[EitB PBEM LVII spoilers] coldrain rekindles the flame

[coldrain]

Turn 81

10 turns since previous report, time to catch up. A lot has developed in the past couple of turns. First, I finally found xist10 in north-west on T78:

The exploring hunter visited Pool of Tears to cure plague it contracted during barrow search. Also note the coastal windmill custom "world feature", which remains unclaimed. Xist10 is interestingly in city-states civic instead of God-king, while having a similar amount of cities to others. This might partially explain his lower production and slower growth? I think it is too early to go for city-states for now (-80% distance and -25% number of cities maintenance) compared to God-king bonus. There’s an island north of the hunter, which Aurorarcher colonized a couple of turns later. Quite cheeky move, that island should be in xist10 sphere of influence. My other hunters are dealing with invading barb warriors or hunting down bears in south. One is trying to follow Bing borders towards south-east, but a legion of bears has prevented fast movement. More news from foreign lands later. Jumping to current turn of T81, overview of both northern and southern parts of the empire (note that I took pictures after ending turn):

 

My newest city, No Man’s Wharf, was founded next to Pyre of Seraphic on T78. Now it just grew to size 2. Workboat followed from Heide’s tower just in time for the border pop. Once the sugar tile is improved and all riverside grassland farmed, this city will be decent. It is pushing against Aurorarcher borders, let’s see if he reacts negatively to it or leaves me in peace (for now at least). Other cities have been growing while building economy infrastructure or some military. Also a few more workers have been built and sent to south, but I’m still lagging behind in improvements with 5 workers toiling full time. Barbs have been active in west and south, I’ve accumulated some nice xp on couple of units.

Research path: I completed writing (T74) and sailing (T79) + saved gold while I was building libraries. I already built three of them in my best commerce cities, tech rate jumped up nicely after completion. Three libraries allow me to also build the Great library, which has two turns remaining in capital. It’s a 4-turn build even without marble (thanks Governor’s manor and God-king civic). I chose to go for Arete next after all, I think I need an insurance policy of iron weapons (Mines of Galdur wonder) and paramanders to defend until Vampires. I can also train Kilmorph hero Bambur. After Arete, it is tempting to rush through trade and go for feudalism immediately afterwards. Now it is around 4 + 15 turns at break-even rate, but my economy is improving every turn and hopefully Great library will be mine too.

After sailing completed, I immediately built a galley in Heide’s tower. It just loaded up a garrison unit, settler and a worker. Next turn those will be dropped to the island. That will be my last city with good food resources, all I have left is dry plains with some sheep or a single banana in jungle. Maybe I will build at least one more settler to pick up ivory, but other land quality is less appealing without irrigation chaining. The island will pick second source of gems and a new luxury of whale, this is good as capital is at happy cap but has more potential to grow. Overseas internal trade routes will be great as well.

In foreign news, someone researched poisons (assassin tech). This must be Aurorarcher going for sinister assassins. Need to build up better border garrisons just in case. I’m hopeful that there is potential for a conflict between mackoti and Aurorarcher, they had a short altercation at some point. Mackoti declared war for some reason (killed a scout maybe?) but they made peace immediately. Speaking of mackoti, he finished Bone palace this turn (free golden age). Also, he changed from CRE to CHA with his adaptive trait a few turns back. He must be close to priesthood by now, I’m expecting world spell to be triggered soon. Some great people have been born, including the free great commander from military strategy (I suspect mackoti got this too, he might be only person with philosophy tech, which is needed as a pre-requisite). He is looking very strong at the moment. I have to double check the other great persons, don’t remember them exactly right now.

Overall situation looks peaceful for now, but I think this will change soon. Good land to settle is running out and many players are ramping up military numbers (might be exploration units instead of proper invasion army). Assassins are a concern for sure and who knows what mackoti will research and build during his golden age. If he got the great commander, he can chain directly into a second golden age too. Maybe I should start signalling some peaceful diplo towards Aurorarcher, so he goes in that direction? I’ll post later about my thoughts on what type of army composition would be good for me and what the potential targets could be. Demos:

[Erasmas]

Thanks for the report Coldrain. In stead of complaining about reporting, let me post something. I havent played FFH2 in ages, and mostly Wildmana the modmod so I have some basic knowledge but not much more.
Questions:
- Does the Good / Neutral / Evil mean anything in MP? For AI attitude a lot but not for humans I think? Or do you get some other bonus / malus?
- Is State Religion the only thing that determines alignment or will that change when you start feasting on your population?
- Aren't you afraid that Auroarcher will see your latest city as a juicy snack? I would think you would play very carefully until your UU unlocks?
- Can you show the Civics screen in one of your upcoming reports, I am curiuos what the different options actually do at this stage.

[coldrain]

Thanks for the report Coldrain. In stead of complaining about reporting, let me post something. I havent played FFH2 in ages, and mostly Wildmana the modmod so I have some basic knowledge but not much more.
Questions:
- Does the Good / Neutral / Evil mean anything in MP? For AI attitude a  lot but not for humans I think? Or do you get some other bonus / malus?
- Is State Religion the only thing that determines alignment or will that change when you start feasting on your population?
- Aren't you afraid that Auroarcher will see your latest city as a juicy snack? I would think you would play very carefully until your UU unlocks?
- Can you show the Civics screen in one of your upcoming reports, I am curiuos what the different options actually do at this stage.

Answers from the top of my memory:
- Alignment has diplo effect (relevant in single player only), determines which special disciple unit you can build (paladins for good, druid for neutral and eidolon for evil) and how fast hell terrain spreads to your land once the Armageddon counter starts climbing. And the different council positions are restricted by allignment too.
- IIRC in vanilla and this mod vampiric feasting doesn't change allignment. I think it does in Magister mod, maybe others too? Otherwise religion is the only way to change it.
- No Man's Wharf could indeed annoy Aurorarcher, but that is a risk I'm willing to take. I'm struggling to have enough high food surplus cities besides my capital, so every bit helps in preparing for the eventual River of Blood and Vampire feast. The city should be slightly on my side of the dividing line anyway. I would also assume I'm one of the less appealing targets for him to invade, as I get culture defense bonus from CRE and I already have bronze weapons for Morois and Soldiers of Kilmorph. I should get iron weapons quite soon too.
- WIll do at next opportunity.

[shallow_thought]

Alignment also interacts with events - sometimes you have to be good or evil to get the best choice; being neutral is generally not as good. On average it barely matters, but can be quite a swing in early game if the dice roll in your favour.

[coldrain]

Turn 86

I switched the style in which I add pictures. Let me know if the previous system was better.

Economy, military and foreign developments are accelerating, I should report more frequently to make sure I don’t miss anything important. Before jumping to current turn, I gained a lot of map information when I traded maps with xist10 on T83. Here are overviews of other empires from that turn:












Each player started next to a body of water with two rich islands. The map is not symmetrical, but the water areas are similarly sized and positioned about evenly. Very interesting map shape, thanks for all of the work in making it RefSteel. It looks like some players have a bit more riverside lands available to them, but overall balance looks ok.

Quick recap of what occurred after previous report: I missed Great library by one turn to mackoti. Gained about 220 fail gold, which allows a good chunk of deficit research, so my goal of accelerating tech rate was completed anyway. Macoti also built Form of the Titan, he is taking all of the best wonders during his golden age. Meanwhile I got a nice event of +1 food on one of the wheat farms. Researched Arete and next up is trade, which completes EoT 86. Founded island city of BrightstoneCove and connected whales when the borders expanded. I signed open borders with xist10 and Aurorarcher for better trade routes and scouting. Back to current turn of T86:



Big news is Ginger/Miguelito declared war on xist10. He has wizards in border city, as shown by my exploring hunter. However, earlier I saw some mobility promoted catapults in Belseraph lands, let’s see if those are enough against magic casters. Ginger/Miguelito completed trade tech (allows tech trading and I can see what they have researched) and I saw they still don’t have calendar or bronze working. Festivals (needs calendar) would allow Freaks, I’m wondering why they avoided those? And ignoring BW means their best units are catapults and horsemen, and they just unlocked potential to build chariots. These will struggle against fireball or maelstrom casting wizards I think. Let’s see how the situation develops. I did agree to a copper-for-copper trade with xist10 some turns ago, maybe he is expecting me to start harassing the Belseraphs from my side. I would like to stay in peace for just a bit longer to build up in preparation for Vampires.
 



After Arete was done, I started Mines of Galdur at capital and Kilmorph hero Bambur in Lost Bastille. Southern cities are just about finishing their Governor’s manors and workers are improving the lands rapidly. Completing trade tech (+1 trade route in all cities) added +20 beakers and +10 GPT. Feudalism is now 9 turns at almost break even rate, I think it will drop to 8 turns with max deficit research. I’m getting close to the culmination of my hopes for this game, should be fun if everything goes as planned. I do still have some concerns of mackoti running away with economy + wonders and what Aurorarcher is planning with his assassins and hero Alazkan… I just need to survive intact for 10-15 turns to unleash the full potential of my civ. Demos:



Available civics just before researching trade, which unlock foreign trade civic:


I'm getting a great person in 7 turns, which I plan to use for golden age and swapping around civics without anarchy. Most likely swaps are into city-states (requires cheap cartography) and apprenticeship. Arete civic would be great, but I think I value the +2 xp for Morois and paramanders to get mobility poromotions. Vampires won't need the 2 xp, they can feast to get all needed promotions.

[RefSteel]

Very interesting map shape, thanks for all of the work in making it RefSteel.

You're very welcome! Also, I confess that I had forgotten just how early map trading can happen in FfH, so expected these would be strung out more, but here they are anyway: Stories relating to the "landmarks" your map trades revealed, in "spoiler" tags just so there won't be too much to scroll past in the thread:

From the first screenshot in your overview:

Not far from the mouth of the bay, the sea waves break across a stony coral reef so ancient that it features in many creation myths:  Some say that the marble deposits shaped by Kilmorph near the shore were made in imitation of it or even out of parts of the reef itself in the long-forgotten past - while others claim the world itself, land and sea floor alike, are just overlays of rock and dust and soil on a framework of primordial coral.  Ocean life abounds across the coral reef, and the upper and outer reaches of the stony coral can be harvested as building materials, but the foundations of the reef are impervious to even the most powerful sorceries and enchanted tools.  It was known to the ancients that any ship that tried to navigate the breakers across the jagged shallows created by the reef must do so with extreme caution, taking it slow, for even the strongest hull can be torn apart when striking the barely-submerged coral - and consequently, any ship that successfully navigates the reef and establishes itself there with the coral to cut off enemy lines of attack would be extremely difficult to dislodge by other ships at sea.

From the second:

The rich silt from the twin estuaries making its steady way out toward the mouth of the bay gathers here in the shallows under the influence of outflow and tides to form a maze of unpredictable shoals, supporting immense kelp forests older and more tangled than any living forest of the surface world.  Traversing the water's surface between the thick tangles of kelp and avoiding the hidden hazards of the shoals demands slow, careful navigation, but any ship that could wind its way in and prepare its defenses with up-to-date knowledge of the daily-shifting obstacles beneath and at the surface of the waves would be extremely difficult for enemy ships to safely pursue.  So ancient are these kelp beds, their submarine soil constantly renewed as the rivers carry nutrients out from the shore, that legends are told of the place from before the ice came and the seas froze:  Legend tells that long ago, a pact was made here between the peoples of the ocean and the shore, declaring a peace between them and establishing trade and commerce at the surface of the sea, where the realms of air and water meet.  Whether the compact yet holds is as uncertain as the origin of the legend itself, but there is a small community of merfolk that lives among the kelp and shoals that is willing to barter their undersea goods with fisherfolk from the shorelands, and if trade should continue and increase, their numbers - and the value of the goods they can provide - will surely grow.  Should the community be entirely destroyed by raiders from the surface though, no one who knows merfolk ways imagines that any more will resume such trade again at the site of betrayal from above that scourged their predecessors from the sea.

From the third:

The shallow waters along this shoreline support a vast bed of enormous bivalves, many with shells wider than the spread of a tall man's arms, and most weighing at least a quarter of a ton.  They anchor a benthic forest of seaweeds, corals, and the creatures that live in and among them, all adapted to the special environment created by the giant shells.  Harvesting the meat from such monstrous clams requires great expertise in the peculiar demands of their fishery, but their massive shells make valuable building materials as well, and skilled Patyceran clam-fishers can cut the clams' muscles, pry them apart, and harvest the shells along with the meat.  Would-be clam fishers without the necessary skill inevitably fail in their attempts to prize open the massive shells or to wrench the whole from the sea floor shelf to which they are anchored, and face risks enough from the sea itself to dissuade all but the most reckless:  Between the shallow shelf and the irregular shapes lent it by the gigantic clam shells, the breakers can be violent as they roll in from the sea, and boats must use caution whenever moving among them to keep from being dashed on boulder-sized clams or the rocks of the shore.  This does offer an advantage to such boats as manage to establish themselves among the clam beds with good soundings and preparation, at least when facing would-be attackers who have to make their way among the dangerous breakers and avoid running aground on a huge bivalve shell, so locals warn that guarding the clam beds against enemy incursion is of even greater importance than may at first appear.

Plus two more in the fourth:

A family of sea-faring dwarves long ago built their home on - and inside of - a lonely rock jutting out from the sea between two river estuaries, turning it into a safe harbor some distance off the coast that seems to be completely self-sufficient so long as the storms fill their cisterns:  Using stone they brought up from within the isle and wood from the local shore, they built the rock up into a tower standing far above the waves, with enormous sails that spin gently in the constant ocean breeze - and wildly in the area's frequent storms.  Made from incredibly strong, thin, durable material and anchored to the tower by dwarven skill, these sails have stood a thousand storms and in some mysterious way seem to transform the strength of the storms themselves into labor for the dwarven family.  Mainlanders who fish and make their living on the seas can take advantage of the safe harbor and offered by Stormsail Haven and the light that glows on dark nights from its peak to fish the seas around it longer and more safely, and can barter with the dwarven family, taking advantage of the ease with which the dwarves - or their sails - seem to labor, and of trade with an otherwise-isolated dwarven family whose needs and products are entirely different from those of their mainland neighbors.  Some hint that the dwarves made a terrible pact to attain their sail tower though, or whisper of an evil prophecy that one day the tower will be cast down and burned by raiders from the sea and nothing will remain but drifting scraps of their silken sails, valued slightly in themselves as they occasionally wash up on the rock and the shores of the sea nearby.

The steep, twisting paths climbing into the mountains from the ruins and surroundings of the long-lost trade city below lead up over wide-spanned stone bridges and narrow stairs to the high mines of Zarakh-Din, shaped by the hand and will of ancient dwarves. Even those who never learned the secrets of mining nuggets from such veins as may be found within these dwarf-cut caves can profit handsomely from their existence, selling supplies to the endless stream of gold-hunters who seek out the caves in exchange for their labor and coins, but the spectacular wealth that may be found there is no mere fantasy: For those who know the mountains' ways, enough gold may be wrested from Zarakh-Din every year to satisfy a national luxury industry. The mines' approach over steep cliffs, narrow bridges, and winding stairs render them completely impregnable to armies marching from below, but by exactly the same token, those who cannot imitate their dwarven builders by living in the mines themselves are deeply vulnerable to all of those rare enemies who are able to get above them by climbing the high peaks or by approaching from the air: A single hostile griffon on the wrong mountain peak could isolate the mines, so that no more profit could be had there, though skilled miners trapped within might still find a way to sneak out just enough ore to supply those of their people who demand the greatest luxuries while smuggling in enough to keep themselves alive. Should anyone with the ability and will go so far as to start a rock-slide from above though, to bury the cave entrances and block access to the bridges and the narrow stairs, it would take centuries of labor to restore what is thereby lost, and unless dwarves of the underhome return through the mountains' roots, the mines would be closed forever, persisting only as the rumor of golden riches just out of reach in the mountains there.

It sounds like you're getting really close to unlocking the units you've been working toward (more or less) all game! Good luck with the coming turns - and have fun with them!

[coldrain]

Thanks for all of the nice writing! I was inspired, so wrote some backstory for the state of my empire. Enjoy!

Many do not know or wish not to acknowledge the horrors that are awaiting the poor people of Calabim Empire and maybe the world itself. My dedicated reader and follower of Kilmorph’s wisdom, let me enlighten you. If you have found this book despite the ban against literature blaspheming our cold and ever living God-King, then you have the courage to learn the truth. You see, the ancient rumours and tales of the origin of our peoples are true: We survived the Age of Ice not by blessing of Kilmorph, but by pledging to follow the leadership of a foul Vampire and his inner circle of trusted thralls.

During the Eternal Winter our tribe suffered from starvation and disease. All hope was deemed lost, until a Vampire arrived with a promise of salvation. He hunted for whatever beasts or prey that survived the extreme blizzards and darkness, and brought the spoils to the meagre tribe of Calabim nomads. In exchange, the Vampire demanded a Blood price and total obedience to his rule. All who refused the terms gradually changed their minds, seeing how bountiful hunts the creature of Night was able to arrange. And the most stubborn ones to resist either disappeared mysteriously or were exiled by the tribe blinded by their hunger and desperation. 

However, when the Age of Ice drew to a close, and nature itself woke up to the warm sunlight, a final mistake was made. Instead of ridding the tribe of the influence of this Vampire, they accepted his absolute rule in exchange for dominance over any other settlers or nomads that survived the Winter. For a brief time, chieftains and warriors of Calabim enjoyed unprecedented raids and plunder by destroying all opposition and taking over their neighbouring nomads. How this was achieved remains unknown as the histories were not written down, but passed by as tales through the generations. Many legends tell about powers of Shadow and Death of the Vampire and his thralls, who would destroy entire villages or war bands during night time raids. But one thing is known for sure: It was during this time that powers of the Foul One grew and none could oppose him.

It didn’t take long for the people of Calabim to unite the smaller neighbouring tribes either by fear or by force. New river lands, shaking the last vestiges of permafrost, provided places for settlers and farmland to be founded. As new villages sprouted up like weeds and the population grew, quarrelsome chieftains and warlords were not enough to maintain internal peace within the lands. A new system of governance emerged, where the undying Vampire declared himself a God-King and most revered protector of the nation. He appointed the most loyal thralls as new governors to the settlements. Any resistance to this change was crushed mercilessly. In time, this evolved into an Imperial Cult, revering the God-King and his eternal wisdom in saving the Calabim tribe from the Winter. All knowledge of the true nature of our “dear leader” was buried and forgotten, except for a small circle of elders and shamans was able to pass down the knowledge in hiding.

More than a millennia after the establishment of The Imperial Cult, Calabim Empire had grown to a network of bustling cities and overflowing farmlands, still ruled by the descendants of the elite circle loyal to the God-King, upholding the Imperial Cult with fear and an iron grip. During this time, most capable craftsmen and labourers started to first secretly, and later openly to worship Kilmorph as their highest inspiration for life and work. Why a new religion was allowed to take a foothold alongside the Imperial Cult remains a mystery. A weary truce emerged between The Cult and church of Kilmorph, where most important government positions were held by the former, and leading positions at craft guilds and merchant associations by the latter. Perhaps the ruling elite saw the new religion as a useful tool in whatever sinister plan the Cult is secretly working towards.
 
Despite the truce, all open criticism of the Cult and its governance is considered blasphemy and punished most gruesomely. Some believe that eventually the Cult will cast away its mask, the Foul One will unleash his powers to enthralled masses and once more Shadow and Death will reign over a ceaseless River of Blood that drowns the world.

-          Duronter the Monk: Secret history of the Calabim, Chapter I

[RefSteel]

I love it! Thanks so much for sharing that with us - I'm glad the snippets I wrote inspired you! (And I love reports that take a perspective other than the player/ruler's! I once wrote an entire Imperium report from the perspective of a protagonist trying first to escape and then to contain or defeat my interstellar empire!)

[coldrain]

Lurkers probably have already read what's going on in other threads, but here's a quick summary of why this game is on hold right now:

Aurorarcher said in shared group discord (used for tech issues or notifying others about schedules) that he is no longer willing to continue playing with Mackoti. This is because Aurorarcher believes Mackoti has manipulated combat outcomes by reloading the save and changing order of attacks, or by making non-sensical attacks. At least this is how I understood the issue was presented. Mackoti denies manipulating anything.

Now for a few days, there have been more discussion in discord and apparently both Aurorarhcer and Mackoti have clarified their point of view in their own threads. Of course I haven't spoiled myself yet, as I hope some solution will be found where the game will eventually continue. I'm not sure how the alledged manipulation could be proved or disproved or how to continue if one or more players are not willing to continue.

I'll check the latest discussions in shared discord and try to understand if this game can somehow continue.

[shallow_thought]

Urgh - sorry to hear that (I'm only reading this thread so far).

I'm not going to comment, other than to say that there is history from other games potentially affecting things here; you're probably able to work that out for yourself .