Length: Hel 10 to Bor 59
THE EPIC OF MIDGARD
Volsang was frozen solid in his fortress in the far south of Midgard. Everyone knew he had been like this for a very long time - inasmuch as his frightful story had been told forever. They knew he had one been very much alive, very terrifying, and at the point of enslaving the world to his will when the brave Dreya fortuitously discovered the spell that imprisoned him forever.
Over the centuries the terror had faded into complacency and now his name only frightened children at bedtime. What no one realized was that their forefathers' victory hadn't been quite as complete as they believed and that the terror was about to return.
Your (our) goal is to destroy the re-awakening, evil wizard Volsang before he can escape the spell. You can succeed by either:
this playthrough inspired by GamerZakh's I recently came across, which I found after watching the Yogscast's Civ Channel Test of Time run. Sorry for the YT links, it is a trash site.
I first got Test of Time as a Christmas present, and not knowing how badly it panned at that age, all I had to go off of was another copy of Civ 2 Gold and the Prima Strategy guide I got as I go to thrift stores and buy strategy guides, I was a happy kid getting this. Let's start!
Playing as Buteo put me in a nice spot for a conquest victory, I just need to find a cloud 4 tiles away from a enemy city, spam sorcerers and that's the early conquests sorted. PS: I found this resource for those who want to know everything about what I should be doing.
Managed to waste a turn while trying to grab a screenie, no big. Here's my starting city and the lovely Magic Node they are gathering.
Meagre resources so far and no ability to irrigate, but 4 trade at start is nice. Magic clouds can only be mined, let's look at them:
Among clouds, the best, so far I've seen in my time in this game. The no trade bonus on roads and lack of rivers is a problem, but 2 food and improvable to two metal is nice and real simple. These cities will grow big and fat. Let's look at Magic Nodes.
Magic Nodes make up the only source of trade in Magic clouds, yet I haven't looked at the other rare. Here's hoping there's another up here, if not I will rush a surface city after next turn.
Welcome back, I got sick and went to care. Also has haed a nasty winter spell, Volsang's power reaches even here. Let us continue.
I hear the sound of a unit moving in the fog of war, I feel a certain tightly held emotion, let me turn on the music and reveal the world. As I activate the song of 'Tolkien" the sound shudders and gasps as it starts to move, the world revealed:
Ah land, not particularly arable, and an excess of mineral, but we must control this land to prevent Sorcerer counter attack. Plus hold it, so city walls are a must!
The classic question, is it time to grow or is it time to advance. These Northern Lights lack the trade of the Magic Node, but are hugely beneficial in food and minerals. With a mine it would 8 total pips of resource, excellent! Let's look at the description!
Alchemists tell us that the sun is a giant ball of fire, and that it sends "electrically charged particles" toward the world in a constant hail. When these magical "ions" strike the world's own "magnetic field"--a kind of magical protective garment--the field forces the ions to the north and south, away from inhabited lands. There, the ions are collected in an aerial version of a ley line, which is useful to users of magic, though a bit dangerous. The ions fight their captivity, of course, which results in the wavering, diaphanous beauty of the display. The surface dwellers, of course, have mistaken this perfectly natural magical phenomenon for a goddess, and named her Aurora.
My aeromancer has informed me of the interesting history of what we know about the sky, with ions bombarding the planet below, we are the first line of defense against our hating sun. The sun is good and great, but cares not for who it strikes down. Today my daughter caught word of the first Wing Guard's return and what they found. Her wings were too frail to allow her to escape my demense and travel below, and for this I reprimanded her; she had to see these lights up close, as I hear her word in person, perhaps we both can partake in enjoying these dangerous 'ions' together.
My council convened today with dark portents from a young necromancer hopeful. I was confused at first at why a spiritual air burial ritist would come before us until he spoke of the powers of Volsang returning, a barrow wight now haunted the Midgard below. We must do something my daughter pleaded, breaking into the room, as she was fond at listening through my palace winds. A small plan was hatched, we would send envoy to each of the peoples of our worlds and beseech them to stop Volsang, yet I was prepared for the worst and internally; I felt I could not trust any but my own kind.
My daughter bade tearful farewell to the work crew friends she had made (the children she used to play with at our peak), they now left to settle the wild lands of Midgard below. The first Wing Guard was bade to protect these people with their lives to prevent our capital being attacked by sorcerers, but left us weak to wild Griffons. We also researched Fealty, my rule becoming closer to one of law, as we decided on some basic laws by magic, flight, and war to give lawmen and our soldiers some guidance in the fields. We could now hold court with some decorum, building places of it anywhere, now to contact the head scribe.
Today my great scribe revealed to us his plan for my rule and eventually, my daughter's:
Rule by monarchy has developed as a logical extension of the despotic rule of tribal chieftains. Many of the earliest monarchs, such as those in west Midgard, claimed that they ruled by divine right. In the spread of monarchy, however, rulership was generally conveyed upon a leader who could most effectively raise and command an army. Monarchies are dynastic, with rule of the nation passing to the eldest son when the king dies or retires. Monarchs have absolute rule over their subjects, severely limiting the personal and economic freedom of all citizens except for nobility and the rich upper-class. Although monarchies have proven a far superior form of government than Despotism, they still are incapable of adjusting to the speed of changing economies and are generally considered less efficient with respect to production than the more representative forms of government, such as Althing and Greatlaw.
Today oh our great wing lord has done us wrong by taking the free and prosperous ancient ways away and turning his dynasty into the only one fit to rule the Buteo, I rue the day.
Guess what I'm building? These ions from the sun will make great magic resources.
A wonder, I will tell you its effects if I get it.
