vonHavsvik:
In my own world dragons were long since extinct, hunted for tooth and scale and heart. As the boneyards drew near, some part of me thought ahead with sorrow to the prospect of slaying so magnificent a creature.Zyzyx:
Oh, but imp slavery, he's fine with that.James:
Sirocco's lair is 'round here somewhere. Be careful, but do what you can to stop that dragon.Zyzyx:
Gammel is one salty old veteran. "Hero of the First Battle of Karn" to hear him tell it. Oh, he's handy to have in a fight, to be sure, but he could have a touch more respect for his betters if you ask me.Gammel is an example of a hero unit. Heroes are similar to regular units, only they have improved stats and slightly customized appearance and can't be resummoned. Gammel here is a beefed up version of Ikarus, a flying melee unit we will see later in the campaign if we choose to fight (for) James.
The basilisk is a small, slow and weak unit that can turn enemy units into stone with its ranged attack. A few of these mixed within a larger force can really improve the odds of winning a fight.
We set off with our two starter units and the four manahoars I summoned. Notice James' manalith in front, each god has a different architecture and you use that god's designs when playing a mission for him or her.
We spot some fallen guarding a Charnel manalith. The red beam you see means that the unit in question has been guardianed (ie. a guardian spell has been casted on it) to the manalith. This ties the unit to the manalith for the rest of the game. The guardianed unit gains some awesome boosts to defence and health regeneration, and the manalith itself can't be destroyed before any unit guardianed to the manalith is destroyed first.
To counter the fallen, I summon three frostwolves with the souls that I have left. You may also notice that vonHavsvik is a lot more grey than he usually is. This is because of the
Stone Skin spell. A basic protective spell.
While my frostwolves take care of the left side, I strike from the enemy on the right with my lightning spell.
The three frostwolves gang up on the last fallen while I cast lightning. Notice how I actually hit one of my own units since it's positioned between me and my target. Careless use of spells is just as dangerous to your own troops as it is for the enemy.
The wolves destroy the manalith while I summon some sac doctors to clean up the battlefield.
Bejeebus that 'lith is huge.
In the opposite direction we find a village occupied by the enemy.
I zap the scythes while I sic wolves on the fallen.
Zyzyx gives us a little info about fighting other wizards while I get a manalith up and summon sac doctors to clean the scene.
Zyzyx:
Be careful, master. I think there's a necromancer around here somewhere. If you're going to fight another wizard, you have to desecrate his altar. If you just kill him, he can come back.I decided to take a picture of a soul conversion process. Notice the large black cloud high above the altar signifying it's in use. The converted unit is floating in the middle while a number of sac doctors dance around the altar, zapping the poor creature until, after a time, the creature explodes in blood and I get a blue soul in my piggybank.
I observe an unclaimed manawell in the lower left, with two occupied manaliths a little way forward. Notice the dragon flying in the sky in the distance.
Ragman accompanied by a number of locusts advances towards the manalith I built on the unclaimed manawell. To counter this I start summoning Sylphs with the blue souls I have accumulated so far.
Ragman quickly destroys my manalith and builds his own. I lose a sylph while the wolves get bruised, but Ragman is fought back and the manalith destroyed.
A fortified position sitting atop a a hill? CHAAAARGE!
My frostwolves charge Ragman (lower left) while Gammel heads straight for the guardian.
Funny, I recall someone writing that Stratos' units are a bit frail. No matter, they had outlived their usefulness and I got the souls back.
My surviving forces pursue Ragman as he flees the scene, while I get a manalith up and running.
We conquered Rag's last manalith effortlessly. Right now Ragman is being pummeled by Gammel and the Sylphs, while I summon a frostwolf to sacrifice it at Ragman's altar in order to banish him.
And splat it goes.
Desecrating an altar is pretty much the same process as soul conversion. Only this time completing the ritual gets the other wizard outed and the unit sacrificed is lost (along with its soul) from the game.
Zyzyx:
That got him.Ragman taken care of, Sirocco decides to close in on us.
Sirocco:
You. You are not as I thought. Are you real? I feel as though I have awakened from a wearying slumber too heavy with dreams.Persephone:
Sirocco you owe this one your life. The Ragman had tainted your perceptions, but he has been banished.Zyzyx:
Sirocco is the mother of all Dragons; we are lucky to have her on our side. Let's try not to do anything to lose her trust master.Persephone:
As for you, Wanderer, We are well pleased to see you contend against the forces of darkness. We are pleased by the wisdom and justice of your deeds. Yet you must not think the malice of the Ragman is ended here. He has been banished from Solis, but Charnel will see to it that the Ragman is reborn elsewhere.