I'm having trouble reading the longer submissions. The popup window is rather long and narrow, and the top of the longer submissions extends off the top of my monitor. I don't see any way to move the popup window so that I can read the full text. Could you folks at Stardock improve the popup windows with resizability and scroll bars so that I could read the full text of all posts?

There are some really cool ideas, I hope they add more than just the winner to the game, there are at least 10 of these ideas that are better than anything that is in the game now.

just like the magic contest before it, any good idea is a good idea.  Even if submissions don't win they could still be included in a future content patch.

I just want Frogboy to tell me I'm good and that he loves me.

I don't know about the good part xia, but he's already said he loves you.... 

I'm sure someone could put up an interesting quote to show it, if only the search button worked....

Also. I propose a new avatar for Xia. Something sexy, that says I AM  REAL MAN

Discuss.

I'm sure Kestral will approve.

So which ones do you guys like?

If I had any talent at all I'd submit a quest suspiciously close to this classic movie.

You must quest to find fire to help your tribe be able to eat cooked food again.

Along the way you will encounter angry lions, mastodons and cannibalistic enemy tribes.

Only fur armour and sharpened sticks may be used as well as any blunt rocks you find.

You should type that up and submit it!  Something like:

Prime-Evil Regression

After clearing out a lair, the player is greeted with the following text:

"As the great evil shaman died, he spat out a death curse on you and your comrades!  All of your weapons have been shifted into pointed sticks.  Our historical scholars believe that the curse may only be lifted by slaying and devouring a tiger."

All of the weapons of the war party have the attribute of clubs.  In addition, every turn until the curse is lifted, the party is attacked by a mastadon, lion, or a group of cannibals.  The curse wears off after ten turns, or immediately after killing a tiger.  If the tiger is killed, the player learns a spell that changes a party's weapons to clubs for three turns.

Seconded... it pokes fun at the game perfectly, while adding some much-needed humor... not to mention it makes up for the heartless hatred of rats currently in Elemental.

Thus making it the by FAR the best quest in the bunch! 

Pretty good idea! Being cursed would be a nasty surprise for a quest.  ^^

Its all yours, so long as you don't beat out my submission.

*quest needs at least 1 fire shard under the player's control and fire magic researched to at least level

*sex of witch is the opposite of the player, so if the player is a woman, the witch should become a warlock*

*the term wife will be switched to match proper context*

Quest:

Till deaths do us part

Landing on inn landmark:

The cold of the night's air pierces and tightens your skin with ease. The frostbitten path below your feet snaps from each step to the approaching inn. Eventually the sight of flickering windows come into view; somehow their promise of warmth seems to weaken the cold's grasp on your heart. The sounds of clattering dishes and low talk reach your ears as you come to the oak door.

You warm yourself by the tavern's fire and stare into the flames. The flicks of fire dance from the embers and time begins to unravel as you fall into a stupor. Thoughts cease completely while the red light speaks to you on some primal level. Suddenly you are torn from the daze by the whispers of some men in a shadowed corner. You glance in their direction and focus on the hushed conversation as best you can.

"... That's right. Burnt right down. Notin' but ashes left - seen with me own eyes, I lie not."

"Come off it, there is no magics any more. Everyone knows that. Stupid farm boy just dropped a lantern is what that sad business was."

"fire by lantern would have bodies and rubble an such. Nothin but ash. Even the horse, just ashes."

"I tellin' you, there's no magics, there's no witch!"

"Keep down you ol fool!"

The men shift uneasily in their seats and pause for a moment to look around. You return your eyes back to the fireplace and are shocked to find that the once large fire is now a pile of glowing embers. You try and recount how long you spent before the fire but are unable to; the continuation of the conversation breaks your train of thought and pulls your ear once more.

"You know that hut she lives in? The one just down south a ways? Tell me why, no matter the weather, no frost ever touches that ground?"

The conversation goes on but you leave your seat at once and make for the inn's door determined to find this supposed witch of fire.

(hut now appears on the map, south of the inn)

Landing on hut landmark:

After some trouble you manage to find the hut the men from the inn spoke of as dawn creeps over the horizon.

You cautiously knock on the warped door to the ill-favored hut. Silence answers your call. The black holes dotting the exterior remain lightless. You turn from the mound surprised by the eagerness in your step despite your deep desire to bend fire to your will. You make but a few strides from the hollowed mess when a sound catches you from behind, freezing you suddenly; you turn to the awkward door as it is is forced open a few inches. Wisps of some dark shape become visible through the newly created opening but there is no greeting.

Apprehensively, you edge closer to the door and announce yourself: "My name is [player name], I'm here seeking... knowledge."

What seems like an age passes before the figure behind the door responds in an aged but confident tone. "And what knowledge would an old woman like myself, have for one such as you?"

"I've heard rumors that you may posses power. Power that I've sacrificed much for only to have but a faint grasp. If these rumors are false speak now and I will leave you to your peace."

The door is pushed open fully by the figure revealing the decrepit frame of an old woman. "Think hard and long on what I'm to ask, for the path you now walk may become forever changed. Are you prepared to sacrifice the lives of hundreds for this power you seek?"

(dialog selection appears for player)

1 > "Yes, without hesitation."

"Then I am to be your queen. On every fifth year of the anniversary of our union you will present me with 200 innocent lives - their lives will rejuvenate this broken body of mine. In exchange for this I will bestow upon you the power you seek. Enemies will be swept by flame with a single wave of your hand; flames will be born into life with a single word; the very souls of your enemies will burn brighter than the sun."

(dialog selection appears for player)

1 A > "Very well, I will uphold my end of this bargain and make you my queen in exchange for the power you promise."

The woman smiles. "I look forward to our future together. I shall travel to your capital myself after gathering a few things."

(dialog selection closes, hut disappears, popup displays the rules / significance of what must be done)

1 B > "I'm sorry but I could never go through with this." 

The woman scowls. "Then you leave me with no alternative; you already know too much of me."

(dialog selection closes, quest over, tactical battle begins with witch)

2 > "No, I am not that selfish"

The woman frowns. "So be it. You may leave here but do not disturb me again if you value your life."

(dialog selection closes, hut disappears, quest over)

3 > "No and I cannot in good conscious allow someone like you to live."

The woman's face twists into a pit of rage as flames begin dancing from her fingers. "You ignorant man! You will come to see the error in your ways!"

(dialog selection closes, quest over, tactical battle begins with witch)

If offer accepted, every 5th year after accepting witch as queen (and at capital with queen).

It is the eve of your and Len'thala's anniversary and the entire banquette hall is alive with celebration and entertainment. While watching the festivities from her throne your queen begins counting the number of attending guests...

(200 people in capital are automatically killed)

If offer accepted, every 5th year after accepting witch as queen (and not at capital with queen).

It is the eve of your and Len'thala's anniversary and the entire banquette hall is alive with celebration and entertainment. While watching the festivities from your throne your queen leans to you from her adjacent seat. Her lips brush against your ear as she whispers to you. "The years seem to have passed so quickly my king. It has already been 5 years. Have you my requested gift?"

The technical details:

• Upon accepting the witch, the game treats the player as having +1 fire crystals but -1 of all other crystals.
• Quest introduces three unique spells that can only be gained through accepting the witch and supplying her for 200 people for 3 anniversaries (the player gains access to Flame sweep on the 5th anniversary, Summon living flame on the 10th anniversary and 3rd spell on the 15th anniversary):
  • Flame sweep (tactical): Select target cell. All enemies (and only enemies) are hit up to 2 cells away from the selected center for 5 + (INT/5) + (# fire shards * 5) fire damage. When used on Living Flame summons, it actually heals them for half of the damage (as well as damaging any enemies in the selected area).
  • Flame sweep (strategic): Select target tile. All enemies in tile take 5 + (INT/5) + (# fire shards * 5) fire damage. Tile burns for 5 turns. If enemy city is hit, buildings in selected tile have a small chance of being destroyed. If cast on a friendly tile, any living flames in the tile are healed for half of the damage.
  • Summon living flame (tactical): Select target cell. One Living flame creature is spawned in the cell. Any units in any of the cells touching the cell where the creature was summoned are dealt 5 + (INT/5) fire damage.
  • Summon living flame (strategic): Living flame creature summoned in selected tile.
  • Soul burn (tactical): Select target enemy. If enemy has (16 + # fire shards) maximum health or less, enemy dies instantly (no resistant checks) and all adjacent enemies are dealt fire damage equal to 75% of unit's maximum health. Otherwise the unit takes 15 + (INT/5) + (# fire shards * 5) fire damage and if unit dies then all adjacent enemies are dealt fire damage equal to 25% of unit's maximum health.
• Living flame: the living flame creature has 20 + (# fire shards * 2) of health. I'll leave other balance to the devs, but I think the living flames should receive double damage from water based magic attacks (I also think they should have a 50% chance to avoid non-magical weapon attacks).
• Quest introduces the witch named Len'thala if player is male or a warlock named Kravyk if player is female.
• When first meeting the witch, she is old and fairly powerful. She has the equivalent stats of a level 8 sovereign (most of points put into intelligence and fire related spells). She has access to the flame sweep spell.
• If the witch is given the first batch of 200 people on the first 5 year anniversary, she gets younger and automatically receives a +1 to her level. She gains access to the Summon living flame spell.
• If the witch is given the 2nd batch of 200 people on the 2nd 5 year anniversary, she gets younger and automatically receives a +2 to her level. She gains access to the Soul burn spell.
• If the witch is given the 3rd batch of 200 people on the 2nd 5 year anniversary, she gets younger and automatically receives a +3 to her level. She gains access to no new spells. She no longer gets any more powerful from any future anniversaries.
• If the player fights the witch, the witch's strength depends upon how many anniversaries she has been allowed to complete her ritual.
• If the player is not at his capital the turn before his anniversary and the capital has less than 200 living inhabitants, the player loses the queen and a tactical battle starts between the queen and your other capital forces. If she is victorious, all inhabitants are killed (but city is not invaded / destroyed). Witch leaves forever.
• You cannot have any children with your queen until at least 1 successful 5 year anniversary.
• The queen cannot actually be used and cannot be seen / selected when "at your capital" (in reality, she just exists for tactical battles if needed.)

*** So I need to figure out how to somehow transfer this to 5000 characters.....

How about a quest that ends up giving you a deck of many things? That always spiced things up in the old D and D game.

awesome.  

That 5000 character limit sure was annoying. I had already written my quest and when I pasted it, it was at -13587 characters. Pruning it was quite a job, but I suppose it's main point is still the same. Though it is a lot more unreadable and I had to cut almost all of my glorious fluff-text away. Oh well.