Tales of the Black Bow
“Not always have the disparate lands of Calradia been united under a single banner. Few ask of how it came to pass. Fewer still remember the stories or played some part in it. Come, young one, and listen, for my tale is a part of the history of our land and our nation.
“Times previous were dark indeed. Bands of rogues and brigands scoured the roads for the unwary traveler. From the north, raiders came in great numbers wreaking havoc on the crumbling kingdom and laying waste to any who would oppose them. From the east came the Khergit on their fleet horses carving out their own holdings from the southern reaches. Invaders, it seemed, were in large supply in the those times. Even those whose fathers' fathers' called Calradia home saw fit to fight amongst themselves leading to a period of warfare and blight. Prosperity fled, crops withered, men died.
“It was into this turmoil that I made my way, young and naïve. Seems that many were in those times since so few saw their later years. I hired out as a sellsword to a caravan heading to Suno despite knowing that the way was perilous. I was not surprised when we were attacked on the second night; neither was I prepared.
“Four score of Nords set upon us that night; more of an army than I'd seen until then—the kind of force that storms castles and burns villages. They were organized, well equipped, and intent on taking from us what we had, with orders from one of their petty lords looking to make a fistful of denars from the safety of his far away castle. Our defense was no match, aye, not even in the same class, and despite our best efforts we were easily defeated.
“They decided to put us to the sword though I suspect that the decision was made long before they broke camp. As the last of the band to meet the executioner's axe, I silently vowed as the edge met its apex that should I be granted life, that I would fight these bastards and all those who would oppress the inhabitants of this land 'til my dying breath. As if beckoned by a higher power, two black shafts immediately sprouted from the axeman's neck. He dropped his weapon falling backward, dead. My salvation had come.
“Out of the darkness came the thunder of hooves. An alarm was raised in the camp and a battle cry erupted as the Nords hastened to make ready. The attackers' cavalry barreled through the hasty front line, crushing many and lancing many more. They stood no chance and the camp was soon awash in the blood of my captors. The battle was swift and brutal. The attackers left none of the Nords alive. They were led by a woman with piercing eyes and a commanding voice, wielding a black bow and riding a regal white charger.
“My savior was one of few words, but to this day I remember what she told me that night: 'Gather whatever is yours. You are free to go, but if you yearn for revenge, come with me.' My choice was clear.
“I was put into service as a cavalryman and was given some rusty weapons, a battered shield, and a barely trained rouncey. In the weeks to come, I was given basic instructions in swordplay, horsemanship, and tactics. Between fighting bandits and chasing down waylay Nord patrols, I became close to my newfound brothers and sisters. A more ragtag band I have never set eyes upon, yet despite our mismatched gear and varied backgrounds, we were unstoppable.
“In those early days we roamed the countryside, looking for others like us who would fight for the land and its people. Times were hard. What we lacked in proper equipment we made up for in courage and discipline. Every battle was led by our Lady—first in and last out, brandishing the black bow with otherworldly skill. Every battle was a victory. As Nord castles started to fall to our advance, the other petty factions of the land sought to take them from us; to avail us of our rightful prize. Their time would come.
“In time, I was given command of a squad and eventually an army. Our force was split and I was put in charge of the southern campaign. It was in our conquest of Narra that I lost my eye. Our force had become strong enough that none could oppose us for long. Seven years and scant months from the day I first set out as a sellsword, we had conquered the land. None were left to oppose us.
“Our Lady is gone now and few of our original band survive this late year. Those of us who do remain remember fondly our time in her service. This Pax Calradia in which we now prosper was built upon the ashes of the old by the strength of ten thousand sword arms and the blood of the fallen. Ours is a tale of war, a tale in which I can claim a small part. Ours is a tale of conquest.
- Honor counts for a lot more.
- Prosperity is factored into many more aspects of the game.
- Several pacing issues have been resolved.
- Many aspects of the game's simulation have been reworked.
- AI has been tweaked to be more aggressive.
- The autoresolver has been fixed.
- Several new buildings have been added.
- Lots of new items and equipment have been added.
- Costs have been refactored across the board.
- Faction patrols roam the countryside.
- Deathcam!
- And much, much more!
Screenies:
Horses:
Credits:
Many thanks to:
- froggyluv, TalonAquila, and Jubal: additional design
- TalonAquila: additional programming
- froggyluv, TalonAquila, lorenzogarch, Mazrik, dzorro, thedubman, Pablomonto: testing
- TheMageLord
- Geoffrey Ashe for the NNY mod (code used)
- GarnierMOD (ideas borrowed from code)
- Raowyn (ideas borrowed from code)
- MartinF for listening to my crazy ideas
- Jik for his awesome tutorial
- Saxondragon for raising the bar
- Rubik for proving what I said about hacking the compiler
- Mordachai for using his ebil Jedi mind tricks to make me write piles of code that I was too lazy to start
- The OSP community for their awesome art!
- Aquil for his excellent face textures
- Talak's awesome Unique Armory
- LLew2's sweet LotR weapons
- Fisheye's autoloot
- Lord & Realms Siege Project (NICK.ALTMAN, Xamim, Osugi)
- The M&B modding community
- TaleWorlds for giving me such an awesome sandbox to play in!
- froggyluv, TalonAquila, and Jubal: additional design
- TalonAquila: additional programming
- froggyluv, TalonAquila, lorenzogarch, Mazrik, dzorro, thedubman, Pablomonto: testing
- TheMageLord
- Geoffrey Ashe for the NNY mod (code used)
- GarnierMOD (ideas borrowed from code)
- Raowyn (ideas borrowed from code)
- MartinF for listening to my crazy ideas
- Jik for his awesome tutorial
- Saxondragon for raising the bar
- Rubik for proving what I said about hacking the compiler
- Mordachai for using his ebil Jedi mind tricks to make me write piles of code that I was too lazy to start
- The OSP community for their awesome art!
- Aquil for his excellent face textures
- Talak's awesome Unique Armory
- LLew2's sweet LotR weapons
- Fisheye's autoloot
- Lord & Realms Siege Project (NICK.ALTMAN, Xamim, Osugi)
- The M&B modding community
- TaleWorlds for giving me such an awesome sandbox to play in!
Current version is v0.70a which can be found here: https://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?cid=7&id=1384
Previous releases can be found here:
- v0.60a https://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?cid=7&id=1320
- v0.50a https://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?cid=7&id=1287
- v0.50a http://files.filefront.com/Conquest+v0507z/;13764776;/fileinfo.html
We're good on testers right now, but could use an artist. Thanks, all!