The Ilsamiren Wars

[Ilsamir Lord]

This is
THE ILSAMIREN WARS
an original fantasy concept in development for Medieval II:Total War and the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

GENERAL INFORMATION

The mod is not based on any film, book or period in our history. The setting, factions and religions are entirely original. All designs, though influenced by real life equivalents are also original. The concept for this mod came to me after years of toying with a fantasy concept, originally I was planning on writing three novels, but that did not eventuate. I have developed religions, cultures and even the beginnings of two languages relating to this concept and I suddenly realised that a mod was the way to make it public.

BACKGROUND

The world of Cleru Denaurath is generally peaceful, but for the occasional raid on the Ilsamiri by their neighbours of the Northern Kingdom and the Seaborne. These raids have of late become increasingly regular and organised, a poor omen. The Ocean Tribes conduct their civilisation quietly among the Islands of the Dividing Sea and the Southern and Western Kingdoms carry out their trade and agriculture under stable rules, but they too are increasingly threatened, largely because of their close relationship with the Ilsamiri. In the far south, in the great Forest of Light, Clauthnor, the warlords stir.

On the Eastern Continent, the Mekathenain civilisation is preparing a mass exodus. They have been driven to abandon their once fertile land by the encroachment of the desert from the centre of the continent. Rain has not fallen on their farms for almost 100 years, and so they have constructed a mighty fleet of ships and assembled a vast force for the colonisation of as yet undiscovered lands.

Note: Some of the terms e,g. the Malice, are the closest possible translations from the Ilsamiren terms. For example, the people of the Northern Kingdom do not worship what the Ilsamiri call the Malice, they worship the Lechan, the True God.

TIME FRAME

As the mod is in a fantasy setting the timeframe is not particularly important. The period of conflict which the mod is concerned with begins in the 7,032nd year After the Fall. The mod ends about 8 years or so after that date with a world changing cataclysm. The length of turns will be perhaps only a day or a week or a month - this will be considered.

THE WORLD

The world of the Ilsamiren Wars is entirely fictional. I will be posting a map shortly indicating the positions of settlements, province borders etc. The world consists of two continents, one in the East, one in the West, separated by a wide ocean. Throughout the ocean are scattered various islands. The Western Continent is divided among five factions and the Eastern has only one – though there are very few provinces here and all are coastal. The islands in the ocean are divided among two factions, the Seaborne in the North and West and the Ocean Tribes in the South and East. The Eastern Continent is almost entirely desert, the Western is largely Green. As you can see there is a large forest in the South of the Western Continent and a mountain range separates the Northern Kingdom from the Ilsamir lands.

THE KINGDOMS AND PEOPLES

The Ilsamiri

People of the fallen Iraneth realm of old, you are bringers of learning, wielders of swords, bearers of shields, shapers of metal, hewers of stone, creators, holders, champions of this Empire.
- from the Call of the King, spoken to all soldiers upon their deployment and first heard upon the Haven Beach in 653 DH ([or] Dari Huler – after [the] fall).

The Sky City, Iraneth, fell, or so say the Ilsamiri, after an assault by the evil spirit of their religion, the Malice. They are the followers of the Weaver, Denaur. Their language is rich and expressive and their script is complex and subtle. They favour plate and mail and blades, and the metal for these things they gather in the mines of the Arkiri Vimer (Northern Mountains).

The Morchanin

What good will it do you to kill me, king, it will only redouble the wrath of my kin.

- the last words of the Instigator, Kudelir, before he was slain by the King Ilregin I. He was seemingly the sole driving force of the Morchanin Mutiny of 1123 DH.

The Morchanin dwelt upon the southern banks of the River Darineth for a long while before the Ilsamiri came to this world. They have become a key element of Ilsamir society, despite their transgressions of the 12th century. They are specialists in guerilla warfare and take much pride in their skill with the distinctive blades and blow-pipes they wield.

The Seaborne

Do not kill them! Take them! And unharmed if you can!
- a snatch of speech from a Seaborne captain recounted by a survivor of a raid.

The People of the Jauchal, Dragon, bear no ill will to the Ilsamiri, but their chief concern, labour, is enough to make them an enemy of the Ilsamiri and their southern allies. They come swiftly in ships both rowed and sailed, take what they can and flee to their mysterious, indefinite home. Equipment recovered from what small engagements have been fought suggests an island existence, though this has not been verified.

The Mekathenain

Bezhir! Begwa’az asin vau la yohim!
- the first words of Mekathenic spoken on the Western Continent, overheard by a Morchanin scout.

Hailing, some say, from a great eastern land the Mekathenain landed upon the southern coast of the Western Continent late in the year 2019 DH. They wear armour of great richness and complexity wrought of bronze and brass interlaced with silk and under this they wear fine silk garments. They brought no beasts with them but came with many ships, almost beyond counting.

The Northern Kingdom

…but know that the Lechan watches you with kindness in all your duties and worthy tasks and that he is all-knowing of your ordeals. This day is no different. He watches and sees and perceives. Fear not! Your d… [Final word missing, see note]

- from Elhea’s Book, date unknown, context unknown; book damaged, surrounding text illegible. Last readable letter is an Ilsamiren “D”.

The people of the Lechan, the True God, Fedh, the Malice, to his enemies, dwell on the Northern Planes and upon the foot-hills of the great mountain ranges. Their capital is Lechanis, City of the True God. They are the bitterest enemies of the Ilsamiri from whom they violently diverged in a religion-fuelled war. What strange beasts dwell beyond the Three Ranges can only be guessed at, but they are sure to be terrible and obscene.

The Southern Kingdom

Strong were our founders but we have gone beyond them, standing for ourselves upon this hard isle, keeping our own but ever fair and generous to our friends. Our Isle is what you defend, and the keep upon its high Hill. Stand now, shield-to-shield and imperishable as the stars and defend what we have made for ourselves.

- from Auldir’s Prayer, first spoken in 1672 LI ([orn ga] Lian Indulath – [in the] Year of the Isle) to the Shields of the Isle as they awaited the foe.

The Southern Port was founded in the Ilsamir year 352 DH partly as a response to increasing bandit activity on the southern borders but largely because of the perfection of what would become the Port Isle (orn Indul Glatir) as a defensive point in their ever-expanding realm. Shortly after the founding and construction of the city the Ilsamiri passed control of their southern lands to a council of merchants who would rule jointly as Kings. The Arkiri Eltarise (Setting Mountains) to the west of the Bay were, like their northern counter-parts, rich in ores and so the warriors of this Southern Kingdom developed a military style unique in the world for its patience.

The Western Kingdom

Lay down scythe and sickle, rest you ploughmen and your beasts, gaze upon the sun, upon the sheafs of wheat. Ended is the harvest, warm the fire, cool the river, dark the forest, plaintive the wolf’s cry.

- from an untitled and unattributable hymn sung across the Kingdom at the completion of the harvest.

The wealth of the Western Kingdom, a client of the Ilsamiri, lies in its abundant wheat fields and wide pastures which are perfect for raising fine horses. The King of the Cehu Cirume’ath, the People of the Sun, has his court upon the Glemir Darinethas and from here oversees all agricultural activity from the Ilsamir border to the west coast and from the Three Ranges to the northern Setting Mountains. The rich among them build structures of wood but the chief technique used among the common citizens is wattle and daub, though none finer is to be seen on the continent. Cavalry is the force for which this Kingdom is famous, but the bulk of their army is made up of strictly trained peasant volunteers.

The Ocean Tribes

Foinlhue o etia, foinlhue hch itlie.
- approximated transcription of an undeciphered Oceanic saying, heard from hiding by a trader of the Southern Kingdom.

The Ocean Tribes are an enigma. Said to undertake vile religious rites in worship of a dark god they are still but a rumour of fear in the south-east of the Dividing Sea.

War is upon the Ilsamiri...

[Ilsamir Lord]

Greetings all,

This week I'm presenting the first of the city plans.

The Capital - Darineth and some of its Quarters

this first image shows the Ilsamir capital city and the surrounding geography as well as the arrangement of the inner walls. The second image shows a few of the quarters seen above in greater detail.

This city is #22 on the map of provinces and settlements - please note that the map will be changed slightly to fit with these designs.

Lastly we have a map of a second city, the City of Lechen Pass - #5 on the geographical map

Of course it remains to be seen how much editing will be possible for the cities in Medieval II, but they are seemingly much more variable than those of Rome - as long as they can be edited at all.

There you go for this week. Check back next week for more!

[Woad Warrior]

Very nice and detailed.

Good luck with this mod, looks like your the only fantasy mod out there. (Until of course LOTR pops up)

If its anything like RTW, you should be able to edit cities with relative ease.

[Ilsamir Lord]

More detail for Woad Warrior then!

I recently wrote these up for our concept artists, so any out of place comments I make are really addressed to them.

Armour and weapons
In Order of Necessity

The Ilsamiri
The Armour of the Ilsamiri is largely of plate and mail construction. Mail alone is worn when plate cannot be afforded. Leather is substituted for both when necessary, but the mountains in the north provide great reserves of ore for the making of metal armour.

Their helmets are either of a single piece of beaten steel or are made in sections and riveted together. All Ilsamir troops are armoured to some extent.

The armour of foot-soldiers ranges from a mainly leather composition with metal vambraces, greaves and pauldrons and steel-reinforced leather helmets to complete suits of mail and plate. Certain soldiers wear combinations of the two styles, as some forms of fighting favour greater protection for the chest than for the limbs.

Their shields are usually tall, covering from neck to knee in most cases, and are shaped simply but elegantly. They are usually decorated simply among the citizen levies and more and more complexly as the social standing of the company rises: for example, a conscript’s shield is painted grey and may bear a simplified symbol of their city while a knight’s shield will be painted much more vibrantly, showing mythical scenes or a complex coat-of-arms. Shields are usually made of hard-wood, covered with leather and rimmed with steel. Precious metals, particularly silver, may be inlaid into the shield’s design in recognition of brave service on a particular soldier’s part. Likewise, silver is used to highlight subtle detail in the armour of the most prestigious warriors.

The Ilsamiri favour some colours over others for the decoration of their shields. These are, in order of commonality: Dark Blue, Grey, Silver, very Dark Green and violet. Other colours are seen, but of these red is the least common.

Ilsamir swords are usually long and somewhat narrow bladed. They are usually excellently made and break rarely. Their guards come in all shapes, and the shapes of their own letters are sometimes used, though some are obviously more suitable than others, to show the city of origin of the sword or the fighter. Swords of lineage usually bear a short history within the fuller of their blades – usually to the effect of “Galuir wrought me in 562” and the like. They favour one-handed swords, to allow the use of a shield, but the Darineth Guardsmen are famed for their use of two-handed blades.

The Ilsamiri favour long blades over axes, though halberdiers are seen in Ilsamir armies. The Ilsamiri do not like heavy weapons, so maces and the like are rarely seen except among the unusually strong. Their spears have long blades and often have guards just below their heads to stop enemies from dodging round them. Pikes are used, but shorter spears – perhaps eight-feet or so – are more popular. Ilsamir knights usually carry a lance as a charge-weapon, the heads of which are wide and long.

Ilsamir bows are long and of dark wood. Their arrows are fletched with grey and white feathers, often from gulls.

Each Ilsamir city has its own crest and coat-of-arms which is placed in circular badges on the helmets and shields of its soldiers.

As a final point, here is a description of the armour of a Darineth Guardsman from the Story of Udeval:

‘…its guards armed with their famed two-handed swords, their hilts shaped after an Ilsamiren letter: D, for Darineth, for that was the name of the city they defended. They wore the same symbol upon their helmets, set into a round field of misty-grey. Their armour was of steel plates, etched with silver in places, picking out subtle designs. They also wore a sash of deep blue cloth about their waists from which they hung their scabbards.’

The Morchanin
NOT A FULL FACTION!
The Morchanin wear armour only when going to large-scale battle and this is usually blackened and concealed beneath their black garments to add to their legend among their enemies.

They usually cover their faces, though it is also common to see them simply blackened with charcoal.

Their blades are usually curved and single edged and all metal is blackened. They use no two-handed weapons.

Their main ranged weapon is the blow-pipe. These are of perhaps three-feet in length from end to end. They are of wood, reinforced with steel bands so they can be used as a parrying weapon when necessary. They use darts, poisoned to varying degrees depending on the situation, which have a long barb upon one side. The venom of the cheiris is favoured. They occasionally go mounted into battle.


The Mekathenain
The Mekathenain favour no one metal over others, except brass, but the make of their armour is uniform. It is of a lamellar construction, usually using silk thread.

The amount and fineness of the lamellar used varies depending on the social status of the soldier. Their helmets are usually of a single piece of beaten metal and are uniformly of a flat-toped, open-faced construction.

They carry curved, single-handed swords, much like scimitars but they usually have a pole-arm as a primary weapon. These pole-arms range in size considerably from long spears (8-10 feet) to strange, axe like weapons with four-foot hafts and half-foot blades.

Their bows are recurved and often made of several layers of glued wood. Their arrows are very important to them and battlefields are often picked clean of all wood thanks to the shortage of trees in their homeland. Their arrows are spiral fletched with two white feathers and one brown feather. Each archer is always given a single arrow fletched in the same way as a nobleman’s. Noble’s arrows are usually fletched with two white feathers and one purple feather.

The javelin is another popular weapon, but wood, being scarce, is reserved for the noble classes. Hollow tubes of metal are used in their place.

The Mekathenain have no horses traditionally, but their conquests in the west bring them many horses as time goes on. On these horses they mount their famed Hunters, arming them with javelins, nets and swords. They also mount their heavy spearmen as lancers.

Beneath their armour the Mekathenain wear silk in many different colours. The most favoured colours for trim are blues, purples and greens while white and sandy colours are used for the main areas of cloth. Purple dye is most expensive and most prized. The designs used range from the simple and abstract to the complex and realistic, but most centre on the shape of water drops and on rivers and rain clouds over lush terrain.

The Mekathenain do not use shields, though sometimes their archers carry shields which they can prop up in front of their line.


The Southern Kingdom
The warriors of the Southern Kingdom fight almost exclusively defensive battles and so favour heavy armour.

They wear full suits of plate and carry tall rectangular shields with which they build walls of steel on the battlefield. They like to use long pikes and shorter than normal swords. Their symbology centres on ships, stars, and the sun and moon. Their armour is similar to that of the Ilsamiri, but should also be individual.


The Western Kingdom
The warriors of the Western Kingdom predominantly wear leather armour, but nobles wear more metal. They use images of the sun and sheafs of wheat and the like on their shields and tunics.

They prefer axes to swords as they require less metal, but they do use swords occasionally. They also use long spears. There shields can be of any shape, but they are usually not made to cover the whole body. They do not use round shields.

They prefer browns and greens, though reds and gold are sometimes seen.

Any plate-armour they wear is usually from the Ilsamiri – who frequently give them armour as a gift.


The Northern Kingdom
Their warriors wear steel armour, but it is simpler than that of the Ilsamiri. They favour curved swords. They use dark reds, whites and dark greens. The concept for the Ethed Knight is a good indication of what their more elaborate armour looks like.

They often wear fur lined cloaks. There is a picture at the forums of a group of Russian knights, there should be one who has a red cloak topped with fur, that's the sort of thing.

The Ocean Tribes
Warriors of the ocean tribes use no metal, as they do not have the technology to fashion the necessary ores. They use bones, teeth, obsidian (a form of black volcanic glass) and green-stone in place of metal in weapons. In armour they use strips of wood, woven much like wicker, and also plates of wood. They carve this wood intricately for their nobles. Many of their warriors go without any garment on their chests and wear skirts of wood and grass. They wear intricate masks as well. All their armour is carved and adorned with feathers, though the kind and amount of carving and feathers varies with the social standing of the wearer.

Their shields are round and usually have a shape of cloth or an arrangement of feathers hanging down below them.

Their weapons are largely of a club or axe-like design, often edged with the materials spoken of above. They also use spears, javelins and bows, as well as slings. Their bows are short.

They use few bright colours, but they use a dark varnish for their armour to make it more durable and less easy to spot in the dense jungles and forests of their islands.


The Seaborne
Seaborne armour is simple and relies heavily on leather, often this is made from the skins of sharks. They use metal sparingly, but know little of how to care for it. For this reason much of their armour is somewhat rusty. All their armour is sectional in nature, using only small plates.

Their swords are usually curved and simple, and usually quite short. They often carry flat round shields. They prefer clubs to blades, but these are often spiked or studded.



Architecture
These are presented in the order they will be needed for the Oblivion Story

The Morchanin
The Morchanin build simply in wood, even their great Council Chambers are built of wood, though they are carved with scenes of history. Their dwellings are simple, usually of one level. They have dirt roads.

The Ilsamiri
Ilsamir architecture favours grey stone and marble. Their houses have tiled rooves. They make detailed carvings in this vein along walls of important structures, such as the four Towers:

‘The entire courtyard was walled about with grey stone, but it was lightly and delicately carven and momentarily the eye would be deceived into thinking that the trees and grass, and the flowers and fruits went on further than they actually did, into a misty forest, reachable, but totally unreal.’

Their roads are paved and straight, much like Roman roads. And the walls around Darineth are high and have battlements. They do not have towers around their outer walls. The four Towers are described thus, and this is a good way to imagine a lot of their architecture:

‘He continued east towards the palace doors, pausing only momentarily to gaze skywards towards the palace tower and to the north and south to its sisters, the tower of the Weaver’s temple and the tower of the Dividing Sea. Further west, beyond the palace tower, was the tower of the Haven, Prethan Darinethas. All were carved after the manner of the courtyard walls, but their stones were finer: stronger, but more translucent. From the ground to their very peaks they were carved to varying depths, to allow the light of the sun entrance to them, but more importantly to allow the wind to whistle and sing through them on its way.’

Don’t look at Roman architecture too much.


The Southern Kingdom
Similar to that of the Ilsamiri, but more solid. Their walls do have towers. They use darker stone. We’ll also need a number of designs for ships.


The Western Kingdom
Look at traditional Russian wood-carving for inspiration here. They use almost exclusively wood. They build walls of wood too. They also build barges to travel on the Glemir Darinethas. Thatched rooves.


The Ocean Tribes
They use wood and stone. Look at Maori architecture and try to find a happy medium between it and central-American architecture (that of the Maya and Aztecs). They’ll need canoes, too.


The Mekathenain
Look at middle-eastern stuff for these guys, but try to make it a little off kilter, not too much like any one style. They favour smooth shapes and stone. We’ll need some ruined looking designs to, which will be seen in the deserts of the eastern continent – though these are really not a priority at this stage. Try to design things we can re-use in the 3d programs, so don’t design too much really specific stuff. The Mekathenain civilisation will be seen at the start of one of the stories, but after that it really isn’t seen much again. It still needs to be done though. They also use tents when establishing new towns, so we can use a number of different tent patterns as the starting stages of settlements. We’ll also need some other, temporary looking structures. They’ll also need ships of an interesting design.


The Seaborne
Do anything you like here really. Nothing too complex, lots of shack-like structures, very run-down and almost destitute looking, perhaps some more complex structures for important places, like the Council Hall. Their ships should have figure-heads like that of the ship at the end of Monty Python’s Holy Grail, much like on the faction icon.


The Northern Kingdom
Like the Ilsamiri, but more solid again. They use whatever stone is available to them. Their architecture should be quite religious looking, perhaps reminiscent of early churches built by the Vikings?

[Ilsamir Lord]

Sorry, double post. I'll put something here shortly :D

[Master_Thief]

This looks really interesting. I'm currently learning to use the TES Construction Set and I would be very interested in helping out with the Oblivion part of the Mod. My main focus is in the creation of interiors, but I plan on learning as much as I can. I've got the next month or so off school so I have plenty of time to practice. If I could help out with the Mod in any way then that would be great.

Sorry if i'm posting in the wrong place, the Oblivion area in your forum seemed pretty empty and i'm already registered here anyway.

Don't be surprised if I don't respond to any replies for a while as i'm away until Sunday.

[Woad Warrior]

Thats great Ilsamir Lord - have you written a book on this mod or something?

[Woad Warrior]

Thats great Ilsamir Lord - have you written a book on this mod or something?

EDIT: Why has this post appeared twice?

[Ilsamir Lord]

Woad Warrior - It double-posted for me too :P .

And yeah, I am trying to write a fleshed out version of the story. I'll post some unit lists in a while, in my last post above this.

[4th Dimension]

Nice idea for a mod. I hope something does come out of it and it doesn't get abandoned for lack of time like eagrly anticipated WoT mod.

[Trajanus]

Looks like a great mod in the making. I have always enjoyed getting wrapped up in fantasy stories. Mix it with a dash of M2TW and its gonna be a nice treat! :D

[Ilsamir Lord]

Thanks guys :D . Of course it all hinges on the moddability of MII, but we'll see how we go, something will come of it.

[Hepcat]

Looks like you have given this a lot of thought and I think it will fit nicely in with the game. I look forward to seeing the finished product.

[Ilsamir Lord]

Cheers Hepcat. I should have the latest unit lists formatted soon, so stay tuned.

[kataphraktoi]

send me the list first!!!

[Ilsamir Lord]

Will do :D

[Ilsamir Lord]

Greetings everyone,

This is a news post I made at the ModDb and on various other forums. Please ignore the model, as it is for Oblivion, not MII. The concepts are for both. This post also acts as a bridge to the other thread I had in the Forge. This thread is to be the new thread for the mod, as it is no longer for BI, but for MII instead.

I apologise for missing last week's update, but I have a lot to show you this week to make up for it! Firstly we have a new concept to model render. On the left is the original drawing (by Kataphraktoi), from which the helmet has been modelled (on the right).

Next we have two more concept drawings, also be Kataphraktoi (click on the thumbnails for details):

It is worth noting that all the concept art presented here will be used for both the Oblivion and Medieval II versions of the mod. A complete list of concepts, containing 37 images and short notes on each image, can be viewed at our forums. That's all for this week!

Thanks for reading!

PS - how would I go about getting my mod put in the Mods in Development section at the top of the MII modding page?

[Hepcat]

Go into the section and click Add Link then enter the details.

[Ilsamir Lord]

Thanks, Hepcat, I should have seen the sticky :) .

Here's a brief run-down of my aims for the mod:

The mod as I envision it is a professional production all the way through. I wish to limit the public release of content for the mod to two versions for each engine.

These versions are - for Medieval II: Total War:
A Demo Version - which will include two historical battles, two of the seven factions (the Ilsamiri and the Mekathenain) and a select sample of units.

The Full Version - which will include the completed campaign map, several historical battles, a full soundtrack, recorded dialogue etc. Within the Full Version there will likely be a number of patches, and of course a beta-test process will be carried out, though this will be selective.

There will also be - for the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion:

A Demo Version - taking in two chapters of the Story of Udeval and limiting the player to a comparitively small area of the map.

The Full Version - taking in the entire world map, the complete set of items and equipment pieces, three complete story-lines, the soundtrack, the unlockable "free-play" mode, a number of side-quests etc. This version, like that for MII will be beta-tested by a selected group and will be patched as necessary.

The aim of this release pattern is to create interest through the demoes and then to deliver a high-quality and much expanded final product.

[AliAS]

GREAt I love the Elder Scrolls and Total war. By best games in 1 game.
.

[Hepcat]

Are you intending to do most of it yourself? Or are you looking for help with something or have you already got your team?

Will you need any beta testers?

[Ilsamir Lord]

Well, I'll need help with the modelling and all that for MII, but I've done a fair bit of stuff for the Oblivion version. Hopefully MII will come with a little more functionality when it comes to mods though, and I'll be able to do some more for that version directly. We'll need beta testers certainly, but I won't be offering a public beta version, just a demo and the full release.

[Ilsamir Lord]

Here's something of an update for everyone:

The History of
The Ilsamiren Wars
an early draft!

Below is recorded all that is known of the great events of the Ilsamiren Wars, a period which lasted some 7,000 years between what are known to the Ilsamiri as “The Fall” and “The Coming of the Hidden Truth”. These writings also contain the religious beliefs of each of the Seven Peoples which may stretch beyond the constraints of the Wars both into the past and future. Many matters are excluded, for much may happen in such a long period, and those events of importance are only sketched, in some cases because no fuller account is extent, and in others for the constraints of time and for the sake of brevity.

THE ILSAMIRI

It all began with the Weaver, a benevolent force who controls the wind, waves and vapour. His rival was the Malice, lord of fire. Where once there was wind-swept void the weaver made a sphere of wind, and within this he set a sphere of earth. And about the earth he wrapped the clouds, woven of wind and water. Upon the clouds he set the Ilsamiri, his much-loved children. The Malice saw what had been made, and he too made a sphere. His sphere was of fire and with it he hoped to topple the Ilsamiri, to burn away their vaporous home. The Weaver strengthened the wind, and with it caught the globe of fire, holding it far, but not far enough, from the sphere of the world. The sphere of flame did what it was made to do. It destroyed the Sky City of the Ilsamiri, and sent them tumbling to the earth below. The fire then threatened to bake the earth but the Weaver called on the vapour and with it made the seas, and strengthened the clouds with rain to protect the land from the onslaught. So were made the mountains, baked into rock by the fiery orb, too far from the sea to be spared its scalding touch. This orb of fire was named Sun, Cehu, and the sphere of rock was named Weaver’s Mercy, Cleru Denaurath.

The fall of the Sky City rent the world where it fell, and into the channel flowed the new Sea. The island formed would be a haven in times of strife, another gift of the Weaver to his children.

Where the City fell became the site for a new city, a city bound to the Earth, Darineth. This city the Ilsamiri came to call their home, and they fortified it against their half-glimpsed, half-imagined rivals.

There was a people not far from the new city, they dwelt on the edges of the Forest of Dry Trees and they came out from the eaves of that place to take water from the Darineth River. It was then that the Ilsamiri saw them and did offer them peace and a safer place of dwelling beside their own city, between the walls, the Sea and the River. They were called the Morchani – Morchanin in their own manner of speech – and they accepted these offers graciously. (A fuller account of the Morchanin perspective is to be seen in their own history; the Ilsamir account is somewhat simplistic and fails to address a number of events which occurred in the process of the Morchanin resettlement.)

Soon the hunger for land, but above all food, grew too much for the Ilsamiri, and striking out in parties of 40 or 50 they began to explore the lands the Weaver had given them. Soon they came upon mountains in the north, and the continuation of the river by their city. The river they crossed with difficulty and found vast fertile plains. Upon these plains roamed a strange beast. This creature, having four legs and a long flowing mane was named thairie, horse. The Ilsamiri immediately realised the potential of these swift animals, employing them for the use of their scouts, and later, when bred to greater strength and size, as mounts for their orders of knights and noblemen.

During further forays into what were supposedly uninhabited lands to the west, the Ilsamiri encountered a primitive people, living in wooden structures, without military or social development, but with a grasp of natural forces which far outpaced their own.

These people the Ilsamiri befriended, and an oath was sworn between the Ilsamir king and the chief of those western tribes that would bind the twain for untold centuries. Protection from bandits and thieves was promised by the Ilsamiri in return for supplies of grain and horses.

Soon, with a stable source of food, the Ilsamiri struck out to the south, sending similar parties to map the vast territories that lay south of the Glemir Darinethas. Soon they came upon the wide inlet which they came to call the Beautiful Bay. In the centre of this Bay there was an island and about it the climate was such that strange fruits were bountiful there. These fruits, which grew on vines, were small and of varying colour from white to green to a dark reddish-purple and the Ilsamiri found their taste sweet and pleasant. There was another fruit also. These grew on gnarled trees and were not sweet like the others, but were pungent and leaked a flavoursome oil when crushed. The first fruit the Ilsamiri named Hyer and the second they named Hyai, the grape and the olive. These fruits the explorers brought back to the king Ilharin II and he ordered that a port should be constructed that a supply might be maintained.

Ilharin sent many engineers to locate an appropriate spot, and they chose the island of the Bay as the site. Here they built the Southern Port, Heirua Nomer. Ilharin did not live to see the port completed, but his son Ilharin III did, and when it was done he ordered that half of the population of Darineth should be relocated there and that the south should be its own kingdom with its own religion, a religion which would reflect the needs of sea-farers. To this end he ordered the Temple of the Sky to be built in the mountains to the west of the Southern Port to glorify the lights of the sun, moon and stars.

Some years later the lands of the Southern Kingdom were threatened, but that is a matter for that Kingdom’s history. Suffice to say that the warlords of the deep, uncharted south were restless and wished to claim the Southern Port and the Bay for themselves. The Ilsamiri therefore advised the new Merchant Kings to construct the fortress city of Forest Watch (Thenor Mekas) to hold the old kings in check.

Now began a period of prosperous development for the Ilsamiri. In this age they founded many mines in the ranges of the north and struck iron and gold and silver.

This new prosperity could not have come at a better time, as upon the eastern horizon stirred an enemy. They were the Seaborne. Their ships were made as great lizards, which they named jauchal – dragon. Raiders they sent to strike the ships of the Southern Kingdom and to bring fire and fear to the towns of the coast. The Ilsamiri were stunned by their ferocity, but also amazed by the numbers of those they left alive and dragged to their swift ships, though none that were taken were seen ever to return. The language they spoke was harsh and unrecognised, but after some 15 years of fighting their tongue became more like that of the Ilsamiri, but harsher. Many supposed that this was the work of the slaves they had taken, who now outnumbered their masters, and were used as teachers for the Seaborne children.

Their new metal wealth the Ilsamiri wrought finely into plates and rings of armour, and into swords to counter the Seaborne threat. Some 20 years into the conflict the famed smith Galuir forged the first steel armour and sword for the king Ilahir I and these new things were used to terrible effect in the Battle of the Haven Beach. Ilahir alone was a match for many Seaborne. Their weapons were turned easily upon the silver-etched plates of his armour and his mighty weapon, which he named after the smith and a sword Galve, was not slowed an inch by their flimsy leathers. The king alone turned the tide and the Seaborne did not return for nearly a century.

The secret of steel was kept within the Ilsamir army for many a long year, but soon the Western Kingdom wondered at the new lustrous shell in which the Ilsamiri envoys were clad and asked that they might know the secret. Soon enough Ilahir sent Galuir to them to teach them the method and they were grateful. Ilahir had feared that such an action might make them a rival, but he decided that it would simply make them better able to aid the Ilsamiri if ever they were in need.

A second age of prosperity began and lasted all but uninterrupted for nearly a thousand years. Seaborne raids became things of the past, stories with which to frighten wayward children and Darineth grew. It was in this age that the Four Towers were built. The Tower of the north was that of the Great Temple of the Weaver. The Tower of the South was that of the Dividing Sea. The Tower of the West was that of the Palace and the final Tower, of the east, was the Haven Tower. The towers were built all of grey marble and quartz and were of mysterious craft, such that the wind would sing as it passed through them and that the light was allowed entry through many openings and shallowly carved places all about them.

In the reign of Ilsean IV this was to end and the Tower of the Temple was to become a place of confused feelings. The Wars of Divergence shook the Ilsamiri to their core, and never again did they rise to the heights which they had known in the centuries before. The conflict began as so many conflicts do, with a minute act of protest.

On the third day of the tenth lunar month, a high priest of the Weaver, Ilhau, posed a question to the Council of Tempests (the highest authority in the Ilsamir religion) which would result in civil war.

The question he posed was not faithfully recorded by the Ilsamiri; for fear that it may again engender war, but it essentially highlighted what Ilhau thought of as injustices and untruths in religious doctrine. Soon Ilhau had gathered a large following for his ideas among the younger members of the priesthood as well as from many areas of society, particularly from the poor. Ilhau’s question was recorded by the people of the Northern Kingdom, and can be read in their history.

These developments were watched cautiously by the Ilsamir ruler Ilsean IV, but for a long while he tolerated them. This was to change when, precisely a year since Ilhau’s question was posed, he was brutally murdered, his body hacked and torn and left hanging from the tower of the Weaver’s Great Temple for all to see when dawn broke.

No record exists to tell us who killed Ilhau, and perhaps no-one ever discovered the culprit. It was immediately assumed by Ilhau’s followers, that the Chief Tempest, Dauril had ordered the killing, for he had been Ilhau’s strongest opposer. The Weaver’s priesthood denied these accusations, claiming that Ilhau had simply been killed by a criminal. This argument convinced only those faithful to Dauril.

Ilhau’s murder split the populace. Those faithful to the Weaver sided with the priesthood and those who followed Ilhau established a new religion. The deity at the centre of the new faith was known to the Ilsamiri as the Malice, a creature of evil responsible for their fall from grace. To those of Ilhau, the Malice was the True God for it was he who had made the sun, he who had struggled, judged as evil, to bring the truth of the Weaver to them.

So began the war, a war which would grip the Ilsamiri and the True God’s People for a century. Only with many brutal battles, lost and won on both sides, did the war end. What had begun as a questioning of dogma had ended with the divergence of the Ilsamiri and the deaths of thousands. Ilhau’s spirit was said to be seen weeping in the skies over the Haven of Darineth after the Divergence had been sealed. The populace was exhausted, and so the True God’s People marched north, founding a Northern Kingdom beyond the as yet unpassed mountains, ending a war and beginning a truce.

The war was crippling, but the Ilsamiri eventually recovered. For the next 2,000 years they remained in a state of shock induced stagnation. Their culture, while it did not grow or increase in its complexity, became set in its ways to such an extent that no new developments of any great importance were made. It was in this period that the Morchanin saw the perfect opportunity to erupt in mutiny against those who, they said, had taken their lands from them.

The Mutinous Struggle began, but it only lasted a little while. Many important Ilsamir citizens were taken and executed as the street-fighting raged in Darineth but the death of the Morchanin instigator, Kudelir at the hands of Ilregin I saw the wars end. The reprisals were brutal. Many Morchanin were driven into exile or executed, but once these acts had been committed the Ilsamiri established the Morchanin Council and allowed the Morchanin to keep their settlement between the South Wall and the Coast as a sign of forgiveness.

It was after this war that the Ilsamiri gathered the resources necessary to construct a vast network of roads and forts stretching from the capital south to Thenor Mekas and west to the Meldar Arkiris (the Mountain Fort). The People of the Western Kingdom extended these roads further to connect their settlements beyond the Arkiri Eltarise. They also fortified the Kwith Vethas (Kwith Lechan to the Northerners) with a mighty fortress city. This act would plague them endlessly.

Raids on Aneth Vethas by the Betrayers became more and more frequent and eventually the city fell to them, though it was to change hands many times throughout its history.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE

The Seaborne were now a distant memory, but they returned and fiercely, sinking many ships of the Southern Kingdom and then striking Darineth itself from the Clomeni Prethanas. Attacks on the Southern Kingdom itself also increased from the Warlords of the south. And into this fray came a new rival – the Mekathenain they named themselves and their tongue was unknown, their armour alien and their numbers vast, seeming more so for the suddenness of their arrival.

This was not an invasion fleet; it could not be, for no invasion fleet brought so many civilians. No, this was a fleet designed to carry an entire people across an unknown sea. The Ilsamiri were rightly wary of them, for soon tensions between them and the Warlords erupted in war at Bol Clauthnoras. No word was sent for some months so the Ilsamiri sent an agent to discover the fate of the Warlord’s hold. It had been gutted by fire. No sign of life could be seen, but the earth had been disturbed in the courtyard and upon closer inspection a vast grave was found with the bodies of Mekathenain and bandit laid in honour side by side. This new folk had treated their enemies with the honour they afforded their own sons. This, more than anything else concerned the current king, Ilahir X, for an enemy who respects his opponent is far more dangerous than a mere rabble of unthinking savages.

The Seaborne raids became increasingly threatening, so much so that the Ilsamiri declared that no Seaborne should be taken prisoner, all should be slain.

But in the north the Betrayers were stirring. They struck out and recaptured Enuth Lechan (as they called it) and mustered a great army there awaiting the order to strike.

The Ilsamiri called on their allies in the West and South to come to their aid, but few came. The Mekathenain threatened the South and the West had been struck suddenly and violently from the Kwith Ulres. The allies who did come helped the Ilsamiri to arrange a massive formation to block the Kwith Vethas and to hold the Northerners back.

In the Battle of the Wall of Warriors the Ilsamiri and their allies were driven back by the furious assault of a line of massive armoured beasts. They retreated to the safety of Darineth.

The Battle of Darineth saw a second defeat, and it was after this battle that the Weaver’s Tower was toppled. Those who could fled to the Haven. They were then attacked on two sides. From the east came the Seaborne and from the west came the Betrayers. In the Battle of Endless Night a strange unknown people came to the aid of the Ilsamiri and drove the Seaborne from the shores of the Haven. Then the now free Western men came to strike at the unguarded North. Soon the world was at war. In the South the darkened sky had been seen by the Southern Kingdom as a sign that the Gods had left them. They struck out south in hopes of freeing themselves of the darkness and there they met the Mekathenain in a terrible clash – the Battle of the Clauthnor.

The Ilsamiri and their allies won the day and Ilahir met with the Chief of the Ocean Tribes to thank him and gave him many gifts. The people of the Northern Kingdom suffered much at the hands of the Westerners out for vengeance, but soon the fighting in the North ended. The Mekathenain won, but barely and fled to their ships. The Southern Kingdom’s warriors returned to their Port and the endless night broke on a ravaged world.

The finest minds of the Ilsamiri met with the people of the Ocean Tribes and they together gained a mutual understanding. The Mekathenain too headed northward, avoiding the lands of the Southern Kingdom, and came, in mode of peace to the mouth of the Glemir Darinethas where Ilahir welcomed them with feasts in a bid to calm the shattered nerves of his people and their allies. The Merchant Kings arrived in Darineth soon after to attend the Great Council of Peace, and, having heard of the honour bestowed upon their own fallen by the Mekathenain, they forgave them and a great and lasting peace was born.

The Seaborne had been driven away, but some say that they too found new lands in the wastes of the Northern Seas and were content among themselves after so many years of bitterness.

The Betrayers too never troubled the Ilsamiri again, but after many years they sent an emissary who bid them to attend a religious congress in their own city that the rifts of the deep past might be healed.

When the delegation of priests came to the North Lands they were astounded by the green that welcomed them. It was a treeless place, as the tales said, except in small places here and there where they were specially tended, but the plains were lush with grass and wild-flowers, except where war had ravaged them over the centuries. Their great city, Lechanis, was nought compared to Darineth, but it was grand after its own fashion. No lasting agreements were made, but the association between the crushed betrayers and the victorious faithful was never again so dire as it had been for all those millennia passed.

HERE ENDS THE HISTORY OF THE ILSAMIRI TO THE PRESENT DAY

[Gazi Husrev-Beg]

Sounds cool..I played Elder scrolls Morrow wind.But havent played Oblivion, my cpu is down, maybe permanetly.Who cares, becouse i will most probably buy new by end of november (just when medieval2 gets out)

Good luck with mod..concept art looks cool...

[Ilsamir Lord]

Thanks, Gazi,:D .

[Ilsamir Lord]

We still quite desperately need a mapper. Just thought you'd like to know :)

[Ilsamir Lord]

THE ILSAMIRI
Draft Unit List

Knights

Armed with lances and armoured heavily. They also carry shields and swords.

Mounted Morchanin Scouts

Simply Morchanin Scouts on horse-back. They are armed with blowguns and swords. The sword pictured does not represent the final design.

Outriders

Another form of scout, occasionally used in attack, but largely a reconnaissance unit. These regiments are usually the domain of young aristocrats hoping to rise to the status of knights. A light infantryman is pictured, as their armour will match that of the outriders.

The King’s Guard

Essentially mounted Darineth Guardsmen. Armed with long lances and two-handed swords for use when dismounted.

Captain-generals’ Knights
The best knights, picked to guard the general in any particular battle.


INFANTRY

Warrior Priests

On the left is pictured a priest of the Weaver and on the right a priest of the Malice (or Lechan to the people of the Northern Kingdom). They are bitter enemies.

Halberdiers
These soldiers wear heavy armour and carry long pole-axes.

Captain-generals’ Knights
The best knights, picked to guard the general in any particular battle – infantry variation, simply not mounted.

Morchanin Scouts
They wear black and blacken their faces and any metal they carry. They often wear armour under their outer garb.

Darineth Guardsmen
See image of King's guard above

Archers

They wear little armour, and carry one-handed swords as back-up. This shows the lightest form of Ilsamir armour. The helmet will change to look more like that of the Light Infantry (Outrider) above, but will remain close-fitting, and the bow will be of the standard dimensions for a long bow - some 6 feet or so.

Pikemen
Armoured heavily on the chest, less heavily on their limbs. Have a go at a few different styles of spear-head for them.

Spearmen
These soldierss use spears and shields and are armoured with metal and leather.

Heavy Spearmen
Armoured more fully than those above.

Conscripts

The style of armour here is more illustrative of materials than form, but it is a nice indication of the colouring used in Ilsamir military wear. Armoured and armed basically as they are called on, often, with little warning. They carry spears or swords and are available in either form.


WAR MACHINES
The choice of war machines is yet to be finalised.

The concepts above (as seen in the outrider, archer, knight and king's guard/Darineth guardsman concepts) indicate the overall style of Ilsamir armour. Variations on these styles will be seen in historical battles which predate the Final War. All concepts presented here are the work of Kataphraktoi and NodachiSam (as indicated in each image).

Further concepts (for the remaining six factions, indicating their own unique styles) will be shown periodically. The focus of the modification is now Medieval II, due to a lack of interest in the Oblivion version.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

wow! it is good that you are continuing this mod for M2, it is a shame that you couldn't get it finished for RTW though... it is also great that you are doing this for Oblivion as well, oblivion is my second most played game (it would be my first if it wasn't for a barely able CPU)

keep up the hard work
GMM

[Ilsamir Lord]

I should have a map preview along shortly, or at least a few WIP shots of the reworked map. At the moment I'm trying to get all the necessary files for a Rome map done (as I assume the maps will work the same way in MII, as they look nearly identical). I've got a WIP region map half-way finished and I've made a height map template. I'll post more soon.

In the meantime I've been writing a lot more back-story, which is largely for the Oblivion mod, but which sets the scene for the MII mod nicely.

[GrimSta]

looking veeerrrrrrrrrrrry nice :)