Divine Intervention III: RagnarReign of Terror

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

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

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

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

That's because I have other plans for her.

Eldarion said:

@Liberi:

Spoiler :

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

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

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



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

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

"Ragnar, what happened to our relationship?"

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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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

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

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

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



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

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

"ELDAAAARRRRIIOOOOOOOOOONNNN!"

The skies rumbled, and the clouds churned...

(to be continued.)

TheForestAuro said:

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

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

Click to expand...

Fair point.

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

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

That is strange o.O

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@Liberi:

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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



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

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World Recap:

Here's the save!

GOT IT!!

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Anyway, here is the save...

TheForestAuro said:

Like a Jackhammer

Click to expand...

That's what she said.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He pointed to the horsemen.

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

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

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

((returning to Eldarion's cliff))

"Frightening, isn't it."

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

digitCruncher said:

Spoiler NFFE: What I did :

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

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I've been (loosely) following this one when I can but probably won't be getting involved; too busy with other projects ATM.