Going to be using this thread to fill out the lore on any features we add... Feel free to post your own work, it will most likely be used. :goodjob: I'll also be forced to pickup Blender soon, so I'll post any units/buildings/whatever I make here as well.


Needed Text


Civpedia

Resources

Ale - History - Bad tag
Cotton - History - Bad TXT_KEY...
Obsidian- History - Bad TXT_KEY...


Units - History - Bad TXT_KEY...

Captain
Grenadier
IronClad
Jotnar Settler
Lord D'Tesh
Minotaur
Mobile Fortress
MusketMan
Sabertooth
Tactician
Trackless
Warchief
Zarraz the Longsighted


Unit - History - Empty Description

Auric Ascended
Boris
Camel Archer
Centaur Archer
Centaur Guard
Centaur Lancer
Captain
Dragon Tortoise
Gaelon
Gibbon Goetia
Gorilla
Griffin
Gurid
Herald
High Priest of Winter
Hippogriff
Ice Elemental
Ira
Jotun
Lightning Elemental
Margalard
Mistform
Mortar
Mud Golem
Privateer
Sea Serpent
Sect of Flies
Spellsword
Supplies
Teutorix
Tower Mage
Valkyrie
Wyrm


Building - History - Bad TXT_KEY

Great Hall
Monument to Tyranny
Sacrificial Alter
School of Govannon


Building - History - Empty Description

Apothecary
Arena
Barracks
Basilica
Bear Den
Bear Totem
Bowyer
Caminas Aureus
Catacomb Libralus
Cathedral of Tali
Celestial compass
city of 1000 slums
crown of akharien
Desert shrine
Dies Diei
Dwarfen smithy
Farmers market
Form of the titan
Frozen Souls
Governors Manor
Griffin Weyr
Grove
Guild of the Nine
Hall of Autumn
Hall of Mirrors
Hall of Spring
Hall of Summer
Hall of Tomes
Hall of Winter
Hall of Years
Halls of d'tesh
herbalist
Heron throne
hippodrome
jeweler
jousting tilt
library
lion den
machinists shop
mammoth den
meditation hall
mines of gal-dur
money changer
museum
nox noctis
order of the wyvern
pagan temple
palisade
pillars of creation
repository
resplendent minaret
Ride of the nine kings
sculptors studio
siegeworkshop
smugglers port
song of autumn
stable
stag copse
steamworks
summer palace
tablet of bambur
Tailor
Tax Office
Temple of Kilmorph
Temple of Empyrean
Temple of Hand
Temple of Order
Temple of Veil
Temple of D'tesh
The Necronomicon
The Nexus
Theater of Dreams
Tower of Divination
Warrens
Winter Palace
Wyvern Monastery


Terrain Improvements - Bad TXT_KEY...

Bair of Lacuna
Foxford
portal
Rinwell isle
Tower of Eyes

Bezeri
(Will be massively expanded on.)


Basic Info:A Mazatl splinter-group, from just before the Age of Ice, who live in coastal territory and make use of nature and body magic. Once the Ice Age began, they saw no option but to rapidly change themselves in order to survive... Becoming more like the fish they relied on for food. They were eased into this new life by the Tsaayiq'an, a pre-existing aquatic race of toads the lizards came in contact with. Over the centuries since, the two cultures have merged, utilizing the best of both... The agility, adaptability, and numbers of the Lizards, and the tremendous arcane aptitude of the relatively rare Toad.

They are opposed to both the White Hand, representing the death of their lands and many of their people, lost to the ice, and the Overlords, which they view as a spreading corruption in the Oceans. All other religions are open to them, barring the Ordo Machinarum... Rather than fire and steam, they use biological systems.

They are good, but also arrogant, viewing the 'lesser' races with disdain. They have a slight predisposition towards slavery, if only because of their views. I could see them as Lawful Neutral, rather than Good, but we don't have that alignment. :lol:
Nomenclature:Their language is at the same time fluid, and guttural. Many of the words and place names will flow easily off the tongue, whereas the names of individuals, units, and magics will be more guttural. This is an artifact from when the two cultures were separate.... The Tsaayiq'an had a highly guttural language.
Bez -> Sea, Ocean, so on. There's only one real ocean, as the 'oceans' are all connected, so the Bezeri do not differentiate between bodies of water... Currents and reefs are more important boundaries.
Bezer -> Singular form of Bezeri, applies to the individual rather than the society. Rarely used, as they tend to identify themselves by caste rather than nationality.
Bezeri -> People of the Sea
Bezer'ej -> City of the People of the Sea

Castes- Traditionally, the 'toads' have belonged to the higher castes, beginning with T or Q, while the lizards make up the labor and military castes, beginning with a V. (Beginning letter is not coincidental, but an artifact from before the merge of the languages.) Over time, the priestly and bureucratic castes have become open to both races.

Taidar'een -> Noble
Leaders. This caste will only be used in Pedia entries, particularly in that of Targassat.
Quolng'een -> Priest
This one will also likely be pedia only, doubt I'll make religious UU's.
Tiec'een -> Caster
Arcane line. Will be used in game.
Tyolok'een -> Bureocrat
Will be represented by courthouse/maintenance-reducing UB's.
Varyr'een -> Warrior(Ranged)
This one should be the most numerous caste in game. Even more structured than other castes, Cimesiat is the highest ranked.
Vivl'een -> Warrior(Mounted)
Although less respected than the Varyr'een, this caste is arguably more important. Responsible for the defense of Bezeri people. The highest ranking members are granted membership in the Varyr'een caste, and are responsible for guarding the Nobles, Priests, and Casters. (Represented in game by the guardsman promotion granted to the Horse Archer analog, which is the fourth tier mounted unit for the civ.)
Voanoq'een -> Warrior(Recon)
Least important of the warrior castes, used to scout enemy lands and tame animals, particularly the Serpents used by the Vivl'een caste.
Vir'een -> Worker
Lowest, most numerous caste. Well respected, although thought of as rather dim by the higher castes.
Dyunil'een -> Non-Bezeri
Extreme insult when applied to a Bezeri.


Cimesiat -> Leader
Targassat -> Leader

Uninspiring, but it works and has been done by so many civilizations in the past that it's basically standard practice. :lol: Basically, the language will be highly suffixed, with the addition of even a single letter adding new meaning to the word. So either -i or -eri means People, -'ej means City, so on.

Will use this post to display new unit art created by the RifE team.


Burning Eye

Flame effect from the Fireball combined with the Floating Eye; Recolored skin.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0003-1.jpg

Unnamed Unit

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/UnnamedUnit.png

Using this to keep track of VSPavlov's Specialist art. ;)

Humans (New standard):

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/VSPavlov/HumanSpecialists.png

Lizards:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Lizards/LizardSpecialists.png

Demons:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/DemonGPs.png

Dwarves:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/VSPavlov/DwarvesNew.png

Elves:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/VSPavlov/ElvesNew.png

Undead:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/VSPavlov/UndeadNew.png

You are taunting us about the Top SecretTM feature alot.....I wish FF had spies so I could steal it. :mischief:

The secret feature is that he will secretly declare that I am the One :crazyeye:

Haha yes, yes I am... Actually, Warkirby knows about it, and I believe Vehem is looking at it now. Needs alot of work to be finished, however.

I am intrigued. :goodjob:

Hmmmmmmmm.......... New stuff (how nice)

Haha yes, yes I am... Actually, Warkirby knows about it, and I believe Vehem is looking at it now. Needs alot of work to be finished, however.

I am intrigued. :goodjob:

So am I :confused: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw9oX-kZ_9k)

Just revealed one of the Top SecretTM Features. :lol: A rather minor one, but should be quite fun to design/play with. Number 2 in the list.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=8234691#post8234691

oh this is gonna be good :)

Since I don't know if this was noticed when I firt posted it: My story for Tyra Kyri's civopedia entry:

Nish started as Lady Kyri burst into the room in her usual rage. He glanced at Maelys, another of Lady Kyri’s aids, then approached the Lady.
“Lady Kyri, I have good-”
“Who do they think they are!” she screamed, cutting him off. “They think this research facility is a waste of money! White Mesa is the Future! So what if some adepts are killed in the process, they are always more.”
Nish glanced at the other aid, terror in every eye he saw. It was times like this he wished he’d taken that internship at Flesh-Crafters. At least there they tried to keep things safe. A well, he was the head aid.
“Lady Kyri?”
“What!” she snapped.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, trying to control his voice.
“They think we are not accomplishing anything! They think we’re to expensive! HA! As if they knew what cost was!”
Yes, Nish thought, a few adepts die. The Councils problem is probably not how many adepts die, but how many go mad and need to be taken care of.
“I know cost, I know true power is expensive, but I still reach for!”
Yes, but that’s because you’ve been mad since your Trial of the Caves.
Nish opened his mouth to speak, but Lady Kyri cut him off. “I will be in my quarters. No one disturb me.”
She then turned and stormed into her rooms. Out of sight of the aids, she let the tears fall free, then reached over and picked up a small portrait she had. The portrait had been painted from an image she had had pulled from her mind my a mind mage, and was of a young boy, about 10. As she looked at the portrait, she let her memories of the child lost to the Trials fill her mind, the child she had miscarried due to the strain, yet that had guided her throught. As she thought, she felt her resolve strengthen. Those adepts might lose their minds, but their loss was nothing compared to hers. She knew it.

Also: Reorx Veinhunter
The tunnel was long, narrow and in the middle of no-where. So, to Auditor Akrus, a waste of money.
Looking at it, Akrus couldn’t help but sight and shake his head. He turned and looked at his guide, a miner who was busy picking…things out of his beard. Suppressing a shudder of disgust (thank Kilmorph that city dwarves were cleaner), Akrus asked the miner (Thrumbl) were the Forman was.
“Oh, ri’t this way, Aud’tor, yur Honour.”
Sighing once more, Akrus followed Thrumbl down the tunnel, shaking his head quietly at the lack of work he saw. Finally, he and Thrumbl found them selves in a large room full of bustling work.
“Thar’s him, Farman Reorx Veinhunter.” Said Thrumbl when said when Akrus asked about the Forman.
Hmph, “Farman”? Veinhunter? Given what I’ve seen, he might as well be Reorx Moneywaster, thought Akrus as he strode towards a fairly tall dwarf.
“Mr. Reorx? I’m Auditor Akrus, it is…good to meet you.” He said with a nod.
“Greetings. Call me Reorx, Auditor. To what do I owe this honour?” The Forman said in clear, well pronounced Kaz’ak.
“No honour in this visit, I’m afraid. Lord Kandros if getting impatient with this dig. You had better of found something since your last report, or I will have to shut this dig down.”
Reorx smiled, and pointed to the long wall opposite the entry to the room. Akrus, frowning, walked over to the wall, and brushed away the dust. Instantly, his breath could in his throat.
“Forman Veinhunter”, he said in a small voice, is this what I think it is.”
“Yes, it is.”
“So this is why the tunnel was so long. But please tell me, how did you know this was here.”
“Kilmorph told me.” Roex said with a smile

And so, Auditor Akrus carried the news back to Kazak, and Reorx Veinhunter had rewards and titles heaped upon him. For he had found the largest know vein of Mithril in all of Erebus, and and he was known as the greatest prospector in Erebus.

I like them both, I'll put them in. :goodjob:

I noticed a few minor spelling and grammar errors in one of the above stories. Then I noticed places where it could flow a little better.
Somehow, I found myself rewriting it entirely.


Auditor Akrus paced steadily down the long, narrow tunnel. It's length seemed pointlessly excessive, and an apparent waste of funding.
Looking at it, Akrus couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. He turned to glance at his guide, Thrumbl. A filthy miner who was busy picking…things out of his beard. Suppressing a shudder of disgust (thanking Kilmorph that city dwarves were cleaner), Akrus asked the miner where the Foreman was.

“Oh, ri’t this way, Aud’tor, yur Honour.” Thrumbl muttered in a careless dialect.

Sighing once more, Akrus followed Thrumbl down the tunnel, visibly dismayed at the lack of work he saw. Only the occasional labourer chatting, lazing around, gambling, and drinking. Nary a pick or worker in sight. After what seemed like an hour of marching, he and Thrumbl emerged from the tunnel into in a large, well lit cavern. It dawned on him where all the workers had been. On scaffolding all around the edge, they were hammering away at the rock walls.

“Thar’s him, Farman Reorx Veinhunter.” Exclaimed Thrumbl, pointing towards the back of the chamber.

"Hmph, 'Farman'? Veinhunter? Given what I’ve seen, he might as well be Reorx Moneywaster", thought Akrus as he strode towards a fairly tall dwarf.

“Mr. Veinhunter? I’m Auditor Akrus, it is…good to meet you.” He said in a dry voice, noticeably lacking sincerity.
“Greetings. Call me Reorx, Auditor. To what do I owe this honour?” The Foreman said in clear, well pronounced Kaz’ak.

“No honour in this visit, I’m afraid. Lord Kandros is getting impatient with this dig. You've tunneled miles into the earth, bypassing useful veins of copper I'm told, and for all the funding and men that have been allocated, you've produced nothing in the way of results. I've been ordered to shut down the excavation here, and issue the command to cease work.”

Reorx only smiled knowingly, raising his arm towards the scaffolding on his far left.

"Follow me, Auditor. I've somethin' to show ye that'll make Kandros change his tune right fast"
Akrus, frowning, following over to the wall, and climbing haphazardly up the sides of the scaffolding. Workers stepped aside to let them pass as Reorx led the auditor over to a part where the wall had been especially cut in.

"Demonstrate to the Auditor what we've got here, lads"

Two nearby workers lifted a large pick from the floor, and swung together at the rock wall in front of them. The pick penetrated only a few inches before stopping abruptly. When they wrenched it out again, the head was badly bent

The Auditor's breath caught in his throat as the workers pulled back the thin veneer of rock and dirt, revealing a glimmering silver mass behind, untouched by the impact of the pick.

“Foreman Veinhunter”, he said in a small voice, full of barely suppressed excitement." is this what I think it is.”
“Aye, indeed it is. Finest blessings of the goddess in this holy earth”
“So this is why the tunnel was so long. But please tell me, how did you know this was here.”
“Kilmorph told me.” Reorx said with a smile

And so, Auditor Akrus carried the news back to Kazak, riding a heavily laden cart full of evidence to show to his superiors. Reorx Veinhunter had rewards and titles heaped upon him in abundance, all the empire's available resources at his command, as an army of dwarven workers filled and expanded his new mine. For he had found the largest known vein of Mithril in all of Erebus, and secured the prosperity of Khazak for generations to come.

Hmm, yes, I was a bit quite with the righting (and, of course, I'm still praticing). I think you got my idea acrost better then my own rendition.:)

To make life Easier for Valk;): Lorelei Coral


When an Amurite comes of age, they usually choose a sphere of magic that matches their intent. A battlemage, for instance, often chooses Fire magic, for it’s potential for destruction. However, for the inhabitants of the Iltanie Islands, water reigns supreme. These islanders fallow the path of the Hydromancer, with most aspiring to fallow in the foot steps of Lorelei Coral, the greatest Hydromancer of the age.

“The Elves have no navy to speak of, the problem is their Lanun mercenaries” said Admiral Akurl, addressing the war council. “If the Lanun vessel’s can be handled, the Elven ships will pose no threat to our Windriders.”
“What of the Jotnar fleet?” asked a general in the back of the room.
“To far away to be a threat” answered the admiral, shaking his head. “None of are mages are powerful enough to attack the ships directly, they have some Mechanos magic dampening device.”
“What if we attack the water?” asked a soft female voice form the crowd.
Akurl frowned, something about the voice unnerving him. “I see you logic, but none of out mages are powerful enough to do that.”
A slight young woman in a robe stepped out of the crowed. She smiled slightly. “Then I will destroy the fleet myself”
Akurl felt like laughing, but one look at the women caused him to change his mind. “Maybe you can”

Late during the night, a storm blew up out of nowhere. Rain sleeted down, waves tall as hills flipped ships, yet strangely, there was little wind, no lightning, and some of the few surviving Lanun clamed they could see the stars clearly. Soon after, Lorelei Coral was appointed to the council of Archmages at the personal recommendation of both Queen Valledia and Caswallen Dain.

The new race looks very interesting, though I'm very interested in any posts explaining what's special about their game mechanics (and how they tie into their lore).

Well Valkrionn, nice job on the new water based civ. Are you planning on putting a second one in for competition? I wish you the best of luck with the building of the Bezeri.

I know I'm looking forward to playing them.

Feeling creative, so I'm going to throw a few bones here.

I'm sorry, Princess Keelyn. But, you don't understand. I tried, honestly, I did. But, the Mechanos... you don't understand! No, no, please! Listen! Their agents... the Witch Hunters... wherever they go, a cloud follows... I reach out for magic, and I find... nothing... just cold... no, I tried that. It's not like ice, it's like steel, steel and steam and nothing... empty... please, forgive me, my lady! Forgive me! No, no, anything but... -Last words of Paulos the Blue

(I'll leave someone else to give a description of HOW a Witch Hunter actually operates; all the Mechanos units go quote-then-description, but descriptions are much harder.)

Creation. To form something from the very ether itself is not an easy task, but it is beyond any doubt the greatest of any magical achievements. By channeling the power of Creation, and using it to power our own achievements, we defy the gods themselves, and prove what mortal minds are capable of. -Aerith, Grigori Archmage

If you're stuck taking an Ice Magic class, bring a coat, no matter how hot it is outside. Make sure it has a really thick hood, so you can use it as a pillow. Oh, sure, every so often that doddering fool does something impressive, but for the most part, you get to hear an old windbag complain about how he'd trudge twenty miles, uphill both ways, just for a chance to polish Kylorin's boots. -Adept Morin

For Oghma's sake, never fall asleep in Archmage Drahm's class. Ever. Under any circumstances. Sleep before class, collapse after class, but not during his class. You see, Drahm has an evil sense of humor. And he's a master of bending the fabric of reality itself. Last time I fell asleep in his class, I woke up, spent ten minutes wondering how I'd ended up in the girls' bathroom, and then several hours trying to explain myself when Tyr walked in. -Adept Morin

I don't consider myself a mage. You see, mages are arrogant. Half of them are useless fools who turn good food into daydreams, and the other half would blow up a city just to see what patterns the debris would make. I am a craftsman, who just happens to use magic to make swords sharper, hammers strike more true, and armor withstand more abuse then steel alone can. -Flavius, Bannor enchanter

The new race looks very interesting, though I'm very interested in any posts explaining what's special about their game mechanics (and how they tie into their lore).

I have it all worked out aside from the actual unit stats, and the UBs. :lol: Well, and the Hero/Worldspell.... not sure on either of those yet.

Feeling creative, so I'm going to throw a few bones here.
For Oghma's sake, never fall asleep in Archmage Drahm's class. Ever. Under any circumstances. Sleep before class, collapse after class, but not during his class. You see, Drahm has an evil sense of humor. And he's a master of bending the fabric of reality itself. Last time I fell asleep in his class, I woke up, spent ten minutes wondering how I'd ended up in the girls' bathroom, and then several hours trying to explain myself when Tyr walked in. -Adept Morin


I like them all, I'll put them in. :goodjob: I particularly like the Dimensional Mana. :lol: Glad to see Adept Morin make a return too. :p

It might be a good idea to incorporate a Strategy section with each type of mana. E.g.

Fire Mana

"It burns! It burns! It burns!"
Grig Halfwit, Unsuccessful Goblin Explorer

Strategy

Fire Mana is primary an offensive form of magic.

Fire I: Blaze - A spell which sets Forests and Jungles alight. The flames may spread to nearby foliage but will eventually burn out of their own accord or can be dismissed through application of the Spring spell. Useful for clear jungles swiftly or attacking opponents who are espcially adept in forest and jungle terrain. Be wary of using it against Orcs who are naturally Fire Resistant.

Fire II: Fireball - An offensive attack which can bombard walls and cause collateral damage. Whilst not especially strong, a Fireball can often be used to soften up foes before the main body of troops attack.

Fire III: Summon Fire Elemental - Summons a Fire Elemental, a powerful combatant which causes collateral damage when it attacks. For increased effectiveness build the Tower of Elements.

@Jabie: I definitely agree with the need for a strategy section for the mana types; I've not done enough with the various spheres to write them. There's already flavor text for Fire, but Water, Force, Metamagic, Spirit, Sun, and Shadow all need something if you feel like it.

I have an idea (so familiar now) but Vulture's are Imortal, right? I dosn't say in the 'pedia, and I can't check in-game right now.

Well, anyway: The Vulture

Flesh of Steel, Soul of Man-I present the Vulture, the ultimate union of Flesh and Steel. The Vulture’s are the souls of our mightiest warriors, transferred into a mechanical body, given eternal strength, eternal life. The Vulture is but a pail reflection of the Glory of Goliath, but they shall serve our purpose. In addition, the Soul of the Vulture can be bound to a Blessed Machine Spirit, allowing it to return to the nearest Clock tower if destroyed so it can be restored.
The Vulture will be our first line of defense, our last line of defense, and a prototype of the Future.
-Public Speak by High Techpriest Talos

ThE VuLtUre WiLl aLlOw uS tO dEfEnD OuR LaNdS fRoM bOtH MoRtAl aNd gOd, aS iT pRoVeS tHaT a SoUl cAn sUrViVe iN a mAcHiNe bOdY. WiTh iMpRoVeMeNt, ThE dEsIgN cOuLd aCcOmMoDaTe AlL MeChAnOs fOrEvEr, aNd fOrEvEr pRoTeCt oUr sOuL fRoM tHe gRaSp oF gOdS. – Private talk by High Techpriest Talos to Council of Techpriest.

They are not immortal, actually... They replace the unit, but trade immortality for high strength and the ability to directly build them.

Okay, I'll change the story slightly tomorrow (Canadian Eastern Standard Time, that is)

@Jabie: I definitely agree with the need for a strategy section for the mana types; I've not done enough with the various spheres to write them. There's already flavor text for Fire, but Water, Force, Metamagic, Spirit, Sun, and Shadow all need something if you feel like it.

Fair enough...

Water Mana

"HORATIUS: What element could be mightier than water? It extinguishes the flames when all others perish before them. It gnaws ceaselessly at the earth, never tiring til in time it has worn even the greatest mountain down to the smallest speck of sand. Even the wind is it's servant, scattering raindrops so that all may know it's manifold blessings. With such power at our call, what threat could ever endanger our glorious republic?"

Excerpt from The Vanity of the Aifons, Bernado Juvenal

Strategy

Water magic is primarily a form of defensive and utility magic.

Water I - Spring. The Spring spell has two effects. The first is to extinguish flames. The second is to convert Deserts to Plains. For these reasons, Spring is an excellent defensive spell, rectifying the damage caused by Scorch and Blaze and improving the overall efficiency of your empire.

Water II - Water Walking. The Water Walking spell grants the caster (and only the caster) the capacity to walk on water. The effect is permanent and so spell need only be cast once. This can save valuable time loading or unloading units, or allow your spellcaster to act as an early scout prior to the development of your naval capacities. It can even be used defensively to allow the caster to escape from reprisal whilst using long distance magic to attack. Be wary however, your spellcaster can still be attacked by naval units and there are many dangerous creatures that lurk in Erebus' oceans.

Water III - Summon Water Elemental. The Water Elemental is a powerful unit which can cross land and water. When defeated it often splits in two weaker elementals, either allowing you to attack again or providing additional defenders to soak up attacks. This makes it an excellent spell for chokehold waterways. To get the best from your water Elemental build the Tower of Elements and consider gaining the Spell Extension promotion to increase its speed.

Incidentally, there seem to be a whole bunch of Civpedia threads in various FfH forums, any chance we could amalgamate them somewhere.

Vulture:
Flesh of Steel, Soul of Man-I present the Vulture, the ultimate union of Flesh and Steel. The Vulture’s are the souls of our mightiest warriors, transferred into a mechanical body, given eternal strength, eternal life. The Vulture is but a pail reflection of the Glory of Goliath, but they shall serve our purpose. The ability to bind a soul and mind to a machine body will allow our mightiest warriors to continue to serve after their death, or they age and wither to much to take to the battle field. When our enemies wage war against us, they will quickly learn that for every man or woman they kill, an even more lethal entity will take it’s place.
-Public Speak by High Techpriest Talos

ThE VuLtUre WiLl aLlOw uS tO dEfEnD OuR LaNdS fRoM bOtH MoRtAl aNd tImE, aS iT pRoVeS tHaT a bRaIn cAn sUrViVe iN a mAcHiNe bOdY. WiTh iMpRoVeMeNt, ThE dEsIgN cOuLd aCcOmMoDaTe AlL MeChAnOs fOrEvEr, aNd fOrEvEr pRoTeCt uS fRoM tHe gRaSp oF ArWaN aNd tImE. – Private talk by High Techpriest Talos to Council of Techpriest.

There is something strange about these Vultures. I could have sworn one I saw on the battle field had a human brain, not just a soul. I will nee to investigate Talos’s plan further-Techpriest Aslet

PS: I chose Aslet because he seems more humanist than Talos. It can be changed if need be.
PSS: Think I imagine Vulture as something like Cybermen, but most Mechanos don't know this-they just think the soul is put into it.

Updated the Bezeri post with some caste info... Mostly names.

Edit: Added descriptions for the castes.

That's right, next version the Muris Clan will not only pollute your lands but lead raiding parties through them. :evil:

Varcaz the Long-Sighted will be a new barb Goblin hero. I've already posted the mechanics in the Ideas thread, but here's a more complete rundown...

Varcaz the Long-Sighted:

2 :strength:, 5 Defensive :strength:
1 Poison :strength:
4 Ranged Attack
2 Range (One on the unit, one from his weapon)
75% Ranged Combat Limit
2 :move:
20% Withdrawal
Can lead up to 5 units

Three of these will spawn with him... A Goblin Rider, a Scorpion Clan Archer, and a melee unit of some kind. Goblin, of course. :lol:
Not sure whether or not to name these guys yet...

Passes 15% Withdrawal on to his minions.
Upon defeat, he drops his bow.
Zarcaz's Bow:
+1 Poison :strength:
+1 Ranged :strength:
+1 Range

those Bezeri have a nice Lustrian tang to them :) im sensing some warhammer based inspiration here?

also i made this guy (attatched) ages ago for warhammer. perhaps you can animate and use him for your toad mages. (ill upload the actual file if you want)

That's certainly possible.... :lol:

I doubt I could personally animate it, sadly. Not that great on the art side.

Here is part one of a story that will eventually replace some existing pedia text for the Frozen. It's not in the game yet- in fact I wrote it for the Mazera Mega Story in the Lore forum- so I thought I'd post it here. (Valkrionn: If you want to put it in the game, it's the pedia text for the Liberation ritual).



Auric stood in meditation surrounded by vast ice crystals. He smiled as he saw images of legions of Ice Golems engaging Luchuirp Golems and holding them at bay, creating a wall of stasis that stretched across the Luchuirp border, as his allies struck. He shitfted his imaging and saw frostling bandits, supported by flesh constructs from Mokka's Cauldron, engaging the Svartalfar. Things were going well, and it looked as if the Deepening would soon begin, according to Anangtios's report. That was when he sensed a disturbance around him.

Reflexes honed while wandering Erebus kicked into action, and he ducked behind one of the crystals. The assassin's dart, tipped with a plant that caused spontaneous combustion when it hit a target, struck and melted a chunk of ice away. He snapped "Slow!" and the will behind the command caused time around the assassin to stretch and slow down as she was about to utter a spell that would blow the throne room apart with an inferno. It had the added effect of causing the assassin's invisibility charm to stop working, causing her to become visible to all.

Auric walked forward and studied the assassin. She was an elf, apparently, wrapped in a black cloak covered with invisibility runes that was typical of Svartalfar dress. She also carried a large supply of deadly implements. He waved his hand, and the slow time effects intensified, stopping time around the two of them entirely. Another gesture caused the temperature to lower, subtly. Guards rushed into the room, but to Auric and the elven prisoner, they did not move.

"I just thought you should know," he said, "that Illian ice sculpters are capable of altering the position and even the shape of a body after it has been frozen. It produces beautiful artwork." He gestured to the columns of ice statues lining the palace. "Not all were made out of once living people- but some were," he continued. "But, it can be done to a still living body. The process is incredibly painful, as you can no doubt imagine." The assassin's face showed that she did.

Auric released frozen time, and the guards seized her. He said ominously, "Sculpt her until she talks." The guards departed, dragging the shrieking prisoner, who seconds later died. He frowned. He thought he had removed all magical items with the slow spell. Evidently there was a physical poison as well.

He sighed, shaking his head. He needed better guards. And then an idea, propelled by the essence of Mulcarn that lived within him, came to him, and he shouted an order. A Disciple of Winter rushed in, and he gave instructions to him, and the disciple rushed out to obey them.

--

The tower of ice, not located in Garduk but near Letum Frigus, had been built by Auric's will, and it would stand so long as he remained alive- or willed it to collapse. Ice particles had gathered slowly and formed into beautiful crystals, which then formed into a tower. At the top of the tower were four crystalline spikes resembling stalagmites. It was at this top where Auric, Dumnanios, Riuros, and Anangtios were gathered. He had risen it for this specific purpose.

The ritual was well under way. Even if anyone else on Erebus was aware of it, and could fight through the Illian and Doviello guards patrolling the empire, they would not be in time to stop it. Auric's vision honed in on an island in a lake at the edge of Elohim lands. Knowing that it was important, the Elohim were guarding a small crystal sphere on the shores of the lake with their lives. He laughed as he gathered energy. Those lives would not be enough...

--

Arlonte, captain of the guards assigned to protect the Evergreen Lake, sighed as he watched the small company of Elohim assigned to this site. It was a good job they had- they did not have to protect the lake itself but rather what appeared to be a glowing green spherical rock. The priest, Lenyos, assigned to their group was currently studying it. The other guards were also enjoying themselves in the grass. They could relax in the lake, but Einion Logos had warned them strictly- do not venture into the lake.

He headed over to the priest to take a look at his analysis of the object. That was when he felt a strange sensation, as if lightning was coming. He looked up, along with the others.

There was no lightning. The clouds were glowing pure white, and it seemed as if... they were freezing.

Then, there was a sudden blast of blue-white light from the frozen clouds. It appeared to be lightning, but it was clearly not. It was directed straight at the object they were supposed to protect, and one of the guards nearby instinctively dove into the path of the lightning. His body froze and was covered in ice. It then fell to the orb, which flared green, and the body of the guard caught on fire until nothing was left but ashes. Arlonte stood staring at the orb. It was obviously a tool against winter, but...

His thoughts were interrupted when another blast shot through the sky. Seconds before it hit, Lenyos, a priest of the Fellowship of Leaves, muttered a prayer, and the earth glowed green. Guardian vines emerged and seized the orb. The blast of ice struck them... and nothing happened.

--

Auric reeled as a powerful presence interrupted his attack on the Orb of Sucellus guarding the lake. He had frozen a human who had been in the way of the blast, he knew, but that second power... intrigued, he studied it. And the part that was Mulcarn gave him the rest of the information. He had tried to freeze a massive creature, the Guardian of the Forest. Somehow, a being he had identified as a priest of leaves had summoned the Guardian's vines to defend the orb. Clever. He had tried to freeze the entire thing. There did not seem to be a way to win.

But, after a few minutes thinking, he had one, and resumed his attack, gathering more power...

--

The Elohim captain looked up again. Arlonte prayed that the attacker was beat and would go away. But that, of course, did not happen. Instead, another blast rained down from the frozen clouds. This one, though was glowing faintly golden... Arlonte realized with surprise that it was a lightning blast. The blast continued coming, becoming a solid beam, not a quick blast. Lenyos gasped in horror as the lightning drilled into one of the vines.

He cried, "The guardian..." and rushed forward. A deflected ray of lightning struck him. Lenyos screamed in pain and died.

That was when the blast penetrated through the vine.

--

Auric mentally roared at the presence of the Guardian, demanding it submit, even as he gathered all the ice energy he had in him, swallowing several nearby blizzards and nearly undoing the tower of ice he was standing on. He hurled it down into the ripped open vine. The ice would either freeze a portion of the great Guardian, or would destroy the Orb of Sucellus.

He waited to see what would happen. He did not have enough power to both take on the Guardian and to destroy the Orb simultaneously. Already, he felt himself wilting. He continued to pour out his energy and shout at the Guardian...

--

Arlonte's eyes widened as the vines began to freeze. They crystallized and abruptly melted into nothingness, the Orb having burned the frozen portions away. The remaining vines at the base of the Orb recoiled and reentered the earth, vanishing, as did the aura of nature surrounding the area. His face turned grim as he considered what this meant.

The icy beam continued coming, striking the orb, creating a shield of fire around the orb. Ice energy touched and froze the outside of the orb, which caught fire. That fire was then frozen as more ice energy poured down. Eventually, the orb cracked, and exploded, as it could take no more ice magic. Arlonte and the guards ducked as the smoke cleared and the beam stopped.

That was when the lake froze. He turned, and his face became pale as he saw an armored warrior stalking across the ice, longsword and shield in hand. Arlonte opened his mouth to order a charge, when he found he could no longer speak. The figure waved a hand and ice filled his mouth. Still striding forward, he swung the sword in a long sweep and Arlonte dropped to the ground. As he died, he saw the figure make short work of the other guards as well...

--

Taranis finished killing the guards and looked around, taking in data. It was another age. Mulcarn's presence was no longer felt- wait... there was an emission of him from the north, from the old realm of the Illians. Analysis: Mulcarn is weakened. Directive: Head north. Directive: Kill all in between targets. Directive: Determine the state of Mulcarn. Directive: Gather aid. Input data: No creatures of ice felt within reasonable range. Analysis: They are dispered or gathered near Mulcarn. Directive: Find them.

Such was Taranis. He could take in data and make decisions, albeit in a machine-like method. But after that data was taken in and Taranis came to a decision based on it, it was dumped since it could not be remembered. He continued to reevaluate his current directives, carefully checking if the position of Mulcarn or his ice demons altered. They did not. One final directive was ordered, based on climate data.

Directive: Begin the re-wintering of the world.

Will do. :goodjob:

And here is part 2 (pedia text for Taranis the hero unit).



Part 2: The Liberation

Taranis's stead trod across Erebus had never faltered, no matter what obstacles had been in his way. He had nearly had to veer from his course as the Grigori piled on a massive amount of bodies in an attempt to block him from reaching Illian lands. But with some ice magic and his methodical use of his sword, he had broken through and continued to Mulcarn, until he reached the Illian border.

Unknown structure detected. Analysis: border fort. Accessing climatological data. Temperatures in and beyond this fort are significantly colder then those here. Conclusion: Mulcarn is nearby.

After performing this analysis, Taranis continued his steady pace forward. He raised a hand and accessed ice magic. Nothing happened for a few minutes, until the frozen walls of the Illian border fort reshaped themselves into an open gate. Startled, Illian defenders rushed forward to intercept this stranger. Taranis charged them, a sword stroke killing one, and a blast of ice magic freezing the rest.

To an outsider it appeared that someone, perhaps Frostlings, had constructed a beautiful replica of an Illian fortress and it's men out of ice crystals. The truth was that it was one of many that Taranis had created from different nations during his trek to Garduk.

--

Dunmanios, senior of the Priests of Winter and High Priest of Winter of the White Hand, rode across the barren tundra on the back of an icehorse. The Illian icehorses were bred from the ancient Winter Horses created by Mulcarn, just as he had created the Winter Wolves from the Doviello wolves. Because of Dumnanios's seniority, he had been given one of these rare, prized creatures (who could run faster in the snow then on land) and ordered to warn anything between the frozen fort and Garduk not to interfere with Taranis, the assumption being he would be the most capable to stop Taranis.

He spotted the small town of Suspiro, reasonably close to Garduk. With it's position near several key herds of arctic deer it was rapidly becoming more then just a small town and one of the main centers for the arctic deer hunt and trade. Unfortunately, it looked like there was nothing going on today- a bad sign.

The priest of winter muttered a prayer to Auric under his breath and felt the strength of the reborn god of winter fill him. He urged on the icehorse, which responded to the blast of ice magic and charged before, arriving at the city instantly.

By the looks of it, Taranis had just been here previously. He had carved a frozen path of destruction through Suspiro, freezing many buildings, people, and arctic deer being stored in icehouses. And the parts of Suspiro that had not been frozen were in panic. There was rioting, and the Illian defenders and police were having a hard time maintaining order. He cursed, and wondered if Taranis was really worth all of the destruction and chaos he was causing.

--

Auric Ulvin rose from his throne as there was an explosion, and then total silence, in the chambers outside of the audience hall. The Illian guards, the members of his court (who were best called syncophants), and other officials around him startled and stepped aside in fear. Auric raised an eyebrow as the doors exploded, and then froze in mid-air before dropping to the ground and shattering.

From the clouds of dust, Taranis the Unchanging stepped forward, his ancient longsword and shield in hand. He towered over the Illians by a head, and was covered from head to toe in armor. His blue eyes of crystal ice looked around the room before locking on Auric. He marched forward slowly.

The Illian guards, once realizing that this... thing... was heading towards their god-king, overcame their fear and threw themselves in his path. Auric opened his mouth to warn them away, but he was too late as Taranis swung his sword. The instant touch of the blade caused the guard who was touched to freeze. Taranis waved his hand and the frozen guards shattered, and he stepped over what was left of them.

Taranis halted in front of Auric, waiting for... something. Auric wondered what it was. He had no way of communicating with Taranis to discover it, and Taranis would not answer him. Except... that was not entirely true. He entered Taranis's mind, and was instantly struck by how alien it was. It was like that of a golem.

Except... it wasn't. Golems were artificial and had no mind, at least as how the term was understood. But Taranis had a mind. Much of it had been written over, it seemed, by the complex writing of Mulcarn's blessing. Mulcarn had sealed off huge portions of Taranis's mind. Auric nearly became lost in wonder in trying to understand this work of his predecessor. However, he remembered his task, and sought to find a method to speak to Taranis.

There would presumably be some way for him to give Taranis and instruction. He found what appeared to be the correct way to send a command, and sent a mental ping it to it. He received another mental ping in return, this one from Taranis. Auric smiled slightly.

"I am Auric Ulvin, the soon-to-be-new god of winter, and I demand you acknowledge me as your lord," sent Auric. Taranis's mind leaped into action and his body started slightly. Auric felt Taranis processing information.

"Prove your identity," was all that Auric was able to parse from the mental reply. Auric looked through himself for the essence of Mulcarn and the power of the sphere of winter, and showed it to Taranis, who jerked slightly again. Auric wondered what these jerks might mean, but had no time to fully analyze Taranis's mind. He still wasn't sure he was doing this correctly.

"Confirmed. Instruction?" Taranis sent through the mental channel. Auric hesitated. How to best phrase this, he wondered.

"Guard me, the reborn god of winter. Do not allow anyone or anything to harm me. Accompany me at all times unless I order you not to." ordered Auric. Taranis nodded and acknowledged the order. Satisfied, Auric broke from the mental contact and sat down on his throne of ice.

Taranis walked up the steps to the throne and adopted a position behind Auric's throne. Anyone or anything intending to harm him would have to get through an unchanging, undying, archangel of winter. It seemed like he had given the instruction the right way after all. Auric didn't realize that what he just did in Taranis's mind might not have any short-term consequences... but might have some unpleasant long-term ones.

An entry for Elijah Arnauld's leaderhead, I tried to picture him as an arrogant, scheming ruler. I think it's very rough... I accept changes and critics on it :D:

Elijah Arnauld

Elijah entered his throne room, as always the same herald – or not, Elijah didn’t care, he only cared about that someone announced him, even if there was no one to hear it – pronounced the pompous annunciation: “Count Elijah Arnauld, gracious sovereign of the fief of Itos and benevolent ruler of its people, loyal retainer to the Calabim crown”.
He elegantly walked towards his throne. It was made of black marble, just like a great part of the throne room; it also had a high ceiling, plus columns with white marble and black marble in an elegant pattern, each column had an “angel” sculpted near the top, Elijah had indeed a very ironic sense of decoration. Behind the throne, hanged the banners of the Calabim to the left and right, and the Arnauld heraldic in the center, which almost dwarfed the other two with its enormous size.
He sat down and almost immediately, a female servant appeared almost out of nowhere and served him an elegant crystal cup in a golden tray, it obviously contained blood.
“Any news from the Royal court?” Elijah pronounced, in regal tone.

“Nothing to note, Lord Elijah. Lady Alexis has rejected the peace proposal of the Kuriotate, and Lord Flauros has been quite occupied these last months, some say he’s preparing a great festival for-“

Elijah interrupted his servant “Enough, it seems clear enough, that Alexis is again beheading, or rather biting our enemies ambassadors, I don’t know why she commits such a vulgar act, of the likes of the Doviello beasts. Seeing as the ambassador retires, his mission failed, and his reprimand incoming, is so much a more pleasant sensation.
And why drink blood directly from the cattle? Don’t the mortals have others milk their animals? It’s so much pleasant to drink blood in this way” he paused to take a sip from his cup “Aaah, refreshing indeed. So delicious are things when you obligate others to do them.”

“And Flauros… he’s just like a child. He toys around with his people – his food –
like if he was a puppeteer, which is a role more befitting to that jester that the Balseraphs call ruler, maybe he’s one of them after all!” He laughed in a profound, elegant way

“Such murderous and capricious examples of our race are these rulers. Behind all that royalty, and pomposity, there are only beasts that obey their lowest instincts, is this way how they demonstrate our superiority over the Cattle? Fools, let them stay in their hedonistic ways. Let them think they’re under control. For when the time comes, the name of Arnauld shall be the one to be heard all over the Calabim Empire, and beyond its boundaries. One day, the Living, the Dead, even the Divine shall come under my rule! For the only one suited to reign, is I!” Elijah stood up as he pronounced this last sentence

“And again, he does it” thought his scribe “Such a dominant ruler he is, that he remembers to us of it everyday”

“And he’s really convincing, if he just had the power he thirsts for…”

While looking for new wallpapers I stumbled across these - I don't know who the original artists are, but they reminded me of FF+ & I figured they may be useful in filling that new image portion of the pedia.

First some steampunk/Mechanos-ish ones:

http://img517.imageshack.us/i/steampunk1.jpg//

http://img200.imageshack.us/i/steampunk2.jpg/

http://img200.imageshack.us/i/steampunk3lt.jpg/

http://img200.imageshack.us/i/steampunk4.jpg/

http://img96.imageshack.us/i/steampunk5.jpg/

This one looks so eerily similar to the Lucian pic I wouldn't be surprised to find it's from the same guy, or a FFH fan.

http://img246.imageshack.us/i/doviello1.jpg/

And this one is actually a scanned/retouched page from one of Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks that I had for awhile, but I thought I remember something about the Bezeri breeding through growth pods or something, so I'll toss this out there too.

http://img26.imageshack.us/i/bezeri1.jpg/

Uh oh, guess I didn't do the tags right...

Here's the imageshack URL to the album:

http://img26.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=bezeri1.jpg

I think this one for the Mechanos:

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/9736/steampunk1.jpg

The Doviello image IS Lucian, I believe... Already have one for them though. ;)

I'm not sure where the Bezeri-tube birth thing is from... I remember someone proposing a building like that, but that's not really how it works. Aside from the frantic alterations of the first generation, they do not alter themselves beyond superficial alterations after adulthood... Plastic-surgery type things. They DO alter other creatures that way, including other races if they capture them. ;)

I don't like that image, personally. It's pure steampunk, no FFH-esque Dark Fantasy. It's not even magical steampunk, which is about the limit of where the Mechanos should go.

rank icons here

Awesome! Will check them out when I get home. :)

New LeaderStatus icons for the scoreboard, courtesy Warkirby:

Arranged Emergent, Minor, Major. One Chevron, one Chevron and a star, two Chevrons and a star. Easy to read, and takes up less space. ;)

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Image1.png

While we are at it, we should make good evil and neutral symbols too. I hate it when the civ names stick out into the field. I always end up clicking them by accident. (Any additional work my computer has to do is very annoying to me, it takes a looooong time)

I suggest...

good = a white arrow pointing up (to "heaven")
neutral = a grey arrow pointing sideways (to "humanity")
bad = a black arrow pointing down (to "hell")

Good could be an arrow pointing up (to the Heavens), Evil could be an arrow pointing down and Neutral could be a flat line.

Personally, I'm fine with leaving Alignments as text. Very easy to add them in yourself if you have the art though... Takes 6 lines in the DLL (Total, for all 3) and three lines of python. If you get the art I'd compile the dll for you, and package it as an optional portion.

Nice, but perhaps a bit of color for those chevrons? White for emergent, light blue for minor, dark blue for major, perhaps, to avoid confusion with the alignments? Speaking of alignments, I'd say keep the color scheme of gold/gray/red as well if you grab the arrow.

Color differentiation is something I can do. I'll add that in. ;)

As for alignments, I'm leaving the text. I prefer it, as a simple arrow doesn't seem right to me.

Here are the newly colorized LeaderStatus Icons:

Green = Emergent
Blue = Minor
Purple = Major

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/LeaderStatus.jpg

Very nice =]

And shiny =]

And, PURPLE!!! xD

Yes purple.

The purple took awhile to get right. :lol:

Royal purple works though. ;)

Hey, Valk, maybe you should take a look at this (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=339876)...

Hey, Valk, maybe you should take a look at this (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=339876)...

......Those are going to have to go in. :goodjob:

The first post now has a list of text the mod needs... If anyone feels like providing text, feel free. I'll make sure to put your name in the credits. ;)

Gibbon has a pedia already (written by Kael). It's one of my favorites.

How many roles have I played? They blur together in my mind.

I was a victim from the moment my life began. An attacker came for my mother even as she gave birth to me. He possessed Garrus, a simple stable boy and used him to sneak up through the inn to my parents room. He tried to get close to my mother, to attack her at her most vulnerable. My father fought to stop him. The details are unknown except that a battle occurred in the room and my father was struck a mortal blow. With his last breath he uttered a holy word that destroyed the spirit possessing Garrus and collapsed the entire inn.

My mother died in the collapse, my father died from the attack. The stable boy was pulled from the rubble, one arm was crushed but he appeared otherwise healthy. My soul fled the dying infants form and took home in his newly evacuated body. I was born into the body of a teenage boy.

The innkeeper raised me, teaching me as if I had simply forgotten my life and in a few years I served him well. He raised me as he rebuilt the inn. But I always knew that Garrus wasn’t my name and I listened intently when those that survived the collapse retold the story.

We didn’t know much about my parents. But my father wore the yellow robes of a priest of the Empyrean. There was a small temple to the god in our city and when I was ready I joined their ranks as a disciple. Within the clergy my identity didn’t matter, I was simply a child of Lugus. My superiors praised my empathy, questioned my maturity and laughed when I said that I thought I was the son of a priest. They claimed no such priest had visited the city and considered my thoughts the wishful thoughts of boy with too much imagination.

My right arm was still crushed, by this point it was shriveled and permanently wrapped against my side. When I asked if it could be healed the priests prayed over it, but it never got better. Others came and received healing, nobles, merchants, beggars, soldiers. But I remained maimed.

One day in early Aedrini the temple was in an uproar. Priests barked orders, disciples scurried about trying to look busy, no one had thought to wake me. After many questions a priest finally gave me my answer.

“Luridus Chalid is coming child, stay out of the way.”

I began to retreat to my chamber when he yelled after me, “And don’t bother him when he arrives!”

That next day a single man arrived on a dappled grey mare. He rode without an escort and though he needed no guards on the road, he could have used some outside of the temple. He was immediately mobbed by well meaning disciples, genuflecting priests and hordes of gawking townspeople. He wore the robes of a Luridus and I wondered if my father wore the same.

He spent the next three days in our hastily constructed council chamber. The chamber was open for anyone to hear the deliberation and speak in an orderly manner. They discussed the towns role in the Overcouncil, local legislation and a problem with brigands in the area.

The council meetings always went well into the night, and Chalid attended every dawn ceremony. He only had a few hours between to get some sleep. I was hurrying to the dawn service one morning when I found him standing alone in the refectory looking out the windows toward the east. The morning bell rung, signaling the dawn ceremony was about to start and Chalid turned to find me staring at him.

“Morning disciple, are you ready to receive our lords blessing?”

I managed to stammer something unintelligible out. Despite that he smiled at me with true affection and clasp me on the shoulder. That was the first he noticed my withered arm.

“Do you have something to ask me?” he said.

He expected me to ask for healing, but that didn’t matter to me. Instead I asked, “What sort of spirit attacked my mother?”

He put his arm around me and we walked to the sanctuary together.

“Let me pray about it” he said.

The service was exactly like all the others but I paid little attention. Instead I watched Chalid. He looked confused as he prayed, sometimes pained, sometimes resigned and I imagined that it had something to do with my question.

I waited after the service. Chalid spoke briefly with the vicar who had performed the service and meet a few of the members. And then he left the sanctuary and went into the council chambers.

I spent the day neglecting my duties and waiting outside the council chamber. But just past nightfall the towns warning bells rang out, guards ran through the streets yelling that brigands were attacking.

Everyone flooded out of the temple. At the edge of the town shapes rushed through the darkness. Black tipped arrows cut guards down where they writhed screaming in pain. Guards brought torches and under the cover of shield men they retook the fortifications while the shadows simply moved to attack at another point.

A voice from the darkness called, “What good is a god that abandons you every night?”

Chalid ignored the taunt and ordered the men back within the cities lantern light. He alone bounded over the wall and in to the darkness at the cities edge. His mace glowed faintly in the starlight and though we couldn’t see any attackers on the open field we all knew they were moving in on him.

Chalid prayed and an aura of golden fire burst up around his head and dark men caught fire on the field, on the walls, and even a few that had snuck into the city. The holy fire consumed them and guards rushed in to beat or capture the men.

But one was not distracted by the fire. It clung to his black armor and that of his steed but he rode soundlessly towards Chalid, like a shadow of a dark god stretching out to touch him. Chalid raised his mace up, and then back down and the field was lit up as if it was day. A pillar of golden fire, like the sun itself but full of righteous fury, crushed the rider. There was a horrific scream and then when the pillar retreated back up into the sky the rider was gone.

I spent the night tending to the guardsmen wounded in the attack. Their wounds festered from poison and the men passed between fevered dreams and anguish when awake. There was little I could do but try to keep their wounds clean and try to make them comfortable. Chalid and the priests prayed over the men and some were healed, but too many were injured.

That next morning I returned to my chambers to wash up and change into fresh clothes, as did most of the temple. I headed again to the dawn ceremony and found Chalid alone again in the refectory looking out towards the east.

“You saved the town.” It sounded hollow when I said it. Unsuited to the miracle I had witnessed.

“I only had faith that Lugus would protect me, he did everything else.”

I smiled, the warmth Chalid had shared with me yesterday was gone now. He looked troubled but I assumed it was just the events of the long night. I know he hadn’t slept either.

“Did you find out anything about my mother?”

Chalid looked at the floor, the morning bells rang though neither of us moved.

“I should lie to you” Chalid said, “the mandate of truth is sometimes painful. I am sorry. I won’t lie but I will warn you, it would be better if you did not know.”

“I want to know” I argued with more passion than I intended, “Knowledge, truth, revelation are the precepts of Lugus. I should know my own past.”

“The woman’s name was Magda de’Vala” Chalid started, “The man wasn’t her husband but her guardian, though he was a priest of the Empyrean. The child was prophesied to be a great hero, which is why many sought to kill Magda and her baby.”

He paused, but I only waited for him to continue.

“The stable boy Garrus died three days before the attack. That which killed Garras, that which killed Magda’s guardian and caused the collapse that killed Magda and her baby. That was you.”

I was furious and I rushed out of the refectory. Chalid watched me go then headed into the sanctuary. My thoughts went back to those early days, I never felt like I was the stable boy. And for the first time I questioned my origin. Would a babies spirit in a boy’s body be able to adapt that quickly? Could even a possessed stable boy be able to overcome a priest of Lugus, or was that creature something darker? And was I that creature?

I stopped in the temples infirmary. Except for the wounded it was empty, everyone in the temple was in the dawn ceremony despite those laying here near death. There was only one man awake, a bandage covered his left thigh. I knelt at his bedside. When I saw the torment he was in I forgot a bit of my own.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“Abin,” he said, “I’m a jeweler who pretended to be a city guard.”

That wasn’t unusual. Our city was too small to maintain full time guardsmen so most were volunteers with other jobs.

“Either you are too good at pretending, or not good enough.”

He gave me a weak smile.

“Can I pray for you?” I asked. He nodded.

I placed my hand on him and closed my eyes. I have seen many healed but I had never performed a miracle myself. If I could do this, if I could heal this man and channel the power of Lugus then I couldn’t be whatever creature Chalid thought I was. Maybe I was the holy child, maybe the attack on Magda de’Vala failed.

I could feel his labored breath. I could feel his pain, feel his love for his large family of nieces and nephews. His quiet store and hours spent working on small intricate jewelry. And I felt him die.

Then I felt the poison strike, it burnt through my body focused on the wound in my left thigh. I stepped away from the bed in shock. I was taller and my robes, which were big on me, were now tight. And my formerly withered arm was now trapped uncomfortably in its folds.

I loosened the robe and held out my full, strong arm. But it didn’t look like my arm, it was the jewelers arm. And as I looked at myself I realized that I was identical to the dead body of the jeweler that lay in the bed in front of me. And then the poison struck again and sent me to my knees. I picked myself up and fled the temple in pain and confusion.

Pain will drive you mad and it only took a few hours of suffering like this before I found a farmer out working in his field.

“Blind goats Abin!” he said, “what is wrong with you? Why are you wearing a disciples robes?”

I threw him to the ground and held him, smashing him once in the face when he tried to fight back. I felt for that closeness, I reached out to find everything that he was, and the pain drifted away. When I opened my eyes I saw him staring up at his own reflection in horror. The last I saw him he was running toward his farmhouse, I started running as well. I don’t think I have ever stopped.


I still don’t know what I am. All the roles that I’ve played since then blur together in my mind. I’ve gotten better at reading people and worked for a time for an assassins guild, simply for reading people I touch. During other times I steal the lives of those I wish to share. I tried the lavish extravagance of princes and wealthy merchants, but there is little to envy them for once you understand how they truly live. The best stolen lives come from the simple fathers of large families, those that have the love and respect of everyone in their lives. Dump the body of one of those in a shallow grave and I have a few good weeks of fun before I become bored and move on to something else.

Maybe Chalid was right, maybe I am a monster.

As for the Mistform, I have one that I wrote by myself (sort of)
"Who's watching
Tell me, who's watching
Who's watching me?

I'm just an average man
With an average life
I work from nine to five
Hey, hell, I pay the price
All I want is to be left alone
In my average home
But why do I always feel
Like I'm in an evil gloam

And I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy
Whooooa-oh-oh
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Tell me, is it just a dream

When I come home at night
I bolt the door real tight
Something talks to me
I'm trying to avoid
But can the it see me
Or am I just paranoid

When I'm in a shadow
I'll never stop my stare
'Cause I might close my eyes
It'll find me standing there
People say I'm crazy
Just a little touched
But maybe shadows remind me
Of Esus too much
That's why

I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy
Whooooa, oh-oh
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Who's playin' tricks on me?


Who's watching me
I don't know anymore
Are the elves watching me?
Who's watching
Well, are the angels watching me
Tell me, who's watching
And I don't feel safe anymore
Oh, what a mess
I wonder who's watching me now
Who!
The IRA's?

I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy
Whooooa, oh-oh
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Tell me, is it just a dream?

I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy
Whooooa, oh-oh
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Who's playin' tricks on me?
Who's watching me?
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Oooooooh
Whooooa-oh-oh
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
So ? who can it be
Who's watching me?
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Whooooa-oh-oh
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Who's playing tricks on me?
Who's watching me?
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Can I have my privacy?
Whooooa-oh-oh
I always feel like
Somebody's watching me
Who's playing tricks on me?"
- Rockwell, #1: 10 Reasons to never prank Perpentach

I'll fix them both. ;)

It might be that the txtkey just doesn't point to the right path.... I'll look at that before adding the Gibbon text.

Note that Mistforms were created by Esus from dust taken from Agares hell (which may have been made of souls that had long ago completely lost their identities, perhaps even demon lords whose kingdoms have fallen and been completely forgotten)

You may want to check out: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=334470

Celestial Compass

Most compasses tell you where to go. This one tells you who, what, when and why as well. -- Anonymous.

Currently, no healers have Names or quotes, though I do have art for 14... Please, post any character suggestions you'd like for the Healer Great Person.

To supplement that, here is the art I've got for them so far (Thanks Grey Fox! :p):

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image1.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image10.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image11.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image14.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image16.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image18.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image2.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image3.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image4.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image5.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image6.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image7.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image8.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image9.png

Yes, most of them are nothing more than faces, or even just eyes in one or two... Usually the way I crop images this size. :lol:

Currently, no healers have Names or quotes, though I do have art for 14... Please, post any character suggestions you'd like for the Healer Great Person.

To supplement that, here is the art I've got for them so far (Thanks Grey Fox! :p):

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image1.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image10.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image11.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image14.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image16.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image18.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image2.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image3.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image4.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image5.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image6.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image7.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image8.pnghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image9.png

Yes, most of them are nothing more than faces, or even just eyes in one or two... Usually the way I crop images this size. :lol:
Some quotes:
For the person with the frozen bird in the background (4 down on the right side): "If you can't cure it, put it on ice for later. We'll figure something out eventually."
For the tree-headed gentleman (5 down on the right side): "Most disease arises from a failure to communicate. If a properly trained druid is available to translate, an amicable sharing of resources can be negotiated, often for the betterment of both parties."
For the green woman (3 down on the left): "Heh, heh, heh. Yes... I have discovered a 'cure' for you. Drink up!"
For the angry guy with the skull (5 down on the left): "Fire! Fire cures everything. If you can't outlast the disease you don't deserve to live anyway,"
For the white hand (3 down on the right): I'm imagining a Scion character "Just because we are immune to the plague does not mean we should not study it. A cure will bring significant profits to our empire."

Most of those don't really look that much like healers to me. Also, far too many are female and non-human for my tastes. The one person I really think should be a great healer is Pontiff Elim from the Tale of Saverous, assuming that isn't just a typo and he was supposed to be the same as the great prophet Pontiff Elmin who presumably held a very high rank in The Order.

The gray skinned woman with dark wings and an exposed breast (second from the top right) reminds me a lot like Gyra, Basium's twin sister and Archangel of Death.

The Age of Ice was a paradise compared to what I endured. As men huddled in frozen caves, and the Bannor raced across the plains of ash in Agares hell I was held underneath the fractured surface of Camulos's hell.

Camulos is the god of war, and his hell is the proving ground for new demons. Here they learn the arts of chaotic battle in the unending wars that rage across its surface. The souls, once moral, become desensitized to feeling and inflicting pain. Then they begin to delight in it, cruelly destroying anyone weaker than them across the volcanic terrain.

Beneath the wars, in pits regularly opened or consumed by the violent earthquakes that shake the world, are the vast prisons where the victims of war are kept. I had suffered through the mire of Mulcarn, passed the trials of Mammon's great city but I was a quick victim to violence of this realm.

Torturers usually want something from their victims, secrets, cooperation or conversion. But here they subjected us to anguish only to enjoy our suffering. And in a world without the escape of death, there was no hope of an end to the torment. You bleed and scream for centuries.

The eruptions occasionally open new tunnels in the prisons, collapsing walls allow the imprisoned to flee to the world's surface and escape their torment for a time.

After one of these I fled into wastes, where the sand cut through exposed flesh like small shards of glass. I huddled beneath the hide of a pit beast and gripped one of the back spikes from the beast as a crude weapon. My magic failed me in hell. I traced a rune in the sand, a fire sign with broken bindings and willed it alive. A faint flame flickered within it. When I was alive I could have summoned torrents of fire out of the rune, I could have assaulted a city with it. Now it only flickered weakly.

Howls interrupted my concentration. Demons avoided battles in the wastes, but hunters lead by hellhounds would come through looking for those, like myself, that sought refuge here. I brushed away the rune and started deeper into the wastes.

By they were faster than I was and the hound could smell me. They didn't follow scent like moral dogs, they could smell fear and there was no escaping them. As I scrambled across another ridge a darkened figure rushed at me, spear in hand. He was emaciated, weak, and I easily knocked the spear aside.

I pulled the man to the ground, he was trembling, and whispered into his ear.

"You will be okay" I lied, "I won't hurt you, but we have to kill the hound that is coming for us."

He didn't speak, but his eyes stared into my face, trying to find some compassion. It was a rare commodity in this world.

"Hide under the ridge.” I ordered, pushing him into position. "When the hound comes be ready with your spear and we will attack it together."

He hid under the ridge and I slipped away. A few minutes later the hound stopped howling, it was close.

The hound was drawn to the figures fear as I had suspected. I watched as it walked up to the top of the ridge and stopped to sniff and listen. Even I could sense the man's fear, I knew it was like a beacon to the hound. In one smooth movement the hound leapt off the ridge and in front of the man, he called for my help as he braced his spear.

I ignored him as the hound attacked, tearing quickly into the man. I wasn't interested in the hound or the man. I waited until I saw him. A black figure wreathed in violet flames, the hunter following after the hound. As he passed I leapt out, shoving the spike into the hunters neck.

The sound he made was a mix of pleasure and pain, the scream of a sadist in the ecstasy of mutilation. He was stronger than I suspected, and the spike jutting from his neck didn't slow him at all. He lifted one arm and tossed me aside. I rolled and came to my feet to see him ready for his next attack. The hound dragged the body of the man back towards us, and the deep red eyes of the rest of the hellhound pack came out of the wastes. There was at least a dozen of them. The hunter didn't bother removing the spike from his neck.

A crow passed over us. Seeing it in hell was as unusual as seeing a demon flying by in Erebus. But the effect on the hunter and his hounds was immediate. They fled in all directions, even leaving the prize of the wizened man behind.

The crow landed. It was large for a crow but not unnaturally so. It clawed at the ground and hopped about ignoring me. I had lost the spike and without any sort of weapon I knew I was helpless. Remembering the man's spear I started to slip by, to avoid the crow and get to base of the ridge where the hellhound and the man fought.

Then I noticed what the crow had scratched. It was a fire rune with broken bindings. The crow looked at me for the first time.

It was exactly like the rune I had made, perfectly formed. I walked closer and the crow crooked its head watching me. I took a breath and reached out to the rune and I immediately felt the power well up inside of me. Balefire flooded out of the rune in great wild gouts. It flowed out between the hills of the wastes, down along the ridge and all around me. At the rune itself it reached up like a fountain of yellow fire, a bright finger reaching into the sky.

This was the power I once had. Let the hunters come, let them bring their packs of hellhounds, the torturers and the war machines of hell. I will purge this horrific world.

The crow was gone. In its place, floating weightless just above the ground was a beautiful woman wearing purple robes. The robes floated about her in a maze of folds that hid her and offered tantalizing glimpses of her perfect pale skin. Half of an obsidian mask covered the left side of her face. On the right her lips were full and red, her eyes matched the deep purple of her robes.

"To long have you dwelled in these lands."

The fire collapsed back into the rune. I felt the power slip from me and I gasped and fell to my knees in an effort to keep hold of it. But it was pulled from me and I was weak again. I screamed, it was as cruel as anything I had suffered here.

"Give it back." I threatened, realizing that I didn't have a weapon.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. Her body twisted and she expanded, or the world shrank, until she filled the sky and her robes surrounded me.

"I am Ceridwen" she said and the ground rumbled with her voice, "and I can drop you into worlds far worse than this one. If you wish to be free you will worship me, for I am the only one who can break your chains."

And I fell to the ground and worshipped her.

I had forgotten how beautiful creation was, or I had paid little attention. The island I walked across was ripe and lush. There were no land animals on it, just brightly colored birds that cried and fluttered away in annoyance as I walked by.

A vast well stood at the center of the island. Far enough across that a galleon could have been dropped down it and it was deeper than the world. The rocks around it appeared to be old granite, but I knew that rock was the foundation of creation and was much stronger than simple granite. There were no animals here.

I began walking around the well. Every few feet I stopped to trace a rune on the rock. Though it seemed a minor effect, and I was more powerful than I had ever been in life, it took all of my willpower to mar the rock. Between runes I rested and went over Ceridwen's demands, making sure each step was done exactly as she described.

By the time I had walked the entire way around it was well into the night. I stood on the last rock ready to trace the final rune. But before that I drew silver letters on a black cloth, cast and then placed the cloth over my eyes. Through it I saw the spirit world. Even now spirits of the dead walked across the island and threw themselves into the well, passing from this world to the world beyond.

Then I completed the final rune. In a screeching that brought back painful memories of Camulos's hell the rock began to move together. The well began to close.

Confused spirits rushed toward the well, seeing their afterlife being stolen from them and from within the well I heard the sound of feathers. A cold wind came up out of the well and I saw a figure flying up at me from the wells depths. A woman with a cloth over her eyes much as mine, and ragged bands woven around her arms and into a tattered dress. She had dark wings and pale ivory skin. She was like moonlight filtered through a canopy of branches.

But she was not fast enough. I reached out and pulled all of the surrounding spirits towards me, funneling them all into the final rune that was being sketched over the closing rocks surface. A barrier held fast, a great mirror that would send those who tried to pass through it back, a transformation that would bind the spirits that passed through it into unholy forms.

The spirits powered the rune, they were trapped within it. They howled and fought the rune but they could not escape.

To test the spell I walked to a nearby apple tree, since the birds didn't come this close to the well its fruit was untouched. But it was early in the year and it only had tiny green apples hanging from its branches.

I traced a rune of withering on its trunk and the tree immediately shriveled and died. The tiny apples fell from the branches as the branches thinned and weakened. For a moment nothing happened, and then the tree filled out again. Not to its original height, as it remained dark and warped by the spell, but it was not completely dead. On its branches new small fruit blossomed, but this time they were a deep brownish red and they beat slowly.

My mission had begun. My deal with Ceridwen, to bring Armageddon to creation starts here. If I fail I will return to the eternal prison of hell, and even if it means destroying the world I will never again suffer hells torments.

They're mostly female because the Healer unit is female. ;)

The Handgunner civpedia entry refers to an elven herbalist called Algas the Mild. A suggested quote: "Sheathe your weapons, sirs. Blood should feed the heart, not the soil."

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image11.png
"My colleagues just cure everything with no regard for the consequences. A properly engineered plague will kill the weaklings and strengthen the survivors."




http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image9.png
"Butchering the cattle the moment they show signs of disease is an effective way of containing plagues. But cure it and you can taste the sublime savoury sweetness of a survivor."

Auric seems to be spreading snow by walking. Where does that come from, I can't find the file.

Did RifE borrow my code for making Auric Ascended spread snow? If so, CIV4SpellInfos.xml probably contains an Auric-only spell that has a python call used as a python prereq even though it acts like a python result. It could simply use the python call from Snowfall_greater.

That's it. It was part of the Frozen civ.

SPELL_PASSIVE_SNOW and spellSnowfallPassive, in CvSpellInterface. It's done in the Req, so it's triggered constantly.

We didn't borrow it from Magister, at least not directly.... TC01 did, and we got it from him. :lol:

If still accepting Healer quotes, for the one with the skull: "My contemporaries attempt to heal simple diseases. Now me, I will heal the greatest infliction of all: Death"

For names, I'd suggest one of them be Hyppoc Tic, an Ordine Medicos I've used often in the Mazera megastory. I've always pictured as older and not-beautiful, but then again I haven't hit the phase of Alteration corruption have planned...


Some possible quotes of various levels of evil.

---

"My bretheren ask why I bother fixing the weak. I say: the more I repair them and put them back to the slaughter, the more useful they are. At the end of the day, I get more use out of the trash than they do. It is nothing sentimental."


"First, do no harm. Second, aid all worthy. Third, make them fit to smite our enemies once again."



Strictly Medicos

"I am an arms dealer dealing you with weapons in the form of cures." -Black Medicos song

"Paupers, Kings, we care not so long as you can pay the base fee."


My favorite:

"With mastery of Alteration, beauty is no longer a goal, or even a virtue. It is a moral obligation. Do we force the healthy to live with the contagious? Do we mix the criminal with the law-abiding? Then why are the marred allowed to mingle with the fair?"

Bioshock reference? Very nice. :goodjob:

Thanks to Opera for giving me the basic idea, we have a new origin story for D'tesh... I'll likely write a short story up for his pedia, but here are the basics, and the in-game effects:

D'tesh himself was once an Amurite archmage, either during the Age of Ice or just at the beginning of the Age of Rebirth. A secret practicer of the Necromantic arts, he spent years searching for a powerful artefact. After decades of research, he finally found it; The Gem of Death, one of the three gems stolen by mortals in ages past.

This Gem is what gave him the power to enslave the minds of the city he lived in; Yes, all D'teshi mages are originally Amurite, either via force or corruption. Men will do evil things when promised eternal life. ;)

For the in game effects:


D'tesh and the Amurites hate each other. The leaders will have a permanent -6 diplo relation.
D'tesh the Hero will be harder to acquire... Either a higher tech requirement or more expensive, not sure. In compensation, he will possess a new piece of Equipment, the Gem of Death (Opalus Mortis). Will likely grant any units he summons a higher death affinity, as well as giving him a high death strength... To fight him, you need undead, demons, or angels, but I'm thinking of giving it a spell that converts Undead to your cause. ;)


So end effects: Rivalry between Amurites and D'teshi, D'tesh becomes stronger, and they are no longer steamrolled by the Scions. ;)

I was going to try to come up with in-universe histories for ale cotton and obsidian, then I realized that the histories for many other resources are about real life. So I have these three. If you have any problems with any of the texts, let me know and I will fix them.

Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a top-fermenting brewers' yeast. This yeast ferments the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which impart a bitter herbal flavour that helps to balance the sweetness of the malt and preserve the beer. The other major style of beer -- lager -- is bottom-fermented.

Ales are common in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the eastern provinces of Canada, and among craft beer consumers in the United States. The German word for "top-fermenting" is "obergärig"; the French equivalent is "Haute fermentation".

Ales typically take 3 to 4 weeks to make, although some varieties can take as long as 4 months. Lagers take significantly longer to brew than ales and tend to be less sweet.

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fiber cloth in clothing today. The English name derives from the Arabic (al) qutn قُطْن , which began to be used circa 1400.

Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools without crystal growth. Obsidian is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as obsidian flows, where the chemical composition (high silica content) induces a high viscosity and polymerization degree of the lava. The inhibition of atomic diffusion through this highly viscous and polymerized lava explains the lack of crystal growth. Because of the lack of crystal structure, obsidian blade edges can reach almost molecular thinness, leading to its ancient use as projectile points, and its modern use as surgical scalpel blades.

If you haven't guessed already, they are all from Wikipedia.

Here is one for the Bannor captain.

Discipline. What other word comes to mind when thinking of Bannor soldiers? You have to be disciplined when fighting against the armies of hell. And where does discipline come from? Training. And who does the training? The captains. The Bannor have taken the art that is leadership and turned it into a science. There are stores of records of Bannor captains defeating enemy forces who are twice their size and better equipped. I need not remind my readers of the slaughter at Boulderment Pass. Such victories were common amongst the best captains.

-Surviving page from a Dural book of history

Here are two different ones for the Mechanos grenadier.

Ya see, we was lined up in formation like we always was, ya see? Them Mechanos was running at us with rocks, ya see? No metal monstrosities, no boomsticks, just rocks. And we wasn't very worried ya see, cause what can rocks do to armor and swords? But ya see, when they were still 20 paces off, they raised their armrs and started throwing their rocks. Sure, the rocks bounced off our armor, and the order to march was given. But ya see, we hadn't marched four steps when I hear the loudest wound I ever heard. Them wasn't no rocks. It was some new Mechanos contraption. The screams of my fellow soldiers still haunt my dreams. By the Gods, if they don't use magic, I don't know what they use.

-A former Bannor champion, telling the tale of the defeat of the "invincible" 2nd legion.

I've found a new use for gunpowder. Musket balls are all well and good at long range, but what about when the enemy is right on top of you? We take a metal canister, fill it with 2 dozen musket balls and plenty of powder, then seal it up good. When the soldier is ready, he inserts the detonator cap, this small cylindrical object, and breaks it off. He now has 8 seconds, more or less,before it goes off. He throws it into the enemy line, and BOOM, several dead enemies and many more wounded ones. A good soldier should be able to throw 2 of them in 10 seconds. Are you interested in putting the new weapon into production?

-The Mechanos Weapons Researcher Grendiaer, the day before the raising of the "First Hand Held Explosives Unit."

Here are two different ones for the dwarvern ironclad.

You mean to tell me that a ship without sails came at you, against the wind, to attack you in the middle of the night, and was solely responsible for the destruction of the four ships under your command? I'll teach you to lie to me.

-Captain Blackheart, moments before ordering the execution of Captain Johnathan Whiler

Ironclads are truly a dwarvern invention. Rather then using wood and wind, they use metal, coal, and fire. Stronger then normal ships, they are capable of carrying many more cannons. Whoever came up with the rhyme "Dwarves abhor the seas" clearly was not informed about the ironclad.

One for the Luchuirp mud golem.

The mud golem was one of the first types of golems to be built by the Luchuirp. Mud is a plentiful resource, and is very easy to work with for even a beginner enchanter. Unfortunately, the same qualities which make mud easy to work with, make it bad in battle. As a result, the mud golem has minimal combat capabilities and is used for hard manual labor.

I can use those entries, keep them coming! :goodjob:



Now, calling all Photoshoppers: I need an image edit, if you feel up to it. ;)

I've been trying to find art for the Bezeri Lizard leader (The Toad is taken care of). The problem is their lizards aren't large or muscular... The civ is aquatic, rarely enters land (Water supports most of your weight, obviously), and they have no melee to speak of. Not puny, really, but not muscular like everyone seems to draw them. I also want them blue, but I can live with different colorations...

I've found one image I can use, but I don't like it, really.... The smile doesn't work here. :lol:
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civilization/Merg_by_v3ss.jpg

A better one, found by Cyrusfan, has a few problems.... But I'm hoping one of you can fix them. ;)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civilization/StarWarsLizard.jpg

The two things I'd like: 1, I need it to appear to be underwater. The cliff can stay, but we need it recolored with a blueish tint, maybe add some kelp/fish. 2, I'd like him recolored Blue, but this isn't really necessary, just a nice touch. ;)

Of course, completely redoing the background would also work. xD

Hopefully one of you artists out there could help?



Or, if you'd prefer/are artistically challenged, post any lizard art you like that could potentially fit. I've collected quite a bit of other art as potential Mazatl/Cualli leaders. ;)

Thanks to Psychic_Llamas, we have new art. :lol:

It's a recolor of the second image, like I requested... I think it came out great. :goodjob:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civilization/AquaticStarWarsLizard.jpg

If these Bezeri lizardmen are to be the canonical Blue Lizardmen who, thanks to their Aifon ancestry, can breath both air and water, then they should not be blue all over. Blue Lizardmen are gray for the most part, but have blue stripes on their chests. (I have no real basis for this, but I personally like to imagine that these stripes are actually gill slits, located between the ribs and possibly connected somehow to the lungs.) If their underside is not exposed it is hard to tell them apart from the common Gray Lizardman, although they are slightly smaller and less muscular.



I don't like the first one, and don't really think the second one should be edited that much. It could be god to add blue stripes, but his chest is barely visible so it would be a subtle detail. I don't expect any attempt to make it look like it is underwater would turn out well. I personally think it would be better for him to be sitting on a cliff on the water's edge, looking down on his wetter subjects.

The second picture reminds me of a half-human/half Marine Iguana, which I think is quite appropriate. While Blue Lizardmen can breath water and don't have to come up for air like these Iguanas, I imagine they still must spend a fair amount of time on the surface for another reason: sunbathing on the rocks. The ocean depths are quite cold, enough to nearly paralyze a cold blooded lizard that does not surface in order to warm up. I imagine these lizardmen surfacing mostly to lazily bask in the warm sunlight, and that higher ranking lizards use their prestige to take the best rocks for sunbathing while the lower classes might have to make due with floating in the shallows.


Not even the Aifons were entirely aquatic. I tend to think that the Aifon capital and their most important administrative buildings were on the island above the surface, although suburbs extended into the depths.


Edit: The recolor is much better than I expected, although I still don't think it is necessary. It still doesn't look like it is underwater to me, just like it was taken closer to twilight or when a storm is brewing.

If these Bezeri lizardmen are to be the canonical Blue Lizardmen who, thanks to their Aifon ancestry, can breath both air and water, then they should not be blue all over. Blue Lizardmen are gray for the most part, but have blue stripes on their chests. If their underside is not exposed it is hard to tell them apart from the common Gray Lizardman, although they are slightly smaller and less muscular.



I don't like the first one, and don't really think the second one should be edited that much. It could be god to add blue stripes, but his chest is barely visible so it would be a subtle detail. I don't expect any attempt to make it look like it is underwater would turn out well. I personally think it would be better for him to be sitting on a cliff on the water's edge, looking down on his wetter subjects.

The second picture reminds me of a half-human/half Marine Iguana, which I think is quite appropriate. While Blue Lizardmen can breath water and don't have to come up for air like these Iguanas, I imagine they still must spend a fair amount of time on the surface for another reason: sunbathing on the rocks. The ocean depths are quite cold, enough to nearly paralyze a cold blooded lizard that does not surface in order to warm up. I imagine these lizardmen surfacing mostly to lazily bask in the warm sunlight, and that higher ranking lizards use their prestige to take the best rocks for sunbathing while the lower classes might have to make due with floating in the shallows.


Not even the Aifons were entirely aquatic. I tend to think that the Aifon capital and their most important administrative buildings were on the island above the surface, although suburbs extended into the depths.

The Bezeri have absolutely ZERO ties to the Aifons. In fact, they're my answer to an aquatic civ that does NOT revive the Aifons in some way. ;) They were designed before I knew of the 'Blue' lizardmen from the Bestiary.

The Bezeri (the Lizard component, at least) are an offshoot of the Mazatl. They originally lived in a coastal jungle/swamp village, making most of their living from fish already... Fortunately for them, several masters of Nature/Body magic lived among them when the Age of Ice began. Seeing no other option to save themselves but abandon land entirely, they began modifying their own bodies.... Eventually, they discovered one of the last cities of the Tsaayiq'an, a dying race of Toad-men. The two races joined forces, and over time have become one culture, with the Tsaayiq'an generally occupying the higher castes (They are the only ones able to be either Taidar'een or Tiec'een, the Nobles and the Mages.).

Edit: Also, regardless of what they may have been before, both races are Warm-blooded. Was an essential modification for them to survive underwater and maintain their intelligence and a high-rate of activity. The Tsaayiq'an were actually dying out because they were originally Cold-blooded, and could not maintain a high enough rate of activity to hunt their food after the AoI began. They only survived with the help of the Lizards, but remained as the Higher Caste due to their more advanced culture; The lizards were essentially homeless hick lizards. :lol: And yes, while the Toads have a more inherent grasp of Magic, they did not have the expertise necessary to literally reshape themselves.

So basically, nothing to do with the 'blue' lizards from the lore. :lol:

As for the other point, about how aquatic they are... Both races are 100% aquatic. They only emerge onto land if absolutely necessary, either for Trade (Many materials aren't available in the water, and they can't forge metals at all) or for War. They survived the Age of Ice by living UNDER the ice sheets.... Some of them never see the surface at all, though that is rare now that the Age of Ice is ended.

Of course, this means they are VERY anti-Illian, Frozen, and White Hand.

Religion-wise, they favor FoL and hate OO, nearly as much as the White Hand. They view it as a perversion... While the lizards didn't enter the ocean until after the Aifons disappeared, the Tsaayiq'an already inhabited the ocean, worshipping Danalin. They may be one of the only groups to have witnessed what actually occurred, but the most I'll do is refer to the events in their lore. Nothing new concerning the Aifons. ;)


Edit: That was a useful post, btw. Got some thoughts out in the forums that had just been in my head before, specifically with how the two groups first became one. ;)

Here is a slightly improved background for them, that I just added to the Bezeri Design Wave (Google Wave FTW!):

Background
The lizards were originally a Mazatl splinter-group, from just before the Age of Ice, who lived in a coastal jungle/swamp village, making most of their living from fish already... Fortunately for them, several masters of Body/Water magic lived among them when the Age of Ice began. Seeing no other option to save themselves but abandon land entirely, they began modifying their own bodies.... Eventually, they discovered one of the last cities of the Tsaayiq'an, a dying race of Toad-men who had been nearly obliterated by the encroaching Ice. The Tsaayiq'an were dying out because they were Cold-blooded, and could not maintain a high enough rate of activity to hunt their food after the AoI began. The two races joined forces, using the magic of the Lizards to save them both (becoming Warm-blooded in the process), although the Tsaayiq'an remained the highest caste due to their more advanced society. Over the centuries since, the two cultures have merged, utilizing the best of both... The agility, adaptability, and numbers of the Lizards, and the tremendous arcane aptitude of the relatively rare Toad.

In order to survive the Age of Ice, they literally dwelt under the ice. Decades would go by without a single Bezeri emerging onto the surface.... Until the Ice finally began to retreat. They only emerge onto land if absolutely necessary, either for Trade (Many materials aren't available in the water, and they can't forge metals at all) or for War. Even now, some of them never see the surface at all, though that is rare.

They are opposed to both the White Hand, representing the death of their lands and many of their people, lost to the ice, and the Overlords, which they view as a spreading corruption in the Oceans. All other religions are open to them, barring the Ordo Machinarum... Rather than fire and steam, they use biological systems.

They are not evil, but ARE arrogant, viewing the 'lesser' races with disdain. They have a heavy focus on a caste system, and view most outsiders as Dyunil'een, or Caste-less. This does not mean they mistreat outsiders, per se, but that they view them as 'less than' themselves. The few exceptions to this would be the Mazatl, POSSIBLY the Cualli though I doubt it, and coreligionists... In the lore, this would be the Elves. I could see them as Lawful Neutral, rather than Good, but I think their opposition to the White Hand and a new Age of Ice COULD keep them Good.... So no Evil minor/emergent leaders, but a Good one fits.


Are the Bezeri related to the Aifons in any way?

Short answer, NO!

Longer answer: The Bezeri are essentially my answer to using an interesting mechanic, that of an aquatic civ, in a way that both does NOT revive the Aifons and is believable. Personally, I like my background here. ;) They are not the Aifons, they are not the lizards made from Aifons; In fact, they are descended from Green Lizardmen, not Blue (Who are actually grey, with a blue stripe on the chest), and hence the ancestors of the Lizards are actually Elven in origin. They have absolutely zero ties to the Aifons... other than the fact that the Tsaayiq'an would have traded with them, and likely know what actually happened to them. Nothing firm will ever be known, though... I won't change the Aifon story one way or the other. It's not really that I dislike the Aifons... I just didn't want to revive them. In my opinion, that either messes with the lore too much or utilizes a half-breed race... Which is fine, but I don't think they'd be FULLY aquatic, like I want.

Any opinions on the lore I came up with? Anything you think could be clearer?

The bit about them being good, but more lawful neutral is outdated, now that we do indeed have lawful as an alignment. Other wise I like the concepts.

ps. On a side note - I know you have made it abundantly clear the Aifons are dead for good in RifE, but I was wondering, I think it would be interesting to have a couple events related to them or there artifacts. The Aifon Isle is just too bland in my opinion, maybe it could have major benefits/yeilds for a Bezeri City.

The bit about them being good, but more lawful neutral is outdated, now that we do indeed have lawful as an alignment. Other wise I like the concepts.

ps. On a side note - I know you have made it abundantly clear the Aifons are dead for good in RifE, but I was wondering, I think it would be interesting to have a couple events related to them or there artifacts. The Aifon Isle is just too bland in my opinion, maybe it could have major benefits/yeilds for a Bezeri City.

Yeah, neglected to update that. Using Google Wave to make the design document, and I've long since updated them as Lawful Neutral. Not truly good, but not Evil at all. ;)

Well, I wouldn't say dead for good in RifE. Dead for good in any project *I* work on, but Black_Imperator was working on an Aifon civ for a RifE modmodmod. ;)

A few more events could be interesting... Good place to add unique options for the Bezeri as well. ;)

Edit: Updated the post at the top of the page with the latest version. ;)

New Opalus Mortis icon for D'tesh... I think it came out pretty well. I tend to associate a black/deep purple combo with Death, so I took the Sheut Stone promo, made it black and white, and applied a purple filter. Obviously, if I'm happy with this I am NOT an art guy. :lol:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civilization/OpalusMortis.png

The Mobile Fortress.
And now I come to one of the most feared weapons in the Mechanos arsenal. The Mobile Fortress. They are the size of cites and citadels. They are ringed with layers upon layers of defensive works and cannons of all sizes. They can inflict terrible damage at ranges thought unimaginable. To all Bannor Generals, I implore you to evade these terrible fortresses at all costs. This war will not be one by destroying the enemies armies. Their black powder and cannon ensure that. We will win by attacking their farmland, and their people. In an open battle against of their armies lead by such a terrible monstrosity, only death awaits. You will hear and smell the enemy long before you see him. Black smoke will fill the sky, just as the sound of ten thousand gears and crankshafts and hammers will fill the air. The only advantage you retain is speed. Such dreadful enemies as the fortress are slow, and easy to avoid. A city cannot escape however. We must bring the war to an end before are people are slowly decimated by these ten story tall giants.

-A page out of a manuscript entitled "The Mechanos: Their Armies, Equipment, and Tactics"

Since all the Svartalfar leaders (except Jivorn) are identical in terms of religious, favorite civic/wonder prefernces, so I made an entry for Utiruso, as well as suggested changes for his personality and his death text.

Utiruso

Theme: Warlock/Ashen Veil; Makes deals with demons
Favorite civic: Scholarship
Favorite wonder: The Great Library
Religious weightings: Increase in attitude towards AV, significantly less towards Order

Pedia Entry

Utiruso sighed with exhaustion. His dealings with Bel'Te'Herezubeb had failed yesterday and several more apprentices had died. He knew that without the support of this demon he would not be safe from the assasins of his rivals for the title of archamge. He stood up and walked to his safe. He unlocked the metal box with a few short words.
Inside sat a beautiful golden feather.
Careful not to touch it, he removed it from the vault with a spell. He called forth the few remaining adepts he had. "Prepare to resummon Bel'Te'Herezubeb." The adepts were overcome with fear, but commenced on preparing the ritual for fear of Utiruso's own wrath.
Just as it had yesterday, a haze of smoke filled the room, followed by terrible howling and screaming. One of the adepts started to weep, and soon collapsed, dead, no doubt. The demon himself then appeared in a grand explosion of fire and shadows.
"You again!" grinned the demon, "I was hoping to slay a few more mortals today." He raised his horned claws to strike down the nearest elf, but then he saw the golden feather lying on the floor before him. Bel'Te'Herezubeb immeadiately became docile, and bowed towards the Warlock. "I am yours to command, O great elf. What would you have me do?" For the first time in the eons in which he had lived, his voiced was not filled with derision and hatred.
Utiruso took a few moments to speak for he was amazed by the servility of the demon. He recovered, "There are two mages in this building, Alaina and Quaev. I want you to kill them and be subtle about it. After that, you are to return to your domain, and wait for further instruction."
The demon instantly departed without a word. Utiruso ignored the incredulous queries of his apprentices and looked at the feather. He would soon be archmage and from there he would shape the future of the Svartalfar.

Death Text

My minions can no longer shield me from your wrath. I welcome your blade and hope you enjoy the eternity you will spend with my servants.

Valk, if you have not noticed yet, I reskinned several arcane line (Elohim, Infernal, Hippus, Sidar, Malakim, Lanun, Svartalfar, Illians and a model for Os-Gabella). You can check it here (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=346732). Maybe something can pass to RiFe? :D

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image1.png

M'nitress Kassindra

The poison in your men is not arcane in nature, as you feared. The creatures summoned were mortal beings, and their bite, though deadly, is treatable. They should be recovering in another...how do I know? I ssssshare their ancestry, Captain.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image10.png

Rakelly Scytheclaw

The bite of our kind is never gentle...however careful the nip, lycanthropy is a curse that burns the body like moonfire, and even hardened warriors are not sure to survive its ravages. Our lovers, our children...we have spent centuries devoting our greatest minds to new methods to make the transition easier, and more certain.

Now you want me to cure these townsfolk? Instead, let me go to them in a shape their tortured souls will recognize...and emulate. I know you seek a weapon against the demons who hunt you, adept. I will give you your warriors, strong and fast and best of all, already cursed such that all the worst maledictions of the Veil will seem to them as nothing.

And you will give me...family.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image14.png

Eleshiel

I did not fall to let you die, my lord. There is no malady so terrible the strength of angels cannot resist it. I ask only that you take my hand, let me lead you through the curtain...the Mercurians are harsh masters, but at last, your pain is over.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image16.png

Quaemiryl the Merciful

Poison and medicine are the same art. Your companions died screaming from the barest scratch of my arrows...you live, because the second shot was coated with the cure to the first. But do not think of escape. The medicine contains within it a second poison, slower yet far more virulent then the first. Tell me what I wish to know, or I promise that the Hell your masters fear is coming will arrive all the sooner for you.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image6.png

Ak-ary-alione

Sssssshhhhhh. Let it run its course through you - let it grow strong in you, then take its leave when it may travel on its own. The sickness will pass. To others, yes...but it will murder none who have seen the truth behind the Ashen Veil. I am here to make sure of that. We will feed it, nurture it, and like the mothers of any beautiful child, we will send it out to burrow into the bodies of our enemies, to find its place in the world and prosper.

Now sleep in peace...

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Healer/Image8.png

Velmae Alakai

The water here is so pure even a sip can cure the body of infirmity. I highly recommend you bring the settlers here. .

...yes...there IS something living in the cave to the north, whose body gluts itself on toxins and discards healing reagents as waste. But it will not harm us, my lord, provided with its favored sustenance. Perhaps not ALL of the plagued colonists need be brought here to drink...perhaps some should be sent into the cave, where we tell them they will be closest to the source. It is not a lie.

It is a medical necessity.

Awesome! I'll use those for sure. ;)

What are all the pics/ sub text for (and almost as importantly, how did you make/get them)? They are epic. Cool icon Valk.

Naxus' 'pedia struck me as far too short, so I expanded it. The original 'pedia is worked in, naturally, since it was fine.
A swathe of the Amurite people had gathered, many half-heartedly, into the Council Chambers to witness the inauguration of a new Arch-Chancellor. A young and ambitious mage, Naxus, had been spreading discord and discontent, conniving his way into the rank. He was a war hero, one of the finest mages the Amurite people had ever produced, and unlike many war mages, he was just as capable of writing about the esoteric edges of the sphere of Death as he was calling forth its creatures to strike down the foes of the Amurite nation.

It certainly wasn't Naxus' skill with people that had got him there. His smile was convincing enough from a distance, on the rare occasion he forced one onto his lips, but it was easily seen as false upon close inspection, and Naxus much preferred his usual glower. That was the expression he wore now, though a slight smirk occasionally glimmered at the edge, as he accepted the ceremonial wand. He spoke: "Some people are afraid of progress. Like those fools we used to have for leaders, afraid of letting mages truly tap into certain kinds of mana for fear of it. Well, fear of progress will rule the Amurites no longer, because now I rule them instead."

The crowd murmured; his terse acceptance speech was nothing like the intricate, somewhat self-aggrandizing speeches his predecessors had given. It was almost a given that a new Arch-Chancellor would compare themselves to Kylorin and, like clockwork, the Amurites would roll their eyes upon hearing it... but Naxus had not. And it was expected that he would give nothing worse than back-handed compliments to his predecessors; calling them fools was unheard of. Seeing their confused reaction, Naxus said, "I prefer to let my actions speak. If you wish to know why I am worthy, read a history book. Or perhaps you would rather a demonstration?" A few halfhearted claps began as the Amurites gathered realized that not having to sit through three-hour speeches was probably a good thing, tradition be damned.

The demonstration was traditional, but it was normally woven into the speech. Naxus had left it separate; this wasn't unheard of, but only those with the most impressive of skills did so. Naxus said, "I'll need... volunteers. Adepts and apprentices; I can't work with old fools and their superstitions. Only those who feel themselves worthy, and do not fear the unknown, need stand." A handful of the most ambitious stood and went to Naxus. And for the first time off the battlefield, Naxus smiled a true smile; it was the first horror of the day, but hardly the last.

"Do not run. If you run, you will die. Do not panic. If you panic, you will die. This is your last chance to leave." A few of the youngest apprentices skittered back to their seats. Naxus waited, inspecting those that remained, then began waving his arms above his head, muttering a spell none had heard. The ambassador to the Scions noticed that his motions were similar to those of the necromancers of the Risen Emperor, though no words of veneration to that man passed through Naxus' lips, so he assumed, correctly, that Naxus was merely imitating the magical components of some Scions spell, no doubt extracted from one of them during their brief war. The rest were mystified.

A foul cloud appeared between his arms, and he whipped it into a whirlwind, consuming himself and the volunteers. Coughing and choking could be heard from within. A few ran out, half-decayed, attempting to scream with rotted throats before falling and dying. Naxus' chanting could still be heard, still utterly calm. A few within the whirlwind began to laugh, while others started ranting like madmen. "No, mother, please, mother, I'm sorry..." "It was an accident! An accident! An accident..." "Why? Why? Why..." One had begun to sing a nursery rhyme, another broke into sobbing. But these soon turned into manic laughter as well, until all within, save the still-chanting Naxus, were either laughing, silent, or decaying outside of the cloud.

At least the cloud began to rise, until it finally disappeared into the aether from which it had been called. The eyes of the surviving volunteers were cold and hollow, and they had a grotesque pallor to their skin, but they were otherwise unharmed. Another wave of Naxus' hand, and his political opponents found a sickly purple glow surrounding them. "Now," Naxus said, "we deal with the traitors..."

That's awesome, I'll definitely use it. :goodjob:

Very nice pedia entry.

Not really Civilization-oriented, but I've spent a few hours setting up RainMeter (took a while to figure it out :lol:) and thought I'd post a screenie of my current desktop... I like it. Rather minimalist.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Desktop-2.png

To be clear, the little checkbox is the top icon for a notepad. Just haven't added anything yet. ;)

I like it as well, Valk

I like it as well, Valk

New version is better. :lol: Found RocketDock, added it to the RainMeter setup.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Desktop-3.png

Here's what it looks like with FireFox up:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/FireFox-1.png

Nice!

EDIT: btw, where did you get that background?

Nice!

EDIT: btw, where did you get that background?

Busy working on reskinning the firefox theme in the pic so it's black/blue, instead of black/red... Art is done, just need to package the damn thing. :lol:

As for the background, it came with the skin I got the clock from. Didn't use anything else from it, though.

http://customize.org/rainmeter/skins/67189

What's Worker's Paradise Code? Does it have anything to do with RifE??

Edit: hmmmm, found it!

Yes it does, but as for what it is you must dig through forum posts. Hint: Check FF or Orbis, not RifE's forum. ;)

I started snooping and found it before I noticed your post. Look at me all detective-like. I hope my edit doesn't spoil anything. Maybe I'll remove it to be safe.

I started snooping and found it before I noticed your post. Look at me all detective-like. I hope my edit doesn't spoil anything. Maybe I'll remove it to be safe.

Nah. Seeing as I described some of the plans in the Orbis forum already it should be fine. :lol:

Naxus' 'pedia struck me as far too short, so I expanded it. The original 'pedia is worked in, naturally, since it was fine.

KillerClowns is back! Excellent!

Here's one for a Doviello leader called Pyotr. I'll leave it to the sharp-eyed to spot the influence.

“Pyotr. You must go. They are coming for you.”

“They will come. We will stay.”

“Charadon fears your claim to the tribe. For your own sake, you must leave, Knyaz”

“Do not call me that. Am I a prince? I am no more prince than you. I will not abandon the people.”

“Charadon thinks otherwise.”

“Then, he is wrong.... The men he sends, are they many?”

“They carry the trappings of ten, but they are only three in number.”

“And how long have they travelled?”

“Three moons and three suns. Frost has set its jaws upon them.”

“Are they wounded?”

“They have fought with the bears and white tigers of Sybersk Ridges. Their wounds are grievous.”

“Then they have turned upon one another. They fight and they bicker. Each wants to be strongest. They kill their weak and take by conquest. This is Charadon’s way.”

“Charadon speaks the way of the wolf.”

“That is not the way of the wolf. That is the way of Charadon. He does not understand the way of the wolf.”

“I do not follow.”

“Charadon looks at the wolf crossing the ice and he sees only teeth and fury. But he is not looking at the wolf, he is looking at his own reflection on the ice. All he sees is himself. The wolf is not a solitary creature, it hunts in a pack. Each wolf knows its place, whether it smells the prey, chases it to exhaustion or strikes from the snowdrift. The wolf pack hunts together. The pack lives or the pack dies as one.”

“Then we must be like wolves?”

“Exactly. The forager who collects the firewood, the hunter who tracks the caribou, the shaman who reads the winds, the healer who mends the broken bones, all are important for the pack to survive. If we abandon the weak, who will tell us which berry is good and which is poison? If we do not feed the hungry, who will make the tent that shelters us against the winter snows? If we praise only the strong, who will dig the pits that keep the wild animals out while we sleep...?”

"And I, what can I do? Who am I within the pack?"

“You should prepare the stew. Tonight we enjoy a conquest of bread. Charadon has provided our meal.”

EDIT: Spelling / Grammar errors. (I'd make a lousy sub-editor)

KillerClowns is back! Excellent!

Here's one for a Doviello leader called Pyotr. I'll leave it to the sharp-eyed to spot the influence.

“Pyotr. You must go. They are coming for you.”

“They will come. We will stay.”

“Charadon fears your claim to the tribe. For your own sake, you must leave, Knyaz”

“Do not call me that. Am I a prince? I am no more prince than you. I will not abandon the people.”

“Charadon thinks otherwise.”

“Then, he is wrong.... The men he sends, are they many?”

“They carry the trappings of ten, but they are only three in number.”

“And how long have they travelled?”

“Three moons and three suns. Frost has set its jaws upon them.”

“Are they wounded?”

“They have fought with the bears and white tigers of Sybersk Ridges. Their wounds are grievous.”

“Then they have turned upon one another. They fight and they bicker. Each wants to be strongest. They kill their weak and take by conquest. This is Charadon’s way.”

“Charadon speaks the way of the wolf.”

“That is not the way of the wolf. That is the way of Charadon. He does not understand the way of the wolf.”

“I do not follow, Alman.”

“Charadon looks at the wolf crossing the ice and he sees only teeth and fury. But he is not looking at the wolf, he is looking at his own reflection on the ice. All he sees is himself.

“The wolf is not a solitary creature, it hunts in a pack. Each wolf knows its place, whether it smells the prey, chases it to exhaustion or strikes from the snowdrift. The wolf pack hunts together. The pack lives or the pack dies as one.”

“Then we must be like wolves?”

“Exactly. The forager who collects the firewood, the hunter who tracks the caribou, the shaman who reads the winds, the healer who mends the broken bones, all are important for the pack to survive. If we abandon the weak, who will tell us which is berry is good and which is poison? If we do not feed the hungry, who will make the tent that shelters us against the winter snows? If we praise only the strong, who will dig the pits that keep the wild animals out while we sleep...?”

"And I, what can I do? Who am I within the pack?"

“You should prepare the stew. Tonight we enjoy a conquest of bread. Charadon has provided our meal.”


Good write-up! There's an extra "is" in the phrase "which is berry is good," though.

Is there anything like a list of unwritten and unclaimed lore that needs doing? I am sometimes struck by curious fancies, but everything was submitted by someone at some point and I dislike toe-stepping without express permission (or clear absence of permission-giving thing-submitters).

First post of this thread has a pretty good list compiled by some of the players. ;)

Oh, wow. :mischief:

Is that list up-to-date though? I think there are at least two entries for Sculptor's Studio in Loocas Lore compendium, and Catacomb Librarlus was added into FfH a patch or two ago.

You might also find this document useful. It's a collection of all the modmod Lore and threads I could scour together and put in one place. I'm pretty sure Boris and some of the buildings have entries you can use (or not):

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=334470

(I really ought to put that into my sig.)

Up to date for RifE, yes, but I'm going to go through this thread (and yours ;)) to find any lore we need and merge it in. Sometime before the next patch.

Offered: an entry for Casin Loveless. She's sort of a cross between Catherine the Great, Maude Lebowski from the Big Lebowski, and a female Falamar.
Most men would have been terrified in his position, but Septimus was merely annoyed. His ship had been overtaken by some Lanun raiders, who had easily overpowered him and his men and were now dividing up the treasure. One Lanun, a large man who seemed to assume he could intimidate Septimus with his size, glared down at Septimus and said, "You. The captain wants to see you." He motioned for Septimus to follow him, and having no better alternative, Septimus did.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected the Captain's quarters to look like; aside from the bed, what he saw seemed more like a library. The centerpiece of the room was a large desk, but books were everywhere, scattered about with no immediately obvious system. He grabbed one at random; it was Cassiel's "Discourse on Gods and Worship in the Age of Magic." This was, in his Bannor homelands, an incredibly heretical book, but most who read it often confessed they didn't really understand it anyways. He opened it to a bookmarked page and found a description of the changes to the rites of the Illian people in the time leading up to the Age of Ice. It was terribly dry, although another hand had underlined certain passages, and written scholarly-looking notes in the side margins.

A red-headed woman entered the room, and sat down at the desk, motioning for Septimus to take a seat. She carried herself with authority and intellect, and her large henchman shrank in her presence. She was clearly the captain, but Septimus couldn't resist a cheap jibe. He remained standing, and said, "seems whoever runs this boat has a fine taste in whores." She grinned. "Whore? Maybe according to some, but I'm also the captain, and capable of gutting you like a fish six different ways." She pulled out a knife and caressed it for emphasis. Septimus noticed she didn't really seem offended by being called a whore; what sort of strange woman was she?

"Quite the library, Miss..." "Loveless. Casin Loveless." "Quite the library, Miss Loveless. Did you know you can read these things, instead of selling or burning them?" She grinned. "Very much so; reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Gutting idiots is another. And the third..." Septimus cut her off with his guess: "Bedding men? Women? Both?" "Men. But only interesting ones. Falamar was fun for a while, but he couldn't quite keep up with me, mentally or physically. I could have forgiven one, but not both. Charadon had natural gifts, but not much else. Now, Amelanchier..." "Miss Loveless, I think I've heard enough on that topic. Care to tell me why I'm here? And if it's what I think it is, you might as well toss me to the sharks now. I am sure the number of interesting men you've bedded is matched only by the number of interesting, and no doubt painful, diseases you've collected." "I have an excellent healer, Dural trained, who makes certain that's not a problem. Tolerating her pitiable attempts at flirting with me is a small price to pay. But that isn't why you're here. I've been following your exploits for quite a while, Captain Septimus, so I'm not going to waste effort trying to seduce you. I have more than enough evidence that you prefer to share your bed with men."

Septimus fell into the seat Casin had pulled out for him, and stared at her with horror. Casin lay back in her chair, and said, "Your arrogant confidence seems to have disappeared. Excellent. Now maybe you'll shut up and listen. Your hobbies aside, Captain Septimus, my records make it quite clear you are among the most courageous and, more importantly, competent men to ever sail the seas of Erebus. I've been hunting you down, specifically, to make you an offer. I've already sent anonymous but irrefutable evidence of your activities to the Bannor admiralty. Now, you have three choices. I can drop you off in Bannor lands, and trust you to their gentle mercies. Alternatively, I can kill you, far more quickly and painlessly than your Bannor kin would. One stroke of my blade, and you go forth to the afterlife. You're a good and noble man; if you're lucky, Sirona or Lugus will take you in. If you're not, you could end up haunted for eternity by what you consider to be your sins in Arwan's realm. Some clever demon might even take advantage of your meaningless guilt and drag you to Hell." Septimus nodded, still recovering from shock. "So, Septimus, care to guess your third option?"

He said, "I join your crew, and in doing so, betray my fellow Bannor, betray my god, betray everything I ever held dear." Casin said, "nay. Your nation betrayed you long ago. As for the 'everything I ever held dear,' I'll have you know, you'll realize in time what you truly hold dear among my crew. I can offer you the freedom to be your own man. The opprotunity to be judged for your actions, not the insane whims of a merciless priesthood." "They serve Junil's will; I would sooner face their punishment than betray the God of Order." Casin opened her desk, and slid a thick tome to Septimus. "It's 'The Great Bannor Corruption;' a compilation of essays by Dural, Elohim, Kuriotate, and Malakim theologians which demonstrates, quite well in my opinion, that the Bannor priesthood has strayed worryingly far from the true nature of the Order, possibly due to corruption by Mammon, Aeron, or perhaps just the human ambition to rule over one's fellows." "I've heard of this book. It's been called heresy of the greatest degree, and is said to make a mockery of everything the Order holds dear." Casin rolled her eyes, then said, "well, it's not my personal copy, just in case you fail to resist the temptation to burn it or carry it into the watery depths. Just a bit of light reading for you to peruse while you consider my little offer." Septimus left, holding the tome as though he expected it to bite him.

Once Septimus had left, the man who'd escorted Septimus in asked Loveless, "weren't you complaining that book was... how'd you put it?" "I believe I said the book was built on theologically shaky grounds, and that any well trained Bannor Confessor could probably pen a thorough refutation if they bothered to read the damn thing instead of torching it on sight. Although, who knows, maybe the book's authors could refute the Bannor refutations, if they got the chance. But, fascinating as they are, the Order's internal divisions do not really concern me. Septimus is not a Confessor, just a tormented soul who'd make a great new First Mate. Now then, tell the crew we're sailing to Aylesbury. Falamar and Arturus are having a diplomatic summit. I can never resist a chance to mess with Falamar's head, and I'm wondering if it's true what they say about dwarves." "What do they say about dwarves?" She pulled out a text on comparative biology and said, "evidently, not everything's shorter."
I'd put her alignment somewhere on the border between Chaotic Good and Chaotic Neutral; I leave it as executive decision which side, so long as it's near the line.

I enjoyed that, will definitely use it. ;)

While compiling a list of leaders who have finished entries, empty entries, entries proposed by others on this thread that are presently in limbo, or extremely short entries, I noticed Tasunke's entry is still empty in RifE. It's been added in the main FfH mod; you should make sure to change RifE to match, if that's not already on your to-do list.

Will do. I'll merge the new FfH text file with the edited one in RifE (Few things have been changed/exported to other text files).

During an (absolutely delightful) game as the Bannor, I realized that there were no truly corrupt Bannor leaders, save perhaps Ophelia (for a sufficiently loose definition of "corrupt"). I've got an idea for a minor leader to amend this: Gaius Octavius. Because, we can all agree, the Bannor need some Lawful Evil in the mix. :devil:
Basic bio: insane, racist, nationalist, generally vile theocratic Bannor cult leader
Alignment: Lawful Evil (550, -750)
Traits: Spiritual, Charismatic,
Image: I rather like the middle one on this page (http://www.jaestudio.com/portfolio-cards12.htm) or the first one on this (http://www.jaestudio.com/portfolio-characterdesign1.htm). If not, something else will do; my main theory is whatever he ends up looking like, it should be a priest/cult leader/inquisitor.
Favorite Civic: Theocracy
Favorite Wonder: Pillar of Chains
AI: disciple heavy, very strong preference for the Order, weights religious considerations above all others. Nastily aggressive.
Brothers and sisters, citizens of the Bannor! I am Inquisitor Gaius Octavius, Greatest of the Bannor, True Chosen of Junil, Bearer of the Banner of Racial Purity! The old leaders have failed us! We have escaped Hell, but its dark temptations and whispers haunt every corner of Erebus! I need not speak of the wicked heresies of the Veil, the depraved rites of the Overlords, the mad goals of the White Hand, or the shadowy lies of Esus, for all good servants of the Order know to put the vile believers of such madness to the blade! They should continue to do so, of course, but there is more work to be done!

I have seen, with my own very eyes, the dark secrets of the so-called "Brother Religions." The Empyrean, the Fellowship, the Runes, all are as wicked and corrupt as the ritualists of the Ashen Veil, though they hide their own evils far more efecctively. But nevertheless, their sins must be purged from this world, lest they corrupt this world, twisting it into their own depraved image!

The Empyrean would have us believe they seek "wisdom" and enlightenment. Lies, lies, lies! Within the halls of the Overcouncil, the elders of this false religion scheme to strip the righteous nations of this world of their sovregnity, of their independence, of the power they need to hold back the forces of Hell, forcing us to rely upon them for our defense! Our armies shall be disbanded, replaced by foreign-born Radiant Guardsmen! They shall seduce your daughters, impregnating them with the seeds of tainted blood! Say no to the Overcouncil, no to foreign goods, no to the dilution of the Bannor bloodlines!

The Runes of Kilmorph are naught but a Dwarvern religion! Need I remind you, that dwarves are sub-humans, wretched, impure, vile creatures, as bad as the foul Orcs? Every time the price of corn goes up, a Dwarf is behind it! Dwarvern councilmen play the Overcouncil just as surely as the rapacious Empyrean, though their motivation even more base than the desire for Bannor women. Nay, though none would doubt they'd have your daughters given the chance, their dreams are of gold, Bannor gold flowing into their vaults. Greed drives the Dwarvern race, to the man, and their religion is built upon this disgusting greed. All who worship the Runes of Mammon are dwarves, say I, in soul if not in body than in soul. Every Bannor who kneels before an earthen altar is a traitor! Send these abominations to Hell, says I!

Though they almost appear human, the Elves are no better than the Dwarves. And so to is their religion; the Fellowship of Leaves is built upon bloody sacrifice and cruel hunts! Honorable men are set loose, then hunted by elves and the traitors who have given their souls to the Fellowship! Some claim I have no proof of these claims, but that is only because they hide it, so enchanted by Elven whores, older than their own grandmothers, they'd give their pureborn sons and daughters to the bloodstained altars hidden deep within the sacred groves of the Fellowship!

Our old leaders will not put these "lesser" heretics to steel, as they so rightly deserve! They show restraint and mercy to those who only deserve suffering and death! I, Inquisitor Gaius, alone, stand against the tide of heresy disguised as "tolerance" and "diplomacy." Know this, brothers and sisters of the Bannor, that I am your only hope! Unite behind me! Know that the corrupt Bannor leadership fears me! They refused to allow me to take up arms the military, accusing me of being "mentally unfit for duty" because I refused to kneel down before a officers drawn from peasantry and foreigners. They kicked me out of the Temple of the Order when I began to ask questions they feared to answer, also accusing me of madness! Is it madness to ask why the inquisitors are not out in full force, why our taxes feed unbelievers and foreign-blooded mongrels? Follow me, and we shall restore the Church and the Nation to its true glory!

If I were to add a corrupt Bannor leader, I'd probably use either Gil-ganthor or Maraphene (both characters from the Tale of Saverous).


Gil-ganthor was the man who slew the Burnt Priest, who later went on to be a close adviser of the Bannor emperor (at the time when Valin had lost all his honors and the Church was already corrupt, but not yet to point of hunting him down or being destroyed by Auric). I don't have much to base this on, but I like to think that he was either a pawn of Mammon led to slaw a pawn of Hastur in order to gain power, or was a once decent man who became possessed by the spirit of the enemy he supposedly killed.


Maraphene is a Confessor who clearly shown as an evil and ambitious woman. I could see her becoming the most corrupt of all High Priest of Junil ever. To the eyes of Valin's guardian angel, she appears to be guided by a serpentine demon.

During an (absolutely delightful) game as the Bannor, I realized that there were no truly corrupt Bannor leaders, save perhaps Ophelia (for a sufficiently loose definition of "corrupt"). I've got an idea for a minor leader to amend this: Gaius Octavius. Because, we can all agree, the Bannor need some Lawful Evil in the mix. :devil:
Basic bio: insane, racist, nationalist, generally vile theocratic Bannor cult leader
Alignment: Lawful Evil (550, -750)
Traits: Spiritual, Charismatic,
Image: I rather like the middle one on this page (http://www.jaestudio.com/portfolio-cards12.htm) or the first one on this (http://www.jaestudio.com/portfolio-characterdesign1.htm). If not, something else will do; my main theory is whatever he ends up looking like, it should be a priest/cult leader/inquisitor.
Favorite Civic: Theocracy
Favorite Wonder: Pillar of Chains
AI: disciple heavy, very strong preference for the Order, weights religious considerations above all others. Nastily aggressive.
Brothers and sisters, citizens of the Bannor! I am Inquisitor Gaius Octavius, Greatest of the Bannor, True Chosen of Junil, Bearer of the Banner of Racial Purity! The old leaders have failed us! We have escaped Hell, but its dark temptations and whispers haunt every corner of Erebus! I need not speak of the wicked heresies of the Veil, the depraved rites of the Overlords, the mad goals of the White Hand, or the shadowy lies of Esus, for all good servants of the Order know to put the vile believers of such madness to the blade! They should continue to do so, of course, but there is more work to be done!

I have seen, with my own very eyes, the dark secrets of the so-called "Brother Religions." The Empyrean, the Fellowship, the Runes, all are as wicked and corrupt as the ritualists of the Ashen Veil, though they hide their own evils far more efecctively. But nevertheless, their sins must be purged from this world, lest they corrupt this world, twisting it into their own depraved image!

The Empyrean would have us believe they seek "wisdom" and enlightenment. Lies, lies, lies! Within the halls of the Overcouncil, the elders of this false religion scheme to strip the righteous nations of this world of their sovregnity, of their independence, of the power they need to hold back the forces of Hell, forcing us to rely upon them for our defense! Our armies shall be disbanded, replaced by foreign-born Radiant Guardsmen! They shall seduce your daughters, impregnating them with the seeds of tainted blood! Say no to the Overcouncil, no to foreign goods, no to the dilution of the Bannor bloodlines!

The Runes of Kilmorph are naught but a Dwarvern religion! Need I remind you, that dwarves are sub-humans, wretched, impure, vile creatures, as bad as the foul Orcs? Every time the price of corn goes up, a Dwarf is behind it! Dwarvern councilmen play the Overcouncil just as surely as the rapacious Empyrean, though their motivation even more base than the desire for Bannor women. Nay, though none would doubt they'd have your daughters given the chance, their dreams are of gold, Bannor gold flowing into their vaults. Greed drives the Dwarvern race, to the man, and their religion is built upon this disgusting greed. All who worship the Runes of Mammon are dwarves, say I, in soul if not in body than in soul. Every Bannor who kneels before an earthen altar is a traitor! Send these abominations to Hell, says I!

Though they almost appear human, the Elves are no better than the Dwarves. And so to is their religion; the Fellowship of Leaves is built upon bloody sacrifice and cruel hunts! Honorable men are set loose, then hunted by elves and the traitors who have given their souls to the Fellowship! Some claim I have no proof of these claims, but that is only because they hide it, so enchanted by Elven whores, older than their own grandmothers, they'd give their pureborn sons and daughters to the bloodstained altars hidden deep within the sacred groves of the Fellowship!

Our old leaders will not put these "lesser" heretics to steel, as they so rightly deserve! They show restraint and mercy to those who only deserve suffering and death! I, Inquisitor Gaius, alone, stand against the tide of heresy disguised as "tolerance" and "diplomacy." Know this, brothers and sisters of the Bannor, that I am your only hope! Unite behind me! Know that the corrupt Bannor leadership fears me! They refused to allow me to take up arms the military, accusing me of being "mentally unfit for duty" because I refused to kneel down before a officers drawn from peasantry and foreigners. They kicked me out of the Temple of the Order when I began to ask questions they feared to answer, also accusing me of madness! Is it madness to ask why the inquisitors are not out in full force, why our taxes feed unbelievers and foreign-blooded mongrels? Follow me, and we shall restore the Church and the Nation to its true glory!

I like it, think I'll put him in. ;)

I don't particularly like either of the images you linked (First is asian, second is old (picture this guy quite a bit younger than that, but that's more up to you; Your character. ;)) and seems more mage than priest), but haven't found a better yet.

Although I did find a potential D'tesh leader....

http://highdarktemplar.deviantart.com/art/Evil-guy-98082919

EDIT: I would use this art, but it's already used for a Svartalfar leader.... http://s186734871.onlinehome.us/web_gallery/galleries/2007/slides/silver.jpg

EDIT2: Possibly this, trimmed to just show the man in red? Not really young, but more priest/warrior priest than anything else I've found. http://www.justinsweet.com/GALLERY/HTMLS/031_greyd6.html

If I were to add a corrupt Bannor leader, I'd probably use either Gil-ganthor or Maraphene (both characters from the Tale of Saverous).


Gil-ganthor was the man who slew the Burnt Priest, who later went on to be a close adviser of the Bannor emperor (at the time when Valin had lost all his honors and the Church was already corrupt, but not yet to point of hunting him down or being destroyed by Auric). I don't have much to base this on, but I like to think that he was either a pawn of Mammon led to slaw a pawn of Hastur in order to gain power, or was a once decent man who became possessed by the spirit of the enemy he supposedly killed.


Maraphene is a Confessor who clearly shown as an evil and ambitious woman. I could see her becoming the most corrupt of all High Priest of Junil ever. To the eyes of Valin's guardian angel, she appears to be guided by a serpentine demon.

I've yet to read the Tale of Saverous (I'd appreciate a link, if applicable). At any rate, I'm always nervous about toying with Kael's characters (save for Keelyn, due to my part in Lord of the Balors). (Since I generally prefer to explore Erebus at street level, this isn't usually a problem.)
I'm unopposed to including either as a Lawful Evil (or even Neutral Evil) leader, but as a matter of honor, I'd say if either one (or another character from the Tale or Ashes) were including in any capacity, don't look at me; grab an excerpt from Kael's writings.

EDIT: Regarding an image for Gaius: I'd say he should be unarmored, and preferably unarmed, to better contrast the "true" Bannor leaders in appearance.

I can try to find something like that...

How's this? http://leventep.deviantart.com/art/Priest-sermon-81100932

A certain historical figure comes to mind when reading about that evil Bannor insane racist ;)

Yes, it made me think about about Hitler. Replace the theocracy with fascism, and religion with the nationalsocialist ideology, and it's almost a perfect fit. :P

I have some trouble thinking of the Bannor as Racist. The Tale of Saverous shows their main cities as quite diverse ethically, with even a significant population of Doviello. The pedia also shows them welcoming Maros when he chose to abandon Kilmorph to join the order in their crusade against the demons with whom his people had foolishly made a peace treaty.

They are of course quite intolerant of those who won't follow the orders of their official church, but that has nothing to do with race.

Seems to me that Gaius is more using racist themes to make the other 'good' religions seem bad, than espousing racist views for their own sakes.

Yeah, he's obviously racist, but the view of one insane man does not reflect the entire people... Most Germans didn't know (or refused to believe) what was actually happening to the Jews, for example.

I have some trouble thinking of the Bannor as Racist. The Tale of Saverous shows their main cities as quite diverse ethically, with even a significant population of Doviello. The pedia also shows them welcoming Maros when he chose to abandon Kilmorph to join the order in their crusade against the demons with whom his people had foolishly made a peace treaty.

They are of course quite intolerant of those who won't follow the orders of their official church, but that has nothing to do with race.

I fully agree. I had meant to imply somewhere in his little screed that Gaius' racism was one of the many reasons he was kicked out of both the military and the priesthood; his fellow Bannor were completely disgusted by him, and his fanatical views represent a minority view that are looked upon with derision and mockery by mainstream Bannor society. Never got around to fitting that in though; I think I'll edit his lore to amend this. His view becoming mainstream enough to grant him any sort of power would be the final nail in the coffin of anything resembling a benevolent, or even well-intentioned, Bannor society.

EDIT:
Seems to me that Gaius is more using racist themes to make the other 'good' religions seem bad, than espousing racist views for their own sakes.

Yeah, he's obviously racist, but the view of one insane man does not reflect the entire people... Most Germans didn't know (or refused to believe) what was actually happening to the Jews, for example.

Regarding Gaius' use of racism and wild accusations about foreign religions: they're inextricably linked in his twisted mind. Why are non-Bannor bad? Because they don't follow the Order... or possibly, they don't follow it in the "right" way. Why is not following the Order bad? Because the Bannor founded the Order, and it is therefore inherently superior to all other religions. In short, the Bannor are superior because they follow the Order, and the Order is superior because the Bannor founded it. If that sounds like the circular logic a madman might use... glad you've been paying attention. That thought process of his is another thing I need to make clearer in my next draft.

EDIT 2: And in case you're wondering, the Hiter-esque-ness of him was completely accidental. I sort of took everything about the Bannor that made them great (a firm belief in law and order, a devoted military, and a deeply spiritual people) and made it all really ugly. I was actually trying for more of an right-wing American cult leader feel... I tried to capture the spirit the kind of guys who'd accuse the Democratic party (and probably the Republicans as well) of being "Nazi Communists" [sic], and ended up capturing the Nazis themselves. Whatever works.

Alright, I was busy condensing the various worker UU's to promotions (Only worker UU left will be Mud Golem, and Gretchin as it's not used and I don't feel like messing with it. :lol:), and decided to remove most builds from the D'tesh. They now have a total of 5 improvements they can build:


Corrupted Pasture
Crypt
Pyre
Haunted Mine - Same as mine, cannot discover mushrooms
Haunted Fort - same as standard fort, just art


Of those, the last three (and the Castle/Citadel) are all new art, from here: http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=12141

I'm in need of some decent buttons for the new improvements. If anyone would like to contribute, please do. Otherwise we get the improvement from that screenshot as a button. :lol:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0051.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0050.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0052.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0053.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0054-1.jpg

Will this change mean no more Dwarfen Worker and so no more Dwarfen Mine?

Yes for the first question, no for the second.

As I've detailed in the Download thread, I've added the ability for promotions to add/remove build orders. So the Khazad-specific worker promotion adds the ability to build Dwarven Mines. The Malakim-specific promotion allows Bedouin Sits. The D'tesh version allows the 5 D'teshi improvements, and blocks all others.

Much better than having multiple UU's, as these promotions are gained automatically by all UNITCOMBAT_WORKER units the civ gains; Any captured workers/slaves will immediately be able to build their new civ's Improvements.

Ahh so this means Tolerant civs cant build the specialiced Workers any more.

Yes, that's one side effect. I'm okay with it though, honestly.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0051.jpg

Food: +1:hammers: (with Arcane Lore)
Production: +1:commerce: (with Arcane Lore)

Did you break the civipedia?

No? That's how the Pyre has always worked for the D'tesh. Their improvements are boosted at Necromancy and Arcane Lore.

No? That's how the Pyre has always worked for the D'tesh. Their improvements are boosted at Necromancy and Arcane Lore.

Food =/= Hammer
Production =/= Gold Coin

Is I think what he was getting at.

Oh wow, hadn't noticed that. Will look into what's causing it.

Alright, fixed the bug. Assumed it was in the DLL, but it was actually caused by reordering the Civ4YieldInfos file (I blame Jhoniten! :p). No need to post new screenshots, though. ;)

Also, what do you think about the last pic I posted KillerClowns?
http://leventep.deviantart.com/art/Priest-sermon-81100932

Edit: Or this one Opera found. ;) http://zephyri.cgsociety.org/gallery/634557/

Edit2: Back to the D'teshi improvements... Mine will be called "Catacombs" and the Forts will be "Mausoleum". Thinking 'Lesser Mausoleum', 'Mausoleum', and then either 'Greater Mausoleum' or 'Dark Mausoleum', not sure.

...Edit: Or this one Opera found. ;) http://zephyri.cgsociety.org/gallery/634557/...

That. I like. Many thanks to Opera; how does she do it? It doesn't match my original envisioning, but it definitely works as a charismatic cult leader any way you cut it.

Yeah, didn't really match what I saw (I see the Bannor as militaristic; American military discourages tattoos in places that won't be covered up by the uniform. Facial tattoos are big no-nos), but it works. ;)

I'll use it. :goodjob:

Much better than having multiple UU's, as these promotions are gained automatically by all UNITCOMBAT_WORKER units the civ gains; Any captured workers/slaves will immediately be able to build their new civ's Improvements.

But do they allow unique graphics?


I'm in need of some decent buttons for the new improvements. If anyone would like to contribute, please do. Otherwise we get the improvement from that screenshot as a button.

Can me link me to any quide on making buttons, or provide a .psd template?

But do they allow unique graphics?

Easily, yes. The unique graphics will be transferred over to the civ, same way other art replacements are done.


Can me link me to any quide on making buttons, or provide a .psd template?

This should cover both. ;)
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=268684

One alternative, includes GIMP, Photoshot and Paint.net :
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=201747

Please, check on this one.
I can replace some pics, if you don't like them.

Those work great! I only have one request: We need three fort buttons, the Fort, Castle, and Citadel. The folder only contains Fort and Citadel... Any chance you could make the Castle?

Those work great! I only have one request: We need three fort buttons, the Fort, Castle, and Citadel. The folder only contains Fort and Citadel... Any chance you could make the Castle?

Well.. I thought, we only need one (since there's no command to build Castle/Citadel).
Furthermore, there'll be a slight problem: these two pictures are both taken from HoMM3, and it's unlikely, that I can do a third one, which would fit them in style.


Look at this try:

I'll use the Citadel button for the Castle level.

Main thing is Castles become buildable with the appropriate promotion (even for D'tesh, they get a replacement allowing their Mausoleum), so we need one for at least those two steps. ;)

Nice work though. :goodjob:

I'll use the Citadel button for the Castle level.

Main thing is Castles become buildable with the appropriate promotion (even for D'tesh, they get a replacement allowing their Mausoleum), so we need one for at least those two steps. ;)

Nice work though. :goodjob:
Please, look at my previous post. I've added an attach there.

Awesome, I can use that. Thanks! :goodjob:

NP :) Actually, it was just a payment for using your guide on Inno :)

Hehe, I'd actually forgotten about that. :lol:

Alright, Gaius Octavius has been added. ;)

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0056-1.jpg

Yes, the trait is a weak version of Spiritual. Ignore that. :lol:

Is that not the trait he will keep?

As I said, ignore that. Has to do with the project Grey Fox has been working on. ;)

... Ahhhh, Right. ;)

As I said, ignore that. Has to do with the project Grey Fox has been working on. ;)

And I know what it is! :D I'm great at keeping secrets, mostly because I so enjoy having them to keep... This is almost as fun as that time Kael asked me to do the writing for Keelyn in Lord of the Balors, meaning I got a sneak peak at what the scenario entailed before anyone else did.
Still, I'm very pleased you went with Option 3. ;)

And I know what it is! :D I'm great at keeping secrets, mostly because I so enjoy having them to keep... This is almost as fun as that time Kael asked me to do the writing for Keelyn in Lord of the Balors, meaning I got a sneak peak at what the scenario entailed before anyone else did.
Still, I'm very pleased you went with Option 3. ;)

Yeah, went with option three. The trait is a mix of the two you initially proposed for him, Spiritual and Charismatic. Applies the promotions from Spiritual, but does not remove anarchy, and rather than the full 25% less xp needed has a '10% less xp required for level up' effect. That was added after the pic. ;)

So the full effects:



Free Mobility, Potency promotions for Disciple units.
10% less xp required for level up

And, of course, some other aspects that are related to the way Emergent leaders in general will be changed.:p

Ahhhh... "THAT" project of Greyfox's.

ooooooh... THAT project. :D

Wait... am I working on something?

Hmm.

Maybe I am.

Oh, but you are. You might not even know it... but it's there.

Question: Anyone feel like making a racial promotion icon for the Mustevals? Asking because I'd like it in the same style as other racials, but my abilities end with recolors/using existing art. :lol:

Two to pick from.

Well, that's awesome. :lol:

Thank you! :goodjob:

Edit: Ah, see you added one. :lol: I take it SeZ made the first one to go with the units?

You must choose mickey!!!!!!

Well, that's awesome. :lol:

Thank you! :goodjob:

Edit: Ah, see you added one. :lol: I take it SeZ made the first one to go with the units?

I put them both together. If seZ had done it they would be animated or glowing or some such. :)

Ah, you have far more talent with it than I do then. Thank you! It's a shame you aren't using them, though I agree, there's no need for unique units... I'm using an autoacquire promo to do it. :lol:

Though some of the testers are saying we should make UU's anyway....

Yeah I probably should. Its the same use case as lizardmen and I did there. We will see.

hahaha, hilarious :D

You must choose mickey!!!!!!

This all the way

Obviously I'm going with the first one. But the mickey icon IS awesome. :lol:

Question: If we DO decide to go with UU's, what should they be called? The racial promotion currently has the following benefits:

Can examine rival cities
10% city defense


Minor benefits, but it helps give them a rogue flavor vs scout flavor. Any ideas on names?

Tunnel Rats? Still under the spell of Mickey. :p

Alright, I've been busy reworking Doviello+ to take new features (namely, new animals) into account. While doing it, I decided to try and get a display set up for the spawn odds... Hadn't been done till now as it was odds per city, rather than for the civ as a whole.

Was easier than I'd thought it would be. :lol:

I've got screenshots showing two different placements, though realized after taking the one that it won't work... Showing it anyway. :lol:


This is the first placement I tried, and personally I like it. It's out of the way, not likely to interfere with anything, and easy to read.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0060.jpg

The second is on the City Name bar... Unfortunately, it's right smack on top of the 'next city' arrows. Can't use it there.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0062-3.jpg


So, it's obviously mobile. My question for you is, where exactly should I put it? Grey Fox suggested above the culture bar, but I think that would get in the way of the building list....

Edit: Also, would it be a good idea to show the Capital's spawn chance on the main screen, as with Scions and Grigori?

The same mechanic will end up applied to the Jotnar, Sheaim, etc, so I want it set up and finalized before I do that. ;)

I think the first option is best, personally.

I think the first option is best, personally.

I do too, now that the second can't be used (damn arrow keys!).

I want it somewhere out of the way, not floating somewhere... So I don't want to put it next to the arrows, as it's not flush with the border that way. :lol:

Only other option I really see is to have it with the GP, but then I need to reverse the order of the image and text and be careful with spacing.

Also, would it be a good idea to show the Capital's spawn chance on the main screen, as with Scions and Grigori?

Definitely yes.

Only other option I really see is to have it with the GP


This. I also thought, that that corner would be the most logical place.

Definitely yes.

This. I also thought, that that corner would be the most logical place.

I'll add the capital chance, though it won't be useful for the Doviello beyond early game; Spawn chance goes down when pop goes up.

For the second point... What corner? If you mean below GP's, that's where settled GP's go so it wouldn't work. Not sure I like it above them, either; Honestly, I'm likely to just leave it where I have it in the first screenshot.

The same mechanic will end up applied to the Jotnar, Sheaim, etc, so I want it set up and finalized before I do that. ;)

So, turns out the Jotnar and Sheaim could have had spawn counters already... Neither have counters that depend on the specific city for input. Sheaim counter doesn't even need player input. :lol: So neither of them get a display inside a city... Only Doviello need that.

I've moved all the main counters (those you see on the main screen) up to where the Grigori counter is, in the upper left corner. We now have displays for: Scions, Grigori, Archos, Jotnar, Sheaim, Doviello (capital chance only). There is also the display for each Doviello city, as in the first screenshot from the quoted post. ;)

Before anyone asks: No, this wasn't done just for a display. It was done while moving the code from EventManager (where it's read through every turn, regardless of if you qualify) to CustomFunctions (where it's only called if you qualify for it). While doing it I typically broke it up into multiple functions (for example, the Doviello function was split in three; Actual spawn code, spawn chance code (must be seperate for display), and a function generating the list of allowed animals), and some of those are used elsewhere as well now. The little bit that is run for the display is typically a VERY small bit of code generating just the spawn chance, so all in all it should actually be a (minute) increase to performance. :goodjob:

w00t! Faster game (even just a bit) FTW!

We now have displays for: Scions, Grigori, Archos, Jotnar, Sheaim, Doviello (capital chance only).

You seriously shall make an entry in Civilopedia, describing them. Unfamiliar counters are frightening :)

You seriously shall make an entry in Civilopedia, describing them. Unfamiliar counters are frightening :)

Actually, I'm about to start work on moving all spawn systems (Other than Scions; Relies on far too many factors that can't really be done without hardcoding) into the DLL. So there will be clear tags on buildings, traits, etc, telling you how it works. I promise nothing at the moment though; Looking at 15 tags just for traits, all of which will need to be cloned (and added to) for buildings, religions, and civics... Big project.

Best of luck with that.

------------(For Captain Uldanor)

"Captain Uldanor? The man has the heart of an accountant, not a soldier. Every move considered, planned out, discussed for hours, nay, DAYS on end... it's a wonder his troops ever leave their encampments. I tell you, his plodding brand of pedantic I-dotting and T-crossing is the bane of the army, and he even lacks the respect for heroism and bold initiative that's the mark of any true leader of men. If I wasn't there to push us forward, I daresay the army would never get to fight at all-- our entire force would be occupied full-time in filling out supply request forms and status reports. No, the Hippus would be better off without him, and no mistake."

--Captain Ostanes, after several drinks following the Battle of Dunkirk Hill.



------------(For Captain Ostanes)

"Captain Ostanes? That idiotic dandy? I tell you, if his father hadn't been a good friend of Tasunke, he never would have made it past Corporal. That man has no respect for rules and regulation, and if I wasn't there to make up for his woeful lack of understanding of logistics or military structure, this entire operation would collapse overnight into a bloodlust- and alcohol-fueled mob. One time, he even took a tiny reserve force to sneak attack a Malakim encampment before the main body of our army was even in the region, and his plan was to, and I quote, 'go beyond the impossible.' Seriously, what does that even mean?"

"Also, I suspect that he spends as much each year on fancy clothes and expensive wine as I do on my entire siege regiment. More, if you count the hats."

--Captain Uldanor, after several drinks following the Battle of Dunkirk Hill.

------------(For Captain Uldanor)

"Captain Uldanor? The man has the heart of an accountant, not a soldier. Every move considered, planned out, discussed for hours, nay, DAYS on end... it's a wonder his troops ever leave their encampments. I tell you, his plodding brand of pedantic I-dotting and T-crossing is the bane of the army, and he even lacks the respect for heroism and bold initiative that's the mark of any true leader of men. If I wasn't there to push us forward, I daresay the army would never get to fight at all-- our entire force would be occupied full-time in filling out supply request forms and status reports. No, the Hippus would be better off without him, and no mistake."

--Captain Ostanes, after several drinks following the Battle of Dunkirk Hill.



------------(For Captain Ostanes)

"Captain Ostanes? That idiotic dandy? I tell you, if his father hadn't been a good friend of Tasunke, he never would have made it past Corporal. That man has no respect for rules and regulation, and if I wasn't there to make up for his woeful lack of understanding of logistics or military structure, this entire operation would collapse overnight into a bloodlust- and alcohol-fueled mob. One time, he even took a tiny reserve force to sneak attack a Malakim encampment before the main body of our army was even in the region, and his plan was to, and I quote, 'go beyond the impossible.' Seriously, what does that even mean?"

"Also, I suspect that he spends as much each year on fancy clothes and expensive wine as I do on my entire siege regiment. More, if you count the hats."

--Captain Uldanor, after several drinks following the Battle of Dunkirk Hill.


I quite like those... Remind me of certain British generals, actually. :lol:

Actually, I'm about to start work on moving all spawn systems (Other than Scions; Relies on far too many factors that can't really be done without hardcoding) into the DLL. So there will be clear tags on buildings, traits, etc, telling you how it works. I promise nothing at the moment though; Looking at 15 tags just for traits, all of which will need to be cloned (and added to) for buildings, religions, and civics... Big project.

Do you really need that many tags? Can't you just clone the Great Person tags so that buildings would have something like "+2 :espionage: Animal" or "+20% :espionage: Adventurer"? Of course the :espionage: icon would be replaced by the spawning icon.

EDIT: Wait ... those are the 15 tags you are talking about. Nevermind. :/

Do you really need that many tags? Can't you just clone the Great Person tags so that buildings would have something like "+2 :espionage: Animal" or "+20% :espionage: Adventurer"? Of course the :espionage: icon would be replaced by the spawning icon.

EDIT: Wait ... those are the 15 tags you are talking about. Nevermind. :/

For the most part, yes. Doing a straight clone of the GP system would work for some civs (Grigori), but it would remove the random spawn mechanic, and have far too few modifiers.

As this effects lore the most, I'm posting it here.

The Elohim Monk is being renamed the Friar. There are a few reasons for this:


First and foremost, the name is needed for a different, undisclosed project. Feel free to speculate wildly.
Second, I'm tired of the "Monk? It must be Eastern! Lets give it Ki Attacks!!11!1!" type crap. :lol: It's happened in quite a few mods... Honestly, even FF's promotions (and those in RifE) have names cutting it a bit close. The Elohim are quite obviously Western in origin, and influenced heavily by Christianity; Hence, the Friar name. It's close enough to the original meaning, and yet completely 100% non-ambiguous. It will instantly be seen as a western unit. The name fits far better in the aforementioned undisclosed project.

I'm also planning to change the art (which really doesn't fit the rest of the civ IMO, and is part of the whole "It must be Eastern!" thing... Much as I love SeZ's artwork, I think he went in the wrong direction there). To what, I'm not entirely set. For now, I'm thinking of this:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads/inquisitor2_yYA.jpg

Feel free to suggest different art, or to complain about the change. However, please speculate about the new feature which necessitated the name change in this thread.

Edit: To be clear, the only reason I'm announcing this now is so any complaints can be gotten out of the way and people can get used to the idea early, rather than after the patch. Still no ETA. ;)

Please keep the old SeZ art for monks/friar.

For what it's worth, I like the "new" art, and I agree that it would be a good thing to move the Elohim away from Eastern influences (even though I do like the current Monk and it's art).

The art itself will likely be kept, but not for this unit; A shirtless man with a staff does NOT help prevent people from assuming he's an Eastern monk. I think SeZ fell into the same stereotype there while making the art, I've never particularly felt it fit. ;)

I like both the name and the graphic. Also that they wield swords. Swords mean business ! :viking:

For what it's worth, I like the "new" art, and I agree that it would be a good thing to move the Elohim away from Eastern influences (even though I do like the current Monk and it's art).

Ah, I missed this one earlier; I like the current art too, I just don't think it fits. At all. IIRC Ahwaric is using it for his Dao civ, so when he gives the okay to merge that it'll be back. :lol:

Luckily, his naming doesn't interfere with my plans. :mischief:

I like both the name and the graphic. Also that they wield swords. Swords mean business ! :viking:

Honestly, if I could I'd change it to a mace. But a sword is good too. :lol:

Alright people, I'm wanting to tweak the Recon line a bit. To summarize:

Drop Hunters to 3:strength:, equivalent to a warrior with low city attack
Drop the cost of Hunting to between 200-250; This brings it on par with other equivalent techs, makes camps more feasible, and most importantly drops the cost of FoL to that of OO and RoK.
All techs along the Recon path will have prices looked at; Most adjustments will be in the first few techs.
Add a new unit to the Tracking tech, at 5:strength:


So basically, Hunters are being split in two to keep the lowered price from being too powerful. I want to name the new unit the Tracker, but that is the name of the Austrin Ranger UU.

Which brings me to my question... What should I rename the Austrin UU? :lol:

Path finder?

I'm not sure I like that, but after putting it in Thesaurus.com it DID lead me to 'Trailblazer' and 'Seeker'... Either of those could work, though I prefer Trailblazer. ;)

I'm not sure I like that, but after putting it in Thesaurus.com it DID lead me to 'Trailblazer' and 'Seeker'... Either of those could work, though I prefer Trailblazer. ;)

I agree that Trailblazer is best. In fantasy "Seeker" has many other connotations.

---

Will Hunters get a :hammers: break along with the :strength: nerf? Or something else?

I just don't see a niche for 3:strength: 60:hammers: Hunter that requires a building.

I agree that Trailblazer is best. In fantasy "Seeker" has many other connotations.

---

Will Hunters get a :hammers: break along with the :strength: nerf? Or something else?

I just don't see a niche for 3:strength: 60:hammers: Hunter that requires a building.

Yes, the Hunter will be adjusted entirely to fit; Cheaper cost, possibly no building requirement; I intend to leave it able to learn Subdue Animal, whereas the Tracker will start with it.

And yes, Seeker makes me think of Goodkind. :lol:

Yes, the Hunter will be adjusted entirely to fit; Cheaper cost, possibly no building requirement; I intend to leave it able to learn Subdue Animal, whereas the Tracker will start with it.

As an alternative, make Subdue Animal and Beast available for free with the appropriate tech and remove the +versus animals from both. Possibly even make them give a penalty; defeating, capturing and training must be harder than just killing.

Then Hunters can get it at the same cost as Trackers, but Trackers are the first unit strong enough to benefit.

That's an interesting idea... Will think about it.

I like the recon tweak. Maybe I'll actually start building hunters now. :lol:

Yeah, that's one of my hopes; Again, the main reason for the change is so that FoL will be brought into line with RoK and OO. That said, making Recon better is a good thing IMO. ;)

IMO, FoL is the best of the three already. Not because of any units, not because of temples bonuses, but because Guardian of Nature + Bloom + Lumbermill + Ancient Forests = WIN!

IMO, FoL is the best of the three already. Not because of any units, not because of temples bonuses, but because Guardian of Nature + Bloom + Lumbermill + Ancient Forests = WIN!

Few points:


I'm considering changing the Elven synergy with FoL, ala Orbis. Seems wrong for Elves to have the most populous cities.
Lumbermill in AF will be a poor choice....

What the heck is "AF"?

AF = Ancient Forest. I hadn't felt like typing it all out. :lol:

o.O Works for me with the Archos *shrug*

As I said in the post, will be. Not is. Talking about the next version. ;)

Wait, didn't Vehem do something already? Perhaps, I just know from the team forum.

In regards to what?

Making lumber mills bad in Ancient Forests.

Alright, some of you may have seen these already... Deliverator has been porting units from Kohan over to Civ, and his most recent conversion was a storm drake. He took it one step further though, and made a Fire Drake, a Black Drake, and an Ice Drake, all with different breath effects (Lightning, Fire, Poison, Ice, in order). All but the original unit will be checked in... Unfortunately, we have no blue drake so I have no use for that one. However, we DO have a Bronze drake... And after some advice on program/plugins, I'm quite happy with this reskin. Will use the lightning breath effect still, as I'd rather not let it go to waste. ;)

The link for the various Drakes is here.

And here's my reskin. ;)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/BronzeDrake5.png

Valk, I've made headers for civilopedia for some civs (which lacked them). Please, check the attachment; will they do?

Some I like, some I dislike (writing a paper, will be brief):



Archos - This one is okay, but preferably should have some arachnids in the image. :lol:
Austrin - I'm okay with this one.
Chislev - I dislike it. Style is wrong, and it's just a generic 'indian' view.
Cualli - Awesome. ;)
Dural - Works, but a little odd; Why a boy running down the street?
Frozen - Works. A little too 'Hun', as the Frozen are ice demons, not Asian, but it works.
Jotnar - Not sure on this one... Mostly because of the spikes. Jotnar are one of the civs whose alignment depends on the leader, but this portrait makes them look evil as a whole.
Kahdi - Really like this one, which is unfortunate; Kahdi are gone. May use it for the Dao when Ahwaric lets me import *cough* steal *cough* them.
Legion - I like this one, fitting.
Mazatl - I'm okay with it. A little too 'Skink', rather than Lizard, but close enough.
Mechanos - This one is too much tech. They're low-tech steampunk; Think Da'Vinci, not futuristic.
Scions - Not sure on this one. Will use it if there isn't anything better, though.

Archos - This one is okay, but preferably should have some arachnids in the image. :lol:

Will try to fit some into it)

Chislev - I dislike it. Style is wrong, and it's just a generic 'indian' view.

What should be the style? I don't get this civ at all. For example, would Dalla (http://www.jaestudio.com/Dalla.jpg) fit it, or not?

Dural - Works, but a little odd; Why a boy running down the street?

Just an overall feeling of style and civ. In my opinion, it fits quite good.

Jotnar - Not sure on this one... Mostly because of the spikes. Jotnar are one of the civs whose alignment depends on the leader, but this portrait makes them look evil as a whole.

Didn't think about it from this point of view. Will look for something without the spikes. Fortunately, in a pic of this form you don't really get, if it's a giant.

Kahdi - Really like this one, which is unfortunate; Kahdi are gone.

Crap. You should have mentioned it earlier.. Well, there's already too much Jason's work in FfH :))

Mechanos - This one is too much tech. They're low-tech steampunk; Think Da'Vinci, not futuristic.

Hmm.. will try to.

Scions - Not sure on this one. Will use it if there isn't anything better

The same as the Chislev - I don't get the civ. It should be something ancient and luxurious and dangerous at the same time... Do you know, where the images of Korrina are from?


____
To summarize:
To be replaced: Chislev (need a style clarification), Mechanos
Possibly to be replaced: Scions (need a style clarification), Jotnar,
To be modified: Archos

To summarize:
To be replaced: Chislev (need a style clarification), Mechanos
Possibly to be replaced: Scions (need a style clarification), Jotnar,
To be modified: Archos

What I meant by style was actually the type of picture, not the subject; It doesn't 'fit' with the other art, and I'd prefer if the art in the mod maintains a similar style. I've thrown out a LOT of potential leaderheads for the same reason.

As to the content of the pic... With the Chislev, I'd prefer a Pueblo feel, even if they aren't actually from the desert; That's the basic direction they'll be moving in, due to some other changes.


On the Scions... They are essentially undead Romans. They live for luxury, and the image should show that. ;)

EDIT: The "Dalla" image you posted is the correct style (fits with other art, in other words), but the wrong content; Could be used for a Doviello leader, but not for the Chislev.

OK. I'll take a look at it tomorrow

I like that Dalla pic better than the current one for Mahala. The current one looks a bit meaner, which makes sense, but it seems just slightly uncanny/distorted. I like that that pic is both beautiful but not revealing. Perhaps it's not warrior-ish enough. But honestly, I still like it better.

I like that Dalla pic better than the current one for Mahala. The current one looks a bit meaner, which makes sense, but it seems just slightly uncanny/distorted. I like that that pic is both beautiful but not revealing. Perhaps it's not warrior-ish enough. But honestly, I still like it better.

The woman is also pregnant, which kills it for Mahala. This is not the first time I've seen it, trust me. :p

lol. silly me, I thought she was just hip-y. On second look, I can see pregnant. Still would be an interesting option for a new leader. Seems softer, perhaps a minor/emergent leader with even more FoL/spiritual leanings.

Bah, look at this (http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs27/f/2008/066/1/4/14ec4eb704c48e78.jpg). THIS would be a perfect leader) Anyway, it looks like I can't use it for any civ heade...

Aside from the conspicuous rifle, it could be a Sidar leader. ;)

Aside from the conspicuous rifle, it could be a Sidar leader. ;)

A disillusioned Mechanos defector maybe...

He was returning from a war to his home valley. From far away he could see some strange movement in the hamlet, looked through the scope of his rifle and saw a few thugs attacking his sweetheart. Taking careful aim, he pulled the trigger and... nothing. The gun had broken and as he was so far away he could do nothing but watch as his love was brutally murdered.

He left without ever returning home, cursing technology for failing him the one time he needed it. Leaving Mechanos lands, he eventually wandered into Sidar lands and sought shade status, not to avoid death, but for the dampening of emotion it brings. He still carries his non-functioning weapon as a reminder of all he has lost and to never trust machinery again.

OK, Valk
Archos now have some spiders - not the best ones, but the ones you can find in winter in Moscow.
Jotnar is not evil anymore - just angry. VERY angry. But that kinda fits
New Chislev is quite good. At least in my opinion.
Mechanos is very abstract.. not sure about it. If you don't like it, I could always say, this is a placeholder.
Scions.. don't know, it's up to you.

I love the new Archos, fits perfectly now. ;)



Archos - I love the new version, fits perfectly. :goodjob:
Chislev - That one works, proper style. ;)
Jotnar - This one's... Interesting, to say the least. Better than the last one though. :p
Mechanos - This one could work, will think on it.
Scions - Unfortunately, this one doesn't work. We need Tarquelne to swoop in and post where he got the Korinna art. :lol:

Scions are an undead pain in the ass :(

One more attempt at Scions. It definitely has a death feel, but also looks "luxurious" of sort.
Art by Ertac Altinoz.

Honestly, I still don't like that one. :lol:

In other news: New unit art I made, the Burning Eye. Combined the effect of the Fireball with the Eye unit, reskinned the eye. Speculate away as to it's use. :lol:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/Valkrionn/Civ4ScreenShot0003-1.jpg

Honestly, I still don't like that one. :lol:

http://www.gasdetection.com/news2/washing_hands.jpg

I wash my hands, then.

If it helps, I found Tarq's post on where he got the leader/hero art originally...

Mostly (maybe wholly) fantasygallery.net and deviantART. (Melante is "Queen of Air and Darkness" from deviantART.)

This is Melante.

http://niko2137.deviantart.com/art/Queen-of-Air-and-Darkness-44606562

Actually, I pillaged deviantart for all, that seemed more or less appropriate :( Guess, I'm just not lucky.

Actually, I pillaged deviantart for all, that seemed more or less appropriate :( Guess, I'm just not lucky.

Did a bit of searching of my own.... Basically, I think the banner for the Scions would be best showing the Haunted Lands. Problem is, it's not just a creepy forest. :lol: It's a place where death and life blur...

Here's a potential pic (little small, but it can be scaled up easily enough):

http://media.photobucket.com/image/twisted%20forest/shokou/fantasyforest2.jpg

I hate loosing quality on scaling. Resize blur looks unprofessional - you don't want it for the mod.

Maybe, some of the following will do?
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x67/Crimson_visage73/fantasy-wallpaper02.jpg
http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/155/0/2/Creepy_Forest_by_AndreaGerstmann.jpg
http://sites.google.com/site/raginraven/Forest_fog.jpg

(colouring can be changed rather easy, as you know)

It's also possible to make a collage of Dark Council from hero pics - quite a representation.



On another matter. Is it possible from interface coding point of view to use civ-specific graphics for specialist citizens?

I hate loosing quality on scaling. Resize blur looks unprofessional - you don't want it for the mod.

Maybe, some of the following will do?
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x67/Crimson_visage73/fantasy-wallpaper02.jpg
http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/155/0/2/Creepy_Forest_by_AndreaGerstmann.jpg
http://sites.google.com/site/raginraven/Forest_fog.jpg

(colouring can be changed rather easy, as you know)

It's also possible to make a collage of Dark Council from hero pics - quite a representation.



On another matter. Is it possible from interface coding point of view to use civ-specific graphics for specialist citizens?

I like all of those links, though I think I like the first the best. ;)

On citizens... Since that screen is generated in python, yes, it is possible. Would want to edit the following code to check the player's civ, and if equal to the civ you want have a different setImageButton and addCheckBoxGFC line, using the .dds you wish rather than 'gc.getSpecialistInfo(i).getTexture().

You'd have to make sure you're changing the CORRECT specialist, of course, so before the civ check you'd compare getSpecialistInfo(i) to the one you have in mind.

This is all in CvMainInterface.py.

i = 0
for i in range( gc.getNumSpecialistInfos() ):

if (gc.getSpecialistInfo(i).isVisible()):

szName = "CitizenDisabledButton" + str(i)
screen.setImageButton( szName, gc.getSpecialistInfo(i).getTexture(), xResolution - 74, (yResolution - 272 - (26 * i)), 24, 24, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_DISABLED_CITIZEN, i, -1 )
screen.enable( szName, False )
screen.hide( szName )

for j in range(MAX_CITIZEN_BUTTONS):
szName = "CitizenButton" + str((i * 100) + j)
screen.addCheckBoxGFC( szName, gc.getSpecialistInfo(i).getTexture(), "", xResolution - 74 - (26 * j), (yResolution - 272 - (26 * i)), 24, 24, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_CITIZEN, i, j, ButtonStyles.BUTTON_STYLE_LABEL )
screen.hide( szName )

I'll look to Scions tomorrow.

On citizens... Since that screen is generated in python, yes...

if I provide you with decent dds for, for example, Lizardmen, would you care to implement them into RifE, using all that stuff you've described?)

I could try if I had time, yes. I'm sure there's a better way to do it (something that could be done dynamically; Will talk to Grey Fox about it, he's better at that sort of thing), but it would be interesting to have the ability.

I hate loosing quality on scaling. Resize blur looks unprofessional - you don't want it for the mod.

Maybe, some of the following will do?
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x67/Crimson_visage73/fantasy-wallpaper02.jpg
http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/155/0/2/Creepy_Forest_by_AndreaGerstmann.jpg
http://sites.google.com/site/raginraven/Forest_fog.jpg

(colouring can be changed rather easy, as you know)

It's also possible to make a collage of Dark Council from hero pics - quite a representation.



On another matter. Is it possible from interface coding point of view to use civ-specific graphics for specialist citizens?

While the second one best captures how I've always imagined the Haunted Lands looks, the first one is probably the best for the purposes of banner construction, especially if you make sure to get the humanoid figure in there.

Those have me thinking less Haunted Lands and more Whispering Wood, around the Well of Shadows. I guess the rest of you haven't read the Ashes of Brigdarrow though.

Those have me thinking less Haunted Lands and more Whispering Wood, around the Well of Shadows. I guess the rest of you haven't read the Ashes of Brigdarrow though.

No. No we haven't, as you make abundantly clear every time you mention it. :p

You cruel sadistic person, MC.

Well, guys, since you all participate - will this do for Haunted lands?
http://www.mediafire.com/file/4wimwqydywn/ScionsDraft.jpg

Even if it will, it definitely needs something humanoid on it..

Yes, but I think it needs a humanoid of some kind in it. :lol:

Anyone can offer a suitable humanoid? I thought of some shadowy silhouettes, but that would be too much of a Sidar

Shadowy is fine; Some of their units become hauntstalks in HL anyway.

Huh?
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zmnzm5ugzqw/ScionsDraft.jpg

I like that one, will use it. That should be all the civs now. :goodjob:

Attached it to the post so people can see it easily. ;)

Very nice

Good. Mission accomplished.

Good. Mission accomplished.

Just need a dds version of it. :p

I bet you do, bastard :)

By the way, provide me with any specialist dds. I can't find them in the game files.

I bet you do, bastard :)

NOW it's mission accomplished. ;)

Thanks for making them! :goodjob:

NOW it's mission accomplished. ;)

Thanks for making them! :goodjob:

My pleasure. Anyway, my modteam is on hold at the moment :(

What about specialist .dds, so that I can try to make them racial?

My pleasure. Anyway, my modteam is on hold at the moment :(

What about specialist .dds, so that I can try to make them racial?

Sent GreyFox a question about optimizing the setup, but we can use them if you'd like to do them; Would want to do it for all specialists for the civ, though. ;)

Please, read my previous post. I need a .dds of any default specialist to study the format and start with, but I don't have one, and I don't know, where to find it.

Please, read my previous post. I need a .dds of any default specialist to study the format and start with, but I don't have one, and I don't know, where to find it.

Ah, had missed that question, as I replied to the post before you edited it. :lol:

The majority of the buttons are in one of the Civ4 paks (artpacks are located in Assets). To unpack them, use PakBuild. They are located in Art/Interface/MainScreen/CityScreen/Citizen.dds, with just the final name changing.

However, you CAN find a few unpacked already in Art/Civs/Healer Specialist. The 'Doctor', 'Great Doctor', 'Priest', and 'Great Priest' buttons, specifically. The two priest buttons are what we use for the Healer; The transparency is not required, in fact the Statesman specialist just uses the standard Adventurer button.

Aha, I've found it.

Doctor pic is great, by the way. Where is it used?

Am I correct, that full range of specialists include 11 positions:
Citizen
Sage
Priest
Merchant
Engineer
Healer
Great Sage
Great Priest
Great Merchant
Great Engineer
Great Healer

all the unique special citizens are already country-specific, correct?...