Green as they come: Hiding Kneel plays the Ljosalfar [SPOILERS]

[HidingKneel]

what do you mean the spell "stoneskin" doesn't affect tigers?

Good point. I guess my experiment proved that "an arcane unit casting stoneskin on itself does not buff tigers in the same tile", which is not entirely surprising .

I guess Katon has the logic right? They can be buffed by arcane spells, but not divine spells?

[HidingKneel]

Turn 103 is in.

I missed the founding of AV due to turn order



Actually, this is not a big deal. I wasn't planning on building the shrine anyway, so the only thing I'm missing out on is a free spread to one city, and a chance of more free spreads later (unreliable anyway).

Well, one aspect of it is a big deal. Ellimist just founded AV. And he's in a golden age. If I were him, I'd beeline the grimoire. He's already got fanaticism, so he could use it to grab Malevolent Designs. This would be a Very Bad Thing.

That just means I've got to beat him there by beelining it myself. And I think I can do it. I did a little creative micromanagement to get my second GP out in Evermore this turn (came out a sage, despite the fact that I had 100% prophet points until this turn. Go figure), and I'll launch a golden age this turn. My GNP and production were higher than Ellimist before he fired his golden age, so I assume I'll be able to out-tech him (although he has more gold saved than I do). Well, we'll see. In fact, failing to found AV might work to my advantage: it means he might not know that I have it, which could let me get started teching toward infernal pact a turn sooner than him.

The drawback is that I'll be building the Grimoire before I can line up a super-tech to use it for. Well, I did a little poking around, and there was one 8000 beaker tech I could go for: precision (after teching bowyers while building the grimoire).



File that under "branches of the tech tree best left undisturbed".

No, I'll just need to grab something semi-expensive that I can get the prereqs for in time. Main candidate: feral bond. But there are a few other possiblities worth considering. Engineering? Taxation? Sorcery?

I'm thinking feral bond, though, because I can still get to Commune with Nature with a tower of Divination. Adepts are coming out and there'll soon be four mana nodes in my territory.

What else? Well, there's the depressing diplomacy with Weezel:



And Tholal:



Oh! Check this out:



One menagerie, coming up! As soon as my hunter gets there, from half a world away.

Corruption of Spirit came in at end of turn. Got my free savant here:



Not exactly a production powerhouse. But I don't think I can afford to wait... need that AV spread right away, to start teching infernal pact. (Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt me to spend a turn saving gold... I'll have to see what destination city makes the most sense.)

[HidingKneel]

Alright, the save is finally moving again, and turn 104 is played.

Diplomacy with Tholal:



I said Weezel's in a lot of trouble, and I'll stand by that. But it looks like he managed to kill that scary wolf rider of Ellimist's. Which is excellent news: it means Weezel will last longer, and it also means that I won't have to fight that wolf later. I sent him some congratulations:



Still no word from Ichabod. I'd really like to know what's going on with him. If I can coordinate an attack on the Clan with the Hippus, we might have a shot. Without coordination, no way.

Got a useless event:



What else? Oh, I remember:



Evil devil-worshipping religion is in, one turn late. Ellimist hasn't converted yet, though. Looks like he's running 100% gold this turn. Time to get this party started. I fired my golden age:



I then used the savant to spread AV to Ultigar and converted. No more ancient forests for a while, sadly. But it looks like I can get to Infernal Pact in three turns, if I burn most of my savings.

What about Ellimist? Well, he's got 697 gold saved at the moment, and he's bringing in 190 per turn. This might go up next turn, when the Kilmorph holy city comes out of revolt (though that city'll probably cost him a bundle in maintenance). But even at 100% science in a golden age, I'll bet it takes him four turns. Which gives us a two-turn head start.

(Though it just occurred to me: once we research the tech, Ellimist will get a discount on it, right? Can somebody tell me the mechanics of that?)

I think we'll need it, though. Ellimist has two tricks up his sleeve that I don't. First, he might have been stockpiling soldiers of Kilmorph to rush the Grimoire when it becomes available. Hopefully he doesn't: I've given no indication until now that I was after it, and he can't build them and research infernal pact at the same time.

He can also cash-rush things, since he's running military state. You could say the same about me, but that's not really true. Once infernal pact comes in, I'll have less than a hundred gold. I could run 100% gold, but then I won't have the prereqs for anything nice to use the Grimoire on. And while it might be worth building the Grimoire just for denial, I don't think I really have that luxury. I need powerful military options fast, or Ellimist is going to walk right over me.

My most productive city right now is Eaca (unless I want to revolt back to God-King, but that'll kill my economy). With some creative micromanagement, I think I can get the Grimoire built there in five turns. Which is also how long it'll take to research animal handling, assuming some research boosts along the way. So... turn 111, if all goes well.

Armageddon counter is at 23. And it looks like Hyborem will be arriving on turn 106. Given that I'm also going to be spreading AV, and presumably Ellimist will be doing the same, we'll be seeing blight shortly. But I ought to be able to weather it reasonably well by running Sacrifice the Weak.

Here's an overview of our empire in its golden age:



Ultigar's building a temple of Veil, then a savant to spread the religion to a production center. Wonder if it's worth building Rosier just for denial?

Pretty soon it'll be time to stop building infrastructure and start pumping out units (StW/conquest will help with that).

[DaveV]

(Though it just occurred to me: once we research the tech, Ellimist will get a discount on it, right? Can somebody tell me the mechanics of that?)

Divide 30% by the number of players in the game, then multiply by the number of players with whom you have contact and who already have that tech. So if only you know a tech, it gives a 6% boost to Ellimist (7.5% if he kills off Weezel, 10% when it's down to three players, 15% when it's a two player endgame).

The 30% base number was 10% in vanilla FfH, but Sareln boosted it back to 30% for EitB, to match BtS.

[HidingKneel]

The 30% base number was 10% in vanilla FfH, but Sareln boosted it back to 30% for EitB, to match BtS.

Ah... well, this is regular FFH, so it sounds like the bonus is 10%/5 = 2%. So not much of a concern. Just for my reference, though: is that a 2% discount on the cost of the tech, or a 2% bonus to the beakers you contribute each turn?

Another turn played. Some diplomacy with Weezel:



I'm about to found a city next to him, which means I can establish a road connection very quickly. It occurs to me now that I might be able to slow down Ellimist for a while if I give Weezel a bronze loan. I think I'll suggest that by email.

Weezel's not in good shape, though. He lost the Esus holy city to Ellimist this turn. I did a hawk flyover to have a look at what he's up against:



That is a lot of wolf riders. Also, Ellimist has been giving them mobility promotions. Well, rangers will be a pretty good counter to those wolves (especially if I promote them from disciples of leaves, for free mobility promotions).

The good news this turn is that Ellimist didn't convert to AV. Looks like he's running 100% science again... what's he teching? Has he given up on the Grimoire? Or maybe he just wants to build some SoKs before converting, to snatch it up in one turn. Anyway, I'm going full steam ahead on plans to beat him to it. If he still hasn't converted in a few more turns, I'll consider changing the plan and trying to grab feral bond directly.

Not much else to report. My terraforming is just about complete: there are only a few tiles in my culture that aren't forested. A lot of unimproved tiles, though: I should probably build more workers. Well, those will build fast once I'm running StW.

Screenshot from EOT:



Looks like we'll have a human taking over for Hyborem, which is excellent news. I ought to be pretty safe thanks to the worldspell, but the infernals could take a big bite out of Ellimist if they start in a convenient location. We'll know soon.

Should keep an eye out for hell terrain though, especially since I'm now evil. Fortunately I'll have adepts soon (first one due out at the end of next turn), and I start with life mana.

[HidingKneel]

Turn 106 played (mostly).



We finally get a decent event, and it has to come just three turns after our conversion to the dark side:



And check this out:



With twenty hammers left to our completion of the Great Library, Tholal snatches it away. What's worse is that I could have gotten it a turn sooner, with slightly different micromanagement.

We also got ourselves a new city:



Two tiles of road, and we'll have a connection with Weezel. I'll offer him some copper. And there's plenty he can offer in exchange:



Actually, I could use all of his mana. Sun and mind for the tower of Divination, and life for instant sanctification adepts (will be handy if hell terrain becomes an issue). But I'm not sure he'll be around long enough for me to finish that tower.

Of course, the big news is that I summoned Hyborem at end of turn. Can't wait to find out where he lands. Fingers crossed that it's near the Kuriotate homeland.

[HidingKneel]

Alright, finally got another turn in.

Of course, the big news is this:



Hyborem is afoot! I didn't have immediate contact with him, but I could see hell terrain to the south, so I flew a hawk over and saw this:



So, let's try making nice with the infernals. I sent this via email:

Great and terrible Lord Mafro of the Infernals,

I bring greetings from Queen Arendel of the summer court. We have summoned you to Erebus in the hopes that we might join us in common cause against our enemies.

I know it is would be foolhardy to appeal to the good nature of a demon such as yourself. But perhaps I can appeal to your pragmatism. I know that you already have contact with the Clan of Embers. They are extremely powerful right now, and only growing stronger. Though we are not currently at war with them, I fear that the war is not long in coming. No one civilization on Erebus can hope to defeat them alone. But we might stand a chance if we work together, however strange such an alliance might seem.

Let me tell you a little bit about the situation in which you find yourself. As you are no doubt already aware, your city of Dis immediately borders the Malakim empire. The Malakim are in the process of being conquered by the Clan, and they will not last long. The city of Golden Leane is four tiles to your west. It is presently guarded by two units, and would be an easy conquest for you. It is also surrounded on two sides by desert, which would make excellent defensive terrain once converted into hell terrain. Further west lies the Malakim capital, for however long it remains standing.

Much of Erebus remains unsettled. In particular, you will find a great deal of unclaimed territory to the south of Dis, should you wish to expand unmolested.

To the north, you will find the lands of the Ljosalfar. Of course, we would very much prefer that you did not expand in this direction. In case our offer of alliance does not convince you, you should know this: should we beckon, the trees themselves will rise to defend our homeland. In addition, the great elven hero, Gilden Silveric, is well-trained and ready to defend our southern border, flanked by a host of summoned tigers. So you have little to gain from a conflict with us. Neither of us would benefit from having the other as an enemy, so why not be friends?

Slightly to your east is a small sea. Beyond that lies the lands of the horselords. As you may know, the Hippus summoned an angelic host to Erebus. But after a bitter conflict with the Clan, the angels departed through their gate. They now have a peace treaty with the Clan, and I am not sure how long it will be in effect.

Finally, I should mention the dwarves. They are far from Dis, and seem to have little interest in the affairs of other races. Our sages cannot determine what they do with their time, but speculate that it might involve swimming through giant vaults overflowing with gold.

Finally, a quick request. There is a lion roaming the desert, immediately to the northeast of your settler. Queen Arendel would regard it as a personal favor if the lion were to remain unharmed until it can be tamed by a Ljosalfar hunter (we have on en-route to the area for precisely that purpose).

Queen Arendel very much hope that our peoples can find ways to cooperate in the coming years. We have some suggestions in that regard, but perhaps it would be better to hear your own thoughts first.

Regards,

HK, Advisor to Queen Arendel of the Ljosalfar

We'll see what he comes back with. I might offer him my southernmost city (I won't be able to defend it anyway, if a war breaks out) in exchange for an alliance, or a loan of sheut stone (that boosts recon units, right?)

So, I'm kind of selling out Weezel there. But to be honest, Weezel's position is pretty hopeless at this point. He's down to three cities: his capital, one that's probably going to get gobbled by the Infernals, and one that would have gotten gobbled by us if I was more ruthless/on the ball. Anyways, I'm still trying to offer him bronze:



Ichabod offered open borders this turn. I guess that's a good start? Still not a word of diplomacy, though. I shot back with this:



On the domestic front, I swapped into Sacrifice the Weak and conquest. Most cities are building infrastructure while growing: I'm trying to get hunting lodges almost everywhere, so I can build me lots of rangers once animal handling comes in. But that growing isn't going to last long. Ellimist razed a city last turn, bringing the AC up to 28. I imagine the next time he takes one of Weezel's cities, we'll get blight (or maybe I'll blight us first, by spreading AV to one of my production centers). Anyways, it's a good time to be running StW.

Got a little bit of fawn-on-barbarian action:



Victory, and earned a promotion. Not enough for a satyr upgrade, but I think I need to have FoL as state religion for that anyways. Maybe in twenty turns or so.

Here's an overview of the new, golden-age and StW-boosted Ljosalfar empire:



And some demographics:



We've got a firm lead in GNP and a decent lead in production on Ellimist in his golden age, despite the fact that he has almost twice as many cities. But I suspect that's too little and too late, unless I can get some kind of attack coordinated with Ichabod.

[Merovech]

Sheut stone boosts either everything or almost everything, definately including recon. I don't think it effects currently existing units though (can't remember for sure), only ones built with access to it.

[HidingKneel]

Sheut stone boosts either everything or almost everything, definately including recon. I don't think it effects currently existing units though (can't remember for sure), only ones built with access to it.

No problem. I have not yet begun to build units! (I really, really haven't. Which means the fact that Weezel, Tholal, and Ichabod all have much lower power ratings is a big concern.)

Looks like I also need to research necromancy to benefit from it, too. Fortunately my economy is finally coming alive, so I should be able to manage that.

So, let's have a look at turn 108. It sounds like Weezel and Mafro came to some kind of peaceful arrangement, which involves ceding Golden Leane to the infernals, and having Hyborem (the unit) garrison the Malakim capital. That ought to seriously slow Ellimist down!

We finally have our road connection with the Malakim:



Those trades were suggested by me, rather than Weezel. Actually kind of pointless now that I think about it: I'll probably have my own mind node in a couple of turns. Except that it gives me a good cover story for Ellimist:



I'm sure he's not buying that, but I'm not sure it matters at this point. There's not going to be any more real cooperation with the orcs, it's only a question of who deactivates the NAP, and when that happens. It's definitely not going to be me unless and until I can get the Hippus on board. Still no message from them. I sent another message to them this turn, and one to the dwarves. But the most interesting diplomacy was with the Infernals:

Greetings mortal.

Your summons have not gone unheard, nor unanswered.

I agree that the power of the Clan must be stopped, else their ember shall burst into an all-consuming flame. However, I am new to this world and have, as yet, few cities and scant forces. I am blind as to the disposition of territories and armies. My power is weak. With the bulk of the orcish forces dooming the Malakim not far from my own cities, it is likely they will next turn towards me. It would seem I will be lost before my strength is found.

However, the one great power I have is Hyborem, Archdemon of Agares. I could join my strength with the Malakim and defend their cities alongside their own forces against the Clan. In that way I might be able to stem the orcish tide, at least for a time. I have proposed this to the Malakim and they have agreed.

That said, I must also look to build a core of strength from which to fight our common foe. To do that I need to complete at least a few cities to ring my capital. Doing so will grant me some defensive depth, as well as the production and resources that are necessary if I am to have a fighting chance battling our foe.

Unfortunately, your city of Zbolub resides within that core defensive ring. Therefore, I ask that as a token of good will you liberate it to my control with the understanding that I shall not send settlers further north. Indeed, this city must be distant from your own capital and a drain on your resources, even under City States, so liberating it to me would cause you little harm. If for some reason you see holding Zbolub as key to your own plans, then I shall see that those plans involve claims of territory bordering my capital, and will look...unfavorably...on further cooperation.

Lastly, I offer to strengthen your forces against our common enemy with Iron. If you have workers in the area of Zbolub, then upon liberation of the city set them to building a road towards Dis, that my Iron may strengthen your own soldiers.

In this way your summons may fulfill their purpose, and you may gain a strong ally against the Clan.

In the Name of the King of Hope,

Lord Mafro of the Infernals

Hey! That's just what I was going to suggest. Except that I have exactly zero units that can use iron weapons, and no plans to change that. So I sent the following reply:

Lord Mafro,

Your are correct that our city of Zholub is quite distant from our capital. However, it is still a profitable city, and a somewhat productive one. Moreover, it controls a mana node that we were hoping to develop in the near future. I tell you this so that you will appreciate the sacrifice we are willing to make for your friendship. In fact, our two peoples are of one mind: we were going to propose more or less the same arrangement that you have suggested. With one important difference: your offer of iron will be of little use to our war effort. The Ljosalfar have no swordsmen, and no yards in which to train them.

What we ask instead is that you provide us with sheut stone. There are two sources of marble within easy infernal reach. One is three tiles from Dis, and the other is three tiles from Zholub. When those are converted to hell terrain, they will become invaluable war assets.

So allow me to offer the following proposal (this is a starting point, feel free to offer refinements):

1) The Infernals and Ljosalfar agree to a non-aggression pact, which will remain in effect until at least turn 160 (and possibly to be extended further, subject to mutual consent). The remaining terms of this agreement are binding until the dissolution of that pact.

2) The Ljosalfar offer the city of Zholub to the infernals. This should greatly increment your power. It is as large as Dis, and comes with a market and a copper mine. We also built a monument there this turn, so that you will be able to quickly gain cultural control over the surrounding area.

3) A Ljosalfar worker team will build a road from Zholub to Dis (thereby establishing a trade connection between our peoples). When this is finished, the team will proceed to connect other infernal cities to Dis.

4) We will sign an open borders agreement. The Ljosalfar will use this to base hawks in Infernal cities, which we will use to warn the Infernals of incoming attacks (your teleportation abilities should allow you to quickly respond).

5) The Infernals agree that they will not settle any further north of Zholub. The Ljosalfar agree to settle no further south of Elendiwe, Zholub's northwestern neighbor.

6) Each of our civilizations agree to provide the other with a single, ten-turn loan of palace mana when requested by the other, so long as we are given three turns of advance notice.

7) The Infernals agree to provide the Ljosalfar with any health-boosting hell terrain resources that become available, so that our people might survive the incoming blight.

8) The Infernals agree to provide the Ljosalfar with sheut stone at the earliest available opportunity (meaning, your worker will connect the resource as soon as it comes in to your culture). We might speed this process along by sending a disciple to build culture in one of your cities.

9) The Infernals will allow the Ljosalfar to capture the lion that is wandering near their territory. In the event that the lion becomes trapped in burning sands, the Ljosalfar may retrieve it using a life adept.

10) If the Infernals request it, the Ljosalfar will refrain from building Rosier the Fallen (we are not going to be running Ashen Veil for long, so the only incentive for us to do so would be to deny him to the Clan).

We have offered the city of Zholub on our turn. If you are more or less in agreement with this arrangement, feel free to accept the offer.

HK, Advisor to the Queen

Seems like a pretty good deal for both of us. He gets a city which will almost double his strength, and gives up a few things (sheut stone, mana) that he likely won't have the tech to take advantage of anyway. I give up a city that I can't hope to defend, and pick up +1 strength on all my units, plus an opportunity to grab some entropy mana (or fire mana, but probably entropy).

What else? Trying to make the most of my golden age. Screenshot from EOT:



Three turns to the Grimoire (fingers crossed!). Two turns to animal handling, at which point I'll really start ramping up the military production.

Tech plan really depends on whether or not I get the Grimoire or not. Either way, I'm probably going divination next, and setting myself up to build a tower of divination. If I do get the Grimoire, I'm thinking HBR -> trade after that, with necromancy thrown in whenever it'll let me take advantage of the sheut stone.

[HidingKneel]

Played another turn. Ellimist beat me to the Grimoire: he must have rushed it with soldiers of Kilmorph. Too demoralized for a proper update right now; I'll need to give some thought to how to proceed from here.