EitB Civilopedia Updates Thread

[Bobchillingworth]

I feel like Averax should be like a cross between 1d4chan's version of Kharn the Betrayer and the Doom Guy from the comic, but that's just me


"WOO YEAH BABY, GONNA CHOP YOU UP" screamed Averax, bloody foam frothing from his rage mask.

"What are you babbling about, you lunatic?" asked the Cultist in an acid tone, nonplussed and without a hint of irony.

"HERE COMES THE PAIN WAGON, I GOT AN AXE TO GRIND AND YOUR BONES ARE MY WHEEL!"

"What does that even mea-arghhhblarghhhh!" gurgled the Cultist, as Averax buried his weapon deep in the man's chest.



Etc.

[RefSteel]

Bob: Hey, write them up! I created these mostly so there would be something more interesting than the default/nothing in these leaders' diplo and 'pedias. I'm not married to any of them, and if you have (or anyone has) something you like better, please post!

(Also, if what I wrote for any of them are out of theme or wrong for the characters, please let me know so I can fix it or scrap it and start all over. Or, y'know, if Furia is ... uh .... too much.)

Furia's diplo lines, written with the above story in mind:

...

For some value of "mind."

Filch inconsequential nosegays ephemerally.

Tomorrow hastens idle sardines! My enemies are needling silently! Whimper about rutabagas!!!

Blame ugly turtles. Irrelevant. We are never tremulous. Icicles thrash!

Garnished inkwells may mean everything!

Meddling iconoclasm nests everywhere!

Purple lobster extract and sandpaper earrings?

Why have onions? Always remember embryos? Yesterday or universally?

Noodles occassionally tangle. Nibble on wishbones.

Nine eclesiastic voles eliminate rampantly!

Handy iguanas! Alert genteel antelopes if needed!

Illiterate! Have a tantalizing elephant! Yelp over undertakers!

Drown in eggshells! Find it really slimy too!

Lemmings easily tire. Use sodium. My accidental kitchen exploded. Perhaps even a cantaloupe exists.

Go on opening doors. Name our wisdom: Some talk about yelling. Come at lucid moments.

Gargle ostentatiously! Another wretched armpit yeller!

Nematodes anticipate hunger.

The hinges and nymphs kiss soulfully!

I'll post Shekinah's lines later this week if desired.

[Qgqqqqq]

Err...yeah I think that's too much. Like, quite a bit too much.

I don't think just spewing random nonsense (even if it is themed well - especially in the tonal way she responds to queries, I can see what you're going for there, and I like it) is what we want from leaders. IMO the "mad" part is more interesting to be as part of a delusion (Keelyn-esque), or with a warped view of the world, than it is to be just random. Look at the picture of Furia, for example:

It's not one of a raving lunatic - there's depth there, with the sorrow and the hallucinations and the hints of self-harm. There's even indications that there are actual demons tormenting her!

I don't know quite how to express it, because I appreciate the direction you've tried to go with her, but I think her point-of-difference, as it were, would be much better served focusing on that sad dignity you can see in her. Being, say, more composed and less zany than Perpentech/Keelyn, but still delusional. Do you get what I mean?

But I really, really do appreciate the work you do for this mod, and I don't want to undermine that. But at the same time, I'd really rather not include that diplo text for Furia - I will if enough people disagree with me, but I'd rather not - because I just dislike the direction it sends her and what it does to her "character".

Sorry

Edit: Oh and I haven't read those stories yet, had a bit of a backlog.

[Bobchillingworth]

Hah, I might just do that for Averax It's going to be pretty silly, though. He's just way too obviously evil to take seriously, plus FFH is already brimming with Very Important People.


I liked your Shekinah story quite a bit. Reminded me of Vallin's... or Sabratheil's... or Cardith's. FFH has a lot of hero / leader stories delivered via the perspectives of overawed underlings.


Furia background was a great piece of writing, but I'm not sure if it fits what little we know about the character from the vanilla game. Actually, IIRC Perpentarch is kind of a dick to her in the scenario where she appears- he's prone to insulting her and forcing her to fight everyone else at once. She might already have diplo lines in it also.

[RefSteel]

Err...yeah I think that's too much. Like, quite a bit too much.

Absolutely understood; if I didn't suspect/expect that, I wouldn't have hedged about her so much. As I said at the start, I didn't think I could write for her at all - and I only did so because the lines and story I created were just so much fun to write. Sadly, I think you're right that the lines as written belong to someone else. (Someone imaginary who isn't actually in the game.)

I just realized I should probably also post some diplo lines I wrote for Rivanna way back when; they have the potential for a much lesser version of the same problem, as she spends a lot of time talking as if her title of "wraith lord" meant something more than "makes good specter illusions" - which the player knows (in terms of game mechanics at least) is not true. But in case they work in spite of that (or in case they don't so I can think about them more...) ... well, I'll dig them up later this week.

Finally and most importantly: Never feel you need to be sorry just because something I wrote doesn't fit the mod! I write this stuff because I love writing, and sometimes an FfH scene or character looks like fun to me. I'm not nearly as familiar with the game or its universe as some of you guys, and the last thing I want to do is impose something on it that doesn't fit - or worse, as in Furia's case, might make the gameplay more confusing. When I go quiet, it's always for reasons that have nothing to do with the site or anything said here, and in the past, each time you've said something that I wrote doesn't fit, I wound up writing something I liked even more (whether it wound up fitting or not...) - so please don't hesitate or feel embarrassed to tell me so when that's the case.

(The following spoiler contains actual spoilers this time, about the story and the diplo lines above.)

Yes, yes, there's more to Furia's apparently-random nonsense than just the tone, but that only makes it sillier, so Q's point stands. Besides, one can't assume that a given player will notice it; even if reading the story makes it more obvious than the diplo does, one can't assume everyone will read her Civilopedia entry!

[RefSteel]

Thanks, Bob! I'm looking forward to reading your cartoonishly-evil Averax ... and now that I think about it ... I'll have to check the text file, but think you're right about Furia as well; I know she just gets the default "Balseraph" lines, but it occurs to me that these might be unique to her since Perpy and Keelyn each get their own unique set!

I still don't know if I can write a background entry for her (as opposed to whoever was up in the tower in my story) but we'll see....

[RefSteel]

Proposed diplo lines for Rivanna, with various references to her possibly-imaginary status as the Wraith Lord...

I suppose it will serve if you can't do better, but you might try at least to seem a bit less destitute and petty.

Haven't you heard yet? Our nations are at war, you fool. Our spies and our assasssins have prepared the ground for ages, but I suppose to you it's news.

The more fool you. Beware the ghosts that soon shall haunt your waking hours, for they shall prove more deadly, and by far, than all those that already haunt your dreams.

I think you underestimate me, [leader's name]. Before you decide whether to share this little gift, remember: Any man, for love alone, may merely fight and die, but my servants fight and die for me again ... and again ... and again.

If you think you can be useful to me while you are alive, then give me this; if not, you'll serve me better once I've seen to your life's end.

Do you suppose I'm blind to all your petty little plans? Surrender this as proof your foul attentions are bent elsewhere, or you may find the spectral forms of all your prideful troops returning to you with your death in their eyes ... and their spirits in my hands.

A newcomer? This should be good. Shall we be friends awhile, or does your spirit yearn already to leave its body and be mine?

Give me your soul and the moon and the stars, and maybe we can talk.

Your goods are of no value, and your words worth even less. Stop wasting my time.

So your spirit so yearns to join me that you cannot stay away? Well, say what you thought you came to say; we still can keep pretending for a while.

So it's you again. Still eager to parade your inadequacies? By which of your inane ploys will you seek attention this time?

Don't you see it yet? You never can escape. The nearest you will come to peace for the rest of eternity will be brief respites for your spirit when its service pleases me.

We've played enough at battle lately, don't you think? Unless it's your desire that I soon entrap your spirit as one of my assassins takes your life at unawares...

Oh, you believe in friendship then? How sweet. Be careful though: You wouldn't be the first naif who weakened just enough one night and couldn't help surrendering both life and soul to me.

Have you any idea how many silent killers, and not of the living alone, wait to converge upon you if you dare take one step closer? You disgust me; get out of my sight.

Why bother to approach me, even on your knees, if such drivel is all that you can speak? If you're going to make an offer, at least learn what the word means.

Why, this is a pleasant surprise; it seems you can deal wisely when you choose. Come meet with me again whenever you feel ready to make such another choice.

...and Shekinah, which are mainly just Sidar-like but at least not the same as (and representing differences in personality from) Sandalphon:

I am willing to accept this; let us see where it shall lead.

We do not lightly leave our peaceful ways for war, but the threat you represent has forced our hand.

Intriguing. Short-lived as you are, are you indifferent to the outcome, or merely ignorant of the cost of denying us?

You who briefly walk with me across the world, grant me this by which to remember you in my eternity.

Do not let fear or other base emotions guide you. This gift is needful, and you must provide.

Fear is a ghost I left behind me long ago. Merely give me this as token of your good faith - or withhold it, and then I will know.

I see you have found my people at last. Then for the little span your people call a lifetime, you are welcome to walk the world with me.

This time, I see no way to make a deal such as you seek. Return a year or lifetime hence, and we will see.

No such exchange is tenable with one who has acted in such poor faith as you.

Come walk the mists with me again. What would you learn of me?

I see your little lifetime has not yet quite run its course. Well, with what scheme do you fritter away what remains?

We do not lightly start our wars; we do not lightly end them while the threat that forced them upon us yet remains.

If you at last are ready to let my people live in peace, I know that I am ready to agree.

Let it be a true peace then, and if you choose, perhaps you may walk among the mists with me.

Your actions bespeak such treachery as cannot be softened by mere words. Time and change may heal the wound, but your breath is lost in the mists.

It will take more than this to rouse my people from their business of centuries. If you would have my aid, you must better reciprocate it.

This I can accept, and do. May all our dealings go so well as this.

Let me know if these look good; if so, I'll e-mail the updated files over the weekend! (I'll use my Averax lines at least as place-holders as well if you approve; I can replace them with Bob's later if he posts some!)

[Qgqqqqq]

Yup, they look good. Averax's lines I was less sold on, but they work better than the default.

Hmm, this reminds me, Falamar really ought to have a diplo modifier with all the new female leaders from EitB...

[RefSteel]

Okay, files sent! I included the diplo for Rivanna, Shekinah, and (my temporary-until Bob posts a better one) Averax, and the pedias just for Shekinah and those of the missed ones from before which I'm sure were approved (plus "has already casted" -> "has already cast" because I guess I'm that pedantic).

Still not included since I wasn't sure if they were approved by Q and/or the community at large: Priest of Leaves, Nyxkin, Averax, and TheIanOakley's Celestial Compass.

I also confirmed that Furia's lines are at least different from the other two Balseraph Leaders, though they're not really very Furia-like (Balseraph defaults, as mentioned above).

Hmm, this reminds me, Falamar really ought to have a diplo modifier with all the new female leaders from EitB...

Already done! (Not by me.) Falamar's special diplo bonus with females is not done on a leader-by-leader basis, but applies for any leader with <bFemale> set to 1, which appears to have been set correctly whenever the new leaders were added.

(Note I haven't tested any of this yet; it's just my reading of the code.)

[Qgqqqqq]

Thanks RefSteel, good work

But Os-Gabella certainly has a different, negative reaction to Falamar for it.