Herewulf
Veteran
Thalania
A modification for Mount&Blade .960
Released. Get the 0.3 version at this URL:
https://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?cid=7&id=852
https://www.mbrepository.com/file.php?cid=7&id=852
A map of Thalania, made circa 1389
The original Thalanians are few and far between. They are spread out from the Western Lands, across the Mountain Countries, and out beyong the Seas to the East of the continent.
They were first discovered by migrating Kresklingr, led by Chief Sigurd Braineater. The Kresklingr, having stumbled upon soft, fertile grasslands, after months of marching through the snowy mountains to the North, were delighted to find the Thalanians to be insufficiently armed, and too naïve to even have a word for "war" in their native language. Those Thalanians that couldn't flee were cut down by the Kresklingr Svaerdsmen - those that could, were shot down by the fabled Bowmasters of the Northern realms, whose arrows could find a heart to pierce over two hundred feet away.
For centuries, the Kresklingr called Thalania two things - "Nordaland", in honour of the countries in the North, and also "home", for the land was vast, and very hospitable. All of Sigurd Braineater's people could live there freely, without having any difficulty in finding new land for themselves. There was little in-fighting, though the Kresklingr still maintained a professional army, fully trained lest they be invaded by foreigners, as they had done the Thalanians themselves.
Towards the end of the 13th century, a number of ships sailed into the Frike, the main river which cuts Thalania into two pieces. These ships were manned by the Salandians, men from the Ruined Empire of the East. Trade was established between these forerunners and the people of Nordaland, and for decades, relationships were stable. More and more Salandians came from the East, and soon they had colonised much of the marshland that had been overlooked by the Kresklingr, who preferred the rainy grasslands of the North to the dry steppes of the South.
In 1382, the death of King Willen of Saland caused a rift between even the closest of families. Many wanted Beltan, the eldest son of Willen, to become King, though there were at least as many in the South West who preferred Scalla, the younger brother of Beltan. In a few short years, the once peaceful nation devolved into civil war, and the Country of Tyrin was formed in the South West, ruled by Scalla, now called "Archduke".
Attacks against Nordaland by Tyrin caused a general distrust among Kresklingr of Salandians in their entirety. While relationships between Harald of Nordaland and Beltan of Saland remained friendly, the people began to fight openly, starting with small scuffles, which quickly became skirmishes between the armies of both countries. Peace between Saland, Tyrin and Nordaland is never certain, and at any one time open war may begin or end.
Five years after these events, the Kurghs came from the forests to the South, attacking both Tyrin and Saland. The Steppes are now completely controlled by Kurghiman, with Taramul leading the invasion. At almost the same time, Devonians, from lands across the Eastern Seas, came through the same pass through which the original Salandians came, hotly pursued by Pirates and Raiders. Having fought off many of their foes, including the Kresklingr and Salandians who have attacked them since their arrival, they have now built a firm base in the East of Thalania.
It is now 1392. In one hundred years, the whole of Thalania has been conquered, excluding Norfest, which is rumoured to be haunted by the ghosts of the Thalanians slaughtered by the Kresklingr, almost eight hundred years before.
You, an adventurer, with only your past and a few possessions to guide you, have arrived in this war-wracked land. What you will make of yourself is down to your strength, your intelligence, and your skill with sword and shield. In Thalania, you don't mince words - you mince flesh, in order to get your point across.
Features:
New map;
New factions, with individual strengths and weaknesses;
New troops, tailor-made to increase diversity;
New items: 24 new weapons, including 21 swords and 3 axes (courtesy of stoned-dude and octoburn);
Leadership now gives 10 extra troops per skill level, and every 10 points of renown gets 1 troop more;
Archery and ranged weapons in general are far more dangerous than in native - an arrow to the head will most likely kill you, regardless of the strength of your helmet. Archers are more accurate, thus shields are a necessity (and most troops are equipped with them);
And, most important of all, no horses. Similar to Markus II's "Lords of War" and Sketch's "Might & Blade", Thalania is a horse-free mod. One cannot buy horses, one does not start with a horse, the riding and horse archery skills are not used at all, either by NPCs or, if you're smart, yourself. Battlefields have been resized to make skirmishes and even large-scale battles faster, so you don't have to get your men to march for minutes before the fight actually starts.
Version 0.5 changes:
Arena fix - no more horses, no more lances;
Colours changed - Saland and Nordaland now have lighter faction colours;
Custom Heroes - each hero has been edited (or remade from scratch) to fit in with the Thalania backstory, more of which is revealed in the game now.
Release date: Sunday 24th August
