Divine Intervention III: RagnarReign of Terror

Elona and Eldarion:

Have been moving and can't upload the save so I'll un-got it and give you both a chance to edit.
 
Elona sat in her garden unhappily. She missed her daughter. What was taking Ragnar so long to send her back? She should have been back by now. Looking out over the world Elona saw that Elainas had indeed reached New Elona safely, but he had failed to return her. Elona didn't care that there were wars going on, she want her daughter back. Each day that passed Elona grew more depressed and Ragnar's lands began to show the signs. Grasslands became plains and plains became deserts. Slowly the land began to die. If Elainas didn't return soon, Ragnar's kingdom would begin to crumble as the land died.

Spoiler :
Elainas needs to be returned to the Garden of Elona within the next 50 turns or there will be dire consequences...
 

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  • DivIntElona6.CivBeyondSwordSave
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Weakened as he was by the battle with the monster, drained of much of his strength by the enemy capture of his temple, however brief, the storm god could feel Elona's sadness, and the plague that it was bringing upon the land. He knew well that there were other battles where the mortal needed his aid, but he could ill afford to expend any great power, no matter how just a cause it might be in. Better, then, that he keep his promise to the goddess - to lend her a wind when she would need it most.

"Remember our pact, O goddess of nature," he murmured, and with the breath of his mouth, he sent forth a mighty wind... a wind that bore before it the swiftest ship that the world had ever seen.

((Added The Storm Wind outside of Eldarion, one galleon with Nav I & II, Mobility, and Sentry. It won't fight for you very well, but it should make fulfilling the goddess' quest a bit easier.))
 

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  • TheStormWind.CivBeyondSwordSave
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Its possibly that people are ignoring my plea's to edit it for me on account that my computer SUCKS, but there is a small problem.

America is going to war against Ragnar. Or at least... it should do. Which will mean that returning the unit to the Garden will require the Vikings to over-run the Americans within 50 turns... ouch!!

Also, has anyone done my edit yet? I have had to do a complete re-install... >.<

[Edit]Why did I spoiler that? All that info is already available :p[/Edit]
 
Save attached for Digit's edits.
 

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  • TheForestAuro edits Digit AD-1861.CivBeyondSwordSave
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Elainas sat sorrowfully on deck, eyes fixated on the northwest. The news had come suddenly and with little warning; though by Ragnar's eyes, it was clear that he was not surprised, perhaps the only one. Lincoln, and the Americans from Elona's Garden had rebelled, killing the ambassador and sending his corpse back to mainland Viking territory.

Spoiler :


The new ships had been designed, metal, natureless beasts powered by engines which churned the water. She rode upon Eldarion's ship - while faster, it kept with the fleet for protection, as its thin wooden hull was vulnerable. Jahvaneer sat nearby, looking down at the floor as quiet conversation carried on between several of Pavlos' undead soldiers as they cradled their submachineguns fondly.

"Why is the world so violent?" she asked her companion, sadness welling within her.

"I'm not sure, El-"

"I am." interjected Ragnar, and the two looked up to find him standing above them. The distant sounds of opening artillery fire sounded in the distance, indicating that the fighting had begun. Ragnar turned his head slightly towards the shore slowly coming into view, and the dust could already be seen rising from the First Gate.

"Why?"

"This war is the ploy of the gods, child. According to my visions, these americans were caused to revolt because one of the mighty siblings of your mother wanted me to capture whales in the Garden."

"What!? That's ludicris!"

"The gods think nothing of the lives of mortals; the individuals are beyond their grasp. Some, like your mother, think nothing of rending the earth in half or letting the lands die in her sadness. Others, like the Lord of Ice, foolishly defend a people almost as if they are testing my ability to follow their orders, and become upset when I do not bend to their will. Still others are crazy, such as this Digit, and influence the minds of the mortals in such a way that I am forced to kill them, and this creates great sadness within me. I believe the time of the gods is drawing to a close, and they are acting out in order to remain relevant."

Spoiler :


"But why are you forced to kill them, if the gods influence their actions!?"

"When a man is too weak to resist the commands of a God, he or she becomes dangerous and must be dealt with. It is the same danger as if he had done it himself. Now, quickly, get below deck. I offered these Americans the chance at freedom and they have lost it. The battle will begin soon."

Spoiler :


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The Arabian ambassador slammed his staff down on the table, standing and pointing straight at the Viking priest. The entire apostlic palace became silent, only for a moment, before the resident began yelling.

"You dog! You have sent your flying machines over our borders again in this new war against Hannibal! Time and time again your people violate the will of the Savior by committing unwarrented acts of violence against your brothers an-"

"Are you referring to the city that you captured from us in your unwarrented act of invasion?"

At this moment, bursting through the door of the Palace, the media flooded in, pictures snapping and video cameras rolling, anchors all waiting on the answer.

The Viking ambassador sneered, and stood up, leaving the palace for the last time as the Arabian resident stared speechless, even as the media started drilling him with questions.

Spoiler :



(If somebody could remove islam from my cities plz.)

------------------------------

Lincoln sat quietly as Pavlos' undead soldiers kept watch, as it had been for the last half hour. They had crushed the gates in quick succession, eventually storming into the Garden itself and finishing the battle in a devastating blitz.

The door opened suddenly, and a girl tumbled into the room, tossed by Ragnar himself. Joao moved in afterwards, taking up a position behind the President. The girl was sobbing, and it was clear that she had been for quite a while.

"This is the bidding that your gods chose for you!" Ragnar roared. "This is the world that you so eagerly sought, the world of violence and the knowledge you never needed to see. You were safe in this garden, but you were not here to stop this mortal fool from being corrupted by the promises of insane gods!" The warrior king bared his teeth, and then unhooked his sidearm, forcing it into her hand. She eyed it with terror, and shook her head, but he forced her up, and kept her grip on the gun.

"This is your problem, and now you will fix it."

Ragnar squeezed her finger, and the gun fired once, twice, three times. Lincoln slumped, and Ragnar tossed her on the floor again.

"Tell your mother that I will burn her garden to the ground if she does not repair my lands. It is clear that your matron is too finicky, too emotional to act rationally, so now I must speak in a language I am sure she understands."

And with that, he stormed out of the room, Joao quick to follow.

-----------------------

Recap:
Spoiler :




(Arabia took out a transport with Erik and Kremun on it, so they're both dead.)
(I took out about six Carthaginian cities, and I'm almost to Hannibal's third-most-cultural city, so I'm not worried about his cultural win)
(Switched to Free Religion.)
(Built Broadway, Rock and Roll, Eiffel Tower)
 

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  • DivineIntervention9.CivBeyondSwordSave
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Does anyone know a good guide to using python on the save? The Lord of Shadows wishes to remind everyone that vi was the God of Magic, too.
 
Got it...

And I forgot to give techs to America >.< NO wonder that was too easy... Infantry vs. Longbows is no match. Oh well. A promise is a promise...
 
Right then...

Ragnar was sitting in front of the new fireplace he had installed for the Trophy Room. He had started to like this place, and wondered why he had bothered to seal the doors to prevent Digit from excaping. He was a nice God. A little on the insane side, but a nice person nonetheless...

Digit appeared with a little poof. He was much weaker now.

"Ragnar". He said. He had the form of a little boy, but sounded like an ancient man. "I am dying. But, there is good news! You have almost completed the quest of the Holy Whales. There is just one more source for you to capture. And once you do, you will have an entire continent to capture, for very little gold.

Because you have overthrown the Americans so quickly, I will gift you a sizable naval force. 1 Battleship battalion, a Destroyer Battalion, 3 Transport Battalions, and a carrier battalion. This has appeared to the nearest coastal tile to your capital. Ironically, that is right beside the Arabian attack force.

And now all you have to do is overthrow the Persians, and you will have an unstoppable force!"

Ragnar nodded. "And I must thank you. The Americans were poorly defended. Thier longbows fell easily to my Infantry."

Digits face fell. "No..."

Ragnar nodded. "I must thank you so much."

Digit's face contorted in pain. "NO!! Please forgive me! Please, please, please! I didn't mean to..."

At that moment, the entire right-wing of the Palace exploded. Hundreds upon thousands of sheets of paper exploded from the sky, all bearing the symbol of Confusism. And a tongue of fire arced down from space to hit Digit and throw him into the sky. His tormented cries were heared across the world. Ragnar was immediately impaled on a steel pillar, but he managed to recover, on account of him being immortal. As soon as he stood up, he looked to the sky. Digit was gone...

He turned, and another tongue of fire ripped from the sky. It exploded, concentric rings of fire emerged, miles above the heads of the Palace guards. A meteor fell, right on the Left-wing of the Palace. The entire palace had been decimated. Ragnar sprinted to the meteor, and found Digit, sitting there, crying.

"Forgive me, Ragnar, for I have failed you. I met my maker, my God, and he was punishing me for breaking a pact. However, I made a deal. The technology I was meant to give the Americans has now been given to the rest of creation. I managed to persuade him not to give all the technology to them, but they have aquired much technology. I am sorry... Ragnar. I have failed you."

Digit stood, and then bowed to Ragnar. "Forgive me. I am in your debt. Your slave, for the rest of creation."

Ragnar was shocked... how could this be!? "Firstly, you must wipe the religion of the beast from this land. Kill all followers. Leave no survivors."

Digit nodded. "It will be done". And Digit proceeded to destroy hordes of Viking people.


Spoiler NFFE: What I did :

Created 1 Battleship, 1 Destroyer, 3 transports, and 1 carrier. This will enable a faster amphibious attack on the Other continent.
Gave every civilisation free technologies. If they were able to research it, and Ragnar already had it, they got it. All AI leaders still have a sizable research deficit, compared to Ragnar, but they are much capable of defending.

Hannibal got Physics, Biology, and Steam Power
Genghis Khan got Divine Right, Democracy, Education, Scientific Method, Steam Power, and Steel
Boudica got Theology, Constitution, Liberilism, Printing Press, Economics, Military Science, and Steel.
Joao II got Democracy, Corporation, Scientific Method, Military Science, Rifling, and Steam Power
Saladin got Medicine, Electricity, Assembly Line, Artillery, and Rocketry
Caeser got Biology, Flight, Artillery, Radio
Cyrus got Physics, Biology, and Steam Power.

As you can see, the AI was some 10 or so techs behind the Vikings >.< And now they are only 4.

Finally, on Ragnars request, I removed Islam from all cities. However, all followers of Islam were also killed. This means that if there was only 1 religion (Islam) on a city, then that city was reduced to half the size. Otherwise, the population was reduced to (n-1)/n of the original size (rounded up), where n was the number of religions present in the city. All Islamic Buildings were left standing.
 
((Just story, no edits here.))

The infidels had all been wiped out from the Viking lands. There were still those who worshipped the storm god - indeed, all were free to worship as they chose now - but their extermination from thence, and the heavy blow struck against the Arabs through the elimination of their religious stronghold had crippled much of the beast's power.

But the hearts of men are fickle, and the god of entropy had interfered greatly in the world's balance. Men would take up arms, and in the bloodshed to follow, their hearts would turn to the beast even if their lips did not. Time was growing short, and the beast would strike at any opportunity now.

More than anything, however, Eldarion wished to reveal his true purpose to the Viking warlord. He was angry, and justly so, for he had been the object of much divine trickery and manipulation. He had railed against the gods time and time again. Now he would hear the truth of it.

That night, as he dreamt, the storm god returned, but in the storm, there was no lightning, no thunder, only a dreary gray drizzle. Eldarion's image was of one who has grown weary with the world, an old man who longs for release into the next realm.

"Ragnar, son of man, chieftain of the Vikings. There is something you must know." The clouds parted, and in the sky, Ragnar caught a glimpse of an enormous face - one with closed eyes, seemingly in dream. "You witness the face of Crantoth, god of the sky. He was my father - and the beast that haunts your dreams was his unmaker.

"Elainas asked you why this world is so violent. What you said about the war with the American - it is true. Gods are subject to the same foibles and faults of mortals. But so too are they capable of the same heroism. My father's sacrifice allowed those of us who remained to seal away the monster. Many of us fell on that horrific day; my father was the last. Born in blood was this world; bathing in blood is but following its natural inclination. Elements of both sides of that battle still can be found in this world, those who fought alongside the beast and those who fought to contain it. Sparks of profound good and evil shape the world - and those who are imbued with elements of that divine spark become... immortals."

Eldarion paused to let the implication of his words sink in. A light shone in Ragnar's eyes as he realized the truth.

"Yes, Ragnar. You, too, have the spark of the divine in you. As do the others, both those you have slain - Willem, Churchill, Lincoln - and those who live - Hannibal, Saladin, Joao. The gods have been rash in their actions; this I cannot deny. And the beast has grown stronger, not only because of this, but because there are many who believe in its power, even in this era of science. You must not let them prevail, Ragnar. You must not let the beast escape."

"I will have none of this divine power!" bellowed the Viking chief. "Your kind has done nothing but meddle in the affairs of my people since the day we formed our first stronghold!"

"You might as well deny your own humanity, for you are as much god now as man," the storm god replied. "It is for this reason that I have sought to guide you - that you would know the truth, and that when the time came for the choice, you would be prepared. For in the end, there are only two courses of action: to ascend to the ranks of the divine, and decide for yourself the kind of world that your people will live in... or to follow the beast. It will come for you now - it knows your strength, and it will seek to sway you."

"What if I choose neither?"

"You have railed against the gods all your life. You have likened us to children playing with mere toys. My father was not such a god, nor am I. And so I challenge you, Ragnar - were you a god, what sort of god would you be?"

"You have not answered me. What if I choose neither?"

"Then you will fall. You may one day conquer this world, Ragnar... you may bend every knee before you, make every nation a vassal of the Viking empire... but one day, the beast will arise. And if you will not stand against it as a god, you will not stand at all."
 
"Eldarion, you should be more cautious with your words."

the Lord of Shadows materialized verself behind the Viking.

"There is one other way, Ragnar, should you find the ability. While an ascension would quell the beast for a short time, do not forget that this world, like all others, is unquestionably doomed. Or do you not remember what happened to mine?" The Lord of Shadows turned all of ver attention on Eldarion.
 
@NoDot:

Spoiler :
((Not sure where you're going with this - I re-read your description on Realms and Worlds, but I'm either missing something or you're about to introduce a new story element. Either way's cool; just let me know and I'll play along.))
 
This is like the third time i've tried to do this. I keep on getting interrupted for stupid things like dinner

"It's amusing how Ragnar spends his time dwelling on the Carthaginians as if they were my true chosen people. It is time for my real people to reveal themselves. Yet still, the puny people of Hannibal have been good for my purposes. I give them cannons to aid in the defense of their homeland. My true people are to be given great centers of learning in many of their major cities. Let there be a great renaissance in their learning. Also, defenses are give to them. Let all tremble when they hear the name of the Runner. Let the Lord of Chaos reign in the evil empire of the Vikings.

:cool:
Bonus points with me if you know where that last part is from.

Changes:

Spoiler :
Added a couple of cannons to Hannibal and a defender unit set to not attack (I think). Gave Cyrus islam and science buildings. Changed all of Forest Auro's civics back to the default for the anarchy. Surprised myself by abandoning Hannibal and adopting Cyrus.
 

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  • TheForestAuro AD-1911.CivBeyondSwordSave
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To be fair, the only negative problem I gave, was because I made the previous quest FAR too easy...

Nonetheless, if you continue to be good to me, then I may give you a free bonus...

Spoiler Not for forest's eyes yet, but Forest must look AFTER he plays his 50 turns :

As a reward to your loyalty, if you ARE loyal (and that is for me to decide ;) ), you may choose 2 of these units for your army. These units start with a much reduced experiance cost. So the more promotions, the more experiance will be needed to get an additional promotion, however, it is MUCH less than usual.
One unit starts with Great General (No Unit Upgrade Cost, and enables further promotions). You can choose which one. Aren't I a good god?? :p

1) A Bomber with all the Aircraft-only promotions (Ace / Increased Range / Interception), and Combat I-VI
2) A fighter with all the Aircraft-only promotions (Ace / Increased Range / Interception), Combat I-VI, and Drill I-II
3) A tank with Combat I-III, Blitz, Morale, CR I-III, and Tactics.
4) A marine with Combat I-III, Amphibious, CG I-III, Drill I-III
5) A marine with Combat I-III, Amphibious, CR I-III
6) An Infantry with Combat I-IV, CR I-III
7) A Battleship with Combat I-V, Blitz
8) A Battleship with Combat I-III, Blitz, and Drill I-II
9) A Destroyer with Sentry, Navigation I-II, Morale, Flanking I-II, and that +100% Experiance ability.
10) A Destroyer with Combat I-III, Blitz, and Drill I-III
11) A group of 3 Transports, all with Navigation I-II, Morale [NOTE: You cannot use the GG on this set of units]
12) A group of 3 Carriers, all with Navigation I-II, Morale [NOTE: You cannot use the GG on this set of units]
13) An Anti-Tank with all anti-unit promotions (Pinch, Charge (anti-siege), Ambush, flanking, Interception I-II), CG I, and CR I-II
14) A SAM infantry with all anti-unit promotions, CG I, and CR I.
15) A gunship with Blitz, and Drill I-IV [NOTE: This unit will have the full penalty for experiance, so long as you cannot normally build Gunships]

If all this confuses you, just pick two numbers at random :p
 
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