Divine Intervention VI: Caliph of Catastrophe

Divine Intervention VI: Caliph of Catastrophe​

Here's the idea - The mortal will play 50 turns. Then, they will post a save, and you - the god - shall make any number of changes with the worldbuilder that are in accordance with the rules. Your Divine Intervention, as it were. Then, you'll upload the save, and the mortal plays 50 more turns!

Game Settings



Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire

Map: Oasis
Size: Huge
Speed: Epic
Difficulty: Prince
World Wrap: Toroidal

Choose Religions


I.Thou shalt announce your intentions.
--(Be sure to "got it" so we don't run into continuim errors. We reserve the right to ignore not announced updates)

II. Thou shalt not Intervene if you were the last deity to intervene, and thou shalt only intervene once per waking
--(You may only intervene once per my update, and you must wait for another God to intervene before intervening again.)

III. Thou shalt not reveal the secrets of knowledge or the heavens to mortals.
--(No units or techs should be revealed to any civilization if they are not in the current or previous era of the player)

IV. Thou shalt not use your powers for cataclysmic destruction
--(Remember, less is more. Be subtle. It is far more interesting for everyone if you make subtle, interesting changes like forming a choke with mountains than if you just tear giant swathes of ice through my cities. I reserve the right to reject saves I think are unnecessarily apocalyptic.)

V. Thou shalt reveal yourself to the mortal with grace.
--(Everyone loves a good story, and if you decide to contribute to it, be creative! Choose a name and domain [i.e., Winston, the Sea God] that you govern, even if the characters don't know it's you acting)

VI. Thou shalt not be vindictive, and thou shalt not halt progress.
--(You are not allowed to strip techs away from me. Anything I research is mine permanently. You are also not allowed to remove any named unit, for any reason.)

VII. Thou shalt not be unnecessarily nice to the puny mortal.
--(I do not need a stack of thirty Level 9 Praetorians to win my fights. You do not need to fill my BFC with flood-plain grassland goldmine hills next to rivers. The only exception to this is if you genuinely make me work my ass off to get it, and even then it not ought to be as good as the dream city outlined above.)

VIII. Thou shalt reward him for piety, and thou shalt offer him redemption for his punishments.
--(If you give me a quest and I succeed, reward me! If it was easy don't give me a big bonus, and if it was hard I am going to be miffed if I get another Scout for all my hard work. Likewise, if you punish me, tell me how I can fix it!)

IX. Thou shalt not war with the other gods. Much.
--(Obviously there's going to be some strife between those who would support Mehmed's Conquest, and those who would seek to protect the world from his tyranny. Having said that, Gods are not allowed to reverse the effects of an intervention without waiting for the update after the effects have been felt. This includes quests. In fact, you would do well to leave the other god's quests alone entirely. If you want me to do yours instead, make it more interesting or more lucritive)

X. Thou shalt obey the natural order of things, and of time, and of destiny.
--(There is a storyline going on here. Do try and fit in. Do not take great lengths to completely detract from it. Be smart.)

XI. Thou shalt not abuse your architectural omniscient nature.
--(Don't add wonders that don't already exist.)

FAQ

Q: Another God has already edited the save this turn. Can I do it too?
A: Yes, but you may not undo their changes. Take their save and edit it. Also, you may only edit once per turn.

Q: I have this cool idea that only slightly violates your rules, but it's really cool!
A: Just keep in mind I have the ability to reject any save I deem over-the-top.

So how do I play?

Anyone is welcome to jump in at any time. The goal of this game is to create challenging and unique situations for the player, as well as develop the ongoing storyline for everyone to enjoy - that includes the player. All too often, with ultimate power, a god can make things frustratingly unfun for the mortal - or deliriously easy. Consider this: If you want to take a city away from me, rather than setting 100 troops outside of it, why not just remove the city and detail in a story post its demise?

Once you've decided that you want to intervene please make sure you follow this simple rule.

Once you've said "Got It!" you have exactly two hours to edit and post your change. If you are not finished in this time, you may extend your time by another hour by posting such a request in the thread. Should your tenure expire, any other player is free to "Got It" without remorse and you must wait once again.



Wakings:
Chapter One: Of Development, Pots, and Lucky Stones

Everything came together at once.

A thousand ideas, a thousand forms, a thousand million billion particles exploded and reformed as Jhaz became a world. The One fragmented, and his divine essence spilled into his creation, each droplet forming a deity. As each deity roared into creation, the cries called life of so many different kinds into being as they rose into the heavens or into the hells that they chose. We, as men, were chief in the creations of these primordial cries - tiny echoes of the deities themselves. Even lesser amongst the creation were the immortals, beings with enough divine spark to live forever but without the power of the One at their disposal. These Immortals are the pinnacle of men, and are divinely mandated to lead their dying brethren.

That is how the world was born, when the One became many. In creating us, he became us. But the strength lies in realizing that as fragments, beautiful as we are, our strength grows as we reunite pieces of the One.

Mehmed ended his recital and smiled. "So don't you see, friends? By settling a city here we can create a static point to begin the reunion."

All ten of the capture tribesmen nodded nervously, peering apprehensively at the club-wielding ottomans behind them. There had been a battle here just recently, and the tribesmen were very clearly the only survivors of a very short struggle.

"But," the Caliph continued, "there is one catch. Every creation needs a foundation - and until two and a half hours ago we had no idea where we could possibly settle down for good. A sacrifice must be made to the gods to bless the site, and we simply hadn't had the numbers to spare."

A horrified look came across the barbarians, replaced ostensibly by blood and splinters as each of them were brutishly put down, skulls knocked to the ground and crushed into the dirt by second or third blows.

"Istanbul!"

And a roar went up amongst the warriors



(I've provided the opening save to anyone that wants to take it: I understand some gods may wish to make some changes before I play at all. I will be retaking the save at 10:00 AM EST Saturday Morning, or as close to that as I can allowing for the two hours of the last player to got it. Have fun!)

In a corner of the oasis, a cloud of darkness hovered ominously over the landscape. This darkness contained a powerful presence, a keen intellect and a mendacious personality. This was Anshar, Lord of Darkness, Master of Hidden Lore and Patron of Deceit. The umbral cloud hung there, watching, waiting, wary...

.. then swooping down low over a valley where a new tribe was constructing their first settlement, it granted their leader, the man they called Hammurabi, a flash of divine insight and the faith of Anshar soon spread amongst the people of Babylon.

I want to experiment a bit and will sign in as the God of the Dice; TheForestAuro I hope you like this idea since I'll be requiring a bit of feedback.
Every update I'll present to you twelve events, 6 good, 6 bad. You have to pick three of each which will be getting a number 1-6. I'll throw a dice and this will determine the event that will take place. Yes you may choose not to gamble but then I'll be a very sad god

Good

• Guaranteed Copper in Capital's city cross
• Extra Worker
• Extra Scout
• One Calendar resource in Capital's city cross
• Oasis in Capital CC
• Stone 7 squares from capital. (Horizontal or Vertical)

Bad

• Two Barbarian warriors near your borders
• An extra worker for the AI on your continent
• An extra Warrior for the AI on your continent
• Guaranteed Copper in in the CC of the AI closest to you
• A river in the CC of the AI closest to you
• A GP for the AI closest to you

Happy picking!

I will be the God of Balance, I will help however I feel is weak, however, if you help me then I will have you be the Pivot of the scale (AKA Big Love.)

Is Building a road to every single Tribal Village, as I think they have a disadvantage, over doing it?

Roll of the Dice
1.Stone 7 squares from capital. (Horizontal or Vertical)
2.Oasis in Capital CC
3.Extra Worker
4.Guaranteed Copper in in the CC of the AI closest to you
5.A river in the CC of the AI closest to you
6.A GP for the AI closest to you

You rolled a 1.

Since I forgot that you haven't actually started the game and as such put the stone 7 squares away from your settler. (I don't see a problem telling you since I doubt that you would waste all those turns walking around with your settler.) Next update I will add a story but I really wanted to get this in before your next (first) playset.

Got it. Expect an update by Sunday Morning at the latest

Checking in..... don't know what I'll be doing but I'll be doing it

Set is played. Update in a jiff

The first 50 turns is always super uneventful.

Chapter One: Of Development, Pots, and Lucky Stones

The Ottoman Empire grew quietly but with haste. After several villagers "shared" their secrets (although the method of sharing is disputed by historians - no mention of the villages are ever made again) the empire gained an exciting head start in the research process.





Meanwhile it was clear that others were focusing their research in a more spiritual direction.





Most of the rest of the waking proceeded fruitfully but uneventfully - save, perhaps, what the surrounding natives swear is a lucky cache of stone - one they swear was placed by divine providence. Mehmed marked its proximity to the great southern waters no coincidence.



Pondering the nature of the divine, Mehmed grew somewhat frustrated with his own ignorance of the issue. Who were the gods? Who was he? Why was he ever-living? Staring down at this seemingly innocent granite cache, he had a chilling realization that he would know soon more about these figures.

A gentle wind swept through the leaves, chiming a harmony. A single man was walking under the great crowns of the jungle trees, smiling. He knew the jungle was a dangerous place, but he had lived here, in the small hut just ahead, for all of his life. He had met other people, obviously, but he never found them charming. All they were thinking about was killing each other in particularly nasty ways. He himself found animals more to his liking, especially sheep. Sheep never hurt anyone.

He stood just outside the hut when he saw the young woman sitting on a rock next to the hut. He looked up and recognized her immidiately. He let out a sigh: "Ah, you again, Succella. What is it you want with me this time?"

The goddess beamed at the old man. "The mortals need your abilities as a herder once more, friend. It is my will that you do this."

The old man shook his head, and answered in a calm voice: "No, Succella, I won't do that. I have lived long, far longer than any man should be allowed to, due to you holding your hand over me. I have thought this through time and time again, and I would rather that you withdraw your gift and let me die in peace, as soon as I have said goodbye to my flock."

Succella nodded. She had expected this answer. And she had thought up a fitting reply.
"They are not like the others, you know. The Ottomans will treat you and your herd with the care that you deserve. I have trust in them, and you know that is rare. If I am willing to give them a chance, then so should you."

The old man mumbled. "So be it, Succella. This once and never again. And I am not moving from my home. They will have to come to me."

Succella nodded and disappeared. The old man sat on the rock where she had been a moment ago, and looked down on the bending river. The Ottomans?

So God does not play dice? Well this god does. He does it a lot.
Flaks had just won a game of marbles from a pretty woman and with that a new solar system for him to play in. He had a peculiar feeling though, the woman seemed too beautiful, too charming. She didn't seem to mind losing this particular game, something about "Having lost more than she bargained for."

Perhaps later he would talk to her, for now he set his mind on a little planet he found. Civilizations had just started to unfold so there was still enough for him to enjoy without going through the hassle of watching millions of years of evolution.

He took up his dice and rolled it. A five. All right these "Ottomans" will be the victims players in his game.


"Mehmed II, you have been chosen by the dice. I, the God of the Dice, Flaks will watch over you with my game of chance. Here is the book that contains the instructions and rules."

Roll of the Dice

How to play
Before each turnset you, the player, will receive a list of twelve possible outcomes. Six of them are in your favour, the other six will be not so pleasant. You must pick three of each and accompany them with a number 1-6. After this the dice will roll and the faith of your civilization is in the hands of Lady Luck.

Bon Chance!
There is also the possibility to gain a leading edge over your competitors. This comes at a risk though and has to be earned. You start the game with one 'Bon Chance!' but can earn more by fulfilling goals laid out to you by the Game Master. 'Bon Chance!'s' are stackable and you can decided each round if and how much you want to play.

A 'Bon Chance!' is similar to the normal roll of dice however this time the outcome is predetermined. Moreover only a six will bring you fortune. The others will be your downfall.

"Now isn't that splendid?! A real joyous game! Mehmed my friend we're going to have a lot of fun! Rien a va plu! As my ex-wife would say! Terrible at cards she was. Not like that pretty marble girl at all. Well Mehmed here's what I've come up for this round! I'll be off looking for marble girl!"

Roll of Dice:

Good

• Gain a worker
• Gain a settler
• Gain a warrior
• Gain a Calendar resource
• See the capitals of the AI (Fog removal)
• Gain marble next to the stone

Bad

• Nearest AI gains a worker
• Nearest AI gains a settler
• Nearest AI gains a warrior
• Nearest AI gains a Calender resource
• All AI's know your position
• The city of ********* gains marble

The Bon Chance! for this round:
A six will make the countryside around Istanbul fully developed. 1-5 will make the city of ********* fully developed. (To emphasise: You can choose not to use it and keep it until there comes an offer you do like.)

How you can earn a Bon Chance: Build a wonder.

"Ah what do you think, not bad huh? Couldn't find marble girl though. Perhaps the dice will roll better for me tomorrow! Wonders you ask? Wonders? AH YES WONDERS! I do like pretty structures. Especially those you can see from way up in the skies. Your last roll will help with that! Yes lucky fellow you are! So tell me Mehmed what are your choices for this round?"


OOC:

Mehmed marked its proximity to the great southern waters no coincidence.

Click to expand...

Well actually I rolled the dice on that as well. But you're free to mark the southern waters holy of course.

Mehmed tossed and turned in his sleep, dice spilling all about him...

1.Gain a settler
2.Nearest AI gains a worker
3.Gain marble next to the stone
4.Nearest AI gains a Calender resource
5.Gain a Calendar resource
6.Nearest AI gains a warrior

Click to expand...

The dice rolled over the old wooden table. It landed on a six.

I've done your edits as well Diamondeye.

The God of Balance laid onto the land, and he didn't like what he saw: civilized are pushing the uncivilized back... he decided to show them the way, give them a fighting chance, and summoned the strengh of knowledge throughout the land.

A few suddenly realized the importance of the stones below them, and started mining, soon, a full contingent of Warriors, armed with heavy shields, rose to protect the villagers against the outside world. They are ready to defend their homeland.

GOB smiled, they now hold greater weight than before, he hopes that they will keep it.