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I've being making multiple games, approaching the fantasy genre from multiple fronts, but finally, I have decided on one setting, which i've been developing for a while.

Its also based on a RPG setting I invented for Paizo's Pathfinder System (I plan on running the campaign soon).

AGONY: A Fantasy Darkly

"The Great Burning, the cataclysm that saw the power of a God unleashed upon the mortal plane, destroying the Golden Age and plunging the world into darkness. Thousands of years pass and new civilizations carved itself into existence. From Barbarian tribes to Elven survivors, mutated humanoid beings called "Orcs" and the Gnomes, the descendents of the Feys themselves, life flourish.

Yet such life is not without conflict.

The Toruk Empire, a massive expansionist superpower that have recently concluded a great war with the Dark Elves. In the ensuing peace and prosperity that followed, the Emperor passed the Edict of Tolerance, outlawing the persecution of non-human races and fully incoporating them within the Empire.

However this fragile peace is threatened from all sides.

From the East the High Guard (High Elve Supremacist) march to "liberate" their kin from the rule of the inferior races, such as the Human filth and its so called Empire.

From deep beneath the Hallow Earth, the ravenous hordes of troglodytes, Kobolds, and other lizardfolk spill forth to conquer the world in the name of the Dragons they serve.

They come into conflict with ancient Dwarven Kingdoms, the last vestige of a Golden Age long past, who jealously guard the secrets of their technology and magic".

So I got the setting, I just need a plot. I was thinking of including a romantic subplot in there somewhere.

Sounds pretty cool, your plot would depend a lot of the angle you want to go on.

With most of the conflict being from the different races, you could do a diplomatic (well...kinda) take on it. Have a different main character per race (it seems like racism is quite high in your universe, so one character for all races wouldn't really work). Their ultimate goal would be the domination of their world for their race. With that each main character could have a romantic opportunity.

Obviously though it's easier just to have 1 main character, so instead you could do one of a few things.

A - Have an ancient item (cliche I know) which holds immense power and can eliminate all the races which threaten the peace. The plot would follow the hero as he tries to obtain this item.

B - Have one of the races become the main threat, and attempt to stop them.

C - Go on a quest to find out just how "The Great Burning" happened, and if they could use that knowledge to stop the advancing enemies.

It seems like your story is centered around humans (which is normal), so the hero would obviously be human.

What you do depends a lot on the dynamics of your world, how strong is the human empire vs the three threats? Do the three races hate humans as much as each other, or would they ally to eliminate them? Is there a reason the three races waited so long to attack? Do they have some sort of secret weapon to ensure their victory or are they just really confident in their military? Would one of the races rather ally humans than let another one of the three take over the world, or are they too proud to do so?

To JJJ: Short of, "Darkly" just means ominous, mysterious, dark. Since my setting is pretty much Dark Fantasy, I decided to go for that title.

Your setting is strong, and could easily be packed richly with history. That said, you have alot going on, its a complex world, because of this, you need a complex main character. This is why i do not beleive that a human protagonist is best. That would be to easy to do, and far to expected. Instead i suggest you have the main character be half human, half elf. This would add enormouse complexity to your character, and give you alot of freedom. Is this mixture of races excepted? I expect not. Fantastic, now the main character has a personaly conflict, and inevitably, an emotional flaw. Now to add more flaver to the charactor, lets make one of his two parents, not present. This can be rationaly explained by the racial conflict that is occuring in this world. Lets say the elven father left because if it was discoverd he had a half human offspring he would be killed. Now lets have the mother die at the beginning of the story. Sucks for him, fantastic for the story. Lets have the mother give a letter to her son before she dies, she tells him that it is for his father, and no one else is to open it. Perfect! now we have a complex character, who is in constant conflict with his environment, a complex world where the events that happen effect the protagonist and a goal. Feel free to use that, and alter it any way you see fit.

Personal* not personaly, also, a female protagonist in this situation would be great.

The Toruk Empire is officially accepting of non-human races, since the conclusion of the Dark Elven Wars, but it's difficult for people to forget hundreds of years of racial conflict in the span of only about fifty years of less.

 

Protagonist wise, I too prefer a female protagonist, but that's to be decided. Also, I want my Protagonist to be an independent force, not allied with any of the major factions? Perhaps an individual power as strong as any of the other factions?

That is a very good suggestion, and with the set up, i would have to agree.

However, many people have experienced prejudice of all kinds, so they could still know what the character is going through.

If the story is dedicated to racial struggles, which isnt  entirely what i was getting at, then its hard to make the story downplay it. What i was realy shooting for, was simply the idea that the half race of the character is a wall that he must overcome. Whats intersting about racial struggles, is that its all the people who worry about them, that keep the problem alive.

Very true, but the idea is to focus on the struggles the character faces, the fact that people hate him for what he cannot change being one of them. Im not saying your wrong, been agreeing with you the whole time. Your idea is much easyer to do, and has potential to be amazing.

The whole half elf idea would be nice, but perhaps for a tritagonists? The sidekick of the Hero? Then we can have the whole High Elve Supremacist tempting the sidekick over to their side thing.

If he were half human would the highelves wont him? or would they be disgusted with him? I like the idea of him being a secondary character though, it would alow you to put a little more mystery in the way the character behaves.

This sounds like a great setting and I can really tell you've put some thought into it, so best of luck in seeing it through!

As for plot, I [i]love[/i] 3J's suggestions, and I agree that a human character would probably be for the best. If the whole point is to plunge the reader into this complex fantasy world, IMO it would go a lot smoother if they started out with a character with viewpoints and abilities they could relate to - you'd be amazed how a little grounding in reality in one area can make everything else feel so much more believable.

Anyway, since the discussion's taken a turn in this direction, to be honest I've always thought it was kind of lame how so many 'non-human' protagonists in fantasy fiction are just humans with pointy ears or whatever. Once you let the reader inside their head it takes away any mystique, it's just 'oh okay so [insert creature] is just like me, but with [insert magical power/ninja skills/glowing eyes/frog fetish/whatever]'. No matter how hard you try to make them [i]really[/i] original, any character written by a human is going to think like a human anyway, so why not just keep the reader guessing at a distance. Less is more and all that. 

Also, no offense to ugilick but half elves/humans/orcs anything always bug the hell out of me and don't exist in any of my settings. Genetics [i]do not work like that[/i], jeez, so why is it so prevalent in genre fiction and Mary Sue fantasies? Who started that overused trope, anyway, because I don't think we can point the finger at Tolkien for that one.

...I guess I blame Spock?

ffffffff

I want an edit button.

Are you also botherd by people who are half black and half white?

3J's explanation of my ideas shortcomings are logical, and i agree with them, yours are not. you are simply jumping on me because my comment has already been attacked. You also are incorrect in saying that a person cannot give the impression that there character does not think like a person. you realy do need an edit button, for the whole thing.

Additionally your dislike of that suggestion is completly based on oppinion.

Are you suggesting that black people aren't human?

Racist.

Actually im suggesting thats elves are human. just a different race.

Like through the process of evolution they just ended up as our kick-ass cousins? If so I can see how that works, but I don't particularly like the theory.

sense we are talking fantasy fine, a common ancestor and the like. read endmasters post, it borders on what im saying.

Half dragon? that sounds ridiculouse, can you give me an example of this?

Arcanum was such an amazing game. I wish somebody would make another like it. (with better combat)

I guess I am okay with half dragon/half elf/half whatever if magic is involved, just like the silly Star Trek stuff would make more sense if those people were made with technobabble.

The focus is less about race (although you'll still see racial prejudices, hypocrisy, simony, blatant corruption, etc) but about the main character's struggle to become free as he ventures forth on a mission on behalf of the Emperor. He is Amadeus, Sorceror, Witch, murderor and bastard supreme. His goal: To rescue the daughter of the Emperor from the dark forces within the Hallow Earth. His Reward: Freedom from persecution and freedom to teach magic.

They claim Amadeus is a monster, but he is the most human of them all.


 

Hallow Earth or Hollow Earth? Anyway, I have 2 things about your story.

1. Sounds great and I would love to read it when it gets published.

2. You should get a job as that movie voiceover guy who goes "In a world where laws mean nothing, and justice everything, he is..... KEITH STONE", you are epic at making trailers.

Tarnations, I spelt Hollow wrong yet again. Dark forces in the "Hallow" Earth? There is definitely someting queer about that name. Thanks for the vote of confidence.