The Ruin of Fomoria (AAR) Thread - Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension

The tale of a game of Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension

Emerald eyes. Alabaster skin and long hair the hue of ripe barley. Fay looks for sure but a sex life as barren as a drown coven of Ermorian nuns. Being a foreboding and defeated people does that to you. That and being rich. Fir bolgs keep making babies. The Great Council of Nemedia, on the other hand, is the kind of decider people that stay up all night in their ivory tower, devising grand strategies that nobody ends up using because their memos get somewhat ignored by illiterate goat-herders and obnoxious stockholders.
I should backtrack. That’s not where our story originates, but I’ll come back to that later -we had grand plans.
I talk about them Nemedian leadership first because that’s where I work. I am the black sheep slash big mouth that got volunteered into chronicling the Ruin of Fomoria. I got on with the job and here I am, about to spill all kinds of secrets to you select readers.
Suffice to say that we’re on to a bad start. Our little conspiracy got overtaken this very morning. Let me recount the conversation between Angus, our best spy, and yours truly.
- Chief, remember how you told me to keep an eye on the Fir Bolg warriors, on account of you needing them not to kill each other before harvest time, I thought you should know that they are up in arms.
- Let me guess. Somebody stole himself a fiancée?
- I am a bit unsure. One of them said he had a calling.
- By whom?
- Not by whom, Sir. More like by what. You know, like my uncle who dedicated himself to the poetry business.
- I remember your uncle. Got a wild hair then got his senses back. Sounds like I don't care.

Greetings, reader. I just launched a new game of Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension. I plan to update this AAR from time to time, no guarantee. If you wish to participate, please comment. You belong to the Great Council of Nemedia. Feel free to intervene, I'll try to incorporate it.
I play on Valanis, a map that is not a great fit for Fomoria due to limited sailing opportunities. There are 8 nations, 1 set to Master level and the rest set to Mighty.

How goes it with the Fomorians? I would hear the tales of that wretched people.

Same, this is the first AAR, id love to see moar!

As Councilmember Llodhwwebhewe I view the fir bolg situation with alarm. We can't let the rabble outbreed us! Put some of the men in the army, that'll help the situation...

Angus is standing in front of me, sweating in spite of the cold. Worst spring in history. The scout has deemed the news important enough to rush through the unending staircase of Rath Chimbalth. The man takes a peek at the black treetops on the horizon. I follow his gaze.
- So that's where the calling called him, huh? And the warriors with him... doomed.
North of Fomoria stands the dark forest of Cun Aral. For generations we have been at peace with the Bloodhenge Druids who haunt it. The occasional misfortune of some rogue hunter, charcoal maker or wandering mushroom amateur reminded the commoners that the woods were off limits. Rumors at the village wells depicted bloody offerings involving those who would not heed the warnings.
- What's worse, looks like he enlisted Old Gwynn, who was on guard duty at the vault. Together they appropriated the bulk of the national treasure and spent perhaps a fourth of it to hire a retinue of ugly giant beasts from beyond the sea.
- Chief Treasurer Llodhwwebhewe will be furious. The next phase of the master plan will need to be postponed. By six months, one year... Seize the bastard in the unlikely event he manages to escape the forest.



After prophetizing my first commander, I send him to conquer the forest province with the help of mercenaries. My theory is that elephants eat dark vines. Dom3 veterans can note I hired a Fir Bolg druid, new addition to the national roster and an occasional student of Earth magic. The money will be tight at first and I will buy quite a few of those in the first year. Later on their utility will diminish and I hope to find cheaper, independent options for magical research.

Edited by: ServalInk

Treasurer Llodhwwebhewe is indeed furious. "The fools! Nothing can trample Dark Vines, nothing! They're doomed, I say, dooomed!"

Of the top of my head, I'd say Dark Vines are size 6, plus the druids will be spamming Agony, with which the elephants probably will not deal very well. I foresee a grim end for your little filibuster.

It had been one tense Council session. The assembly had been copiously Itoldyouso-ed by the Chief Treasurer. The Fir Bolg rabble had been allowed too much leeway. Prior to that, an envoy from the King of Nardago had been pleading for our armies to stop their ongoing invasion. His long-winded speech about the long-standing tradition of peace between our peoples had been met with long faces. None of us had any idea what he had been talking about. That is, until Angus confirmed that troops led by Breadan, the renegade Fir Bolg general, were indeed in the process of occupying the land of good old King of Nardago, he who would always remember sending wine at Samhain. It appears that the rebel did in fact survive the treacherous woods of Cun Aral.
And then there was this small foreign fellow, Captain Dante. The man had dared to ask us for guides and directions to Nardago. He mistook our frowns for ignorance and darted out of the chamber with his guards, in the middle of a stern lecture about the proper way to address Nemedian lords.

1. Fir Bolg Scout - 25 gold, 10 resources
My first scout. If I decide to make a career in bow-building, I could use his good Precision (12). Stealthy 50.

2. Fir Bolg Champion - 40 gold, 12 resources
Standard commander. Leadership 60.

3. Fir Bolg Druid - 70 gold, 2 resources
A1 + 100% WEN. I typically buy some in early game. The Fomorian Druid has more battlemagic value and more overall strategic value due to better Air.

4. Fomorian Scout - 45 gold, 19 resources
Stealthy 40. Never bought any. I don't know what I would use one for. Perhaps in late game, with stealth equipment, in order to make sure my intelligence network resists bad globals?

5. Fomorian Champion - 60 gold, 29 resources
I don't buy those. Leadership 60, I'd rather buy a cheaper Fir Bolg Champion.

6. Unmarked Champion - 130 gold, 29 resources
Sacred, H1, Leadership 80. Excellent unit to lead armies and carry important items.

7. Fomorian Druid - 200 gold, 3 resources
Sacred, H1A2 + 100% WDN. The N1 ones are going to search sites.

8. Fomorian King - 480 gold, 37 resources, STR and cap-only
Sacred, H2A3D2 + 110% WD. Leadership 120, Amphibian, Sailing. Their two main purposes will be bless duty and ferrying troops over vast distances. Whenever possible, they will search sites.

9. Nemedian Champion - 165 gold, 25 resources, cap-only
Sacred, H1A1D1. Leadership 80, Glamour. Competes with the Kings for recruitment. When the opportunity arises, I will hire some.

10. Nemedian Sorceress - 240 gold, 1 resource, cap-only
A2D2 + 110% WDN. Maintenance costs equal to a King, with none of the utility. I usually never hire any.

11. Fir Bolg Slinger - 11 gold, 2 resources
I rarely buy those.

12. Fir Bolg Warrior with axe - 13 gold, 9 resources
I never buy those.

13. Fir Bolg Warrior with spear and javelin - 13 gold, 10 resources
The staple of Fomorian armies built outside of the capital.

14. Fomorian Militia - 15 gold, 3 resources
I heard they are useful for sieges. I never use them, but I understand the point.

15. Fomorian Javelinist - 20 gold, 15 resources
I never hire them.

16. Fomorian Spearman - 20 gold, 17 resources
I never hire them.

17. Fomorian Warrior - 30 gold, 27 resources
I never hire them. Are they worth three Fir Bolg Warriors? I don"t think so. If I know I need meaty troops, I might change my mind, but then again maybe not. One good troop is not worth three okay ones.

18. Unmarked - 55 gold, 27 resources, cap-only
Sacred. My second choice after Fomorian Giant.

19. Fomorian Giant - 75 gold, 37 resources, cap-only
Sacred. My first choice. At first I can hire only one a turn. I need them to conquer the seas and scare everybody.

20. Nemedian Warrior - 30 gold, 22 resources, cap-only
I buy some when there are leftover resources, or in very late game.

Indeed, the Elephants did not fare well against the Vines. I lost one of them and another one got a limp. But I just needed a little help.

I found a first magic site without searching. It is an Astral site. I do not know if it is related to the Luck of the dominion, but thank you very much I'll take it -I will have lots of use for astral pearls in the future; for example, forging shields that will make my H2 Kings into Divine Blessing casters. Two E1 random druids are searching for sites at the moment.

Edited by: ServalInk

Glad to be proven wrong, good job with the blood druids.

"Obviously, these 'oliphants' are powerful beyond belief! We must ensure they will not turn on us - what do they want? Gold, slaves, gems? Pay them! Pay them double! Or perhaps we should ensure they fight something that makes sure they will never be in a position to turn on us. Ahem."

Actually quantity more than quality decided the fight: the druids had about 20 troops only. The heavy cavalry of the next province numbered only 8... The lack of neighboring provinces will prevent me to reach the desired level of resources in my capital, but that is no big deal as my blessed giants are immensely tough.

Note: in Dom3 solo play I had stopped using mercenaries long ago, because the computer would never bet on them correctly. Unfortunately it does not seem to have changed in Dom4. Definitely something to improve, perhaps by telling the AI that mercenaries are high priority in the beginning, when they can kickstart an empire.

- Enough is enough. I have made my mind. I will take... a decision!
The Council fell silent. All stared at the bold lord who had committed to action.
- Fomorians, at least nominally, rule Fomoria. They should know what's going on! They should take measures! Organize meetings about the Fir Bolg situation!
- Wasn't it you who persuaded us to inflict them the silent treatment, years ago?
- Times have changed. Now, follow me. No way am I telling them this story without some backup.
So we all went down the stairs, we left the holy castle of the Nemedians and we took a cramped ferry boat that carried us all to the Isle of Balor.
- Hold your spears! Something's fishy.
There was not a sound on the island. Everywhere, bodies of Fomorians. Not dead, unless dead people snore. A powerful, fruity stink permeated the place. A scattered few awake Fomorians were trying to stand or to finish their sentence.
The bold lord respectfully knocked awake a guard in front of what could pass for the city hall. The freaks are no builders.
- Nah we're not attacked, lil' buddy. Hips! You'll find His Lordship over there; meditating on his throne and stuff.
The place was a large cabin. You could know a powerful sorcerer lived there: a smell of darkness, a damp energy tainted the air. The High Lords of Nemedia started breathing through the mouth, and the bold one began knocking on the door. To no avail until...
- CAN'T AN HONEST MAN NOT TAKE A DUMP IN PEACE ANYMORE?
We all turned the glamour on and proceeded to the nearest exit in moderate panic, except for the bold one. He began to tell his piece to the King through the door.
- SOMEBODY IS TRYING TO CONCENTRATE!
We left the fool on the Isle and have filed this operation as a moderate success. Unanimously, we agreed upon a meeting to discuss the last turn of events. Things are moving on!

Fittingly, my empire is located at the West of the world and not far from subterranean waters. The three closest Thrones of Ascension are located North, East and South.
I am rushing North, towards the throne on the giant tree. I can really use both bless effects and any help to my weak starting dominion. After I get it, I plan to consolidate this part of my empire and have a Fomorian King conquer the Southern throne. I will probably summon a Black Servant first to explore the place because I have no amphibian scout and a blind attack might be a tad too bold.
The Eastern throne might be more contested. Another Fomorian King will be tasked with its conquest. By then I will have met other empires and none of my plans will have survived contact with them.

***

- STOP PESTERING ME. I WILL DEAL WITH THIS MATTER IN NO TIME. ALL ABOARD THE FOMOSHIP!

A few months have passed. It is now winter of the first year of the ascension wars. What happened?
- 10 provinces, total income 568 gold/month, research 34 rp/month. That's what Turmoil 1 / Sloth 3 / Cold 3 can do to your wallet.
- Not one bad event! Thank you, Luck 1.
- No less than 7 noncap magic sites have been discovered, including some Earth sites and the common Slave Market.
- My first Fomorian King, a beautiful A3D3 with a sweet smile and magnificent muscles, is named Cillian.
- My prophet is sitting on an archer province recruting units before he dares attack the Throne on the giant tree province.
- Good news: I have yet to spot a black candle... perhaps because my dominion has pitiful reach so far.
- Bad news: the first enemy nation spotted is Machaka in the Northeast. The Subsaharian-Africa-themed empire happens to be set to Master level on this game. The Lion Kings worship Aithon, God of Birds and Parrots, Master of Discipline. I have never fought or played them. Suggestions? I might stop conquering stuff in their direction and focus on Thrones #2 and #3. That was my initial plan. And ignoring them would fit with the current strategy of the Nemedian lords of Rath Chimbalth.

***

- By the time I leave this camp, the invasion of your land shall have begun. Your strange homes shall burn to ashes, your cattle shall feed our lions and your women shall beget slaves to our best warriors. The Reign of Discipline begins now. When you feel ready to be subsumed by the power of Aithon, to be subsumed by Discipline, tell the Words of Submission to any bird; for all birds are His ears.
The ambassador was a strikingly handsome, half-naked, tall individual with bulging biceps, a thick neck and not one ounce of body fat. Truth be told, he was smaller than your average Fomorian dimwit, but would certainly be on par with most for sheer muscle. The man took one last contemptuous look at the assembly before leaving.
- Lion has spoken!

- I can't help but think those brown men aren't like us. They aren't no normal. I mean, have you seen... Ow!
Brooh, the cross-eyed goat-headed warrior, winced and closed his mouth in mid-sentence. The poor fellow was cursed with a foul breath not unlike the smell of old piss and could not speak more than three seconds before getting poked or stabbed by the guys around.
No one opened his mouth for the time it took for the air to clear a bit.
- We can't let our women see him. They might leave with that troop! I don't wish my lady to anybody, but still...
- THIS IS UNFAIR COMPETITION.
- We must seize him!
Then something happened. Frog-mouthed teenagers brought blocks of iced wine and everybody relaxed.
- YOU OVER THERE. DEAL WITH THESE BROWN MEN AND PREVENT THEM FROM DISTURBING THE PARTY!

I write these lines from the top of the castle; it is impossible to think properly on the Isle of Balor. The place becomes ever more intoxicating. The cold is only bearable when you drink the water. By then you realize it's not water anymore, but red wine with an undefinable aftertaste. Nobody seems to care. It could get dangerous, at some point. We could get poisoned. The whole country seems to be under a spell. I know I should investigate.
We are at war with a powerful empire and that is what I should think about. My assignment -the King has probably already forgotten about it, but he had a point. We can't topple Fomorian domination if we are under Machakan rule.
The good news is, we won our first battle against Machaka. I guess I just need to report the news to the bosses. Congratulations, Fir Bolg rebels: you are back into the official army roll. Now send me more good news from some faraway country where you will eventually die.

It is now early fall in the year 2. The nation now produces 807 gold; 103 rp and 21 gems/slaves a month. The Prophet did some interesting stuff a few months prior to the start of this war: he claimed the Throne of Bones (+3 undying for blessed units: always useful). The current Throne situation is as below. Ulm appears to be in full expansion mode. I have had difficulties dealing with their swarms in other games and I hope they are far away.

I am still looking for good advice about the Machaka problem.

Edited by: ServalInk

Nice job so far!

Master Machaka is going to be a pretty rough opponent - a spam nation with huge income and resource boosts. The spider riders are murderous when they close to melee, as their webs totally neuter your front line.

As noted in the Machaka guide on Invision, they are very vulnerable to missiles. If it were me, I'd go with a 4-tier combined arms approach:
- Front lines of inexpensive indy javelin wielding light infantry in a skirmish formation set to fire closest. The javelins will go a long way to soften up those spiders, and the dispersed formation will keep the spiders from spit-webbing whole squares of infantry at once.
- Mid lines of javelin wielding Fir Bolgs, obviously. These would be the only troop I'd be recruiting from my forts. I'd be very hesitant to include my Kings in the fighting, as the spider poison will make short work of them ("Illwinter made 2000 living units...but Death Posion made them equal"). Low cost troops only here.
- Back lines of indy archers firing as fast as they can.
- Nimidian sorceresses in the rear. I know you'd prefer to recruit Kings, but they're not going to be cost effective here against the spiders. Sorceresses aren't StR, and can lay down a nice array of of anti-Machaka low level magic (decay vs. spiders, frighten vs. chaff, lightening bolt vs. everyone).

I'd push for Skelispam, because you need blockers more than you need direct magic damage, given how effective your archers will be; as an added bonus, Ench will get you Seeking Arrow, which will be effective against most of Machaka's commanders. A well timed volley of seeking arrows at a doom stack on the move can keep a significant fraction of his troops behind, taking away his numbers advantage. Beefing up your 2nd line with undead (poison immune) thugs is a very good idea, particularly Morrigans when you get them, as they can take advantage of that bless you picked for your Kings (what was it, btw?).

Good luck!

ps - The javelin throwing fomorians shouldn't be completely overlooked in this situation. Their high strength gives those javelins high enough damage to 1-shot a spider, and long enough range to avoid the spit webs. Use them in a fluid defense: give a Fomorian Druid 10 of them, script the druid to (Lightning Bolt/Decay)(Lightning Bolt/Decay) Retreat, and the javelins to Fire and Flee. Have one in each province in front of his doom stack. Each time he attacks you should take minimal losses while whittling down his front line in preparation for the real battle several turns away.

Edited by: cleMSP

Now, what i'm curious about is : what kind of crazy bless have you taken to have such horrible scales ?

Now considering your scales, if you go toe to toe against machaka using standard troops, you're going to get obliterated. You'll have to use your sacreds or die. Research isn't high enough to make battlemages very usefull (unless in skirmishes with terror).

And i agree with the above poster that you're going to have to raid & skirmish to win.

Alt-3 for mistform and Const-2 to equip the kings should be priorities. Fomorian kings are not so good without equipment, but with the crazy bless you seem to have they might save the day.

You're facing the Lion Kings, not the Spider Sorcerers. They do have spiders, but they are missile riders. I'm not sure what the AI is going to buy, but watch out for elephants, lions (low resource, the AI is probably going to love 'em), massed short bows (including poison ones), solid light-mid spear armed infantry, flaming arrows and fire evocations. Also death magic.

Oh no is our valiant hero going to experience bane fire???

I was drunk. I had failed to spot the signs and portents. For the last few weeks, an eagle had perched atop Rath Chimbalth, surveying the kingdom. I knew this was no ordinary eagle, but I never reacted, even when it glided into the room and sat on my lectern. Numbed, I proceeded to read my writings aloud. Mostly, the bird squinted at the horizon, glancing at me whenever I stopped talking. Then, one day, I woke up from this trance and there we were, in the middle of a Council session, and who was sitting in the Grand Master chair, which had remained empty for decades?

- I can't leave you people for a few years without you turning into no-good warmongers. Your lack of control over the Fir Bolg allowed them to stir a great peril in the North. Ha! The kingdom is in trouble. The black men are led by the Great White Bull, the most powerful surviving entity from the old times. The beast killed me, once. It cannot be defeated by mere spears or petty wizards. And now it has gazed upon Fomoria and its strange heart aches for the grass of our land. It will send waves after waves of great warriors. A thousand tribes will descend upon us. Their poisoned arrows will blot out the sun!
- THEN WE WILL FIGHT IN THE SHADE.
Tuan, Last of the Partholonian, the greatest civilization which ever was, smiled to the newcomer.
- Good to see you after all these years, Prince Clemsp. A Fomorian lord gracing this assembly with his presence? These are the end times indeed.
- THERE WERE SIGNS AND PORTENTS. WOULD NOT HAVE MISSED YOUR RETURN. T'WAS FUN HUNTING YOU, BACK IN THE TIME. NOW, ALL OF YOU JACKEENS GET MOVING!

Tuan the Partholonian, with D4A2W1, immortality and glamour, is one of the excellent national heroes of Fomoria. I guess Luck really should not be overlooked with Fomoria, due to the set of heroes. They do not bring magical diversity but are powerful on their own. Of course, I would have preferred to get Balor, because a death ray is always useful (and I need divine blessers too). But Tuan will do! He can forge, summon and research.
Right now (late fall of the second year), the national stats are: 16 provinces, 120 rp and 1042 gold/month.
I actually have researched Construction 2 already (for the owl quills) and will reach Alteration 3 soon. After that I will have 3 potential research targets: Construction 6 (for the research boost with Death), Conjuration 6 (morrigans) and Enchantment 5 (for skeletons and Gift of Health).

Thanks for the tips against Machaka. He declared on me but had nothing behind the army he suicided on me (well, actually I invaded an independent and he arrived late to the party); so I plan to conquer what I can until I have to scamper away. Hopefully, it will let me time enough to build guerilla parties. Also, do you spot the lone Fir Bolg druid west of my army? He just found two gold sites. The income is nice and I would like to keep it and deny it to Machaka as long as possible.

Regarding the scales and bless: usually in SP Dom3 I would play on Large maps with the all the nations of the Era. Now with only 8 nations on Valanis I had some leeway with scales. The D9N9S4 bless makes my sacred hard to kill (though not very good at killing) and gives me access to excellent globals (Gift of Health) and summons (Tartarians). The S4 part is more about facilitating access to S magic in the future. I did not find any lizard province but when I do I will pump a few shamans and try to build an Astral income.

***

Every few months, another envoy from the Lion Kings would demand our unconditional submission. The wives of the Fomorian would ambush the diplomat afetr he'd say his piece, and keep him for their own nefarious ends. An apoplectic Tuan would raise his arms to the sky every now and then, shake his old head and warn of dire perils and huge swarms of warriors about to engulf the kingdom. I am convinced it was an act. And some young Fir Bolg would arrive and report another victory against the Great White Bull's armies, with little casualties on our side.
There was an undertone of growing danger to these reports, though. As our army got closer and closer to Machaka's great walled city of Mababwe, the armies of the men kept swelling in size, while ours was cut from reinforcements. The squad of javelinists led by Chief Coamghan had had to turn back and return to the nearby fort in Mount Jome, rather than staying idle for months. With springtime, the rivers had become impassable. Cold winds were swept away by unnatural heat, pushed by the drums of the men. Morale was falling in the ranks. This was unsustainable.
Tuan, in his spare time, had drawn a rough map of the world, with the location of some arcane places of power of Valanis. His theory was that this Aithon entity would try to claim them in order to compel all peoples of the world to acknowledge his sovereignty. Angus had completed the map with reports about strange empires his men had explored.

Turns out Aithon had already staked its first claim. According to Tuan's explanations, there was a magical gate in the hills north of Mababwe, standing at the edge of the world. Through this gate, it was possible to travel to the Moon where, once, the supreme god ruled from his throne. According to Tuan again, the Machakan armies had made the trip and exterminated the local population of men and giant white apes that lived there.

Angus also told me about huge battles in the Far East, between the empires of Ur and Berytos.

In other news, a family of enchantresses had been found hiding inside an empty root of the giant Tree of Nern. A Fomorian druid had kidnapped their youngest and oldest and the whole bunch of them was now working for us, half-drunk and half-frozen. A strange pilgrim had come in Nern and performed a sacrifice of blood to the tree, too. Reports were sketchy and I had trouble making sense of them but there was some bad mojo at work.

Year 3 - spring
21 provinces, 1294 gold, 201 rp, 34 gems and 3 slaves a month
The newest Machakan stack is 220 heavy. I think I will manage that with 50/55 warriors and a bit of PD, but if it keeps growing I will need to retreat. The gold and gems of those Northern provinces are good though.
As you can notice on the map, I have begun to expand in the sea and on the other landmass. An Agarthan army is sitting on the Throne #2 and I want to expand into the remaining independents of the region before I get into a conflict with the troglodytes. A summoned black servant is exploring this area.
I am trying to rush towards Construction 6 even though I now think I should have gone the Enchantment way. The thing is, I have not found any Death site so far, despite some manual searching and extensive use of Dark Knowledge.

***

The headache just wouldn't go. Most of the time, I'd find it impossible to work on these annals. If I'd just relax and daydream for a while, a comforting torpor would settle in, and I'd had visions. Wine-induced visions, I understood that much. I saw the ancient past, a younger, unbroken world, and I witnessed it through the eyes of an ancient vigil, whiling away eternity in front of an ancient bridge leading to the future, ever forbidden to cross it but rewarded with pleasure of the senses. It did not make much sense at the time.
In the end, the headache became unbearable, I surrendered my will and joined the crowd, down below in the crypts of Rath Chimbalth. We dug for weeks, used powerful spells to weaken the protective sigils. We were driven. We did not flinch when the glyphs killed the whole party. Too much of a strange power had seeped out of the underground prison already. We all failed to die, we resumed work and we broke in.
We found a small room, pregnant with unbidden darkness and old curses. Tuan stepped in. He was carrying a jar. He sang a song. There were bones on the floor.
Sacred wine was spilled. And the wine was blood, the wine was a body.
And we all bowed.

As you can see, I took an heavy bless, which also provides an excellent platform to cast Tartarian Gate and Gift of Health. It synergizes well with it: my sacreds are harder to kill, so they survive longer and get more experience. Gift of Health can take care of their afflictions and augment their hit points even more. On the other hand, my lack of Death income still hurts (and Dark Knowledge now costs 4 Death gems).

My pretender is here but so are the long-awaited Machakan swarms. Faced with about 760 units, my Northern army proceeds to retreat in the direction of a newly-erected fort. The lack of focus of the Machakan AI allows me to lose only two provinces so far.

Did I mention Gift of Health? A few months after Lodhbh breaks out of his prison, he casts Gift of Health with an healthy supplement of Nature gems. Of course, the ritual was no small undertaking. An assistant Fomorian druid even misspelled a syllable in a chant of power, resulting in an explosion -that was mostly contained, thank you very much.

After Gift of Health is cast, I station my northern army a few months in a dominion-soaked province in order for my warriors to shed their afflictions. Machaka just suicides a few armies on them. In friendly dominion, my giants now sport huge pools of hitpoints. (I clock a record at 172 on a King with Obesity.)

My pretender also empowers in Earth and proceeds to produce a few Crystal Shields for my army leading Kings, so they can cast Divine Bless and generally kick ass a bit more.

We are now late summer of Year 4: 30 provinces, 1811 gold, 529 rp, 37 gems and 17 slaves this month. (A monk named Herman joined the previously mentioned pilgrim for Blood-empowered virgin-hunting fun in the province just south of my Throne.)

***

- Ei gh t em pir es.
The voice was raspy and slow and you had to stop humming and scratching yourself and keep your ear close to the darkness to grasp what it was saying.
- Angus does the reports. Who is this creep?
- Ladies and gentlecritters, Angus had a work accident that involved half a million Ulmish warriors and his sorry butt. This hazy, light-averse fellow does replace him as head of the Fomorian Intelligence Service.
I unfolded the large map.
- As you can see, our armies have conquered a not negligible part of the world, but seven other empires dispute the overlordship of Lord Lodhbh. We are fighting the hordes of Machaka for the time being. Provided Lanka and Agartha do not invite us in their ongoing war, we will keep pushing our exploration of the seas and, up North, we will in due time defeat the worshippers of Aithon. The Great White Bull got careless and we have banished him from this dimension for the time being.

- When Mababwe will be ours, we will face the armies of Enkidu warriors of the great city of Ur, and the soldiers of the vile empire of Berytos. How will we defeat those? The question remains open. We have an advantage, though.
On this cue, the Mictlanese ambassador stepped into the front. He was a silent, strong type man, impressive to behold, what will all those feathers and bones and strange weapons.
- Our friends from faraway Mictlan have agreed to an everlasting alliance!
A fat finger punched the map where Ur was rumored to stand.
- THIS IS THE EMPIRE-CRUSHING PINCER TECHNIQUE! THIS TWO THOUSAND YEAR OLD STRATEGIC MOVE HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS OF THE COBORLEACH FAMILY!
While we were all nodding our approval, something shadowy entered the Council chamber and began to share news from the East.

- THIS IS A TEMPORARY SETBACK. I KNOW WHERE TO FIND A POTENT FIVE THOUSAND YEAR OLD KINGDOM-KILLING WEAPON.
The rest I learned through indirect sources. The king went across the sea and searched the forest of Obocte until he stumbled on the legendary Silver Sarcophagus. He knocked before opening the age-old tomb and that might have been a mistake, for inside laid in wait a foul entity, Wormfood the Divine Mummy. The glorious heir to the Coborleach family is said to have survived only thanks to some ancient technique called the Invulnerable Flight-Controlled Exit Move.

Fall of Year 4 - 32 provinces, 1899 gold, 556 rp, 37 gems, 21 slaves
So I got the first of probably many 'You killed our God' messages. Aithon had little magic (A2N2E1) and did not buff himself a lot before jumping into the fray.
Mictlan dying of low dominion is bad news. I wonder how it happened.
Ouch, the Silver Sarcophagus event started right after discovery and the Divine Mummy was equipped with an Eye Shield. The King lost his one eye -but that is no big deal thanks to the wound-repairing Gift of Health.

Edited by: ServalInk