Dynamic Quests
These quests will add an additional layer of emergent gameplay to spice up your games a bit. Post your own ideas too! This one I thought of when I was reading through this thread: https://forums.elementalgame.com/401814
Dynamic quests triggered by certain events could be awesome. Maybe when another faction defeats your hero they take it prisoner which starts up a quest where you can rescue them. Perhaps you get an additional reward like some more up to date info on their stats and such.
Random Events
Perhaps random events like Civ 4 quests or even world events where factions would race to complete some objective would add a bit more flavor to the game as well. Some of these would also make great resource dumps too.
Random event example:
"One of our more eccentric blacksmiths in New Citytown have thought up the plans for a superior workshop using an experimental forge. If you would like to support him then collect 150 materials"
"It turns out that this forge is a great success and towns with a workshop now have 5% lower recruitment costs"
World event example:
"A former top arcanist of <insert titan here> , Massex Plosions, has offered his services to the first faction that supplies him with 500 mana"
"You have employed the services of Massex Plosions, he is embarrased by your savage implementation of magic and is now acting as director of our arcane research. As a result your empire wide arcane research is now boosted by 5%."