Challenging The Demigods

High time for my next story

This time, I will see this through till the end. To whatever end

So Sashie VII is now feeling discontented with Emperor. He thinks he can beat Demigod now, but doesn’t feel like trying it since it requires lots of micromanagement and stuff How can he try Demigod but still play in a relatively relaxed manner?

Then his advisor whispered to him – why not try a 5-City-Challenge, sire? Sashie VII loves the idea. Yes, 5CC would be fun. He’s done it often enough on Emperor, so why not Demigod? Sure, he’s never officially beaten the Demigod AIs in a regular civ-game, but that’s beside the point. But is it wise to play a variant while moving up? Probably not, but Sashie VII cares not. He wants to try it, and he wants the people to bear witness as he rises to rule the world! Or to be defeated quickly and soundly, sir? Off with his head, whoever said that Now, where were we? Oh yes, a 5CC Demigod with Conquest Victory as our target. Let’s start the quest, then. We’re not afraid, bring it on





Sashie VII wants to play Pangaea as it would prevent enemy soldiers who are too cowardly to fight from fleeing him. Also, it makes invasion, trading, and other such things simpler.





Sashie VII has selected his opponents so that no one is scientific, commercial or seafaring out of habit. This slows the general technology pace and allows him to have exclusive knowledge of Alphabet as a bartering asset.





The position looks good 6 bonus grasslands in sight, a wheat with 6 hills within range from the hill. Plus at least one more BG is guaranteed from the four forest tiles, so that’s seven BGs Sashie VII is too lazy to do the math, but he thinks his capital city can hit 30 shields per turn Demigod or no, AIs better while they still can

So Sashie VII decided to found the City of Dreams on the hill.





Sashie VII immediately orders his druids to commence researching the art of Bronze Working as fast as they can, so that they later can continue on the working of Iron (to ensure that he will have iron inside his borders before the fifth city is founded). For anyone else interested in this map:

By 3700BC, the first warrior is produced. Sashie VII commands the first company to explore westward, and instructs his drillmasters to train another company for the eastern part of the map.





Merely a hundred years later, we meet our first rival. That was fast. Guess who?





It’s Montezuma of the Aztecs. He may not realize this, but Sashie VII knows all about his past dealings. He is one sneaky AI, that’s for sure. So we'll just have to be sneakier





Hmm, Aztecs know Masonry eh? So they must have met someone Industrious. It might not be a good idea to trade Alphabet straight away for Pottery or Warrior Code, so Sashie VII decides to wait a bit for more contacts before trading.

Meanwhile, our western warrior discovers two gems close to home! Definitely a city there soon-ish.





By 3350BC, not much of interest has happened. Aztec still refuse to give two techs for Alphabet, and Sashie VII still haven’t met anyone else. But his scouts did discover something interesting..





It’s either Tenochtitlan or Teotihuacan. Either way, Sashie VII makes a mental note to keep an eye on Aztecs. 50 years later, our scouts confirm that it is Teotihuacan and it has furs





Up north, our other scout discovers three wheat

In 3150BC, Sashie VII notices that Monty has Bronze Working. But his own druids are close to discovering it (2 turns), so he decided against trading for it. A hundred years later, our northern warrior has spotted a foreign border. Another contact





From the colour, Sashie VII knows that it would be the Celts. The Celtic people will have Pottery too, so Aztecs might relent and give Pottery along with Warrior Code for our Alphabet. Sashie VII is happy to have the granary available next turn, so he orders a halt of the settler production and changes it to barracks as a placeholder. Sure enough, next turn we meet the Celts!





Sashie VII gave Brennus Alphabet and Masonry for Warrior Code, Pottery, Ceremonial Burial and 10 gold. Some may think it’s unwise to trade away Alphabet, but Sashie VII have decided that he will pursue neither the Great Library nor Philosophy We also take note that AIs have three cities each now. Not good, not good.

In 2670BC, Celts start the Pyramids. Ha, that will be a pleasure to raze someday.





In 2550BC, Celts have knowledge of Iron Working. Unfortunately we cannot buy it, so research goes on at maximum rate. Soon after, our first settler is ready! Sashie VII decided that he wants the southern lands first, in case Aztecs turn their sights northeast. No military escort though, as Aztec has a warrior close by





Well, things are looking a bit loose in our heartlands isn't it? Sashie VII decided that the northern warrior should rush home to fulfill his garrison duty. Cofuwr is founded!





Uh-oh. Aztec warrior is heading to undefended Cofuwr! Meanwhile, Celts have learned the technology of wheels, and Aztecs now have Iron Working. Hey, Aztecs don’t know Alphabet and Ceremonial Burial yet! We get Iron Working and 2 gold for Alphabet..and we have iron closeby! Sashie VII now sets his sights on numbers and calculations. After all, you need numbers to fight wars Let’s play it safe and pull the warrior out of the capital to cover Cofuwr. Why is it building a warrior? Sashie VII wonders at his and orders a temple to pray for his glory

5CC Demigod Conquest !?!?!

Good luck!

Aabraxan said:

5CC Demigod Conquest !?!?!

Click to expand...

Indeed. We shall conquer (or die trying :suicide

Aabraxan said:

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Hopefully something I'll have in generous portions. Thanks.

Hmm... interesting start. Ill be following this.

Signing up, looking interesting. Although you're definitely gonna need a lot of luck to win this, even if you've got some great locations.

In 2230BC, Celts have discovered Mysticism. Sashie VII is impressed by the Celtic people’s rate of technological advancement They must have lots of friends. On the other hand, Aztecs don’t even know Ceremonial Burial yet, and we won’t trade it to them even though they’re offering Furs. Those furs will be ours eventually anyway.

80 years later, another settler is finished and Sashie VII wants the gems now. Gems can make our people happy. The gems must be had. So Sashie VII sends his settler west. That same year, Celts start the construction of something called The Oracle.

As the settler moves closer to the gems, Sashie VII realize that there’s another foreign border just outside the fog. He must’ve missed it in his sleepiness earlier on. It’s red, but Sashie VII didn’t choose Romans or Byzantines as his foe. The Japanese, most likely. We’ll see.





Yes, it is the Japanese. They have The Wheel and Mysticism, but lack Alphabet. Unfortunately, we can’t trade.

Gemanas is founded and gems are ours





At this point Sashie VII noticed that Aztecs also have The Wheel, whereas both Celts and Japanese have Mysticism along with The Wheel. Although we have Alphabet over Tokugawa and Ceremonial Burial over Aztecs, we can’t find any trades without giving gpt. Sashie VII is loath to give gpt, but The Wheel is essential for horses. Tokugawa would give Mysticism for Alphabet and 4gpt, which we may be able to use for The Wheel from Aztecs. Is giving Aztecs Ceremonial Burial a good idea? Hm.. Sashie VII’s will not give gpt this time, so we let this trading opportunity pass. Perhaps after Mathematics is discovered (hopefully with monopoly), better deals will be available Oh, and Sashie VII also noticed the amusing instance of Montezuma kindly helping to road our land.





Soon after, Aztecs have Ceremonial Burial, and Japan have Alphabet. Sashie VII begins to wonder if he made the right choice, but done is done. By 1910BC, Celts have discovered Writing. My, that’s quick We are still 12 turns away from Mathematics, hopefully no one else gets to it first.

In 1750BC, as our next settler heads north, Sashie VII is puzzling over the actions of Aztec’s worker. First he roaded our lands (or future lands, anyway, after Cofuwr’s borders expands) and now he’s passing our lands northward? Are the Aztec people defecting already?!





Perhaps he’s sent to colonize the incense up north, but then again perhaps not. Or maybe to establish a trade route with Celts? Either way, Sashie VII cannot imagine Montezuma being kind enough to send a worker to help us. Alas, the ways of the AI are ever a mystery. We have no problems with this as long as he keeps roading our lands. And sure enough, the Aztec starts roading our lands again! This is weird

It is the year 1700BC and we have met another civilization. China, they are called. They don’t seem to be too advanced technologically. So far all known civilizations have The Wheel and Mysticism, with Japanese and Celts knowing Writing as well. Mathematics due in 5 turns now, so soon we can get all these techs.





The very next turn, Ronth is founded to the north. One more city before we’re done with expansion. Sashie VII decides to take his time in deciding the fifth city’s location. His scouting warrior also spotted a blue border that appeared during the IBT :








We now know 5 civilizations, three of whom knows Writing. Naturally Sashie VII is beginning to feel doubt gnawing in his heart. At this rate, AIs might have pikes by the time he can muster a decent invasion force!

25 years later, Celts send a settler escorted by a warrior southward. Where is it headed? Hm.. Our scouting warrior discover three ivory near Mayan Lagartero. So now we know who will have the Statue of Zeus.





During the IBT we see this:





They have four cities and they’re building a 400-shield wonder?! No wonder AIs keep losing Our intelligence inform us that they are building it in Tenochtitlan, so Aztec expansion depends on it’s 3 other cities. This calls for a good military plan – we will let Aztec put some shields into the Pyramids before we declare war, so that they cannot switch the build to something else. Sashie VII knows that AIs hate to waste shields, and don’t stop ongoing wonder building if there’s lots of shields already invested. Now comes the time to decide - Archers or Swords?! Er…let’s wait until the military council convenes. Either way, Sashie VII must take this chance to cripple a Demigod AI We order our scouting warrior to bust some more fog around Aztec lands to discover the location of their towns.

Meanwhile, the Celt settler is heading southward around Ronth. Sashie VII is concerned that it might take away his fifth spot, but hopefully it will go farther south near Aztecs.





The druids of Valii report that we have finally discovered Mathematics, and have a monopoly! This calls for nationwide celebration and trade with everyone we know. Our envoys call on Brennus, Tokugawa and Smoke-Jaguar and return with lots of new knowledge Afterwards, Writing was also traded around to Aztec and China for a total of 33 gold. In summary, Sashie VII traded away Mathematics, 31 gold and 8gpt and gained Writing, Mysticism, Horseback Riding, Map Making. It was too good to pass, even though Sashie VII was initially loath to give gpt to Tokugawa. Now that our we’re paying gpt to Tokugawa, Sashie VII order science expenditure to be minimised in pursuit of Currency. Unfortunately we don’t have horses in our lands, but there’s one up north.

As the last settler heads towards the final spot, Sashie VII received news that China have start the construction of The Pyramids.
In 1500BC, our settler run into Celtic borders :angry:





Sashie VII feels cheated. His fifth city spot is stolen from him, and the settler has nowhere to go. What to do, what to do? Cofuwr is building up, it could use a population boost. Yes, the settler goes to Cofuwr. After we take care of the Aztecs, Celts are next on the list!

Polytheism is now known by the big three: Maya, Japan and Celts. However Japan still maintain a monopoly on Philosophy. After some quick thoughts tempered by sleepiness, Sashie VII decides that some pointy stick research is the way to go for now. Oh, and then Japan start ToA. Aztecs are now behind us in terms of technology, with even numbers of cities. Things are looking good for the coming conquest Several turns later, Mao and Brennus join the ToA party.

The year 1425BC is a very good year. Sashie VII fondly remembers it as the year Cofuwr hits the magical 10spt mark. Now Archer production will go smoothly, yes it will. Aztecs are doomed However his advisors inform him that Aztecs now have five cities, and that his scout spotted another Aztec settler:





But it matters not a whit to us. Our soldiers will fix things soon enough.

25 years later we notice that China have Polytheism and still can’t count or draw maps. Out of pity, we give Mao both advances for his knowledge on Polytheism plus 7 gold. Now we are only behind Celts and Japan, both of whom knows Philosophy Then news came that the Celts have started building something called Mausoleum of Mausollos. Sashie VII has no idea what a mausoleum is, nor who Mausollos was. What intrigued him was the news that Brennus have finally finished The Pyramids. However nothing else was completed, and Aztecs are still building a wonder.

In 1275BC, Sashie VII was told that both Maya and Japan are in a state of anarchy. It seems they have discovered Monarchy! Sashie VII isn’t interested, however. He wants Republic. Monarchy isn’t as good as Republic. Let them have their Monarchies, Sashie VII don’t care. The City of Dreams now have 6 proud citizens, spitting out 10spt and growing every 3 turns. Sashie VII is happy to have a cycle of archer-worker going. Now our other towns can grow faster Plus our estimated military strength is average compared to Aztecs, so D-Day is near!

During the IBT Mao decided to build the Colossus. Sashie VII also noticed that Aztecs are trying to sneak a settler past Cofuwr, perhaps in a race against that Celt settler to our northeast. This calls for some liberation action. We will attack before that settler founds a town





The gems are finally accessible in 1225BC At the same time the Mayans decided that they want a hanging garden, while Brennus wants the same gigantic statue that Mao is building. AIs are starting to leave us behind in tech again, Sashie VII is feeling kinda nervous at the moment.
Aztec’s settler is moving slowly through our lands. That crazy Aztec worker is still roading our lands, too However, our scouting warrior discover Aztec iron source in 1200BC. Definitely something we want to disconnect when we declare war.





Soon our scout-warrior also spot another Aztec settler. We must act fast before Aztecs grow bigger. Maya finally start building the Statue of Zeus after completing The Oracle. War must come soon before it is too late!

Sashie VII said:

They have four cities and they're building a 400-shield wonder?!

Click to expand...

Don't forget the Demigod discount; it's only 280 shields for them. And they've got foodboxes that are 30% smaller, so more hands to gather those shields. The AI advantages stack.

I was thinking in human player terms at the time of typing, the discounts totally skipped me. But you know what I mean

In 1175BC, we have enough forces to strike. First we remove our scouting warrior from Aztec lands. Then we notice that we have the option of giving Aztecs the ultimatum of leaving or declaring war. But at the moment Aztecs are polite, there’s a chance that he might actually comply and leave. To remedy this, we first talk to Montezuma on several ‘apropriate’ requests And now:



The people are happy to be at war Well, war is upon us We liberate the settler inside nearby the City of Dreams, as well as capturing the insane Aztec worker:





No attacks during the IBT, lucky us. On the wonder race, China started building ToA and Colossus again. And what timing and judgment!



Sashie VII takes note that Japan and Celts now have Construction. But he has more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. Iron will be available in 6 turns, so soon he will have swords to fight with! On the southwestern front, we raze Teotihuacan, killing 2 veteran spearmen and losing 2 veteran archers.



Apparently Montezuma is building The Great Lighthouse in Tenochtitlan, so it’s coastal. Anyway we can ascertain its location by the shape of the borders, although since it’s building a wonder we may want to take raze it last. Next target is Tlaxcala! And since the 8gpt deal with Japan expires next turn, we can finally amass funds for swords upgrade, yeay!

During the IBT our lone warrior see Aztec settler and warrior run off to the western fog. Seems like the smarter ones are already Our forces are currently in disarray, so we’ll need to reorganize before taking out Tlaxcala. In the mean time, Sashie VII is gladdened to hear that our brave warrior has pillaged Aztec’s iron!



Between 1075BC and 1050BC, we received word of this:



And soon after, Mongols complete The Colossus.



Our assault stack is now in place, but as Sashie VII was issuing the final commands to march, he notices that there’s an Aztec settler/spearman near the furs. They will be liberated by the Archer pair just outside of Cofuwr. Montezuma will now talk, and we ascertain that Aztecs have 6 cities. However we only see 5 on the map. The 6th is out there somewhere..in the fog. Meanwhile Cleopatra have shown up from the north. Apparently she’s yet to learn her numbers or maps, but knows the workings of a Monarchy government. Since Sashie VII sees no need for a Monarchy, he declines Cleopatra’s offer.

The year is now 1000BC. It is the year of battles, and triumphs of good Valii men. Glorious Valii soldiers march against our enemies, and sing the doom of their foes as they go into battle!



Sashie VII have understood why Aztecs were so small; it appears that the Mayans and Japanese have managed to block Aztec expansion. Poor Montezuma was just unlucky to start in the middle. With Mayans to the south, Japanese to the west, and Valii to the north, what could Monty have done? Not that we care, though

And then this news just made Sashie VII’s day!



Interestingly, Smoke-Jaguar isn’t the only one with ivory. Mao are trying to beat him to the Statue of Zeus. In 975BC, Valii are well and truly behind in tech. All known civs except Aztecs know at least two techs that we don’t, while Celts have monopoly on CoL.

Sashie VII is worried. How can we catch up? This war with Aztecs must end soon, so that we can go after someone else! Sashie VII calls up a meeting with his generals and they all agree to this. Yes, but still we have to cripple Aztecs before we call it a day, says one general. How far should we go? Sashie VII is of a mind to just wipe Montezuma’s face off the planet, but that would take too much time. After some deliberation, the objective is now to raze these cities:



To ease his mind, Sashie VII trade Map Making to Cleopatra for Philosophy and 8 gold.

During the IBT, Tokugawa comes calling for 20 gold. Is he bluffing?! Sashie VII is tempted to tell him off, but there’s a good chance of Tokugawa not bluffing so he caved

While reorganizing and preparing his men for the march against the Aztec capital, Sashie VII notices that Cleopatra is trying to steal some lands that rightfully belongs to the Valii:



His first inclination is to strike and liberate the Egyptian settlers before they found towns and steal his iron, but since this is Demigod Cleopatra, he thinks again. What would hurt Cleopatra more, two lost settlers or two cities? Cities, perhaps. It might gain us something, heh. On the other hand, Currency is now known by Maya and Japanese Hmm, Cleopatra must have somehow sensed our long term plan for her settlers, for her southmost settler turned east towards the peninsular. Oh well

Maya and Japanese have now entered the Middle Ages! Oh boy Sashie VII is placated by the fact that the Aztec invasion force is now ready to march next turn, but still he chafes at the speed AIs are leaving him behind.

It is now 875BC and the army is marching! Also, Cofuwr can now hit 15spt for 2-turn swords

Word came in that the Mayans have completed the Statue of Zeus. Smoke-Jaguar is now the guy to watch Our forces continues its march south. Meanwhile, there are quite a number of settlers in the north around Ronth - Cleopatra, Mao and Brennus wants some more lands.A pair of swords arrive next to Tlacopan to lay siege and create a diversion from the capital.



During the IBT, our swords outside Tlacopan kill two archers! The Aztec archer pair did a total damage of 1hp, lucky lucky. Aztec also sent one archer to reinforce the town. Sashie VII is pained by the number of foreign settlers moving about, but patience is the order of the day.

Then Cofuwr finishes a sword and now we ramp it up to 15spt However, the Mayans snag another wonder! Smoke-Jaguar now have the Temple of Artemis. Oh cascades coming in Tokugawa finish The Hanging Gardens! Celts then score The Great Wall Guess we’ll need catapults against Brennus, then.

Our forces are penetrating deeper into Aztec territory. We decide to go directly for the capital, leaving Tlacopan for the reinforcements to hit later.

Aztec forces begin to maneuver for a counter attack. Interestingly, the archer reinforcing Tlacopan leaves it Our fur colony is also threatened. There are a lot of settlers around us now. Oh, and our first catapult is built! Mao gets a wonder:



It is now 800BC. Our new catapult is sent towards Ronth in preparation for the next war. We start dealing with the war front:





Since Aztec are no longer building any wonder in their capital, we will go for it first and split the empire. We are falling behind in the tech department The Military Advisor says we’re strong vs the Celts, at least that’s a good sign isn’t it





Montezuma appears to be directing his forces towards our fur colony. But there’s no real threat. There’s several settlers still in our lands.



It is the year 775BC. Upon further consideration, adding another worker into Gemanas does nothing yet, so we set the worker on jungle clearance. Sashie VII notes that Tenochtitlan has dropped 1 pop to 4 from 5 in the previous turn. The number of units around Tlacopan is now four – 2 swords are on their way. We will assault the town then

Montezuma must be sweating hard now Our forces assault Tenochtitlan





We have liberated one slave, and there are still 7 units unused during the assault. The next target is Calixtlahuaca as it can be reached next turn. Sashie VII is amused by Montezuma’s desperate plea for peace and declines despite his willingness to give every town and all his remaining gold to end the slaughter.

The Aztecs did not mount any counterattack after we sacked the capital. Gassed already? Meanwhile there are a lot of settlers appearing, from Japan and Celts. We are concerned about our fur colony as well as our iron, it could be poached by a town nearby it.



Sashie VII doesn’t like this. He considers the possibility of starting the Valii-Celtic War early, but his troops are not yet in place. We do have the option of giving the Celts the ultimatum, so that will come in handy. However…the Celts have iron! Although they are in Anarchy, Sashie VII is nervous at the prospect of facing Gallic Swordsmen at this point. Military Advisor maintains that we’re strong in comparison, but the Foreign Advisor says that our forces are outnumbered by Brennus’s men They’ve 11 towns, 5 of which the locations are known to us. Which Advisor should we trust? Sashie VII can’t decide what to do, so he turns his mind towards the Aztecs for the moment. We can’t wait too long, so instead of next turn, we take our chances and assault Tlacopan:





That’s easier than expected. Our forces arrive at Calixtlahuaca and immediately lay siege to it. Also, our forces have cleared the area around the fur colony of enemies and begin setting up blockades to protect it.

Since Aztecs are now contained, our rear troops begin to reorganize and head northwards in anticipation of the Celtic War. Unfortunately, happiness issues force us to raise luxes up to 30%. Must be the razings, perhaps. Sashie VII don’t know why.

In 730BC, Sashie VII is getting more anxious about the settlers. Our forces now assault Calixtlahuaca:





The rest of the attackers regroup on the road and we can see that the iron is roaded. They are joined by fresh troops and next turn we’ll arrive at the gates of Texcoco Sashie VII also order what units he have to try blocking the settlers, or at least slow them down.

Literature is finally out and about; Tokugawa have started the construction of The Great Library. Will he get it? 40 years later, we are finally in position to assault Texcoco:





Texcoco is razed to the ground , and two slaves were captured. The new Aztec capital is Xochicalco, but we will no longer press the offensive. Sashie VII won’t sign peace just yet, as there’s no benefit from it. Now it’s time to regroup and go whack someone else

I am putting this game on hold until I get RL back in order. Apologies.

Sashie VII said:

I am putting this game on hold until I get RL back in order. Apologies.

Click to expand...

NOOOO!



Take care.

The year is 690BC. Sashie VII has just woken up from his long More than a year has passed!


Fresh from the victory at Texcoco and crippling the Aztecs – so badly that they may never rise again – we have the option of allowing mercy to the Aztecs by ending the war. However, they only have 14gold to offer, and our citizens are happy to be at war with the Aztecs, so we shall let the war go on for a while





While reviewing the lay of the land, we have come to realise that our fifth city would be better placed near the furs. Not only will it have a river next to it, but two furs, a flood plain and a sugar, as well as four hills Sashie VII thinks that the location is better than the initial spot denied us by the Celts ages ago, so there's our silver lining right there However, there are many foreign settlers walking around the area looking to take our furs away, and we will have to act quickly





Yes, there are numerous foreign settlers walking around. We count a total of eight within our sight, with three of those within our lands and another three right next to our borders. Half of them are Celtic - a significant fact in formulating our next short-term plan.





How do we stand technologically? The Aztecs lag behind us (and will be for a long, long time ) as they lack Mathematics, Philosophy, and Polytheism. Unfortunately, every other civilisation we know have Code of Laws, Monarchy and Construction. Maya and Japan also have Currency, and Japan currently have a monopoly on Literature. Our druids are working hard to unearth the secrets of Currency, and with only minimal funding available, would take at least another 14 seasons to do so. Let's hope we'll still be able to get something for it then





With all these factors in mind, we need to keep close to the tech leaders and slowly build our strength, while trying to slow everyone down as best we can. We need another war to beat a few more techs out of Our next target would be the Celts, they're close and we know the locations of 5 Celtic cities at the moment, in addition to the settlers we see. Maya and Japan are leading the tech race, so at some point we will want to draw some Japanese and Mayan blood

Wahooo! Sashie's back!

The story is continuing again.

Sashie VII almost forgot about sea exploration, so long was he asleep. No matter, we shall have a boat floating about shortly However, just as we were looking forward to invade the Celts, we were unpleasantly surprised by this:






Tokugawa took away our fifth city spot We immediately review the intelligence we have on the Japanese. Apparently our military are comparable, but most importantly, they have neither iron nor horses! Sashie VII wonders how he could've missed this vital information So it's decided that our next foe will be the Japanese! Our settler for the fifth city will be ready in three seasons, so we must hurry and mobilise our forces for the invasion of Japan. And the following news from our soldiers in the south is encouraging






Good thing we still have some presence in the area. Tokugawa must have wanted the free iron, but he will feel pain! We have enough to strike at Shimonoseki and the two settlers, but we shall let one settler build a town before we raze it Unfortunately, Gemanas is vulnerable - being right next to the Japanese border - so we will have to wait until sufficient troops are in place.


Meanwhile, we have our first boat! Northwards or southwards? We will want to trim down the Mayans at some point, so we send the boat down south to gather more geographical information.






Another season passes, and the Celts attempt to build something called The Great Library. We have no idea what that is (yet), but that is not important. What is important though, is Mao trying to bully our people:






No Chinese soldiers were in sight when this happened, bar a warrior escorting a settler near our capital And that was easily taken care of. Unfortunately, we were unable to get at another Chinese settler, who managed to shake off pursuit.






The people are happy to be in a new war, so Sashie VII can save some money on entertainment As another season passes, our troops are gathering for the coming invasion. News came in that Egypt and Maya have also joined the race for The Great Library, but these things are of little importance to us. Finally, in 630BC sufficient forces have been assembled at key positions and will be ready to march next season. High time, since we’re being left further behind in the technological department. Mayans, Japanese and Celts are joint leaders with all known techs, with Egypt not far behind. The Chinese are still refusing to talk, so we don’t know how they’re doing in that regard.






In other news, we finally take pity on Monty as he begs (again) for peace This time, he offers two (virgin) workers in addition to the meagre 14 gold in his treasury. So we accept his terms, and thankfully no unhappiness ensued among our loyal citizens Our attentions now are fully on the Japanese. The Valii are coming!

So this is where it ends? Am I to assume that the Demigods of the Crushed Races called upon their fathers (the full gods) to wipe the Valiian people off the face of the earth? Or perhaps should I imagine that you were so behind in the tech race that when you declared war on the Japanese they nuked you unto oblivion? Or perhaps you realized your people had yet to create The Internet, and so you should/could not be here to tell us more? (Which then could point to your people having died off, as you never got far enough to create such a thing.)