Site-Wide Plot Ideas - Thoughts from Sway

[>>Sway<<]

So, I have some ideas that originally were going to be put into place on the old Aelyn site, but never got the chance to, so I'm going to post them here. Feel free to comment or give your own input here (Or if you have a different site-wide plot idea, feel free to create your own thread to get ideas and comments out about it.

Four Wolves of the Apocalypse

The basic idea is similar to the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. There would be 4 NPC Wolves that begin to wreak havoc on Aelyn. The wolves and members would then have to deal with the famine, death, disease and the urge to fight amongst one-another by giving into the sins and ideas mentioned or find a way to fight it.

Godstorm - Original Thought from Downfall

Hello all. I thought it was about time I lived up to my new title and tried my hand at weaving a plot or two. I have been toying with an idea that I would love to get your collective feedback.

The basic concept is simple, as it has been, the ancestors presence in this world has been felt only in small ways. A guardian here, a visitation there, but what happens when those in danger and those in turmoil are not the wolves, but the god like ancestors themselves?

The concept is simple enough. Aelyn exists as it's own realm of reality, it is it's own realm. (Correct me if I'm wrong on that). It has also been established that wolves and other entities can and have moved from realm to realm. Well, what happens when a god of an alien, and horrific realm comes to Aelyn with conquest in his mind. This plot would center around the arrival of a strange and dangerously powerful god whom would begin a conquest across the skies and soul of Aelyn. Putting the ancestor wolves at war with him. I have been talking lightly with Sway and she has had interest in creating an area for the ancestors to live and watch the wolves, so it would be natural that this would be the location of most of the conflict. However, it would not simply be constrained to the higher levels of existence. With this new and strange god will come what is left of his follows, so hungry and filled with greed they ate and ate and ate until their previous home was a barren husk. These Hyena-ish creatures would arrive and instantly start seeding chaos, hinting the night, isolating any wolf not in a pack and attempting to devour their flesh, and offer their soul as sacrifice to their god.

They would, in a sense, attempt to wage open warfare on the wolves on Aelyn, trying to claim land to feed their never ending hunger.

This plot also has room to develop into more than a 'lets throw monsters out there to kill people' story. As these creatures all serve a god, but who is to say why. Perhaps there are those who serve only out of fear, or those who serve but do not feel the need to devour as much as his brothers and sisters. Perhaps in these creatures, much like the wolves that inhabit Aelyn, humanity, relationships, and even mercy may be found inside these vicious creatures.

Also, I would like to open the plot further. What if wolves manage to make it to the realm of the ancestors? What if, in the ancestors time of need it is the mortal wolves who save them? What happens when an ancestor falls in combat? Would someone have to take their place? This plot could very well shake the very foundation of the spirituality of Aelyn, destroying revered ancients, and even creating a few new ones, as common wolves are needed to fill the gap left by the death of an ancestor.

Its still a little rough but I feel like you guys have an idea of what I am thinking about. Tell me what you think.

Changeling

Basically, there would be a wolf that could live in the tunnels (Now that they're collapsed and uninhabited) that has no set form and only canine in stature. It can morph into other wolves at will, but only if its seen them.

This wolf would go from packland to packland in the dead of night or when wolves aren't watching and steal pups, replacing them with a doppelganger of the stolen pups (Changeling) to be raised by the parents. Chances are the parents would have no idea that they were raising a pup that wasn't theirs. It could be something completely random that happens when pups are born or even with current pups in packlands now.

Members would retain the use of both pups, the changeling and the real pup. The real pups would be under the influence and control of the Changeling wolf as it creates its own force to eventually re-integrate the wolves into the packlands to create chaos and confusion within each land. It could start out as some wolves feeling like they're going crazy by "seeing double" or other means.

There's a lot more that can go into this, but this is just the baseline idea that Punk and I came up with for the old Aelyn.

Punkwolf's Additions/Comments/Ideas

Now Aelyn lives with no higher powers to influence it. At first it seems like nothing happens (a few months real time) but then plants struggle to survive, rivers and streams dry up, and prey is so difficult to come by wolves are lucky to eat once a week. The famine and wave of death puts all packs on end, and they begin warring and battling with other packs, and even amongst themselves. Through all the blood and the hate, a creature is created-
- which finally brings us to the “Changeling Plot”.

Ok, so the packs are at ends, warring, and completely exposed to any “outside forces”. Well through blood, hate, and pain, a creature is created. It looks like nothing, really, a simple white creature, skinny with colorless, black eyes, no tail, not even any fur – it doesn’t even have a mouth or nostrils. The creatures seems to come from nowhere, like emerging from the very ground. It hides itself among the wolves by morphing into them, appearing as an exact replica, even by scent. The creatures moves from pack to pack, simply observing how wolves interact, live, and –most importantly- fight. It happens to come across a pack that is expecting pups (unfortunately in these warring times) and the night the pups are born, the creature steals one away and replaces it with an exact replica. The replica looks like the pups, acts like the pup, and grows like the pup. On the inside, the replica THINKS that it is the stolen pup.

Meanwhile, the stolen pup is raised by the creature (who steals pups from other litters and leaves replicas like the first). These stolen pups are brainwashed by the creature – raised as “androids”, “robots”, who have no feelings, no free thoughts, no free will at all. Eventually (after collecting a decent amount of wolves to brainwash) the creature emerges with it’s ‘army’ and begins it’s attack on the wolves. The wolves would fight back, but they are confused because some of the attacting army looks like them. But when these replicas (left behind to take the place of the stolen pups) obtain eye contact with the creature (white, no features, black eyes) ‘who they are’ disappears and they ‘remember’ their true purpose – to serve the creature.

So, this Creature has an army of brainwashed wolves, replica wolves, and it even can create more replicas or morph at will. This Creature’s takeover of Aelyn is inevitable.

The wolves – still void of the ancestor’s holy touch – now live under suppression. There are no packs, only select groups which wolves are ‘sorted’ into by the Creature. Food is provided for all packs, and they are free to roam the lands of their specific group. Because of the Creature’s rule, their starvation is ended, land begins to flourish once more, and all the wars are ended. The only thing that they are asked for in return is loyalty, obedience, and their bodies. Select wolves are forced to mate, and the pups are taken by the Creature. Many begin to worship this Creature and it’s ways as a god, after all, their starvation is ended, the lands are once again alive and flourishing, wars and fighting have ended, and everyone has the opportunity to experience physical pleasure with no resulting responsibilities. The Creature is declared a god, a savior of all Aelyn.

But is this Creature truly a savior? Is this what freedom really is? It’s up to the wolves of Aelyn to decide. Would they pay the price of open choice in order to live carefree lives where everything is handed to them? Or do they decide that this is not true freedom, and perhaps earning things themselves – not simply accepting ‘hand-outs’ – and discovering that perhaps true freedom is something more…


Well, that’s the gist of it, anyways. The more I think about this, the more conflicting thoughts come into my mind. And actually, I’ve found a much simpler way to do this plot – I’ll post it later in a separate thread.

But, anyways, what do you guys think? I know it’s a lot to read, but there was a lot to condense.

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