Clash of Titans is a Fall from Heaven hot seat game I decided to start up, simultaneously playing three civilizations against each other. All three have a very specific agenda they'll be aiming to achieve.
The Bannor (led by Sabathiel) are on a holy crusade to build a better world. They want to unite all the Good factions into a powerful, unified force, at peace with each other and ready to unite against possible incursion from any Evil civilizations. They will seek to summon Basium as soon as possible, they will never declare war on any Good civilization, and they will spread the Order to make as many civilizations as possible mend their ways. If that isn't possible, they have no qualms about wiping out the evil-doers.
The Grigori would prefer to keep things the way they are. They'll seek to build the Neutral civilizations into a powerful block on their own, capable of standing their own ground in the war between Good and Evil. While they will not adopt any religion on their own, they are still not above spreading certain religions if that causes more civilizations to take up the Neutral banner. They will never declare war on any Neutral civilization.
The Illian plans aren't so grandiose: they simply want to achieve world domination. But to achieve this, they need to ensure that the world remains chaotic and fragmented, with all the other civilizations fighting each other while the Illians prepare for Auric's ascension. They will do whatever is necessary for this aim. They have no qualms about declaring war on Evil civilizations, if that suits their purpose.
Large Highlands map with seas. Ridgelined mountains with dense peaks. 21 civilizations in play (3 human, 18 AI). Quick speed, all victory conditions enabled. Options: No technology brokering, wildlands, living world, all unique features, AI no building requirements. All three human players are set on Prince difficulty.
The Illians awaken from the Age of Ice in a forested region, with the nearby seas full of fish.
The Bannor, having spent a long time looking for a place to settle in, finally awaken one day to see the flame of the Pyre of the Seraphic in the horizon. Recalling the horrendous deeds done at the pyramid, they decide to settle nearby, to ensure nobody will have a chance to re-christen it to Bhall.
The Grigori seek cover under a number of trees.
It does not take long before the Bannor encounter the first civilization: the vampire Calabim, under the rule of Decius. They are not Evil, but standing in his chamber, Sabathiel knows that they are not truly Good either. Straddling the line between the two, Decius has failed to fully purge the marks of Evil from the hearts of his people. Sabathiel commands the establishment of a new city, one halfway between the Bannor capital and the Calabim border.
Once that is done, the Bannor will prepare for war. The vampires are too close to the darkness, and they must be shown the light. (The fact that the Calabim block the Bannor expansion may also be partially responsible for the decision.)
Almost on the same day that palisades rise all around Torrolerial, and the call for volunteers goes out, the Bow moves into prominence. Seeing this as a sign of divine favor for the war plan, Sabathiel searches through his people, finding a young girl, Belatu Cadros, born in the stable of a humble couple. Seeing something special in the child, he decides to keep a watchful eye on her.
[Yes, Belatu sound's like a male name. But I felt like having the prophet be a girl, and didn't feel like letting some random name generator stand in the way of playing against type.]
At the age of six months, Belatu has already learned to talk and walk. At the age of one year, she is acting like a child three times as old. It is at that time that Sabathiel calls her to him, tutoring her in the mythology of the Bannor. It is not long until Belatu, too, speaks with a fiery passion, preaching to all the destruction of Evil and the need to protect all that is Good. At the age of four, the child becomes a familiar if a bit unnerving sight to all in Torrolerial, walking alone on the streets like a grown woman, speaking to all who are prepared to listen. Her passion drives all of Bannor to work harder and donate more goods to their ruler, so that he may better prepare the nation for the heights it is destined to.
As Sabathiel is watching this, a group of Grigori warriors has set out from their capital to explore the world. Upon sighting the famed Yggdrasil, they are frozen with awe. Exploring the great tree, they eat its fruit, which tastes better than anything they have ever known before.
Upon being brought the fruit, Cassiel smiles. The last few years have been hard, and starvation had plagued his people, but that will now change. All who are hungry will be given a chance to join the expedition to the great tree, to found there a new city. Carefully cultivated, it will feed the whole empire.
Yet things do not go so smoothly. A short while before the colonists are about to depart, a ragged and nearly dead warrior reaches the Grigori palace. The troops posted to stand guard near Yggdrasil, and prepare the site for the arrival of the colonists, have been slain by a group of gargoyles! Hearing the news of this lone survivor, Cassiel orders troops prepared to fight the gargoyles. They will be led by Volanna the Adventurer. Obeying Cassiel's orders, the troops march to where the gargoyles were seen. Anticipating an attack, Volanna instructs them to prepare fortifications. She turns out to have been wise, for the gargoyles assault and are soon thereafter slain by her club. The city of Junon is founded right on top of the gargoyles' shards.
After a long build-up, the Bannor set forth on their crusade. The Calabim, taken by surprise, do not last long. The troops are inspired by the preaching of Belatu, who holds a rallying speech that lasts for six hours straight, whipping the men into a frenzy. The first men attacking Prespur strike with a rage that surprises even themselves, and the defender's ranks are soon broken. While the vampires do manage to rally, by that time the rest of the Bannor are at their throats. Prespur falls, and those who stood in the front lines are forever afterwards known as the Slayers.
[The first Warrior that I threw at Prespur won the battle, at 3% odds!! If that's not a sign of divine favor, I don't know what is.]
Killing every vampire in the city and setting the ordinary folk free, Sabathiel's men see that they had been right - the Calabim were still Evil at heart. Their second city, Acaia, falls not long after. A small settlement of slaves herded by their vampire rulers, the poor men are soon free. The Calabim are broken and destroyed, but Decius somehow manages to flee.
Hearing the news of the destruction of a peaceful civilization, Cassiel sighs deeply and grows worried. The Bannor are not far, and war may be one day unavoidable.
In the meanwhile, the Illians, now the masters of the Heron Throne, work towards their own goals...
The Bannor (led by Sabathiel) are on a holy crusade to build a better world. They want to unite all the Good factions into a powerful, unified force, at peace with each other and ready to unite against possible incursion from any Evil civilizations. They will seek to summon Basium as soon as possible, they will never declare war on any Good civilization, and they will spread the Order to make as many civilizations as possible mend their ways. If that isn't possible, they have no qualms about wiping out the evil-doers.
The Grigori would prefer to keep things the way they are. They'll seek to build the Neutral civilizations into a powerful block on their own, capable of standing their own ground in the war between Good and Evil. While they will not adopt any religion on their own, they are still not above spreading certain religions if that causes more civilizations to take up the Neutral banner. They will never declare war on any Neutral civilization.
The Illian plans aren't so grandiose: they simply want to achieve world domination. But to achieve this, they need to ensure that the world remains chaotic and fragmented, with all the other civilizations fighting each other while the Illians prepare for Auric's ascension. They will do whatever is necessary for this aim. They have no qualms about declaring war on Evil civilizations, if that suits their purpose.
Large Highlands map with seas. Ridgelined mountains with dense peaks. 21 civilizations in play (3 human, 18 AI). Quick speed, all victory conditions enabled. Options: No technology brokering, wildlands, living world, all unique features, AI no building requirements. All three human players are set on Prince difficulty.
The Illians awaken from the Age of Ice in a forested region, with the nearby seas full of fish.
The Bannor, having spent a long time looking for a place to settle in, finally awaken one day to see the flame of the Pyre of the Seraphic in the horizon. Recalling the horrendous deeds done at the pyramid, they decide to settle nearby, to ensure nobody will have a chance to re-christen it to Bhall.
The Grigori seek cover under a number of trees.
It does not take long before the Bannor encounter the first civilization: the vampire Calabim, under the rule of Decius. They are not Evil, but standing in his chamber, Sabathiel knows that they are not truly Good either. Straddling the line between the two, Decius has failed to fully purge the marks of Evil from the hearts of his people. Sabathiel commands the establishment of a new city, one halfway between the Bannor capital and the Calabim border.
Once that is done, the Bannor will prepare for war. The vampires are too close to the darkness, and they must be shown the light. (The fact that the Calabim block the Bannor expansion may also be partially responsible for the decision.)
Almost on the same day that palisades rise all around Torrolerial, and the call for volunteers goes out, the Bow moves into prominence. Seeing this as a sign of divine favor for the war plan, Sabathiel searches through his people, finding a young girl, Belatu Cadros, born in the stable of a humble couple. Seeing something special in the child, he decides to keep a watchful eye on her.
[Yes, Belatu sound's like a male name. But I felt like having the prophet be a girl, and didn't feel like letting some random name generator stand in the way of playing against type.]
At the age of six months, Belatu has already learned to talk and walk. At the age of one year, she is acting like a child three times as old. It is at that time that Sabathiel calls her to him, tutoring her in the mythology of the Bannor. It is not long until Belatu, too, speaks with a fiery passion, preaching to all the destruction of Evil and the need to protect all that is Good. At the age of four, the child becomes a familiar if a bit unnerving sight to all in Torrolerial, walking alone on the streets like a grown woman, speaking to all who are prepared to listen. Her passion drives all of Bannor to work harder and donate more goods to their ruler, so that he may better prepare the nation for the heights it is destined to.
As Sabathiel is watching this, a group of Grigori warriors has set out from their capital to explore the world. Upon sighting the famed Yggdrasil, they are frozen with awe. Exploring the great tree, they eat its fruit, which tastes better than anything they have ever known before.
Upon being brought the fruit, Cassiel smiles. The last few years have been hard, and starvation had plagued his people, but that will now change. All who are hungry will be given a chance to join the expedition to the great tree, to found there a new city. Carefully cultivated, it will feed the whole empire.
Yet things do not go so smoothly. A short while before the colonists are about to depart, a ragged and nearly dead warrior reaches the Grigori palace. The troops posted to stand guard near Yggdrasil, and prepare the site for the arrival of the colonists, have been slain by a group of gargoyles! Hearing the news of this lone survivor, Cassiel orders troops prepared to fight the gargoyles. They will be led by Volanna the Adventurer. Obeying Cassiel's orders, the troops march to where the gargoyles were seen. Anticipating an attack, Volanna instructs them to prepare fortifications. She turns out to have been wise, for the gargoyles assault and are soon thereafter slain by her club. The city of Junon is founded right on top of the gargoyles' shards.
After a long build-up, the Bannor set forth on their crusade. The Calabim, taken by surprise, do not last long. The troops are inspired by the preaching of Belatu, who holds a rallying speech that lasts for six hours straight, whipping the men into a frenzy. The first men attacking Prespur strike with a rage that surprises even themselves, and the defender's ranks are soon broken. While the vampires do manage to rally, by that time the rest of the Bannor are at their throats. Prespur falls, and those who stood in the front lines are forever afterwards known as the Slayers.
[The first Warrior that I threw at Prespur won the battle, at 3% odds!! If that's not a sign of divine favor, I don't know what is.]
Killing every vampire in the city and setting the ordinary folk free, Sabathiel's men see that they had been right - the Calabim were still Evil at heart. Their second city, Acaia, falls not long after. A small settlement of slaves herded by their vampire rulers, the poor men are soon free. The Calabim are broken and destroyed, but Decius somehow manages to flee.
Hearing the news of the destruction of a peaceful civilization, Cassiel sighs deeply and grows worried. The Bannor are not far, and war may be one day unavoidable.
In the meanwhile, the Illians, now the masters of the Heron Throne, work towards their own goals...
