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Heroes Community > Age of Heroes Coliseum > Thread: ICTC 8 - Hive
Thread: ICTC 8 - Hive
Articun
Articun


Supreme Hero
As i dream, so shall it be!
posted March 02, 2015 05:05 PM
Edited by Articun at 22:37, 06 Mar 2015.

ICTC 8 - Hive

Hive or Swarm

IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN OR CREATED ANY OF THE PICTURES PRESENTED HERE. THE PICTURES DO NOT DEPICT THE ACTUAL UNIT OR THE COLORS OF THE UNITS BUT THE DIRECTION OF HOW IT COULD LOOK IN ITS FINAL FORM

Background Lore
After the events of Dark Messiah Kha Beleth is freed and Sheogh disintegrates, leaving scorns of demons on the surface of Ashan and its undergrounds. This event has such an impact that all races in Ashan are shaken to their core. The aftershocks of the events fall heavy on the holy Empire that is still in the middle of reform and the recent incidents with the red Queen and Isabella’s war are still recent.

Dwarves and Dungeon are the first to face the demon threat. The Volcanos that act as doorways erupt and the Dwarves are found to be fighting two fronts, saving their homelands from fire and lava and also battling the Demon armies at their doorsteps. The council of Faceless are unable to gather sufficient and accurate information regarding the events and although knowing what is happening, are unable to guarantee safe passage to the Dark Elves, leaving them face to face with demons.

In short time Demons come out from crevices of the earth, from every cave and mountain and they charge on the surface of Ashan. At this point, all Factions are ready for war. As the war rages, something unexpected happen. The moon explodes and a meteor shower falls over Ashan. From the Irisus Sea, a huge Volcano Forms visible from miles away. In the flash of an eye, two humongous creatures, two Dragons that with their size fill the sky clash. Urgash is free and Asha wakes to counter her brother. Great tremors shake the earth. The colors turn darker everywhere. In their clash, Asha and Urgash start to bleed. Their blood falls into the world creating new nexus and energies and crystals with tremendous power. With each clash, a tear is formed into the fabric of reality and nether seeps through.

The mages understood that the instability would cause reality to unravel and the whole cosmos to unravel and stop to exist, so they started an ancient balancing ritual to mend the cracks. Magic users from all over the world started doing that with their own rituals. The energies gathered that way were enough to safeguard the continuation of reality as Asha and Urgash continued to clash further away into the universe they created.

This event though had some major side effects. Those energies gave rise to new living forms. It would take some years for the other races of Ashan to come across the new threats that came to be on the face of Ashan. Many wars broke out in those years. New alliances were made, new changes within the known factions. The demons found their place on Ashan, on uninhabited and harsh environments, but they now had a place to call “Home-Inferno” as Kha-Beleth envisioned.

Turmoil was also present within Necropolis and Haven. With their Goddess now supposedly gone half of the Undead believed that they were abandoned and wanted to stop worshipping the Spider Goddess while others remained faithful and surmised that now more than ever they had the responsibility to safeguard the balance of Life and Death. This debate lead to what would be called the “Unweave of the Web” where a large portion of the undead left Heresh to create their own reformed Necropolis and differentiate themselves from the Ziggurat as they came to refer to the Spider Worshippers. In Haven, there was a similar incident were Paladins and Knights wanting to ensure that the human race would never again be disgraced as it did in the last years, created a strong political movement that came to hold great power and be considered as a state within the state. The Imperium as it came to be known was in large autonomous and with one goal: to purge all which is impure, evil and strays too far from the teachings of Elrath.

On the shores of the Jade Sea, the Naga come along two new life forms. Lizard but also like human and Human but also like frog. The creatures live together but under primitive conditions. Their discovery is seen by the Naga as the will of Shalassa to accept those new beings into her kingdom. But the Eternal Empress sees a vision directly from Shalassa that those beings are to be trained and educated by the Naga but not to join the ranks of Sanctuary as Sylanna also claims them as their children. It is decided that both Sylvan and Sanctuary will help create a new home for these beings that will be close to both water and land, in marshes and swamps. And in the ten years that pass, the new faction gets to be known as Citadel.

The Outburst
10 long years passed before a new balance formed between the established Factions. 10 long years of slaughter, war and death, before all sides decided to make peace. Even demons, unpredictable as they are retreaded to their new home to build and grow. But the world of Ashan changed a lot when Urgash was released. It was now harsher, dangerous, and brutal.

But the true threat begun when rumors first heard by the Wanderers, the followers of Ylath that always travel and also the best known pathfinders. The rumors spoke of insects, with great size and speed. None believed those rumors. War and politics were more important.

Then words came from dwarves and Dark elves that they had come upon tunnels not known to exist before and many strange disappearances of experienced miners and scouts. At first each side blamed the other, but soon it was established that something else was lurking in the deeps and shadows.  

The final confirmation came from the exiles of Necropolis in search of a new home. They ventured into strange lands far to the east, beyond Ranaar Steppes in search of isolation and peace from persecution of either the Imperium or Ziggurat. There they discovered vast expanses with a strange material reminiscing of insect shells. It wasn’t long before they witnessed the numbers and structure of what seemed like a new species and a “civilization” of sorts, much like ants or bees. What they observed would come to be called the Hive or later on as the swarm.

For two years the undead observed and studied the insect-like creatures that appeared not to acknowledge them. They surmised that those insects reacted and were attracted to living beings way better and avoided death, maybe due to the Namtaru poison or to total ignorance of Necromancy energies that didn’t even affect them.

Today, the blind brothers have seen signs of an impending nightmare. In their visions and omens they see black shining eyes, they see locusts and warn for an insect infestation on the plantations. Orc shamans say that the spirits whisper of a sky that turns black and a Necromancer witness for the first time the birth of ten creatures. Creatures whose whole purpose is to move out with multitude of warriors and workers and create a new hive. In the far-east, the skies turn black, the air vibrates from thousand beating wings and the earth trembles as millions of insects march to conquer. The Swarm marches to form new hives and Ashan will never be the same again.

Faction Information
Colors: Dark Green, Brown, Dark Blue
Home Towns and Capitols: Hives appearing around Ashan have no names. The first Hive is located somewhere in the Far East, where the first Queen gives birth to the swarm and the princesses. The Capitol is just known as the First Hive.

Society Structure: “All follow the queen”
The Queen is a gigantic constant birth machine. It lays eggs that hatch into warriors, workers or princesses. For a strange reason there can only be 10 princesses at a time born from any queen. Each princess will then go to create her own Hive where she will become a new Queen. Each Queen has a “psychic” connection with every member of her kingdom, knowing exactly how many workers or warriors there are and gives birth to the appropriate number of each cast. She is the mind of the hive that acts as a single organism.
When a princess leaves to create her own Hive, the army she takes with her is still connected to the established Queen, but the princess pheromones also affects the other insects. It is the first connection that will allow her to one day rule them as queen and for her army to recognize her as such. All warriors are male units and all workers are female sterile units due to the Princess pheromones.

Heroes: There are 10 heroes to choose from, all female princesses known as the First Breed.

Faction Ability: At the beginning of battle each player chooses how to resonate with the Hive queen. That resonance cannot be changed for the duration of battle.
Queens Resonance
1. Feed: Initiative and Strength increases every turn by 1%
2. Swarm: Defense and movement range increases each turn by 1%
3. Conserve: Health and Defense increases by 1% each turn
4.  Unleash: Health and Strength increases by 1% each turn

Hero Ability: The hero is able to bond with one units during battle. With hero levels 1-10 the hero can bond with a core unit. With levels 10-18 with an elite unit and with 18+ with a champion unit.
Pheromones – The unit bonded with pheromones will have its lower attribute become the same as its highest attribute (for example if a unit has attack of 5 and health of 2 and health is its lowest stat and its attack the highest, then health will also become 5)

This Faction uses the 5/5/3 system. That means that each time you choose a creature dwelling to be build in your town from 5 available. There is no restriction on how or what you choose. The core selection locks when you have chosen 3 dwellings. The same goes for the elite tier as well. For the champion units you can choose only one from the 3. In the end you will have 7 creatures in your lineup. In each town you conquer the selection has to be made again, meaning that the selection of units you make in town 1 will not be forced as the default in town 2 or 3 etc

Core Units or Workers
1. Collector / Harvester

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Mediczero
Mediczero


Famous Hero
Warlord of the sea
posted March 02, 2015 05:54 PM

Cool! Though I'm still working on my own version of the faction, which is wastly different from this....

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Articun
Articun


Supreme Hero
As i dream, so shall it be!
posted March 02, 2015 06:26 PM

Yeah, i didn;t want to go after your idea, but present a primal, dangerous faction, a truly evil one, which is dangerous and a threat because it only understands two things, to survive and to multiply (or colonize). In that regard, all other factions (including Demons) are in danger of being overrun. There is no diplomacy, no negotiation. It's just resist or perish.

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Sleeping_Sun
Sleeping_Sun


Promising
Famous Hero
Townscreen Architect
posted March 02, 2015 07:07 PM

Can't wait to see this faction done.

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Mediczero
Mediczero


Famous Hero
Warlord of the sea
posted March 02, 2015 07:18 PM

Well yours surely reminds me of the necrophages from endless legend

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Minastir
Minastir


Promising
Famous Hero
posted March 02, 2015 07:42 PM

So far the lore is really interesting, great idea, can't wait to see the rest !

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Articun
Articun


Supreme Hero
As i dream, so shall it be!
posted March 02, 2015 08:00 PM

I am now trying to write the lore setting for the many changes that will see the new Inferno i have in ICTC, a schism in Necropolis and introduce the Hive and maybe Citadel

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PandaTar
PandaTar


Responsible
Legendary Hero
Celestial Heavens Mascot
posted March 04, 2015 08:32 PM

Does it have to be in Ashan? Or lore is mainly optional?

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Articun
Articun


Supreme Hero
As i dream, so shall it be!
posted March 04, 2015 08:42 PM

It's in Ashan because it's the current setting for the heroes franchise and i chose to keep as true to it as possible. But since it is a fan based creation, i guess it isn't really bound by any law concerning it's setting, lore or world, unless Ubisoft and Limbic decide to make it official, but i guess tough luck there

You will see though that even though both my other 2 factions are based in Ashan, i am trying to create a mini world of their own by interconnecting them. So Refuge (Wanderers), Hive (or Swarm) and Inferno are connected (by the explanation given in this post of how the story possibly progresses )

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PandaTar
PandaTar


Responsible
Legendary Hero
Celestial Heavens Mascot
posted March 04, 2015 09:39 PM

Ah, I see.

I deem too time consuming if I happen to get ongoing with anything of that sort if I start thinking on lore - which I don't like much when regarding Ashan *suddenly kills a spider that was climbing the monitor*. Oh, well, I'll give this Tournament a thought.

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Articun
Articun


Supreme Hero
As i dream, so shall it be!
posted March 04, 2015 09:45 PM

I don't mind the Spider theme for Necropolis or having a spider unit. What i don;t like about it is going too far, like towns getting spider legs.
Philosophically the spider web is the ideal representation of fate and how it intertwines and forms what we know as reality. Also spiders can represent decay, death and even mummification if we consider that they surround their prey in cocoon-mummy like webs and some will even drink the prey's fluids until left dry.
But again, the Fate Spinners, great addition in my opinion. The spider, i don;t mind. The Spiderpolis Town screen... no.  

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