Sounds like a pretty cool story :D
Just out of interest do you playtest these first or have you done this long enough that you know what's going to work? I've been somewhat thinking of doing a similar thing (though in planning it is somewhat CoD specific) however I feel a need to playtest them first as the shorts that I wrote are the first time I've actually done something generic, I usually have people send me their characters and then make a story around them.
I am not a player nor a dungeon master myself actively but I host couple of one shot games and listen hundreds of sessions. I know how players want to draw their own way, and DM's are trying to build the world around their choices, in the middle my stories act as a template and guideline for Dungeon Masters. They are not neccessarily meant to be strictly followed. its goal is to lift heavy burden from Dungeon Masters for them to enjoy the game as much as players. I gave them choices before the game even begins. For the question what works? its highly depend on the DM and Players' playstyle and individual experience. I try to add not only battles, sword and shield but also emotional experiences too.