Posts from Arabian City (Ascension)

Al-Taqisiar Caliphate
The scholars of the state of Elgariol were always interested in three questions: is the world finite? is a world without evil possible? and most importantly, who surrounds them... And it was for this purpose (to find out who surrounds Elgariol) that young Frederic-Nicholas Tanneri, a young court mage, once set out on a journey to the East (and the East in the chronicles of Elgariol was more than once called a cursed place and more than once cursed by monks). After eight years, the young mage returned and brought much necessary information, after which he disappeared without a trace (most likely killed by the monastic order of the Keepers of Light.). And another 4 years later, an embassy arrived from the East, from a country called the Al-Taqisiar Caliphate, a country about which Frederic had told much — in this country one husband could have four wives, and each had at least a pound of solid gold, but woe to those who would covet those treasures, for they were guarded not only by human guards, but also by terrible otherworldly creatures... The embassy arrived and immediately demanded the presence of "a personal friend of the Heaven-like Caliph Mahmet-al-Darekon, young Fredherikh-al-Tannari", and upon receiving an answer stating that he had disappeared, they immediately departed, leaving a note declaring war against the infidels. Eight months later, 12 thousand Heaven-likes landed on the shores of Elgariol. And there were not only humans! Not only eunuch slaves and nuker guards, but also terrible spawn of the desert — ghouls, djinn, sand devils — in general, everything that lived in the desert and that the Caliphate's sorcerers were able to subdue...
Elgariol repelled the attack, but since then all the countries of the West remember and know about the hordes of the East, which remains to this day the strongest and most unified state in the known world. (The history of the Caliphate states that the Caliphate itself began with a union between the Dead God and the Living God, which gives researchers the idea that the Caliphate emerged from a union of Necromancer and Mages...)
Capital — Al-Marud
Ruler — Heaven-like Caliph Mahmet-al-Darekon
Symbol — green vortex on a yellow background
Magic — Fire and Illusions
Religion — worship of God-Alhar in heaven and the Caliph on earth
Religious Symbol — green banner with a fiery crescent in the center
Troops
1. Slave - Overseer - Harem Overseer.
Servants of the Caliph, ready to enter battle at his command. Weak, but numerous and fanatical; sometimes a hundred slaves can withstand an opponent twice their number.
Abilities — numerosity (their growth in the castle equals growth + number of slaves in castle/10), fanaticism (25% chance to deal a double strike), self-sacrifice (similar to the "Sacrifice" spell, but only they themselves act as the sacrifice (only for Harem Overseers)).
Appearance — humans with a stick in hand and a loincloth (eunuchs have a saber instead of a stick, senior eunuchs have a saber and a knife).
2. Desert Imp - Desert Fiend - Junior Shaitan
The lowest of the demonic creatures obeying the Caliph. They are the first line in the regular army, and when fighting in the sands they are stronger than similar troops due to immunity to arrows and fast speed, but only in the sands!
Abilities — demon (2x damage from Light spells), sand creature (+ 5 to speed + flight in sands, + immunity to arrows in sands (for junior shaitans), but - 3 speed and -2 defense on water).
Appearance — a sandy whirlwind; for junior shaitans — with claws drawn inside.
3. Guard - Nuker - Mamluk
The Caliph's guard, ready to give their lives for the lord. Specialists who are equally effective in both melee and ranged combat. But too expensive for a fighter of their level...
Abilities — shooter, no penalty for melee combat.
Appearance — a man in Arabic armor; nukers have green cloaks, Mamluks also have pikes leaning nearby. In hands — a crossbow, on the belt — a sword.
3(b). Junior Ghoul - Ghoul - Ancient Ghoul
Some of the Caliph's warriors consciously sacrifice their "self" for the benefit of the Caliph and turn into Ghouls — terrible creatures similar to the vampires of the West, but devoid of anything human.
Abilities — undead, vampirism, rage (for 3 turns defense is zeroed, and the amount of defense is added to damage), sand camouflage (Ancient Ghouls are invisible until they attack — on sandy terrain).
Appearance — similar to ghouls from Warcraft 3.
4. Arrow-Slinger - Sand Hunter - Wind-Dancer
The elite of the Caliph's army, human shooters who rain arrows upon the enemy and know how to camouflage in the desert; excellent trackers whom even enemies speak of with admiration... but extremely vulnerable warriors.
Abilities — shooter, sand camouflage, no distance penalty (only Wind-Dancers).
Appearance — archer in Arabic armor; Wind-Dancers are in long brown cloaks.
4(b). Tuareg - Bedouin - Avenger
The cavalry of the Caliphate, capable of passing anywhere and any way, strong during fast attacks, but having no chance in open battle — the terror of Western armies that risked venturing into the desert...
Abilities — sand rider (ignores terrain effects in the desert), fast strike (if the opponent cannot respond, damage is doubled), poison (for Avengers).
Appearance — warriors resembling nomads, but Tuaregs have pikes (and, like Bedouins, wear green cloaks), Bedouins have sabers and ride camels, Avengers have sabers, ride horses and wear red cloaks.
5. Stargazer - Astronomer - Astrologer
The scholars of the East have proven more than once that they are worth much not only as thinkers, but also as warriors, and Astrologers instill fear in anyone by their ability to summon Fire elementals.
Abilities — mage (Blindness, Fireball, and Phantom spells (the latter starting from Astronomer)), shooter, summoning elementals (number of elementals = number of Astrologers).
Appearance — a man in a mantle of black-blue-green (corresponding to levels) color, strewn with stars.
5(b). Div - Higher Div - Sultan of Divs
Divs are not wild spirits of the desert, but mages of the East who have crossed the line of human ability... They, however, retained their reason and loyalty to the Caliph.
Abilities — random curse (before battle you can choose whom to curse with a random curse), immunity to magic, flight, fire strike (over 2 cells, like a dragon, for Sultans of Divs).
Appearance — like a djinn; Higher Divs are red, sultans of divs have a green halo.
6. Higher Shaitan - Marud - Elder Marud
The Higher Demons of the eastern deserts themselves bowed before the power of the Caliph and took a worthy place in his army, although they possessed neither magical power nor sophisticated reason... They are fighters whose goal in battle is to protect others.
Abilities — demon, sand creature.
Appearance — an extremely muscular dark-skinned horned man. Maruds have a red halo, elders have a bright green one.
7. Altered - Desert Hawk - General of Hawks
This is the elite of the Caliph's host, fighters who have passed through magical hell and changed so much that they no longer resemble humans.
Abilities — flight, desert camouflage. Shooter, no penalty for melee combat or distance (only General; only 3 projectiles).
Appearance — a humanoid figure, but with wings, claws on the fingers and a bird's head; Hawks are in brown cloaks, Generals have a brown haze around their body. Shoots emerald-green spheres.
8. Messenger of Heaven
These youths come only to those cities of the Caliphate where a Grail is built. They are sent by God and endowed with both magical and physical power.
Abilities — immune to level 1-2 spells, teleportation, unanswered strike.
Appearance — a youth in armor but without a helmet, holding a blue saber, with a green halo.

Wind-Player (warrior commander) — masters of ambush, the best of whom strike terror into the enemy.
Ability — accurate shot. Kills in stack —
Apprentice 1 unit level 1-4,
Advanced 2 units level 1-4,
Expert 3 units level 1-4 or 1 unit level 5-6,
Master 4 units level 1-4 or 2 units level 5-6,
Grandmaster 5 units level 1-4, 3 units level 5-6, or 1 unit level 7-8.
Appearance — a man in a brown cloak with a composite bow in his hands.
Scholar (mage commander) — a mage in the service of the Caliph, master of poisons and vials...
Ability — poison. Apprentice -1 HP per turn, advanced -2, expert -3, master -4, grandmaster -5.
Appearance — a tall man in a green mantle without insignia.
Thief (clerk commander) — a thief who preferred serving the Caliph to death.
Ability — theft. Once every (apprentice — 5, advanced — 4, expert — 3, master — 2, grandmaster — 1) weeks steals 1-2-3-4-5 units of any resource from the enemy.

Warrior Hero — Bey
Mage Hero — Mullah
Clerk Hero — Namessnik

Protector
Heavenly Warrior — a semi-transparent figure, guardian of the faithful inhabitants of the Caliphate, messenger of the Caliph, woven from the blood of a youth and the last breath of an old man.
Abilities — boiling blood (kills up to 20 fighters at once), Sword of the Caliph (a strike "removes improvement" from a unit until the end of battle; for example, returns a nuker back to a guard), phantom (ignores terrain).
Appearance — a blue, semi-transparent figure of a warrior in armor, but with an uncovered head.

Buildings
1. Harem
2. Abandoned Tower
3. Garrison
3(b). Laboratory
4. Sand Ground
4(b). Kennels
5. Stargazer's Tower
5(b). Abandoned Laboratory
6. Forgotten Minaret
7. Heavenly Laboratory
8. Heavenly Gates
Protector's Dwelling — Temple Altar

Buildings that increase growth
1. Slave Market — +10 slaves per week.
2. Altar — +1 higher shaitan per week

Waiting for feedback

A QUOTE THE SIZE OF A POST

Here is my review.
1. Name.
It shows that the author lacks imagination and took the name of the capital of mages in Heroes 5 and changed it from al-Sahir to al-Tahir.
2. As I understand it, they want to place this Castle in the world of Erathia. But everyone knows that mages live in the desert, specifically in the Bracad desert. Therefore, this race has no place in Erathia (and if we also consider Warlords, then the Egyptians should also live somewhere else).
3. Necromancers and mages could not be together. Just play Might and Magic 7 to understand this.
4. There are no gods on Xeen (at least, they are not mentioned).
5. Monsters
1. If this is the number of eunuchs in the country, then what does it mean?
2. Demons could not live with mages, because the Krigane did not cooperate with anyone, they last cooperated with Nighon.
4A. Plagiarism from the archers in Heroes 5.
6. Shaitan is the name of Satan in Muslim mythology. They are also mentioned as evil spirits (demons). Therefore, they could not help people.
5B. In Muslim mythology, these are spirits created by Allah. Moreover, djinns and ifrits are treacherous and do not help people, and if you look at Heroes 3, they are enemies.
8. This is like an angel, but with a mixture of a demon, a black dragon, and someone else. Isn't that too much?
Guardian.
Celestial Warrior - what kind of sadism is this :smile31:. What kind of mages are these?!
Verdict: 100% heresy. They would send you to the stake for this :D

Magnus, point by point
1. IT IS BEING MADE FOR CONFLUX! Talk to Saruman, he will explain the difference to you
Therefore points 1, 2, 3, 4 — are invalid.(Except maybe p.1... but I'll think more about the name... Completely forgot about the mages' capital. Upd. Fixed)
Regarding monsters.
1. Can you suggest a better name?
2(b). Invalid, see above(+ a desert demon is still not quite it...)
4(a). WHERE DID YOU EVEN SEE IT?
6. But the shaitan could be subordinated.
As well as 5(b). An ifrit in all Eastern tales is a spirit created by Allah and subordinated by a Wizard!
8. Not too many.
Celestial Warrior — more details, please!
Verdict — Magnus has been consumed by envy and a thirst for revenge.

Okay. Overall, it's not bad. I'd like to highlight a few points that I personally would like to see in the Arabian faction:

1. Make it also Persian. In the style of Babylon. It would fit perfectly into the Heroes universe. At the same time, this style blends very well with the Arabian style – it was a multicultural society. With this style, I also partly mean the style of the Persians from the movie "Alexander." There, by the way, there is a good panoramic view of Babylon itself, so there will be material for the city's internal screen. The style, as I said, is multifaceted – both luxurious palaces and pyramids, and much more.

2. In addition, there will be a new scope for choosing units. Here you have saínks and chariots – there is room for development.

3. Replace the eunuchs.

4. I liked the cavalry with a damage bonus when the enemy cannot retaliate.

5. Unit: light cavalry. Let them be able to shoot and move in one turn – the ability "shoot on the move."

6. Unit: chariot. When accelerating, it hits those units that were on the adjacent cells.

7. Sphinx. There are three types: with the head of a ram, a human, and a falcon. The body is that of a lion. Names: criosphinx, androsphinx, and hieracosphinx. It's not that important. A flying unit, with angelic wings. Melee combat. On the first hit, it blinds the enemy, but only once per battle. An improved version.

8. Personally, I would like desert genies – in dark whirlwinds of sand; with the ability to slow down the enemy's speed by 1 cell with a sand vortex. Eyes are dark red, evil.

Overall, the picture is as follows:

- Chariot. Approximately level 2, or rather – level 3. Although it would also fit level 4.

- Cavalry. Two types – archers and melee. Melee cavalry – let it be from the lower class – black Arabs [it's better not to call them Arabs, come up with a race name]. Archers – from the upper class, white Arabs. Two types of cavalry will also reflect the relative mobility of the faction. Perhaps they will be levels 3 and 4.

- Level 5 – desert genie.

- Level 6 – sphinx.

I'm waiting for criticism.

Tengro, excellent! I was especially pleased that you wrote everything according to the scheme I suggested. Some comments:
Guardian of the Caliph – it would be better to replace it with Mamluk, as it sounds nicer.
Archers already exist in Elgaland; I suggest something like this: Sand Hunter - Wind Dancer - Fakir.
Cavalry also existed in Elgaland; it would be better to replace it with Cataphract, and the Caliph's Warrior with Horse Archer, and the Avenger should also be an archer.
Sorcerers and Sand Mages should be replaced with Astrologers and Astronomers.
Djinn and Ifrit – I'm sorry, but the biggest mistake is that Djinn are in the Tower, and Ifrit are in Inferno; it would be better to make something like Divs.
What is Staini?
A thief who preferred serving the Caliph to death. – what does this mean? If he is against the Caliph, how did he end up in the Arab armies?
Thanks again! And we could even create a plot about the Crusades!

Now, to Magnus:
The World of Ascension is not Xion. I repeat the general history of Ascension: after the destruction of Xion, part of the people fled through portals to Axeoth, and part to the World of Ascension. Several hundred years passed, and new states were formed in the new world; some were similar to the old ones, and some were not.
If Necromancers and Mages were enemies before, why can't they form an alliance now? In the Rise of Erathia, some Necromancers helped Erathia. In general, in Xion, many races often fought and allied with each other.
Demons could live with Mages for the same reason.
Regarding the gods: What about the Ancestors who sent Tarnum? Also, who do the monks of Erathia worship?

To Gamehunter:
Let the style be like Babylon.
Sphinx already exists as a building; perhaps it could be used instead of Djinn?
Chariots can be used elsewhere; for now, all the units seem harmonious.

Well done, keep it up! :) It's about time. The idea with the chariots is good, but having too many cavalry units isn't ideal. The mages definitely need to be renamed. Demons fit in well. In my opinion, the Arabic style should be more prominent than the Babylonian style. The Sphinx is unnecessary here.

Okay, fine. The Sphinx isn't really Babylonian; it's more Egyptian. So, I give the go-ahead to remove it.

Oh, that's good to hear.
So, Saruman, the line about the thief is that he was caught, and, as one of the best thieves, he was given an offer that is impossible to refuse. That is, either death or work for the Caliph.
Djinn and Ifrit are the first things that come to mind. Although Divs would be more accurate.
Regarding the ranged cavalry, don't confuse the East with the Mongols. In the East, archery wasn't practiced very much – it's very easy to create zero visibility. :)
Stables are analogous to the stables.

Some units are ridiculous. The mention of hundreds of eunuchs is quite clever.))) Or maybe they could be replaced with concubines? Who needs these stupid women? And the army would have more fun.)))

Sumerian-Akkadian mythology, by the way, is quite rich. I think you could delve into it and add units from there... But overall, the city is quite well-designed.

I just don't know the mythology of the Sumerians:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
And now I'll change something:)

Tengro Guardian of the Caliph – it would be better to replace it with Mamluk, as it sounds nicer.

Mamluks were also called something like undead or dead warriors. Then, the appearance would be a dead soldier in rusted armor.

Oh, come on...
Mamluk is a soldier in Saladin's army.
And there's no need for that.

Let's finalize the concept.
Another idea is to replace the harem keepers with dervishes, the Caliph's warriors with Tuaregs, and put the Tuaregs and avengers on camels. Tengro, I meant to replace the guards with Mamluks, not the riders.

Dervishes are monks: (What is a Tuareg? And... almost all Arab cavalry rode horses (with the exception of Bedouins).

The Tuareg are simply nomadic horsemen. They are one of the tribes, and it would be possible to make them a separate unit, but why bother?
They rode camels, but didn't fight on them; it was more like dragoon cavalry.