GENRES/PLOTS

If you have your own plot you want to use, or an odd pairing you want to include, just let me know!

Medieval Fantasy

A pretty classic era/genre and a staple of mine. Most can be adapted to be high or low fantasy, except "Phoenix".

That arranged marriage plot -
Possibilities include:

Easily mixing this in with just about any plot on this page
The timeless marry-an-enemy-of-your-kingdom and all that entails. It may be that this action preempts a war, or is used to finish one. It might just be bargaining for the safety of a people far weaker than the others.
They’re just continuing a many centuries old tradition in an alliance between different parts of an empire as expected of them, but perhaps the motives of one character’s family are greatly opposed, perhaps even to the point of outright deception, to that of the other character’s. In many ways similar to the above.
The pair could vary greatly by their wealth, culture, expectations or on a fantastical note, “magical” ability, odd bloodlines and the like. The clash is what makes this fun.

Some characters may be: the pair, but also their families, relevant people of power, others from far off that may have an influence, people that fill their homes.

Phoenix - (really want this!)

In the three domains of Yusha, a conduit plane between the mundane plane of mortals and the plane of power, peace has always been maintained at all costs. In order to receive their own benefits, all inhabitants of Yusha are charged with protecting their lesser mortal cousins in one way or another. Everything from ensuring a channel of life to the mundane is kept open, to protecting their dreams from infiltrators to ensuring that their dead are not disturbed, the Yusha must not stray from their tasks.

Being a realm of immortals, though with none being invincible, it is expected that each individual on their two-hundredth birthday will commit themselves to the Yushan tail, a bottomless pit of an unknowable nature, that allows their energy to rejoin with the plane of power and keep the balance of power flowing and even.

Seen as a glorious event, it has never been known for a Yushan to refuse it. But then, the queen of the dream domain seeks to remain supreme over her domain, and breaks this sacred contract. Worse still, she appears to have enough supporters to prevent her immediate removal. Suddenly the relative bliss of the world is rippled with doubt and questions are raised - she then demands to know why Yusha should serve the mortals at all. With the domain of dreams in disarray, the Yusha now struggle to protect the mortals to their fullest extent, some begin to listen to the queen while others become staunchly opposed. The Yusha may be required to break rules and visit mortals and communicate with them as they have never done before. This setting would have many magical parts and mythical creatures/surreal settings in the conduit plane, while the mortal realm would be largely ordinary, save the Yushan influence.
As "medieval" goes, that really is mostly relevant to the mortal realm; the Yusha weapons are sword/bow/powers and the like, and the domains operate like feudal kingdoms, but otherwise the realm is so fantastical/surreal that it's hard to relate it to Earth's timeline in a meaningful way. Lots of worldbuilding to do!
Some characters may be: the queen, rulers of the other domains, any inhabitants of Yusha/relations of the rulers or nobility, mortals influenced directly by the Yusha.

Cursed -

Cursed people are nothing new in the Wysn province. For a long period of time, there had been no reports of any being found, but in the last ten years or so, they have been resurfacing - people previously thought to be ordinary have had their abilities awakened, whether they wish for it or not. These abilities are extremely varied in both their nature and power. They can be as trivial as the ability to snuff a small flame from afar or as tremendous as acute insight into the intentions behind an action or object. Whatever the case, the appearance of cursed people has coincided with numerous afflictions on Wysn and its largest city, Wystorn.Thought to be the cause of these problems - plague, corruption, increasingly ferocious storms and any other misfortune - if someone is identified as cursed they are sent to be executed.

Embarrassed by its many troubles, the rule of law has been harsh, yet secretive, in an effort to root out all of the cursed. However, there is a problem with the plan. The cursed may be undesirable to many, but for a select few they represent an excellent resource. There are some well-guarded secrets that say if one of the cursed is ritualistically killed, the actor will inherit their abilities entirely...on top of any of their own they may already have. Knowing this, a black market has been created. Buyers, also known as collectors, are cursed people themselves that seek to accrue more abilities. The wealthier collectors even are in the practice of hiring hunters to do the menial work of retrieving cursed people for their purposes. Of course, there is the other issue...the more abilities you attain, the more valuable you are dead than alive.
Some characters may be: any of the described above, but also inquisitor types, any of the ruling classes, travelers of all sorts to the far-flung province.

The aurany - (on hold)

There exists a statue, known as the aurany, at the centre of a kingdom with the explicit purpose of providing protection from the bloodthirsty "barrens beasts" outside of the kingdom borders. The beasts come in many forms and skulk around at the edge of the aurany's influence, unable to pass but patiently waiting for any foolish human to leave the domain of safety. More often than not, though, the border appears peaceful, and the barrens look anything but - they appear enchanting and fruitful, even. The knowledge of how the aurany came to be is vague, and there is no knowledge at all of how it works. Nevertheless, it is maintained by an order of priests - the aur. For a long time now, people have lived safely within the kingdom, and they only are thrust from its safety as part of a punishment, one that is understood to mean near-certain death. Very rarely, people leave willingly in hopes of finding riches but are never seen again. In spite of all this, some people have begun to wonder if the domain of the aurany isn't just an elaborate prison, even as its protection has begun to weaken. The barrens were not always infested with monstrosities, in fact, the land long ago belonged to a prosperous empire, sprawling far beyond what the comparatively meek kingdom does now - an empire that had no need for the aurany. Somewhere in the wilderness, with the legacy of that empire, could be a solution to dealing with the creatures, permanently.

Some characters may be: member(s) of the order that look after the aurany/anyone willing to pick up the work and set out, forgotten peoples that live in the barrens, any of the sapient/humanoid creatures in the barrens.

Possible background:
Once his mind was made up, there was rarely a word that could be said to change it. Tavar, son of a scholar, brother to both a softer sort of man and a much more carefree sister, was always a picture of sternness. It was acquired through years of discipline as a servant in the order of the aurany. He maintained the grounds of the aurany alongside his fellows of the order, but also made time to educate the common folk and provide for those in need. Although privileged to be a learned man, with every day he was reminded of the role he played, and his rightful place. The aurany was not only a protection, it was a sanctuary, and Tavar took his duties toward it very seriously ever since the day he had recited the oath.

In all things, see light, dispel dark.
I put aside my ills and misfortunes,
I find meaning in service,
I preserve, I give, I protect.
By the aurany.

He was sat at his father’s desk in a nook of the library, leaning over in the meager light, perusing a letter addressed to him personally. It had the exacting penmanship of Joara, “most esteemed servant”, or as others knew her, the “great servant of aur”, a chief to the order. Her words deliberated over Tavar’s concerns, questioned if he should be saying such wild things as “the aurany is weakening” and if it was wise to upset the cart of apples over an unverified feeling. Losing hope as he read further, her tone shifted and his heart fluttered.

“...Besides my misgivings towards your concerns, we first and foremost must protect the aurany. I cannot in my good mind delegate servants of aur to do the work you have requested, but if you should find anyone fully informed and willing, then I will permit your request to depart the order for a time. We cannot know if our faithful shield is being worn away by time, if the evil of the barrens is growing stronger, or if there is even a change at all, unless, regretfully, we look beyond our home for answers.
Please understand, this is not an endorsement, only tentative permission. You will be responsible for any that endeavour to join you, and I may yet retract this allowance if I see fit.” A litany of stipulations were added, but already his mind was racing elsewhere.

Who would agree to such a mad proposal? Servants of aur had weaponry infused with the power of the aurany, true, but he had no way of knowing just how useful it would be against the dreaded creatures. There was no map of the land beyond the kingdom, no understanding of its clime, the vegetation or what may have once existed there, much less any answers about the source of the wretched creatures or why the aurany existed at all. Tavar felt a surge of excitement, but then quickly stifled it by reflex.
This is serious and grave. Yet the spark was there. He reached to the banded parchment before him and unfurled it carefully to begin his first letter, a modest request for assistance.

Prehistoric

Try something a bit on the niche side with me? Likely to have low-key or at least rare magical elements and supernatural parts.

Beyond the valley -

Every five years, a tribe completes its migration by visiting the obsidian valley to complete its renewal ritual, thought to honour the gods and give the people the protection they need until the next ritual. However, what should be a joyful occasion is instead one of unease. The people have arrived suffering losses to the ambush attacks of a new clan with ways and people unlike their own. While the clan leader is a pool of strength to the disheartened, he is now a frail man in his last summers, and perhaps will not even live beyond the winter. With this renewal, the clan seeks a new leader and a decision must be made for their continued survival.
While usually they would pass through the valley and down the plains on their usual journey, the presence of their new and violent neighbours promises an almost certain death, or far worse, if they choose to do this. The alternative, to flee to new lands, would mean breaking a tradition set down by the ancestors as well as drifting farther away from the familiar clans and while hoping not to find an enemy worse than the one they now have.
With such a weight on their shoulders, the conflict within the clan as they deliberate is coming to the surface and threatens to fracture them further.
Possible characters may be: a hopeful for leadership, a spiritual leader (ie. shaman type), regular people within the clan with their own diverging opinions...but beyond the clan we can play their enemies, exiles or even never-seen-before-foreigners, depending on where they choose to wander.

Incarnation -

Spirits and deities, greater and lesser, are notoriously fickle. While some years they will bring many animals from the hunt or food from the land, other years they withhold these things, amused by the struggles of people. It is thought that others are much more personal, choosing to play games inside the minds of individuals, while some are mostly calm...until their anger unleashes terrible storms or the fury of the sea.
For all of that, the clans of one area, usually lush with forests and a plentiful number of animals, find themselves powerless when a series of these misfortunes occur, with no sign of the spirits or gods being placated. Even the fire mountains begin to rumble, threatening to roar and consume all beneath them.
Increasingly desperate, they go about their lives while praying for the forces to relent, and then, at last, there is a message. Within a cavern a strange figure is found, claiming to be an incarnation of Azu, the greatest deity and source of all life. Azu states that there is a disagreement amongst the gods, one that will only be settled by a great personal sacrifice from the one listening to him at that moment. He warns that the gods may manifest amongst the clans to help or hinder, but the torment of the skies, sea and the land will only finish once the dispute is put to rest.
Whoever Azu (god of life, not actually gendered but capable of appearing as any type of living being at any moment) has spoken to is expected to carry out the demand. Exactly what the demand is we can tailor, but either way, it's particularly difficult or may even feel impossible or terrible to the individual. It is possible that Azu has spoken to more than one character.
In this world I picture there being a host of greater/lesser gods and spirits, many being animal-like or abstractions of particular features of the land. It's likely they would show up in different ways, some more malevolent than others, so we can play them as much as we like.

Of course, there are multiple clans to this story which we can make-up and all their people are possible characters to play, from their favoured leaders to their relative outcasts.
While the plot obviously centres on this need to stop the disasters, we don't have to focus solely on the interactions with the gods at all. In fact, it's relatively rare for them to 'incarnate' - though they may give gifts to their favourites, who we could think of as being avatars.