[Spoilers] Cometh the Messiah - Varn Gosam and the Malakim

[Ilios]

I'm glad I built those Soldiers of Kilmorph back in the days. That double hill movement bonus has allowed me to quickly reposition troops to corner Loki, something I couldn't have done with regular troops in the underdevelopped north of the Empire.

Also I'm wondering, does Way of the Wicked unlock the Scourge promo (anti-Divine bonus)?

[Mardoc]

Also I'm wondering, does Way of the Wicked unlock the Scourge promo (anti-Divine bonus)?

If you believe the manual, yes - it requires Combat 1 and WoTW.

[Thoth]

I'm glad I built those Soldiers of Kilmorph back in the days. That double hill movement bonus ...

They're pricey units but they can be handy in the right circumstances.

[Ilios]

If you believe the manual, yes - it requires Combat 1 and WoTW.

Alright, thanks Mardoc!

If you believe the manual, yes - it requires Combat 1 and WoTW.

Yeah, I'd really like to grab the Great Library...

So anyway, I've held the turn, and have gotten this in the meantime:

Hi Ilios,

I looked at it. Yes, he is cornered. So what do we do now?

Ah, I've gotten his attention. Let's see if he's willing to compensate:

Hi,


I believe your traits still include EXP. You should be able to build a Settler in 4-5 turns, to replace the one Loki converted and disbanded. Although it is not possible to gift units, you can still gift cities. So I propose you found a city on a location I choose, and gift it to me. (this should not take longer than ten turns, a settler constructed in Jubilee will only take 5 turns to reach my site). An NAP is to be signed between the Malakim and the Balseraphs until the city's founding + 2 turns.

To compensate for the lost turns and site (the Luchuirp have grabbed it in the meantime) I propose a trade of your gems for one of my resources you lack (dyes?), for at least 20 turns, starting from the moment we declare peace.

After all my city, if it still existed, would have been decently sized by the time you've finished and moved the Settler.

Finally, in the future, I would like a 10-turn loan of one of your palace mana, starting no later than 5 turns after my asking for it. In return, I will offer one of mine, should you wish it.

In return I will offer a cease fire and allow Loki to return to Balseraph lands, taking the shortest route.

I believe these conditions to be fair and balanced as compensation for your Loki move, as I am still interested in a cordial relationship between our nations. Should you wish to add provisions to the deal, I will ofcourse consider them.


Regards,


Ilios

These request probably still don't fully compensate the lost Settler (since I lost the Yggdrasil site to the Luchuirp in the meantime), but will free a city from building another Settler.

Should Serdoa agree to the deal, it will probably grab Orange dot:



Adding the gems will give me a net gain of one happyness, since I get double happines from gems from the Temples of Kilmorph.

The original draft only asked for one of Serdoa's palace mana, without offering any in return, but I wanted to give the impression I was being very reasonable (which I am!).

I don't know if we'll ever get to the point of the Mana exchange, though. It is possible I'll open hostilities before that point arrives, should Serdoa piss me enough off, or I see an opportunity.

[Ilios]

Well, Serdoa has answered with more drivel, which I won't even deign to post here (the gist is that it's actually my fault I lost the city).

Clearly, the man cannot be reasoned with, and like all mad dogs in the world, has got to be put down:


My peoples love me!


:hat:

[Ilios]

T92:

I was too occupied with diplo to do a serious update for last turn.

Serdoa got a Great Bard in Jubilee.

Three options:

1) Jubilee was running specialists - unlikely, given that the Balseraphs got hit hard by River of Blood, but possible (also, I believe the Freak Show gives 1 Great bard point).

2) Jubilee got hit by the Harpy event - possible, but at size 7, Jubilee should have a couple of unhappy faces.

3) Serdoa got Drama for the free Bard, and wants to keep it to bulb Sanitation. On T93, Serdoa didn't get pop increases, so either he hasn't gotten Construction yet, or he's saving the Bard.

Research got set to Masonry.

T93:

And we got it:



Construction will be researched in two turns. Next turn I'll probably go 50% gold, so I can fund 100% research. After that 2 turns for Hunting and two for Way of the Forest.

Events:



Sciz has finally cast his Worldspell, which gives him a Golden Hammer in every city (4 hammers in his case). He'll attach them to a cheap Warrior, and run them over to his Capital to be disbanded. Then every Golden hammers is turned into an Engineer Specialist, which will increase his Production by 8 hammers, and should get Sciz a Great Engineer in about 6 turns.

I wonder which wonder he'll head for. There not a lot of options for him right now. Great Lighthouse and Heron Throne are out of the question (no port cities). Great Library is an option, but I can't see him going for it. I think I'll put my money on the Bone Palace, unlocked at Philosophy, for the free Golden Age, or Form of the Titan, unlocked at Warfare, for the free Experience. Provided Sciz has a level 6 unit ofcourse... (that's 26 exp )

Over to the Loki theatre:



I stupidly put a Bronze Warrior on flatland, allowing Loki's Puppet to attack him. Still, I hadn't expected a strength 2 unit to do that much damage to my warrior (2.4 str left). So I pulled him back, and have now moved al Kilmorph Soldiers into position, ready to push Loki into the sea.

My first Priests:



They will soon get their second promotion. In the meantime I'll run them around the Empire casting Shield of Faith (+10% str). I've changed Helios to a Kilmorph Soldier, and will then build a couple of Lightbringers. As soon as I get the Leaf Missionary to convert the city it will build a Temple of the Leaf, so I can upgrade those Lightbringers.

A shot of a Luchuirp Warrior bringing a Golden hammer to Sciz' capital:



And Demo's:



Serdoa is the leading Military Power, but I expect most of his army to be a mix of Freaks, Warriors, and maybe the odd Swordsman. (don't tell me he's going to build catapults?)

[Thoth]

On T93, Serdoa didn't get pop increases, so either he hasn't gotten Construction yet, or he's saving the Bard.

Sanitation doesn't need Construction, it's either Bronze or Construction.

[Ilios]

Sanitation doesn't need Construction, it's either Bronze or Construction.

Yeah, I saw that after I posted. And Uberfish told me the Free Artist was removed when he moused over the tech in the tech screen, meaning it was certain that Serdoa went for Drama.

The question is now why Serdoa hasn't used the Great Bard for either the Golden Age or the Sanitation bulb.

The Balseraphs still have bad relations with the Calabim, so maybe he wants to use it as a Combat Bard? (great work that pops borders of a newly conquered city).

I'd be really surprised if Serdoa takes on the Calabim now though, it's not like wants a two-front war? With an economy in the tank?

Unless he's saving the Bard for the Malakim, but I don't see how he could hurt me at the moment...

We'll see I guess!

[Ilios]

T94:

Not a lot to report.

My forces continue to push Loki north. Unless I've missed something, I expect him to die next turn.

Serdoa has used the Great Bard to bulb Sanitation as expected, allthough I still don't know why he waited a turn to do so.

Research set to 50%, which should give me enough cash to finish Hunting and Way of the Forest.

A tower on the peninsula where I'm currently hunting down Loki gives me visibility on a Balseraph city. With only two Warriors in defense at the moment, it would burn nicely if I can get units there fast. I'll have to wait for the Priests of Leaves to come online though.

Amelia has agreed to act as messenger between the Malakim and the Calabim. For the moment, I've only sent that I've declared war on Serdoa, and that I expect to have contact within 10-15 turns.

I've noticed a lot of posts in the Lurker thread. Hope you guys are having fun.

[Ilios]

Wow, almost 20 posts in a day in the Lurker thread, I'm glad it's finally getting some love!

T95:

Splashscreen:



This will make maneuvering around the Empire a lot easier, and will let me improve some grass farms around Lugh, which has a bit of a food problem.

Speaking of which:



I really don't get this move. Why doesn't Serdoa wait till his cities are larger to switch to these Civics? Even his largest cities have got to be at least 2-3 population under the happy cap, and now he's going to stop growth when building units? Drafting?

Maybe I'm missing something here, but this just seems like a strange move.

In the screenshot you will see the unit positioning around Loki at the start of the turn.

All those hills have helped me immensely in cornering Loki, resulting in:



Thordin has been avenged! Partially, that is... =)

With Serdoa grabbing Warfare, he has access to the Form of the Titan Wonder. I don't know if he has the required level 6 unit, but I'm sure Amelia will soon have one with Saverous.

So I decided to take a little chance and take out that Lizard that has been sitting accross the river from Ra for ages:



Yes, 90% odds isn't bulletproof, but if I want to stay in the running, I need to gamble a bit!

The result:



Succes! :hat:

And the Priest even gains enough experience for another promotion. Provided Serdoa doesn't show up at my borders in the next couple of turns, I will be able to get some more experience when I hit that barb city in 5-6 turns.

I decided not to explore the Ruins, I'd like some more units to cover Ra, and maybe another Lizard will helpfully spawn soon. (allthough I think Ruins stop spawning once it is inside your borders)

An overview of the core:



I should get four Lightbringers by the time I finish the Temple of Leaves in Helios. Once they're upgraded to Priests, they will head to the barb city immediately (again, provided there is no Balseraph invasion).

Demographics:



I'd really like some Libraries now...