An Occultus Faction possibly worked out?

I seem to remember that the EB2 team, early on, said that there was room for 10 new factions. We know of 5 of them (Pergamon, Bosphoran Kingdom, Massylia, Boii and the Lugiones) so....thinking about the map, where might the other factions be? Well, I think it is almost certain that one of the Celtiberian groups is going to be in (Arevaci?), I would put money on there being a Belgic faction in some form. Who else? The Nabatu have got to be in with a shout. That leaves two more....

Media Atropatene? Remained (as far as I can figure) independent and active - politically and militarily - for the greater part of EB2's timeframe.
Galatia? Perhaps too many factions in such a small area, but then....., perhaps because of all those other powers Galatia might only be able to survive as a faction, rather than as an Eleutheroi province.
Sequani? Perhaps a bit too much for the area but....in alliance with the Helvetii might provide a little more intrigue into Gaul/Germania.
Scordisci? Maybe just a little more pressure in that are of the map, to stop the Epirotes/Makedons from spreading too rapidly North, or the Getai taking too much Westward too easily.
Skythia? I know, a weak one this but you never know - the Hellenised Kingdom was active and expansionist...

Just throwing a few ideas out, and putting forward that beyond the (expected) Celtiberian, Belgae and Nabatu factions, the remainder (two factions) are difficult to guess.

Expected: Arevaci, Atropatene, Nabatu, Syrakusai, scripting related slot
Wanted (XD): Arevaci, Nabatu, Belgae, Dalmatae, Aquitani

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Originally Posted by Arjos

Expected: Arevaci, Atropatene, Nabatu, Syrakusai, scripting related slot
Wanted (XD): Arevaci, Nabatu, Belgae, Dalmatae, Aquitani

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I just can't see Syrakusai fitting the bill - during the time period we're talking about.

I'm putting my money on; Arevaci, Nabatu, a Belgic tribe, Media Atropatene and the Scordisci.

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Originally Posted by Gaius Sempronius Gracchus

I just can't see Syrakusai fitting the bill - during the time period we're talking about.

I'm putting my money on; Arevaci, Nabatu, a Belgic tribe, Media Atropatene and the Scordisci.

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Yeah, sounds like my hopes as well.

I'm with Arevaci, nabatu, a tribe between gauls and sweboz(so possibly belgae) and Atropatene no clue about the last one.

bet: I'd be nice to have more Occultus sigs^^ right now there only is this green one of which many people think it shows a bull. then we'd at least have the chance to guess :)

seems like europe is going to be way too crowded. what about the east, besides nabatu?

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Originally Posted by fomalhaut

seems like europe is going to be way too crowded. what about the east, besides nabatu?

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I'm not really sure what else could be added in the East, realistically. We already have the Arche Seleukia, Baktria, Pahlava, Sauro, Hai, Pontos, Ptolemai and the Sabyn. Add to that Pergamon, Bosphoran Kingdom and then (possibly) Nabatu and Atropatene...Perhaps Kartli...., but I'm not sure that their influence in the area could be considered as prominent enough. Whereas in Europe, we know that the Luso's are overpowering, so a Celtiberian faction is required even from the point of view of the mechanics of the game, let alone the interest in such. I went for the Scordisci upon the basis that they will hold off too great an expansion by the Getai into the West, the Macedons or Epirotes North and the Boii and Lugiones East and South. The Belgae...well, I just figured they gotta be there ;-)

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Originally Posted by Populus Romanus

Yeah, sounds like my hopes as well.

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I forgot about Kartli.:wall: I am very confident that they will be in. However, that would mean that one of those five fine choices would have to go. Furthermore, another would have to go because of the "one we have never guessed" thing. Why, why?:bigcry:

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Originally Posted by Gaius Sempronius Gracchus

Whereas in Europe, we know that the Luso's are overpowering, so a Celtiberian faction is required even from the point of view of the mechanics of the game, let alone the interest in such.

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Faction performance in EB ≠ faction performance in EBII

herm i would love to play a syrakuse campaign "the return of the western greeks" to "unify" the remaints of the western mediterraenean greeks and retake corsica sardinia sicily with the suport of emporion and massilia and even perhaps arsé

also it could help spice up things in both the iberian peninsula southern france and most importantly beteween the carthies and the romans (272 they start allied to rome and at peace with the punii and then in 265 they try to take messina and all hell breaks loose)

so syracuse can be blamed for how things turned beteween the romans and the punii and if not for them there might have never been a 1st punic war or it might have went very diferently

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Originally Posted by bobbin

Faction performance in EB ≠ faction performance in EBII

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True this.. but, and without much knowledge of M2:TW's campaign AI, I can't see how - given a clear stretch of Eleutheroi provinces between their starting point and the Southern most Celtic faction (which will, seemingly, be reduced to one province) - that they won't still become an overly powerful force within Europe without a viable Celtiberian counter-faction. Of course...I might be wrong, as I say I'm not familiar (at all) with what is possible with 'Eleutheroi' provinces in M2:TW.

That is running on the assumption that the other factions won't be expanding, remember that Carthage has territory right next to them and will be more expansive due to the AI being better with sea invasions in M2TW.

There are also loads of other factors to consider, such as how their units perform in battles and so on.

Yep if there is one sure thing in EBI it is that the Lusotan's are going to conquer Iberia. No one ever mentions the brown death -_-

I would imagine the Occulus symbol to look something like this:

https://i941.photobucket.com/albums/...s/Occultus.jpg

I hope that upload worked.

This is a shot from my ongoing (failing) Aedui campaign showing an Eleutheroi general.

The image on the banner is (at least I think) what is referred to by numismaticians as "The Norfolk Wolf", it appears on Iceni coinage of the late 1st Century and 1st Century AD.

NOW! I know your all going to say:

1. That is too late for EBIIs time period
2. Another British faction has already been ruled out (and even then my money would be on the Trinovantes or Atrebates if there were to be another one)
3. It's the wrong shape.

Yes Im aware of all these things, what I mean is that the Occultus symbol is likely to be similar to this and therefore represents a Celtic faction.

Well, if it is the wrong shape...I cannot see that being right.

Brennus has a point it's likely the symbol is Celtic. If not then we can at least rule out it being greek.

i've been under the impression that the occultus was some silly thing like Roman Ninjas, at least the name sounds so

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Originally Posted by fomalhaut

i've been under the impression that the occultus was some silly thing like Roman Ninjas, at least the name sounds so

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Isn't it Latin for 'hidden'?

EDIT: How's this...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

https://img856.imageshack.us/img856/329/dwafdefrefe.jpg
Please hold your applause at my awesome graphic design skills...

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Originally Posted by stratigos vasilios

Please hold your applause at my awesome graphic design skills...

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:applause: (sorry, I could not resist)

Anyway, this seems to be a very good guess, they do look like products of the same culture.

EDIT: after further examination, that occulutus symbol looks to me like it's head points to the left and it's something like wolf (or even panther) with the hump being it's wings (so it's some griffin)

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some silly thing

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The EB-Team never does any silly things. We are full of discipline, honesty and readiness to make sacrifices so EB2 becomes a perfect modification.

XSamatan

oh so i guess Roman Ninjas are out then?
;)

Only for the first release.

I'm sure you will take comfort in flaming pigs to scare of elephants.

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Originally Posted by XSamatan

The EB-Team never does any silly things. We are full of discipline, honesty and readiness to make sacrifices so EB2 becomes a perfect modification.

XSamatan

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So torturing us with these signatures makes EB2 perfect?:dizzy2:

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Originally Posted by XSamatan

I'm sure you will take comfort in flaming pigs to scare of elephants.

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i personally want female horses in heat. on fire. ridden by roman ninjas.

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Originally Posted by Populus Romanus

Well, if it is the wrong shape...I cannot see that being right.

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Yes I know that, that's why I said it was the wrong shape.

IMHO it's impossible to figure out this occultus sign... Even if you magically find the exact same variation of the symbol the EB team used, i think 99% of people would dissmissit it without even mentioning it... It's just to tough.

I do have a question tough... I would like to see what was under the Lugiones occultus sign (which symbol) if possible

I cannot find the orginal picture but I know it was a version of the header usd in the lugiones preview.

https://img708.imageshack.us/img708/74/lugones.png

Would you be willing to tell us which cultural group the last Occultus faction belongs to (if only to silence the "It must be Syracuse/Jews/Illyria" people)?

It is in the Mercuro-Bartix Culture Group, emergent in 1017 AD.

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Originally Posted by bobbin

I cannot find the orginal picture but I know it was a version of the header usd in the lugiones preview.

https://img708.imageshack.us/img708/74/lugones.png

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Lol, that was impossible to discover, since basically the best theory was that there were trees in the background, which could be symbol of almost every faction :)

Thanks tough,

Theory: The occultus sigs are not actually the sigs of the hidden faction, their just there to buy the team time while they figure out what is the hidden faction!

Possible? Yes. Probable? God no.

Meh, now I'm just spamming.

what it is is something to get you guys all worked up because the team likes to have fun with the project too. "heh heh look at them!"

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Originally Posted by fomalhaut

i personally want female horses in heat. on fire. ridden by roman ninjas.

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Damn! He found us out!!!

Sourceless guess: Eastern Iberia!

Now thread, resurrect!

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Originally Posted by stratigos vasilios

Sourceless guess: Eastern Iberia!

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Very difficult to do I imaggine, my knowledge of the polities of Eastern Iberia is alsmot non existent but considering the Iberians spoke an non-Indo European language I could imagine there being great difficulties in reconstructing such a faction.

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Originally Posted by stratigos vasilios

Now thread, resurrect!

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Well done doctor!

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Originally Posted by stratigos vasilios

Sourceless guess: Eastern Iberia!

Now thread, resurrect!

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if they put a georgian faction in i think they´ll run into problems with the russians :X

as anyone noticed the resemblance beteween faction and facism :? (ok extremist left wingers can take it from here i think)

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Originally Posted by moonburn

if they put a georgian faction in i think they´ll run into problems with the russians :X

as anyone noticed the resemblance beteween faction and facism :? (ok extremist left wingers can take it from here i think)

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You will have Ludens after you if your not careful.

well it's pronounced totally different and btw it's spelled with an s before the C. I don't think the words are related in any way. :P

Iberia, well why not? I'd bet there is at least one new faction in that region tho my money would be on antropane, iberia beeing on second place.

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Originally Posted by Brennus

Very difficult to do I imaggine, my knowledge of the polities of Eastern Iberia is alsmot non existent but considering the Iberians spoke an non-Indo European language I could imagine there being great difficulties in reconstructing such a faction.

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Well the Georgians still speak an ancestor of that language so it wouldn't that much harder than reconstructing most of the other factions. I think you may be confused with the Iberian language of western Europe, of which much less is know about.

I'm quite sure, he has meant the Iberians in modern eastern spain and not the ancestors of the georgians.

I thought that as well.

I would like the Arevaci, personally.

But yeah, we should be told at least the culture group!

oh, well that'd be possible aswell, anyway imho there chances are about equal ^^
-> I think that both regions will get one or two new factions.
-> both Iberians are just my second candidate after some wierd people with A. who live close to them

quite a coincedence that.

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Originally Posted by Kival

I'm quite sure, he has meant the Iberians in modern eastern spain and not the ancestors of the georgians.

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I most definately meant the Caucasian Iberians.

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Originally Posted by bobbin

Well the Georgians still speak an ancestor of that language so it wouldn't that much harder than reconstructing most of the other factions. I think you may be confused with the Iberian language of western Europe, of which much less is know about.

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I was referring to the Western European Iberians not the Caucasians.

Due to the confusion I hope they aren't included lol
Just joking, but as said before Atropatene should be more "important"...

It would get us a lot of posts a la:

"You've got it all wrong! Iberians are Spanish and their soldiers look like Megaman! Not like that! so much for historical accuracy!"

Not to say that that could not aswell be my post(tho I tend to doublecheck before I call someone incompetent)!

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Originally Posted by MButcher

I agree. There's an unshakeable aura of "bullness" about it, particularly an Indian bull because of the large hump.

http://www.stevealbum.com/lotphotos/main/816184.jpg http://www.indiancoins.org/wp-conten.../02/image2.png

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So was this guy right?

Sorry for the necro but I remembered this thread because of the Lovecraft banter (still hanging out for a Dagonic cultured R'lyeh faction btw).

Are their any other/more Occultus sigs floating around?

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Originally Posted by Cyclops

So was this guy right?

Sorry for the necro but I remembered this thread because of the Lovecraft banter (still hanging out for a Dagonic cultured R'lyeh faction btw).

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A round of applause for the one eyed Australian! Sorry to have doubted you sir.

New Moro's one
Attachment 1531

After putting more luminosity:
Attachment 1532
Looks arabian or african to me, but well, I'm a history noob :laugh4:

"Nice try, but that'll not work." :laugh4: Despite of that it does work a little bit. I would say two horses facing each other or some similar anmials.

Gotta hope it's a celtiberian horse, but it's so dark, even with luminosity all you can distinguish are slim legs...

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Originally Posted by Arjos

Gotta hope it's a celtiberian horse, but is so dark, even with luminosity all you can distinguish are slim legs...

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Yes, my first thought was horse (or a horse-cthulhu:clown:) and It also reminded me of some iberian horse art and I'm realy hoping to have some new company to my lusotannans in hispania.....Who knows?

If it is just one horse I cannot see where the head would be placed. Actually I'm not entirely sure if it really is a new occultus sig... but that's for others to explain who thought about that first.

I've only found something about a scepter found in numantia, which has actually two horses though they are not facing each other:

Attachment 1534

The interplay of the patterns coupled with the coluring suggests either the Bellovaci, the Nervii, Suessiones, Atrebates or Remi to me, in any case a Belgic tribe.

DISCLAIMER: Im going to be childish and pig headed until I get my Belgians!

On a more logical note the font is very similar to the Boii and Sweboz which suggests a western European faction. I was horrifcly wrong on the Mauryan Satrap so I don't want to make too much of an arse of myself again.

I remember that they are not above petty trickery. They had an occultus from an already revealed faction and an occultus of a building.

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Originally Posted by Populus Romanus

I remember that they are not above petty trickery. They had an occultus from an already revealed faction and an occultus of a building.

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And trees (lugiones)

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Originally Posted by LusitanianWolf

And trees (lugiones)

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What's wrong with using trees and buildings?

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Originally Posted by Kival

What's wrong with using trees and buildings?

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Nothing. I love trees :laugh4:

Is there anyone who has the urls of all or at least nearly all Occultus Sigs?

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Originally Posted by Cyclops

So was this guy right?

Sorry for the necro but I remembered this thread because of the Lovecraft banter (still hanging out for a Dagonic cultured R'lyeh faction btw).

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Victory is mine! I believe this deserves a maniacal laugh. Muwahahahahahaha!

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Originally Posted by MButcher

Victory is mine! I believe this deserves a maniacal laugh. Muwahahahahahaha!

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LOL! That was a good find sir...

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Originally Posted by LusitanianWolf

New Moro's one
Attachment 1531

After putting more luminosity:
Attachment 1532
Looks arabian or african to me, but well, I'm a history noob :laugh4:

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Hey, I just noticed this:
https://img688.imageshack.us/img688/5181/hahagr.jpg

Funny.. :laugh4:

I thinks it's a horse and the faction is the Arevaci.

Love that editing Olimpian XD
The black part said exactly that lol

Ah another Occultus sig guessing game

*stretches, limbers up*

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Originally Posted by Populus Romanus

I remember that they are not above petty trickery. They had an occultus from an already revealed faction and an occultus of a building.

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No we didn't, that was an old occultus sig for the Arverni from the early EB days and the Lugii one was the faction symbol with some tree's in the background.

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Originally Posted by MButcher

Victory is mine! I believe this deserves a maniacal laugh. Muwahahahahahaha!

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that was foul trickery of them, not to admit you were right!