Part 7: Journey to Llancarfan Recap

Previously on Myth III



Connacht and Damas made their way to Llancarfan, and met with Emperor Leitrim and Imperial Advisor and High Warlock Mjarin.

This is a pretty fun level, and feels like the first "real" level of the game. You spend a lot of time in Myth attacking Thrall and Soulless across choke points. Getting Archers and Warlock also helps to vary up the options at your disposal. Anytime you get to use Damas almost feels like cheating. He's such a powerful unit to begin with, and he carries extra mandrake roots for healing to make himself even more powerful.

Screenshots:











The game film. Remember to download the image and open the image with winrar to find a filmy present inside.



A new tier has been added to the old kill image. This thing's going to be huge by the end of this LP, and it terrifies me.



Corbeau had a joke about this level, but I did it first and better in the newest failure video. Speaking of failure, in the main video I say "secondary unit" when I meant to say "secondary ability".

Twice.




YouTube



Damas

The best single unit friendly in the game for my money. Fastest unit in the game, has tons of health, can heal repeatedly and hits fairly hard. If for some reason this guy turned evil and had his own game dedicated to taking him down, doing so would be very difficult.

Captain of the Imperial Heron Guard of Emperor Leitrim, Damas is widely regarded as the most skilled warrior in all of the empire. Unlike the dual swords used by other Heron Guard, Damas uses an exquisite glaive in battle. His proficiency and loyalty are unmatched. Damas also refuses to wear the heavy plate armor of the Heron Guard, preferring lighter and less restricting armor. Damas is well known throughout the imperial court to be handsome and charming, and is swooned over by many a lord's daughter. Like the other Heron Guard, Damas is proficient at imbuing the Mandrake Root with healing powers and making good use of its abilities in combat.

"…one-hundred fellow Heron Guard sat against the wall of the chamber, having been beaten by his skill. Only one other remained, leaving them in contest for Imperial Champion. The Emperor halted the match and stated that this final battle would be to the death. The Heron Guard assaulted Damas with fury in his eyes, but Damas refused to fight. Thusly, Damas had won the match…"

"...the youngest ever to serve as the Captain of the Imperial Heron Guard, Damas, is also the most peculiar. Refusing the dual Heron Swords of the Guard, he wields an exquisite glaive, forged by his blacksmith father. Rejecting the heavy plate armor of his position, he favors the movement allowed by lighter armor. Speed, skill, and cunning are his main weapons..."

Archer

Your main go-to ranged unit. A mass of well placed Archers can defeat entire armies before they can get near. Each archer carries one flaming arrow that is excellent for area denial, or setting off explosive traps. Archers have very poor health and a minimum range for their arrows, so they need to have melee units nearby for backup.

Out of the ranks of soldiers, those that have a keen eye are trained in the ancient ways of the longbow. Llancarfan archers train most of their lives with their bows, becoming deadly accurate. Archers forgo the bulk of chain armor for the mobility of light leather. Unfortunately, the archers are not known for their swift movement of hand to hand combat prowess. Get them on a high fortification, though, and they can turn the tide of any battle. Many archers also carry with them a single bulky fire arrow. These explosive arrows are lit and fired, erupting into a pool of fire when shattering on the ground.

"…the Bowmen of Llancarfan are common folk, trained only in marksmanship and not military tactics. Unlike the rigorous training undergone by typical soldiers, bowmen are not known for their strength and stamina. This slow movement and light armor is the center of many jokes among the soldiers, but the thoughts of an arrow in their eye at a hundred paces cuts their laughter short…"

"…centuries past, the men of the Cath Bruig made war with the forest dwelling fir'Bolg. Driven from their forest homes by the Trow, they made their way into the Downs. None remember how the conflict started, but after several years of war, Llancarfan drove the fir'Bolg west, across the Cloudspine. Though this was a bitter victory, the art of archery was adopted by the Cath Bruig army…"

Heron Guard

The best overall melee unit in the game. Not as fast or strong as Berserks, but the ability to heal 3 units make them more valuable.

The elite guard of the Emperor himself, the royal Heron Guard combine considerable combat efficiency with magical knowledge. Each year, a hundred warriors train to become members of the Heron Guard - and only five will be chosen. These are the best of the best. Wielding dual swords, and bedecked in heavy plate armor, their strength and discipline makes them powerful allies on the battlefield. Each Heron is taught the arts of healing from the Avatara, and can utilize magical mandrake roots to heal their wounds of the wounds of others. Healing does not restore all of a unit's lost health. Also, undead creatures tend to fall into pieces when the powers of healing are put to them.

"…The Heron Guard were founded in the time of the Third Emperor Folsom. His procession attacked by Myrkridia, a lone warrior wielding dual swords fought back the devils and personally saved the Emperor. This warrior was Ihsa'sum, who claimed to be from the East. The Emperor, so marveling at his skill and bravery, bid him to the city of Llancarfan to train his finest guardsmen…"

"…every year, a thousand of the empire's most skilled soldiers are led into the imperial arena. After days of battling and riddle-solving, all but one hundred are dismissed. These chosen move into the Great Training Hall where the greatest heroes of the Royal Order teach them the ways of combat. After a year's training, only five of the initiates are chosen to become true Heron Guards…"

"...taught to them by the Avatara, the use of Mandrake Root to heal is an ancient and complex ritual. The root must only be gathered during a full moon, and remain untouched by human hands. Each root so extracted is imbued with five drops of the maker's blood, branded with a symbol of potency, and wrapped in cloth so as not to be touched until the healing is desired..."

Warlock

The poor man's dwarf. Not nearly as amusing, but a little bit more reliable. Warlocks hurl huge fireballs at the enemy, powered by magic. In a pinch, Warlocks can summon forth a ring of fire to damage all units in melee range. Of course, by that point the Warlock is usually already dead.

Secretive and reclusive, the Warlocks of Scholomance are feared and despised by those outside their order. They have mastered incredible magics, but at the price of their souls. Dressing in long red robes with fiery emblems, they make a fearsome sight. During battle, they have the ability to summon a magical of fire that streaks towards their foes and detonates in a small area. The Warlocks are subservient only to Mjarin, the Imperial Advisor and head of their order. Warlocks use mana as a source of their powers. With each fiery spell they weave, their mana is depleted. With no mana, a Warlock cannot cast his spells, and must wait for his powers to recharge. A Warlock's special ability is a massive fireball that when cast streaks towards the enemy and obliterates them in a tremendous fiery holocaust. This spell takes _ of the Warlock's mana, but when timed right, it can turn the tide of battle.
_{I get the feeling no one proofread the manual that well. However the fireball was originally the Warlock special attack instead of main attack. The Ring of Fire was patched in. Unpatched the main attack was to have the Warlock flick his wrist at one enemy, and throw a tiny bit of fire at them. It did very poor damage but consumed very little mana.}

"The Warlocks were born from a schism between the order of Avatara - Mazzarin and a powerful sorceress named Moytirra. Mazzarin forbid certain dark magics, stating that they led only to one's death. Moytirra challenged him, saying that power is all that matters and must be attained by any means. After the battle, she left and formed her own magical Order of Scholomance…"

"…the flame danced before his eyes…whispering secrets to his mind…beckoning him to stare deeper…promising power…Just a little more concentration…the secret he looked for was almost within his grasp…he felt a pain seize him…but he yearned to stare even deeper into the flame…into the power…With a struggle, his willpower overpowered the destructive thoughts, and then he began again…"

"...The search for the Ultimate Truth is the focus of all Warlocks. Knowledge of this truth allows them to manipulate the fabric of the world. They search for the Essence of Existence, a secret they believe they can find through the ashes of burning flame and communing with powerful forces. Some say these forces are merely masks for the Dark Gods, but warlocks reply to this accusation with only frowns..."

Thrall

The main enemy melee unit. What they lack in speed the make up for in numbers. When most people think about Myth gameplay, they think about blowing up Thrall.

First created Millennia past by the Watcher, Thrall have been called the Children of Bahl'al. These near mindless animated corpses serve their sorcerous masters without question. Played in piecemeal armor and wielding huge axes, Thrall make up the bulk of any undead army. A single thrall is hardly a concern - that's why they're usually found by the hundreds. Thrall, not needing to breathe and weighted down by their heavy armor, can walk under the surface of water, making for great surprise attacks. That is, if their pitifully slow movement is not first spotted by the enemy.

"…The men of Dru'Cullah made their last stand against the Watcher's army. As dawn broke, a shifting mass appeared on the horizon - not the heat of the sun rising from the glen - but a sea of deathless corpses shambling towards Dru'Cullah. The population of neighboring villages had swelled the ranks of the dead. Many soldiers took their own lives, but at the days end, all marched for the Watcher…"

"…from…every barrow…every cairn…every mausoleum…dead were taken. The most holy of sanctuaries were defiled as bodies of the dead were loaded onto great wagons, piled high with corpses and buzzing flies. These were rolled before the feet of Bahl'al, and within minutes, the ancient dead were clawing their way through the piled massed of writhing corpses…"

Soulless

The main enemy ranged unit. While they don't have a lot of speed or health, Soulless are unique in that they are completely unhindered by terrain. By placing themselves in unreachable locations, masses of Soulless can easily place a hurting on enemy units.

Soulless, also called "Hollow Men", are semi-ethereal minions of the dark. Appearing as a skeleton severed at the waist and wrapped in a billowing cloud of vapor, they carry dozens of barbed javelins on their backs. Their ability to float several feet from the ground allows them to swiftly move to places that men cannot hope to reach. From these high perches, they rain down their poison coated javelins upon their enemies. Soulless do not move very quickly and, thankfully, cannot take much abuse. Still an army of Soulless can kill a group of warriors to the last, before they can ever lay sword to bone.

"…held afloat by the memory of legs, Soulless are heralds of corruption. A miasma of pestilence and death constantly billow from their skeletal forms - its foul odour potent enough to make seasoned warriors wretch and the very plants they touch wither into dust or toxins…"

"…an array of Soulless gathered before the slope, hurling javelins at small targets, and hitting with uncanny accuracy. Another group of Hollow Men crafted new javelins from gnarled tree limbs, affixing sharp wooden barbs onto them. Still another group floated over a patch of weeds, that rapidly shriveled into a black ooze into which the tips of their new javelins were thrust…"

"...Hollow Men are coveted for their retained intellect. In creating these constructs, the mind of the subject must be a willing one. This requires the creator to divine the one thing that was once loved by the subject, a memory or idea, and then extinguish that memory from its mind. Once its reason for living is gone, the soul is easily corrupted... Intelligence without conscience..."

Wight

Enemy suicide units. They will quietly sneak up behind or flank your units while you're distracted, and explode with great force. Those who aren't killed are temporarily paralyzed. Wights must be dealt with at range.

These loathsome bags of flesh are the creation of the worst kind of necromancy. Their swollen husks are filled with pestilence and explosive gasses. With one swift knife cut, they can end their miserable existence in a massive explosion of putrescent filth. The explosions caused by wights can level stone walls and reduce a score of men to bloody pulp. A wight's only desire is to die and be released from its torment….and try to take as many living soldiers with it. Thankfully, their slow shambles make them easily detectable, and just a few arrows send them to their explosive demise.

"…The necromantic art of creating wights is not an involved process, but a timely one. Into the selected cadaver's chest and stomach, a mixture of dung, night polyps, and Kzir fly larva are inserted. The cavity is then tightly sewn up and the Dream of Undeath is bestowed. The corpse must be caged and left to ripen for at least two moons…great care must be taken not to injure the specimen…"

"The Great Cleansing spread across the land - anyone who was claimed to dabble in the Necromantic arts was dragged screaming to the pyre. Culwyeh barely escaped the torch, fleeing into a fetid swampland. Unyielding revenge controlled his mind; searching for a way to strike back at his foes. Though it took many years, he indeed brought to life his first 'Messenger'…"

"...festering in their putrid innards, the filthy polyp fungus feeds off the rotting flesh, and produces a gaseous toxin, so potent and noxious, that it spreads into the very muscle, pore, and bone. Only the stretched and inflated skin keeps the venomous gasses contained. The pustulant flesh is a concoction of virulent diseases; one of which spreads the so-called 'bleeding death-fever'..."

Next time on Myth III
Scouts return to Llancarfan bearing news. A creature has been sighted that bears resemblance to something only rumoured to exist - A Myrkridian Pack-Mage, a member of the missing upper class of intelligent Myrkridia. The order is made to hunt down and kill The Pack-Mage using Connacht's newly-trained company of troops.