Posts from Adventure log.

This thread was created for reports, logs, and stories about the games you are playing (excluding Heroes; for those, use the tournament thread). You may have seen examples of such reports in the Haven (not only mine, but also Revan's "journals"). You can post your story-reports here, but they must include screenshots (uploaded to HW, in small size!!!).
Please show respect and do not flood this thread; violators will be punished. :smile17:
PS if you have any complaints or questions, please contact me via PM or in the Haven.

Well, since I created the thread, I might as well start.

Ice Wind Dale.+addon "Heart of Winter". (Ar & Lok)
Chapter 1. "Through the Storm"
The distant and cold north, a tiny village at the edge of the world. Our story begins in the tavern of that very village. Six travelers stopped to rest after the long journey they had undertaken. While they sat at the table discussing their further plan, an elderly man in armor approached them. He turned out to be the head of the village, the mayor, and the guard all in one. He suggested the travelers visit him after they had rested. The adventurers didn't think long and decided to visit the Elder. They hoped they would be offered some work, as they had almost no money left, but first they decided to stop by the shop located next to the tavern to buy equipment.
screen №1. (Left the shop) Time to introduce you to our heroes. I'll start from top to bottom (by portraits).
Loken's characters:
Name: Horus
Race: Human
Class: Paladin
Serves as the main tank, damage dealer, and primary negotiator, as he has a charisma of 18. Able to turn undead. Armed with a long sword and shield, and also has a bow.

Name: Christiana
Race: Human
Class: Thief
Responsible for lockpicking and searching for traps, carries out reconnaissance operations thanks to the "stealth" skill. Armed with a long sword and a bow.

Name: Laika
Race: Half-elf
Class: Druid
Acts as a support mage and healer. Loves casting root on enemies. Armed with a spear and a sling.

My characters:
Name: Tallanvor
Race: Half-elf
Class: Ranger
Second tank and a good damage dealer, on par with Horus. Gathers information from tracks left on the terrain. Possesses the "stealth" skill, but uses it rarely. Armed with a two-handed sword and a bow.

Name: Jeremus
Race: Dwarf
Class: Cleric
The team's main healer, can quite well act as a tank thanks to decent defense and a good amount of HP. Able to turn undead. Armed with a mace and shield, also has a sling.

Name: Arandor
Race: Elf
Class: Diviner (a variety of mage)
The party's main mage, especially useful against a large number of enemies. Possesses the most extensive knowledge of all. Armed with a staff and a sling.

screen №2.
This is us in the local Temple dedicated to Tempus (that's a god)

screen №3.
We met a female water spirit who was tormenting a local resident with dreams of her, which drew him toward the sea. we drove her away

screen №4
This is us in the orc cave; we came here on a quest from the Elder, who asked to search for a caravan that hadn't reached their village. Actually, we found it outside, and some of the items were in the cave itself.

screen №5
We finally broke through the defenses and killed the Ogre, who was the leader of the orcs. Naturally, it didn't happen without losses; the paladin and ranger fell in battle :smile34: but fortunately there is a temple in town where we later resurrected our fallen friends. :smile16:

screen №6
After the caravan mission, our group set out with the elder and another part of the village population to a neighboring settlement where heaven knows what is happening and they need our help. But unfortunately, only the six of us made it there, because on the way through the mountains, Giants set an "ambush" for us and triggered an avalanche that buried part of the expedition, and possibly everyone who was with us. (we believe that some were lucky and remained on the other side of that pile of snow).
So, in this screen, we are near a farm located next to that settlement we were heading to. Goblins have taken a liking to this territory, so we had to kill them.

screen №7
Heading north, we discovered a squad of goblins who had killed some huge beetles. We basically avenged the beetles. Then we entered a cave and killed the beetles ourselves, who were dining on goblins.

screen №8
We are in the settlement, but it is not as simple as we thought. The village is located at the foot of a huuuuge oak tree, which is considered sacred among druids and common folk. It is always warm here and, as you can see, there is little snow.
As for the screen itself, Lok and I could not reach an agreement on one issue and quarreled, after which I put his paladin and my forester to sleep while laughing wickedly (because my mage is evil!). When the paladin woke up, Lok attacked me with his people and killed the mage :( naturally I joined the fight, but the odds were uneven and I had to retreat with the dwarf after the Ranger died. However, then Lok entered a battle with the locals and some huge guy appeared out of nowhere, who summoned some mutants and swarms of insects that quickly wiped out Loken's people. But since he and I are in one party, these parasites flew after me, and I tried to hide from them, shooting people with a sling on the way (killed two).

screen №9
Us after loading. That's basically where we stopped; we'll continue today. :smile14:

PS it turned into a real blog or a mini-diary)
PPS the resolution is high; I'll try playing on a low one, maybe the screens will be better

And this is Battle for Wesnoth... A continuation of the elven campaign, part of which I posted on the forums. Through the Mountains As you remember, I was defending my people from the orcs, and after the last battle, everything seemed to calm down. But our main heroes don't believe that everything will be alright, and the dwarf (who initially forbade us from passing along the eastern shore, forcing us to go along the western shore and fight trolls, after which we saved him on another map from orcs and trolls) suggested that we ask for help from a certain mage living in the mountains (the elves are staying put for defense, and the dwarves won't help, nor will the humans, who betrayed us). But before leaving, I had to leave four of my best warriors in the elven city, whom I had been training for so long! And, what's more, it turned out that they all had different specializations: a Marshal (commander), a Champion (best melee fighter), a Sniper (best archer), and a Ranger (archer with the "stealth" skill). So, after traveling through the gorge and killing the lizards, then crossing the river and fighting the sea creatures, we reached the valley where the mage lived. But at that time, he was attacked by trolls (on one side) and the draconian race, under the control of some evil mage who wanted to obtain the book of spells of our future friend (on the other side). So, we immediately headed north and quickly killed the fire drakes and the mage himself, then headed east towards the trolls. (In the screenshot, you can see how we passed by the friendly mage's castle and are heading through the mountains towards the troll base). And yes, now I can hire dwarves; you can see two of them. In general, I killed the trolls, and this wizard gave us his book (which our healer heroine took), and he also gave us two potions of invisibility so that we could sneak into the orc camp and kill the Great Warchief, in order to try to turn the orc tribes against each other, so that they would start fighting among themselves for power. We set off, but on the way, we met a messenger who informed us of the death of the human king and that his son had taken the throne and was now asking us for help in the fight against the orcs, so we agreed and went to them. To be continued...

Brak, everything except the heroes.

Battle for Victory.

New alliance.
We approached the human castle and found that it was surrounded by enemies. There were two Orc camps to the south, one to the northwest, and a Troll camp to the northeast.
1. Elven reinforcements arrived (7 people on the left) and four of my soldiers who remained in the castle (in the center).
2. At this time, the humans engaged in battle with the Orcs to the south.
3. I sent the main army to the upper Orc camp.
4. And part of the army went to hold back the Trolls from the east.

In general, I killed everyone and we concluded a new alliance treaty with the humans. Now it's time for the most important and dangerous mission. I (the main character) and my friend, the archer (second in command), must infiltrate the Orc camp, eliminate the Chieftain, and then successfully escape from there.
P.S. I'll play tomorrow.

Alright, it's my turn... Game: WH40k - Dawn Of War - Dark Crusade We played 2v2: Me - Imperial Guard Ally - Space Marines Opponents: Imperial Guard Orks WARNING! - The screenshots are quite large, about 700kb on average. Well, at first it was boring - Tier 2, we were capturing points, building generators. But soon, we found an enemy (Screenshot 1). Apparently, the enemy didn't want to talk to us and ran away (Why? We came with good intentions...). Moreover, they started shooting at us. At us! We got really offended and decided to cause some mayhem. But suddenly, some Guardsmen (not ours, different ones, Screenshot 2) showed up and prevented us from doing so. Apparently, they also came to cause mayhem, but on our base. Too bad they ran away... At this time, my Space Marine comrade started showing some tactical brilliance. The following units rushed towards the Guardsmen: a squad of Space Marines, a squad of Grey Knights with a Chaplain, and a Land Speeder (the effect this had on the Guardsmen can be seen in Screenshot 3). While we and the Space Marines were happily tearing the Guardsmen's base apart, the Orks were also happily gathering an army (Screenshot 4) and marched towards me. I had to divert some troops from beating up the innocent and order them to deal with the approaching crowd of drunken CSKA fans. But they managed to destroy my barracks... By this time, our brave troops controlled 3/4 of the map. Absolutely happy, we went to the Orks (Screenshot 5). I already had some mean guys in helmets (i.e., Kasrkin), who were efficiently harvesting Ork corpses. The Orks put up UNEXPECTED resistance. We had to retreat a little. The General barely made it (Screenshot 6). The relentless Orks were advancing towards my base. Which, frankly, is not surprising... A Leman Russ tank and a squad of Kasrkin heroically defended against the advancing hordes of capitalism (Screenshot 7). But, no matter how hard they pressed, "IT" arrived. The signal "Ready to unleash the power of ELEVEN barrels!!!" sounded. A Baneblade arrived (Screenshot 8). With the help of this unstoppable monster, the Orks quickly ran home. But, you ask, what happened to the traitorous Guardsmen regiment? It's very simple! While we were running back and forth with the Orks, they quietly rebuilt, built a couple of Leman Russes (Screenshot 9), and started to quickly tear apart my Baneblade. In the end, when my Baneblade was barely holding on, when the tracks of its treads were replaced by the guts of enemies (a terrible sight, right?), a Land Raider of the Space Marines arrived, accompanied by two Predators (Screenshot 10) - also a very impressive vehicle, although with fewer barrels. The Orks and the traitorous Guardsmen could not withstand the influx of POMPOSITY, BRILLIANCE, and VICTORY that our troops were radiating. We finally tore their base apart and built a Temple of the Emperor on the site of this great victory. GLORY TO THE EMPEROR! HYDRA DOMINATUS!

Chapter 2. "The Curse of the North"

After talking to the archdruid living in the village, we learned that people were disappearing in the city, and strange things were happening all around. Rumors also circulated that the undead were rising from their graves and wandering through the Valley of Shadows. Our heroes, of course, agreed to help the local population and volunteered to scout the burial grounds, hoping to find out the cause of all the troubles...

Screenshot #1
Before heading to the valley, we decided to take a walk around the city and get to know the people. In this screenshot, we enter the inn, which is located in the roots of the Great Oak.

Screenshot #2
And here we are in the tavern) yes, there are many drunkards.

Screenshot #3
Here we are in the local Temple, which is dedicated to Ilmater, the God of pain and suffering, also known as the "Weeping God." His priests (adepts and others) relieve people of suffering by taking it upon themselves (or something like that, they are good guys in general).

Screenshot #4
A flying ship belonging to a gnome inventor and a bit of an alchemist, who crashed in it a year ago in this place and, having nothing else to do, opened a shop right inside it. He believes that he will be able to repair the ship and one day fly away from here.

Screenshot #5
This is like a map; we have visited four locations so far, and today we will go to the fifth.
P.S. This is not the whole map; it can be scrolled down.

Screenshot #6
Here is the Valley of Shadows) a battle with its inhabitants.

Screenshot #7
Yeti also hang out there.

Screenshot #8
A shadow guards the bridge, but we are still stronger (actually, I could have skipped this screenshot; I just liked the bridge).

Screenshot #9
Here is the first crypt. We were greeted very warmly.

Screenshot #10
Maybe it's the same crypt, or maybe it's a different one. A Ghoul attacks.

Screenshot #11
Skeleton Guard.

Screenshot #12
A circle of sarcophagi that cannot even be opened.

Screenshot #13
This is one of the main guards) a magical scoundrel.

Screenshot #14
In this place, we got a little tired because of the large number of undead, plus archers with fire arrows that do quite a lot of damage. But we still killed them all using a clever tactic.

Screenshot #15
These are the last gates before the main group :O they also put up a good fight. I remember we entered a room, and there was a coffin, so I opened it, and suddenly a trap with a spell was triggered, instantly putting us to sleep. Well, five members of the party, because the mage stayed behind :P. It wasn't anything terrible, but then secret rooms opened, and skeletons crawled out of them, starting to attack the peacefully sleeping travelers, and some chased after the mage. So, we reloaded.

Screenshot #16
This was the toughest battle of all that took place in this crypt. I think it's obvious from the screenshot. To be honest, I was already ready to reload because too many mobs were aggroed, plus I accidentally put some of the party to sleep, and we were beaten pretty badly. But somehow, everyone managed to survive (it's a good thing I maxed out everyone's agility!). I also had a couple of summoned skeletons, which I used to lure the enemies, and they also took the hits from the archers and mages.

Screenshot #17
And here is the main spirit, which, strangely enough, had nothing to do with all the troubles that befell the village. The thing was that a priestess of some ice goddess came here, deciding to freeze this "warm" village and kill everyone :O. To do this, she cursed the valley, and all this undead awakened, attacking all living creatures. As a result, we found this priestess, killed her, and the spirit thanked us for it and allowed us to take our things from the tomb. Lokusha took armor and a helmet for the paladin (because he is the tank), and I took a two-handed sword for my ranger.

Screenshot #18
We returned to the city and told the archdruid everything (this is his house). He also thanked us, but since the disappearance of people and other troubles were not resolved, he asked us to scout a temple of some cult, which is located in the mountains. The old man told us about a student of some druid who stole a magical amulet and went to the mountains. Perhaps he has something to do with all this. That's where we're going today.
In the screenshot, you can see the upgrade of items, and the paladin is even in armor from the tomb.

Ah yes, we couldn't divide the loot several times, i.e., the found items, artifacts, and so on, which caused conflicts, after which we had to reload.
I think that's all; I didn't forget anything? If not, I'll add it later.
P.S. These screenshots are in 800x600 resolution, and the previous ones were in 1024x768. Which ones are better? (reply in ICQ or on the forum).
P.P.S. Also, all the screenshots have not very good quality because I convert them to JPG format.

Started the first chapter of my favorite game, Resident Evil 5. Mostly, I was just taking good screenshots (as you can see, Chris Redfield has been replaced by Wesker, and Sheva Alomar by Jill; however, these names are probably not familiar to most readers). 1. Albert Wesker in all his glory (after jumping out of the window :smile36:). 2. Jill Valentine: "He's not! We need to hide from the paparazzi!" 3. Someone is about to get a beating. 4. (continuation). I warned you. 5. Boxing! 6. (continuation). Knockout! 7. [Here, I kind of elbowed the guy who grabbed my teammate; I don't let anyone mess with my friends! :D] 8. No comment :smile04:

Chapter 3. "Haven of the Gods"

So, when our heroes learned about the druid's apprentice who stole the magical amulet "Stone Heart," they didn't immediately decide to set out in search of the artifact. After all, in addition to the archdruid, a shaman from a barbarian tribe approached them, asking them to go with him. After an hour of deliberation, the adventurers decided to first help the druid, and then they could leave the village with the shaman. Having stocked up on supplies at the store, the group set off for the mountains, where a temple was located, and rumors had it that some kind of cult had settled there...

screenshot #1
We approached the temple, and a giant ran out to meet us, telling us that they had lived with the priests in the temple, guarding it, but recently some villains came and started killing everyone. This giant pretended to be dead, and when the enemies left, he got up and ran away... We could have let him go, but Loki wanted to gain experience for his death, so we had to kill him.

screenshot #2
Here we are already in the temple. As it turned out, not all the defenders are dead; there are survivors, and they were the ones who put up resistance to us (they thought we were bad and allies of those scoundrels who were here before us). But it doesn't make much difference to us, because this cult itself is not very good, so we can kill its members.

screenshot #3
All in the same place. My cleric summoned undead; in the screenshot, you can see a skeleton and a zombie.

screenshot #4
There were many acolytes there, yes. Although there were even more giants.

screenshot #5
This is us in the center. I used the ranger's skill "track" and thus we learned who was among the enemies. We will be looking for trolls and yuan-ti (or maybe they were just lizards, who knows).
P.S. It wasn't for nothing that I chose trolls as the ranger's sworn enemy.

screenshot #6
Finally, we reached the main room, but there were only corpses in it. In the center lay a guy from the enemy team, and in his pocket, we found a strong poison (we later gave it to the druid). In the screenshot, I cast a spell-trap with my mage and tested it with the ranger... it's weak, he only took 8 damage.
P.S. By the way, I found a good one-handed axe for the ranger (you can see it on the weapon panel), now I use it, and rarely use the sword.

After examining the temple, we returned to the druid and told him everything. He looked at the poison we found on the dead guy and said that the poison had not yet lost its potency, which means that the guy received it recently, i.e., somewhere near the place where the temple is located. ... he said something else, I don't remember, and in the end, he said that in these places there is one place where there may be all sorts of lizards or trolls, or maybe where you can get poison, and where it is warm in general, compared to the rest of the valley, and he marked it on the map. Now our path leads there.

Battle for Wesnoth Strike from the Shadows And so, finally, we reached the orc base. The main castle is located in the center, and four forts are located around it, and the area is patrolled by warriors. There were only two of us, so it was easy to sneak through the forest past the enemy outpost, then kill a couple of orcs and cross the bridge, which led to the main castle, and there we killed the leader and quickly fled. Mission complete. Now we need to reclaim our home, but first we will head north to help our brothers.

Chapter 4. "Reptile Hunt"

From Arandor's diary:
Day 37.
Oh, I am so sick of the cold, not to mention that old geezer with his quests. It's alright, just a little longer and I hope we'll leave this place, somewhere to the south where it's warm—the further, the better. Ah, dreams... but for now, we are staying at an inn run by a strange hobbit. By the way, he killed the previous owner, although he denies it and says the poor fellow was already dead when he arrived, and he simply replaced the will with his own, wrote his name in it, and thus acquired the inn. Heh, some people have all the luck. On the other hand, we forced him to confess to the deed, but he still kept the inn. Apparently, nobody cares about such things when all sorts of madness are happening in the city... So, not long ago we returned from the temple of mad fanatics, but what we were looking for wasn't there. So tomorrow we must set out again, but this time to the "Dragon's Eye" volcano; there is a system of caves there where those who possess the sacred amulet might be. Judging by the tracks left by the creatures who visited the fanatics before us and took the amulet, we are in for a battle with trolls and serpent spawn—vile, slimy, and constantly hissing... how I hate them! However, those scoundrels know where to build their nest. After all, the heat of the volcano warms the surrounding lands and dungeons, which is why they settled at its foot. Alright, I'm off to dinner and then to bed; I need to gather my strength before the trek.

...Entry ends

screen №1
Reached the destination, we were met by snow trolls.

screen №2
Following the path, we found ourselves before a cave. Upon entering, we saw lizards who attacked us immediately.

screen №3
Statue of a snake

screen №4
Skirmish. Used a bone shield (around the dwarf) with the priest, which damages everyone standing near the caster (the caster himself cannot move).
P.S. the "cool" lizardmen turned out to be not so cool.

screen №5
Shot from Arganzar (or something like that), a decent spell. I think we've descended to the second floor here, or maybe the next screen will be on the second floor[br][/br]
screen №6
Ugh, we couldn't get through this place right away\ these bugs release some kind of gas that hits quite hard, and what if you take their numbers into account? It was brutal overall; at first, we lured them out one by one and shot them before they could get close and spoil the air. Afterward, I started shooting fireballs into the whole pile with the mage.

screen №7
Well, this is just the character window

screen №8
Main hall of the 2nd level, which contained trolls, lizards, and some human cultists\ We couldn't kill them immediately either, but after rethinking the tactics, I finally did it, and without much difficulty. Yes, we freed the villagers from captivity (we also freed some on the 1st floor).

screen №9
3rd level of the dungeon, undead dwell here.

screen №10
At the top are kamikaze skeletons that run up and explode\, and at the bottom is green meat.

screen №11
Some thing named Prezio, apparently one of the leaders. He was wearing a Necromancer robe (with a hood!), which I tried to put on (visible in the next screens), but it was worse than the one I already had, so I took it off later.

screen №12
Damn traps, they get so annoying later[br][/br]
screen №13
4th floor, arranged as rooms. Some guy in blue attire came to meet us and invited us in, but Lokovsky's paladin sees evil right through and exposed the scoundrel, after which he attacked\ (who knows what would have happened if we had gone inside... The guy claimed he could help us, heal us, etc., maybe that's how it would have been, or they would have just attacked us with the whole horde)

screen №14
After killing the slowpoke humans and other cult adeptes, we entered a room where we saw something horrific :O There was a long table in the room, and human corpses were on it. Yuan-ti (snake-people, though no, just large, intelligent snakes) were sitting around the table, and the leader was rambling about something. We had to interrupt their feast and kill them.
On this same floor, we found a room full of corpses, and only four of them were alive. They turned out to be some party of adventurers. They pretended to be dead and were thrown in here, where they remained.

screen №15
Now we are on the 5th level of the damn dungeon, which has really gotten on our nerves\ and the traps here are just insane

screen №16
Still there, following the corridor, entering rooms and clearing them

screen №17
There we met some idiots called "Hitachi". They are somewhat like zombies, but they are alive and fast, although they are also weaklings.

screen №18
And here is the main room. Upon entering, we saw a little girl, who subsequently turned out to be a snake-like creature. She told us all sorts of things, said that she has the amulet and needs it for some war that has been going on for a very long time, etc.

screen №19
We told her to get lost and killed her.

screen №20
Returning to the village, we discovered that it had been attacked by orcs and some other ghouls (maybe a variety of orcs or hobgoblins).

After clearing the city of scumbags, we visited the archdruid. He thanked us for killing that royal snake, saying she was his old enemy and so on, then disappeared. Going up to the second floor, we found the real druid (for goodness sake!). He was lying on the floor, life leaving his body, but before death, he said that we must take the amulet to the elf ruins, specifically to the prison where an elven mage is imprisoned, who can use this amulet and help us.
In the end, it turns out we helped some random guy who was fighting this snake, although I'm not sure if that was her true form\ most likely these losers are from another world and are far from being the bosses of their teams. Apparently, there are very ancient and powerful beings behind them...

BtF: War journal

Battle for the North
As we advanced north, winter arrived. Movement became more difficult, and time was running out. After building a Fortress, we began planning an attack. Since the snow hindered movement, I decided to summon the fastest warriors from my army to quickly reach our northern allies. But it turned out to be more complicated than I thought. In addition to the two enemy camps surrounding the allied Fortress, there was a third one. It was located to the south, to the left of our Fortress, so we had to send part of our troops there to prevent them from attacking first. By dividing our forces, I took a significant risk, as the army only had two healers (and for some reason, both of them were positioned at the front). This made the battle in the south particularly challenging. As you can see in the screenshot, only 7 people participated in the attack (a dwarf is behind them, but he didn't fit in the screenshot): two level 3 cavalry, a level 2 mage, an elf hero (level 2), a level 3 avenger, and an elf marshal (level 3), plus a dwarf with a rifle who didn't participate much in the battle. To avoid casualties, I sent reinforcements of two cavalry (they were level 1, I think) and another avenger, who distracted part of the enemy forces. As a result, we surrounded them.
At the same time, battles were also taking place in the forest to the north. We helped our ally repel the eastern orcs, and then I sent a dwarf, an archer, and a healer (all of them were story heroes) to the orc camp, and together they killed the leader (he managed to summon orcs, which caused some difficulties, but we still managed to cope, because my guys are strong). The rest of the army headed west. It mainly consisted of archers (4-5), a cavalry unit, a couple of warriors, and the Lord (the main character). In the end, not only this part of the army reached the last base, but also the troops from the south, which left the enemy with no chance (see screenshot).
The enemy is defeated, victory is ours!

After the battle, we returned home, but our adventure didn't end there... The invisibility potion that the mage gave us when we went to kill the orc leader began to have side effects. The old man warned us about them (evil begins to take over you, and you become bad, or maybe even turn into undead), but saving the people was more important than anything else. Fortunately, only I and my friend Landar (an elf archer) drank the potion. I feel that I am starting to change, but what about my friend? Perhaps the potion is affecting him more strongly... He was already too aggressive, warlike, and almost didn't trust other races, he disliked dwarves and others, and the effect of the potion seems to have amplified these qualities. Recently, a dwarf's corpse was found in our camp :O We started investigating who did it, but it ended in a conflict, and the dwarves left. Now, the two of us will have to attack the lizardmen and finish them off once and for all. (Yes, we haven't forgotten that they helped the orcs attack us; now it's time for revenge!!!)

Chapter 5. "The Last Asylum"

…It is good here. I do not like running much in plate armor – I tire easily. Not even a litany of endurance helps. But it is pleasant here; despite the ruins and the strange smell, I do not have to walk far.
…Yesterday evening we approached these ruins, which the head of Kuldahar told us about in his final breaths. I did not have time to heal him, and the temple refused to resurrect him. One would think – Ilmater. But despite all their softness and kindness, one needs something to live on. Perhaps the Lord Archdruid charged them a high rent? Now we will never know.
…Who set the traps in this Fortress? Another arrow has left a very unpleasant gouge in my breastplate. Can a trap really stand for so many years without falling apart? Our scout excuses herself, saying that her difficult childhood predisposed her more to pickpocketing than to searching for and disarming tripwires. Stealing... That was a long time ago; I am sure Tyr has already punished her for such a sin.
…Our enemies are ephemeral, though the striking blows of their blades are quite tangible and painful. I cannot detect the rot in their souls. Perhaps these ghosts act not of their own will.
…Finally, we met someone who did not seek to slit our throats. They are spirits too, and since the fortress is elven… Correct. They are elves. I believe they do not understand what happened. They do not know they have died. They say we can find the spellcaster in one of the Towers. Well, let us go. Perhaps, among other things, he will tell us what strange device our ranger found in one of the chests.
…Not everyone here has gone mad, thank Tyr. One of the phantoms told us that during the attack of fierce enemies on the fortress, their mage grew desperate and took an extreme measure. He wanted to surround the Haven with protective magic, but overestimated his strength. One glitch, and now – they are all eternally imprisoned here. Well, it will be interesting to hear the story firsthand.
…And here he is. Vile spawn. An elf-lich – what could be more horrific? Both undead and non-human. He does not look dangerous, but I see no medallion with a phylactery around his neck. Which means he cannot be destroyed so easily. It seems he has gone mad. He spouts some incoherent nonsense. But the machine on the other side of the platform is interesting. There is another spirit beside it. He says it is very unpleasant – being unable to repair the machine or even simply leave the room for many years. Perhaps this is what we need. The parts we found in different corners of the fortress look very similar to it. I am no dwarf, of course, but I am sure they belong to it.
…Of course they fit. The lich's aimless muttering gained meaning. He told us the already known sad story of the siege, adding a narrative full of gall and malice about the treacherous dwarves who were the cause of all this. It is good that our brother-cleric is calm; I saw how he frowned and tightened his grip on the handle of his hammer, but he did not give in to anger.
I didn't listen to the story closely; it all smelled foully of mercantilism and trade. But finally, he performed the necessary ritual and saw through to the source of evil. I heard, to my astonishment, notes of bitter triumph in his lifeless voice when he pointed to the source of evil spreading across the North. The dwarven Stronghold, Dorn's Deep. I no longer trust anyone but my companions, and I do not believe at all that their nemesis is our goal. But there are no more clues, so… we are heading there.

from the head of Horus, paladin of Lokenus.


So yes, upon arriving at the elven fortress (which became a prison for them (screen #1)), we discovered that all its Havens had become ghosts or turned into mindless undead. On the first floors, we encountered orcs and goblins (screens #2, 3, 4); apparently, they were the ones besieging the elves. The second floor was also packed with them, as well as a pack of wolves (screen #5). On the third floor, undead awaited us, the defiled bodies of those who fell in that battle (screens #6, 7). Climbing higher (or maybe that was downstairs), we found a ghost who told us about what happened. He recounted how the elven ruler and wizards wanted to save the fortress with a powerful spell, but nothing worked; instead, they became what they are to this day. He also said that he sacrificed himself, descending and wanting to blow something up so that the enemies would not enter the tower (idk, I don't remember exactly). On the fourth floor, there were five halls and no aggressive ghosts. In the first room, there were many beds, probably a bedroom (screen #8). There we met a little girl waiting for her mother, but she does not return. The girl was kind (like everyone on this floor), so she allowed us to rest in this room. The second room was something like a bar or tavern, with many round tables where ghosts of drunkards sat (screen #9). The third room was a dining room, but with a stage. In it, we met a minstrel who gladly sang us two songs (screen #10). In the 4th room, we encountered a merchant to whom we sold some items gathered on the lower floors (screen #11). The fifth room was also a place for feasting (no screen :P).
In screen #12, you can see the mage's inventory, and in #13, I am summoning a spirit who can tell us about the future.

But this isn't the only Tower within the Fortress. It's more of a main Tower, which has an entrance and connects the other five Towers that are located around it. Each of the Towers has its own purpose. One Tower was the Stronghold of the Elven priests; it was where they were trained, and where they worshipped the Gods (screenshot #1). Inside, we met an Elven priestess who asked us to free the souls of her brothers and sisters, which were located on the upper floors of this Tower. And so we did (screenshots #2, 3, 4). Entering the second Tower, where warriors were trained, we found an Elven warrior (screenshot #5), who also asked us to kill her soldiers. So we cleared out a couple of floors, and when we climbed to the roof, where the hippogriffs were kept, we found spiders (screenshot #6). In this same Tower, on the last floor (before the roof), we came to a bridge (screenshot #7), which led to the neighboring Tower (most likely the 3rd Tower, which was blocked off). This was the Tower of Mages. Inside, we found a library (screenshot #8). And on the top floor, we found the Elven mage and the ruler of this Fortress, now a cursed Lich (screenshot #9). He told us about the past, when they were allied with the Dwarves and fought against the forces of darkness. Together, they created powerful artifacts. But over time, the Dwarves decided to profit from them and offered to sell the artifacts to other peoples, the people of the north, and others. The Elves refused this, because who knows who these things with immense power might end up with. And so it happened; one day, Orcs appeared in these lands, and they had that very weapon with them, which the Dwarves and Elves had created together. The battle was fierce, and the Elves accused the Dwarves of selling the artifacts behind their backs, and they ended up in the wrong hands, and now things are a mess; the enemy has a powerful weapon and is attacking them. After this quarrel, the alliance was broken. Meanwhile, the enemy continued to advance, approaching the Stronghold. And when the enemies were at the Tower, the Elven ruler decided to try to save his people and took a risk. He and his mages began to recite a very powerful protection spell, and when they finished it, they realized that a mistake had been made. Instead of salvation, destruction occurred. Everyone in the Tower became ghosts, and the dead turned into undead! The king himself became a Lich. And now they are trapped in their Fortress. But by finding the parts for their machine, he was able to start it up again and free everyone who had been cursed (although I don't know if this is true; we didn't check, but immediately teleported to the city... maybe he disappeared too, or maybe he's still there)...
Oh yes, the first time we just talked to him, but we didn't have all the parts, so we decided to clear out the other Towers. We weren't so lucky with the fourth Tower; when we climbed the stairs, we found that they led nowhere; the Tower was destroyed (I don't remember what it was intended for). The fifth Tower was luckier; it was intact. Honestly, I don't remember its purpose either; maybe it will be clear from the screenshots. Perhaps it was something like a headquarters. On the first floor, there was a hall with benches (screenshot #10). On the second floor, there was also a large hall, in the center of which stood a model of the area and a battle depicted on it (screenshot #11). Most likely, the battle plan was developed here. At the end of the room, on the wall, there was a map. On the top floor, we found a garden. There was a ghost of a druid, who asked us to bring him clean water, plant seeds, and an animal, so that he could revive this garden (screenshot #12). But as soon as we fixed the mages' machine, we immediately teleported from there... maybe we'll visit him sometime later, if we find what he's looking for.

And yes, now we have a journey to the Dwarven Fortress ahead of us.

Well, in general, that's it. ATTENTION! The screenshots are large in size (600-700kb on average). If you have an expensive, non-unlimited internet connection, it is best not to open them! Today I will tell you about the effectiveness of partisan tactics. I was playing as the Imperial Guard (if that matters, I only play as them). My allies: Space Marines and Necrons. Against us were: Necrons, Tau, and Space Marines. It all started rather boringly - as always, capturing points, building generators, gathering an army, advancing to tier 2 - nothing interesting. The interesting part begins after the first encounter with the enemy (screenshot 1). Opposite me were the Necrons. The Guardsmen can be equipped with two types of heavy weapons, replacing the standard lasgun - a grenade launcher and a plasma gun. Grenade launchers were ineffective against the Necrons, and since my enemy will be Necrons in the near future, I started distributing plasma guns. During the first encounter with the enemy, my Guardsmen were cut to pieces - I had to retreat (screenshot 2). We ran all the way back to the base (screenshot 3), where the situation changed dramatically: the Guard is the only race whose troops can climb into their buildings and shoot from there - and the more troops in the building, the heavier the weapon used: 1 squad - lasgun, 2 squads - lasgun + plasma gun, 3 squads - lasgun + plasma gun + heavy bolter. Taking advantage of all the advantages of my base, the Necrons were quickly sent to the scrap heap (screenshot 4). In addition, during the defense, my Guardsmen turned from meat into real maniacs, who, drooling, turn enemy infantry into minced meat. True, they cannot break through vehicles, which is the only downside. While I was dancing with the Necrons, the allies were not idle - battles began on the second front (screenshot 5). Understanding that "my" Necrons would soon join them, I went to help my allies on my front (screenshot 6). The Necron, an unpleasant piece of metal, raised its Lord on my base. Taking advantage of the moment that there is a view of my base and no army of mine, the Space Marine uses drop pods to send Terminators and other representatives of his army there (screenshot 7, 8). For reference: a drop pod (or deep strike) is one of the special abilities of the Space Marines - they can deploy their troops to any location on the map where there is a view. This requires an Orbital Relay Center - a building that can only be built in tier 3. Realizing that I can no longer help my base, I decided to use the remaining army to the fullest - there is an enemy base nearby, a great opportunity to take revenge (screenshot 9). I wisely sent one of my builders away to build a second base. The sweet revenge on the enemy base was interrupted by the appearance of a Space Marine Dreadnought (screenshot 10). I had to retreat - why waste troops? In fact, this is where my partisan warfare began. First, I captured one of the Necron points (screenshot 11). The Space Marine Dreadnought is still hunting me, so as soon as I captured the point, I ran further - fortunately, the Dreadnought is slow. The next target is the base of that very Space Marine (screenshot 12). Resting there properly was prevented by the same Dreadnought, as well as the dangerous proximity to enemy troops. I had to be content with the captured point again. Then we captured a relic from the Tau (screenshot 13) - now they will not be able to build a Krootox - their most powerful unit. After this action, I can already hear the encouraging curses of my enemies... My allies, meanwhile, quickly defeated the enemy army: there were mainly only Tau left. The Space Marines scattered across the map in search of me, the Terminators remained at my old base (he didn't take them anywhere), the Necrons were still recovering from my raid on their generators. Of course, I became very bold, drove a "Chimera" (a transport for carrying infantry) through the enemy ranks, and since then I have been driving around (screenshot 14, the minimap shows a crowd of enemies running after me). The next and, in principle, last victim was the Tau base (screenshot 15). Within a minute, on behalf of the Imperium, the barracks, 2 generators, a research center, and 3 observation posts were dismantled. As a result of all these subversive actions, the Tau got offended and left the game (screenshot 16). In fact, that's all - the Space Marine ran away after the Tau, and only one Necron remained, whose army was very quickly dismantled for the children of the Guardsmen to use as video cards. The result, as always, is one - Glory to the Emperor, Hydra Dominatus!

War journal. Revenge. The day of reckoning has come! It is time to shed the blood of those who helped our enemies! May the Gods bless us, and may this battle be the last in this war! The enemy Stronghold is quite large, and the enemy has a numerous army, but now it is winter, and this is the worst time of year for them. Before attacking the main Castle, we need to defeat the small fort in the south so that it does not cause us trouble when we attack the enemy's main army. *pew-pew, tish, VUUUSH... bang, thud... pew-pew... pew, I said!... whoosh... uuuuu... pfff... grr... hrhh... eh-eh... aaa!...* *gasping, coughing, screams, groans*... for the king!... shhh...* ... finally, the sounds of battle subsided, the battle was over, the lizards were defeated... And so, the elves return home with victory, it seems that everything is over. But the elven council summoned me (Calenz) to the capital. They were unhappy that I did not consult with them and attacked the orcs, helped the northern brethren, and then finished off the lizards. For this, they decided to remove me from my command and send me into retirement. But I didn't care anymore, because the war was over and victory was ours. Time passed, life improved, Calenz and Cleodiel returned to their hometown and began to think about children. The effect of the magical potion began to lose its power, and Calenz's heart was almost cleansed of evil, and all thanks to their love with Cleodiel, which served as a cure. But the same could not be said about their friend Landar, who also drank this potion. Darkness filled the already cruel heart of the elf. And one day, a messenger arrived from the capital, bringing terrible news. Landar killed all the members of the council, gathered an army, and declared himself king. He ordered Calenz to be killed, and now he is being hunted. But not everyone joined the new "king"; the northern brethren refused, and part of the army, loyal to Calenz, headed there to unite their efforts in the fight against Landar. Now, Calenz himself must reach the northern Stronghold to lead the campaign against his former friend.

Yesterday, I started a new game in Civilization III, playing as the Canadians (or rather, since there isn't a Canadian nation by default, I took a regular, existing country and adapted everything to fit them, including the names). I'm developing, exploring the nearby territories, and fighting a few battles with barbarians (basically, the standard routine). I discover that two nations are located near me: Russia and Japan. Time passes, and the Russians demand tribute from me, but I refuse. They declare war on me =[br][/br]And so it begins – the first war with axes, primitive bows, and spears :D. After repelling several enemy attacks, I decided to retaliate and destroyed two Russian cities. Then we made peace. We researched metalworking, which allowed us to create new, stronger soldiers. Of course, I noticed that my competitors had more of these soldiers =[br][/br]Russian settlers, escorted by soldiers, were passing through my territories, so I told them to leave or face war. They... declared war. This is already the second time! In general, I realized that the enemy was stronger than me, and I needed support, so I formed a military alliance with the Japanese (naturally, after paying them a considerable sum of money). Again, I managed to repel many attacks, and then I captured two cities and destroyed one. We decided to make peace, while the Japanese continued to fight them (in essence, I set them up). The Russians deployed a large force into Japan, where, after a long battle, they were eventually defeated. The Japanese captured Yekaterinburg, and then peace was declared :D. Soon, the Middle Ages arrived – knights, heavy armor, and so on appeared. I changed my political system to Feudalism. Then I noticed that I was in a rather bad situation – my technology was lagging behind my neighbors, and my treasury was dwindling. I was almost in the center of the continent, surrounded by countries that didn't particularly like me. If this continued, things would get bad; everyone would start demanding tribute from me, and then they would attack. But King Wesker isn't a fool; he understands everything and decides to launch a risky campaign against his nearest neighbors, the Russians. I gathered a huge army (most of which had previously guarded the cities, so I left the cities mostly undefended) and deployed it on the border. Also, small groups of soldiers were stationed near the cities settled on the eastern side. One day, I became the aggressor for the first time and attacked the unsuspecting competitors. In one turn, three cities were captured. The main force fortified itself in the captured city. The enemy tried to recapture it, but failed. When the attacks ended, I continued to advance through the country. At this time, the Ottoman Empire demanded tribute, so I sent them on a long journey. They declared war on me =[br][/br]They immediately destroyed one of my cities and captured two (in the east). I had to send soldiers there, previously prepared for reinforcement (and I managed to repel their attacks and liberate one of the cities). Meanwhile, I had already captured vast territories of Russia and was starting to approach Moscow... Thanks to my overwhelming numerical superiority, I was able to easily capture the capital, where I found a surprise – the Great Library, which allowed me to bring my technology level up to par with the other developed nations. This was the sweetest prize of the war. However, this event was overshadowed by alarming news – a huge army of the Ottoman Empire was approaching from the south. And most of my cities were practically undefended! I had to start negotiations. In response to my peace offer, they demanded that I give them Kazan (previously captured from the Russians), and I had to agree. But I didn't stop the war and continued to capture enemy territories in the western part of the continent. That's how I steered my nation to become one of the most powerful countries on the continent (the rest of the Earth remains shrouded in mystery :rolleyes:)