Art and Lore

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.

Spoiler :
“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.

Spoiler :
“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).
 
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.)
 
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.
Spoiler Casin Loveless :
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.
 
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.
 
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 or the first one on this. 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.
Spoiler Gaius Octavius :
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 or the first one on this. 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.
Spoiler Gaius Octavius :
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.
 
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
 
Top Bottom