The Magocracy of Halruaa was a powerful and secluded nation before the Spellplague in 1385 DR. When the Weave was sundered, a devastating arcane cataclysm took place. Elemental storms swept through the land, earth roiled like the sea and fire arched like lightning in the clouds. When the Weave was restored in 1480 DR, all the arcane energy disappeared before the chaos could be resolved. Hurricanes of wind and water froze silently in place. Pillars of flame stood tall, illuminating night and day. Cresting waves of earth formed solid seas that blanketed the landscape. Lining the twisted land of Halruaa, containing the chaos within were the Shieldwall Mountain Ranges, known as The West Wall, The North Wall, and The East Wall. These peaks once formed a nearly impenetrable barriar against the outside world, with the few passes and roads heavily defended by the mage-knights of Halruaa. These passes were destroyed during the chaos of the Spellplague, either flooded with roiling earth cascading over them, or scoured away by burning winds and searing rains.
All of this was known about Halruaa until one day a courier arrived at your faction's headquarters. The courier delivered an invitation from Lady Kwestgeeva, summoning a representative to meet her at Kwestgeeva Hall. There, she announced that he scouts had found the first pass through the newly reformed mountains and she would be assembling an expedition to go over the peaks and excavate the lost riches of the fallen Halruaan Empire.
Most rules of 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons will be used, but a couple of changes will be made to sculpt the nature of the game to get the tone intended for this campaign:
Instead of playing just one character, players will control a Faction. Factions are groups of members with similar skills and motivations. These are represented by one normal character sheet. Each time a faction undertakes a quest, one of it's members will be identified to participate. This could be a member that had participated in a quest before, or a newly identified member who has not been on a quest before. To identify them, give them a name and a unique description.
Quests are the most common game play experience. Players have one session to complete quests: faction members who are unable to complete a quest during one session are lost, and no loot is recovered and no experience is gained. Quests are acquired in, depart from, and return to, Hubs. Finally, a public report of the quest must be made for a faction to gain experience. (The report doesn't have to be true, but it has to be made, and it has to be publically available).
Hubs are places where factions can set up outposts, provide and receive services, gain and turn in quests, and share information with other factions. The ruler of a hub may have laws about what may or may not take place in that hub, what taxes must be paid for services or sales, which factions are or are not welcome, or whatever else they decide. Initially there is one hub, the Hall of Lady Kwestgeeva, near Lapalgard, but others could be discovered or created. Lady Kwestgeeva has called for adventurers to join her expedition, and so she offers free lodging and meals for any factions who send members to make an outpost there. In return, she levies a 10% tax on all loot recovered from expeditions including first pick of artifacts recovered. Separate from that, she has levied a 10% tax on all sales and services inside her hall, but does not tax labor done in outposts. Her Hall is populated only by her followers and other factions, so recruitment is not possible there.
Outposts are locations where a faction's members come together, rest, store their gear, and perform services and labor. "Outpost" is a generic name for what might be called a "Temple" by clerics, a "Lodge" by rangers, or a "Guildhall" by rogues, but they function the same way. Outposts can be set up anywhere the faction desires, and can be a simple or as complicated as the faction wants, but there are some things to consider when setting them up. Outposts must be set up in Hubs to make use of the services there. Faction members must follow the laws set down by the ruler of the Hub or risk being punished or expelled.
Factions can provide services to and receive services from other factions in hubs where they both have an Outpost. These services take place according to the laws of the Hub, but otherwise they can be as simple or complicated as the two factions can imagine. Any applicable taxes are paid by the faction providing the service (the one who receives the money). Some services, as noted, only involve one faction, but the laws of the hub still apply.
Lady Kwestgeeva and other rulers of hubs have ways of knowing when their laws have been broken. They may decide to punish or exile factions who break these laws. Their laws generally don't reach outside their walls, until factions bring those matters to their doorstep.