Plot Help Required (Dump Random Ideas Here!)

[Túrin]

Hey everyone,

I'm asking you for help in devising a plot for my upcoming campaign (taking place, as always, in my setting Orden's Mysteries). It's a face-to-face campaign, so unless you happen to live near Tilburg, the Netherlands, you can't play. However, if you happen to be one of my players, STOP READING HERE!

I'm providing the question in short and long version. Feel free to provide anything you can come up with without reading the details in the long version.

[spoiler=The Short Version]I'm solliciting ideas for a story that can take place in my campaign, primarily to have rumours to give to the PCs as background filler, but with the possibility of them travelling there and getting involved.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Long Version]One of the (to me) novel ideas I will be trying out in this campaign is to have a far more detailed background that operates independent from the PCs. This primarily means two things: one, I will try to keep track of the things that happen to the NPCs and the locations the PCs meet and visit (i.e. if they come back to the city of Lornsai, something will have happened there, and adventure hooks will develop/play out independently if they don't act upon them) and two, I will have a few stories prepared that play out quite a bit away from where the PCs are.

This thread is about that second category. The idea is that these stories develop as the PCs care about their own business, and will usually only reach them through rumours on the streets, unless they decide to travel there and get involved in them. I'm saving the question whether or not there is any relation between these stories or with the adventures of the PCs for later. I'm outlining these stories right now, both because the possibility of foreshadowing in-game, and because I know that once the game starts, I will be hard-pressed to find time to focus on these sidestories. I want to have three such stories. At the moment I have two ideas, that I will present below. The purpose of this thread will be gathering inspiration for a third one. Feel free not to read my two ideas to provide your own ideas unspoiled by mine.

Story #1: This one will be about the rise of a charismatic spiritual leader, spreading a dogma unlike any of the established churches. This new faith will be rising quickly, not even stopping when their charismatic saviour is murdered. Other than through rumours, this story might affect the PCs as soon as the new faith starts spreading into their lands, and eventually their church (the PCs will be working for the Ormedish Church) may ask them for help in stopping the disproportional spread of the new religion. The focus location of this story will be one of the nations north of Armindor, where the mysterious leader is born, possibly moving to Tenquetal, capital of Armindor, as it progresses.

Story #2: Alluded to in the History department of Orden's Mysteries, a hero has risen and ventured forth into the East, reclaiming the capital of the old Empire Fondiluin. The developments of the new Empire will be the second background story. I haven't decided on the exact location yet, but it will be south of where the PCs are (the PCs are in Luvul, capital of Baron). Besides the rumours, this potentially can affect the PCs drastically, either by drawing the people of Baron to join this hero in his effort of reinstalling the old Empire (thus muscle-draining the land where the PCs are) or even by causing a war over this new Empire that escalates into a full-scale continent-wide war.

Now, I'm asking you to provide ideas for a third story. Any idea, big or small, is welcome.[/spoiler]

Thanks in advance,
Túrin

[Tybalt]

A wealthy merchant approaches the players and asks them to help him: he has received a mysterious death threat and is not sure who among a possible group of (say three persons) is the offender. A possibility is that there is an important gathering, perhaps to deal with the aftermath of one of the previous stories or some other great event in the game, and all three suspects as well as the merchant will be present...

[beejazz]

New religion: MONOTHEISM.
Prophet: BACK FROM DEAD. also add phonies claiming to be the risen prophet or fake clergy exploiting naive worshippers. for a positive balance include stories about strength, self-sacrifice, martyrdom, etc. everything you need for a young, radical faith.

That little bit of story being fleshed out, let's consider the opposite kingdom that embraces the one God and witch-hunts the pagans... In a world where gods are real, there may actually be gods retaliating... or even humans hunting and subduing the gods themselves. You could even have villainous masterminds exploiting deific corpses as a source of arcane power (though the church proper would never have to know).

I dunno. Nothing original here. Just building on what you have so far. And consider the new, monotheist kingdom being the rebuilt empire.