|
| Thread: ICTC: the Stronghold (by TDL) | |
|
TDL
Honorable
Supreme Hero
The weak suffer. I endure.
|
posted January 07, 2006 02:28 PM |
bonus applied. |
Edited by TDL on 1 Mar 2006
|
ICTC: the Stronghold (by TDL)
Ahem... *points at the microphone* Is this thing on? *to himself* Good, good...
As you might already know, I am TDL, a member of this community, particularly residing in Altar, Lands and Glade. This is not an official contest, however, I think this needs a proper introduction. I am here to present you this "creation" of mine. The town in this thread is a town made for the contest (as the prefix ICTC already explains everything). Everything about it will be posted in the same (first) post. This is the preliminary version, so I am waiting for your... eh... opinions and criticism.
Doink! Doink! Things change every second... I have just thought of a new dwarven town... The concept and the history will be similar... but I decided to change the creatures... and a few other things... the town will be posted in a few days time, so just wait 
Yesterday, I posted a dwarven town, which was already posted on the board, though several modifications were made. However, the thought of the town being boring and not unique haunts me up till now. Therefore, I decided to change certain things and make the town a bit more revolutionary (although I do not think so)
Age of Heroes International Create a Town for Heroes V Contest - TDL's Proposals
ICTC : the Stronghold
 
"Neither our brethren will ever fall, nor our enemies will ever prevail! The peace shall be restored!"
AKA :
The Folk of the Mountains, The Alliance
ASSOCIATED COLORS :
White, Brown and Silver
WORSHIP :
As the dwarves always thought of the dragons as their fiercest enemies, they had only thought of them as being the filthiest creatures since the revelation of Malassa and the Dragon Wars. After the Wars of Fire, when alliances between dwarves, halflings and humans were created, the dwarves were forced to at least tolerate the fact that primordial dragons are worshipped. Certain halfling communities and local tribes are said to respect the Dragon of Order and the Seventh Dragon.
CORE PHILOSOPHY :
"Might is magic, magic is might, therefore, equality prevails... No one shall overpower our will, disturb the peace or constrain our freedom..."
COUNTRY/KINGDOM :
Mahernar, the Northern Realm
CAPITAL CITY :
Jordgland, the Glacier Fort
KEY SYMBOLS :
Shield and Anvil, Gem (hexagon gem that represents six races of Mahernar)
HEROES :
This is the hardest part... As both the dwarves and the halflings are the major part of the town concept, I simply cannot decide what race could be a might hero and who might be the magic one. The same applies to racial skills as there are many races combined here. I decided, according to the storyline, to mix things up a bit by adding tribesmen. I decided to to make dwarves and tribesmen more might-oriented and the halflings and shamen magic-oriented. The fact that two races share the same class is a good idea, as it was included in Heroes 4 and I did not find it a bad one - the only flaw is that hero models must be changed a bit.
MIGHT HERO: Warlord and MAGIC HERO: Sage
RACIAL SKILLS :
Again, this is very hard to create. Not only do I doubt what to choose, but I also doubt how I can ever choose as the opportunities seemed infinite. I decided not to weaken the town and that is the part where it seems that the town is weaker than the others, though it is not. The Stronghold, according to the storyline, is an alliance of many races, thus it is hard to choose what skills the heroes should have. My heroes have two racial skills, however, they are limited. Dwarves and tribesmen, as they are heroes of might, and halflings and shamen of the tribes, as they represent the magical forces, have a racial skill each. Having two skills for a single town seems not to be overpowered, as they are restricted to a certain hero class. If these ideas are thought to appear in the game, many things can be changed, so as to completely balance the town (ie.: weaken the creatures) as should be done with the Dungeon town. Please refer to the "Brief History" section to understand why the skills are like these.
ARTILLERY - Warlord
The dwarves were always known to have the best forging and mining skills throughout the lands, thus no one ever doubted the dwarves are going to reach for the absolute knowledge about that. But as everything has a beggining and has an end, most dwarves lowered down their pick-axes and hammers and, according to the newest teachings, advanced in technology. Therefore, the dwarves divided into several groups. With time, the mountain folk, including local tribesmen, as they also were a part of the kingdom of Mahernar, became masters of creation and usage of war machines, adepts of ballistics - the artillery masters. The warlords, as the warrior caste of Mahernar calls itself, are able to tame even the most complicated inventions. The warlords, using help from the dwarves and humans of the kingdom, are able to upgrade, improve the capabillities of war machines, such as ammo carts, ballistae and catapults and create many new ones, such as battering rams, wall towers and more, according to their knowledge of the skill, their experience and other factors.
LEARNING - Sage
As most of the halflings and tribesmen decided to take the path of magic and, following the teachings of Sar-Elam, the Seventh Dragon and his disciples, the Valkyries, they reached a new level of understanding both in material world and in the world of mind. The sages, as they prefer to call themselves, do not try to reach the absolute understanding, the omniscience, the immeasurable knowledge of both worldly and not worldly things. They want to know more, they try to learn and understand the very secrets of the world, but they do not want to be equal to the primordial gods. Thus, following their interest in various studies, they are able to increase not only their knowledge and spell power by acquiring levels, but also increase their experience much faster, as they learn to see the best of the situation both in political decisions, things, concerning magic and their studies and also war and battles. Depending on the level of their skill and their own level, as they like to level themselves, the sages take more experience from everything possible, and with time, learn various new things.
CAMPAIGN (introductory campaign based on the storyline):
The dwarves celebrate the victory against the forces of darkness, however, their kingdom is partly destroyed and serious measures must be taken in order to quickly re-construct the ruined dwarven community, as well as to be prepared, in case Malassa returns with her minions.
And that's what happens. When the dwarves are unprepared, the kingdom is yet not rebuilt, the darkness suddenly besieges the dwarven lands. The Dark Elves, led by their new leaders, with thousands of minions behind them, attack the dwarves. Malassa, enraged as always, appears above the Winterdome Valley. This time, the situation is truly hopeless. The Dragon of Darkness, after years of being neutral and not participating in the battle, joins the massacre. But when the Alliance seems to be vanquished, Sar-Elam, the Seventh Dragon defends it from the mortal attack. War, in future to be known as the Battle of the Seventh Dragon, begins. But this, seemingly an everlasting and great battle, is but a small step, a small part of what is being plotted and what is going to happen...
DESCRIPTION :
The snowy land of Mahernar is located in the northern regions of the land. The territory, where Mahernar is established, is called the Northern Mountains, whereas the Icy Peaks, known to be the highest mountains throughout the lands, surround the land from the westernmost to the easternmost corner of the land, surrounding the land from the north. The lands are covered with various types of snow, the rough ice of the north covers most of the northernmost lands, as it makes the conformation full of iced rivers, glaciers and snowbound passages.
The kingdom of Mahernar, as the name of Mahernar is used to call the whole territory of Northern Mountains, is not that big in territory, but it is as wide as the land itself. As about the inside of the kingdom - about the political side of it - the kingdom really differs from most other. It is ruled by the dwarven king, which is not elected, but inherits the crown from its father or other relatives, and the council that consists of several halflings that rule the halfling communities, the dwarven clan leaders, the berserkers of local tribes and also the valkyries that act for both themselves and creatures of the land. The main purpose - the goal - of the so-called parliament of the kingdom is to maintain peace, to make political decisions, decisions on what must be done in future concerning the infrastructure of the kingdom, the commerce and other important decisions. The co-operation between the council members is not always effective, as the clans often start to battle ech other or there are misunderstandings between races.
The dwarves, the mountain folk, are strong, fearless people. Their muscular and fat bodies show their strength, their deep dark eyes prove how wise and just they are. The dwarves are also known for being skilled at smithing. Their interest in gold and relics is overwhelming. Their forging skills are as good as of fighting. Even though the dwarves are said to have a harsh character, they maintain peaceful and friendly relationship with Holy Griffin Empire (which was named Holy Falcon Empire in the past), the Silver League and Irollan. Servants of darkness have never been accepted into the kingdom, as it was said they will bring havoc and misery. The clans are both lawful and peaceful, as the dwarves are not particularly willing to fight, but when it comes to the point when the security and peace is threatened, they mercilessly slay every enemy being before they even reach their ranks.
Despite their nature, the dwarves are joyful, friendly people - they enjoy exploring the mountains, seeking new mining sites and love to sit at the bar, drink a big mug of dwarven ale and laugh loudly. "Strong as an ox, fat like a cow..." they say about themselves laughing.
The halflings, humans and valkyries also occupy a place in the kingdom, even though the majority of inhabitants of the kingdom are dwarves, beasts and animals. Humans, as they are the scarcest race among them, used to live separate from the dwarves until their forces were united. The humans built new towns and settlements. They never gave up their outcast lifestyle, but as they ingratiated themselves into the community, they were forced to change it. Valkyries, the magical creatures of the land, are the most mysterious folk. No one knows much about them, but they are believed to be disciples of Sar-Elam and are often called the greatest magicians of the north. Halflings, the merry folk of the kingdom,
BRIEF HISTORY :
Nobody has ever found any trace of how the dwarves came into existence, but it is known that the dwarves were neither a creation of the primordial dragons nor of any other gods and have been living in the Northern Mountains ever since. Ancient runic inscriptions recently found in the snowbound catacombs and mines of the Icy Peaks were almost unreadable and did not tell much about their origins.
It is known that dwarves had not been a sparse race ever since they appeared. For as long as the dwarves can remember, the northern lands were divided into clans. The clans never agreed who is the righteous leader. As one of them tried to take control over the other clans, a cruel and violent battle commenced. In the course of time, these battles turned into a seemingly everlasting war.
THE ORIGINS
2 YSD: The Revelation of Malassa
The primordial Dragon of Darkness, Malassa, reveals herself in the Winterdome Valley. The dwarven clans, disturbed by the sudden revelation of the dragon, cease to fight. Malassa, wishing to gather more followers and believers and to gain power over lesser beings, agrees to fulfill any wish the dwarven clans may have. As the dwarven hatred for the dragons is immeasurable, much stronger than their partiality for gold or power, Malassa's attempts to twist their minds are unsuccessful. Because of the failure, Malassa is enraged. The darkness besieges the lands as the dragon disappears, leaving a dim trail behind.
4-7 YSD: The Second Revelation of Malassa - The Dragon Wars
Malassa returns to the Northern Mountains, escorted by a vast army of dragons. The Dragon of Darkness once again offers the twisted services for the dwarves, in exchange for their fall to the darkness. The dwarven clans once again cease to fight and unanimously agree to turn Malassa's offer down. As the dwarves refuse to accept Malassa's will, terrible rage of the Dragon of Darkness trembles the earth under the dwarven feets and an immense rift opens up right in front of where Malassa floated. A vast army of terrible creatures emerge from the darkness and, as well as the escorting dragons, surround the dwarven lands. A terrible war, waged against the dwarves, ensues.
The mountain folk needs someone to unite the clans, to resist the darkness brought by Malassa's followers and to stand for the dwarves, even if it is a matter of life and death - the dwarves need a king. A council, consisting of clan leaders, is created to choose the one to lead the dwarves. Hathar, leader of one of the dwarven clans, is chosen to be the King. The clans declare peace with each other, thus uniting themselves into one kingdom. Hathar, joined by a legion of dwarves, attacks the creatures of darkness and utterly defeats them. The forces of darkness are repelled.
28-40 YSD: Wars of Fire
A vast and terrible army of demons is spotted at the westernmost point of the Northern Mountains heading south for the human empire. The clans are yet not united, but the dwarves think as one already. Several hordes of dwarves is sent to aid humans in their fight against the demon invasion. The dwarven hordes are easily destroyed, but good relationship between humans and dwarves are created. King Hathar establishes trade routes with the Falcon Empire.
61 YSD: The Pact of Truce
The dwarven clans have yet not settled the matters of creating the kingdom. The clans are more and more often attacked by local and newcoming tribes. Hathar decides to declare peace with the newcomers. The tribes, however, do not want the dwarves to take control over their lands, so the dwarves are requested to leave them be. The dwarves then agree to settle down, allow the tribes to have their own lands, habits and laws. The locals accept the dwarven proposal and a pact of truce is made between them. The mountain folk requests the animals and creatures of the Icy Peaks to join them and aid them in the construction of the kingdom. A war wages among them, but soon, the matters settle down and peace is declared. Humans join the kingdom.
102-108 YSD: Arrival of Halflings - The Creation of Mahernar
A sparse number of mysterious little people arrive at the dwarven kingdom. The 'halflings' as the dwarves call them are merrily accepted in the dwarven kingdom. The halflings are the last step towards the unification of dwarven clans. The dwarven clans unite and create the first dwarven kingdom - Mahernar. On behalf of the halflings, as as soon as the newcomers integrate themselves into the kingdom, they create several communities that are considered and treated the same way as the dwarven clans and also play a major role in the ruling of kingdom, the clans decide that the kingdom is going to be ruled by both a Council that consists of clan and community leaders - one for each clan - and a King. The kingdom is named Mahernar, the Northern Realm. A celebration, an immense feast is held as follows - every single inhabitant of the Northern Mountains and Icy Peaks is invited, as well as the humans of the Falcon Empire. Soon, humans, the local tribesmen and valkyries are accepted in the Council.
206-234 YSD: Wars of Mahernar - The Flight of the Valkyries
The demons are once again spotted crawling out of the rifts in the western part of the Northern Mountains, heading for the dwarven lands. The daemon army quickly besieges the western towns and tribe settlements and demands the dwarven King to arrive. Havoc spreads among the dwarves as they hear of these terrible news. The royal strategists of Jordgland fail to react in time and, thinking that there are no other options, allow the King to go there. However, sense of uncertainty and fear of treachery haunts the King, thus, he requests one of the dwarves to dress up as a King and sends him to the meeting place. The demons, failing to understand the treachery of the dwarves, murder the false king, as was planned. War spreads through the dwarven kingdom like plague. However, the demon forces are too powerful to overcome easily, so the dwarves retreat to their havens and prepare to fight. A cruel war rages over the lands for more than hundred years, with new demon waves appearing on he battleground. The restless fighting between dwarves, halfling and their allies and demons seems to be endless. But then, when the situation seems to be hopeless, the reinforcements arrive from the Icy Peaks. A vast army of creatures, led by the Valkyries, come to aid and repel the demon forces. The war is over.
473-504 YSD: War of the Orcs
An outbreak of filthy orcish beast-men in Silver Cities. A massive group of them reaches the southern borders of the dwarven kingdom. Thinking that new reinforcements have arrived, dwarves are grateful and happily accept orcs into their ranks.
With time, the orcs become a powerful force in Mahernar. Both the dwarves and halflings are unhappy about it. The orcs occupy the best workplaces and mines, as well as become quite a powerful political force. The council declares war against the orcs.
The orcs in Mahernar are either banished or killed. The dwarven hatred against them is immeasurable. As the dwarves found out that the orcs are revolting in Seven Cities, they aid the wizards in their fight against them. The dwarven legions sent to aid utterly defeats the orcish hordes, but the scattered remains flee to the islands to seek refuge.
540 YSD: War of the Bitter Ashes
The dwarves, following their pact of truce with Holy Falcon Empire, come to aid in their fight against the elves of Irollan. The dark elves, followers of Malassa, standing right in the middle of the battlefield, are crushed by the almighty power of both dwarves and humans. Malassa, hearing that the dwarves join the battle, eagerly waits for the dark elves to disrupt the dwarven hordes. The elves fail, thus displeasing Malassa. Dragon of Darkness reveals to the dwarven hordes and banish them from whence they came, though the dark elves' community is scattered.
612-672 YSD: The Mechanisation of Mahernar - The Magic Teachings
The dwarves, successfully combining various materials, invent war machinery. Enlightened by the new-found knowledge, the dwarven King, according to the Council's will, orders the dwarves to re-construct the kingdom and train local tribesmen to use war machines. Both the dwarves and the tribesmen learn to properly utilize both mercury and sulphur, as the art of crafting and forging gems, crystal, ore and gold was long since mastered.
The halflings and shamen, following the teachings of the valkyries and of the Seventh Dragon, reach a new level of wisdom. They are taught to use magic and handle magical abilities. The wizards of the Silver League and the Dragon Knights, after hearing about the new understanding of Mahernar's inhabitants, arrive at Jordgland to learn new forms of magic. The sages kindly accept them and teach them the teachings of the valkyries.
MODERN AGES
722 YSD: The Third Revelation of Malassa
Malassa, the Dragon of Darkness, once again reveals herself above the Winterdome Valley. Angry, thirsty for revenge, the dragon once again tries to trick the dwarven community. However, the strong-willed dwarves and seemingly omniscient sages easily understand what malevolent plans are being currently created in the dirty mind. The offer is once again turned down. Malassa is enraged and suddenly disappears. The dwarven leaders decide to make new fortifications to Mahernar. The threat of Malassa's attack is bigger than ever and the Council, as well as the King, has to do something against it.
724-921 YSD: The Fourth Revalation of Malassa - The War of the Nations
Suddenly, a vast army emerges from the darkness. As predicted, Malassa's army, led by the vicious Dark Elves and the remaining forces of the Faceless attacks Mahernar. Malassa, floats above the ground waiting for her minions to disintegrate Mahernar, with a trail of darkness behind her. A terrible war, that with time evolves into the greatest massacre of the lifetime, begins. The dwarves, halflings and their allies try to defend their lands with all their strength. Little by little, the dark elves seem to be repelled, but every moment, a new wave of minions of the darkness return and attack the defenders. The war seems to be everlasting, but with each moment, the opposing force seems to get weaker and weaker. Bolstered by new skills of magic and fighting, the Alliance repels the forces of darkness and severely wounds Malassa by ruining her evil plans and thus getting rid of the Dragon for what seems forever.
CREATURES :
LEVEL 1
CREATURE : TRIBESMAN
UPGRADE : TRIBAL WARRIOR
DWELLING : SETTLEMENT
DESCRIPTION : Humans that live in the northern realms have always been scattered into several tribes, so they have been named 'tribesmen'. For ages, they were living seemingly alone and never co-operated with the battling dwarven clans. Only when the dwarves re-united and decided to expand their territories did they join the kingdom. The tribesmen were not forced to do anything, but co-operated willingly, therefore the dwarves were never fighting them. During the times of mechanisation, when new ways of technologies were created and the dwarves united their military force with the augmenting tribesmen communities in their settlements, the humans and dwarves found new ways of fighting and training. The tribesmen were given new armor, weaponry (which the latter modified). The tribesmen have different habits nowadays. The tribesmen, local warriors, add fur to the dwarven armors and paint their so-called clothing in their preferred color. Both the tribesmen and those that are sent to training academies - tribal warriors, as they call themselves - have natural instincts, thus not only making them fierce fighters, but also good tacticians.
ABILITIES : HORDE BONUS
ABILITIES UPGRADE : HORDE BONUS
HORDE BONUS : Due to their natural instincts and their newly-acquired abilities, tribesmen and tribal warriors gain attack and defence bonuses depending on their amount in the stack, whereas when a certain number is achieved, hit points are increased also.
PICTURE :
LEVEL 2
CREATURE : HALFLING
UPGRADE: HALFLING MARKSMAN
DWELLING : HALFLING HOVELS
DESCRIPTION : Halflings are not only known to have mastered magic abilities, which is quite extraordinary, in most wizards' opinion, but also for their innate ranged abilities and agility. Due to the small size of the halflings, it is impossible for them to handle both human longbows and human crossbows. Therefore, from early childhood, halflings are sent to dwarven barracks where they are trained to use slings and projectile knifes as well as to defend against the ranged attacks by improving their agility and evasion skills. In the course of time, most halflings not only become adept marksmen, but are also able to use their smallness to their own benefit. Some halflings, however, continue improving their skills even after they graduate from the academy, thus becoming equal to human archers.
ABILITIES : RANGED ; SMALLNESS
ABILITIES UPGRADE : RANGED ; SMALLNESS ; MARKSMANSHIP
RANGED : Using their weapons, halflings and halfling marksmen are able to attack the selected target from distance. However, when fighting in melee, the amount of damage they deal is cut by half.
SMALLNESS : Due to their small size and evasion skills, halflings and halfling marksmen receive less damage when attacked from range.
MARKSMANSHIP : Because of the extended training at the academy and newly-acquired skills, halfling marksmen do not suffer distance penalties, thus dealing full damage to targets at any distance.
PICTURE : NB ! Halfling should be bigger in size and different clothing
LEVEL 3
CREATURE : DWARVEN DEFENDER
UPGRADE : DWARVEN GUARDIAN
DWELLING : DWARVEN BARRACKS
DESCRIPTION : As Mahernar is not only divided into clans, each having a separate territory, but also the clans themselves are divided into several castes and the castes are divided into groups and packs, the dwarves have an immense number of warriors among them. Most dwarves have a warrior-like nature, their spirits are eager for war, they have their instincts ready. The dwarves that find that spirit within themselves become warriors, defenders of the dwarves. The dwarves join the academies where they are trained to use various weapons, become good tacticians and fighters. The dwarves that study the arts of war not only master them, their minds, but also their bodies, thus adapting to any climate conditions, even though their innate abilities to resist the effects of icy wind and frost takes over. The elite dwarven warriors are not only well-equipped, skilled, but are also so strong that no one, but the strongest enemies can possibly defeat them. The magical armor that the elite warriors get after graduating protects them not only from most hostile attacks, but are also good as they are not very heavy and can even sometimes completely resist the attack.
ABILITIES : COLD RESISTANCE ; HORDE BONUS
ABILITIES UPGRADE : COLD RESISTANCE ; HORDE BONUS ; BLOCK
COLD RESISTANCE : As the dwarves master their bodies and live in harsh climate, the defenders and guardians suffer less damage from cold-based attacks as well as are resistant to most cold-based spells.
HORDE BONUS : Due to their natural abilities and their body mastery abilities, dwarven defenders and guardians gain attack and defence bonuses depending on their amount in the stack, whereas when a certain number is achieved, hit points are increased also.
BLOCK : Using the magical armor of elite warriors from the Dragon Wars, the dwarven guardians are able to block physical attacks of the enemy from time to time.
PICTURE :
LEVEL 4
CREATURE : ROC
UPGRADE : THUNDERBIRD
DWELLING : EYRIE
DESCRIPTION : These birds originated from the Icy Peaks as they were their home, their breeding place and their training grounds. These gigantic birds were not only known for their fierce attacks and mercilessness, sometimes even on the dwarves, but also for their magical abilities to tame the powers of cold air, ice and lightning. The dwarves wouldn't have achieved the peace with them, had it been not for the courage and the friendliness of halfling sages and valkyries. The rocs and thunderbirds soon became powerful units among the dwarven ranks - no one doubts they could lead them into the battle or aid in a pursuit of the enemy as well as to spy. All of the races bow to them when they fly high up in the cold blue sky of the Winterdome Valley. Valkyries, using their divinity and their magical abilities, strengthen the thundebird force, boosting their innate resistance and magical abilities and thus making them more powerful in controlling supreme powers of thunder.
ABILITIES : FLYING
ABILITIES UPGRADE : FLYING ; THUNDERCLAP
FLYING : Using their wings and abilities to control wind and cold weather, the rocs and thunderbirds do not suffer movement penalties caused by various obstacles by flying over them.
THUNDERCLAP : The thunderbirds, enlightened and strengthened by valkyrian magic and the teachings of the Seventh Dragon, are able to invoke lightning bolts, damage the opponent and stun it for a few turns from time to time.
PICTURE :
LEVEL 5
CREATURE : MOUNTAIN TROLL
UPGRADE : WAR TROLL
DWELLING : CRUMBLING CAVES
DESCRIPTION : These creatures, along with the behemoths, were and are the oldest and fiercest inhabitants of the Northern Mountains. They live in wide mountain crags and in abandonned dwarven tunnels where they can feast by eating cave lizards and other animals. Mahernar's inhabitants forced them to work in mines, although the trolls seemed to willingly accept the offers. These trolls were trained to attack the enemy with such brutal force, that only the most powerful creatures could withstand. Their haggard skin protects them from attacks, so they are able to regain their health and stamina more quickly and their immense, muscular arms are known to deal loads of damage and concuss enemy units at the same time. However, these units weren't known for their swiftness, as the sturdiness was always a better word to use for them, but they are surely strong and deadly as well as are perfect units for the front lines.
ABILITIES : REGENERATION
ABILITIES UPGRADE : REGENERATION ; STUN
REGENERATION : The haggard skin and stamina of mountain and war trolls allow them to regain hit points every turn.
STUN : Using their brutal force and powerful arms, the war trolls are able to stun the target for a period of time.
PICTURE :
LEVEL 6
CREATURE : VALKYRIE
UPGRADE : BLESSED VALKYRIE
DWELLING : CLOUD SPIRE
DESCRIPTION : Once worshipped for their beauty among local tribes of Mahernar, Valkyries eventually became allies of the dwarven alliance. As the valkyries were always fond of the cool climate of the Icy Peaks and Northern Mountains where they originated, it was to be predicted that these winged women will become allies of the locals. Valkyries prove to be a worthy ally not only in making or aiding in making of political decisions, but also in battles and in training of magical abilities. As the valkyries are known to be the disciples of Sar-Elam, the Seventh Dragon, and known to spread his teachings among the halflings and local tribes, they are often called the most powerful spellweavers of Mahernar. However, their true power resides within their divine swords and their grace and their flying abilities which not only prove to be worthy when trying to find out what is happening in the world, but also when spying or trying to infiltrate the enemy ranks.
ABILITIES : FLYING ; DIVINE THRUST ; COLD RESISTANCE
ABILITIES UPGRADE : FLYING ; DIVINE THRUST ; COLD RESISTANCE ; SPELLCASTER
FLYING : As the valkyries and blessed valkyries have wings and are able to fly, they do not suffer movement penalties caused by various obstacles by flying over them.
DIVINE THRUST : The divine blades of both blessed and normal valkyries contain holy, seemingly angelic powers, thus making them deal more damage to all creatures and heroes aligned to Dungeon faction.
COLD RESISTANCE : Due to innate resistance to most cold effects and acquired immunity to the severe climate of Icy Peaks, valkyries and blessed valkyries suffer less damage from cold-based attacks as well as are resistant to most cold-based spells.
SPELLCASTER : The blessed valkyries are able to handle magic, thus being able to cast the following spells:
- Ice Bolt : Valkyrie invokes a giant icicle that damages the selected target.
- Snowstorm : Valkyrie invokes a storm that damages all targets within the selected area (similar to meteor shower from h3).
- Bless : The selected target deals maximum damage.
- Counterstrike : The selected target gains the 'Unlimited Retaliation' ability for the duration of the combat.
- Dwarven Aura : All friendly stronghold-aligned creatures gain a health and defence bonus for the duration of the combat.
PICTURE :
LEVEL 7
CREATURE : BEHEMOTH
UPGRADE : ANCIENT BEHEMOTH or GARGANTUAN
DWELLING : BEHEMOTH CRAG
DESCRIPTION : Behemoths are immense creatures of the darkness of the mountains - even bigger than trolls and as tall as Hydras themselves. Their brutality is commonly known even amongst the ranks of Ygg-Shal, the Dark Below, as the dwarves suffered the most from them. These magnificent creatures have never been tamed, the dwarves did not succeed in doing that either. The behemoths simply willingly joined the ranks as they always wanted to find more places where to breed and where to find more food. Their strength and brutality earned respect for them. They were as tough as rocks, although they were easily harmed by magical attacks. But no one could ever defend itself against their piercing attack. They ignore the target's defence almost completely as they train their claws by scratching icy peaks with them. Also, these beasts have the ability to attack enemy units and knock them back, as well as suffer less damage from most attacks, except magic spells.
ABILITIES : PENETRATION ; KNOCKBACK
ABILITIES UPGRADE : PENETRATION ; STONESKIN ; KNOCKBACK
PENETRATION : Using their immense, piercing claws to attack, behemoths and ancient behemoths pierce the target's defence, as they have the ability to ignore a certain percentage of target's defence.
KNOCKBACK : Behemoths and ancient behemoths swing their clawed arms and brutally attack the target, knocking it a few yards back and stunning for a short period of time.
STONESKIN : Due to their tough skin, the ancient behemoths receive less damage from physical attacks.
PICTURE :
Copyright 2006, TDL
P.S. In near future, I will create a set of proposals. However, it will not be for the contest. Two rival towns, competing each other with a set of things included. I need more info about how the game looks like, so as to know what more or less to think of BTW, the entry is updated.
P.P.S. I used a picture with the 'thunderbird' in my proposal, made by Bou (or Nicobou... The source : http://nicobou.deviantart.com/. Sorry for not asking for permission prior to the post.
____________
|
|
rldragon
Known Hero
|
posted January 09, 2006 02:50 AM |
|
|
I will say only this as it is late:It is SUPERB!!!History,concept,I am really impressed!One thing I regret and one thing I think is bad.The thing which is bad is that you have seriosly underpowered Mallassa.The thing is bad as Mallassa is a dragon GOD,she should wipe dwarves from place of the planet if she wish too,especially if she has enourmes armies behind her.
The thing I regret is that with your town my town probably doesn't have much chance  .I think it is time for my imagination to create history for my town and to improve it.
Btw.Post creatures as soon as possible!Good work 
|
|
Blitzkrieg_Boy
Adventuring Hero
The Lone Keeper
|
|
posted January 09, 2006 03:07 AM |
|
|
Quote:
I will say only this as it is late:It is SUPERB!!!History,concept,I am really impressed!One thing I regret and one thing I think is bad.The thing which is bad is that you have seriosly underpowered Mallassa.The thing is bad as Mallassa is a dragon GOD,she should wipe dwarves from place of the planet if she wish too,especially if she has enourmes armies behind her.
The thing I regret is that with your town my town probably doesn't have much chance .I think it is time for my imagination to create history for my town and to improve it.
Btw.Post creatures as soon as possible!Good work
Agreed! Good work
|
|
Foonlegacy
Hired Hero
|
|
posted January 09, 2006 03:12 AM |
|
|
This would be a good town to play, probably would be in my top 3 favs. The history, background and descriptions all fit so well of how a Forge-like town should be.
Keep up the good work, hope to see creature list soon.
Look at this [url=http://www.deviantart.com/view/14970214/]dwarf[/url], thats how I would imagine a dwarf to look like.
____________
|
|
rldragon
Known Hero
|
|
posted January 09, 2006 03:29 AM |
|
|
|
Foonlegacy where the heck have you found so good picture?Does that site has more good pictures?
|
|
rldragon
Known Hero
|
|
posted January 09, 2006 03:34 AM |
|
|
|
MESSAGE FOR TDL:I would be very glad if you could post suggestions for improvements for my town.
|
|
Foonlegacy
Hired Hero
|
|
posted January 09, 2006 03:34 AM |
|
|
the website is www.deviantart.com
heres one that gave me the idea for making a Swamp Lizard and Swamp Dragon unit for my town, the Abyss.
[url=http://www.deviantart.com/view/3889467/]link[/url]
____________
|
|
rldragon
Known Hero
|
|
posted January 09, 2006 03:45 AM |
|
|
|
gwyndolium
Known Hero
Ancient citizen
|
|
posted January 09, 2006 01:23 PM |
|
|
Nice history!
I can never think of any good english words when writing something.. Got to improve mine.
____________
~I came down from heavens, to bestow the people under me, with hope and knowledge~
-The angel of judgement, Gwyndolium.
|
|
TDL
Honorable
Supreme Hero
The weak suffer. I endure.
|
posted January 21, 2006 03:58 PM |
|
|
concerning my town
Thanks for the... eh... compliments
Anyway, I would like to receive more feedback concerning my proposals. This is final beta-version of my town, but any proposals or just feedback would be really appreciated.
A great many things could be changed, but I do not want to make many changes - a few... only a few...
What to add, I would like to ask...
Regards, TDL
____________
|
|
fortress_fan
Disgraceful
|
|
posted January 21, 2006 04:57 PM |
|
|
As rldragon said, this town is the best in the whole contest and my Seerhome(Conflux) is petty inferior because of your enormus texts.
What to inprove? Well, nothing. This town is already perfect. Maby you can do one or two intervals betwen some of your texts. Othervise, change nothing!
|
|
Fargoeth
Tavern Dweller
|
|
posted February 07, 2006 01:38 AM |
|
|
I have carefully read all of the dwarvish factions, and here I am with rates:
Race: 10 (what should i say 10 is 10)
History: 6 (Malassa is a god dragon and she couldnt ingerate at 0 YSD!!, I dislike idea of valcyries in council, and cheat treat with demons. And at last: Faceless at 724!?!!?!)
Creatures: 8 (in my opion its a bit too big MIX[troll, behemoth'n'valkyries with dwarfs], but all of them are great!!)
Balance: 9 (a bit disturbed : \ they should be more neutral than allied with Falcon, thats all)
Originality: 9 (of all thise town I dislike onle the mythical name of "valkyrie")
Total: 42
Although BIG mistakes at the history it still is my favourite town! It's really grate one. My ratings seems to be a suicide but your faction is really v.good.
(btw campaign is usless cause its before 964 : p )
"The Flight of the Valkyries" : D
____________
member of [url=http://heroescommunity.com/member.php3?action=viewprofile&UserName=Kongo_Team]Kongo_Team[/url] - creators of [url=http://skocz.pl/heroes5]ICTC: Hollow[/url]
|
|
confusedspirit
Tavern Dweller
|
|
posted February 07, 2006 02:45 AM |
|
|
Race: 1 ruins the races by putting all in one + 1 no interest
History: 2 + 2 too much
Creatures: 3 average + 1 not interesting to me
Balance: 2 little too strong + 3 average
Originality: 3 average + 2 rehash of old execpt Valkyrie
Total:20/50
My rating system
Race-1-5 adaptability to game + 1-5 interest if orginal or not
History-1-5 fitting with the game + 1-5 length too short or long
Creatures-1-5 adaptability to game + 1-5 interest if orginal or not
Balance-1-5 balance with other factions + 1-5 Balance within this faction
Orginality-1-5 overall with adaptability to game + 1-5 just lack of anything new to brand new concept
____________
|
|
Foonlegacy
Hired Hero
|
|
posted February 08, 2006 04:56 AM |
|
|
guess I start rating, anyway heres my scores
Race: 10(Super!)
History: 7(great history, could have been polished some more)
Creatures: 6 (Good, I would have liked more dwarves in this town)
Balance: 8 (overall seems good)
Originality: 9(Excellent!)
40/50
____________
|
|
frakel
Adventuring Hero
|
|
posted February 08, 2006 11:48 PM |
|
|
Time for some rates:
Let me start by saying, that there are so many towns to rate, and I would really try to rate them all. Sometimes it can get one to be a little too fast in reading through a town description. Your town made me slow down! And thats a compliment...
Race: 9 (I like the dwarfs. You have made great description and detail (Strong as an ox, fat like a cow) - thats the kind of humour I like to see in a faction! Also interesting that you tie the faction soo strongly to the teachings of the seventh dragon. If you had made this a more consistent point in you faction, and provided some better explanation on why this faction is tied to the seventh dragon I would have given you ten).
History: 8
Creatures: 7 (Nice with a great variety of creatures. Some creature abilities could be more original.)
Balance: 9 (Only one shooter, but two fliers and a spell caster, should balance that. Valkyrie seems overpowered, but then again you probably wont be able to use all her great skills - you cant both fly into attack and cast a spell in the same action. But it is a little minus there (and it keeps you from getting a 10). On the possitive side, your hero abilities are well balanced.
Originality: 8 (Dwarves are dwarves - and we all know dwarves. This is a minus for you. But you add a lot of interesting detail, history and twists. This earns you eight points).
Overall: 41 - a very fine town! My highest rating so far...
|
|
kookastar
Honorable
Legendary Hero
|
|
posted February 10, 2006 11:56 AM |
|
|
Race 9
History 8
Creatures 9
Balance 7
Originality 8
41/50
|
|
Hellward
Tavern Dweller
|
|
posted February 12, 2006 04:16 PM |
|
|
Race: 10
-I really like what they think of 7th, also the idea of alliance is great,
-but it lack many info concerning creatures
-nice details from history increases this rate
History: 5
-history affects Ashan too much.
-Malassa, revealience is impossible, since no dragon god (directly) interfere ashan, also you made chaos dragon of her
-demons can not emerge while there is no eclipse
-no origins for: Hallflings, Valkyries
-there isn't anything about REASONS why halflings want or have to come & live in unkind realm
-540 YSD Humans wouldn't need & appreciate Dwarven ingerations - it's personal conflict, they are attackers.
-180 years is not enough for DE (which are said to be few) to gather forces able to stand the unweakened since a long time Stornghold faction combinning many races.
-200years long war seems redicoluos.
Creatures: 8
-alliance reasons are not clear enogh
-3 beasts (lvl:4,5,7) & 3 rulling races units (lvl:1-3 only) + mysterious Valkyries, seems weird )
Balance: 8
-two stunning units
-roc is too strong as 4th lvl.
-faction seems too strong since it combiness many various races and also wasn't afffected by many demon incrusions (which weaken other nations badly)
Originality: 8 (because of the 7th)
Total: 39 Great idea, many intresting details, if only the history was better I would be happy to give higher rate
To be more obiective I've decided to rate all dwarvish towns at once (simillary as Fargoeth did).
____________
member of [url=http://heroescommunity.com/member.php3?action=viewprofile&UserName=Kongo_Team]Kongo_Team[/url] - creators of [url=http://skocz.pl/heroes5]ICTC: Hollow[/url]
|
|
FriendOfGunnar
Honorable
Legendary Hero
able to speed up time
|
|
posted February 15, 2006 11:42 PM |
|
|
Stronghold (by TDL)
Race(2 +4 )=6 there's nothing really new here with this dwarf faction.
History(1 +5 )=7 dull as dishwater(plus one for effort though)
Creatures(3+2)=5 there’s three repeats and the whole lineup just doesn’t “jell”. Seems like a mishmash
Balance(3 + 4)=7
Originality=5
I’m sorry I can’t find anything in here to be enamoured of.
(the flag and slogan are both lame, I ought to deduct a point for that)
(I also ought to deduct a point for including the ridiculous Valkyrie picture)
Total Score=30
How I graded these:
Race (Originality [1-5]+Compatibility with HOMM5 universe[1-5])
History (How interesting is it to me [1-5] +Compatibility with HOMM5 universe [1-5])
Creatures (Originality [1-5] +Internal Consistency [1-5])
Balance (are the special skills inventive [1-5] + Does it have a variety of flyers, shooters, walkers, spell-casters [1-5]
Originality (all the originality scores added up and divided by two. This means that creativity counts twice. [1-10])
4 to go
|
|
Valeriy
Mage of the Land
Naughty, Naughty Valeriy
|
posted February 23, 2006 06:29 AM |
|
|
Race: 6
The text is long but lacks depth and captivation.
You need to work on making it shorter and more interesting, explaining inner workings of things.
Relationships with other HOMM5 races could be explained better.
History: 6
Doesn't explain the origin of dwarves or why the initial wars happened.
It seems to be a sequence of "war", "peace", "war", "peace" - more depth as to why and how is needed.
Needs more explanation of how the different species allied together.
Creatures: 7
How creatures fight is well described but what made them fight side by side is not.
Valkyres fighting next to trolls is a bit questionable. The lineup doesn't feel very cohesive.
Balance: 8
Good except for some overpowered specials.
Originality: 7
Interesting mix of races, but why they are together needs deeper explanation.
Interesting ideas for skills and some of the specials.
Judge Rating: 34
The first part was really difficult to read - it is very long and not captivating.
This town has good ideas and potential but you need to write breifly, deeply and to the point.
It is a big effort, but I must rank based on quality, not length.
Fargoeth: 42
Foonlegacy: 40
Frakel: 41
kookastar: 41
Hellward: 39
FriendOfGunnar: 30
confusedspirit: not considered
Visitor Rating Average: 39
FINAL AOH ICTC RATING: 73
____________
You can wait for others to do it, but if they don't know how, you'll wait forever.
Be an example of what you want to see on HC and in the world.
http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.com
|
| |
|
|
