Official New Era Campaign Checklist

Hey everyone! Bbdarth here; I wanted to set this forum topic up because we have been cranking ideas out with the campaign! From Caesaring Lokken to giving Creon political parties, it was getting hectic on the discord. So with the help of Sage, myself, and you lovely Darrienites; this is where we will be discussing it from now on in terms of making this campaign perfect

On this forum topic will be the discussions of ideas and such so we can continue making this lifeblood project truly something that Cavedog would be proud to see!!

So don’t hesitate to post your ideas! We need all hands on deck so we can get this project going!

CHECKLIST
Plot/Story
Time-frame
Mission count
Themes
Scripts
Videos/art
Lore
Villians/antagonists?
Heroes/protagonists?
((More to be added))

MAJOR STORY ELEMENT IDEAS
Monarchs passing and or leaving Darrien as The New Era begins
Civil War in Creon
Monarchs changing due to misuse of mana as foretold
Revolution (see top point)
((More to be added))

-------------------

Thoughts:

10/15/2019
I still say we need a mission where the peasants straight up kill Elsin
I do like the idea of Thirsha thoroughly sick of Lokken’s BS
Drakes everywhere. They have fucking werewolves with Greatswords

That’s why she’s like “The days of monarchs are over, I must leave my people to their own fate

10/09/2019
Creon’s rediscovery of how it’s Zealotry almost destroyed itself, and the new Sage’s struggles with coming to grips with that.
Aramon messing up (because it’s their turn) and releasing some ancient Horror Garacius has foretold. Zhon hiding the key to it and Lokken being lokken? I dunno I’m pretty high on cough syrup right now.
I would be interested in Taros Zhon Conflict personally.

Taros: undeath, life taken away, utter lack of respect for the living and breathing/uses mana for EVERYTHING

Zhon: nature incarnate, not just life but it at its prime! No civilizations or empires nothing! Just life with the good the bad and the ugly in all it’s living glory

Creon: Mana is purely a means to an end, not something that should be all encompassing

I could see Creon having a Civil war. New Agers who wish to see what mana can truest bring with Science and Old Creonites still clinging to their anti magic Zealotry

I think somehow bringing Khandra into this would be important since they seem to be a precursor race of sorts

It makes sense that Creon might be having internal strife. They were literally taught that magic is the enemy then got trounced, not all of them are simply gonna accept that. I think a civil war would be intriguing for Creon.
I think Caora or however it’s spelt would make an interesting place for a series of embassies, with an alliance between New Creon, Veruna, and Aramon. With shared custody of the Island it would make a good point for the three to communicate since it has history and could be considered neutral ground
Sage meanwhile is trying to appease those wanting peace, Veruna and Aramon, AND those zealots still fanatical to pure science.

Lokken meanwhile has unearthed disturbing information: Garacius was a Khandarian that defected and with a power he head locked away in the deepest darkest most inhospitable jungles that even Thirsha Rarely traverse, he conquered Darrien. But the power was something the Khandarians feared.

Creon spies nestled deep into the heart of Taros learn of this, and so it’s a race between Old Creon and Lokken to try and figure out what this power is, and Thirsha being as Territorial as she is is none too pleased with being disturbed
Veruna ousts Old Creonite Spies and Tensions between new Creon and the others grow strained

I think Lokken being sacrificed by his cult makes sense, so we can revolution him.
I can vaguely see Thirsha getting offed or at least proofing into the wilds never to be seen again or becoming one with the jungle.
I don’t think it would be as interesting for me as a player if all the leaders simply got killed

I just think her becoming one with the jungles she loves makes sense: the Zhon see/saw her as a goddess, but I think she would be in tune enough with her people to know that for her kind to live she must leave.
Or maybe her willingly saying “hey, y’all need to sacrifice me like so!” Instead of REVOLUTION

What if either Kierrena or Elsin was assassinated by one of their people, and that drove the other to Grief and pulling a “Garacius”?
That way we have revolution AND smarts
It’s a win win!

We need a general story first before we get to the good stuff
I think the first should involve introducing how the next century or two is gonna be impacted, the first two missions to the Cult of Lokken offing their monarch, Thirsha discovering the ritual for her to ascend, whatever we decide etc. so that way it sets the tone for the next xx(x?) missions lol
But like I said, story first xD

“It would come in time, but like all wounds, only with the shedding of blood would the New Era begin”

First series of missions: setting up plot points for change over the course of the TK and IP timelines, we then have those enacted in the short ten year period before “The New Era” officially starts. Then we have the remainder be a mix of flashbacks and the current building conflict
Cuz when you think about it, there had to be dissenters when Garacius took Creon right?
As @Angry green thing said we have a lot of vague areas to explore before we get to the juicy bits
Our, act one so to speak!
It may require factionless units I.e. cartographer exclusive ones but even if it doesn’t it’s gonna be epic

I still want one or two of the original monarchs to peacefully give up power, it makes sense at bare minimum for one
And my vote’s on either Thirsha or Elsin
But exploring subfactions might be a good starting point

Hmmmm what if there were factions collecting Khandra artifacts in an effort to subdue Kierrena?
Zhon is littered with them, lotsa gold on a well funded expedition in the early pre-TK years without Kierrena catching wind?
Elsin might go a little too far in the aftermath of the Creon war so that would explain once loyal Houses turning on him
Lokken is just gonna get Brtused though I’d say it’s by someone other than a fanatic like Helegrin.

This post will document all the ideas gathered from the community.

------------

Myrion:

8/12/2022
Suggestion: Perhaps there could be divide in zhon as well, with "heretic"(For lack of a better word)  zhon resulting from the defeat of Thirsha in the Great war. The zhon were handily defeating their invaders under their goddess,till the golden dragons laid them low. I think this may be enough to cause a crisis of faith in some of the zhon. Perhaps the goddess's teaching and encouragement of isolationism and stagnation wouldn't do for the future.
Those zhon would separate from their   faithful brethren(Or be shunned by them) and move towards the coasts, looting and scavenging from the wrecks and skeletons of past aramon and verunan bases and forces for weapons, tools and concepts.

Perhaps those lost souls would be willing to ally with any who would offer a hand of friendship...

Just footing an idea for a subfaction for zhon and keeping with the theme of civil war and change due to interacting concepts between the kingdoms.

------------

Massimo Liccardo:

11/03/2019 On Azurians:
I would suggest between the North-East of Creon and North-West of Veruna, maybe in the Kuvera region or nearby. I would like also to ask if there will be a lore around the Azurians and their origins, like if they are related to the other races or Garacaius himself. If you plan to do a new campaign, although I think you already figure it out the plot, I would suggest a "casus belli": taking advantage of the war between Creon and the sons of Garacaius, the Azurians attacked Creon and stole the Eye of Modron, the mogrite artefact that topped the Throne of Ludd, the fifth legacy of the Kandra Kingdom and that gave Garacaius immortality. Since in the game nobody mentioned what happened to the Eye of Modron, I supposed that most likely Garacaius stopped using its power after he took it out from the Throne and carried away with him. When he died, the Creonites (I hope it is the correct way to say the inhabitants of Creon) didn't know the true nature of the Eye and buried it with him. The ruler of the Azurians knew of this, and waited a weakened Creon to make an incursion into Garacaius tomb and steel it, eager to become powerfull as Garacaius himself. The Mage Kings, heard the news of the newfound artefact, join the fight to retrieve it and gain supremacy above the others

------------

Christopher Hatton:

10/26/2019
So a very tedious to make but possibly rewarding and replayable campaign could be to have one of the middle missions being you in control of Creon and going against the other four races. The first monarch you kill ends the mission and from then on, the next missions are mostly different from if you would have killed one of the other monarchs, allowing for some overlap but mostly different missions and different final missions.
Probably too much.

------------

Rick Haertle:

10/20/2019
I was thinking of a mission that leads Thirsha and Helegrin through Ullin's Fingers. It does get me wondering about the lore behind Kuvera though. It is supposed to be a wasteland, but it's close to Creon, and it seems within the realm of possibility that Creon could have had some presence there.

10/19/2019
Would be cool to visit here. Supposedly a barren land Veruna and Aramon fought over. Could be remnants of both that managed to cobble together a Veruna/Aramon pirate faction.
It seems others agree. Elsin is a good candidate for an antagonist. He seems like the kind to put his own political situation before the good of all Darien. At the end of the IP it's said that Elsin was "Outwardly unchanged but inwardly shaken." It could be that he's simply unable to move past the events in IP and unable to lead.
Perhaps Mogrite could be used again. Some third party, possibly Kandran remnants could be looking to have the monarchs killed or exiled in order to retrieve the five Mogrite Legacies in order to bring about a second Great Calamity.
Issues with Zhon and Creon/New Creon. The Creonites find it unpalatable to work with the Zhonian monstrosities, and view them as primitive savages.



------------

HerrGeneral:

10/15/2019
The story of Elsin from the manual should be (re)read. His title was given by his father but he had to earn it from his people. Then Elsin saved Aramon twice (against Taros and Creon). Even if the common folk of Aramon were loosing faith in their hundreds-years old mage emperor, even if they manage to rally or defeat the regular army, and kill Elsin, what would happend next ?
Peasants are not rulers. Peaple like Ayla care about their family and their home, not about politics and economy of a realm. Peasants need a leader that's why one or some noble houses must rebel with ideals. If there should be a reason, it could be the same at that of Buriash (lead by his heir ?) after the encounter with Creon civ : Magic is restricted to a elite whereas science can be shared with everyone. (this subject is covered in the animated serie Avatar, The Legend of Korra for exemple)

If we are looking for something more "extravagent", we could image the return of the Kandra with the awakening of one super monarch or creature who wants to restor the old ways, or the discovery of a new Kandra artifact that would shake the world.

(I totally agree with the vision of new era Zhon by the way)

10/14/2019
"killing" a whole faction is a bit extreme,
maybe they loose their fortresses and regular army, then you can still find some rebels or survivors (with new "ranger" skins or units)
Dunadan like Aragorn in The Lord of the Ring are a good exemple of a fallen civ

about the revolution there is already 1 of them in each campaign that take place in Aramon, is it a pertinent idea to set this again ? The end is either : the majority of noble houses unit and counterattack or Elsin come back and smash the rebels.

------------

William Brick Caswell:

10/14/2019
I'd remove Aramon because those tens were way too damned OP!

------------

Andrew Danny Taylor:

10/14/2019
I was going to say why Veruna but I have to say they're probably the worst other than creon obviously. As an outside chance, how about Lokken turning on Thirsha and burning down the jungle to make a new hell scape for his demons only to find that killing the jungle awoke the vengeful spirits

------------

Tristan DeBuhrsion:

10/13/2019
10 missions for each fraction.
The original campaign had alot of missions varying from short to long. Distribution wise, Zhon and Creon didn't get enough missions while Aramon and Veruna had a good amount (pretty sure someone can correct me on which fraction had the most missions to them).

------------

CJ Shaw:

10/14/2019
I'm just biased of the idea of killing Veruna because my favorite it's my favorite faction . But a good story line could be Rixx sent out on an obvious suicide mission - expected to die, only to return later resurrected by Lokken.

10/09/2019
Can we have a narrator with pictures?
How about some sort of civil war inside of Zohn so the jungles are torn in half, eventually spilling out into the other nations? Likewise, Veruna or another party sides with the rebels and new "mini" factions are involved.

------------

Sage:

10/22/2019
For the first mission, we could have Garacaius leaving Darien, and sailing through the Kuvera Straits reaching the land of Creon. If the player builds in Darien, they automatically fail the mission. To win, they'd have to build a mechanic and then the first smithy once they've reached the new land.

We could probably add a cloaking ability to Garacaius, so he can "slip through the palace guards" as he takes his departure.

10/21/2019
In Garacaius travel to Old Creon, teach mages(mechanics) science.
He could build a smithy to kill beasts nearby to clean the area, and establish the first Creon.
Or have Garacaius create mages(mechanics) to build smithies. Those can create fire wagons and other units with the science they were passed on to the mages.

10/15/2019
Joreth on horse is in the mod. We could have him turn on Elsin and lead the resistance with Ayla.

The Priest could also help. There could be a mission where the Church needs to get built, and at the end, 25 peasants need to be saved by putting them inside lol

10/14/2019
Someone said Lokken could revive units into ghosts, like it was done with the Sea Shadow, now the ghost ship. It reminds me of the Night King in Game of Thrones reviving corpses into their own

What if Taros kills Aramon, and that story takes place?
With the revolution going on, Taros could see the perfect moment to strike.
Taros death could then be saved for an alliance from Veruna and Creon.

I'm thinking, if we are to kill a race like Aramon, would it be cool to bring them back in another mission as a ghost race? This could include:
1. Every Aramon unit is a ghost
2. Change in ballistics' weapon model
3. Be the last mission for Aramon, having the AI play the race
4. Have the Aramon Ghost race playable in Skirmish mode

10/11/2019
I'm pumped about seeing Lokken die. His misuse of mana leads to the demon he becomes when veteran. There could be a mission to beat Lokken in his veteran form. Next mission we see Lokken transform into Taros TAK god, and the objective is to kill it because things get out of hand. So he dies, but leaves a whole city in ruins after having himself explote his evil mana. In the mod, the Taros TAK god currently leaves a huge explotion after getting killed. BOOM!

Once we have a story set in place. We can ask the community to help us with some map designs!
I'm thinking about contacting Clayton, the TAK lead designer, to help us out part time with some concept art. If not, it's cool; he could probably tell us who can help from his old team. He could probably already have art that wasn't used in the previous campaigns.

10/09/2019
At the end of IP, it's mentioned that Creon and Veruna start trading, and Veruna goes for the gun powder. I'd like to see Veruna and Creon possibly fighting other races.
They could potentially invade Zhon's privacy, and find out the monsters' Zhon has been gathering over the years.
Lokken may have to go on its own for sometime after having his siblings' trust is broken.

Some units don't have to be in the campaign. Emen and Leimar were taken out from the mod. Heligrin could be back with the Cult of Lokken.

There could be a mission where goblins reproduce themselves as the last video states: "Thirsha melted back into the wild to raise even more creatures"

Going back to the evolving monarchs idea, there could be a story behind it. They already evolve in New Era. The most noticeable one is Lokken, where he transforms into a demon.
Something about it was said in the bod intro: if they ever misuse the power of mana, they could bend and twist themselves...(paraphrasing)

------------

Kronos:

10/09/2019
After the events of IP, Taros remains dormant for a bit and closes itself off for a time, licking its wounds.

Lokken isn't ready for full-scale war, but sends out teams of his best warriors and mages to find more ancient artifacts in remote regions of Darien and beyond. He's hoping to find anything that might give Taros an advantage over the other nations, while Taros is still rebuilding it's power.

Eventually the other monarchs (or sage, in Creons case) slowly catch on to Tarosian shenanigans, and are angered that their territory is being violated. Small skirmishes spark, and another "great war" looms

Maybe you could start a story from a little before when OTAK started, then working over to the familiar events of the great war and the iron plague conflict, but this time from the perpective of different characters (either ones we're already familiar with or new ones entirely). The inferred scale of conflict in base TA:K campaign pretty massive, you could expand on it endlessly.

This way the more obscure parts of lore could be flushed out more and grown, and any post-IP plot would have more of a foundation to work off of.

I mean the last thing we would want is some reboot that takes place after IP chronologically-- yet is just a rehash of the same old story; ie the bad guys attack and nearly win, yet somehow the tide turns and good factions prevail.

Someone mentioned the idea of expanding on sub-factions which I find interesting; as we know Aramon had a lot of traitors to deal with in OTA:K and IP :Aramon: :Elsin: :kappasad: (Lord Burrirash, the yellow jackets)

------------

Perry Lewis:

10/14/2019
If any race needs to die it's aramon. The great powerful Elsin now in the shadows of his elder brother!

10/09/2019
A twist in the story. Why does Taros and Zhon have to be bad? Elsin turns greedy and his sisters turns on him. He has no choose to turn to his brother

------------

Shannon Braden:

10/09/2019
Thirsha saving Aramon and Kirenna from a threat by rallying Zhon and the creatures of the deep.

------------

wqaopl:

10/09/2019
Lokken wanting to create a garden utopia originally for some reason.
A creon mage cult holds up on a small island and does stuff, also zom.bie apocalypse.

All the gunpouder units was done in one story ark, group them up a bit.

------------

Grandfather Nebulous:

10/09/2019
Something where Lokken is able to infect the machine-spirits of the Creon contraptions and turn them against their masters.

Oxander:

10/22/2019
I was thinking more he lands, does some 'get here, go there, kill that' and then after a cutscenes we come back and, oh ****, Garacaius has some clunky automatons stumbling around this smithy-thing, and - oh ****, a bunch of stupid \"***\" mages are trying to break things. Time to educate them! Essentially he starts a mission with a smithy, and it's the cutscenes that give the overview of how he gets there. Then it's just, basically, Big G spouting Creon Science Scripture and boom.

He just got there. No idea what's to even see.
Truth be told, and I need to go back and watch/play, but I don't think Big G had a plan. I think he was bored and tired of the humdrum and wanted to go out on one last adventure. But a long boatride by his lonesome got him thinking. And when he arrives, he's struck by two things: a) there are people here who don't use magic and, b) they are doing just fucking fine. So, intrigued a bit, he lives among them and forsakes the magic he holds. Until jerkass mages show up and he's forced to show these luddites what's what and how Mana is merely fuel. It can be awesome if tapped correctly. And that's what starts the transformation. We could rush it, but that seems to me to be the most... Organic evolution.
Essentially, Big G sees in these Jerkass Mages his own arrogant past, and wonders if he could change the world if he'd not used his magic as raw murder power. To forge it and rely on his mind, aged as it now is, and teach these good folks how to NOT rekindle the Kandran Cataclysm... Which his own children will no doubt do.

So Big G builds this culture, fights bad mages, and essentially keeps the mages from anywhere in Darien at far arm's length, hence why Creon stays a mystery. Sort of like trade quarters in Japanese cities during the Age of Imperialism. 'you can trade here, but it's highly scrutinized, and you can't go wandering the city. those who do not comply will never leave.'
And in time he finishes the Sage outfit, sticks the mogrium in, and says "dueces new children, I'm George Washington and political parties are as bad as magic!" And then dice. Fast forward a while and that's the last cutscene before Creonite Civil War concludes in big nasty battle of brawn and brain.

Which means we need a couple of firm perspectives on magic to roleplay, and resulting quotes for the cutscenes. Else how can we have a believable civil war? Not much, but say this covers... 4 missions? Coronation Day (escape and journey), Old Creon Refuge (do things, self reflecty. Bad mages trigger?), Consolidation (Start with Smithy, expand and subdue the wild, arcane tribes), Age of Reason! (A fleet of Fortune hunters have arrived, hold them off for X while you build an academy and launch the greatest technological terror in history - the juggernaught!)
Each should proceed a Creon mission, so we get some good juicy backstory and inspiration for the modern Creon fights.

10/21/2019
Shrink the ghost of Garacaius to about Heligrin size and the player recreates his Exodus from Darien.

Otherwise, sure, but I sorta had this... Hmm, "constitutional crisis" idea for the Creonite civil war, and having a sorta throwback mission as Garacaius to visit - firsthand - the establishment of Creon sounds fun.

Basically, he arrives solo on an island, and there are a few triggers and objectives. Kill the mages on the island, but build the first smithy someplace. Something like that.

Brainstorm on an early Elsin death, but I think it's definitely worth checking out
which might explain Kirenna's sorta hyperdrive reaction - with Elsin, her stalwart ally, gone - she's having to do all the heavy lifting, and obviously doesn't understand Aramon like her brother did, so her 'peacekeeping' and 'pacification' could turn things sour
which still triggers a Noble retaliation, and a peasant uprising in turn
and THAT could more explore the relationships between the various houses of at least those two states
I recall one of the coastal Aramon houses traditionally intermarried with Verunan houses, so there's their doorstep
but Joreth might ally House Heldain with House Buriash to counter the Verunan incursions...

10/15/2019
Now, there needs to be a discussion real quick. There has NOT been a revolution in the games, beyond perhaps the revolutionary technologies or black powder and Creon. There have been mere rebellions. Led by NOBLES who are shitheels and horrible people, for their own selfish agendas. My suggestion is that, much like 1789 and especially 1793, the common folk are Just. Fucking. Done.
And precisely because Aramon has been this awful back and forth tug of war of the nobility, it is the most logical location for a massive peasant uprising. For fucks sakes, Ayla proved the power of the people, and they aren't going to forget it!
And once it looks like yet another goddamn round of this is firing off, the people will rise up and tell Elsin to sign this Charter of the People or get fucked.
He will, in his misguided ways, approach this like all the other revolts by NOBLES and miss the point.
Whereupon his actions have dire consequences and he does, in fact, get fucked.

I'd like another Ayla type mission that's straight 'lets \"****\' up the tax collectors"

And something that's 90% naval combat between Veruna and Flying Zhon, like... In waves and drops
Frigging Rocs dropping Swamp Beasts on naval positions....

Oh, sure, you can get away with the peasants overrunning Elsin's position. You'll just need a boatload of peasanrs.
And yeah, Zhon gets fucking shafted in the game because prejudices, real life 'beasts and savages' prejudices of the developers.
Zhon is a fucking beast ready to roar to life and show the world what beasts and savages can do
You got a harpoo! I got napalm breath. You got a knight, I got an orc. You got walls, we've got trolls. \"****\' you and your gunpowder, we'll stoneskin you \"***\".

Right, so the whole point in New Era is they have structures, right? @Sage  so their biggest limitation - production - is somewhat offset. So unleash that ****. Taros is the most balanced. Let's see what Zhon can do against them in a few tough brawls.
New Era Zhon, if I understand, has evolved more than any other faction.
They don't need Thirsha anymore.

Elsin is blinded by what HE thinks is right. Kirenna is blind by mostly greed. Lokken is blinded by power

Thirsha... What has she sought but keeping her people whole?

Know what. No. The last is Kirenna fleeing. She doesn't. She needs to die while 'on the attack' because the whole campaign has her on the offensive. Hubris. That's the key.

Oh, I have no doubt there'll be some sort of leader to the revolution, but it's hectic and messy and the whole fervor is overthrowing the old order. Not saying it wouldn't return one day, or that they really plan that far ahead. The point is faith is lost, because clearly Elsin isn't up to snuff to keep them safe.

Also, to stress the point, Elsin's reprisals get nastier as frustration mounts, which only invokes the people to resist more/hate their king.

10/16/2019
Alternatively, going with 5 campaigns, one per faction, with 10 scenarios each.

And that also options an avoidance of yet another "GREAT" War situation, and rather, focus more on regional/local/internal things.

Creon can see to their civil/religious war alone.
Veruna can have their own Cavaliers/Roundheads civil war alone.
Aramon can have their own Revolution alone.
Zhon can beat the **** out of Taros.
Taros can beat the **** out of Zhon.

Those can slowly build momentum over time, and introduce the New Era changes more evenly, more thoroughly throughout.

10/09/2019
Years ago there was a project started and aborted for a campaign.
Mechanist Dawn, it was called, and yes, revolved around a Creonite Civil War
Mechanists, the Old Believers, basically, versus the Arcanists, the folks who were more about embracing the blend of magic and machine and, actually, I want to say the Mechanists - rooted in wholesome machinery - teamed up with Aramon to some degree, and the Arcanists teamed up more with Veruna & Taros, which was supposed to bring Zhon in on Aramon's side, if not the Mechanists' directly.

There was a reason that was vaguely defined back then, but I don't recall
The whole thing was centered around Veruna's expansive maritime empire. Like, after the Great War, they were occupying various coastal areas in Taros and Zhon, and after Aramon got kicked in the teeth against Creon, it left Veruna as really just the unmatched commander of the world's avenues. Remember, Garacaius conquered the world from a Verunan base.
So it may simply be the Greedy Greedy Verunans triggering folks.

And, of course, all this time Lokken is just waiting for his chance to piss on anyone and everyone, and this whole time Veruna has been fighting this low-level war with Zhon where they're greedily trying to exploit things from the disunited local clans, and thus an overstretched Veruna just enlists Taros to 'teach those \"****\" guerrillas' a lesson in Zhon, or what-have-you and boom
you've got yourself a wicked strange fun campaign.

One of the talking points of the campaign was kind of a push for an "after the monarchs" era.

Essentially, the tone of the campaign was going to take a bit of an anti-capitalist tone (because bad greedy verunans are the problem) and the Luddite-ish Mechanists lashing out at the Arcanists for essentially selling good craftsmen down the road (so semi-Socialist discussion there), ultimately turning into a "come on, are we mortals bound forever to battle one another because these monarch siblings can't fucking play nice?" and there you end with a proto-Bolshevik rant on murdering kings and queens to set mortal men free

I gotta be honest... I'd rather see all the Monarchs slain in battle or executed
personally, but I"m a bit more gasoline and matches than most.

Aramon falls to French Revolution style fun. C'mon Robespierre!

Lokken goes the way to Caesar, with his Cult decided he's better off as a figurehead than an idiot in actual control

Kirenna "accidentally" something something lost forever. Shame, but golly what a wonderful lady.

Thirsha stands in the way of Zhon attaining it's real potential, so along comes some Chieftain who goes Meiji, and Thirsha is sacrificed for the good of her people's future mean while, the Sages of Creon, having effectively ruled Life Terms once in office, are now regulated to some very specific term limits because Democracy but legit, as far as Zhon goes, they're hellabackwards because Thirsha is an introvert without peer you would be too if you turned half-bat.

And those 5 Acts can be 10 missions or 50, your call
So "Intro to Players, and their issues." A few skirmishes, really.
Act 2 is escalation, bigger engagements, the plot thickens with new factions joining the fray
Act 3, the board is set, but things hang in the balance, as all is struggle
Act 4, there's been a major development, and now there's consolidation
Act 5 is the aftermath, the mopping up, the final stories told

"It has been ten years since the end of the war, and yet the land of Darien refuse to mend."

So, of you imagine Veruna as England meets Venice, then Kirenna could definitely be overthrown by a subfaction element that has enough of the BS. Typical liberal conspiracy, like burghers ganging up because they want more say-so in government. End up sorta Netherlanders like with a United Provinces Republic-ish deal. Maybe Kirenna is just up and imprisondd for all eternity
I think we mostly agree Thirsha is the one to bow out with Grace and simply vanish
Elsin gotta die on the fires of revolution. Sorry. And Lokken Ceasar'd
Because, legit, Veruna hadn't had constant revolts because money talks. Aramon had had Buriash and Yellow Jackets. Like. \"****\' Elsin is what I'm hearing from the masses of fucked peasants.

Countries with a strong naval tradition are more plutocratic in nature, because the impetus and upkeep of a standing fleet requires institutions, investment, and infrastructure - all available and/or owned and operated by the monied elite. The ones who trade.
They're not likely to fold to the peasants, and indeed would want to have some measure of power to rubberstamp their actions.
I.e. constitutional monarchy

Sketch Pad for Brain Pan

WIP

The war ends, folks go back to things, yadda yadda.
/Filler

ACT I: Picking up where we left off. Recap very briefly the Great War - disagreement of the uses of Magic, per Garacaius' adherence, and the ever-looming fate of the Kandrans - and then the war against Creon and their savage machines. This intro video will be a bit longer than those between missions, and can be more thorough, but shouldn't get bogged down in details, and more broad-stroke painting a big picture - and it revolves around the Legacy of Garacaius and the role of Magic.

Things to include:
-Defeat of Taros, Death and Rebirth of Lokken the Necromancer... and why was he against Creon again?
-Defeat of Zhon, Wounds and Flight of Thirsha the She-Beast, and what remains of Zhon's power and pride?
-Narrow Victory of Veruna on the High Seas, and the need to improve and learn as much as revel in victory!
-The Constant Troubles of Aramon, and having now dodged too many bullets to count - Taros, Buriash, Creon, Yellowjackets... what’s next?
-Creon, a Case Study in Occupation... Of Humility, Meaning of Life and Magic, and the Future!

This effectively sets the stage for what these states are experiencing and hints and what might be in the offing…

1. The Return of the King!
Player: Aramon (Elsin)
Target: Aramon Rebels. These should *not* be Yellowjackets, better to indicate there’s more domestic troubles rather than Creonite-backed troubles here at home.
Where: Aramon hinterlands, indeterminate for the moment.
Objective: Conquest
Desc: Elsin to eradicate last rebel redoubts. Three fortified positions to give Player’s flanks a workout.

2. Gunboat Diplomacy
Veruna goes on a bit of a Public Relations tour, "encouraging" Creonite ports to open up and host trade quarters.
(Player Veruna must destroy specific enemy defensive structures AND build structures in specific areas. These should likely be all coastal, of course, but with Veruna’s starting base on the mainland with them, like situated in a Creon City, as if they were leaving the country when they started all this – it)

3. Taros picking a small fight with Zhon, ya know... To instigate raids on Verunan coastal outposts. (Player Taros conquest on Zhon shores.)

4. Creonites punch back... At other Creonites, the ones that opened ports to Veruna. (Player Creon attacks Traitorous, Cowardly Creonites; sets stage for Mechs vs Arcans)

//Option for a Sage vs Anti-Sage sort of hijinks, parody to the Pope and Anti-Pope of our history. Possible allowance of secondary Creon mission to ‘purify’ the ranks before war can be taken to the enemy; essentially an introduction to new techs.

5. Zhon does indeed punch back, razing several outposts to the ground. (Player Zhon conquests Verunan bases.)

6. The Lionheart!


ACT II: All of this sets the stage, starts the machine of date moving, the dirty gears grinding toward...

6. Creonite civil war. A few years have passed, indeterminate, but the stage is set and skirmishes have continued and only gotten worse. Now Creonite forces have evolved greater killing machines and are split between more traditional machinery and even more evolved, much more magic-infused killing devices. It gets nasty. (Player Arcanist Creon vs Mechanist Creon; Hold Out situation to indicate the bloody slog the war has become in the intervening years.)
7. Veruna supports a new Arcanist Creonite offensive against the Mechanists. (Player Arcanist, now with Verunan units, conquests Mechanists.)
8. Veruna also hits back at Zhon whom have occupied some outlying Verunan islands. Seems the beasts have some fight left in them after all. (Player Veruna, conquest. *Much bigger Zhon presence than anticipated, though.)
9. Taros plots, foments in the shadows, and stirs dissent in far-corners of Aramon where rebellions pop up with dangerous frequency. (Player Taros commando mission. Capture Mage Builder? Turn Aramon forces on the peasants in the countryside.)
10. Tarosian "pirates" pick off some Verunan ships “suspiciously close to Aramon shores,” seeking to further spread Veruna thin. (Player Taros hit and run with Ghost Ships and Supporting Units; kill specific enemy naval units.)
11. Lokken reports to Veruna Zhon on their shores, attacking Tarosian ports - some which house Verunan garrisons. Requesting aid. This is, of course, false flag as Taros attacks those Verunans - to blind their forward bases. (Player Taros conquests Verunan outpots in Taros.)

ACT III: Things get a bit more... rash.

12. Elsin mercilessly smashes peasant bread riots. There are no other factions beyond civilians hunger and angry at the levies, taxes, and strife. Public opinion turns bleak. (Player Elsin goes a bit mad, destroy all foes – including peasants.)
13. Mechanist Creonite forces on the fun, hold Arcanist-Verunan forces at Bay while they evacuate all men and material they can. (Tables turned, Player Mechanist Creon vs Arcanist Creon/Veruna must Hold Out OR Reach Destination.)
14. Veruna lands raiding parties in Zhon. Pyrrhic victory due to hard fighting. They will grow closer to Taros as a result, since Taros had also reported fighting with the beasts. (Player Veruna ransacks Zhon encampments – must destroy locations OR build X in those locations.)
15. Mechanist Creonite forces flee into Aramon hinterlands, find surprisingly hospitable locals. Aramon Garrison commander tries to defend the crownlands. Sucks for him. (Player Mechanist Creon must destroy Aramon garrison and establish own base.)
16. Veruna assumes pirates in their own waters - because what idiots would dare? - and suppress perceived rebels. Burghers and Merchants begin to question Kirenna's power... And power hunger. (Player Kirenna must establish defenses in specific locations in the isles, battling various other forces to do so.)
17. Zhon begins to piece together Taros's plan and attacks Taros-backed Verunan bases deep inside Zhon. Thirsha begins a hunt for a mystical Kandran ruin for guidance. (Player Zhon conquests Taros-Veruna forces.)
//Option for a secondary Thirsha-specific hunting mission.

ACT IV: Stage is set. It's now or never!

18. Aramon suffers considerable internal conflict. Elsin must hold against Aramon-Mechanist forces. (Player Elsin in a Hold Out situation against multiple foes, Creon and Aramon rebels.
19. Veruna demands that Aramon defeat these terrorists. Or else they will take the matter into their own hands. Elsin, now convinced half of the upheaval is Kirenna’s fault - else wouldn’t she offer help? - tells dear sister to \"****\' off.
20. Kirenna orders an invasion of besieged Aramon to teach her brother a lesson in respect. (Player Kirenna conquests coastal Aramon townships.)
21. Taros takes the initiative against Zhon. Seems Lokken has heard about this mystical item and wants it for himself. (Player Lokken hell-bent on finding Kandran ruin must eliminate multiple Zhon encampments / Units to Specific Locations – HEAVY use of Kamikaze rats!)
//is there a trigger for victory conditions if a unit reaches veteran? Making Lokken go Belial-shape could be fun.
22. Mechanist Creon embraces the term terrorist and strikes at the heart of Veruna with well-timed surgical strikes. Key members of the Trade Council must be assassinated to turn the support of the war against Kirenna. (Player Mechanist Creon goes a’raiding into Veruna’s heartland. Several locations, multiple assassinations – kill specific targets.)
//OPTION: one could throw in a mission or two for Creonites to try to reach the Zhon power before Thirsha does, just to give a Creon vs Zhon one-on-one.
23. The Sleeping Giant is awake. Zhon trades thunderous body blows with Taros. Thirsha's feral armies exact a huge payment in blood from Lokken's forces. Heligrin begins to question the mind of Lokken. (Player Zhon conquests Tarosian coasts – cutting off reinforcements to Lokken in Zhon and forcing his retreat.)

ACT V: Trigger point.

24. Verunan forces in Aramon make headway. Shocked at disorder and ease of advance. (Player Veruna simple conquest against warring Aramon factions.)
25. Aramon frays as Elsin flees the battlefield. What has happened? (Player Elsin must evacuate to specific location / Hold Out.)
26. Aramonian peasants engage royalist forces and breach the capital. A new flag flies, of soil and wood, brown for the labors of man. (Constant reinforcements of peasants & deserting Aramon troops; Player must kill Elsin.)
27. Creonite forces clash again as Veruna cannot aid the Arcanists. (Player Creon Mechanist captures capital from Arcanists; build X specifics in certain locations.)
28. Zhon attempts to kill the Necromancer in a massive raid. They fail, but Heligrin becomes convinced there is only one way forward. (Conquest, player Zhon; Lokken not on map.)
29. Heligrin plots the assassination of Lokken. He takes out the royal guards protecting the king. (Eliminate specific targets.)
30. Lokken realizes the betrayal, but is caught off guard. He must flee while his entourage buys time. (Lokken must reach destination / Hold Out.)
31. With Lokken escaped, Heligrin calls a truce with Zhon, requesting their aid in tracking the Necromancer. (Moving units to certain spot(s).)
32. Heligrin and Thirsha’s horde follow through, murdering Lokken before he reaches his remote fortress. (Player starts with split forces, Zhon in front of Lokken via drops, Heligrin behind coming up fast with mages and things. Lokken caught in the middle with hardcore veterans/loyalists.)

ACT VI: One down. Three to go.

33. Revolutionaries push Verunan forces into the sea. The tide has turned. Now it's time to hunt down Elsin. (Player Aramon Revolutionaries conquest Aramon Loyalists.)
32. Elsin is besieged, but the builder has dig deep, and build high. The outer walls must be breached. (Player Aramon Revolutionaries must ‘Walls of Elam’ this \"*****\".)
33. Revolutionaries capture Elsin and execute him for high crimes against the people. (Player Aramon Revolutionaries kill Elsin.)
34. Thirsha mops up foreign adversaries as she completes her hunt for the ruins. (Player Thirsha on hunter-kill mission; several Veruna/Taros bands of soldiers.)
35. Thirsha finds the ruins and must battle the ancient dragon within. Once it is dead, she can then proceed. Upon entering, she is overcome with a vision of the future, a future of Zhon's powerful birthright... Without her. She sacrifices herself to be energies, and is gone forever. (Thirsha kills specific critter and reaches location a’la Heart of Thesh.)
36. Kicked from Creon, kicked from Aramon, kicked from Zhon, kicked from Taros, Kirenna lashes out at those whom have betrayed her. Veruna on Veruna now, the bastards on the Trade Council must die. It turns... Bloody. (Player Kirenna seeks to purge her own house, straight conquest!)
37. Trade Council is sundered, but not giving up. Others who have witnessed Kirenna’s descent into madeness turn on her chaotic forces. (Player Veruna must Hold Out against Kirenna’s ravaging forces; Kirenna has three bases – one Creonite, one Tarosian, one Verunan – to indicate her collection of forces she will unleash on her own people.)
38. Kirenna's power is spent. After seeing the devastation, she breaks down and abdicates, pleading for forgiveness as she willingly announces her self-exile. Her fellows don’t believe this, and further will NOT allow her to return and do worse. They catch her attempting to flee with the last of her Entourage, attempting to follow in Garacaius's footsteps. She dies, foiled. (Player Veruna must battle past the remnants of Kirenna’s coalition of goons and kill her.)

ACT VII: Mopping up.

39. Heligrin polishes off opponents as he reaches his palace to rule. (Specific location destination.)
40. Ayla/Joreth/whomever *attempt* to reassert managerial control. Clearly the various factions of Aramon won’t be re-knit easily. (Conquest or People to Places?)
41. Creon has a few Chief Engineers vying for the next position of Sage. (Conquest to declare yourself Sage.)
42. Thirsha is gone, but Zhon is flexing and consolidating. (Build Stuff in Places – any and all peoples of the Zhon interior will be brought to heel under this new tribal council!)
43. Veruna… war-weary and battered, must batten down the hatches and hold against the myriad mercenaries, pirates, turncoats, and monsters. If they can last, Veruna may yet emerge more united than ever… (Hold against all comers.)
44. Meanwhile, a young scientist in a distant land stumbles upon a startling discovery… (Person to Place)
^^Basically leaves open for any future projects.

//ROOM FOR INPUT, ADJUSTMENTS, ADVENTURES, ANS SOLILOQUYS.
 
OG CAMPAIGN (50 missions, some overlap)
Complete/Destroy Important Targets = 10
Conquest/Eliminate ALL = 22
Move Unit to Spot = 22
Hold Out = 1

IP CAMPAIGN (total 25 missions, some overlap here as well, and questions)
Destroy Targets = 4
Hold Out = 4
Move Unit to Spot = 9
Conquest = 9

*Chapter 3 – kill “enough” to win (?)

Will document questions for the community and replies from them on here.

1. What are some unanswered questions folks may have about the campaign/ending.

Tristan DeBuhrsion:
What happened to the rebellions in aramon at the end of the iron plague?

Rick Haertle:
Where exactly is Creon located in relation to Darien. Is it to the North or more to the West?

HerrGeneral:
More about Kandras and a more lore/interactions with noble houses.

bbdarth:
I’d like to know more about lands outside of Darrien and Creon, how they interact with them, I’d like to know more about Creons past

2. What match-ups would they most like to see.

Rick Haertle:
We never really saw Zhon vs Taros in the original campaign did we?

Lorenzo Galardinovic:
Zhon vs veruna naval + air battles would be great, Aramon vs Zhon, some base defense where you need to make walls and towers, Ara or Veruna.

Adam Whitson:
Slaughter of Shekelesh I think is the one you're referring to, and yes I love that one.

Zackery Smith:
A bit biased here but would love to see zhon vs aramon. Its not a matchup that was shown too much in the campaign that I can remember and playing the matchup myself I always suffered trying to deal with aramons late game, trebuchets in particular

3. What kind of contest did they like best - the conquest, the hold-outs against a timer, or delivering someone someplace.

Andrew Danny Taylor
I personally preferred the hold out missions. I built a map called death valley, 7 vs 1 it was a good play. I'll have to rebuild it and see what these new AI can do.

Rick Haertle
Conquest or hold out mainly. Never cared much for escorts.
My favorite mission is Dark Tempest because of how inch by inch you advance and how difficult it is.

Perry Lewis:
I think a variety is best. My personal favourite were the levels you have to search for certain units or build certain structures in a certain place

Shannon Braden:
Where you break folks out of prison. but i agree i enjoy Conquest best.

CJ Shaw:
Conquest is the most popular, but I think TA:K was better than the original because it had some unique levels.

My opinion, seems like we are getting a lot more units and tiers per faction. I think we would get a lot more "action" if we did hold out missions and stuff like that. Isn't the most popular mission in the game the one where you just keep spawning unlimited soldiers while you conquer some sort of Maze?

4. The Veruna vs Taros prison break scenario was really unique, what other such antics would you like to play.

Christopher Hatton:
Kamikaze Rat getting from point A to point B. Just kidding.
I liked the Hunter mission where you scout, but don't engage.
Maybe a mission where you have to use a Harpy or Mind Mage to capture a different faction's builder to create the enemy units and those created units have to kill a specific target to achieve victory, i.e., if you are Zhon, you can't kill the target with Stone Giants or Trolls or it will fail the mission. Not sure though how you could remove the shortcut of just using the Harpy to capture a Swordsman to then kill the target without capturing the builder. Maybe good enough pre built-in enemy defenses would make it very difficult or impossible to try that kind of shortcut.

CJ Shaw:
There were a few levels where you sorta spectate battles between other factions, I always sorta thought that was cool.

Rick Haertle:
I always liked the holdout maps, but I think it would be cool to do a scenario where you hold out for 45 minutes at first until your units arrive, and after that you push back and wipe them out instead of the game just ending.

Scott McCrea:
Aramon having zhon wolves in cages.