Divine Intervention III

Here's the idea - I, the Immortal Ragnar, will play 50 turns. Then, I will post a save, and you - the god - shall make any number of changes that are in accordance with the rules. Your Divine Intervention, as it were. Then, you'll upload the save, and I'll play 50 more turns!

See Divine Intervention II (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=289788) for more details, and examples!
Game Settings

Map: Large Continents
Speed:Epic
Difficulty: Noble
Leader: Ragnar, of the Vikings

The Eleven Commandments of Deityhood

I.Thou shalt announce your intentions.
--(Be sure to "got it" so we don't run into continuim errors. We reserve the right to ignore not announced updates)

II. Thou shalt not Intervene if you were the last deity to intervene, and thou shalt only intervene once per waking
--(You may only intervene once per my update, and you must wait for another God to intervene before intervening again.)

III. Thou shalt not reveal the secrets of knowledge or the heavens to mortals.
--(No units or techs should be revealed to any civilization if they are not in the current or previous era of the player)

IV. Thou shalt not use your powers for cataclysmic destruction
--(Remember, less is more. Be subtle. It is far more interesting for everyone if you make subtle, interesting changes like forming a choke with mountains than if you just tear giant swathes of ice through my cities. I reserve the right to reject saves I think are unnecessarily apocalyptic.)

V. Thou shalt reveal yourself to the mortal with grace.
--(Everyone loves a good story, and if you decide to contribute to it, be creative! Choose a name and domain that you govern, even if the characters don't know it's you acting)

VI. Thou shalt not be vindictive, and thou shalt not halt progress.
--(You are not allowed to strip techs away from me. Anything I research is mine permanently. You are also not allowed to remove any named unit, for any reason.)

VII. Thou shalt not be unnecessarily nice to the puny mortal.
--(I do not need a stack of thirty Level 9 Praetorians to win my fights. You do not need to fill my BFC with flood-plain grassland goldmine hills next to rivers. The only exception to this is if you genuinely make me work my ass off to get it, and even then it not ought to be as good as the dream city outlined above.)

VIII. Thou shalt reward him for piety, and thou shalt offer him redemption for his punishments.
--(If you give me a quest and I succeed, reward me! If it was easy don't give me a big bonus, and if it was hard I am going to be miffed if I get another Great Prophet for all my hard work. Likewise, if you punish me, tell me how I can fix it!)

IX. Thou shalt not war with the other gods. Much.
--(Obviously there's going to be some strife between those who would support Ragnar's Conquest, and those who would seek to protect the world from his tyranny. Having said that, Gods are not allowed to reverse the effects of an intervention without waiting for the update [I]after the effects have been felt. This includes quests. In fact, you would do well to leave the other god's quests alone entirely. If you want me to do yours instead, make it more interesting or more lucritive)

X. Thou shalt obey the natural order of things, and of time, and of destiny.
--(There is a storyline going on here. Do try and fit in. Do not take great lengths to completely detract from it. Be smart.)

XI. Thou shalt not abuse your architectural omniscient nature.
--(Don't add wonders that don't already exist.)

FAQ

Q: Another God has already edited the save this turn. Can I do it too?
A: Yes, but you may not undo their changes. Take their save and edit it. Also, you may only edit once per turn.

Q: I have this cool idea that only slightly violates your rules, but it's really cool!
A: Just keep in mind I have the ability to reject any save I deem over-the-top.


Segment Links
Chapter 1: Awakening (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7239571&postcount=2)
Chapter 2: The Divine Stir (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7243030&postcount=22)
Chapter 3: Rise of Eldar/Catherine's Folly (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7247058&postcount=45)
Chapter 4: When You Take a Man's Road (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7250966&postcount=68)
Chapter 5: Mercy of a Warlord (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7257073&postcount=103)
Chapter 6, Part I: A Woman Scorned (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7260253&postcount=125)
Chapter 6, Part II: Ride the Lightning (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7261896&postcount=130)
Chapter 7: Is Lisbon Burning? (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7270190&postcount=163)
Chapter 8: Instruments of Death (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7280798&postcount=192)
Chapter 9: A Bullet for Your Thoughts (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7286484&postcount=211)
Chapter 10: It's Not a Game If You're the One Bleeding (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7295139&postcount=230)

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-Setup.jpg

Just for you Runner


They had gathered. It was decided. The Viking chiefs rarely agreed upon anything, and they agreed now.

Ragnar was in charge.

It had taken seventeen days - any and all challengers came, and come they did in numbers. The opportunity to lead a unified Viking nation was one any tribesman would give his soul for. Unfortunately for them, it was only Ragnar that had learned the proper channels for such an exchange.

He had not slept in many days since a ritual was performed on him by his elders, who had prophecized his leadership after reading the bones. He had not performed the best in every fight - but Ragnar the Rock was just that - he was seemingly unkillable. No matter what wounds he sustained he would never surrender, and the healed quickly - the spirits were with him.

Ragnar was their leader.

And when Ragnar said that the time for wandering was over, Rangar was obeyed. "Nidaros!" he proclaimed, and it was so. They named the settlement as such.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-Nidaros.jpg

Ragnar got his way.
----------------------------
"What!?" screamed the viking king, as the messenger pushed into the room. The boy winced, but stayed - a sign that his message was important, after all. Ragnar had found by simply appearing as if he were ready to behead the messenger, that the true importance of the message could be quickly deciphered.

"Sir, there's a woman who wishes to speak to you."

"A woman? Tell her husband to see me!"

"N-no sir..." the messenger startled, aware that he was indeed correcting the King. "It's a woman-king. From another tribe. The Russians, sir."

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-Catherine.jpg

The Viking King chewed on his lip for a moment, and then raised a brow inquisitively. "Is she attractive?"

"Yes sir. Very."

"Then organize a feast!" he yelled, slamming his fists on the table exuberantly.
--------------------------------

Ragnar met two others quickly - a man of the Dutch Tribe by the name of Willem. A very odd-faced man, the Viking Leader was not fond of him and no such similar feast was held.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-Willem.jpg

--------------------------------

But in the third leader, he saw a bit of himself - a man who was at home at Sea. The one known as Joao, of the Portugeuse Tribe, caught his eye and he was interested in their culture. Time would tell whether or not they would be allies, or if their culture would become Viking culture...

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-Joao.jpg

---------------------------------
World Recap --v
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-BronzeWorking.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-Turn50.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-World.jpg

Ragnar felt tired, for the first time in a very long while - he had long since accepted his immortality, and thought it to be indicative of a strong soul, but little did he know that he had a part to play in something much bigger.

The gods awakened, as Ragnar slept, and looked down upon the world...

got it..............

((Not editing the save, just introducing myself to the story.))

In Ragnar's dream, he stands atop a cliff overlooking the sea. The waves roil and churn below him, crashing the rocks with a bestial roar. Above him, a storm rages. Torrential rain lashes his face, but he pays it little heed. There is something else here, he feels... a presence that has yet to make itself manifest.

Lightning flashes, blinding him, and the thunder shakes his very bones. When he recovers, he is staring into the face of the divine. The hardened warrior feels his heart quaver within him, but he speaks bravely nevertheless.

"I am Ragnar, ruler of the Vikings!" he shouts above the din. "What manner of creature are you?"

The eyes in the countenance before him spark with lightning. "I am Eldarion," he says with a voice of thunder, "and I am lord of the storm. Know well my name, child of man, and remember it."

"And shall I remember it as friend or foe?"

"That remains to be seen. The world is reborn, and the gods awaken anew. Immortal though you be, young yet you are. Know this, child of man - we will meet again ere long."

Blinding lightning exploded in dazzling starbursts, and when the Viking ruler looked again, the storm god had vanished.

I call god of Gold and Transportation. No story from me, that will have to wait until I edit the game.

Oh and welcome Elona! http://img2.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/animated/anim_65.gif

LOL, can i pre-got it for the next intervention?

I call, Eirae, God of Ice.

What had been a fine, warm summer's day had suddenly grown into a chilling night. Quite suddenly, in fact, for even the sun had seemed to retreat beneath the horizon too soon. Suddenly, the birds seemed to lose their taste for singing and the animals retreated into their forests and hills and shelters as if afraid to be out in the open. The wind, only hours earlier a warm gentle breath, now seemed to howl, rage, but most often it seemed keen bitterly in the premature dark. Something had happened. Something terrible.

Ragnar slept fitfully on his bed, tightly wrapped in all the furs the servants could provide him on such short notice. Damn the cold, he had thought as he slipped into sleep.

Ragnar dreamed of a beautiful woman, more beautiful than any maid he had seen in his kingdom... more beautiful than the foreign queen Catherine. She had long dark hair and tan skin and her eyes sparkled like emeralds. Ragnar's first thought was that this was a very good dream indeed. But the woman's beauty was marred by eyes swollen from weeping... this had never stopped Ragnar from having a woman before, but something about her made him weary.

"Why are you weeping, woman?" Ragnar asked.

"I am weeping because I have lost my home. It has been stolen from me."

"Stolen by who?" Ragnar asked unsure why he cared.

"Stolen by a soul vial and evil. Stolen by the most evil of men!" Suddenly she pointed at him. "You, you will return it to me!"

Ragnar scoffed, never would a woman dictate his actions. Who was this woman that she should be so bold as to tell him what to do?!

"Woman, how dare you speak to me such? Why should I care or bother to return you your home? I am a king, I am not at your bidding!"

"Take care Ragnar! You would be wise to ask to whom it is you speak before you insult them! I am Elona, goddess of nature!"

Ragnar bit his lip, immeadiately regretting his words in the presence of a goddess. Suddenly, he found he wanted nothing to do with this unearthly beauty. His lust faded and he wished to go back to dreaming about his new maid instead, but as many times as he tried to close his eyes and will himself back to the luscious young woman, he found that he could not, Elona simply continued to stand before him, arm outstretched.

"Why me? Why have you picked me to win you your domain back?" Ragnar asked without bothering to offer an apology.

"Can you not guess? You are Ragnar, mighty king of the Vikings. You are the strongest and most determined of the men I have seen. You, if any can recapture my garden."

"A garden? You want me to recapture a garden?"

"Idiot! I am the goddess of nature, where else would I reside? Capture the city at the heart of my garden and you will be the greatest hero of all time! Capture the city at the heart of my garden and you shall be rewarded."

Elona could see that this sparked Ragnar's interest, fame, fortune, riches, and bragging rights, what more could he want? Well, women... but that would come with the other things.

"Capture my city. To find it you must go west and cross a great bridge of desert. Then you must pass through three gates. Finally, when you pass the third gate, you will enter my garden, and at it's heart you will find my palace. Capture it back for me, Ragnar, capture it back and you will be greatly rewarded! I have given you four animal spirts to help in your search."

Before Ragnar could ask any questions, Elona faded from his dream whispering, "Capture it back."

Thank you God Runner for your welcome... I enjoyed your reading about your interventions on the previous game. I thought this was really neat and I am glad that I get to join in this time!!!

Question: Can two gods edit a post concurrently (in the same break between 50 turns?)

Not that I will...

Anyway, I'll take Digit, God of Entropy. I'll be a while before I get into this game however... I will limit my power until I get better at... God-ding. If that is a verb :P

[Edit]
I would like Elona to defend her actions (preferrably in {SPOILER} Tags...) but this is what she has done...
#1: Added several animals. These aren't too bad.
#2: Either added a giant peninsula (Enough to fit a sizable civilisation on) / modified an entire swath of land with peaks etc., and added 4 barbarian cities. These Barb cities have lots of archers / axes. The worst part is, after playing a couple of turns, the barbs decide only to allow 2 defenders stay on the city, so Rome would (in about 50 turns or so), be entirely swamped by Archers and Axemen, impeding it's early game growth.

#3 (The big one): The central city has the Hanging Gardens World Wonder. This stops all other civs from building it.

Remember... this is turn 50. And already, there is a Medieval (Or is it classical?) era wonder, several castles, and hordes of barbarians in this penensula...

Of course, I would be a VERY poor person to stand up for 'outstanding example of not giving overpowered bonuses'. I practically am the center-fold in "Overly-Destructive Gods Weekly". That said... I recognise mistakes... The worst part is, The Hanging Gardens DOESN'T show up on the World Wonder list, so Forest won't know about this.

Sorry Elona... but this needs to be said. No harsh feelings?

Note: This would be GREAT in the medieval era, with the Hanging gardens being built in that city once a civilisation has captured it, rather than just "Always being there". 2 Longbows in every city, castle in every city... great!!. Its a great idea in principle. Just not when the human player is researching AGRICULTURE :P

Having looked at the Elona's save, I agree with dC that it's not very well implemented, and I would recommend against playing from it.

However, the ideas themselves are sound, and the write-up is excellent.

So, if Elona is okay with it, I'd like to redo the edit from scratch to make it more balanced, whilst preserving all the ideas set out in the write up.

The only problem is that I wouldn't be able to do that until later on today. I could have it done about six hours from now. If other gods wanted to do edits to the original save in the meantime, I could add Elona's stuff on top.

okay... i suppose i may have made it rather difficult... but that was the point. I didn't want it to be a quick quest... i wanted it to be something that he would have to build up his strentgh to defeat... but, i suppose that it was too much... i was just didn't want the ForestAuro to march through my quest taking a city a turn, as he has done in the past... although i suppose he had superior units... anywho, i wanted the land to be able to build it... The Garen of Elona... with one of every creature resource and plant resourse... cause i thought it was funny... anywho, here are two options... let me tone it down... and repost, or i suppose i could wait a little while and do it later, but i would perfer to just tone it down...

so, here is the toned down version... but i reserve to update this map as things go along, like add new buildings etc...
oh... oops... i forgot to name one unit, but i'll just fix it on a later post... hopefully, the Forest Auro won't go through my quest in one round...

I call Churchill, God of Conflict.

((Again, no changes were made to the save.))

The storm god nodded. The pantheon was awakening, their powers - long dormant from slumber - were beginning to be made manifest. Elona, goddess of nature, had already made her will known to the mortal. It was time that he do the same.

Again, Ragnar dreamed, and he found himself once more overlooking the storm-tossed sea. A monstrous shadow towered over him, and he knew that he was once more in the presence of the storm god.

"I have decided, mortal," Eldarion boomed. "You, as well as all the other mortals, must prove yourself worthy of my favor. You must offer tribute to me in a manner that I shall decree."

Ragnar said nothing, waiting for the god to continue.

"Construct a city, son of man. Construct a city here, where its outlook is the vast and mighty ocean, and name it in my honor. Here, you shall build for me a statue, a testament to my power."

"Consider it done, o god of storms. I shall set my slaves upon the task..."

"No, son of man." Ragnar fell silent at the command. "Slaves will not perform this task, lest their blood stain my statue. There will be time enough for bloodshed. Nor will you use any flammable materials, for my statue must be able to withstand any storm. And know you this - you are not the only mortal to whom I shall make this revelation." A chill gripped Ragnar's heart. "Prove yourself to me, mortal. And the mortal who succeeds in this quest shall earn my favor."

With that, the dream faded, leaving Ragnar to his restless sleep.


Quest is threefold:

1. Build a coastal city named Eldarion
2. Construct the Colossus in it without chopping or whipping
3. The civilization who completes this task first will be Eldarion's chosen

The rules have changed. Please read them again.

Giving until this evening for gods that want to get in on this to do so.

@Elona

Please don't take this the wrong way - I really like the idea and the story you've given it. But, imo, the changes you've made are too dramatic, and there are some fairly major problems (actual and potential) that you haven't noticed.

Being too difficult wasn't one of my concerns, btw. And I think setting the quest as a long-term project is absolutely the right idea.

Anyway, I had a go at building your idea from scratch in TheForestAuro's original save, with a view to keeping it as simple as possible. Take a look, and see what you think. :)

I suppose that change is fine... The ForestAuro can play that one... I'll be back whenever he is done...

Got it
10 chars

may i introduce myself? i am eddie, god of metal

Far above, hidden away, the one known by many names watched. Lord of Shadow, Lord of Magic, Grand Master of Science and Technology, LoS LoM GMoSaT (pronounced as Loss Long Mosat to LoS LoM GMoSaT's annoyance) waited.

This, truly, would be fascinating.

Ragnar snapped awake, sweating. It was cold. Why was he sweating? What manner of creatures had tortured him in his sleep, a sleep that rarely came and a sleep that he now feared. The voices were still ringing in their heads, and their images were still emblazoned in his mind.

He sat up, and pushed his way out of his personal home, and two of his servants met him immediately.

"Ragnar, you have awakened!"

"Yes, I have. I am hungry. Bring me some food, and send for a mistress. But do not fall idle; when I am finished with both, we have work to do."

-----------------------

Nidaros was growing - it was time to expand to other settlements. The arrangements were made, and the party was outfitted. It was revealed, shortly, that a number of wild beasts now followed Ragnar's command, much to the astonishment of his people. He wasted no time in sending them off on various missions; some came back, others didn't.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-Lionscout.jpg

He seemed uncannily obsessed with the west, and with the help of new warriors and his feral allies he managed to map most of the land around him. A settlement was decided upon; there were rich veins of copper there, to make weapons from. Guarded by a warrior and, they say, a pack of wolves, the settlers departed and word was soon sent that Upsala was up and running.

But Ragnar was not satisfied.

He demanded another settling party, and some adventurous young folks agreed to the task. He spoke privately with him, and it was not long before we learned of the new settlement - Eldarion, as it was called - and the rumors that big plans were in motion for this city. And still Nidaros grew.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-Eldarion.jpg

He met others on his journeys - and journey he did, for Ragnar could not sit idly by and be a king of inaction. He almost instinctually knew other immortals existed, and was proven right when he met another.

Saladin was his name, and he was indeed the champion of the Divine; he had founded and expanded a great organized religion by the name of Islam. But Ragnar would have none of it; in a somewhat loud dispute, Ragnar said he had met the divine in his dreams, and none of them were of this Faith. I do not think those two will be kind to each other in future dealings.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-Saladin.jpg

But there was one whom I remember quite vividly.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-Hannibal.jpg

Hannibal, they called him. Leader of the people of Carthage. It was said, in their legends, that they had descended from the sky in a glorious chariot of the stars, but for their greed in the days of old they were punished and their chariots were taken away. Their leader, apparently, was named after this great chariot after his immortality was proven.

I know that I came away with a shiver up my spine; Ragnar himself seemed somewhat spooked by the story, although I doubt a man such as he can feel true fear.

----------------------

World:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-World.jpg

As Ragnar settled back down to sleep after a hard few centuries, the dreams returned...

Got it.

XLC

As you requested, Runner ;)

"Ragnar awaken. It is I, the God of Gold and Transport. Look at the Carthaginians, Ragnar. They are my chosen people. To them I give great gifts, gifts of gold. Their supply of my metal will never run low. And for you, I also give gold. May this be a foretaste of things to come if you honor me. But beware Ragnar, for I will protect my people. Never must you war with them else terrible things will befall you. I highly recommend you work on befriending them, for even if they declare war on you, you will be held responsible. Also, I give a majestic road to you, to aid in your friendship with my people. Beware Ragnar. Befriend my people."

And Ragnar slept.



Changes (Probably safe for TheForestAuro):

Added several golds to Hannibal and gave him a lot of :gold: Built a road. Gave Ragnar one gold.
Edit: Due to my stupidity/generosity, now everyone has 5000 :gold: as well

Got it. 10 chars

Ragnar found himself brutally tossed on a plain that extended for miles. He couldn't see the water, though he sensed this was an island. He wondered what the use of this was, as he could make out a walled town in the distance.

"FOOL!" roared a voice from above. "I AM CHURCHILL, GOD OF CONFLICT, COMBAT AND CRUMPETS AND YOU CHOOSE TO QUESTION MY DOMAIN AFTER I AM (relatively) NICE TO YOU?!" Ragnar was a bit taken aback by this.

"See the city over there? That is where my army, the best soldiers in the world, gather. If you can prove to me that Vikings are tougher than that lot, you will reap the rewards. However: you must conquer this area before you realize what the value of it is. For that is faith."

"I didn't think I'd be getting a theological lesson from a god of c's..."

"Oh, and by the way, I am god of conflict, so naturally, the other civilizations have something to do to. Don't be surprised if they lose ground. And also, I would remember this about me: I do like a fair fight." With that Ragnar was left on his own to face hordes of infantry thundering across the plains.

He woke up in a cold sweat.

((Had it. Then I had computer troubles. Someone else can mod in the change, anyway, if I miss it.))

Raganar once again foud himself somewhere he didn't understand. This time, he was surrounded by a thick... fog?

"Ragnar,' three voices spoke as one.

A long silence followed, but before Raganr could ask the voice to continue, it resumed on its own accord. "I am one who is known by many names. You may simply call me by the title Lord of Shadows."

Again, the voices stopped for a long pause, and as before, they continued when Raganar was about to speak himself. "Your people are interesting. They show so much potential, yet they seem to still need a ways to go before they start rolling."

A short pause followed, permitting the words to sink into Ragnar's skull, before, "There are gems next to the city you built for the Sea God. When next you wake, you shall find a mine and a road have been built to assist you in removing them, although I shall leave the foliage for your men to clear. Use this gift wisely, Ragnar."

Ragnar felt himself slipping away, as though his time to leave was upon him, but the Lord of Shadows had some parting words for him. "Before you leave, I have a warning. Those who pursue the path of technology often find themselves at odds with the Goddess of Nature. Tread with caution."

Ragnar felt as if he was far away, but the Lord of Shadows last words still reached him. "When your people can build forges and workshops and work iron, I shall return. Until then, take care."

The gems next to Eldarlon now have a mine and a road, but the jungle still hasn't been cleared.

@CCRunner7
When you give gold to a civ through the Edit City screen, all civs get the same amount (so everyone, including TheForestAuro, now has 5000 gold).
@Churchill's Hat

I don't see a save. :confused:

If Churchill's Hat didn't make any changes (no list of them), then here's the save with my changes and CCRunner7's.

[edit] OK, now it's here.

Got it

(ten cha)

Quake in fear, puny mortal, for I am the Great Spirit of the Sea!

Though your forefathers have known my wrath, I come to you this day with an offer of redemption.

I entrust this ship, The Happy Wanderer, to your care and task you to guide it safely around the landmass on which you make your home.

It is a fast ship, to be sure, but be aware that it cannot defend itself, and that I will be most displeased if it comes to harm.

If, however, you should succeed in your mission, and bring The Happy Wanderer safely home to Eldarion once more, then you shall have my patronage.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll235/WinstonHughes/CivShots/Civ4ScreenShot0000.jpg

Wow, I'm an idiot.

Here's the save w/ Winston Hughes, the Lord of Shadows, and CCRunner.

Changes:
Netherlands and Russia are at war
Joao has 3 galleys and knows the way to Elona's Garden
More barb archers in the south
Added Kassite to block the Persians
Made Boudica and GK -3 towards each other
Built Churchillton, the city which Ragnar has to conquer

((Let's see how often I can affect in-game events without making any changes to the save. :-P))

A smile etched the stony face of the storm god. Already, the Viking people had erected a city in his honor, and he did not doubt that they would expend every effort to succeed in his quest. He was pleased with the mortal's work. Still more pleased was he that the mighty sea god had chosen his city as the place of origin for the Happy Wanderer. Should the mortal succeed in both their quests, an allegiance of storm and sea would be fortuitous indeed.

But there were many other gods, all of whom had their own expectations of the mortal. Eldarion doubted whether he would be able to please them all... and there was one in particular with whom the storm god was displeased.

"Runner," he sneered. "Your divine insolence weights the battlefield before its lines are even drawn. What makes the Carthaginians so worthy of your favor?"

That night, rain descended on Carthage, and the storm god took the form of an old man, heavy cowl masking his face as he strode unseen among the mortals. He soon found out the source of the Runner's pleasure - a massive temple stood in the very heart of the city, the names of two gods carved into the stone pillars. One of them bore his name.

As he sat down upon the steps to rest himself, unaccustomed as he was to taking on this form, an escort of soldiers rapidly made its way down the temple steps, taking him roughly by the arms.

"Begone, you old fool!" one sneered. "You desecrate the temple of Rolorunnerism with your begging!"

"But you have been given so much by your god," Eldarion said in a pleading voice. "He has showered you with gold! Is it too much to ask for an old man to be given a pittance?"

"The only pittance you'll be given is a night in the dungeon," another snarled. "Take him!"

The storm god had seen enough. To the astonishment of the soldiers, they were left with naught but empty robes as the storm god returned to his divine form. Staring balefully down at Carthage, he was momentarily tempted to drown it with a single torrential downpour.

"Runner," he growled. "You have chosen poorly indeed. The time will come, my divine friend. Yes, the time will come, and your pathetic chosen ones will know the wrath of my own."

((Quick reference on the pantheon so far in order of divine manifestation:

Elona, Goddess of Nature
Eldarion, God of Storms
Runner, God of Gold & Transportation
Churchill, God of Conflict
NoDot, God of Shadow, Magic, and Technology
Winston, God of the Sea))

@CCRunner7
When you give gold to a civ through the Edit City screen, all civs get the same amount (so everyone, including TheForestAuro, now has 5000 gold).
Well, that was stupid :lol:

Oh well, just one more example of my generosity

I really like this idea, but I don't plan on being a god or downloading the saves to check out the map, so if its possible I'd love to see more screenshots of the lay of the land, I love following RPCS, but too much text not enough screenshots.

We now folks have a major problem.

We need to start with the original save and edit all the changes into a useable save. Should not be too hard really.

Lets call this a 'got it' - and I'll deal with it tonight.

*waits for the next set of turns to go by*

I like the story behind this one, though.

Louisville was hit with Hurricane force winds and 270,000 people are, what the mayor is referring to as, in an "extended power outage."

You all may be waiting for a little while :]

I think most people have had snow days, but Louisville, is getting to have a hurricane day... all public schools are closed... lol... but we'll do our best to get the ForestAuro a lap top... tee he... the game must go on...

Not without a save!

Will look at how on earth to fix our godly mess tomorrow.

Behold! I am Ludd, god of Crass, whose followers are called Luddites and are crass, but usually just ludicrous. Ludd gets nothing except stuck with the mead bill.

(Figger if I'm going to watch, I should at least have fun with it)

edit: ignore my post

After she graciously allowed me to borrow her Laptop, I forgot to sign out of Elona's account.

Anyways, VRA, I think you may have missed out on the fact that the gods are editing each others' saves, and there is no giant mess to fix.

But thanks for the effort! :D

-- Got it

I have watched our King sleep - there is no rest. He churns and he growls and he twists and he turns, but when he awakens his eyes are always filled with purpose.

Ragnar awoke today, and he charged out of his Palace and called a council with the other chiefs. It was revealed to him that all that he had slept had come true. A boat, crewed by sea spirits, had requested a navigator to guide them around the continent. A new island had lifted itself from the sea, and it is controlled by Barbarians. Rumors say it goes by the name of Churchillton. Catherine and Willem are now at each other's throats.

Ragnar nodded, and set to work.

-------------------------------------

Catherine is getting too brave.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-Aggression.jpg

She is demanding things of us. We refuse, and she threatens war. We kill her messenger and send it back with the body dragged by a chariot. Russia and the Netherlands cease their war and Catherine declares war on us!

Quickly we defeat their advance troops and press into Russia Northeast of Nidaros.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-Combat2.jpg

Rostov falls, and we focus our warfare up north as Russian troops push into the land near Uppsala. Meanwhile, in this age of violence and combat, our King Ragnar has set forth a Code of Laws to govern the ever-growing nation. In concurrance with this, we formally accept the religion of the Dutch, but in our cities it is clear that this is just a diplomatic move: the Eldar faith, founded in Eldarion, is the prime religion of the Land.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-Eldarionism.jpg

The Happy Wanderer had departed, and Ragnar's inquisitions turned to the whereabouts.

--------------------------------------

Upon the Happy Wanderer, the crew has realized a problem - they cannot take to the open sea, and the coast is owned by Russia. A vote is held, and it was decided that it would be better to risk the ire of Russia than the consequences of the Sea god.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-Rostov.jpg

Luckily, they make a break through Russian lands and complete the circuit. Our troops stationed in Rostov cheer as the Happy Wanderer stops by briefly, heading home finally to Eldarion

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-BackHome.jpg

--------------------------------

Meanwhile, back home, King Ragnar leads our troops to victory in northern Russia.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-Combat.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-Burned.jpg

World Recap:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-World1.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D9-World2.jpg

What secrets do the gods hold for tomorrow?

Got it!

*gets to his subtle ways*

Awaken does the subtle one, this time in a new world. He views the world, and sees his old friend, the one from before. The one who took off to space before the child of the Earth, Liberi, went to sleep again. To him, he grants a challenge. And then, a scrap of paper seems to flutter to every capital in the world...

Find my island. Defeat they who live there, raze there cities, and claim it for your own. Only then will I give you my true blessings

For kicks, I blasted Hannibal's main cities off the continent. This won't count against the Happy Wayfarer's task, as you seem to have completed that one before I went at that. He's still around, just less connected now...

Also, an island has risen from the sea by my blessing. Find it, and you will be rewarded. Don't find it, and you don't get the reward. WARNING: Barbs have out-of-current era troops, as you cannot find the island pre-Optics, and cannot take the island pre-Astro

I like the idea for this series, but it's hard to follow without links to each segment on the first page, and without consistent screenshots of the empire, highlighting changes that have been made.

got it (10c)

Ragnar dreamt he stood atop the cliffs of Eldarion, looking out at a calm ocean. From beneath the dark blue waters came forth a great leviathan, bearing on its back a mermaid of great beauty and regal aspect. As she paused to speak, the noise of the waves grew softer still, while her eyes sparkled with gentle charm. "You have earned the favour of our lord. May your nets be full with his bounty, your harbours safe from his wrath, and may the tears of your foes be as rivers to his realm".

*Turned the Happy Wanderer into a Trireme with C1+2+3, Blitz, Nav1+2, and Morale.

*Gave Eldarion a fish and nets.

*Washed out all of Cathy's coast-side improvements.

*Weakened Cathy's units near Upsala, and changed the tile to ice.

@ Ult:
Good idea for the Links. I'll do that.

Got it.

I will edit it after Breakfast. HOpefully I won't have ANOTHER stupid 1.5 hour chore (I doubt it :P)

If someone can do an edit within... 30 minutes, feel free. But if you can't, don't touch it yet :P

Done.

Ragnar was dreaming of many great things, things that all respectable leaders thought of. Paperwork... organising military actions, managing the economy. Those sorts of things. The fact that the papers were almost naked women, the military leaders were almost naked women, and the economists were... almost naked woman had nothing to do with it. After all... it was just a dream, and thankfully, no mortal could read dreams. But his dream was disturbed by a moaning noise. He woke up, and walked to his trophy cupboard. Although he knew he was getting closer, as his ears told him the noise came from this place, the noise never got louder, almost as if it was in his head.

He found the source of the noise. An ivory elephant, given to the Vikings by the Portuguese. It moaned one last time:

"Lonely. Oh, so lonely. So many millenia, stuck in this damp... in this dark place. Perpetual moaning, groaning...

But, if this world was simaler to the millions of previous era's before it, this time, I will be released soon. And whoever frees me from these bindings... they will be blessed beyond all knowledge.

So save me... save me from this watery doom, someone. Find me. I have made something that, by all rights, should be totally impossible... surely someone will notice me. And if they do... they will have the powers of the most destructive force in the land"

Well... I think, officially, I have done the LEAST changes of anyone. I created 2 whaling boats, and 1 source of whales (Did you know that the other continent has no whales? Shocking isn't it!!). And... thats it. This is how this will work.
The civilisations that capture the sources of whales + Whaling boats (ATM, that will likely be Portugal, and probably Native America, or the barbs), will gain my favor. When they do, they will gain 6 War Elephants, in thier capital (for the case of the Barbs, it will be the city with the cultural influence over the tile). They will also gain a second source of whales in thier capital.

And that is what I will do ;) This post was needed for the basis of the roleplaying. Also, most future quests will involve this post in some way.

You forgot the save digit

((Think I still have you beat, Digit... this will make my fourth post affecting the story without touching the save. :-P Holding off on direct impact on the mortal realm until my quest is completed.))

Eldarion smiled - the Viking warriors were a ferocious lot, as deadly in their strike as a bolt of lightning, as tenacious as the howling wind. More, their intense worship of him in the city built in his honor pleased him greatly. His statue would be coming... of this he had little doubt. And a god could bide his time while awaiting the affairs of mortals.

The affairs of other gods, however... that was another matter altogether. The Runner god had tipped the balance. The foul Russian wench was already being dealt with, but the arrogant leader of the Carthaginians would be another matter altogether. Already, the mortal considered himself a god. It would fall to the Vikings to cut him down to size. Eldarion chuckled mirthlessly at the thought of the robed king bending to kiss the blood-stained hand of the helmed warrior.

Startled out of his reverie by a sudden burst of divine power, Eldarion glanced once more upon the mortal realm. Liberi, the subtle one, had awakened, and upon seeing what he had done to the realm of Carthage, Eldarion threw back his head and laughed. It was an excellent beginning, but it was not sufficient.

"He is as mercurial as a summer storm," he murmured. "Mayhap a good ally in the days to come." So too, Winston, god of the sea, had aided in the war against the Russian menace. And Elona... her garden remained usurped, but perhaps not for long. Might too the nature goddess consider allegiance with the gods of sea and storm?

"Perhaps there is a means by which all of us can achieve our goals. This mortal seems far more capable than the others - if we align our purposes, then who in the mortal realm is capable of opposing us?"

Eldarion sent his message to the gods and goddess three. "Meet me on the isle of Liberi... let us palaver regarding this Viking leader."

Actually nevermind. I have to leave now and I didn't finish doing my stuff

Got it! Now...for the God of Ice.

...Meanwhile, back home, King Ragnar leads our troops to victory in northern Russia.

----

...To celebrate his victory (and because Russians were two squares away from sacking the Capital...), Ragnar gathered the army`s home guards for a meast! (And, dispite what you may hear, I, the Great `Od of Ice is the one who invented this word nary five minutes ago...)

Standing up to make a cheer, Ragnar bellowed...`Join me for lunch men: Tomorrow we may die, but today ... we MEAST!`

About to dig into dinner, a Scout from an oberservance party north of the capital burst into the Hall - Shouted `The Ice is Coming!` before collpasing, dead.

Unfortunately, as the distance ran was a mere 24.84 miles, the people were, in the end, not overly inspired.

Sending another messenger out a more leasurely pace, it seemed that the following had occured.

- A spring gushed up.
- Spring formed pool of water in desert area.
- River exploded down and joined the main river west of the Capital.
- Side Pool promptly froze over.

Apprently a diety then spoke in a freezing blast of wind - sound like Errrbbbrrr...(oh mabye that was the scouts bones)...that the diety had, noticing the actions of the rest of the Pantheon, that he (for it was a he!) will be getting involved as well, favouring all those who have ice as part of their territory.

Apprently, he then muttered that if the Norsemen used his gifts to bring out of Ignorance the people of the West he would be rewarded...but it must be done soon, for he could not hold back the waters for long...if the task was done, Ragnar would be rewarded, but failure would bri-....

Demanding the rest of the message, Ragnar was told at that point a massive ray of sun and warm wind exploded and drove the cold away...a wind accompanied by the sweet smell of summer grass, and heavy with a woman`s sorrow.

So...

Made New Lake with Ice, and added river by Nidaros.

Gave Ragnar a scout.

Added a Beaver to one Ice square per Civ with one in their borders, and gave Ragnar one as well...under the Russian Army feet.

Made a Land Route to the other continent within the Pack Ice...which will slowly refreeze over the next 100 turns. At that point, any square WITHOUT a UNIT OR CITY in it will be lost to the sea or be surrounded by Pack Ice.

If Ragnar trades with the Western Civs before the 50th turn, he will be rewarded...

It seems no-one is above forgetting the most important of things...

You forgot the save :P

It seems no-one is above forgetting the most important of things...

You forgot the save :P

Hardly :p

I was in the middle of editing it in with the spoiler, wanted to get the Creative part up there safe first so I KNOW it`s there. Not easy or fun to rewrite it.

What is it that you mean by "Pack Ice"?

Once again, Ragnar found himself somewhere he didn't understand. This time, he found himself in a long hall with large devices of some sort. They glowed and hummed in a manner far too spooky for his taste.

"Ragnar." Ragnar turned around. Even if the being didn't block to glow of the devices, he would have felt the individual's presence, and the three voices with which the being spoke told him who.

"Lord of Shadows." He paused. "Where am I? What are these things?"

"Follow me."

With that, the Lord of Shadows departed down the corridor. After twisting and turning around the great maze for several minutes, they passed through a doorway, and Ragnar found himself standing in a great library.

"This is my realm," the Lord of Shadows finally explained. "I created it for my servants. This is the library."

Once again, they departed, twisting down the great maze of shelves before coming to another set of doors.

"You have seen the library I created for my servants. Now, I task you to create a library of your own, for your people."

Quest: Build the Great Library.

Ehhh....Here`s a definition:

In winter, seawater freezes and forms a crust of ice called "pack ice". The area of floating ice, which makes up much of the ice cap in the Arctic Ocean, expands during winter to cover about 5% of the northern oceans and 8% of the southern oceans.

Pack ice consists of ice that formed both at sea and as fast ice (locked to the shore). It can be very flat (because the ocean is flat), but it is usually covered with very rough areas caused by the movement of sheets of ice against one other. These pressure ridges can increase the thickness of the ice from just a few inches or centimeters to tens of meters (many feet) thick.

Although pack ice moves with ocean currents and wind, it is not free-floating like ice-floes, and it is not always continuous. At times it can be very broken, with leads (cracks of open water) opening up without warning. The leads then refreeze, adding new ice throughout the winter.

------

In sum, it moves alot and doesnt last long.

vra: You may want to work in units of 50 when it comes to turns played...

vra: You may want to work in units of 50 when it comes to turns played...

*mutters about being remembering 30 from last game and typing that in error*

Dont worry, the mechanics of the plan are in units of 50.

got it...........

here, i'll go ahead and post the save... i have to get ready for school, but there is a story coming for this save... i just don't have time to do it right now... you'll get to read it around 10-10:30 EST

Elona sat atop a lonely island mountain. From her perch, she could see the rich, fertile lands that once were her own. A shaking hand wiped at the endless stream of tears the poured from her eyes and down her cheeks. So numerous were her tears, that a river had formed running down the edge of the mountain. Her home, her home... gone... gone!!!

How had this happened? Elona, a goddess, ousted from her home by a mortal king. It had been night when it happened. They had come at night while she was away. The goddess of nature had a large domain to maintain and she had to spend much time away. Too much time away. When she had returned weary and ready for sleep she had found her once-home in the hands of barbarians, but she had lost something far more precious than her palace, than her garden, something she had not mentioned to Ragnar. She couldn’t tell him because she couldn’t. She couldn’t because it hurt too much. Elona put her head in her hands and let out a low moaning wail. That day had been like any other. She had walked through the garden, smiled, laughed, and at the end of the day, she had tucked her daughter into bed. When had returned she had no home, but worse, she had lost her daughter.

Without her garden, Elona’s powers had diminished, but even so she would have had the power to defeat these mere mortals. She had killed many on her return and then come face to face with the evil king who had dared steal her paradise. He had her daughter by the hair, a knife to her throat. He told her that if he so much as felt a breeze in her forest that seemed strange Elainas would die. Any divine interference and she would die. That is why she needed Ragnar, perhaps if it was a mortal who came to steal the island the king would not suspect.

But Ragnar was taking too long! While he muddled about in his earthly wars, building his reputation and filling his coffers, her garden was dying, her daughter was dying. Was it not she who had first revealed her divine presence to Ragnar? Was it not she who had first commanded him on this quest. It was time to remind him that she was to be followed and obeyed. She decided it was time to send him a messenger, two, in fact, one to help him progress and build his wisdom and one to help him build his strength and lead him to war. She sent them with this message. “You are to go to my garden without fail and liberate my palace and all within it. If you travel north and west following the mountain islands in the north of the Central Sea you will find my home. If you start on this quest, commit to it earnestly, and ask me for aid it shall be given to the best of my power and only for this quest. You will be rewarded when it is complete, but I grow impatient. Go now!!!”

As she sat on her island waiting for her messengers to arrive and Ragnar’s quest to finally begin, a message came to her. The God Eldarion was calling for a council on this island of Liberi. He too had plans for the Viking king. He promised her aid. Elona looked to the south west. Aid from the divine could be the end of her daughter’s life, but she must do what she could and she must protect her own interests when it came to Ragnar’s destiny. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she stood and left her island.

Got it!
(10chars)

I know that for whatever reason, the gods have blessed a few individuals with Immortality. Some of them are obvious. Our Lord Ragnar, for example, is clearly divinely directed in his Leadership. It appears that others exist, such as myself, to keep a record of all that occurs in their divine realm.

King Ragnar approached me today, inquiring about the construction of a great building storing all the knowledge of the known world. I asked him why he was so interested in books all of a sudden, and he said something rather curious in response.

"Would you rather fight the wench with a stick or an axe?"

I, of course, iterated that I was in no mood to engage in combat with anyone, but his point was clear; the smarter you fight, the better you fight, and he wanted a place where the brightest could "make him better axes", as he put it. I did not question his orders and began making arrangements for the building to be built in Uppsala.

------------------------------------

Two messengers approached our King today, sent by the Goddess of Nature. A rather ill-tempered swordswoman and a bumbling old man.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-Eldaireth.jpg

They came to emphasize the importance of Ragnar's adherance to their matron's quest. Ragnar made something of a show of agreeing with them before immediately sending the woman, by the name of Eldaireth, off to the front lines of battle. Meanwhile, the old man, a very knowledgable fellow, began a process of enlightening our thinking men with Philosophical topics. Although Ragnar was not interested, I listened, and found it all quite fascinating. I, in fact, penned a book on the subject and plan on putting it into the Library once it has been completed.

Meanwhile, our troops press deeper into Russia, beginning a seige on the city of Novgorod. It takes us a mere three days before the city is ours, and we construct a monument to our Lord Ragnar to impress the populus.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-Combat1.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-Novgorod.jpg\

The citizens of Rostov have learned of these ideals, the ones taught by the old man of Elona, and have started a Religion in her name. The city has taken the moniker of New Elona, and the religion is spreading.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-NatureWorship.jpg

The Coastal cities are prospering. We have begun the construction of a Forge in Eldarion to assist in the making of the Statue he asks of us. Meanwhile, as barbarians begin raiding our shores, the Happy Wanderer makes short work of them

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-Atseabattle.jpg

-----------------------------------

A few years have passed since I last wrote. There has been much upheaval in the Kingdom with the advent of the new war. Our King Ragnar had made peace with Catherine after sacking Novgorod, but he seemed restless. The portugeuse had been charging tariffs for taxes passing through their land on the road we had built between Uppsala and Nidaros.

I remember a conversation...

"My Lord, you must concentrate on the Goddess' Quest!" an Elonan Priest urged, pestering our Lord. "These petty money issues are secular pleasures that we do not need!"

"SILENCE!" he cried, as a few others began clamoring around him. When the King called for silence, only the unwise did not oblige. "I am Ragnar. I am not a coward. When a man threatens my people's livelihood, I kill that man. I have sworn to protect their interests. When I build a road, I may charge people to use that road. If you built a road, what would you do if I told you that you must pay me to use it?"

"It's two completely different issues, si- Aaaargghhh!"

The King had snatched a poker from the fire, and whipped it around in one smooth motion, impacting the priest on the knee, which promptly shattered. Falling into a protective ball, the priest screamed and kept screaming, but the King looked over the rest of his advisors.

"We go to war. I am not a tool of the Divine. And their servants are not immortal. When we are in times of peace, I am more than happy to complete their requests as long as it benefits the people of the land. Portugal threatens my people, and so we will break its knees."

-------------------------------------------------

Although slow-going, victory against the Portugeuse was steady. It was not long before Ragnar looked over a clamoring crowd of a different crowd. Joao had left Lisbon before his army had cleared the walls, but the Governor had shared a much more gruesome fate. Ragnar held his head high above the balcony of the palace, and roared.

"We have defeated the Tyrant that is Portugal. As I have promise, tomorrow we begin our march to Paradise!"

And thirty thousand vikings roared beneath him.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/d6-ToVictory.jpg

Far, far away, as the Library neared completion, a boy was born, and it was said that a blizzard refused to strike Uppsala so that the boy could sleep soundly. A prophet, they called him, a messenger from Eldarion.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-ProphetandLibrary.jpg

---------------------

I spoke to my King as he was settling down for another rest, after years of war and bloodshed.

"What will you do when you reach the Garden?"

He paused for a very long time, and settled into his bed.

"I will have her make me an axe."

World Recap:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-North.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D9-East.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D10-West.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D11-South.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D12-North.jpg

Here's the save!

Got it! 10 char

Ragnar saw a large man in full body armor coming at him from the horizon. This stranger drew a sword and before Ragnar could reply, put it at Ragnar's throat. Ragnar said “You fool! You cannot kill me!”he shouted.

The stranger replied “I am not the fool here it seems. I am Alator, god of war and you would do well to listen to my words for if you do not, you shall feel my wrath. You see I like war and bloodshed and since your war against Portugal has been very one-sided, they have (with my help) built a fortress capital city which is garrisoned much stronger than before as well as large legion of axeman near their former capital. Also they have received two very powerful weapons Bane and Pale although they cannot be used yet. You will take the fortress and destroy the weapons unless you wish to see their destructive power tested on your cities. After you have taken the city you will sacrifice a great prophet to me in return for your rudeness.

With that Alator disappeared leaving Ragnar quite alone...


Two City Garrison 3 Archers added to Portugal's current capital as well as walls and a castle (I know not of the current era but it makes the quest much more difficult as well as not being game breaking). He has conscripted an army of inexperienced troops near his former capital as well. Finally two ICBM's(Also I know not of the current era but it gives an idea of the punishment should the quest not be completed as well as not being a unit or spoiling future gameplay) have been placed in the current capital with the instructions not to be used. (world builder edit unit AICITYDEFENSE, and the AI cannot use them)
/\ Not for Forest's eyes /\

got it.

XCL

In this post, ALL Spoilers, are not for Forest's eyes.


@Elona: Did you put a whale near the Garden? I missed that whale!!

Anyway... if the borders pop, then I guess your garden is suddenly going to be a... lot stronger :P Also, while on that topic... did you know that you can WB in palaces in Barbarian cities? I didn't. I wonder what will happen?? It sounds epic :P

But firstly the borders must pop before Forest comes in an captures the Garden...!

I will make my comments now, and I will edit it as soon as the person who has got it replies with the save :P

Ragnar awoke with a start. He heard a terrible rumbling, coming from his trophy room. Expecting theives in there, he grabbed his battle-axe, and charged into the room.

Immediately after opening the door he was blinded, by a herd of glowing ivory elephant-dolls, no more than 5 centimeters high (Yes... the ancient Vikings used metric... they were smart Vikings :P), but all glowing with the ferociousness of the sun.

"Shield your eyes. Cover yourself in your sheets, or you shall surely die!" the elephant said. Ragnar new that Gods almost never turned down thier promises, and obliged.

"Who... or WHAT, are you?"

"I am Digit, Lord, and God of Entropy. And Ragnar... you have NOT gained my favor... not yet. For the Dutch empire has freed me, and now I must obey my pact. I am not like the other gods... I do not give bountiful fields of my chosen resource... but I do give power. Raw, unadultorated power. Alas, my power will harm your people, and your land.

Gain favor with the Dutch, and you may gain favor with me, if my ... vessels ... the great sea-beasts that swallowed me, are allowed entry into your lands, and your ports. But be warned... although I still lack the power to destroy anyone who attacks the Dutch, I have given much power to the Dutch... much power. So feel free to invade the Dutch for thier sea-beasts, but do so at your own risk."

Ragnar looked at the glowing elephant, through his sheets. "My people and land will be harmed because of you... what methods can be used to heal the land?"

"The damage that I will, accidentally, do to your land will be temporary. But... if you can secure a new source of Ivory, from a foriegn trade, then you can be assured that any damage done to your lands in the future will be negligable. I will gift you a new source of Ivory, my greatest of Land Beasts, on a tile that has a town. If you choose to hunt these Elephants BEFORE you trade for some more, then you will not be able to trade for a second source of Ivory. I demand proof that you are trading for Ivory, however... and after that proof is given, then you may resume hunting again. All other sources of Ivory have been... replaced. They will be returned to you in time (100 turns)

And more damage, there will be. Within a few more hundred years, your land will be destroyed twice more, and then in a few thousand years, you will face weapons far greater than you can even imagine!! Only I can protect you in this time."

When I get around to it, this is what will happen.

#1: Fallout will appear every 3 tiles between the Viking capital, and the Dutch capital (I will avoid Forest wherever possible, but I will try and land on Jungle, as well). From my previous game, it is appeared that fallout has a half-life of around 15 turns at a normal speed (probably 30 turns in a epic speed), which means by the next update, the fallout will have almost all gone. If I am mistaken, then all lands that are touched by fallout will be replaced with a forest/grassland, and the 'best' improvement will be built on it (Including farms / cottages / workshops). But I doubt I am.

#2: A second source of Whale appears on a Dutch Coastal city, furtherest away from the Vikings.

Quest #1: If the Vikings get this source of Whale (or a source of whale), then they will be able to unlock better bonuses for thier quests, and the damage dealt by me will be reduced to zero, forever. BUT, once the advent of ... whatever tech obsoletes Whale appears, that deal is cancelled. The easiest way to do this is to trade for whale. Alternatively, they can destroy the Dutch... but that will be hard at the moment...

#3: The Dutch, if they have Ivory, gain 8 War Elephants. If they don't, they only gain 3. These War Elephants are all promoted to Combat III... but without Combat I or II. This allows them to use blitz REALLY quickly, once they get promoted.

#4: The Roman source of Whale has been removed. I am the God of Entropy, which implies balance. I will never give someone something, without taking something away.

#5 (And quest #2): All source of Ivory within Viking borders have been destroyed, and replaced with furs on Plains. In 100 turns, all Plains / Furs will be returned to Grassland / Ivory. An Ivory source has been placed on a town. In 100 turns, that Ivory will be destroyed. If it is hunted, then the tile will be replaced with barren (IE. Non-floodplain, even if riverside) desert. If the Vikings manage to grab an Ivory source from trade, then no more fallout will EVER be placed on his cultural boundries, and, upon reaching the Modern Era (I could do it in the Industrial Era, but that would be mean :P), the SDI would be constructed in his capital, for free (Probably). Fallout placed by OTHER gods, however, WON'T be removed, and the same inaction will occur if some other civilisation nukes the Vikings.

Its a little more than I expected... but I will sit out in the next turnset :P

I understand that you need ICBMs to show the power of failing the quest... but I sure hope you are not going to LAUNCH those ICBMs :P That would be defying the rules!! (Plus, it would be rather... insane! At least, this early in the game. Finally, it would be hard to force the AI to launch them at the appropiate target :P)

But feel free to do any... non-nuclear damage :P

"Ragnar awaken" spoke the voice in the night. "You have failed me Ragnar. You let the friendship of my people wane. Reconsider, before it becomes to late. Convert to my religion. Share in the joy of gold that I have begun to share with you. Send pilgrims to my new holiest of cities, Carthage. Do not fail again Ragnar else the consequences will be... massive ;)"

Change list to come later.

Could somebody please delete the massive change I made to punish. I regret them, but don't have time now. I'll be back in two hours so Forest please don't play until then unless you want a nasty surprise.

GOT IT!!!

Geez... I missed it the first 2 times by a few seconds. Finally, I can do my stuff :D

[Edit] Here is the save. Note: I didn't TOTALLY remove the Runners punishment (if he wants to, then he can say so, and I, or someone else, will do it for him)

HOWEVER, I did tweak several things.



#1: The two southern-most Punishers (War Elephants) (Combat I-V, Drill I-IV, Woodsman III, Navigation I&II, and either Shock, or Morale) have been removed out-right.

#2: The North-Western Punisher has been weakened, to just Combat I-V (Losing Shock, Navigation I&II, and Woodsman III)

#3: The North-Eastern Punisher, has been moved 1 tile East (away from the Worker), and gains just the promotions Drill I-IV, and Woodsman III (losing Shock, Navigation I, and some Combat Promotions)

#4: All Punishers become lvl 20, meaning that they lose the ability to gain extra promotions from combat.

#5: My fallout has been changed from once every 3 tiles, to once every 2 tiles. As it was, I could rig it so that it avoided all worked tiles. In addition (and this penalises the Dutch), fallout has landed on Grassland Farms, instead of peaks)

Are those changes OK Runner?

[Edit]Actually... those jumbos are laughably easy to destroy... I destroyed both Jumbos with only 3 spearmen... I might, with your permission, add in 2 more Punishers, in the original locations, and promote one to Combat I-V + Shock, and the other to Drill IV, Woodsman III instead!! (with your permission). It isn't hardly that bad.

The Islam thing is harder to undo, and more significant too... And it is going to make a continent of pure peace >.<

I had a nice idea, but there are already so many gods I feel it won't be interesting because sooo diluted... May I suggest a limit on the number of gods if next game there should be? ;)

Flip a non-acted god the idea, Juju, or do it yourself! These changes are sounding insane, though...

Would get it, but I got something happening that will disrupt me making changes real soon

@ digitcruncher

Yeah those changes are fine.

Also @ digitcruncher

I didn't give everyone all islam. Whoever's south of the other continent doesn't have it and I didn't add it to about 1/3 of the main continent cities. I did it mainly to be a big boost to carthage who got the holy city. I think it might be to big so carthage might "offend" me soon and a lot of islam will disapper to balance it out.

Grabbing it for a second...

See what has been done before, the child is saddened. "Those weapons should never be made, not by mortal hands, not by our hands. You, oh god of war who has given them to a people! I rend your lands fallow, and strip them of the keeping of knowledge! Those weapons are not to be revealed again, under the pain of suffering and remorse. Let not this world burn under them."

The Isle de Liberi has been added to a little (Barb Settler and Worker), and Joao's lands have lost all pastures and farms, as well as a Mine. His cities also no longer hold Libraries due to a "mysterious earthquake".

@Digit - ((Um... you do know that entropy means chaos and not balance, right? Second law of thermodynamics - all states left unto themselves tend towards a maximum state of entropy, i.e. disorder.))

I dunno, chaos is pretty balanced actually. Not in the scales kind of way, but eventually chaos has to even things out.

Thats the idea.

If the universe was in a state of pure entropy, all the energy in the universe would be evenly spread out throughout the universe (albiet, at very low levels). Thus... balance.

Entropy / Chaos acts, using a form of osmosis, to move something where someone has lots of something, to somewhere where there is little of something. Or rather, Osmosis works because of Chaos. As a result, rather than making clumps of resources etc., Digit would rather they get spread out.

In charactor, Digit wishes that either, all civilisations get simultaniously destroyed, so that he can spread out the energy at his whim, or get one civilisation (his chosen one) to develop enough technology to destroy planets, nuke stars, etc. etc. etc., such that his goal of a 'perfect' universe (albiet one with no living thing in it, and no clumps of energy / mass in it) is achieved.

To be fair, he is sending the universe into a state of pure energy. In stargate, it is called Ascending, and that is a GOOD thing ^.^ So Digit is actually a GOOD god. Sorta :P

Ah. @Runner: Next turn, all civs on the continent will turn Islam, however ;) Oh well...

Eventually I figured the punishments would start rolling in ;)

@Juju:
I was thinking about the number of gods at play here, and I came up with two seperate ideas about the problem.

1) There is no problem. This is a story about the Vikings, and there are assumed to be a million gods all over the place. These are just the ones that affect the Vikings. Obviously I don't follow all the gods advice; indeed, I'm sure if you go back and read the last Divine Intervention you'll notice that there were several gods that told me to stop killing Gilgamesh. Hannibal didn't listen ;) This is a game for everyone to have a little Divine fun.

If you want me to do what you want, make the request interesting, lucrative, and hard-but-doable. Part of the fun of having a lot of gods is that I can't possibly do what everyone's asking and so eventually they start punishing me. And that makes things interesting, too, especially when they start tossing weird . .. .. .. . at me. For anyone that read the original Divine Intervention, somebody turned all of Mice's troops into animals.

2) Set a limit of gods. Eight, perhaps. I try and update once per day to allow people to get any changes in, but we wouldn't force all of these gods to act. This limits the amount of - as Juju puts it - dilution and allows me to select people that I know will be interesting to the story.

The only problem I perceive with this approach is a tapering of interest. People love to come in and just be crazy and not have the attached responsibility of being in something like a Succession Game. In addition, I want to stress that this is not a sample game. This game has very little to do with valid Civ4 strategies, and as such I pay less attention to things like the lay of the land or the optimal city placement, economy, etc. I am thinking about playing the next game on Prince because the military effectiveness of the enemy is negligible

@Everyone:
Do you think we should set up an OOC/Discussion thread about the series? It seems to be evolving and merits a lot of discussion.

I think the con's outweigh the pro's on limiting the number of gods. I vote that you keep it how it is.

Another thing you should consider is moving the next one out of strategy/tips. As you said, it's not really strategy. However, I think that this forum gets more traffic than the other civ forums so maybe it should be kept here in order to allow the game to attract more people?

I also think that a bullpen could possibly be in order.

It's here for the traffic. The RPCs are here, think of it that way. We're just shaking it up a lot more than Madscientist is :D

I'll set up a bullpen.

Got it...

Time to see if trade efforts have been made...or has the God of Ice been forsaken...

Once again, Ragnar found himself somewhere he didn't understand, although the feeling passed quickly this time. He found himself, again, in the realm of the Lord of Shadows in the spooky hall with the spooky, glowing, humming things.

"Ragnar."

Ragnar turned to face the realm's Lord. "Lord of Shadows, we have almost completed the library, as you requested."

"I am aware. I shall send two of my messengers with some... interesting material for you to add." The Lord of Shadows paused before continuing in a completely different tone. "Ragnar, I have a loyal servant and messenger named Lancelot." ((Yes, yes)) "She carried the messages between Elona and myself during our... disagreements. However, she has been distraught since the garden's capture-she was good friends with one of the people currently being held captive in Elona's Garden." ((Guess who)) "I was wondering if you could do me a favor and... keep an eye on her."

Ragnar was not a man of subtlety, but the Lord of Shadows wasn't exactly doing very well at being subtle.

"It shall be my pleasure, Lord of Shadows."

((I'll edit the save when I next can call it.))

Hmmm..Where's my save!? :P

@Vra:
Don't got it if you aren't going to edit it for nine hours :P -bonks-

Here you go.

Ow.

Sorry about that, actually finished the intervention at about 2 AM last night after writing a school paper, but was then whined into going to bed.

Anyway...

"It shall be my pleasure, Lord of Shadows."

Ragnar turned around, and suddenly felt the air turn cold.

`So, I see you take your orders from HIM.`

Turning around, Ragnar saw a vision of a strong force, around which icy winds blew and swirled.

`Do you know who I am...`

Ragnar grunted.

`I see you still lack respect for the God of Ice! You have honored Elona and that fiend from the Darkness, but no, you still eschew me! I asked you to - gave you the chance to be one of those civilizations I have chosen to defend. Yet, you failed, failed at a simple task, to bring englightenment to the entire globe...

Thankfully, other people`s are not as naive as you or that fool Catherine...and others..., who have so unwisely defied my will!

Watch my true power! See what will become of you if you do not undertake my quest at once to seek out all the peoples of the Globe! If you want my mercy - for it is too late to earn my love, do what I have said, seek out the utter West, and I may yet spare your lands...

.....

The reports that came in were terrifying...ice was choking the ports, lakes were freezing over, snow was falling thick and fast....and all the while, all the while, the earth shook...what had Ragnar done...looking outside his captial`s doors, he saw, in a coat of snow what would likely become of his lands should he continue to defy Eraie...as reports came in of civs withdrawing thier diplomats...yet again, the earth shook.

Not for Forest`s Eyes, but Other Gods.

It`s a bit of work trying to keep stoylines together, but going well so far.

As for what I did...for every artic nation with a scout of a kind on the land route got a bonus, be that gold or gems or more trees and retreat of snow to reveal tundra.

The artic civs who did NOT have a Scout down there were punished by having ice choking their ports mostly...as well as a few icy mountains arose. Oh, and I redistributed some snow, and more the pretty effect, some snow capped trees replaced some more deciduous ones.

In addition, non-artic civs with scouts - Portugal by some miracle was down here - got an extra reward due to thier situation....so icy peaks arose in earnest to protect Portugal while still alive.

Diplomacy wise, due to some respect (the Dutch in particular has a scout down there) he has cancelled his Open Borders with the annoying Ragnar, whom he now heartily distrusts. All other Civs he has met with scouts - Arabia, Rome, Portugal and Dutch also now dislike him for the moment.

This can all change, but he would need to complete the Quest of reachng all Civs in 50 turns.

got it! (tenchars)

As the God of Ice stood before him, the Viking King spat.

"I take my orders from nobody! I do what it is that I wish!" but the god had dissapeared.

Turning to the sky, my King yelled out at the gods fearlessly. "I am not your tool! If you expect me, Great Ragnar, I will not work for your substanceless promises!"

The King drew his axe, and waved it at the sky. "The lot of you are but children playing with my kingdom for your own amusement! Who gave you power!? Who gave you the right to tear my land asunder because I was too busy caring about the wellbeing of my people rather than search out some far-away path to a new world? I prefer my world!"

The sky echoed his words back, and he squinted at the sky. I do not know what he planned, but I knew there was little he feared.

Oooo...I like Ragnar here. Angry, pissed off, and taking names, as always.

This one approves. ;)

OCC: Hehe, nice speech there...won`t please the God of Ice though.

Of the three, only one arrived to the summons of the storm god. Elona, goddess of nature. Elona, whose tear-streaked face betrayed her acute anguish. Though his stoic countenance remained unchanged, Eldarion felt his heart move within him.

"Friend goddess," said he, "this was my intent - that those of us dedicated to preserving the natural order - earth, sea, and sky - give our allegiance to a common cause. This mortal, for all his faults, seems the strongest of those who call themselves leaders among the human race. All our hopes ride on him... not only for the sake of your daughter, but for the sake of the world."

At the goddess' puzzled expression, the storm god sighed. "Then you do not know? I shall tell you. When the worlds were first formed, before the elder gods among us entered our deep slumber, there was a great battle. In those days, there were not men, but monsters - leviathans, behemoths, ancient nameless horrors that were sealed away, locked within the center of the worlds.

"It is for this reason that the elder gods among us agreed to the great balance - that none of us should exert too great an influence on the affairs of mortals. In so doing, we risk awakening the creature that lies dormant, its life-force feeding the world upon which the mortals make their home. Yet there are those among them who become imbued with more than a mere spark of the creature's power - mortals endowed with the slightest touch of divinity. It is they who are tested, they who must strike the correct balance, for in each world, the creature who must not be awakened is different. Some are awakened by the fires of a great holocaust; others, by stirring too deeply into the bowels of the sea; still others, by the rivers of blood that ebb into the earth. Any might be awakened by too great a touch of divine power."

Eldarion smiled grimly. "And that is the challenge that we gods face - to guide the most worthy of the mortals to ascend to the ranks of a god, that in so doing, they might ensure the safety of their world for all time. Again and again, this cycle has begun. Indeed, I have reason to believe that one of them - the Carthaginian - is one who has already ascended. If so, it means that he has abandoned the world over which he was given charge by its gods, and has failed in his task. For this, then, he must be punished... but in due time.

"So you see, fair goddess - your daughter is but part of a much larger test that the Viking must undergo. No doubt, he considers us mere children who interfere with his world without cause, but he does not know the truth. Nor can it be revealed to him before the appropriate time - if we have misjudged him, if he proves unworthy of the task - then we must find another way to prevent the ancient one from awakening. As yet, there is time - but I fear that it is already beginning to stir. Much divine power has been exerted. If some of us, at least, cannot act in unison, I fear that the creature will awaken, and this world will be shattered before any can arise."

A shadow passed over the face of the storm god. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the enraged cries of the Viking leader, but it was not yet time. Ragnar could not know the truth of it... not yet. Worse, he heard the crackling of ice on the sea, and a vibration from deep within the earth thrummed through him.

"We cannot tarry here much longer," he finished. "I fear that by even two of us in the same place, the beast grows more restless. If I may aid you in bringing the mortal more quickly to your daughter's salvation, know that you have the storm to command... but in return, will you help me to keep the balance? Will you help me to guide the mortal on the path to ascendancy, that the beast may not be loosed from its coils?"

(uh... TheForestAuro can't be bothered to sign out when he is done with my computer... this post is actually by ElonaOfCedarie... sorry...)

uh oh, digitcruncher... i think you an me can get along... stargate = very nice... anywho...

Elona glanced at the ground beneath her feet. She could indeed feel the creature Eldarion had spoke of stirring beneath her feet. She could feel the sinister presence seeping up through the stone and the soil straining towards the consentration of divine power like a plant strains upwards towards the sun. Perhaps it was good that only she had answered the summons. Perhaps anymore power would have caused catastrophe...

"Eldarion," she said looking back up at the face of the storm god, "You have my word in this. Let us make this pact. Let us work together to preserve this world. I am the goddess of nature and as such, the entirity of this world falls under my domain. From the greatest king to the smallest bacteria, they are all mine to over see. If one of these creature of which you speak were to escape much of my domain would be destroyed. I will work with you to protect it."

"Now, you say that you will help me? Lord of Storms are you? Send a wind to hasten Ragnar's ships. I have already promised to give Ragnar aid if he should ask it, for the pruposes of this quest, will you do the same? Let us work together to save my daughter and regain my garden so that my full powers return, then we shall focus our purpose on guiding Ragnar to ascention. I will go now, so as not to give the stirring beast any more power, but, call on me should you have need. We shall keep in touch, you and I." And with that, the goddess transformed into a grey falcon and took wing towrds the north east.

OOC: Drat, I thought there was an update.

How are you two related/acquainted if you don't mind my asking?

IC: The Runner stepped out hiding. What he had just heard deeply disturbed his divine being. The other gods were conspiring against him and his chosen people. Their diabolical plan must be stopped at all costs he decided. Even if it meant losing the terrible beast upon the world once more. For he was strong and confident that he could return the beast to it's rest once more, even if it managed to escape the labyrinth the greater gods had imprisoned it in. Perhaps the magnificent God of the Ice flows would aid him in his quest to bestow divinity once again upon his favorite race of peoples and in his possible battle to return the beast. Perhaps...

But he was getting ahead of himself. First, the people of Carthage must prepare to ascend. And before that, they must prepare for war...

OOC: Ummm, what exactly is this beast thing? something like digit was in the last game?

I am TheForestAuro's girlfriend... :P that's why I got a city named after me in the last one... well, and had a nifty unit... I let him use my computer while I am in class... don't worry though... I won't be overly nice to him in the game...

For other gods only, regarding the beast:

I'm envisioning something along the lines of Cthulhu - a monster imprisoned below the surface of the earth. As it begins to awaken, the water level of the sea gradually increases, melting ice, drowning boats and coastal cities, gradually eliminating more and more available land. This could be a recurring theme for future divine intervention games, just with different monsters, each of which is trying to completely destroy the world in some new and unique way (nukes, desertification of everything, drowning the world, etc.).

The plan, obviously, is that Forest wins the game before this becomes too much of a problem... and it also helps explain why the gods can't just go completely crazy on the realm of mortals.

@Elona - looks like Forest is still working on the game, so going to hold off on sending that wind.

@ Eldarion. yeah after i wrote it i remembered that he has ships but i don't think they have troops... anywho, i thought it sounded nice in my little story... but, let me rephrase to: when the time is right, send a wind to hasten his ships... of course, by that time he may not need a wind... oh well, we'll see...

@Eldrion

Cthulu-level monster? One of us could play that role, you know. Maybe the gods can have a meta game in all this, called "Murder" or something. One of us plays the role of the world-killer, the rest try to root him out before he does destroy the world. If the current "godling" wins the game before then, we don't find him, and the current metagame continues into the next world. Just an idea, though.

I had seen our King growling and hefting his weapon in his sleep, and I warned the others to stay clear of his chambers. He yelled obscenities at the gods, and he screamed threats to the sky.

When he awoke, we told him of the Ice choking New Elona. He was not surprised - rather, more contemptuous than anything. Unfortunately, as was necessary, the expedition to the Isle of Elona was delayed, for our ships could not navigate the frozen waters.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-Ice.jpg

I do not know how long he stayed, but our King did not stay in Nidaros long. He marched to Lisbon, to finish the war.

Meanwhile, we found ourselves swamped with messengers from the many kingdoms we had met. It seems as if the Carthaginian God, Runner, has gained favor everywhere but here.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-ReligiousWar.jpg

We have adopted the Eldar Religion here as our patron faith - Ragnar says that we will not abandon those that help us, and we will not serve those who harm us. According to him, Runner sends great beasts to punish us, but our troops rally and the beasts are defeated.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-PunisherFalls.jpg

Our statue to him, our Lord Eldarion, is completed, as well as a Shrine in his name where all Eldar faithful can gather and praise him.


http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-EldarStatue.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-EldarShrine.jpg




-----------------------------------------

The bar shuddered once again, and Joao looked to one of his advisors worriedly. But it was no use; the Palace was surrounded, and despite valiant efforts by his new Longbowmen, the Berserkers were a force that he could not hope to battle.

The bar shook, and crack on the court doors revealed itself. A muffled yell was heard, and then a very commanding "Move aside!". There was a moment of silence, and then a sickening crack. Not only did the bar snap clean, but one of the doors ripped off its hinges, the Viking King standing in his full glory. Two berserkers rushed in beside him, and tore into the the Portugeuse line, as Ragnar lifted the axe high above his head, leaping up and bringing the blade down with the force of ten men. In one marble-shattering instant the floor itself collapsed in, a score of swordsmen found themselves falling into the catacombs, jagged bits of rock being the only thing to break their fall. In five seconds, Joao was alone with Ragnar.

"You barbarian!"

"Silence, fool! Do you not know when you have lost!?"

Joao smirked, and then leaped forward, a dagger sliding from within his robes. Quick. Too Quick. The blade buried itself in Ragnar's gut, and Joao ripped it free victoriously.

But Ragnar did not budge. Joao blinked incredelously, and had time only to drop his weapon and take one horrified step back before the Viking caught hold of his arm. Sliding one foot back to anchor himself, the warrior-king pulled, and the Portugeuse King learned how to fly.

Like a Jackhammer Joao plowed through the wall, and he didn't even have a moment to whimper before the king leaped through after him, bringing the butt of his Axe down on the King's face, smashing his nose. Blood spattered all over the regal outfit, but Ragnar gripped his now stained shirt and hefted him to his feet. Taking two more steps towards the hallway's unshattered wall, Ragnar proceeded to imprint the king's form on the decorative stone wall as he slammed the ragdoll form of Joao into the wall. Tossing the king to the floor, he raised his metal boot and promptly shattered his right knee with a single stomp.

Joao screamed, and screamed, and screamed. He begged, he wept, and he whimpered.

Ragnar looked down on the poor fool, and squinted. "You are going to war with Catherine. You have one year to gather your troops at Uppsala. I will return Coimbra, Lisbon, and Oporto to your troops, but understand one thing."

His eyes filled with tears, the King reduced his noise to a whimper, and payed rapt attention to Ragnar.

"You are mine."

And with that, the Viking left. He knew his Berserkers would serve enough as a reminder. That, of course, and the pain which he doubted would ever go away.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-Portugal.jpg

--------------------------------

The war with Russia goes well. With the aid of Portgual we have pressed deep into their territory, indeed even capturing Moscow. But the heathen Hannibal has lept to their defense, and now our King Ragnar fears that we may be caught up in a religious war - and that the only choice now is to convince the other nations that it is not in their best interest to fight us.

I have seen our King negotiate, and I assure you, he can be quite persuasive.

World Recap:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-NorthViking.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-Southviking.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D9-Westviking.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/World-4.jpg

@VRA:
Technically, I have met Boudica, Khan, and Cyrus now :D And, my vassal has a settlement on this ice path of yours!

That counts, right? ;)

@Churchill:
Your island was about 4 turns from getting conquered before VRA froze my fleet over. -.- So Churchillton will be conquered soon.

(Completely OOC)

It's really tempting to give you a Great general or two (and an army) just for that write-up of Ragnar capitulating Joao II.

I noticed that Lancelot and the Executives were missing from the write-up-unimportant?

Argh, I forgot about them. I meant to include them, too - Lancelot captured a city by himself, lol.

Herself-that's part of the joke.

Honestly, I was expecting her to show up during the capitulation scene.

(Any chance of a "lost entry"?)

I've got work soonish but I'll definitely add on to my writeup to include you, and expand a little bit on the latter 20 turns of my session.

Look for it sometime tonight, and I'll make sure Miss Lancelot and the Lord of Shadows get some screen time ;)

got it.............

So, the God of Ice thought that he could prevent Ragnar from completing her quest did he? Well, Elona thought, Ragnar could use another coastal city and a more direct route the Central Ocean. Summoning nearly all the strength she had left, Elona sent her powers out into the earth. A great rumbling arose from the land near Nidaros and New Elona. A great rift appeared in the earth and Nidaros slid away from the northern half of the continent. Sea water rushed into the chasm creating a strait from New Elona in the east to Evora in the west. To the south, what had once been the lower half of the northern continent slammed into the large island of the Kingdom of Carthage. Here, the waters were shut away by the advancing land and great mountains sprung up in the water way's place.


http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/PlateTectonics2.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/PlateTectonics3.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/PlateTectonics1.jpg

Elona smiled through her exhaustion. Let that be a message to Eirae. Though her power was diminished, she was in no way powerless. They who thought they could go against her will would do well not to under estimate her. A message to Ragnar as well. Perhaps this would inspire the proper respect from him.

As soon as she had recovered a bit of strength, Elona sent a message to Eldarion, sure that he would be irritated with her use of power. "Not to worry," she told him, "though the effects of my magic appeared great, I did nothing more than tap an unstable plate. Do not worry about the beast escaping, the use of magic was not great."

In a good mood for once in a long time, Elona provided fish and clams and crabs for the peoples along her new sea route and on a whim provided the same for one icy city at the bottom of the earth and some reindeer for another. Elona smiled, perhaps now she would have her daughter and her home back.

Not for Forest's Eyes...

So, I gave the barbarian's at the Garden of Elona a source of copper so TheForestAuro would encounter more than archers and warriors when he arrived. I put it on the first square of the entry so TheForestAuro can destroy the source and prevent them from building further units once he gets there.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/IronfortheGardenofElona.jpg

got it.

XCL

@Liberi:

Yeah, that's kind of the direction I've been moving - games within games, as it were. And the way I wrote it is such that even if the creature doesn't get freed, another creature lives in the next world, so the meta game can continue at any time. The only trick would be figuring out who plays the creature, since we're effectively trying to prevent it from doing anything - maybe the creature would get greater manifestations as the game goes on? Or even two teams of gods, some trying to stop it, some trying to release it. Certainly something worth discussing further, yes?

:mad: Ragnar you have flouted my commands by being at war with Carthage. Be plagued for the rest of your span of years with endless pirates of the enemy.

not much, just added some privateers

Got it.

And Elona dear....you should NOT take screenies while still in World Builder, it`s spoilerish.

I didn't go to War with Carthage, he jumped me because someone switched everyone to Islam.

Meh, same difference. I seem to recall saying that
Never must you war with them else terrible things will befall you. I highly recommend you work on befriending them, for even if they declare war on you, you will be held responsible.

;) can't have it to easy for you you know. Next time I'll be a good god again.
Maybe you should convert to Runnerism/islam and know how nice I can be :)

Never! :P Nevveeerrrr!

With an almighty crash that even roused the Capital, Ragnar arose from his bed...throughout the city came the news - the pack ice was broken, and it was now moving in all directions....

It seemed the Ice God had tired of these games, as across the planet, the ice that had so carefully held together now exploded into the vast sea...

OCC: No need for a spoiler, did as advertised :p

And come on, while it DOES count, you weren`t expecting the Ice God to let you go unpunished with that cheek were you...

"My lord," said Ragnar's attendant, "there are two men who seek an audience with you. They claim to be messengers of Eldarion!"

"Bah! I have no need for more prophets; we have already done as the storm god requested."

"They do not appear to be prophets, my lord. They are arrayed as soldiers!"

Ragnar arched an eyebrow. A strange god, this god of storms. Nodding to his attendant, two men were ushered in - one in full battle regalia, the other similarly attired with a rather feminine sash as an accent.

"My king," said the first, "your actions have greatly pleased the storm god. He has sent us as messengers on his behalf, to be ordered by you as you see fit. But he sends this warning - the Carthaginians are a menace, guarded by a god of their own. He has intervened on your behalf as a reward for your loyalty, sending the rains upon them."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Erik the Red, and this is my brother, Raynor the... Pink." The soldier smiled sheepishly. "You're better off not asking, my liege. Know that he can fight well enough."

Meanwhile, the storm god watched the shattering ice, and felt the stirrings again, stronger this time. The ice god had acted foolishly, and he feared that when the ice melted, there would be further repercussions...

Two great generals in Eldarion, and rained out all military resources in Carthage - iron, copper, elephants, and horses - by replacing them with ocean tiles. Runner has my full permission to reverse after 50 turns.

Goooot it.

Runner, the Privateers are Renn-Era units. Do attempt to keep in the current era :P

Edit: Also, VRA - You covered up sea resources added by Elona. You're counteracting something she did the turn she did it so some ice blocks have been removed as well.

The Lord of Shadows won't be adding anything to the map this turn.

Also, the ego fill you promised hasn't been added, yet.

That's because I have other plans for her. :P

@Liberi:

Yeah, that's kind of the direction I've been moving - games within games, as it were. And the way I wrote it is such that even if the creature doesn't get freed, another creature lives in the next world, so the meta game can continue at any time. The only trick would be figuring out who plays the creature, since we're effectively trying to prevent it from doing anything - maybe the creature would get greater manifestations as the game goes on? Or even two teams of gods, some trying to stop it, some trying to release it. Certainly something worth discussing further, yes?
Yes, yes, yes. Though we have to figure out "small" manifestation. After all, I'm the one blasting civilizations into pseudo-isolation when I awaken! :lol:

*cough* never mind, I'll wait for Forest to finish playing his turns.

Catherine sat down on her bed softly, as the battle raged outside.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-StPetersburg.jpg

He would be here soon, she knew, and it was up to her to "convince" him that it was in his best interest to keep her alive.

And sure enough, an impressive figure, clad head-to-toe in extravagant full plate armor strode into her chambers. She smiled mischieviously, and looked down at her bed.

"Ragnar, what happened to our relationship?"

But the figure said nothing, closing the door behind them and silently staring at the Queen. Catherine looked bashfully up, fluttered her eyes, and sighed.

"You threw a feast in my honor once. That was a wonderful night we had. You remember it, don't you?"

Still no words escaped from the warrior. A long, slender blade would be drawn, and leveled at the Queen. Catherine chewed on her lip, finally realizing she was not talking to Ragnar.

"So you are not him, then? I understand..." she began, and her smile widened. Her hands moved to her corset strings, and she layed back on the bed. "Won't you help me with this? It's awfully ti-"

The Knight did not let her finish. She took two steps forward and ran Catherine through, her divine blade piercing the Queen's throat and ending her sentence with a panicked glare and a pathetic gurgle.

Lady Lancelot removed her blade, wiped it clean on the Queen's rapidly reddening bedsheets, and strode out of the room.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-RussiaDead.jpg

--------------------------------------

In our dealings with the Queen from the new world, my King Ragnar has finally convinced Boudica to trade their map for ours.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-WorldMapBoudi.jpg

With Lady Lancelot's troops victorious in Russia, we have built a spectacular church to the Lord of Shadows, with stained glass windows to cast the darkness in many colors in Uppsala, where the capitol has been moved. In the interest of saving money the majority of our cities no longer have to take a boat across the Elonan Channel.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-Chapel.jpg

Meanwhile, our Lord Ragnar, as well as two of his Generals, have boarded a fleet of ships, our King hand-selecting his best warriors for the Journey to Elona's Garden. I can only pray that they make it back safely, for I do not know what this bustling empire will do without him.

--------------------------------------

Never before, had Ragnar seen such a beautiful place stained with so much blood. The nature of his home and every place he had seen in his conquests had been ugly, or merely just decorated.

But here, in Elona's Garden, he had seen true beauty. And at her throat, a desperate deposed King held a knife, threatening to kill the beauty before him. It was the Goddess' daughter, the King had said, and the entire garden would collapse around them if she was to die.

But Ragnar could not allow that to happen, and he had not gotten this far to give up. They had braved the seas, now scourged with fleet upon fleet of pirates.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-Landing.jpg

They had battled viciously through each gate - not even fortification built by the gods could stop Ragnar. Slow, perhaps, but never stop. And they had spilled into the Garden, suffering heavy losses at the hands of the savage men who ruled this land with an Iron Fist. But no fist can stop the falling axe of Ragnar, and these people were no exception.

Ragnar frowned, and that frown turned into a snarl. The snarl turned to a roar, and the Viking King lifted his axe to the sky.

"ELDAAAARRRRIIOOOOOOOOOONNNN!"

The skies rumbled, and the clouds churned...

(to be continued.)

Runner, the Privateers are Renn-Era units. Do attempt to keep in the current era :P

Edit: Also, VRA - You covered up sea resources added by Elona. You're counteracting something she did the turn she did it so some ice blocks have been removed as well.

Fair point.

The thing is I made a bit of mistake, was under the impression that they would still work under the ice, was more of a visual move...and funnily enough they sorta do.

It seems as long as a resource has been Wboated under the ice you got either 2 or 3 food, and no commerce. Learn something new every day :p

That is strange o.O

Ice fishing, a gift from the great god of the Ice. Are you the god of Eskimos, too?

Well... I am finally back, and after many difficulties, one which included washing blood of articles of my clothing (It isn't murder if they owe you money, right?), I can FINALLY send the world into a state of maximum entropy again.

Unfortunatly, it seems Forest isn't going to give the save out before I go to work >.< Dang. Oh well.

Just don't play it within the next 12 hours or so please ;) Other gods are free (as always) to edit it... I haven't got it, but I am expressing interest in finally enabling my quest rewards / penalties.

As the storm clouds gathered, the barbarian king grew uneasy. Glancing skyward, he saw that the sun had been blotted out, replaced instead with an ominous darkness that writhed like a living thing, a single monstrous shape as far as the eye could see.

"Are you there, Elona?" he screamed shrilly. "I swear to you that I will kill her! I know that this one is naught but your pawn! I'll tear her living..."

With a roar, lightning bolted from the sky, but it was not the barbarian that he struck. Nay - Ragnar himself felt the current rush through him, his outstretched axe instantly electrified. In that flash, the light was blinding, the thunder deafening, and for that moment, the barbarian looked away, certain that his mortal enemy was dead, incinerated by the blast of lightning.

"Fool, Elona! You have destroyed your own champion!"

But it was not Elona who had sent the lightning, but a much angrier god. And though the barbarian's vision still dazzled with starbursts, he thought that the Viking chief still stood, his eyes and weapon sparking an electric blue...

@Liberi:

I was thinking that, for a Cthulhu style god, the world would slowly drown. I've been hinting at that with the ice god's actions - when the ice melts, it triggers the creature's slow rise to power. It would start with a few coastal tiles here and there - not just for Ragnar, but for all civs. Then start drowning improvements and coastal cities. Gradually, less and less land becomes available, and unless Ragnar succeeds in his ascendancy, the whole world drowns. Thoughts?

The electricity surged around him, and when it subsided he crackled, imbued with the power of the storm. Pointing the Axe at the Barbarian, his roar lost form and was drowned out by the bolt of lightning that streaked out, blasting the barbarian back and away from Elona's daughter. Ragnar wasted no time, and in a single leap, the Viking cleared the distance and brought his axe down.

But the Barbarian King had not come to power without having survival instinct mastered. Even before he could see again, the barbarian rolled, and just barely avoided the descending axe blade, shards of granite lacerating his arm as the blade split the ground under the force of Ragnar's blow. Clambering to his feet, the barbarian grabbed a spear from a downed warrior, hefting it towards Ragnar.

But Ragnar was more than just an extraordinary warrior now. Pulling his axe back, he grunted and heaved the great blade through the air, sending a pulse of force at his enemy. The blast of thunder ripped into the barbarian, powderizing his weapon and sending him flying again, slamming in to the wall and staggering forward, gripping his chest with a groan.

Charging forward, the Viking flattened out the axe during his swing and swept the barbarian aside with a bone-shattering crack. The fool ripped through a weapon rack, but stood back up weakly after a moment, with a cough that blood to his lips. He leaned over, and though he could barely lift it, picked up a sword, leveling it towards the Viking slowly.

Ragnar lowered his axe, and pushed his palm forward, electricity surging out in tendrils, ensnaring the barbarian. Amidst the screams he was pushed back, pinned against the wall, and Ragnar took his axe and held it like a blade. Moving up to his foe, Ragnar pressed the axe up against his chest, and in one final, brutal surge, the electricity receded into his axe and he thrust his weapon all the way through barbarian's chest, pinning him to the wall as a fountain of blood sprayed in every direction, and one final scream echoed through Elona's palace.

There was a reason he had told his generals to wait outside.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-Generals.jpg

---------------------------------------

When my king returned from the Isle, I could tell that he had changed. There was something about him that was different...more commanding, less rough, and almost a sense of power wherever he went.

The barbarian King had been deposed, and Elona's Garden had been returned to her. The original people of the land had been restored to power, a strage act of mercy from our King Ragnar, and they had elected a man named Lincoln to represent them as a Vassal unto the Viking Empire.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D9-Lincoln.jpg

I fear that this world is changing for the worse, and I sense a disaster just over the horizon. But as I have been tasked, I will write whatever it is that happens. That is my duty as the Keeper of Time, and I will not abandon it at any cost.

-----------------------------

World Recap:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W1-NorthViking.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W2-MidViking.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W3-SouthViking.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W4-Portugal.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W5-America.jpg

Here's the save!

GOT IT!!

But I will take a while, even without changing anything, as I need to open the previous save to see which quests were triggered.

A full writeup will occur after I cook, and eat, tea. Amongst other stuff. If I am REALLY REALLY LUCKY, then I will be able to get it done beforehand, but I doubt it.

I added 3 Industrial era units. They are the weakest industrial era units in the game however... weaker than some early Reinessance era units!! :P

Added 24 cuirrassers. 12 to the barbs on the new world (the other continent, which has some mega barb cities), and 12 on the American continent. The ones on the American one, however, are AI_Pillage, so they won't attack cities. In fact, for some strange reason, they tend to jump across to a nearby forest, and sit there... if they are still there in 50 turns, however, I will change thier AI status ;)

Added another fallout trail, to the Barbarian remaining city. This is for the Barbs getting Whale 50 turns ago. Its also the reason why they have the cuirassers.

Added 4 Taoist Missionaries. they happen to be guarded by 3 Ironclads however. It will mean that Forest will need to jump in, and out, quickly. Ironclads are weak, however. 2 Frigates can kill them easily.

Swapped the Viking Plains fur with Ivory, and removed the ivory I gave for free...

Added a 10X10 Fallout Tile... for fun. I just want to see how much remains after the end of the game :P It might be a timer... maybe. Sometime.

Finally, removed a iron mine, and fallout-ed that too...

Digit sturred. He felt himself... he was still weak. Rumours of a great beast, a beast that would cause the destruction of the world itself had been created. He must find a way to unleash this beast... or else he would end up facing his very own God: Rolo. And for Rolo, at the third strike... he would be out

Ragnar awoke to a horrendous crash. His old trophy room had been demolished, set under hundreds of tons of iron, and sealed off in a manner that no man could ever enter it. Over the years, better sealant methods had been devised. But now a glowing ivory elephant marched through the molten metal that used to be a giant seal. Almost immediately Ragnar dived under his sheets.

"Ragnar. You have been lucky. Over the last millenia, only one of my two remaining vessals has been uncovered. Unfortunatly, for you, that was captured by the most uncivilised, barbaric races in this world. Alas, they too have gained my favor. So beware... near the site of the original whales 12 strong horsemen have appeared. But thankfully, for you, they have been ordered not to attack those cities, for the creator of that city has made me stronger.

However, not only have you refused to allow my vessels into your cities, you have taken my very likeness, and removed it from your cities. This is outragous... that you would trade my likeness for shining rocks, for that is all that you have given.

In addition, this has allowed the Dutch empire to gain favor with me. And soon they shall recieve the benifits of such a deal with the Gods. But not now. Now... is far too early.

However... feel happy, for I see something that will help you ascend all your empire to a higher plane... your religion of Taoism is spreading war, and conflict throughout your empire. And this I like, for as long as the mortals fight amongst themselves, balance would be maintained.

So, I have found 4 great missionaries, which have been trained in this religion over the last 50 years. They are very old, and will soon die. However, they wish to spread the religion to every part of the world.

So, I give you a quest. The last quest that will redeem your empire. If you fail this quest, then I will turn my back on you, and I shall never give you such a great bonus again. In addition, it is possible that most of your resources will be reduced and weakened for many many years, simaler to the Iron resource near the north. This quest will make you so rich, that you need never build a market, grocer, or bank again.

You must spread Taoism to every single one of your cities. At least 3 other civilisations must have Taoism in every one of thier cities directly connected via cultural tiles to thier capital, and at least 1 other civilisation must be running Taoism as a state religion. I have given 4 missionaries to you, but they are guarded by the strongest naval units this age has ever seen

But there is a catch... if you change out of Taoism State Religion, or if you adopt the Free Religion civic, or if you research Industrialism within the next 50 turns, of if even 1 city you own does NOT have Taoism present within your empire, you will fail this quest with explosive responses.


Anyway, here is the save...


Quest: Spread Taoism to every Viking city, all cities connected via culture to the capital of 3 other civs, keep the Taoism State Religion, and convert one other civilisation to Taoism.

Effect: The Taoist shrine gets a free Market, Grocer, Bank, and Wall Street National Wonder. For each building already created, that city gets 2 Great Prophets (settled). If Wall Street is built within 50 turns, that city gets 5 Great Prophets (settled)

If the Vikings adopt Free Religion, or another religion, or if the Vikings control a non-Taoist city (But this doesn't always happen if the Vikings fail the quest... remember that its possible NIETHER of these things happen.): Then a random resource within the BFC loses its improvement, and gains fallout on that tile, for ALL Viking cities.

Like a Jackhammer
That's what she said.


How about some more subtle gods, like destabilizing the country and weakening the leader's control, thereby forcing the cities to run with the city governor. Or a civil war. Or a workers union, automating workers and unchecking leaves improvement? Like a Gandalf god, working indirectly to overthrow the evil leader through the people.

Vicawoo, you made me physically cringe at the idea of automated workers and unchecking leaves improvement. :x

Got it! I'll introduce a new deity for Ragnar soon, once I've made my changes...

((@Forest - That battle with the barb leader was awesome!))

Eldarion nodded. His promise to the goddess had been kept, and the Viking warlord was growing into his role as a new divinity. But the return of Digit had further destabilized the chains that bound the creature. As the floes left from the ice god's interference slowly melted, the storm god realized that there was little time left before manifestations of the beast would begin. Ragnar must be warned, and hells take the other mortals.

That night, as Ragnar slumbered, he dreamt that he was falling, falling, somewhere deep into the earth. Above him, he heard his own voice over and over, "The lot of you are but children playing with my kingdom for your own amusement! Who gave you power!?"

As he fell, visions of a great and terrible battle unfolded before him. Gods of all shapes and sizes - gods of fire and ice, gods of storm and sea, gods of earth and sky, gods of life and death. There were too many to count, faces flashing as he tumbled. But all around them, a monstrous... thing loomed, too horrible for words to describe. Here, a god ripped in two with a single massive tentacle. There, half a dozen lesser gods sent flying into the abyss with one strike. There was no sense of time or order, only of chaos. And over and over, his own voice called back to him - "Who gave you power!? Who gave you power!?"

The creature espied him, and roared with the voice of darkness made flesh. Then, as it loomed to devour him, it cried out in agony as mighty chains began to form - chains of earth, chains of steel, chains of magic. As the vision receded, Ragnar found himself in the city of Eldarion, overlooking the sea from the cliff where he had stood with the storm god in a dream that seemed so long ago.

He looked down toward the briny depths, and he seemed to see the monster somewhere beneath the waves. It was chained, yes, and it seemed to be sleeping... but as one baleful eye opened, he felt a chill that took hold of his very soul.

`Ragnar was sitting at the Great Lake of Uppsala, dreaming away a bit. In a deep dream, another god decided to visit... a god, who was usually passive and did not interfere much with the mortal world. Until now, as Ragnar's dream was warped into a nightmare.

In his dream, he was dragged away by horsemen, away from the mortal world, and towards the realm of the dead. Ragnar was unceremoniously tossed before a throne made of black onyx. The wraith sitting on the throne rose and spoke to him.

'Pavlos, God of Plague and Death am I. Even while your Vikings have sent many souls to me in the past, lately you have... always treated the civilians with respect, and you have been peaceful in general. You do not even need to get their blood on your hands for this. I will send you my servants, so that you need not dirty your hands on it. I need you to take souls... not only of the warriors, but the civilians as well. Cities must burn.'

He pointed to the horsemen.

'These are my servants, champions of old, led by a unliving man named Thanatos. Have them take souls under your command. The more dead that will be delivered to me, the greater I will reward you. But fail to take souls... and he will take those from your men instead. Choose wisely, Ragnar, and reap the reward for the choice you make! See who the plague hits, when the time is up!' With those words, Pavlos' apparition disappeared.

Ragnar awoke from the nightmare as he heard the lake of Uppsala gurgle. Ragnar could only gaze in awe as from the lake rose a ship, a barge of the dead. When the ship had risen from the lake, it 'sailed' itself to the shores, and a host of men disembarked from the ship. The host wore gold and purple, was heavily armed, and rode on horses.

Thanatos dismounted from his horse and walked towards Ragnar. 'Your orders, my Lord?'

I just added a galley to the lake southwest of Uppsala with two Cataphracts on board. Depending on how much experience the Cataphracts have gained and how much cities have been razed, Forest will receive rewards in the form of more servants (further UU's of civs not in the game, and later on just plain units) and plagues hitting whoever he is at war with (less pop in cities, enemy units removed or weakened). If he fails to kill enough units, the plague will strike his cities instead.

((returning to Eldarion's cliff))

"Frightening, isn't it."

Ragnar turned to face the formless cloud that was the Lord of Shadows.

"Prior to the discovery of the beast, it was accepted that there were two forces of the universe which fought for dominance of areas of space and time: Gregor and Tsumi. To the masses, they were 'Science' and 'Magic', despite how shockingly inaccurate those descriptors were."

Ragnar sensed the Lord of Shadows shift attention to the beast.

"Just as those forces over which I was once god fight for dominance," the Lord continued, "so, too, do the forces of divinity and the forces of the beast fight for dominance. Not that you should care, since the disign of the cage suggests that the world will flood before the laws of the universe on this world are forced to metamorphose."

Ragnar opened his mouth, but the Lord of Shadows, as usual, answered the question before it was spoken. "I do not know if there is a way to repair the cage. Divine power causes the cage to unwind, however, so you should be careful to avoid giving gods reason to act heavily."

And with that, the Lord of Shadows disappeared, leaving Ragnar's real question unanswered. "What do you mean 'I was once god'!?""

For the curious, when the Lord of Shadows spoke of opposing laws of the universe, hopefully you wondered how they prevented their opposite from suddenly not working anymore, since humans should stop functioning once the underlying laws of reality on which their body functions are altered.

The answer comes from what the Lord of Shadows did not elaborate on: the transition between the areas of Gregor and Tsumi. Humans, like most anything from the Iron Age, can survive moving through this transition area, and even inside of it, while remaining functional. (Fun fact: The form of the Lord of Shadows prior to ascension actually came from this research.)

As to the gods and the beasts, similar deal: they can survive in either side and between them, although their forms naturally try to force one or the other on their location in time and space.

(If any of that contradicts Eldarion, expect a revision.)

[/technobabble from the Grand Master of Science and Technology]

Added a 10X10 Fallout Tile... for fun. I just want to see how much remains after the end of the game :P It might be a timer... maybe. Sometime.
Fallout has a disappearance probability (set in XML\Terrain\CIV4FeatureInfos.xml) of 500/10000 or 5%. So each instance has a 1/20 chance every turn to disappear.

The chance of any given tile still being fallout after 50 turns is something like 7.7% so you'll probably have a couple still going at the end of the next set. The chance of a fallout tile surviving 100 turns would be like half a percent though, so I expect they'll all be gone by then.
I've been (loosely) following this one when I can but probably won't be getting involved; too busy with other projects ATM. :p

got it.................... sorry again... this is actually Elona... need to remember to check who is signed in...

Elona smiled, Ragnar had finally done it, he had finally liberated her garden and saved the life of her daughter. Elona's happiness was uncontainable. With infinite joy, Elona spead about Ragnar's lands providing the reward she had promised. She added plants and animals, as she saw fit, until at least on of every plant and animal could be found somewhere within Ragnar's kingodom; removed all desert from the land, creating new plains and new grasslands, as she saw fit. Then, Elona created for Ragnar a new land bridge between New Elona and Nidaros. The need for the channel having passed, Elona decided to gift Ragnar with the rejoining of the landmasses on which his empire fell.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/LandBridge.jpg

When Elona had done all of this, she turned her grey falcon form back towards her garden. Elainas awaited her there at the palace steps. Elona's smile grew at the sight of her daughter. Elainas smiled back, but there was a tiredness in her face.

"Mother," she said, "take a walk with me in the garden."

Elona followed her daughter with concern. "Is something wring, my darling?"

Elainas turned a contemplative stare to the ground and walked in silence for a few minutes before answering, "Mother, much has happened since the night the garden fell. I am no longer the same carefree maiden I once was."

"Elainas... I'm sor..."

"No, mother, it was not your fault and that is not what I want to say." Elainas heaved a great sigh. "Mother, I wish to see the world outside this garden. Before the attack, I thought nothing of the outside world and I cared not how it worked, but now... Mother, I wish to see what it is like."

"Elainas, the world is a strange and dangerous place. I wish that you would not ask this of me, not when I have only just gotten you back."

"Mother..."

"Elainas, if this is what you want then I shall send you to Ragnar. He will protect you while you are in the mortal world. Return to me before too long or my heart shall break."

Elona spoke to Ragnar once more in his dreams. "Ragnar," she said, "I wish to thank you for all that you have done for me. You will find that your land is more furtile and your southern cities are now connected by a land bridge to the northern continent."

Ragnar grunted approval and Elona continued. "You have done much for me and I am thankful, but there is one more thing I would like to request. My daughter wishes to visit the mortal world and I have decided to grant her this wish. However, I fear for her safety in your world. I wish you to escort her and her body guard to your lands. I would like that in your country she would visit your capital and New Elona, and whatever else of your countryside you wish to show her, and then I wish you to escort her and her gaurd back to my garden. She must not be harmed or lands will turn to dust around. Do this for me and more you shall be rewarded."

With that, Elona was gone from Ragnar's dreams.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/Elainas.jpg


Forest please read....
A great prophet has been added to Elona's Garden, this is Elona's daughter. TheForestAuro must send both Elainas Sihanae and Jahvaneer the Brave to Viking lands. Both units must stop in the capital city (a screen shot should be provided as proof) and they must stop in New Elona. Once they arrive in New Elona, Elainas should be used to build the Kahsi Vishwanath (the holy building of Hinduism) as a tribute to Elona. This part of the quest must be completed within the FIRST 50 TURNS! On the next save, a new great prophet will be placed in New Elona. This will also be Elainas Sihanae. She and Jahvaneer must be returned to the Garden of Elona where they should be gifted to the Americans. This part of the quest should be completed in the NEXT SET OF 50 TURNS. If the quest is completed sucessfully, Ragnar will recieve a reward. If he does not complete this quest in the specified amount of time, he will be minorly punished and if Elainas dies, a terrible punishment will be enacted.

Well well Elona...time to make life interesting isn't it....

This is a Got it.

Un got it...I won't have time to edit for about 12 hours.

:x Lincoln's getting iced over, ain't he? xD

I won't have access to Civ again until monday. Sorry.

Have there been too many changes already? I'd like to got it if not.

Ragnar awoke from an eerie dream to find a man shifting through his personal belongings. Enraged that a burglar would dare target the mighty Ragnar, he swung his axe through this strange man's neck. But the man, seemingly unharmed, chuckled a little and told Ragnar simply "I am not a crook. Indeed, I am Richard M Nixon, the little-known god of Peace, Victory, Irony, and Whales."

Ragnar, exasperated by these silly minor gods, turned to resume his sleep.

"Wait, Ragnar," said Nixon, "you know what that Hannibal fella is up to? Sure you're winning, but aren't you worried he's got some ace in a hole? I sent my best man down to Carthage to look into things, take good care of him, eh? Or at least deny you ever knew him. More importantly, you should come hang out at my place, just follow the mutant whales. I've given you a token gift in Nidaros, expect plenty more where that came from should you visit my villa. Well that's all for now, I'll be seeing you." Nixon threw up the victory sign with both arms, stepped aboard his ethereal whale-copter, and flew off into the night.


I put an arrow of whales in that square of fallout in the ocean. It leads here:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/RichardMNixon/Civ4ScreenShot0037.jpg

Got it. Need to check my island, after all.

The child looks around the world, a little ticked off actually. Fallout everywhere, war everywhere, and everyone ticked off at the "chosen one" of Elona. Well, this won't do. thinks he as he possess one of Ragnar's researchers.

The researcher, James Maxwell by name, staggered out of his lab, and over to Ragnar. The King's guards didn't stop him, something stopped them. When Maxwell/Liberi noticed he was in the King's presence, he spoke.

"What the heck is up with all this? You know you've pissed off all your rivals? I'm pretty sure you may take the world for your own before the Beast awakens, but if they gang up against you, I'll begin to doubt. Also, you haven't completed both my and Churchhill's quests. I'm not minding too much, but you guys don't have telescopes nor Astronomy to build sea-faring ships? Where have you been researching!? I've popped the ice barrier a touch, but you'll have to do the rest for his quest. Also, because I've done this idiot gesture, this guy's gonna be pretty big now. I'll show you something nice, IF you gift this researcher to another civilization. You can't give it to a vassal, either. They are extensions of your will, after all."

With that, Maxwell passes out, and Liberi becomes ethereal once more...

The Isle is given a city. The city is given two Januaries, Walls, a Castle, and a Theater. Remember, this must BURN to complete my quest. Fallout was also removed from the island. >>

A small piece of ice was removed from the map. Churchillton is now open, but Ragnar still has to blast the natives himself.

James Maxwell, Great Scientist, is born in Norgovd. This has to be given to another, non-vassal civilization, and not be used by Ragnar. Do it, and I'll reveal the Isle. It's still up to you to take it, though.

EDIT: It's not letting me upload, saying I've already uploaded it. Help, here?

Got it.

Time to restore the balance of power around here.

@Liberi:
Try renaming the file. Or try removing some of your earlier attachments.

Alright. I don't think we need the earlier "divinealt"s, so I'll try that first.

Got it working. Here, use this one, vra!

@VRA:
Include your update in the next set. It's been 12 hours since you "got it" and you haven't posted an update, so I'm going to go ahead and continue playing.

Sure, had decided to wait till Liberi got his save up, and he did...at 3 AM my time O.O

Ah well...

@Liberi:
Save is bad. Old, 445 AD

vra: That was 3am my time too O.O

Forest: Huh...? Give me a second...I'll go check, though that may explain things.

EDIT: Yep, that was why I couldn't upload. Hang on a second...here you go, the correct save. Sorry about that

Okay then, will take it now, and be back in about twenty minutes or less. Or mabye a bit more.

From time immemorial, the Portuguese had always been the favourite peoples of the God of Ice. Followers of Eraie to the last, he had tried to protect them against the barbaric Ragnar, whose cruelty had known no bounds...

...Over the last few hundred years however, Eraie had rarely felt more insulted...he had been ignored and mocked, while other Gods, lesser in both power and stature had recieved Ragnar`s favour...

Well then...it was time to return to his own, to purge the heathen faiths from his chosen lands - The Low Countries and Portugal - and show them the way to permanent liberation...

Lord Cyrul and Lord Prrys would prove intrumental to this task....soon the defences were strengthened...the troops armed...the swords polished...and, with Ragnar gone, the revolution began.

Ragnar had scarely got home from his island trip when he was informed of the rebellion - and the fact that the Dutch, while siding formally, had closed their borders...however, in his absence, it seems that the regent wisely established a garrison of troops to be trained across the border from Aden...hopefully they would prove strong in battle.

----

Far away from the Viking Capital, the garrsion left on the island was confronting a bigger issue...`it seems the ice has decided a path for us...`

No save -.-

Yup, had to play test it for balance.

OCC: Just a heads up by the way, Saladin is definately gearing up to kill you.


That small complication aside, should you be able to kill the revolting lords and Occupy and raze their Hall, while still fulfilling escort duty, I will reward you handsomely in recognition of your skill and bravery.

Got it! Finally :D

Finished turn. Will do write up, screenshots, and post save later. Joao payed for his treachery and Saladin eeirly didn't attack me, but I was unable to complete several quests due to a crazy offense by Willem

OCC:

On Joao: What? Oh well...

On Saladin: That's a shock...

On Willem: And there I thought his military wasn't going to be adequate...

Ragnar could not believe the news. Joao, revolting? Clearly this was divine muddling, something that Ragnar had just about had enough of.

As he stepped into his War Council, all the previous hour's activity ground to a sudden halt. Everyone stopped yelling, stopped running, stopped commanding, and just turned. The Warrior-King was back - clearly, now, everything would be all right. With a slight nod, the warrior allowed everything to continue, and he took a seat on a throne overseeing the activities.

"Sir!" one noble yelled, turning to face Ragnar, "Portugal has revolted and possesses forces far stronger than our last reports!"

"My Lord!" yelled another. "Two Portuguese Lords are attacking our Western borders!"

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-JoaosBallers.jpg

Ragnar frowned. "What about Willem?"

"That's even worse, sir. He's allowing Joao's men to use his country to attack ours."

"Are the Dutch joining the fight?"

But before the noble could deny it, a messenger burst into the room, out of breath, and with nary a piece of good news.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-WillemWar.jpg

Ragnar was indeed troubled. But the bad news kept pouring in.

"My Lord, reports have a massive Arabian army massing at our souther borders. We have fortified the area but we are heavily outnumbered."

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-CrazyArabianStack.jpg

Did it never end? Ragnar almost began to speak before....

"My King! A gigantic Dutch army is on the move to assault Liera!"

"SILENCE!" yelled the Viking King, and there was silence. "Do what I say quickly, and waste no time, for we have very little. Send the Plague Lord's Knights to deal with the Lord's forces. With support they should be able to deal with them."

One messenger nodded and began the run to Uppsala Lake.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-SoulTaker.jpg

"Sir..." one last noble started weakly, and Ragnar turned his gaze upon the man with legendary ice.

"Yes?"

"Um..some, ah, land-based whaled have been spotted near one of cities, sir."

"What?"

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-Landwhales.jpg

------------------------------------

----------------------------------

Blood...

Joao II ran for his life. He didn't understand. The gods had blessed him so in his defiance. They had ceased his war with the mighty Dutch, they had severed his fealty to the tyrannical Vikings.

And now Ragnar was back. Joao grabbed a musket from above his bed. Quickly, he filled the powder and stuffed the ball in, pulling back the flint.

The door screeched as the Axe cleft it in two. Ragnar roared, and Joao raised the gun, a deafening blast sending a bullet into Ragnar.

Two figures rushed past the wounded Lord, who staggered back.

Blood. DEATH! Plagueee..

The wraiths rushed through Joao, bits of spirit evaporating as Joao dropped to his knees. Ragnar recovered, but Joao had thought ahead. Slamming his hand down on a switch by his bed, the floor gave out, to a ramp which slid Ragnar down and out - out the third story window waiting below.

Ragnar fell - the wind rushed around him, but there was no hesitation. Swinging the axe, he buried it into the side of the castle, and slowly screeched to a halt. Leaping from his halted point to the ground, he huffed and pulled the axe to a standstill, closing his eyes and focusing. The wraiths surged out of the building, and the clouds churned above the castle.

"Ragnar!?" Joao screamed, from a balcony overlooking the Viking King. "Why won't you die!?" and with that, another Musket blast echoed through the air.

But this time, the bullet merely crashed into the ground - the winds were getting strong now. A low growl escaped from Ragnar's lips, but it reverberated through the hills as thunder and lightning crackled above, and the Axe began vibrating.

Taking two steps forward, Ragnar heaved the axe forward, and buried it into the side of the Castle.

"...What?" Joao whispered, but he did not have to wonder long. The very stones beneath him began to quiver.

Ragnar ripped his axe free, stumbled back, and exhaled - and the Castle tore, cracked, and ripped in two. The stones disintegrated, and Joao barely had time to fall to his knees before his Palace imploded, and the last legacy of Portugal was buried underneath hundreds of tons of rock and mortar.

Ragnar shook his head, picked the bullet from his armor, and turned around, trekking back to the war camp

---------------------------------------

[Monks picked up - got a 7-move Galleon :D Spent the whole turn getting attacked on all sides, so the Taoism was not a spread priority]
[Discovered Astronomy - Gifted Maxwell to the Dutch right before they DoW'd me]
[Ship is headed towards Elona's Kingdom now]
[Churchillton waits still :( ]
[The Soul Takers are leveled up as hell.]
[Raynor the Pink was killed.]
[Lancelot still lives]

((Huh, must have missed the death of Erik the Red somewhere. Oh well. Prophets aren't known for longevity, anyway. :-P By the way, nice job on holding off the horde that the gods threw at you.))

The land-locked leviathans were but the first sign. Whales hurled from their watery abodes practically into a city!

"Eraie is to blame for this," the storm god snarled, though it was only partly true. Though Eraie had indeed contributed much of the ice that was now slowly melting, many of the gods had been abusing their divine power - even he, himself, had bent to the mortal's will, lending him the strength of lightning in order to save Elona's daughter. All of them had upset the balance.

Now, they would all pay the price for their interference. The creature was awakening.

"He is not yet ready to ascend," Eldarion mused. "There must be a way to gain for him more time!" But even as he pondered, he looked on with horror as the sea began to rise. It was slow now - ever so slow, but much of the ice remained unmelted, and the creature had barely begun to stretch against the chains that held it through long torpor. But it would not long be the case.

Once more, the storm god appeared to him in dream, as when first he had made the request that the Viking warlord prove himself. Eldarion was a storm cloud as vast as the sea, but beneath him, the waters churned an unnatural color - a putrid green, almost luminescent despite the darkness of the scene. Rain hissed as it struck the waves, as if the pure water of the sky were screaming in agony from contact with something insidious.

"Ragnar," Eldarion thundered. "You have ever been wise in choosing your allegiance to gods. Through no fault of your own has this danger been wrought upon your world - the creature, the monster sealed far below the seas, is beginning to arise. See, the world is already starting to drown in fear of its coming wrath!"

A vision of the world was visited upon the Viking chief. Everywhere, in every land, the tide marched steadily onward, drowning trees, plains, even northern ice. A look of fear momentarily crossed his craggy countenance.

"What must I do, storm god?"

"As yet, I do not know. Not even the gods are omnipotent." The storm clouds churned in his dream. "It was divine power that chained the beast; now, divine power unmakes its chains, reckless abuse that threatens to loose it anew. For now, I dare not intervene directly... but I make this covenant with you. I will search for a means whereby this monster's seals might not be broken, that it be returned to eternal slumber once more. I will find a way to give you more time. I swear it!"

((Replaced one unimproved coastal tile for every civ with ocean.))

Wow... just... wow.

Amazing.

I shall see what I can do, but you certainly have impressed the God of Entropy...

I will steal this ASAP... there are some presents for you!!

@Eldarion:
Erik's still alive, up in America.

Got it!!

(10 chars)

That... was interesting. It isn't a documented change (otherwise I would be spitting tacks), but surely if there is a requirement for someone to do something for a quest, its hardly sporting to make that quest suddenly impossible, surely? I don't play with other peoples quests, so I don't expect anyone else to either.

Ragnar was in the market of his capital. He had slept like a log... which was weird. The prophets predicted that Digit would be re-incarnated, and although the source of whales of the coast of the "other continent" still wasn't claimed... they expected something bad to happen.

But it didn't. And he was happy. Until a whale explodified his guards, and all other witnesses. They exploded in such a brilliant blue blast that his armor rusted almost immediately, but Ragnar was unharmed. Eventually, the mail he wore broke apart, and Ragnar stood there, in just a few cloth rags and undergarments, in front of a whale. The Whale spoke.

"Ragnar, you are the sole person worthy to witness what I am about to do. You have made me happy... this war has spread entropy throughout the land, and this makes me stronger. You have brought whales, and ivory (2 sources of it, in fact!) within your borders. And you have kept Taoism as your religion."

Ragnar shook his head. "Digit... none of these things have been done of my bidding!"

"It is enough that they have been done, regardless of who allowed this to happen. And as it has been done, I will help you. This is what I have already done for you.

Firstly, a God has removed, and destroyed, all the worshippers of the Taoist faith. I fear this may have broken the compact, the sacred rules that even the Gods must follow. But just because they have broken it, doesn't mean that I need to as well.

Since you have been unable to construct Taoist Missionaries, due to an oversight of mine, you would have been gifted 1 Taoist Missionary in all cities with Taoism. However, as that number has been reduced drastically, you now possess 9 new Taoist Missionaries, 3 for each city immune from the powers of that God. However, doing this has it's cost: The weakest defender has been destroyed in all cities.

I have also improved the defences against the Arabian menace, so that you will not be destroyed in one single turn. I have forced the Arabians to attack your defences from across the river, by upheaving giant mountains. However, in doing so, I have accidentally changed the environment in such a way that another plot of grassland can now support pigs, and breed them. But the important thing is this: You can now defend much better.

There is one last thing to say: You MUST spread Taoism. You have lost the Taoist Holy city (and shrine), and the only way to gain them back will be to spread Taoism to 3 other civilisations, as well as forcing a civilisation to convert to Taoism. And you must do this in no more than 100 turns.

To do this, I can do no more. I am storing my power in the power of this quest. You must NOT adopt another religion, nor adopt a free religious empire. Nor can you have a single Viking City without Taoism. If you do this, even by accident, the power that would otherwise be used for your construction, will be the seed of your destruction.

However, I may give a few last tips. If you aren't already in it, Organised Religion is the way to go. If it is at all possible, researching Flight, and air-lifting missionaries into America will get you a civilisation converted very easily. And finally, try and get Arabia into a war. If you do this, I will not personally reward you, but Arabia will be vastly weakened.


Due to an oversight (Forest couldn't build Taoist Missionaries), and a Gods meddling in affairs, which, although not ENTIRELY against the rules, is a rather 'dodgy' idea, I gave 9 (or was it 12?) Taoist Missionaries, which he can use to either convert a nearby civilisation, or re-convert his own ones. I have NOT re-imbursed the Holy City, nor the Shrine.

I have also (rather subtly) modified the 'other continent'. All civs on that continent get a free settler, and Persia gets 4 free cannons, and 4 free Knights to overwhelm the last of the barb cities. This is so that last source of Whales is FINALLY captured...

The Quest of Taoism has been expanded to 100 turns, to balance the sudden loss of America getting contact with a civilisation (due to the ice... it cuts off all transport routes, and trade routes until flight), and to balance the sudden loss of cities with Taoism, the loss of the Shrine, and the loss of the Holy City.

I made 2 peaks. Although this isn't going to win the war for the Vikings, it is a very big helping hand, as it forces the Arabians to either take a long route around, or assault the Viking fort across a river.

And... thats it!!

@digit:
Eldarion was the Taoist Holy City. I forsee divine conflict over this one :P

Got it...and Divine Conflict? You have no idea mortal :p

Save up.

While there's a lovely story well worth waiting for tomorrow by mid-afternoon at the latest, the basic summary is that the Ice God respects piety...even if not to me. In honor of your victory, I have offered a serious tribute to Elona (and you).

...and oh, Joao II survived the rockfall...I know, it was quite the miracle...in any case, as you have displaced him and profited from his lands, you will now see to it that the chosen few still under his command, and Joao II himself will come to no further harm for the rest of time.

OCC: I don't think Joao will move even if you accept open borders btw.

To GODS: PLEASE READ - ONLY GODS!

We really and truly need to sit down and discuss our overall plan before the next edit round.

I still have to give him his small reward for Maxwell. >> Got it.

A ship, good enough to carry three troops, seemingly appears out of no where. "Here you go, a fast ship. Should help you get to my island. Should."

Yes, yes we do.

Reward: One(!) Galleon w/ Nav I and the revelation of the city within the Isle de Liberi. Have fun, you have the troops to take it now.

Got it!

Update in several hours.

@Forest - Ah, thank you. Good to know he's still alive.

@other gods:


Here's my plan - effectively, I'll be role-playing "the creature," slowly drowning individual tiles, while Eldarion tries to find a way to prevent it from happening all at once - or, at the very least, redirect it so it's more beneficial to Forest. I have some ideas, but I'm not quite ready to post them yet.

Hope that clarifies where I'm coming from - other plans from other gods?

I'm cool with that. I'll just be over here, puttering away...>>

Divine Intervention: The Garden of the Gods (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=292144)

'Good evening, Ragnar'. Raynor spoke.
'Raynor???? But you are dead! You fell in battle!'

The earth rumbled and Pavlos appeared before Ragnar. 'One perk of being on good terms with Death, Ragnar - those exceptional champions fighting in your name might go on to live a little longer and recover from their deaths.'

'Listen now, Ragnar. In the wars against the Dutch and the Portuguese you have done well. Thanatos has brought a lot of dead before me, and I am pleased for that. I have granted you several extra troops, as well as struck the Dutch with a plague that has killed civilians and soldiers alike and will assure they will not rise to attack you again.

Yet, while you have indeed brought soldiers to my realm, you have once again spared the civilians, since all the cities you have conquered are still standing. I now ask for civilian death rather than military. Reach out across the ocean, and kill the people that are backwards and not important on the stage. You need not have their blood on your hands: Thanatos and Raynor command my troops and will do the job if necessary. Goodbye, Ragnar.'

(TFA: you are free to upgrade the cataphracts, by the way)

@ other gods:

I have granted him two Rifles and a highly promoted (CR III) Grenadier, as well as a Warlord on the second Cataphract - the quest was not that far out of his way, so nothing really big. Also, the Dutch have lost several military units and all cities are smaller, because they are the only people Ragnar fought and are still living - thus deserving of the plague I promised.

As for Death: I will keep creating as much conflict as possible, since Death wants people to die. I might unleash some plagues to even up things a bit, especially if Carthage becomes too powerful.

@Paulus:
I razed two cities, one Portuguese and one Dutch. :] But I will attempt to do as you ask!

.

Yet, while you have indeed brought soldiers to my realm, you have once again spared the civilians, since all the cities you have conquered are still standing. I now ask for civilian death rather than military. Reach out across the ocean, and kill the people that are backwards and not important on the stage. You need not have their blood on your hands: Thanatos and Raynor command my troops and will do the job if necessary. Goodbye, Ragnar.

The sky rumbles, and a cold wind blows....

Fight the Dutch, Persians or the Barbarians across the sea at your peril Ragnar...my powers are weakening, but I WILL defend those who have been loyal to me!

A group of Viking fisherman, still ripe with the stench of today's catch, were brought into Ragnar's court. Between them they carried a bier, upon which lay the body of a beautiful woman, covered from the waist down by a rough cloth. Her naked torso bore the marks of a brutal violence, and her eyes were fixed open with a look of abject horror.

"What is this?!" cried the King to his courtiers. "What body do these common folk bring before me?"

"We found this... creature lying dead on the rocks where we go crabbing" said the elder fisherman, his voice trembling.

As the old man pulled away the cloth, a gasp ran around the court.

Being a proud seafaring people, all had heard the stories... but none of them had ever seen such a thing with their own eyes. For all the fear they felt at such a terrible omen, however, none but Ragnar had the slightest inclination of its true significance.

"They are his children..." the King whispered to himself, a bead of cold sweat running down his back.

@Other Gods (not for Forest):Not sure what exactly this 'beast' thing is about, but clearly it's wreaking havoc in my realm right now.

I'm working on the principle that the Sea Spirit is currently engaged in a desperate effort to contain the beast, thus explaining my absence of late (in fact I'm just really busy with RL stuff).

I was thinking that some kind of last minute, Han Solo-esque assist from my deity just as the danger seems unstoppable might be a nice twist. But for now I'll sit back and see how you guys play the next round or two.

Btw, and since I can't check the save right now, is anyone taking care to ensure the game won't end prematurely thanks to some victory condition or other being met (either by Forest or the AI)?

@Winston:

Think Cthulhu imprisoned below the waves. Your work to contain the beast works perfectly from a story perspective - and since the storm god is in allegiance with you, I'll plan to write that in as I post, if that's OK with you. I have an idea, but I need to double-check something in the save before I post it - don't worry, I won't be making changes.

Got it.

XCL

Changes are coming Willem. Disrupt the heretical vikings. Cause havoc. The beast which other gods have spoken of is breaking free. Everywhere, random plots of land miles wide will turn barren. Areas will drown. You must disrupt the evil viking and not allow him to prosper.

Launched a nuke in the middle of the ocean to start global warming. Gave Willem a GS and six (?) spies.

Pain. Terrible pain. His power had forsaken him for the moment of agony.

And then it ended. The Runner fell to the floor. He tricked me.

Looking up, he found the Lord of Shadows looming over him, hovering ominously. He tried to speak, but he...couldn't?

Only then did he realize where he was: a Realm.

"I take it this is your first visit to a Realm. They're quite fascinating, really." The three voices spoke in a calm voice, with anger floating barely beneath the surface.

Then it changed. "Why are you assisting Willem?" The voices were flat, but the world around them them seemed to reverberate with the words. "Willem has no chance to ascend. Do you want the beast to awaken?"

A pause, before, "I gave up my divine powers to create this Realm. I gave up power to save lives. We shall not stand by and just watch as you destroy Ragnar's world."

And with that, the runner found himself where he was before

OK, more material to expand on the unique position the Lord of Shadows finds verself in.

Firstly, the Lord of Shadows is genderless. I'm tired of dancing around that. Use vi, vim, ver, verself, or it (derogatory).

Secondly, on Realms, a God is a being with control over an aspect of the universe, abstract or concrete. Gods can survive transference into beast-dominant spacetime and (attempt to) force divine (standard) universe patterns by their existence.

A Lord is a (former) God who, though the use of extensive divine power and the sacrifice of the individual's control over an aspect of the universe, creates a Realm. Lords are rare, leaving little to be known about Realms. Lords do not force divine patterns on the universe with their presence, rendering the beast unable to use their presence to attempts to unbind themselves. (Overpowered>? Look at the cost.)

A Realm is a pocket universe created by Gods becoming Lords. They are typically dominated by the aspect over which the (former) God had command. (A similar ability is hypothesized for beasts, but remains untested and unknown.)

Thirdly, the Silencer is a device created by the Lord of Shadows and ver followers. The purpose is to silence divine beings, although it only works in the realm. the pain is a side effect. The Lord of Shadow most likely won't be venturing out of ver Realm much, now.

Fourthly, the name "Lord of Shadows" does not actually come from the Lord's Godhood over shadows; it's a nickname given to vim by ver followers in the Realm because vi liked to keep the lights off so much. (Yes, it's stupid.) The Lord of Shadows was actually the God of Magic, Science, and Technology.

Well... my plans are simple. Try and gain the Vikings trust. The only way to do this is for the Vikings to pass more quests than they fail. If I don't get the Vikings trust, then I will be demoted from a God to just an immortal man. This will be continued in Divine Intervention IV, if applicable.

If I do get thier trust, however, I will return as a God in Divine Intervention IV, and attempt to overthrow Rolo (who, for my story-line, has been promoted beyond the level of God... a God of Gods, of sorts :P) This will be hinted at further on in this story.

As far as the Great Beast is, Digit is all for unleashing the Great Beast. Although it would not be under my control, by damaging this world, I can create entropy, gaining my power.

And for further plans? Not much. Once ivory and whales obsolete, I will be nearly powerless, except for one constant quest that I will provide in the next turnset.

((I think I have a way to "explain" why so many cities lost their "Tao" - though I think in Ragnar's world, it's actually the Eldar religion. In keeping with renaming "religions" from their real-world names to analogs in the game world... well, read on.))

The storm god gusted on the winds, an invisible presence, listening to the realm of mortals, seeking a way to keep his covenant with the immortal Viking. He could sense gods quarreling elsewhere - NoDot had punished the Runner for his brazen use of power. And why not? Eldarion had fought alongside the Lord in the days of vis godhood; there were none who had sacrificed more, and few who had sacrificed as much, to make this world what it was.

Below the waves, he knew, Winston battled to keep the monster contained. In his Realm, NoDot sought to keep the gods in check. Elona struggled to keep the balance. It fell to him, then, to find a cure.

All at once, he heard the words:

"Ph'nglui inglw'nafh Az'ta'rot wgah'nagl fhtagn."

His heart froze. The wind gusted as he swirled and turned his attention - and it was then that he saw the star and the crescent moon. The voices emanated from within the temple bearing the insignia - and he recognized the name of the beast.

Of course! How could he have been so foolish? The worship of the creature had spread before his very eyes, but he had been too blinded with his own pursuits to pay it heed! No doubt it was their doing that the Eldar religion had been dwindling in later years; mayhap the cultists had been sacrificing his followers to their own dark god.

As he cast his gaze over the earth, he saw that the beast-worship was widespread indeed - many of the mortals who called themselves world leaders had made it a national religion! Small wonder, then, that the creature had awakened so quickly; even had the gods not acted so rashly, its worshippers were legion.

This time, the storm god did not wait for the Viking chieftain to slumber. He spoke directly to him in the voice of wind, barely more than a whisper... but there was no mistaking its origin.

"Ragnar, Viking king. I know now why the creature has moved to awaken so quickly. Its worshippers have grown numerous - legion. You must do all you can to halt them - convert them if you can, but if not, put them to the sword. And if you find a temple erected in the honor of the creature, the city and all who dwell in it must be burned, lest its taint fall upon you. Do this, mortal, and perhaps its awakening can be slowed."

((Figured it was about time for a good "religious" conflict to emerge in a battle of divinities - I realized that "Islam" seems to be the religion adopted by most of the other civs, so it seemed like a good candidate for "creature worship".))

Islam is the Runner's religion. Ha ha.

My own canon had the Lord of Shadows be an immortal leader like Ragnar (OK, Scientist/King) who ascended and they gave up ver divinity to protect the people of ver world (all of them) from an awakening beast by creating a Realm.

For more information on my take on Divine Intervention Canon, check out the bullpen.

Islam is the Runner's religion. Ha ha.

((I'm actually OK with that - we'll call them a deviant sect of the overall worship of Rolorunnerism, but Eldarion wants them all converted or wiped out anyway just to be safe. It's not like I haven't been at cross purposes with Runner since the beginning of this thread anyway. :-P))

Got it :] Let's see what we have here...

Finished Turn. Will update soon.

Highlights:
[No Hero Deaths]
[Taoism Spread Like Wildfire]
[Actually got Elona's Daughter to New Elona safely.]
[Survived Saladin Miraculously]
[Lay the smack down on Willem]
[Isle de Liberi was destroyed]
[Joao Managed to build a Longbow :P]

And a teaser picture.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D10-Horsemen.jpg

Ragnar sat at his throne restlessly. He had been accused of many things in his life, but unfairness was not one of them. Ruthless, may be, but not merciless. The people of Russia were not slaves. The people of Portugal were granted the chance at autonomy. He had liberated America from their barbaric overlords, and had left them under their own rule. Everywhere, the people loved him. He had even spared Joao, once he learned of his survival and flight into exile.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-JoaoLives.jpg

Yet outside the barriers, he was loathed. Willem, once a great ally, had been tainted by the promise of power from the Runner. Perhaps, he wondered, was the Runner's religion so bad? Their chosen, Hannibal, prospered unendingly. Even now, their culture seeped into the Viking States, and it almost threatened to swallow Arabia. Carthaginian influence was everywhere - from their religion to their technology.

Ragnar shrugged it off. If it became too much of a problem, he would deal with it then.

It became obvious that it was time to fully invade the Netherlands. Ragnar knew that knowledge was power; he ramped up an Intelligence campaign to thwart Dutch spies and gather information. The results were incredibly successful.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-Trumpspy.jpg

----------------------------

"WHERE HAS THE TEMPLE GONE!?" roared Ragnar, standing on an open plot of land in downtown Eldarion.

Several priests, bewildered, could only wince and cower. Only one was brave enough to speak. "We do not know. Scholars claim that it was plucked from the earth during the night - there was no debris or wreckage. Some claim a giant Whale ate it."

"Damn that Digit!" Ragnar swore under his breath, before turning to the priests. "You!" he pointed to the man speaking, and then to all of them. "All of you! This is a message from our Lord Eldarion! Go far and wide and spread the word of the Storm to our people! All will know the glory of the Eldar Storm!"

(3 Nations with Nation Religion of Taoism: Portugal, America, and Viking.)
(6 Nations with Taoism present: Portugal, America, Viking, Carthage, Arabia, Netherlands)

The crowd parted as a scout galloped into the square, blood dripping down his side as he cradled his gun with a cast arm. "My Lord!," he yelled, and the Viking Warrior-King looked up. "Fort National has fallen! Saladin rides!"

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-SallyBorder.jpg

---------------------------------

Lancelot stood amongst the wreckage, her helmet tucked underneath her arm. All around her, the burnt remains of Etrusca still smoked. This was the Isle de Liberi?

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-IsledeLiberi.jpg

You have thoughts...? Thanatos seethed, as his form surged forward, hovering next to Lancelot.

"Why did these people have to die?"

Death is the most base of all things. Everyone demands death. My master leaves the choice up to yours.

Shaking her head, she rehelmed, mounting. "This is not my master's way. He seeks not death, only authority."

You speak words of hypocrisy the being seethed again, a spectral spear lowered at a nearby corpse. It screamed, morphed, and it reached out, assuming the form of Catherine. Lancelot stumbled, and her horse reared back, threatening to buck her free. A gunshot rang through the air, and Raynor ended the creature for a second time.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-Upgrades.jpg

"Death is neither a sin, nor permanent. The Plague Lord has taught me this."

You are an instrument of death. Do not fear it; take pride in it.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-Razed.jpg

(Isle de Liberi Razed)

---------------------------------

"Pick up the sails!" screamed the Captain, as the three ships cruised near the coast of Durostad. Two Frigates chased the small Viking fleet, a pair of Galleons (The H.S.S. Lancet, and the V.S.S. Maxwell) and his majesty's flagship (H.S.S. Mjolnir) and a third threatened to cut them off. Pulling hard to port, the Mjolnir opened it's cannons, sending a crippling volley into one of the dutch ships. As they both began moving to engage the Mjolnir, the third moved within range of the Galleons.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-BreakingtheBlockade.jpg

"Ha! the Lancet's the fastest ship in the sea!" Captain Zol roared, and it was true; the Lancet ripped through the water, passing the Dutch Frigate without time for rebuttal.

The Maxwell, however, was not so lucky. That day, only one ship breached the blockade to the America's.

(Distant Missionaries dropped off - Elona's Daughter and Javaneer picked up. Didn't grab a screenshot - sorry! - but she was taken through the capitol and then to New Elona. The Holy City was already founded, so I just settled her there. In addition, I cut off a Dutch source of whales.)

-----------------------------------

With a stalemate in the fighting with Saladin forcing a shaky ceasefire, the Dutch invasion began - and it moved quickly. With devastating force his new weapon - the cannon - devastated the backwards Dutch armies.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-TheKnightsPrepare.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D9-DurostadRazed.jpg

But he was distracted. The beast from his dreams was haunting him in his waking hours, and he knew that he must figure something out soon.

Or else it would be too late.

(Several cities razed; Islam is now only 45% of the world, Taoism spread explosively. Isle de Liberi taken. I did well this 50 turns. Cut off Dutch Wales.)

--Recap:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W1-NortheastWorld.jpg

I will double check, but just to re-iterate:

You need 3 civilisations, with EVERY CITY THEY OWN having Taoism

You need 1 civilisation with Taoism as a STATE RELIGION.

I will double check, but you are well on your way to redemption :P

@Digit:
I'm pretty sure Carthage, America, and Portugal have all Taoists :P

Oh... I just saw Portugal, and loled!! That was MUCH easier than I thought.

OOC Question: How did you get the religion to America without flight? I thought the ice would stop you from transporting any units anywhere!!

Expect many Great People very soon...

Got it!!

Got it....

Attacking the Dutch...you have earned the fury of the God of Ice. Heaven...help you...

*mutters about edits being used to get Got It*

Also: Huh. Half a quest finished. Didn't you forget the second part of it? Claim it. Pesky barbs like to rise up again and again where there is no civilization.

OOC: I can't play Civ on weekdays, so somebody please make the changes for me. Thank you.

Churchill awoke; he had not done so in a long time, and didn't know the reason for this disturbance. A messenger came to him, flying a green flag over his head.

"What do YOU want?" screamed Churchill. "More crumpets because I'm about to give the Vikings a reward for completing the quest?"

"Umm...actually, I'm a divine emissary for the land of Arabia. I come to inform you Churchillton still stands, its oil and coal plain for Ragnar to see." the messenger voiced slowly and cautiously.

"WHAT!?" Churchill roared, grabbing his pistol and bayonet. "I feel like VENGEANCE! AND DEATH!" As the messenger began to back away, Churchill ran up and with a mighty roar smashed his fist into the man's jaw, shattering it instantly and sending him flying down to Earth." It was then that he noticed a note on the table.

Dear the great god of conflict, crumpets, and combat Churchill,
A monster has risen, fighting Winston the sea god and threatening to destroy the world. Your help in stopping this abomination would be appreciated.

Churchill finished reading this, and then muttered "...and stop it I shall."

Meanwhile, in Nidaros...

Ragnar had just received a letter. Well, actually, it was a bayonet with a message on it. Well, actually, just a message on the one side. The other sides said, "Your doom is at hand." Again, and again, and again, and finally, a portrait of Arabs, the Dutch, and Barbarians fighting each other over the remains of a broken and tattered Viking flag. The messenger had made itself clear: it was Churchill, and he was pissed!

NFFE-Somebody edit in these changes:
Arabia shall receive:
8 Redcoats
3 Grenadiers
outside of Nidaros

Holland shall receive:
5 Cannon
5 Cavalry
with the Arabians

Barbs shall receive:
1 Redcoat per defender in Rotterdam
PLUS: Churchill, a Redcoat with counters to every type and Drill I-IV and Combat I-VI
Ready to attack Rotterdam
MAKE SURE ALL BARBS ARE SET TO ATTACK_CITY_LEMMING!

Also, Barbs shall receive one redcoat on every one tile island in the middle of the ocean to defend against the monster; they can be used to take hits, and depending on how lenient or strict Eldarion is, he can decide how many.

You may think these changes are a tad apocalyptic but I remind you of three things:
1)Ragnar had since the beginning to conquer Churchillton, and he abandoned it in favor of fighting Dutchmen, Arabs, Portuguese, and Russians.
2) Ragnar has received many advanced cavalry, so giving barbarians Churchill isn't too bad.
3) Churchill believes this is the only way to stop the monster: he may be incredibly wrong, but that is his opinion.
4) I haven't changed anything that has affected the game at all until now, so I believe this offensive is justified.

I forgot, sorry :P

But at least I was quick...

Ragnar stepped into the Trophy Room. It was his time to meet Digit. He feared what terrible form of glowing demon Digit had taken this time. He was wearing the thickest suits of armor, as surely they would protect him from the plagues that Digit brought with him...

Instead of a glowing six-headed, 12-eyed beast, Ragnar looked upon a little boy. He nearly opened his mouth to yell for him to get out, until he saw his eyes. They were glowing with a fire Ragnar had seen all too often. Ragnar was stunned.

"Why do you choose this form, Digit?" he asked. "There has been no death, no destruction..."

"I choose this form, because I fear for my own safety. I reason that, if I appear, as your god, as a beneviolent being, caring, but just, then my Gods in turn, will do the same."

Ragnar was stunned... HIS Gods!? There were beings above even the planes of existance of the Gods themselves? He opened his mouth to ask who these Gods were, but he was silenced.

"You have done well. You exploited several small... loopholes in my pact. However, I am impressed with the speed and skill you used in converting the entire Carthagian empire to Taoism... And so I will reward you, even though you did so in half the time I expected you to... Go to Eldarion. You will find that the damage done to your empire by the unnamed Gods that removed Taoism has been largely undone, and as per my promise, then you will have more Gold than you will ever have a use for."

Ragnar nodded. "Is that all?"

Digit shook his head. He did it wrong, however. His head never seemed to move... but Ragnar could see the head... teleporting smoothly... from one side to another. It seemed even the Gods couldn't mimic human behaviour properly.

"My power is draining. I only have time for one last quest. And this time you will be facing a force stronger than any Gods have been able to pull... for too long the holy source of whales have been left unclaimed. And as a result, your final quest, from me anyway, is to secure all three sources of the holy whales yourself."

Ragnar thought hard. "Where are these three sources of Holy Whales?"

Digit smiled. "They are truly hard to get to. The first one is outside Rotterdam. You have already claimed this city, and now it is a matter of time before those Whales are caught by you. But the other two are harder.

The second source of Holy Whales is to the west, across the ocean. It is near the Persian empire. There are multiple problems, however. Firstly, the Persians have failed to settle near the Whales, however they have settled a city near the island which is near the Whales... and as a result, you must raze this city. After that, the Island has been inhabited with many strong and powerful units (All very early modern-era... Fighters, SAM infantry, Infantry, Tanks, and Artillery), and the barbaric tribe that lives there has made a powerful fort upon thier land. You must capture this fort. Finally, you must build one of your own cities on that tile, and expand its borders. Upon doing that, you will claim the second source of Holy Whales.

The Third source of Holy Whales is to the North, in American territory. I have sown the seeds of dissent within the hearts of the Americans, and soon, very soon, they will rise up against you in a bloody war of Independance. You must re-capture all 4 cities of the Americans (Although you may, at your discretion, raze the Gates), expand the borders, and recapture the third source of Holy Whales. The Gold I have given you, however, will allow you to protect yourself from having to split this empire into another colony. If you do so, I fear that they will rapidly gain the desire to declare independance very soon..."

"So I must destroy my friends, fight the armies of the Gods of the Gods, AND defend against the Dutch?" Ragnar asked in disbelief.

"Yes", Digit said simply.

"And what will I gain from such a venture as this?"

"You will save me from the Death of Gods. That, and you will be given the Key... the Key to conquering the entire "Other Continent"".

"And these Gods of Gods... who are they?" Ragnar asked.

Digit faded away silently. "The bane of Gods... but the allies of men" he said, as his eyes remained.

As a reward, Eldarion gains 4 settled Great Prophets, a free Market, and a Free Wall Street. That quest was SIGNIFICANTLY easier than I thought, but I am impressed on the speed that he completed this quest with!

This new quest is difficult. Much more difficult. And the rewards... they are about the same. The first source of Holy Whales is easy enough to capture... just hold Rotterdam until it hits 15 culture!!

The second is MUCH more difficult, the hardest of the three. First, Ragnar must capture, AND RAZE, the Persian city nearest the source of whales on the "Other Continent". Then, Ragnar must overcome the following army:

6 infantry
2 SAM infantry (Both promoted to Interception I&II)
2 Tanks
2 Artillery
2 Fighters

None of these units are promoted, but they are fortified, on a single tile, on a jungle, on a fort. This gives them a BIG defensive bonus. There is no easy way to overcome this army... and it will require a major amphibious attack. Finally, after doing this, Ragnar must settle on the tile, and expand the borders. Then the second source of Holy Whales will be captured.

The final one is easier. In 50 turns, America will get a -100 diplo hit with Ragnar, and then they will declare war on Ragnar (I will do this in WB). After this happens, Ragnar must recapture all four American cities, and expand the borders. However, as America is already relatively weak, the 12 cuirassers (or the survivors there-in) will be gifted to the Americans, promoted to Combat II, and upgraded to whatever units the Americans can build. After that, the Americans will gain EVERY SINGLE TECHNOLOGY that Ragnar already has, but will also lose 3 population in all cities (to hurt the tech rate immediately following declaration of Independance.

The reward for this quest is 2 free Cities on the Continent (probably a Persian city or two), a free Forbidden Palace on one of those 2 cities, and both cities start with 100 culture (but no buildings)

Failing this quest will give no penalty in this game, but in the next game (if there is one), if ever I am released, then the civilisation Forest controls will have all non-forest, non-floodplain, non-non-God-Given-Resource (IE. The resource has always been there) will be covered in Jungle (Requires Iron Working to trigger, I am not that mean :P))

I have done no other major changes to the game. And this will be the last quest I give (as Plastics and Industrialism are coming very soon...)

Simple. All these units are EARLY Modern era techs, no more than 1 or 2 techs into the Modern Era. In addition, I want this fort to hold out for a wee while now. Ragnar is Mid-Industrial, so it is only 2/3's of an era ahead. Finally, the Barbs are isolated, so they can't go rampaging through the Persian empire. Not yet, anyway :P

There are two saves. One is just mine, and one is mine with Churchills one. My question is... why does Forest always provide his saves AFTER moving his units? :P He should at least wait till we play with the world...

I played a quick game of this... on the first turn, the Dutch attacked an undefended Nidaroes, and captured it. Also, I moved the calvalry heroes off the city tile, to protect them. However, I could only move them one tile, so the Dutch re-captured Rotterdam, only for Churchill himself to re-capture Rotterdam. The remaining 4 redcoats attacked the hero-calvalry. 2 Redcoats died, and 2 heroes died.

Its a devastating beggining to the game... BUT its entirely fixable. With the massive amount of gold I have given, switching to US and gold rushing some nearby defenders should help. The barbs MIGHT leave Rotterdam undefended... maybe. Finally, cultural pressure on Nidaros could mean that he could get it back for peace. Maybe... I dunno.

@Digit:
Hannibal is from Carthage, not Babylon

@Liberi:
The Isle is given a city. The city is given two Januaries, Walls, a Castle, and a Theater. Remember, this must BURN to complete my quest. Fallout was also removed from the island. >>

Got it..........

True. I'll think up a reward. But...vra's got it right now.

No story again, sorry.

It seems the Dutch have chosen to empty the weapons store, and several citizens, inspired by their Gods, have rushed to army service.

A little known lord from the South has marshalled an army, rebuilding the Hall of the Lords. This was possible because it was not razed as it should have been in the original invasion...while not a powerful Lord, his banner has attracted a following in these trying times. Sadly, it seems he has pioneered a powerful new defensive weapon...but the little supplies available means the Dutch cannot expect to see anymore soon.

In the ruins of the Dutch city, it seems a bunch of men, seeing their homes wrecked have chosen to grab some swords and try to inflict some damage on the people who ruined their lives...led by a local baker, this ragtag team was inspired by Joao`s deliverance to take action...and hope chance and fortune are on their side.

If you make peace with the Dutch now and restore thier lands, the God of Ice *may* be merciful.

Ragnar muses in light of things.

"This Ice God is clever - he does not risk awakening the beast, because he has been acting in Inspiration."

The Viking Lord frowns. "I fear the gods only see things in one light. I would remind them I had an excellent relationship with the Dutch prior to their meddling."

Ragnar sighs, boot pressed against a Dutch Soldier, Axe held up to his throat as his dead comrades rotted all around them. "You would do well to remind both Willem and his Ice Lord that the snow would not be so stained with Dutch blood if not for pointless divine tinkering."

And with that, Ragnar let the man go, sure his message would be delivered earnestly.

((Winston, let me know if you disapprove of any of the following and I'll edit.))

Below the waves, the storm god watched a hideous battle unfolding. The monster, fully awakened now, had grown tremendously in strength. Were it not for Winston's intervention, surely the entire world would have drowned already... but the religion of the beast-worshippers was strong, their people numerous. The mortal had done well to convert as many as he already had, but there were... so many.

A tentacle shot forward, enveloping the sea god. Winston struck back, his trident skewering the beast, which let out a tremendous roar. At its roar, an overwhelming wave shot forward, aimed directly at Viking lands.

"No, monster," the storm god snarled. "You shall not take my people! Let the drowning you have so earnestly desired to wreak upon the world strike home upon those who have brought you upon this realm!"

The water boiled and hissed, green and putrid - not the briny water of the sea, but some malignant creation from the depths of the hells. Summoning a windstorm, Eldarion hurled it headlong, sending the waves crashing against far shores - the shores of the beast-worshipping Dutch. Screams echoed from the dying cities as its citizens felt their flesh melted from their bones - shrieks of agony that resounded across the world.

((Drowned two of Willem's Islam-only coastal cities.))

((Winston, let me know if you disapprove of any of the following and I'll edit.))

Below the waves, the storm god watched a hideous battle unfolding. The monster, fully awakened now, had grown tremendously in strength. Were it not for Winston's intervention, surely the entire world would have drowned already... but the religion of the beast-worshippers was strong, their people numerous. The mortal had done well to convert as many as he already had, but there were... so many.

A tentacle shot forward, enveloping the sea god. Winston struck back, his trident skewering the beast, which let out a tremendous roar. At its roar, an overwhelming wave shot forward, aimed directly at Viking lands.

"No, monster," the storm god snarled. "You shall not take my people! Let the drowning you have so earnestly desired to wreak upon the world strike home upon those who have brought you upon this realm!"

The water boiled and hissed, green and putrid - not the briny water of the sea, but some malignant creation from the depths of the hells. Summoning a windstorm, Eldarion hurled it headlong, sending the waves crashing against far shores - the shores of the beast-worshipping Dutch. Screams echoed from the dying cities as its citizens felt their flesh melted from their bones - shrieks of agony that resounded across the world.

((Drowned two of Willem's Islam-only coastal cities.))

I protest.

Do what you will, but don`t be drowning cities.

City removal/alteration is perfectly within the bounds of the rules. This is - after all- Divine Intevention - and especially the AI is more susceptable to "DM fiat", as we call it.

That's fine, Eldarion, and pretty much as I imagined it.

Oh, and I can assure the evil Dutch (and their patrons) that there'll be a whole load more smiting on the way, if I ever get free of these damned tentacles. ;)

Got it.
XCL

Finished Turn.

------
[Dutch are Dead]
[Arabians took Eldarion Briefly but have so far been oblitered in respective casualties. Eldarion retaken.]
[Churchillton Taken. I'm sorry Churchill! Your punishment made me weep]
[Actually, I just sued for peace and gave Rotterdam to Dutch as a treaty. They all fought it out.]
[Hannibal is dangerously close to culture win so I'm probably going to rush him next turn.]

Ragnar stood in front of an army. It was not his. Outside Nidaros, the warrior was fully armored and armed, standing before thousands of Dutch and Arabian soldiers. They had been transported there divinely, clearly, for no army could move so quickly through grounds so defended.

"Perhaps it is time for a peace treaty..." he mused, as the soldiers nervously looked forward at their singular foe.

------------------------------

"My Lord, you were right!" an advisor announced, moving into the court. "Willem fell for the gift! Rotterdam has been seized by Churchill directly following our withdrawl and return to The Hague."

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-Churchill.jpg

Ragnar smiled, recalling his plan. Initially facing an army of Churchill's troops and Willem's both outside a recently captured Rotterdam, he immediately called for a cease-fire and returned the city to Willem. Churchill, blinded by his fury, tore the city by force and engaged in a bitter defense. In the disorder, Thanatos stole the life of Churchill. Ragnar felt the Plague Lord would be pleased with this particular soul.

After the crushing defeat at Rotterdam, Willem submitted to Arabian control as a last-minute plea for protection.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-Vassal.jpg

-----------------------------------

(Not really a good explanation in-game for this: Founded a city to increase cultural pressure on Aden and then culture bombed it. Great artists never really struck me as IC justifiable.)

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-Vigilance.jpg

-----------------------------------

The brand new naval forces of the Viking Empire set sail for Churchillton, the wind not moving fast enough to speed the sailors who still held in recent memory the catastrophic forces raised by Churchill. Never before, no matter the threat, had a god forced peace.

But peace did not last. As war broke out in a few years later, the first major naval battles in Viking history were overwhelming Viking victories.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-AtSea.jpg

-----------------------------------

(Churchill your barbarians are absolutely frightening.)

As the the soldiers sailed forth, they gripped their rifles tightly. The surf kicked around the boat, and the shore was in sight. The main defenders, according to Aerial recon, were longbow-equipped barbarians.

But then the skies roared, and the seas exploded. Flying, roaring machines raced by, dropping bombs on the fleet. Some of the ships were instantly incapacitated, explosions ripping Galleons in half while several Ships of the Line began to slow, fatally up in flames.

Although frightening, it became clear that these machines were not in large enough numbers to halt the landing.

And the Battle of Churchillton ended with the capture of the city that had been revealed to them so long ago.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-Churchillton.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-BarbarianFighter.jpg

(Fighters! FIGHTERS!)

-------------------------------

General Zhuge ducked into a trench, with bullets flying overhead. A soldier stood up from behind cover, and unloaded half a magazine on a charging brigade of macemen and curassiers. The battle of Eldarion had gotten fierce, within initial overwhelming numbers forcing Viking forces out of the city. The tide was turning, however, and the casualties had climbed to almost five arabian deaths to every one viking. But the invasion force was indeed massive, enough to construct a building directed at it's oversight specifically.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-Pentagon.jpg

"General Zhuge! The 32nd Battalion has pushed forward into the east wall of the city!"

"Does the Eldar Shrine still stand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Funnel troops over to the breach! RALLY! We have them on the run!"

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D9-RecapturingEldarion.jpg

(Saladin had a stack of almost 60 units and it took about 4 turns for my recapture-stack to kill off all the units occupying Eldarion while a small attack force meandered around and died near Nidaros)

------------------------------------

The music played, and it played sadly. The heroes of this nation were many, and they were known in every household.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-Heroes.jpg

As immortal as Ragnar himself, it was known that the leader of these was the fearless, merciful Dame Lancelot. But tragedy is blind, and it had finally struck. The official procession carried through the streets of Uppsala, and as Lancelot was lowered into the ground, even Thanatos was given pause.

--------------------------------------

Willem stood in his hall, halberd held guardedly towards the Viking Warrior. "My blood will not be on your hands today, Ragnar."

All alone, Ragnar took two heavily armored steps forward, gripping his axe tightly. "Need we talk, Willem? I offer you the same offer I did Joao, Lincoln, and Catherine. Capitulate, renounce Saladin, and I will leave you to your country - and more importantly, your life."

"I have no alliegence to Saladin - it is our Lord, the Runner, and the Deep Savior, that compels him to accept me in a treaty that would disallow your heath-"

Ragnar roared, taking three more steps forward and lifting his axe up, bringing it down towards Willem. The Dutch immortal took only one step back and caught the blade on the axe head of his polearm, thrusting the blade back over Ragnar's head, unbalancing the Viking and sending him sprawling. Pulling the halberd back horizontally, he lept forward and thrust it down towards Ragnar's gut.

Letting the axe go, Ragnar thrust his palms forward and electricity pulsed out, jolting Willem. Dropping the Halbard, he twitched and jerked, retreating slightly but not falling. As ragnar pushed himself to his feet, he launched into a run and grabbed his own wrist, juking to the right and bringing a metal elbow up at Willem's face. With a sickening crack, he fell and blood stained the Viking's armor, although this was nothing even remotely new to the warrior-king.

As a metal boot descended, Willem rolled and marble cracked; a pistol was drawn and the derringer smoked. Two blasts ricocheted off of the armor, and the Viking regained his balance.

But the time had cost the Viking, and the Dutch Immortal was on his feet and running for a gun rack. Ripping a rifle off the wall, he turned, and stared into the face of a foe he had never seen before.

Ragnar leveled his new ally, a Viking-Made revolver, his face grim and confident. "It seems the days of valor and combat have come to an end, Willem."

Willem's breathing slowed, and his adrenaline faded. He closed his eyes, and quietly set his weapon aside, leaning it against a wall.

"Hannibal will be a great foe, Ragnar. I know you will defeat Saladin and Augustus, but he is not the same as those two."

"I do not plan to ever lose a fight, Willem. If I do, it will mean that I have died, and I will have little to worry about then."

"Do not let my children see me."

"You're the only one left, Willem. You're the only one left."

Ragnar found it disturbingly easy that it took only one twitch of his finger to destroy the Netherlands.

------------------------

World Recap:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W1-Northeast.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W2-Northwest.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W3-South.jpg

Ragnar found it disturbingly easy that it took only one twitch of his finger to destroy the Netherlands.


Pleased with yourself I hope?

You have set yourself at odds with the God of Ice Ragnar...it is not the seas but men you shall soon fear...

Ragnar stood at the edge of the sea, stand atop the floating ice on the western coast of his continent.

"God of Ice!" he roared. "I have proven your people are weak! I have destroyed your chosen! You have plenty of time to choose the right people still; if you still live! Your people all venerated Runner, and the vile Sea Beast!"

There was no reponse and his eyes narrowed. "My people always come first; I know your wrath comes but I urge you to reconsider. Have you not seen? Have you not watched? The world quakes in fear, and you stubbornly assume that I will eventually bow to your icey call? Better that you make peace with me, and that you ask of me things that make sense! I cannot destroy the ice you have corrupted even these tropical seas with, but I will survive whatever you can throw at me!"

Ragnar's cape billowed in the arctic wind, and he sneered. Joao stepped quietly to the side of the raging Viking King, looking over the ocean.

"In the end, Ragnar, I do envy you. The gods were able to sway my mind easily; it seems you are not so keen on their plans for you."

"Bah! You know nothing of me, Joao. I have seven gods telling me to kill someone and seven telling me not to. I only do these quests when they coincide with my best interests. The audacity of these childish beings to think that I would depart from my role as king to serve as their little toy?"

Joao shook his head, and sighed, placing a hand on Ragnar's shoulder, before making his way back towards the house on the hill.

Got it...

Also, how many of your heroes survived the initial strike?? I lost 2 when I played... you seemed to lose only 1. I think...

Yes... fighters. Only to prevent you jumping in with fighters of your own, and bombarding them. This tile is meant to be hard to fight for. Its not a tile on a platter.

If it helps, aside from interception, they have no promotions...

[Edit2]Alas, my laptop is on the fritz... it seems to think there is a constant, and dangerous overheating problem. There isn't. I am getting it serviced on Monday, and I expect it to be gone till Thursday... so I will ask people to remotely modify these programs :P

Digit appeared before Ragnar in his trophy room. Ragnar was sitting on a chair, watching him. He opened his mouth, but no sound emerged.

"I will not speak of my Gods, as they do not bother you. But I am sorry... for my actions, to give you greatness, have caused you to lose your sole friend. America

I would have thought you wouldn't declare on your only friends, but they are the holders of the second Holy Whales. And if you capture them, then you will become VERY strong. And as a result, I have sown the seeds of the revolution, and now those seeds blossom into full-scale war.

You will find Diplomacy will fail you. But at least you will be able to capture the whales, and as a result, capture the entire continent. The costs of maintaining a civilisation on that empire will be almost unbearable, but I will help you. You MUST capture the whales north of the Garden, and following that, you MUST keep that city, not converting it to a colony.

But congradulations on the new source of whales. And as a result, you will gain a very nice bonus. You will never see such a bonus, but you will get it nonetheless. It is the invisible reward. And you will continue to gain bonuses as long as you capture new sources of whales.

Alas, I will no longer be able to support you in your wars, or anything else. My power is solely in my pacts, and it is up to you do fulfill them."


#1: Make America declare war on the Vikings.
#2: Give America a -100 diplo hit on the Vikings. (Thats right... - Minus One Hundred)
#3: Destroy half the cuirassers on the American Continent (near the Garden of Elona), and change the AI from AI_Pillage, to AI_Suicide_Lemmings (or something of that nature).



When the Whales are captured in America, and if the island is NOT turned into a colony, then give the Vikings 3 free Transports, 2 free Destroyers, a Battleship, and a Carrier.
When the Whales are captured near Persia, give the Vikings 12 paratroopers, reduce the cultural defences of the Garden of Elona to enough to get the BFC and no more, and give a free desert city (Desert tiles in the BFC) to the west of the Garden, and a fort. The city and the fort is not for profit, but rather as a air-drop target for the many Paratroopers. Give all the Paratroopers CRI-III.
When all three whales are captured (the one near Rotterdam, the one near the Garden of Elona, and the one near Persia), then convert the two strongest Persian cities to the Vikings (along with all buildings, and WW's, and all units, but no National Wonders). Build a Forbidden Palace in one city, Bunkers, Walls, Castles, and Airports, and expand the cultural borders to the level that the old Persian cities had.
Place a clam, crab, or fish resource in all coastal BFC's on the Viking Mainland (including any non-Viking cities), but replace all regular coast tiles with Peaks, only allowing a passage for ships to enter and exit. Move any coastal seafood resources to a safe, adjacent tile. This will force any counter-attacks to be directed into the Viking cities.

PM me, or post in spoilers (preferred), to ask any questions.

@Digit:
I offered Willem Rotterdam for peace. My troops were ejected to the Hague, Churchill struck and rended the town a new one, and they bickered at each other. I lost a Hero at another point.

((Not changing anything with the save yet - this is a tale of how the actions of the mortals affect the realm of the gods.))

As the war with Willem's folk raged, the underwater battle continued to take its toll on both god and beast. Winston speared the creature again and again, but for each wounded tentacle, it seemed three more would rise up to take its place. Soon the sea god would be overwhelmed.

"Winston!" Eldarion thundered. "Take my power! Strike upon the monster with all the force of a thousand hurricanes!"

Wind shrieked like a living thing as the sky grew black. The water churned violently, the turquoise of the ocean mingling with the vile sheen of the monster's bile, mixed again with the purifying rain that poured from above. As the din reached a crescendo, a maelstrom appeared, reaching downward to where god and beast still waged their endless battle. As the whirlpool's bottom reached the crown of the monster's head, Winston skewered the tentacle that held him fast, pinning it to the ocean floor. At the same time, Eldarion called down a massive thunderbolt, striking downward through the water to electrify the monster.

Enraged, the creature let loose a terrifying bellow, but this time the storm god was prepared for the watery blast. The wind howled, crashing the water in upon itself even as it broke free.

"Hear me, monster!" he thundered. "I am the god of the storm! I have seen you imprisoned before, and you shall not..."

And at that moment, the city of Eldarion was lost to the Arabian invaders.

The storm god doubled over in violent pain, his temple taken by heathens who worshipped the beast. The wind's fury abated, the whirlpool losing its force as its master failed, but the beast felt a surge of energy. Water surged once more, but this time its intended target was the god himself. Weakened as he was, drained of his strength, he felt himself pulled downward, toward the waiting maw of the beast. Tentacles wrapped around him, and he felt himself falling, drowning...

"Eldarion!" Winston shouted. Transforming himself into a giant whale, he crashed into the outstretched tentacles of the monster, severing a number of them. The beast screamed its fury, but it was at that time that Willem, one of the heathen leaders, was now locked in mortal combat with Ragnar. As a bullet ended the life of the Dutch warlord, so did the beast's strength wane. It let loose a pitiful cry, locked in its chains, and green bile oozed from the broken tentacles. As the whale bore Eldarion to the surface, the Arabians were cast out, and the storm god felt his strength returning.

"Winston," he murmured as he felt the light of day on his face again. "Thank you."

"We are even now, brother god," the sea god said. "But though the mortal has done well, and we have dealt the creature a ponderous blow, it will recover. We have bought the godling precious time - let us hope he makes the most of it."

As the storm god looked down into the seas, he did not mistake the look of pure hatred that the monster cast upon him. There would be more bloodshed before this war of the world was done.

The second 'immortal' human had just entered the Netherworld for all eternity. Pavlos could not help but smile as he saw the spirit of Willem van Oranje drifting into the Netherworld. 'This is what you get for earning Death's enmity. You are one of few immortal men, yet you still manage to anger the gods to the point you are killed. Fitting, is it not?'

His musing on Willem's death was interrupted harshly by a great rumble throughout the whole Netherworld. Pavlos stood up, with a sense of foreboding.

Then, a tentacle swept through and tried to grasp Willem's spirit.

As Pavlos struggled to keep the creature from seizing Willem's soul and taking him from the Netherworld, he came to a shocking conclusion:

'The revering of the creature has also weakened the threshold between the overworld and the Netherworld!'

Pavlos chanted ancient words of power, each word sealing off the creature from the Netherworld. With a tremendous effort, the rift was sealed and the creature kept out. For now.

Pavlos left the Netherworld, his face set grim. Someone had to put an end to that creature and its worshippers. And he already knew on which mortal he was going to call to finish the task he himself would start. Ragnar would once more receive help from him, and he would unleash yet another plague upon the worshippers of the beast.


... But yet, even in the lands of the Vikings temples were built, where under the guise of Islam the great beast was worshipped, and therefore Pavlos felt the need to aid another mortal as well... one, far away, where beast-worship was a small niche and other gods were worshipped. Bargaining with Cyrus did not take long... the small cliques in Persia that worshipped the beast all died mysterious deaths, and nobody was surprised by the fact that Persia had got new legions seemingly out of nowhere. All pointed to another divine pact to stop the beast.

I took pop points away from Roman, Carthaginian and Arabian cities for their worship of the beast and the sheer fact that nobody has Medicine yet, thus giving a plague free reign. Ragnar did not get hit that hard because the borders are closed.

I also took away the Beast Worship in Persia and aided them with Riflemen and Cannons. Cyrus is the only AI not allied with Ragnar worshipping the Beast.

Got it......

hey guys... sorry i haven't been on in awhile... had an astronomy mid-term... papers, quizzes... a ForestAuro on my computer... lol... just bust with school and stuff... any who... i will actually mettle out some punishments and rewards some time tonight...

hey guys... sorry i haven't been on in awhile... had an astronomy mid-term... papers, quizzes... a ForestAuro on my computer... lol... just bust with school and stuff... any who... i will actually mettle out some punishments and rewards some time tonight...

((Astronomy mid-term? Did you at least get some free galleons out of completing the research?))

((Astronomy mid-term? Did you at least get some free galleons out of completing the research?))
That's what I thought of first too :cry: Pathetic of me...

This place is a bad influence ;)

Elona and Eldarion:

Have been moving and can't upload the save so I'll un-got it and give you both a chance to edit.

got it.... and sadly... no galleons...

Elona sat in her garden unhappily. She missed her daughter. What was taking Ragnar so long to send her back? She should have been back by now. Looking out over the world Elona saw that Elainas had indeed reached New Elona safely, but he had failed to return her. Elona didn't care that there were wars going on, she want her daughter back. Each day that passed Elona grew more depressed and Ragnar's lands began to show the signs. Grasslands became plains and plains became deserts. Slowly the land began to die. If Elainas didn't return soon, Ragnar's kingdom would begin to crumble as the land died.

Elainas needs to be returned to the Garden of Elona within the next 50 turns or there will be dire consequences...

Weakened as he was by the battle with the monster, drained of much of his strength by the enemy capture of his temple, however brief, the storm god could feel Elona's sadness, and the plague that it was bringing upon the land. He knew well that there were other battles where the mortal needed his aid, but he could ill afford to expend any great power, no matter how just a cause it might be in. Better, then, that he keep his promise to the goddess - to lend her a wind when she would need it most.

"Remember our pact, O goddess of nature," he murmured, and with the breath of his mouth, he sent forth a mighty wind... a wind that bore before it the swiftest ship that the world had ever seen.

((Added The Storm Wind outside of Eldarion, one galleon with Nav I & II, Mobility, and Sentry. It won't fight for you very well, but it should make fulfilling the goddess' quest a bit easier.))

Its possibly that people are ignoring my plea's to edit it for me on account that my computer SUCKS, but there is a small problem.

America is going to war against Ragnar. Or at least... it should do. Which will mean that returning the unit to the Garden will require the Vikings to over-run the Americans within 50 turns... ouch!!

Also, has anyone done my edit yet? I have had to do a complete re-install... >.<

Why did I spoiler that? All that info is already available :p

@Eldarion:
Fastest ship! Hah! Take a look at the Lancet when you get a chance ;)

Morale, baby.

Save attached for Digit's edits.

Got it.
(XCL)

Elainas sat sorrowfully on deck, eyes fixated on the northwest. The news had come suddenly and with little warning; though by Ragnar's eyes, it was clear that he was not surprised, perhaps the only one. Lincoln, and the Americans from Elona's Garden had rebelled, killing the ambassador and sending his corpse back to mainland Viking territory.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-WarLincoln.jpg

The new ships had been designed, metal, natureless beasts powered by engines which churned the water. She rode upon Eldarion's ship - while faster, it kept with the fleet for protection, as its thin wooden hull was vulnerable. Jahvaneer sat nearby, looking down at the floor as quiet conversation carried on between several of Pavlos' undead soldiers as they cradled their submachineguns fondly.

"Why is the world so violent?" she asked her companion, sadness welling within her.

"I'm not sure, El-"

"I am." interjected Ragnar, and the two looked up to find him standing above them. The distant sounds of opening artillery fire sounded in the distance, indicating that the fighting had begun. Ragnar turned his head slightly towards the shore slowly coming into view, and the dust could already be seen rising from the First Gate.

"Why?"

"This war is the ploy of the gods, child. According to my visions, these americans were caused to revolt because one of the mighty siblings of your mother wanted me to capture whales in the Garden."

"What!? That's ludicris!"

"The gods think nothing of the lives of mortals; the individuals are beyond their grasp. Some, like your mother, think nothing of rending the earth in half or letting the lands die in her sadness. Others, like the Lord of Ice, foolishly defend a people almost as if they are testing my ability to follow their orders, and become upset when I do not bend to their will. Still others are crazy, such as this Digit, and influence the minds of the mortals in such a way that I am forced to kill them, and this creates great sadness within me. I believe the time of the gods is drawing to a close, and they are acting out in order to remain relevant."

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-Civics.jpg

"But why are you forced to kill them, if the gods influence their actions!?"

"When a man is too weak to resist the commands of a God, he or she becomes dangerous and must be dealt with. It is the same danger as if he had done it himself. Now, quickly, get below deck. I offered these Americans the chance at freedom and they have lost it. The battle will begin soon."

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-FirstGate.jpg

----------------------------------

The Arabian ambassador slammed his staff down on the table, standing and pointing straight at the Viking priest. The entire apostlic palace became silent, only for a moment, before the resident began yelling.

"You dog! You have sent your flying machines over our borders again in this new war against Hannibal! Time and time again your people violate the will of the Savior by committing unwarrented acts of violence against your brothers an-"

"Are you referring to the city that you captured from us in your unwarrented act of invasion?"

At this moment, bursting through the door of the Palace, the media flooded in, pictures snapping and video cameras rolling, anchors all waiting on the answer.

The Viking ambassador sneered, and stood up, leaving the palace for the last time as the Arabian resident stared speechless, even as the media started drilling him with questions.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-GoodbyeIslam.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-Eiffel.jpg

(If somebody could remove islam from my cities plz.)

------------------------------

Lincoln sat quietly as Pavlos' undead soldiers kept watch, as it had been for the last half hour. They had crushed the gates in quick succession, eventually storming into the Garden itself and finishing the battle in a devastating blitz.

The door opened suddenly, and a girl tumbled into the room, tossed by Ragnar himself. Joao moved in afterwards, taking up a position behind the President. The girl was sobbing, and it was clear that she had been for quite a while.

"This is the bidding that your gods chose for you!" Ragnar roared. "This is the world that you so eagerly sought, the world of violence and the knowledge you never needed to see. You were safe in this garden, but you were not here to stop this mortal fool from being corrupted by the promises of insane gods!" The warrior king bared his teeth, and then unhooked his sidearm, forcing it into her hand. She eyed it with terror, and shook her head, but he forced her up, and kept her grip on the gun.

"This is your problem, and now you will fix it."

Ragnar squeezed her finger, and the gun fired once, twice, three times. Lincoln slumped, and Ragnar tossed her on the floor again.

"Tell your mother that I will burn her garden to the ground if she does not repair my lands. It is clear that your matron is too finicky, too emotional to act rationally, so now I must speak in a language I am sure she understands."

And with that, he stormed out of the room, Joao quick to follow.

-----------------------

Recap:
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W1-NewAquisition.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W2-NewElonaGarden.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/W3-VictoryDoubt.jpg

(Arabia took out a transport with Erik and Kremun on it, so they're both dead.)
(I took out about six Carthaginian cities, and I'm almost to Hannibal's third-most-cultural city, so I'm not worried about his cultural win)
(Switched to Free Religion.)
(Built Broadway, Rock and Roll, Eiffel Tower)

Does anyone know a good guide to using python on the save? The Lord of Shadows wishes to remind everyone that vi was the God of Magic, too.

Got it...

And I forgot to give techs to America >.< NO wonder that was too easy... Infantry vs. Longbows is no match. Oh well. A promise is a promise...

Right then...

Ragnar was sitting in front of the new fireplace he had installed for the Trophy Room. He had started to like this place, and wondered why he had bothered to seal the doors to prevent Digit from excaping. He was a nice God. A little on the insane side, but a nice person nonetheless...

Digit appeared with a little poof. He was much weaker now.

"Ragnar". He said. He had the form of a little boy, but sounded like an ancient man. "I am dying. But, there is good news! You have almost completed the quest of the Holy Whales. There is just one more source for you to capture. And once you do, you will have an entire continent to capture, for very little gold.

Because you have overthrown the Americans so quickly, I will gift you a sizable naval force. 1 Battleship battalion, a Destroyer Battalion, 3 Transport Battalions, and a carrier battalion. This has appeared to the nearest coastal tile to your capital. Ironically, that is right beside the Arabian attack force.

And now all you have to do is overthrow the Persians, and you will have an unstoppable force!"

Ragnar nodded. "And I must thank you. The Americans were poorly defended. Thier longbows fell easily to my Infantry."

Digits face fell. "No..."

Ragnar nodded. "I must thank you so much."

Digit's face contorted in pain. "NO!! Please forgive me! Please, please, please! I didn't mean to..."

At that moment, the entire right-wing of the Palace exploded. Hundreds upon thousands of sheets of paper exploded from the sky, all bearing the symbol of Confusism. And a tongue of fire arced down from space to hit Digit and throw him into the sky. His tormented cries were heared across the world. Ragnar was immediately impaled on a steel pillar, but he managed to recover, on account of him being immortal. As soon as he stood up, he looked to the sky. Digit was gone...

He turned, and another tongue of fire ripped from the sky. It exploded, concentric rings of fire emerged, miles above the heads of the Palace guards. A meteor fell, right on the Left-wing of the Palace. The entire palace had been decimated. Ragnar sprinted to the meteor, and found Digit, sitting there, crying.

"Forgive me, Ragnar, for I have failed you. I met my maker, my God, and he was punishing me for breaking a pact. However, I made a deal. The technology I was meant to give the Americans has now been given to the rest of creation. I managed to persuade him not to give all the technology to them, but they have aquired much technology. I am sorry... Ragnar. I have failed you."

Digit stood, and then bowed to Ragnar. "Forgive me. I am in your debt. Your slave, for the rest of creation."

Ragnar was shocked... how could this be!? "Firstly, you must wipe the religion of the beast from this land. Kill all followers. Leave no survivors."

Digit nodded. "It will be done". And Digit proceeded to destroy hordes of Viking people.


Created 1 Battleship, 1 Destroyer, 3 transports, and 1 carrier. This will enable a faster amphibious attack on the Other continent.
Gave every civilisation free technologies. If they were able to research it, and Ragnar already had it, they got it. All AI leaders still have a sizable research deficit, compared to Ragnar, but they are much capable of defending.

Hannibal got Physics, Biology, and Steam Power
Genghis Khan got Divine Right, Democracy, Education, Scientific Method, Steam Power, and Steel
Boudica got Theology, Constitution, Liberilism, Printing Press, Economics, Military Science, and Steel.
Joao II got Democracy, Corporation, Scientific Method, Military Science, Rifling, and Steam Power
Saladin got Medicine, Electricity, Assembly Line, Artillery, and Rocketry
Caeser got Biology, Flight, Artillery, Radio
Cyrus got Physics, Biology, and Steam Power.

As you can see, the AI was some 10 or so techs behind the Vikings >.< And now they are only 4.

Finally, on Ragnars request, I removed Islam from all cities. However, all followers of Islam were also killed. This means that if there was only 1 religion (Islam) on a city, then that city was reduced to half the size. Otherwise, the population was reduced to (n-1)/n of the original size (rounded up), where n was the number of religions present in the city. All Islamic Buildings were left standing.

((Just story, no edits here.))

The infidels had all been wiped out from the Viking lands. There were still those who worshipped the storm god - indeed, all were free to worship as they chose now - but their extermination from thence, and the heavy blow struck against the Arabs through the elimination of their religious stronghold had crippled much of the beast's power.

But the hearts of men are fickle, and the god of entropy had interfered greatly in the world's balance. Men would take up arms, and in the bloodshed to follow, their hearts would turn to the beast even if their lips did not. Time was growing short, and the beast would strike at any opportunity now.

More than anything, however, Eldarion wished to reveal his true purpose to the Viking warlord. He was angry, and justly so, for he had been the object of much divine trickery and manipulation. He had railed against the gods time and time again. Now he would hear the truth of it.

That night, as he dreamt, the storm god returned, but in the storm, there was no lightning, no thunder, only a dreary gray drizzle. Eldarion's image was of one who has grown weary with the world, an old man who longs for release into the next realm.

"Ragnar, son of man, chieftain of the Vikings. There is something you must know." The clouds parted, and in the sky, Ragnar caught a glimpse of an enormous face - one with closed eyes, seemingly in dream. "You witness the face of Crantoth, god of the sky. He was my father - and the beast that haunts your dreams was his unmaker.

"Elainas asked you why this world is so violent. What you said about the war with the American - it is true. Gods are subject to the same foibles and faults of mortals. But so too are they capable of the same heroism. My father's sacrifice allowed those of us who remained to seal away the monster. Many of us fell on that horrific day; my father was the last. Born in blood was this world; bathing in blood is but following its natural inclination. Elements of both sides of that battle still can be found in this world, those who fought alongside the beast and those who fought to contain it. Sparks of profound good and evil shape the world - and those who are imbued with elements of that divine spark become... immortals."

Eldarion paused to let the implication of his words sink in. A light shone in Ragnar's eyes as he realized the truth.

"Yes, Ragnar. You, too, have the spark of the divine in you. As do the others, both those you have slain - Willem, Churchill, Lincoln - and those who live - Hannibal, Saladin, Joao. The gods have been rash in their actions; this I cannot deny. And the beast has grown stronger, not only because of this, but because there are many who believe in its power, even in this era of science. You must not let them prevail, Ragnar. You must not let the beast escape."

"I will have none of this divine power!" bellowed the Viking chief. "Your kind has done nothing but meddle in the affairs of my people since the day we formed our first stronghold!"

"You might as well deny your own humanity, for you are as much god now as man," the storm god replied. "It is for this reason that I have sought to guide you - that you would know the truth, and that when the time came for the choice, you would be prepared. For in the end, there are only two courses of action: to ascend to the ranks of the divine, and decide for yourself the kind of world that your people will live in... or to follow the beast. It will come for you now - it knows your strength, and it will seek to sway you."

"What if I choose neither?"

"You have railed against the gods all your life. You have likened us to children playing with mere toys. My father was not such a god, nor am I. And so I challenge you, Ragnar - were you a god, what sort of god would you be?"

"You have not answered me. What if I choose neither?"

"Then you will fall. You may one day conquer this world, Ragnar... you may bend every knee before you, make every nation a vassal of the Viking empire... but one day, the beast will arise. And if you will not stand against it as a god, you will not stand at all."

got it

xcl

"Eldarion, you should be more cautious with your words."

the Lord of Shadows materialized verself behind the Viking.

"There is one other way, Ragnar, should you find the ability. While an ascension would quell the beast for a short time, do not forget that this world, like all others, is unquestionably doomed. Or do you not remember what happened to mine?" The Lord of Shadows turned all of ver attention on Eldarion.

@NoDot:

((Not sure where you're going with this - I re-read your description on Realms and Worlds, but I'm either missing something or you're about to introduce a new story element. Either way's cool; just let me know and I'll play along.))

This is like the third time i've tried to do this. I keep on getting interrupted for stupid things like dinner

"It's amusing how Ragnar spends his time dwelling on the Carthaginians as if they were my true chosen people. It is time for my real people to reveal themselves. Yet still, the puny people of Hannibal have been good for my purposes. I give them cannons to aid in the defense of their homeland. My true people are to be given great centers of learning in many of their major cities. Let there be a great renaissance in their learning. Also, defenses are give to them. Let all tremble when they hear the name of the Runner. Let the Lord of Chaos reign in the evil empire of the Vikings.

:cool:
Bonus points with me if you know where that last part is from.

Changes:

Added a couple of cannons to Hannibal and a defender unit set to not attack (I think). Gave Cyrus islam and science buildings. Changed all of Forest Auro's civics back to the default for the anarchy. Surprised myself by abandoning Hannibal and adopting Cyrus.

I sense a great deal of negative change coming my way soon, so I'm gunna sneak in another 50 turns.

Got it.

To be fair, the only negative problem I gave, was because I made the previous quest FAR too easy...

Nonetheless, if you continue to be good to me, then I may give you a free bonus...


As a reward to your loyalty, if you ARE loyal (and that is for me to decide ;) ), you may choose 2 of these units for your army. These units start with a much reduced experiance cost. So the more promotions, the more experiance will be needed to get an additional promotion, however, it is MUCH less than usual.
One unit starts with Great General (No Unit Upgrade Cost, and enables further promotions). You can choose which one. Aren't I a good god?? :p

1) A Bomber with all the Aircraft-only promotions (Ace / Increased Range / Interception), and Combat I-VI
2) A fighter with all the Aircraft-only promotions (Ace / Increased Range / Interception), Combat I-VI, and Drill I-II
3) A tank with Combat I-III, Blitz, Morale, CR I-III, and Tactics.
4) A marine with Combat I-III, Amphibious, CG I-III, Drill I-III
5) A marine with Combat I-III, Amphibious, CR I-III
6) An Infantry with Combat I-IV, CR I-III
7) A Battleship with Combat I-V, Blitz
8) A Battleship with Combat I-III, Blitz, and Drill I-II
9) A Destroyer with Sentry, Navigation I-II, Morale, Flanking I-II, and that +100% Experiance ability.
10) A Destroyer with Combat I-III, Blitz, and Drill I-III
11) A group of 3 Transports, all with Navigation I-II, Morale [NOTE: You cannot use the GG on this set of units]
12) A group of 3 Carriers, all with Navigation I-II, Morale [NOTE: You cannot use the GG on this set of units]
13) An Anti-Tank with all anti-unit promotions (Pinch, Charge (anti-siege), Ambush, flanking, Interception I-II), CG I, and CR I-II
14) A SAM infantry with all anti-unit promotions, CG I, and CR I.
15) A gunship with Blitz, and Drill I-IV [NOTE: This unit will have the full penalty for experiance, so long as you cannot normally build Gunships]

If all this confuses you, just pick two numbers at random :P

Meh, well, I'm quite tired actually, so if anyone can edit it before tomorrow morning then it's all yours. un-got it.

got it...............

Ragnar and Elona stood in her veiwing room looking into her scrying pool. Ragnar had one arm resting on Elona's shoulder and Elona looked uneasy. Ragnar pointed. "Make those lands grasslands, my people are starving," he commanded and Elona was done as she was told. "Make those lands rolling plains, my people need land to work." It was done. "Erase the deserts and the tundras they are useless to my people. Melt the ice around your island, it makes trade difficult." On and on the commands went and Elona dutifully made the changes. Ragnar was her master now, he controlled the source of her power. He had threatened to burn it to the ground. Men were all the same. Fool that she was, she had given him command of her daughter. Now she worried that he would hold Elainas against her too.

What was the point of it all? She had obviously grown weak since enemy after enemy had seized her lands. The god of ice plotted against her, this she had known for a long time as he had worked to prevent all her quests. Mortals and immortals all plotted against her. She finished her work for Ragnar and then slipped out to the garden. She followed the paths to the sea. Stripping off her fine gown she slipped into the waters. As a final act she willed her human form to fade away and with the energy of her spirit strengthened the bonds that held the beast at bay. The Goddess of Nature was no more.

---------------------

Far away a lonely fishing boat bobbed in the waves on the shore of deserted island. Elainas and Jahvaneer peered out at the virgin landscape. Elainas hadn't been the same since Ragnar had taken control of The Garden; since Ragnar had forced her hand to pull the trigger and end Lincoln's life. She wanted nothing more of the garden and she wanted nothing more of the mortal world. So, Jahvaneer had stolen a small fishing boat and spirited Elainas away to this island hidden to the world.

---------------------

Jahvaneer had built the city of Cedarie for Elainas, hoping it would make her happy. To the world, he was Louis, for he did not want to attract unwanted attention to who he was or where Elainas was hiding. Their culture thrived, but Elainas remained aloof, spending more and more time in the forests. Eventually, she did not come back. Jahvaneer ordered that the forests never be cut down, willing what ever peace he could for Elainas. She had left him and so he did his best to govern the city, their descendants, on his own.

Got it.
XCL

OOC

Eldarion, I was referring to the Space Race.

All worlds are doomed? Just as it says. The burst of divine power from an ascension would temporarily quell the beast, long enough for someone to win the Space Race under "One More Turn".

The Lord of Shadows ascended on 2050, the day of the beast's awakening, so ver ascension wouldn't quell the beast, nor did vi have time for the Space Race.

Hmm. Unless someone finally defeated the beast ;)

Not quite finished, computer with graphics is being revoked ;)

Here's a preview, though xD

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/P1-Culture.jpg

Wow. Talk about taking the wind out Hannibal's sails...

Holy.....wow....

The wind whipped the fur cloak around Ragnar's ample form, as he gripped the rock face, hoisting himself up onto the mountain's last plateau. Coming to his feet, his eyes set upon that which he had been searching for - and had ultimately climbed the peak of Mount Runner for.

Hannibal's cape also whipped about wildly in the wind, and he did not turn to face Ragnar. There was a moment of silence, but just as the Viking started to speak, the Carthaginian warlord turned around with a scowl on his face.

-----------------------------
[Earlier...]
It had been a strange discovery - an undiscovered island in the West Persian Sea - and it was becoming even stranger for Ragnar as he spoke over the phone with it's leader, a man named Louis. The French, they called themselves, and it was apparent they had the technology that the Vikings guarded closely.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D1-Cedarie.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D3-MoustacheMan.jpg

But after Ragnar heard his voice, he had no doubts about who he was speaking to. So, the distraught daughter of the goddess of nature had longed to escape, and had found her home here amongst the virgin landscapes of an isle? Fine. But he knew there would be a time when he would need to return to the island and find her...

Meanwhile, he finished his conversation, and returned to the task at hand, the execution of one of the many failed attempts of espionage being weakly fielded by the opposition.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D2-SpyCentral.jpg

--------------
[At mount runner..]
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D4-HaddyDown.jpg

"You can't kill me, Ragnar! I'm not like the others!"

Ragnar growled, taking a step forward, an axe materializing in his hands. Lightning cracked around it, and he took up an offensive stance. Immediately, Hannibal drew his sword, and the fight was on. Rushing forward in a blur, Ragnar heaved the axe horizontally - but it was caught by the blade, and it held. This one was strong.

Pushing the axe sideways with a burst of strength, Hannibal unbalanced Ragnar in one motion and brought the hilt of his blade back in the next, slamming it into Ragnar's face. As the Viking twisted in the other direction, Hannibal's knee came up, burying itself in Ragnar's gut, and with another step forward Hannibal thrust his arm out, shoving the shorter warrior with enough force to send him flying. A few yards later, the Viking hit the snow, and slid another few before coming to a halt at the edge of the cliff.

---------------------
[Earlier...]

Mongolian sirens wailed. The Viking conquest, so long contained within the barriers of the eastern hemisphere, had finally crashed up against the coast of the western continent. Riflemen lined the walls, but flying war machines from offshore aircraft carriers pummeled their defenses and artillery shells from blockading battleships ripped them apart.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D7-Invasion.jpg

Genghis looked out over the ocean with worry on his face, but as his generals begin to shout, he silenced them with one sweep of his hand. No, he thought, The fighting in Mongolia has gone on long enough.

"Khan!" one started, bowing respectfully. "Your wishes?"

"Surrender." the Khan mused, and grinned. "Tell them they may have our alleigence in return for a cessation of hostilities. Similarly send a message to Blood Queen Boudica, informing her of our impending capitulation to Ragnar. I believe she will agree to our Peace."

And it was so. The Khan did not even leave his chair.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D10-Mine.jpg

--------------------------

[Side note. In 1941, the entire world was at war.]

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D8-Augustus.jpg

[Caesar, Joao, and I were at war with Hannibal and Saladin. Genghis Khan was at war with me and boudica, and boudica was warring against cyrus. Interesting timing, no?]

----------------------------------
[At Mount Runner...]

Ragnar groaned, but picked himself up off the ground, as Hannibal strode towards him steadily, sword at the ready. Anchoring himself, he hopped forward, bringing his axe up above his head, and then barreling down towards Hannibal. But once again the Carthaginian was too quick, and side stepped, hacking downwards at Ragnar's back as he landed. The blow was true; Ragnar again fell prone. This time, however, there was the added pain of Hannibal ripping the blade out of his back.

"You think that I have not learned from the mistakes of our fallen bretheren, Ragnar?" Hannibal spat, looking down at the warrior as he rolled over, meeting eyes with the Carthaginian. "I'm more than a piece-of-. .. .. .. . warmonger that can't age out so the populace can get back to their lives."

"You submitted to Saladin's protection; Is he more than you, then?"

Bringing his boot up, Hannibal intended to give the Viking a sound stomp, but it was caught by Ragnar's large, gloved hand. Pushing violently, he set Hannibal on his back and gripped his axe, leaping to his feet. Scrambling up as well, Hannibal retrieved his sword, and the two stared - standing - face to face once more.

Blood dripped slowly down that fur cloak that still whipped, as the wind picked up even more so on this dead mountain peak. The clouds churned, and Ragnar's eyes began glowing a light blue.

"Were you more than me, when I slew your army, and I took your esteemed Utica, your beloved Carthage for my own?"

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D5-UticaDown.jpg

Hannibal, this time, moved to strike, rushing in low and bringing his blade up diagonally. But Ragnar deflected the blow with his axe, and brought the shaft up into Hannibal's chin, sending the Carthaginian stumbling back. Ragnar wasted no time, and deftly struck out with with a quick hack, burying his blade into Hannibal's chest. Hannibal fell, and Ragnar stumbled forward, onto a waiting blade - one that ran him through, piercing his gut.

Ragnar roared, and ripped the axe out, a spatter of blood staining the snow beneath them. He brought the axe down once, twice, three times, more blood spraying freely from Hannibal - but he could feel, even as he sent blows that killed normal men - that his enemy was twisting the blade, and slowly pulling it upwards.

"You will need more than just your brute strength to defeat me, Viking! I am HANNIBAL! I AM CHOSEN BY THE GODS!"

The fourth blow collapsed the ribcage entirely and the axe buried deeply within the body, extending slightly out of Hannibal's back. The sword immediately lost it's grip, and Hannibal choked and sputtered, breathing clearly becoming a life-threatening problem. As blood fountained out of the ruined Carthaginian and flowed freely out of the pierced Viking, Ragnar lifted the axe - and Hannibal came with it, slowly lifted into the air. Taking small steps towards the cliff, both immortals felt their lives slipping away.

"You...won't...make it..back.." Hannibal whispered, even now a spiteful scowl across his paling face.

"RUNNER!" the Viking Lord screamed, his voice echoing all through the mountains, the valleys, and even the heavens. "Renew me, and show the world who your chosen is!". And even as he screamed, he recoiled, gripping the axe one last time. With all his might, he threw the axe, and both his weapon Hannibal fell. With nothing left to fuel him, the Viking collapsed, as Hannibal's sword remained in him to threaten that heartbeat which the world depended on.

Silently, Hannibal fell, as the Carthaginian had no more strength to even scream in rage.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D9-GnightHanny.jpg

-------------

Recap:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D6-UN.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/D11-Victory.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/TheForestAuro/P1-Culture-1.jpg

(Save coming shortly.)