I cracked open Zeitgeist's "The Wizards Cabal" and found what I'm looking for. All it takes is a modification of their timeline.

As mentioned in my former post, they have already run through DA1 through DA4. Independence from Thonia has already been assumed. When the party members were at low levels, I ran them through simple stuff to let them gain levels.

However several things have not happened:
a. The Viking incursion
b. The three Coot Invasions
c. The Wizard's War (which would be new to me).

Simply put, all I have to do is shuffle the events. Many years ago, the Party had a renegade member, Rahl by name. A HackMaster Battle Mage. Out of character I was informed he eventually wanted to kill the Characters off. (He was changing jobs anyway and leaving the area. So I viewed his intent as a campaign plot.) His actions became apparent and the Party cast him out, culminating in a battle that he narrowly escaped, and some Efreeti were lost. Hence that is why they came back and took some party members prisoner. The Party just rescued them from the City of Brass two and a half game years later.

But Rahl is still out there.

All I have to do is have Rahl assume the position of Raddan's faction and start the war sans the Zeitgeist background information. The Party has developed their own personal histories. The Party has already made use of the University of Blackmoor and the Wizard's Cabal was never utilized. The "magical" properties of the area of Blackmoor nor any gemstones have also never been mentioned.

I can begin with having a local NPC mage make the "discovery" by starting research. Recruiting the Party to recover non-Blackmoorian gemstones as "control samples" outside of Blackmoor. (Thonia? City State of the Invincible Overlord?) Then when the "discovery" is made Rahl will start to compete as will other NPC wizards and the Wizard War can begin outside of Zeitgeist timeline order. As a Player interaction, I can also make this war woefully short.

I see the following steps.

1. Magical research and the beginning of the Wizard War.
2. First Viking incursion.
3. Intoduction of the White Mage, conclusion of the Wizard War. Wizard's Cabal formed.
4. First Coot invasion, Cabal reacts.
5. Second Coot Invasion. (Introduction of Funk I). Ten intervenes favorably (Afridi already gone for a few years.)
6. Third Coot Invasion, Thonia takes advantage of the situation. 2nd Tenian intervention.
7. Wizards Cabal fully devloped.

Sounds like you have few years of material to develop and run in front of you... :shock:

Can't wait until steps 4, 5, and 6. When when the defenders have to fight vicious "Cooters".

Also thinking of using the 1985 or 1989 "Battlesystem" for the army fights.