CyberForte
Chieftain
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2011
- Messages
- 63
Well, many ideas for another game diary have died prematurely or failed to hold my interest, but here's another attempt. All caveats of the previous one still apply. I'm still running the public svn version of RifE 1.31.
This time, the mapscript is MountainCoast.
Settings:
Huge Map, but -1 player
Temperate Climate
High Sea Level
Monarch
No Savages - I noticed in my last game that barbs were really too much and had effectively crippled some of the AIs, so this game I decided to turn off the most powerful barb faction to help them.
New Random Seed
Blessings of Amathon
Wild Mana
All Unique Features
Religion-Based Interface
Broader Alignments
Flavor Start
All victories enabled
Quick gamespeed
Leader: Dain the Caswallawn of Amurites
Neutral Good (80/390)
Philosophical/Arcane
As the Age of Rebirth began to take shape, the Amurite people encountered a crisis. Although traditionally an Aristocracy, negligence on the part of the magical elite, more focused on their studies than on politics, allowed a powerful queen, Valledia the Even, to rule with almost absolute power. Her methods were cruel and cold, but effective, winning much support from the common people who had long been disillusioned with the magically-skilled elite.
This was the situation when an archmage of exceptional ability, Dain, rose to the position of Caswallawn, the highest position in the magical hierarchy. By the time of his ascension, Valledia had rendered the office almost entirely impotent, subverting its power to supplement her own.
Dain, however, was not content to stand by idly as he began to realize the depths of depravity that were being embraced, the total subversion of his vision of the Amurites' ideal, for the sake of survival. After a particularly grievous offense, he could stand it no longer and, along with a coalition of other disenfranchised citizens, but aristocrats and commoners, he threw a coup, even though he was well aware of its end result.
That is to say, despite being victorious, he and his followers were looked upon harshly by those who had been pleased with the peace brought by Valledia's policies. In the end, the archmage chose to lead them voluntarily into exile, traveling far into the untamed reaches of the Erebusian wilds to start their civilization anew....
The first city in this new Amurite nation, settled near the famous Pool of Tears, would be called Celestia, in both an attempt to break with the traditional names still used at home, and in hopes that the city's name would be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Many of their traditions remained, but the knowledge carried by the exiles had to be renewed through research.
In leading his people through this trying time, Dain reluctantly took up a role that combined his status as Caswallawn with that of the traditional monarch. Although he was a staunch supporter of the traditional Amurite aristocracy, the failings of it were glaringly obvious after what had happened. Given that, his discontent with being the absolute head of state was relatively small, knowing that, in time, he would devise a viable alternative that precluded the problems of the previous government, and also those of his current one. For now, the Amurites needed leadership.
Traditionally, the Amurites had had no state religion. Valledia had created a state cult of Junil as a part of her efforts, but most of those who had gone into exile with Dain, including the Caswallawn himself, had little love for the authoritarian deity. However, when Dain's reputation for philosophy brought a renowned prophet to Celestia, another precedent was broken.
That is to say, in discussing with this man the problems of the new Amurite people, and how they might be addressed, a notion that had appealed to him in the past came up. Dain had always had a certain fascination with the mechanical works of the dwarven peoples of Erebus. However, in his youth they had seemed a terrible waste of effort...
Now, though, he realized that, with a weak and limited portion of the magical elite remaining in his own city, there was some logic in the dwarves' approach. If the new Amurite society was to prosper, it could not be based in magic alone. No, rather the infrastructure was something that had been lacking even in their old lands. It was no wonder that the commoners were discontent when their importance was downplayed in favor of the magical elite, but they still did most of the labor at the end of the day.
With such ideals in mind, the prophet turned his prayers to the earthmother, Kilmorph; Dain would now establish a formal cult to her, with Lanthis as its first high priest, and by doing so he would hope to make the people feel appreciated for their work whilst still in truth maintaining the system that allowed the mages to practice their craft unfettered by the demands of everyday life.
It was not a cynical solution the way Valledia's cult had been, though. In his eyes, it was a way to make the people's hard work more appreciated; it wasn't as though the work of the magi was any less vital or difficult, after all, and he felt that Kilmorph's teachings applied equally to both classes.
Having done this, Dain now set about developing a system of education for his people; ultimately, he sought to recreate the traditional Amurite system of apprenticeship to determine if it was still viable in his new kingdom. Certainly it was one well-suited to magecraft, for untrained magi were of little use...
However, in addition, he now sought to attract the dwarven followers of Kilmorph to his kingdom to aid the common people in establishing a strong infrastructure. Brave dwarven soldiers who could teach the Amurites the secrets of mining came...
Unexpectedly, however, they also soon met a true dwarven nation in the region, a potential ally given the path of worship that the Amurites had chosen to take. However, many citizens were less than enthused, for the dwarven leader, Arturus, was less than thrilled by his first encounter with the magical society... News also arrived from travelers of an unsavory character referred to as "Loki."
The Amurites rejoiced soon after, however, as The Open Tome moved into prominence during their study of how best to arrange the formal magical hierarchy of the new kingdom. As the dwarves developed superior mining, the Amurites' own workers moved to take advantage of the area's natural rich vineyards, creating several sources of superior wine. As of yet, little thought was given to expansion...
Under the advisement of Dain, one of the priests at the local temple came forward. The man professed to having had a vision from Kilmorph herself, and requested permission to build a great shrine. He called it the Tablets of Bambur, for the great building's very walls were inscribed with writings which the man had claimed his dream had told him were the teachings first given to the dwarf Bambur. Proof that the goddess herself endorsed this structure was evident, for upon its completion, the Amurites found that earth elemental mana pervaded it, and that they were able to harness it quite easily.
Meanwhile, the study of working bronze was taken up. Magical surveillance suggested that the dwarven nation was developing a strong army. Though it was all of warriors, the fear still remained, and the Amurite adepts were not yet skillful enough to reassure the people. They desired security, and also to expand, for that same reconnaissance suggested vast stretches of untamed wilderness which they should begin to claim....
As immigrants poured in, Dain praised the Earthmother for the fortuitous timing and through the impressive treasury gained by her teachings, had them outfitted to build a new community. This second city was christened New Cervades only because the immigrants, having come from the old Amurite lands, were not yet entirely ready to abandon their old ways entirely yet.
Still, soon they too followed Kilmorph, and new magical scouting revealed rich sources of gold further north. With both the human and dwarven elements of his empire craving this, Dain knew that further expansion in that direction was almost a foregone conclusion. And word spread that the same state cult of Kilmorph had finally taken root in the true dwarven lands as well, easing the fears of the people.
Studying Warfare, Dain decides to temporarily treat the economy as though it were built for conquest, allowing the mages to be trained with far more initial experience, due to a lack of more refined methods for their training. To substantiate the claim to this, he declares a campaign of aggression against the demons in the surrounding lands and begins the study of Mathematics.
A great sage came to Celestia, drawn by Dain's reputation as a philosopher and seeker of knowledge, and she opted to settle in the city. Meanwhile, a new city, named Ostia after a port of great repute in the fallen Patrian empire, was founded upon the shore, giving the empire access to the sea--and requiring that they take an interest in Fishing and Sailing.
Precipitated by this, they encountered a foul pirate captain named Blackheart. He was a worshiper of the monstrosities known as the "Overlords," and an enemy of the dwarves. Cementing the friendship of the latter further enraged the former, and Dain knew that, sooner or later, war would come.
With war so obviously impending, the Amurites began proper preparations. Although the Tower Mages protecting the dwarven mines, veterans of the old Amurite military, and the Apprentices of the new system were valuable, none of them were well equipped to invade. No, they would require the power of true Sorcery for that.
In preparation for such sorcery, a great magical building dubbed the Catacomb Librarus took shape, rising high above Celestia's streets. As well, the subject of elementalism was studied in detail, before the actual topic of sorcery was broached....
And so ends the first chapter of our story. More is to follow. Thoughts so far?
-CF
This time, the mapscript is MountainCoast.
Settings:
Huge Map, but -1 player
Temperate Climate
High Sea Level
Monarch
No Savages - I noticed in my last game that barbs were really too much and had effectively crippled some of the AIs, so this game I decided to turn off the most powerful barb faction to help them.
New Random Seed
Blessings of Amathon
Wild Mana
All Unique Features
Religion-Based Interface
Broader Alignments
Flavor Start
All victories enabled
Quick gamespeed
Leader: Dain the Caswallawn of Amurites
Neutral Good (80/390)
Philosophical/Arcane
Spoiler :
As the Age of Rebirth began to take shape, the Amurite people encountered a crisis. Although traditionally an Aristocracy, negligence on the part of the magical elite, more focused on their studies than on politics, allowed a powerful queen, Valledia the Even, to rule with almost absolute power. Her methods were cruel and cold, but effective, winning much support from the common people who had long been disillusioned with the magically-skilled elite.
This was the situation when an archmage of exceptional ability, Dain, rose to the position of Caswallawn, the highest position in the magical hierarchy. By the time of his ascension, Valledia had rendered the office almost entirely impotent, subverting its power to supplement her own.
Dain, however, was not content to stand by idly as he began to realize the depths of depravity that were being embraced, the total subversion of his vision of the Amurites' ideal, for the sake of survival. After a particularly grievous offense, he could stand it no longer and, along with a coalition of other disenfranchised citizens, but aristocrats and commoners, he threw a coup, even though he was well aware of its end result.
That is to say, despite being victorious, he and his followers were looked upon harshly by those who had been pleased with the peace brought by Valledia's policies. In the end, the archmage chose to lead them voluntarily into exile, traveling far into the untamed reaches of the Erebusian wilds to start their civilization anew....
Spoiler :
The first city in this new Amurite nation, settled near the famous Pool of Tears, would be called Celestia, in both an attempt to break with the traditional names still used at home, and in hopes that the city's name would be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Many of their traditions remained, but the knowledge carried by the exiles had to be renewed through research.
Spoiler :
In leading his people through this trying time, Dain reluctantly took up a role that combined his status as Caswallawn with that of the traditional monarch. Although he was a staunch supporter of the traditional Amurite aristocracy, the failings of it were glaringly obvious after what had happened. Given that, his discontent with being the absolute head of state was relatively small, knowing that, in time, he would devise a viable alternative that precluded the problems of the previous government, and also those of his current one. For now, the Amurites needed leadership.
Spoiler :
Traditionally, the Amurites had had no state religion. Valledia had created a state cult of Junil as a part of her efforts, but most of those who had gone into exile with Dain, including the Caswallawn himself, had little love for the authoritarian deity. However, when Dain's reputation for philosophy brought a renowned prophet to Celestia, another precedent was broken.
That is to say, in discussing with this man the problems of the new Amurite people, and how they might be addressed, a notion that had appealed to him in the past came up. Dain had always had a certain fascination with the mechanical works of the dwarven peoples of Erebus. However, in his youth they had seemed a terrible waste of effort...
Now, though, he realized that, with a weak and limited portion of the magical elite remaining in his own city, there was some logic in the dwarves' approach. If the new Amurite society was to prosper, it could not be based in magic alone. No, rather the infrastructure was something that had been lacking even in their old lands. It was no wonder that the commoners were discontent when their importance was downplayed in favor of the magical elite, but they still did most of the labor at the end of the day.
With such ideals in mind, the prophet turned his prayers to the earthmother, Kilmorph; Dain would now establish a formal cult to her, with Lanthis as its first high priest, and by doing so he would hope to make the people feel appreciated for their work whilst still in truth maintaining the system that allowed the mages to practice their craft unfettered by the demands of everyday life.
It was not a cynical solution the way Valledia's cult had been, though. In his eyes, it was a way to make the people's hard work more appreciated; it wasn't as though the work of the magi was any less vital or difficult, after all, and he felt that Kilmorph's teachings applied equally to both classes.
Spoiler :
Having done this, Dain now set about developing a system of education for his people; ultimately, he sought to recreate the traditional Amurite system of apprenticeship to determine if it was still viable in his new kingdom. Certainly it was one well-suited to magecraft, for untrained magi were of little use...
However, in addition, he now sought to attract the dwarven followers of Kilmorph to his kingdom to aid the common people in establishing a strong infrastructure. Brave dwarven soldiers who could teach the Amurites the secrets of mining came...
Spoiler :
Unexpectedly, however, they also soon met a true dwarven nation in the region, a potential ally given the path of worship that the Amurites had chosen to take. However, many citizens were less than enthused, for the dwarven leader, Arturus, was less than thrilled by his first encounter with the magical society... News also arrived from travelers of an unsavory character referred to as "Loki."
Spoiler :
The Amurites rejoiced soon after, however, as The Open Tome moved into prominence during their study of how best to arrange the formal magical hierarchy of the new kingdom. As the dwarves developed superior mining, the Amurites' own workers moved to take advantage of the area's natural rich vineyards, creating several sources of superior wine. As of yet, little thought was given to expansion...
Spoiler :
Under the advisement of Dain, one of the priests at the local temple came forward. The man professed to having had a vision from Kilmorph herself, and requested permission to build a great shrine. He called it the Tablets of Bambur, for the great building's very walls were inscribed with writings which the man had claimed his dream had told him were the teachings first given to the dwarf Bambur. Proof that the goddess herself endorsed this structure was evident, for upon its completion, the Amurites found that earth elemental mana pervaded it, and that they were able to harness it quite easily.
Meanwhile, the study of working bronze was taken up. Magical surveillance suggested that the dwarven nation was developing a strong army. Though it was all of warriors, the fear still remained, and the Amurite adepts were not yet skillful enough to reassure the people. They desired security, and also to expand, for that same reconnaissance suggested vast stretches of untamed wilderness which they should begin to claim....
Spoiler :
As immigrants poured in, Dain praised the Earthmother for the fortuitous timing and through the impressive treasury gained by her teachings, had them outfitted to build a new community. This second city was christened New Cervades only because the immigrants, having come from the old Amurite lands, were not yet entirely ready to abandon their old ways entirely yet.
Still, soon they too followed Kilmorph, and new magical scouting revealed rich sources of gold further north. With both the human and dwarven elements of his empire craving this, Dain knew that further expansion in that direction was almost a foregone conclusion. And word spread that the same state cult of Kilmorph had finally taken root in the true dwarven lands as well, easing the fears of the people.
Studying Warfare, Dain decides to temporarily treat the economy as though it were built for conquest, allowing the mages to be trained with far more initial experience, due to a lack of more refined methods for their training. To substantiate the claim to this, he declares a campaign of aggression against the demons in the surrounding lands and begins the study of Mathematics.
Spoiler :
A great sage came to Celestia, drawn by Dain's reputation as a philosopher and seeker of knowledge, and she opted to settle in the city. Meanwhile, a new city, named Ostia after a port of great repute in the fallen Patrian empire, was founded upon the shore, giving the empire access to the sea--and requiring that they take an interest in Fishing and Sailing.
Precipitated by this, they encountered a foul pirate captain named Blackheart. He was a worshiper of the monstrosities known as the "Overlords," and an enemy of the dwarves. Cementing the friendship of the latter further enraged the former, and Dain knew that, sooner or later, war would come.
Spoiler :
With war so obviously impending, the Amurites began proper preparations. Although the Tower Mages protecting the dwarven mines, veterans of the old Amurite military, and the Apprentices of the new system were valuable, none of them were well equipped to invade. No, they would require the power of true Sorcery for that.
In preparation for such sorcery, a great magical building dubbed the Catacomb Librarus took shape, rising high above Celestia's streets. As well, the subject of elementalism was studied in detail, before the actual topic of sorcery was broached....
And so ends the first chapter of our story. More is to follow. Thoughts so far?
-CF
