The 5 Powers

[Tasunke]

here is an unfinished MP game, the original human actors are under the monarch difficulty, while the Infernals, Hippus, and Ljosalphar are *noble* difficulty.

I would recommend to play from this save (patch j) if you want to quickly jump into a game with-out all of the build-up.

The infernals have the best units, because of the Malevolent Designs tech (grimoire), the infernals also have Mardero, and possibly Rosier the Fallen (although he might of died) ....

those that HAVE died included Rathus Denmora, Gibbon Goetia, and Hyborem, so yes, the Infernals are without traits.

The "Five Powers" are the Hippus, Infernals, Sidar, Ljosalphar, and Khazad.

The largest nation is the Hippus, while the Ljos and Khazad have the largest armies.

The khazad and Sidar are currently in an informal alliance, and are both "at war" with the Infernals, although no real fighting has taken place. The infernals are right next to the hippus, and a Hippus-Infernal war looks very likely. Meanwhile, the Khazad are gearing up to attack the Ljosalphar.

The sidar had been more or less weak for much of the game, but strengthened with Iron gifted from the Khazad (mines of Galdur) they have started expanding with numerous armies of Axemen and Longbowmen into the former lands of the defeated Doviello.

Acheron is in the middle of the map, just north of the former Doviello lands, separating the West (hippus and Infernals) from the East (Ljosalphar, Sidar, and Khazad).

What new alliances will form? Who will be the victor? This is for you to decide.

 

[Tasunke]

please post successful games based upon the 5 powers, and thoughts as to the potentials of each nation.

Edit: turned out to be a LONG BACKGROUND STORY of events thus far.

As a little background ... there used to be the mighty nations of Elohim and Doviello. The elohim decided to follow the Veil and summon Hyborem. The Doviello decided to follow the Dark mysteries, create Gibbon Goetia, and hide behind the Nox Noctis.

Hyborem quickly took control of the Elohim cities, and attempted to summon Basium. However, a hasty alliance between Sidar and Doviello (both following Esus) proved fatal to the fledgling Hyborem, and the Infernal efforts at creating the Mercurian gate were wasted. With Hyborem dead and the gate destroyed, the leader of the Infernals stormed off, however the leader-less Infernals grew powerful, recruited Mardero, Rosier, and soon had many Eidolons walking around.

During the initial Infernal wars, a large army of Doviello horse-archers aided by Rathus denmora and several divided souls wiped many of the Infernals' smaller cities off the map. The loss of the former Elohim's capital, however, was a big loss to the Infernals. Ultimately the capital was auto-moved to the gate-city right before its completion (with the destruction of Dis combined with the loss of Cahir Abbey), thus blocking it from being completed. The next turn Rathus assasinated Hyborem for good, and the infernal player left the game.

Then someone took over as the Hippus, and started expanding the hippian empire. Meanwhile, the Khazad (who was giving morale support to the war against Hyborem), once Hyborem was killed, was asked by the Calabim (a tiny nation to the north) to declare on the Doviello. The Khazad gladly accepted, as they had an army well in place. The Khazad captured the capital city of Urslo, and marched upon the Nox Noctis. However, Gibbon was able to dominate most of the army, and then high level Doviello horsearchers finished off the rest. Alas, Bambur was killed in the final outcome. The Sidar converted to the Runes, became ally to the Khazad, and aided the war with ghosts and Rathus Denmora. He captured the Nox Noctis, and was about to kill Gibbon when gibbon used his magics to dominate Denmora himself!!

It was a long build-up of troops, and small skirmishes, as the Doviello retook their land and sought to invade the Sidar. However the Khazad, true to their word, guarded Sidar cities with massive stacks of newly trained Axemen, and the Doviello horsearchers retreated back to Urslo.

The Runes alliance was in luck, because the Doviello were still at war with the infernals, and Eidolons ended up killing most of the Doviello grunt forces ... although the high-level elite forces remained patrolling the eastern border vs the Runes. Then, luckily, some ghosts of the Sidar snuck into the walls of the Nox Noctis and were able to set the city aflame, burning the whole metropolis to the ground. Not only did the loss of Nox Noctis harm the military effectiveness of the Doviello, but the loss of the city crippled their economy. A large stack of axemen (without trebuchets) blitzkrieged over the hilly borderlands and attacked Urslo with full might. That turn was not enough to take the city, although Urslo's garrison was all but destroyed ... and the dominating Gibbon and the Assasinating Rathus were finally destroyed for good. The Khazad took Urslo for a second time, and grabbed the Netherblade. The last of the Doviello troops died valiantly in the field, and their remaining lands were taken by barbarians and infernals.

Meanwhile, the Ljosalphar had quietly amassed the greatest world economy, and one of the largest armies of the world, nearly the size of the Khazad garrisons. After collecting the Netherblade, and securing Doviello lands for the Sidar, and negotiating a land-trade with the sidar, the Khazad march most of their army back to their own (newly aquired) lands. For the Khazad were cut-off from the rest of the world by the Sidar, and wanted a northern route into the west. So after giving the Sidar Urslo, the Khazad were granted Vetus, to the north of the Sidar capital (after the finale of the Doviello wars). This had a stiff cultural border with the Elves, and the Khazad were amassing an army in Vetus in order to deal a stinging blow to the Alphar kingdom. However, currently trade is rich with the Elves, so who knows? tensions may settle down after all ... and sights could equally beset the some-what fledgling west.

Around this time the Khazad (finally) officially declared war against the infernals, so that khazadi-Sidar garrison troops could help to protect the Sidar against incoming Eidolon-led stacks.

 

[Lgaard]

Sidar-Doviello conflict on Nox Noctis was really interesting. Sidar felt both jelous and a bit offended when Doviello first settled the holy city of Esus. They were looking for the opportunity to take it somehow. They managed to seize it during Doviello-Khazad war, and when victory seemed to be theirs, Gibbon Goetia himself (herself?) showed up and dominated Rathus Denmora (Hyborem killer!) with powerful domination magic. Just at the gate (or whatever it is) of the Nox Noctis.
When Nox Noctis was in hands of the Doviello again, because of the invisibility it grants, the whole dwarven and Sidar army in Doviello territory was to face destruction by Doviello (now invisible!) horse archers. In desperation the remains of Sidar invisible (ghosts!) troops decided to ruin the city and destroy the Nox Noctis...

 

[Lgaard]

Hint: if you wish to use the save as SP, launch the game as a MP 'hot seat' and retire all leaders but yours.

 

[Spectral-Fremen]

Wow that was such an awesome read.
I might have to play this ^_^

 

[Onionsoilder]

When Nox Noctis was in hands of the Doviello again, because of the invisibility it grants, the whole dwarven and Sidar army in Doviello territory was to face destruction by Doviello (now invisible!) horse archers. In desperation the remains of Sidar invisible (ghosts!) troops decided to ruin the city and destroy the Nox Noctis...

Hey, you were the one that declared war on me. I would have been perfectly happy to leave you alone, or even ally with you. After all, you did help me weaken the demonic menace.

 

[Tasunke]

Yea, I was half-way expecting a Esus alliance against the might o' tha dwarves.

part of the reason why I was so quick to enforce the Sidar to convert to the Runes ... (especially after Bambur died, when I was feeling pretty trounced)