#campaign plot

Humans are the self-described young race.  Their lifespan is significantly less than most other races.  This campaign emphasizes those differences with a new world colinization metaphor.

Human beings plan to settle on a new continent after a brief history of trade with all the other traditional, native d&d races already living there.  The other D&D races already exist in the human homelands (and so they aren't strange to them), although populations (of say Elves and dwarves) should be distinct between the two different continents (sub-races?  Mingling may exist, but there is a majority subrace for each species on a continent).  

Men have found their way to these lands before, only in small numbers, sometimes going largely unnoticed (living quiet, law abiding lives, sometimes even distinguishing themselves in a variety of trades and as adventurers; some may welcome a larger man presence as it means more and cheaper goods, as opposed to costly importation costs).  

More notable though are the occasions where they break laws and act terrible (slavery? Not every man nation across the ocean does it; raiding barbarians?).  As a result, man prejudice is widespread in the new land, but the exact number and degree of their crimes isn't well known and subject to gossip.  Some of it may be nothing more than rumor.  Some peoples may have indifferent or even positive opinions about man, depending on their  experiences, or lack thereof.  

Now, humans have arranged to purchase a vast stretch of land from the dwarves for a huge sum of money, upsetting relations with other races.  Their aim is colonization, for the sake of establishing a permanent presence on a new continent and a lasting nation.

The land has a history: it is the spoils of a long finished war between dwarves and elves, where the elves diplomatically placed the dwarves as "stewards" of the land as part of a peace treaty to end the war (The elves lost).  Its not mineral rich (and so the dwarves did not mine it), but the elves regard it as being rich with the power of nature.  It is largely undeveloped.  Of note is the ancient forest on the land, which the elves demanded remain untouched as a condition for initially giving the land to the dwarves.  Some few elves may even live in the forest, though they have no claim to it.  And the Dwarves were content to let them squat, for the land had no riches for them, and doing so was percieved as an act of good will, and served to bring the two races together.

The elves originally lost their war with the dwarves when they underestimated them, both as warriors and as a civilization.  It was the first major conflict between the two races.  With rumors of the land purchase going forward, there is talk that the elves will wage war again, both to retake the land and protect the forest, as well as to protest the formation of a new nation of men on their lands, or any lands they share.  They believe they will be ready should it come to a second conflict.

This only adds tension to the situation when the dwarves attempt to back out of the deal while mankind insists they honor their agreement, threatening war from across the sea.  The dwarves of course will not (and can not) return most of the money/gold/goods they have already been given as compensation for the land.  (Despite the dwarves percieved betrayal of men, there is still tension brewing with the elves, who percieve their behavior dishonorable, and cannot abide their carelessly selling away the lands they were entrusted with, which stood as a symbol of peace and cooperation following the war for generations)

The campaign setting let's players manage relations between three classic factions: men, elves, dwarves., while potentially letting them have an impact at a major event in the history of the land.  Since there are other, hypothetical lands beyond the sea, whatever route players try to take shouldn't matter since no race is really in danger of going extinct.  Subsequent campaigns in the same world are possible, and could extend beyond the sea to other lands if players choose.