and prisoner of war, he is accounted for among the honourable dead.

Brallich finds himself in a difficult position as he is returning to Tharwain.  Although there had been rumours, the full gauge of Varnost's strength could not even be dreamed of.  Taking initiative, Brallich takes all the men under his command into the east to engage the Varnost threat.  He does not have enough time to send his prisoners, including Tarasis away, and intends to release them closer to the Balkurn border (which never happens).  Brallich and Tarasis appear frequently throughout the story, constantly being thrown off course and sent on the wildest of escapades, becoming inseperable friends and allies.


Guy Lusipran
Hailing from the distant north, Guy bears a strong french accent and claims to be an explorer from Vinauria, among other things.  Whatever the actual case, Guy is both a coward and exceptionally lucky.  After accounting a long list of his exploits to the commanding Tharwain officers, he finds himself recruited as the newest captain of Tharwain.  In a sudden act of cowardice, he retreats his forces, only to suddenly discover a Nisyrran flanking force getting into position, annihilating before it could assemble.  Guy disappears before he can be commended for his sharp battle senses and strategy. 

He later appears in another campaign where he seems to have grown somewhat wiser and claims to be a travelling holy-man, opposed to violence of any sort.  He claims to be a medium of all things and a messenger of peace.  He is sent to confront and make peace with the bloodthirsty "Ravager", who leads a merciless clan of Varnost murderers which slaughters everyone in its wake.  Guy's story changes dramatically and he claims to be a travelling story-teller and entertainer seeking the finest lords of the land.  The Ravager find's Guy's antics amusing and decides to keep him as a play-thing.  As the Ravager is giving his demands to one of the outlying villages, Guy suddenly runs past and knocks the Ravager into a river, carrying him away.  Although the Ravager lives and appears later in the same story arc (with Guy nowhere to be found), the brief leadership feud within his clan has greatly reduced its numbers.

Guy appears a final time late in the storyline closer the courts of Tharwain and claims to be royalty (thinking he's finally gotten it right).  Shortly after declaring this, it's revealed he's not talking to the local Tharwain garrison, but a band of highway robbers who have just found their perfect ransom.  In an escapade later in the evening, Guy makes a run for it.  The bandits use "untipped" fire arrows in an effort to capture him alive, but end up burning down their own fort.  Guy is once again held to high standards (by the same commander, in fact) for his quick military thinking, but is absolutely nowhere to be found.

Guy may appear at other times throughout the campaign, where appropriate, to give the latest spin on his history and make a fine tale of unbelieveably good fortune in the face of cowardice.  Whatever his faults, Guy doesn't know how to back down from any of his tall tales.


Anvrath Dragontooth
One of the legendary warriors within Varnost, Anvrath has the notoriety of having hunted and slain a dragon.  After a failed attempt to use one of its dislodged teeth as a sword, Anvrath settled for having one made into a sheath for his sword.  Anvrath has the might and skill to match his legacy, and is one of the finest champions of his people.

Anvrath is a jovial spirit off the battlefield, but has little patience for those who stand in his way.  Although he admits fully that his people aren't without fault, they don't have a lot of choice but to move into every new land they encounter, with or without permission.  "We are all victims.  You don't seem to have much sympathy for me, so I will regard you likewise,", is what he tells Brallich.

Despite a victory in battle, Anvrath does not get the final word against Brallich, who manages to steal Anvrath's dragon-tooth scabbard.  This sets off a chase as Anvrath attempts to track down Brallich.  Humourously, he heads upstream rather than downstream and ends up in dwarven mountains rather than Caeluin's high seas.  Anvrath ends up killing another dragon in the high mountains during a different story arc, and forgives Brallich after giving him a concussion.


Commander Enithyr
The story of Enithyr is much more detailed than that of his weak-minded captain.  The commander comes from a noble house within Nisyrra, but is marked as "weak blood" due to intermingling with houses outside of Nisyrra.  He has had to work his way through the Nisyrran military through sheer show of skill, and his loyalties have been tested by the invasion of several realms in which he has blood links.  Although initially steadfast behind Nisyrra, the brutal invasions and wars of attrician relying on Nisyrran ressurrection to eventually bleed Tharwain and Balkurn dry are slowly breaking him.

Enithyr appears ready to defect halfway through the story, all he needs is the opportunity.  When the order comes to raze the human city of Luthal and all its occupants to the ground for their part in the assassination (simultaneous destruction of family shrine and individual) of several major magistrates, Enithyr finally breaks his orders and instead gives the humans the opportunity to flee.  Charged on high treason, Enithyr is given a chance at escape by a sympathetic superior who believes that Enithyr's decision of mercy and full claim of responsibility was the right one.  Enithyr reappears as the leader of a Nisyrran rebel movement somewhat later.  His rebels continually revive, however, and Nisyrra realizes they must hunt down the locations of their shrines if the attacks are to finish.  Enithyr's secret base of operations is the lost "Garden of Heroes".

Tashep
The legendary Tashep is one of Caeluin's finest heroes.  Half-Nisyrran by blood, he left his homeland and forsook his place (if somewhat low in society) among them to be among the Caeluites with whom he felt more at kin with.  He knows Nisyrra better than anyone among Caeluin's military leadership.  He has a particularly good habit of exploiting Nisyrran pride for military benefit.  After a time, he arranges a risky plot to simultaneously destroy family shrines and kill high ranking military officials in order to truely injure the Nisyrrans.  Tashep's plans go awry as the sloppy execution results in events happening out of order, and swift vengeance occurs before his men can be evacuated.  Realizing that he's put several cities in the path of Nisyrran fury, Tashep stays behind to withhold the Nisyrran army.

Although believed dead in these battles, Tashep survives by his wits and encounters Enithyr, forming an alliance between the two of them.  Near the end of the story, Tashep sacrifices his life, but with Enithyr's aid he had already set up a shrine so that he could reincarnate, allowing him to make a surprise appearance later.

looks good. so i suppose each section in that text is 1 campaign? kinda like in age of empires II (and maybe I, wouldn't know)?

The third option is to have a "modular" campaign where you get to pick your faction for each story arc.  There might be 8-12 story arcs, and since there are five factions you'd get to shuffle around a bit.  You could play the whole game through as one faction, or rotate between them all.

These are characters and stories that continue throughout consecutive (or sometimes non-consecutive) story arcs, and often are encountered by different factions from different perspective.  They serve to tie together otherwise unrelated story arcs and provide flow to the campaign.  Consider it like playing a mini-campaign elves and encountering the fellowship at Lothlorien, followed by playing a mini-campaign as Isengard and chasing them down, followed by playing a mini-campaign as Rohan and using them to defend Helm's Deep.  The idea is that if we have enough subplots brewing, you're bound to encounter some in succession and form a unique story.  In this way, players who play different faction story arcs will experience an entirely different story... and at the same time it is entirely the same.

ah yeah, i see. definitely interesting and original

is this story completely your's darvin.
looks impressing.

Yes, this story is an original work.