The Demon and the Dove

[EverNoob]

So it's been awhile since I've been able to do a FfH story/AAR. I apologize for the previously incompleted stories, it was mainly due to RL but also because the AI kinda sucked and the game became a cakewalk too quickly. So with the improved AI post patch h it should prove more interesting.

This will also double as a tutorial on how to play with Ethne offensively.

Settings: FfH2 0.41 patch j, standard terra map, immortal difficulty, 6 random evil civs

The Demon and the Dove





We stand between
The darkness and the light
The wicked and the righteous.

We stand between
Corruption and innocence
Death and Life.​

Spoiler AAR :

Unusual starting position. A small lake as my only fresh water source, light jungle to the south, very little to speak of. Upshot is the dye and banana and the small islands to the northeast. So priorities will be Calendar, Education then Bronze Working. driven settler production. Aristocracy is pretty much out of the question wit the lack of fresh water. Not enough production for God King. It's gonna be good old fashion cottages.

There's no unique features nearby, except Odio's prison but it's a little far and clearly not worth moving my settler down for it.


Built 2nd city to the southwest to cut off Charadon's and Auric Ulvin's expansion. The culture is bound to provoke Charadon sooner or later. Also met Keelyn, but I don't know where her territory is.


3rd city to the south, next to an oasis. Otherwise it's a pretty bad spot for a city since 1/4 of the BFC is desert.

So far we got Keelyn who's whereabouts are unknown, Charadon to the west and Auric to the southwest. Got my eye on Charadon

 

[EverNoob]

The Mysteries of Cahir Abbey




by Ludirion of Jubilee​

I, Ludirion of Jubilee, pride myself in knowing everything there is to know about Erebus. Yes that's right, everything. That why I was handpicked by King Perpentach himself to be Princess Keelyn's personal tutor after all. Aside from my other distinguished accomplishments, I am also the Balseraph's foremost expert on the Elohim.

The Elohim have always been the subject of intense interest for the nations of Erebus. Essentially because nobody understands them. Ask anybody who has ever met them. One reason is because they're always going on about protecting the weak... I don't know about you, but I already have my hands full protecting myself. I couldn't possibly devote any energy protecting others. No to mention that there's nothing in it for me. So one is left to wonder, with everyone busy protecting and taking care of the weak, how do they manage to get anything done?

The secret lies in Cahir Abbey. The Order of Elohim who run the Abbey have been around for a really long time. We're talking Age of Dragons long. And when you've been around that long, you can't help but pick up a few bits and pieces of ancient and powerful magic here and there. So thanks to powerful magic from the Age of Dragons the Elohim have an easy and unchallenging life. That might explain their strange indulgence of protecting the weak.

If you don't believe me about Cahir Abbey, just take a look at their warrior monks. They fight with a stick, wearing only trousers for Tali's sake! That can only mean one of two things: they're either incredibly stupid or they've got powerful magic. Considering how long the Elohim have been around, I'm inclined to think they're not stupid.

Some miscellaneous facts about the Elohim:

• They love bananas and mushrooms! There's even a mushroom grove in the courtyard of Cahir Abbey.
• Despite the fact that the Elohim have cornered the maket on dyes, Ethne always wears white.
• The Elohim are providing free dye to the Doviello...perhaps Ethne and Charadon are more than just "neighbours"

Spoiler AAR :

Turn 109: Charadon demanded Dye as tribute. I'm gaving in to his demand...for now.

Met Faeryl Viconia

Signed Open Borders with Charadon, Auric, and Keelyn.


Got Horses, and about to culturally overwhelm the barbarian city of Domir. Taking it by force would've been a huge pain, being defended by Archers on a hill.

Turn 173: Got Stirrups, next I'm gonna head for Warfare and start churning out Horse Archers under Conquest.

 

[Dumanios]

I liked Ludiron's observations.

 

[Diamondeye]

looking good. Will try to remember following this.

 

[r_rolo1]

Hopefully this time the game will be over before the next patch that breaks FfH saves

Nice to see your stories again, EverNoob

P.S Ludiron is surely losing skills with age, no? First he says that he knows everything there is to know on Erebus to, in the next paragraph, admit that he doesn't understand the Elohim motivations or even have certainties about the magical backup behind them That or he enjoys a little of self-praising

 

[EverNoob]

It might be abit slow, but I will finish this story!

 

[EverNoob]

The Greater of Two Evils





Excerpt from Queen Ethne's journal​

Today a Doviello envoy arrived at Cahir Abbey. The war is indeed going badly for Charadon. The latest reports indicate that Pyre Zombies have managed to overrun Mortensholm and even the capital city of Urslo. It seems Charadon has finally swallowed his warrior's pride and is pleading us for assistance. I asked Einion Logos for his advice on the matter and he counseled against any involvement. "Evil will always turn on itself. If we let it run its course, they will all destroy themselves. Getting involved will only result in more death." he said.

While there is no doubt the Doviello are a savage people, I firmly believe in their potential for redemption. Their cruelty has its roots in the fight for survival that was thrust upon them during the Age of Ice. They embraced savagery as a matter of survival. They still value life, in their own way. On the other hand the Sheim have embraced total destruction, of themselves and of others. We have tried on countless occasions to broker a peace between the Doviello and the Sheaim. The Sheaim will have none of it. For every death, a new Pyre Zombie is born... I fear that if Os-Gabella isn't stopped, she will bring destruction to us all.

I would never doubt the Logos' wisdom. But I cannot watch passively as thousands upon thousands burn in the Pyre Zombies' wake, waiting for evil to destroy itself. For I believe that, in the end, they will destroy us too.

​

Spoiler AAR :

Turn 184: Dormir converts to the Elohim.



Os-Gabella declared war on Charadon awhile ago and it looks like it's not going well for Charadon at all. Charadon isn't exactly an ideal neighbour, but the last thing I want is Os-Gabella as a neighbour with mega stacks of Pyre Zombies knocking at my door!


I've managed to liberate the Doviello city of Fjirgard from the Sheaim, however there's a stack of 14 Pyre Zombies approaching. I currently have 8 Horse Archers and 3 Archers. It looks like I have the upper hand now, but those 14 Pyre Zombies are no doubt a mere fraction of the Sheaim's total army.

My plan is to use Fjirgard as my battleground for an elastic defense. Essentially I'll only defend Fjirgard with a couple of Archers and let the Pyre Zombies capture it. This splits the Pyre Zombie stack and then I recapture it with Horse Archers on counter-attack. Then I yield it to back Pyre Zombies again, and repeat the process again. The idea is to force the Pyre Zombie stack to split, then destroy it on counter-attack.


Charadon has been defeated. Fjirgard ended up being Charadon's last city, and I couldn't afford to make a solid stand against the oncoming Pyre Zombies. This doesn't change my original elastic defense strategy at all though. It even helps me out, since now I won't suffer war weariness fighting around Fjirgard anymore

Also, Os-Gabella has founded, and converted to, the Ashen Veil

 

[Lone Wolf]

Also, Os-Gabella has founded, and converted to, the Ashen Veil

Yeah, Sephi's 5.0 AI, while having problems, is good at avoiding "all the world under one faith" broohaha.

I like having Sheaim in all my games. They provide more tension.

Poor Doviello, their savage habits can only be worsened under the oppressive rule of the Sheaim. Ethne shouldn't stand for this. They definitely should be reedeemed under gentle Elohim rule someday.

You've yet got to see the Clan on the minimap (since you chose 7 Evil civs, and I can see the Calabim on the map).

So, the religion distribution is

Faeyl - FoL
Keelyn - OO
Charadon, while he was still in game - OO
Os-Gabella - AV
Auric - well, White Hand
Who leads the Calabim and what religion they have? If it's Flauros, then you can have an unlikely ally - the two religions he likes in Sephi's XML are AV and Order.

standard terra map,

The patch h AI still has difficulties with transporting units in FfH, although the new world may play a role if the Infernals spawn there.

 

[EverNoob]

oops I picked *6* random evil civs, total is 7 civs including me. Now patch j, but it's not much different from patch h.

Yes I chose Terra precisely for the possibility of Infernal spawning over there. I don't really plan to colonize the "new world" otherwise as it would be unfair to the AI. By now it's probably filled with barbarians anyhow. Ethne isn't one to "civilize" barbarians by force, so the barbarians have a right to be left alone

 

[Ozbenno]

Glad to see another story up and running EverNood, good luck!!

 

[Duc d'Orange]

I'll try to follow this one, very interesting!

 

[Gaga1111]

Is this cancelled/abandoned or not??