Alright, when beginning the Design documents, I thought it would be a good idea to include at the beginning the story as it has been developed (you will notice it goes from more fully developed to suggestions and more vague ideas). Here it is, if you see an error or have input, post it and it can be changed.
Quote: "Within the primary realm/kingdom (Valleymead was suggested), there are 3 primary races: Arcans, Gromalles, and Koths.
The Arcans are skilled huntsmen, famed for their finely crafted bows. They pride themselves on their vast knowledge of wildlife and survival skills.
The Gromalles are dedicated warriors who have defended their valuable territory in countless battles over the years. Their settlement lies on a mountain laced with gold and minerals; this has been a blessing and a curse as now their once cultured society has denounced art in favour of a strict militarian regime with the intent of protecting their resources.
The Koths are a peaceful island community that practice many forms of wizadry. They have avoided major conflict through superstitious fear spread by stories of evil spells and curses.
It was a mostly peaceful time, but that was until the invasion...
The vast armies of King Omun invaded the province of Kothica, slaughtering women and children and parading their heads through neighbouring towns. King Omun's next move was more subtle; he sent an emissary to Gromillia with the heads of 1000 Koths and a message "I have crushed these wizards with ease, and will crush the Arcans next. If you join with me I will spare your people." The naive and supersticious Gromillian King agreed to join Omun and provided 10,000 soldiers and his private guard of 100 highly trained warriors clad in solid gold armour.
The Arcans fought bravely but were no match for the gigantic combined army.
King Omun brought in reinforcements and enacted the final part of his plan; the trusting Gromalles had suffered many losses in battle and were now a soft target for Omun's reinforced army.
It is now many years after and people have grown used to the opression of King Omun.
There is hope however: a young Man named Tarquin...
Tarquin is one of the few mixes of all 3 races. Given the closed mindedness of all 3 races, his family was forced to live in a village of gypsys and outcasts. These villages were mostly quiet, and, therefore, ignored by Omun, as they posed no threat. Because of his mixed heritage, he can control all 3 primary abilities of the 3 races (archery, magic, and melee). Tarquin grows up living a simple life, not trained in combat with the exception of basic self defense, to fight off animals and such.
One day, while Tarquin is out of the village, Omun's soldiers come to the village, demanding tribute. Given the nature of the village (more communal without much money to give) the soldiers lay waste to it. When Tarquin returns, he finds only burned buildings, the bodies of his friends and family. There is only one person alive: one remain soldier ensuring that any returners will be delt with. A brief battle ensues, one that Tarquin cannot win, but just as he is about to lose, his father, fataly injured and barely alive, kills the soldier from behind. Tarquin talk's with his father in a cliche "last moments" moment with his father before he passes on. Tarquin then vows to avenge his village.
Tarquin quickly realizes that he cannot defeat Omun on his own, as his armies are too great. He therefore must unite all those capable of fighting from all three races to form one large resistance.
In gaining the trust of all of the different races, he must undergo a series of quests for each. While there are several, they relate to each other (go get the key, unlock and clear the dungeon to get the artifact, return artifact to village style). As he completes the quests, his abilities in the different areas grow.
Along the way, Tarquin slowly begins to see a larger picture of what is going on. Beyond the oppression of the people and his own vengence, a reason to fight begins to emerge. The image of Omun himself changes as well. While at the beginning, he seems to be a merely evil ruler, his reasons show through, as do his influences. By the time Tarquin unites the third and final race, the quest is no longer about revenge or freedom, it is to save the world (cliche but roll with it) from Omun's evil plans.
Venturing to Omun's Keep requires the assistance of his army. Leading the resistance on a march against the keep in the middle of the night, Tarquin attacks. The plan: the army holds Omun's forces at bay while Tarquin goes in to confront Omun.
Upon reaching the thrown room, a brief dialogue ensues between Tarquin and Omun. This will reveal 2 things about the characters. Tarquin, who has seemed dark and vengeful, has become more of a hero through his struggles (this is where the 'fighting the good fight' feeling should be layed on as thick as possible). Conversely, Omun is depicted to be more human than simply a fully evil mass murderer. His motivations can be anything from personal loss, magic corruption, personal gain, or even him trying to prevent a great impending disaster (which could take place just before Omun can be vaquished, switching the mechanics and allowing Tarquin and Omun to fight together to defeat this common enemy, Omun would die in the process).
"
Personally I kind of like the idea that Omun was trying to prevent an impending disaster of epic proportions. Perhaps he destroyed the village because he knew that one would come from there to stop them (not knowing that the disaster would come at the same time) and if that happened he wouldn't be able to stop the disaster. I think it would be an ironic twist if after all of this, they would have to fight together, but that is just me. Disasters could range from giant meteor (don't know what they would do to stop it), dimensional rift bringing in hostile future enemies (or from another dimension entirely), or anything else.
Great Quote:
"Time...LINE??? Time isn't made out of lines...it is made out of circles. That is why clocks are round!" -Caboose
