Gods Among Men

[Hannibal XIII]

Gods Among Men

This whole story takes inspiration from Sisiutil’s Princes Of The Universe, a far superior story. Here is the concept.

The great leaders of history- often perceived as immortal, at least in their lasting legacies. In Civilization IV, however, leaders never die- no dynastic change, no heirs, even with Hereditary Rule or rebellion. So, what if the leaders were immortal. Like in Highlander, however, they must all kill all of their rivals, for their can be only one. They also learn, from a dream, the pasts of their civilizations, or, rather, the simulated past on Earth. Here, Earth is all just a dream. I, genuinely interested in Carthage, am playing as Hannibal Barca. He will not look like the in-game description. Oh well. Earth never existed in this story.

Note About Catherine- Due to a WB malfunction- I was editing terrain on the second continent- I accidentally met Catherine. Our first meeting will be when I land on that continent. Disregard the Catherine thing in the score list box. Sorry. Also, full credit for inspiration and original idea go to Sisiutil- Yay Sisiutil! Great job on Princes!
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Chapter 1: The Resurrection of Hannibal Barca

It had been a dark day for the people of the tribe of Carthage. Their magnificent leader and great commander Hannibal, of the clan of Barca, had been found convulsed and dead by poisoning in his bed. It was nightfall now, and Hannibal's predecessor, Hamilcar (his father), had to choose a new leader, for he was retired. He spoke with a grieving tone, for Hannibal, of his sons Mago, Hasdrubal, and Hannibal, was his absolute favorite.

"My-my pe-eople," Hamilcar stammered, tears running down his aged face, "Hannibal, our leader, is dead." Everyone wailed genuinely... except Hasdrubal, who faked it well. "I... have decided, in his stead, to nominate Mago, my youngest son, as successor. May Baal and Tanit rest Hannibals hallowed bones." Hamilcar then burst into tears, and Mago, although pleased, was still crying. Hannibal, a charismatic warrior chieftain, was well beloved by his people. The winds blew coldly that night, and Hasdrubal was not pleased. He had killed Hannibal for nothing... or so he thought.

A mile away, Hannibal lay in a hole in the ground, crudely buried by Hasdrubal. He was in the middle of a coniferous forest, and on that midsummer night, the area was quiet. He was a tall man, 6'8", and had tanned skin and bulging muscles. He had golden hair, and dashing blue eyes, the hue of sapphires. He wore the skin of a white tiger, and his club was still at his side. He slowly breathed as a blurry silhouette appeared to the now-immortal man.

"Hannibal Barca... I am a divine force, much like the gods you believe in. I give you the gift of immortality. You are destined to lead your tribe to greatness, to settle large cities, like in the simulation I am about to show you. Here is your life, in another world." the voice said. Hannibal groaned, and images flashed. Ones of his birth. His swearing to crush the state of Rome. The Battle of Cannae. His rebuilding of Carthage. His death. The voice then spoke again, as monotonous and ominous as before. The tone radiated with an omnipotent, omniscient aura of holiness.

"There are others, dead leaders who have been resurrected by yours truly. We hold another gift, but not one all of you can share. There can be only one immortal who survives... Goodbye, Hannibal Barca." The voice departed, and Hannibal awoke. He quickly rushed back to the camp, right as Mago's initiation was starting. The eulogy had just started.

"I-I... Mago Barca, hereby honor my beloved brother, Hannibal. We do not know where his body went, but we shall still build a grave, honoring him. I, my father, my mate, and my seven sons all miss him. We beeseech Baal and Tanit to let him rest in eternal peace." Mago said. His voice was shaky, his face soaked with tears. He was about 6 ft tall, with light tan skin, and raven black hair. His eyes were emerald green. Hannibal then walked in.

"No need, brother, for I, by the grace of divinity, have returned from the dead. I guess this adds insult to injury, Hasdrubal. Would like to share with the tribe how you poisoned me?" Hannibal said. His tone comforted the now shocked people, and then his confidence made the tribe turn querulous heads to his brother Hasdrubal, the tribe medicine man.

"Brother! How dare you insinuate that I killed you! I am shocked!" Hasdrubal exclaimed. His tone faltered, and sweat beaded up upon his face.

"I just saw your medicine bag in my room. Hasdrubal, I am ashamed and enraged. You have forsaken the gods, who chose me by prophecy to lead the tribe. I, as leader, hereby sentence you to death. Saphanbaal, gather the great acid. Put in a cauldron, and heat it to scalding temperature. Yehawwielon, bind up Hasdrubal the traitor. Once the acid is hot enough, dip Hasdrubal in one inch per minute." Hannibal said commandingly. Saphanbaal, his mate, gladly did the service. The 6'6" beauty with white hair and red eyes rushed off. Yehawwielon gathered the rope, and bound the shocked Hasdrubal. He did it quietly and happily, and the short, 5'5" tall man brought Hasdrubal over to the cauldron. Hannibal then spoke again, with the same brooding confidence as before.

"My people, I have come back from the dead. While this may defy all laws of nature, I believe that it was a play by our gods, especially Baal. In my dream I had before waking up, I heard of a simulated life, where our people lived in cities, but were conquered by a people known as Romans, who I hated in the dream. I was also told that other leaders have become immortal, and that a great power awaits the ruler who kills all the others. I shall strive to be that leader. However, we must find a new existence, my countrymen. We must become civilized. I expect no doubts from you. It is good to be back." Hannibal loudly said to the 100s of people gathered before him. The tribe was large. The tribe then retired for the night, while Hannibal watched the death of Hasdrubal, who died screaming, crying, burning, cursing and melting all at once. A fitting end for a traitor.
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The next day, the tribe awoke, jubilant. They had regained their leader, and he promised a bright future for the Carthaginian people. Hannibal came out into the main room, where the fire was, and, surrounded by the forested hills in the early morning, spoke to his people.

"Today marks a new beginning for the people of our tribe. We will find a place, for our whole people to settle down, to build a great city, a new city. There, we shall trhive, and the people of our tribe shall be forever revered and feared throughout the cultures of all peoples. May Baal, Tanit and Eshmun bless our journey." Hannibal said. He had a confident, proud tone, but even his charisma could not assuage the destruction of their nomadic lifestyle. One worried man spoke up.

"But sir, why must we not be nomads? Our life is fine now! Besides, won't settling be hard? We do not know the wilderness well. What way will we use, to achieve this glory, to build this settlement?" said the man. The man was frenetic and paranoid. His name was Shafat. Hannibal once again spoke with a loud confidence. His voice calmed those who were once again worried by Shafat's comment.

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal exclaimed.The tribe then set about gathering their most precious belongings, and packing up. They would leave their camp the next day. Saphanbaal, Hannibal's loyal mate, spoke to him at their hut, on the western fringe of the camp.

"Oh Hannibal, how good it is to see you, my love." Saphanbaal said lovingly. She had always loved Hannibal, and was a member of a noble line. They had been married for 5 years, since they were sixteen. Hannibal spoke lightly, and worriedly in response, worrying his mate.

"Oh Saphanbaal... after you die, what shall I do? I can't really stay with a mortal mate forever, and I don't no any other immortals. Besides, wouldn't be upset, if I found another mate, hundreds or thousands of years after you die? I worry for my fate, Saphanbaal." Hannibal said. Saphanbaal took her turn at comforting Hannibal, who usually was the one who did the comforting. She massaged his back as she spoke.

"Hannibal, I will always love you. Even after I die, I can be satisfied that I was your mortal love, and your only mortal love. If I could stay by your side, I would do it gladly. But I am not immortal. And you are forever 21. So let us enjoy each other while it lasts, honey. I know you'll always remember me." Saphanbaal said. Hannibal's tension dropped, and the day went on fine.

The next day, they left. Their nomadic lifestyle was forever gone. They had vested all power, all grace of their gods into Hannibal Barca, and they trusted him to build their legacy. They just hoped it would stand the test of time.

[BakingTheArt]

Great beginning. Not exactly original, but, hey. Still great.

[Hannibal XIII]

Glad you liked it sir- because here is more. (I playede up to like, 1440 BC before starting to write this, so my updates will be often.

Chapter 2: Dawn of Carthage

For 15 years, the tribe, led by Hannibal, had traveled through the land. Many had died of their own accord- the tribe had gotten fat off of that one patch of land, and when they moved, food was harder to find, so many died. Their original homeland had wild horses, and the north had cows, and the south had sheep. When the tribe moved, they lost that access to food, and some starved. Some died of disease, but the strong, smart people survived- the creme of the perepetual crop. Eventually, Hannibal and his people, jubilant, reached the coast. The sand was black on the beach from some long-gone volcano, and the hill was high up and grassy. Hannibal saw that it was a good spot to settle. Saphanbaal had given birth about a year before, and their little baby boy, Ashtzaph, had been born with skin like Hannibals, a little bit of blonde fuzz on his head, blue eyes, and, oddly enough, bulging muscles. Genetic oddities had always been rampant in the Barca line, and Ashtzaph was a continuation of that tradition. Hannibal stood on the hill, his people behind him, and saw the sky turn dark. It was a solar eclipse, and engima to those ancient settlers.

"Look, my people! The sun turns black! Baal, lord of Heaven, must be changing the sun itself, to commemorate our settling of this land on the coast. I hereby name this settlement... Carthage. All, get in lines. Our land lottery shall begin now." Hannibal said commandingly.

Hours later, all land had been doled out, and with wood and stone, people began building their homes. They all chipped in to build a Palace for Hannibal, his wife and Ashtzaph, and it lay on a promontory on the beach. The fish play happily in the darkness of the day, and later that night, the people celebrated. It was a glorious day, and the Punic peoples gave offerings to their gods. In the next months, the surrounding lands were settled quikcly, and Carthage's population soared to a stately 1000. Buildings popped up, and in that year, promise began to show for Hannibal Barca and his people.

[Kake]

Nice start for the story. Keep up the good work.

[Terrance888]

Good one. Keep going.

[Nerowannabe]

Are you ever going to post again?Great Story!

[Hannibal XIII]

Yes I will post, but I currently suffer from writers block and wantingtocontinuegametillitsfinishedbeforewritinga gainitis.

Sorry... it'll come eventually. Not to mention I'm thinking ahead about how I'll conquer Rome. In the game, I'm at Renaissance, and am stalling to gain a bit more Renaissance before moving to Industrial. I upgraded my troops a few deacdes before where I'm at, and I want to save up my massive pile of money. My civ is so greedy...

Also, here are differences in the story than the game

Religions- Christianity is founded first. Without Judaism. Nuff said
Appearances- Does anyone really care?
Wonders- Different materials, especially in Statue of Liberty, Pyramids- IF I build them...

[Nerowannabe]

Oh okay and welcome to the Forums .

[Hannibal XIII]

Thank you. I do have some news.

I am writing a series with this, so I will be playing multiple games before continuing to write. I also have to blog, so writing is not at the top of my list. I would like some feedback as what civs to use for the other stories connected to this one. I've already got

Augustus Caesar and Rome
Bismarck and Germany
Spain
Elizabeth and England
Alexander and Greece
Aztecs
Japan
Roosevelt and AMERICA!
Ottomans under either
Maya
Khmer


Any others? I don't really like any of the Middle East civs (except I guess Ottomans), all the native African civs (except Carthage, which I count as Greco) are boring to me, and I can't decide on what other Asian to use. I will take any suggestions. Throw your ideas, any civ, out there. However, I refuse to use Native America for my own reasons.

[Eclipse-X010]

Personally I like the Persians, I play as them often and would play them much more if it wasn't for the sucky special unit (no offense to the immortals but they don't really help me out much since by the time I've gained access to horse, I'm already using swordsmen. You could also try China for another Asian civ since the Mongolians don't seem to fare well in my experience.

Oh, and are the Carthaginians really going to worship Baal, complete with glowing eyes, and an arrogant, 'will never accept defeat' attitude. Personally I like Baal but Its just going to be weird reading this (for my own reasons) if the Carthaginians are worshiping him.

EDIT: I personally consider Russia more of a European civ but if you consider them an Asian civ then they are also a good choice

[Hannibal XIII]

No... they become Jews. Baal Hammon and Tanit were there original gods, but they have a Semitic language, and I'm Jewish, so they become Jews. Albeit with different customs...

Russia is European... and they are in this story... Catherine will have a special role...

Yeah.. i did do Khmer for Asia. With China... I don't know why, I just never use it. It just never really seemed interesting to me. Khmer is amazing- that Elephant will kill.

[Hannibal XIII]

I have decided to use Saladin instead of Ottomans. Any other suggestions. I'll even take those darned Native Americans for a suggestion if you have a good enough point!

[Nerowannabe]

Native american's are awesome you bts take your civ's for granted I wish i had bts but I'll probably get it around my b-day next month . (Just kidding on the taking for granted part my post needed drama.)

[Hannibal XIII]

Yeah, they are cheap on the defensive. The just don't belong in the game- they didn't build many cities, and there was a different culture evry 5 miles when colonists got there. They can't be considered one civilization. Polynesia would be great...

And I'm not going to do Saladin- Spi/Pro sucks. Suleiman and Phi/Imp for the win! And Toku is awesome- Agg/Pro. Amazing.

[Eclipse-X010]

First of all, I'm glad to know the Carthaginians won't be worshiping the Goa'uld, second of all, I completely forgot the Japanese as an Asian civ, Tokugawa is good although the Japanese UB is bad but then again there are worst ones. I would still like to see a Persian game but since your going with the Ottomans I suppose I'll just haft to make my own story after I finish my current one.

[Nerowannabe]

Eclipse can I use your location I like it and I thought I should ask.

[Eclipse-X010]

@Nerowannabe

sure you can use it

[Hannibal XIII]

Because you asked, I may do Persia as well. Although Sumeria does have the best music... just the worst unique building.

[Nerowannabe]

How do you change your location?

[Eclipse-X010]

Go to 'My Account', click on 'profile', scroll down to 'additional information', and add the '...' you left out.