The Ilsamiren Wars

[Ilsamir Lord]

We are beginning work on a new mod: The Ilsamiren Wars for Barbarian Invasion.

The Team

Ilsamir Lord - Mod Leader, Minor Concept Artist, Writer

Grimsta - Texture Artist

KjaerliGH - Mapper

RTW King - Texture Artist

Kataphraktoi - Concept Artist

NodachiSam - Concept Artist

Sundry 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 the Western Continent 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, however, 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.

On the Eastern Continent, the Mechathenain 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.

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 500 years after that date with the destruction of the World by the Weaver.

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, forests and mountains but for now a description will have to suffice. 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. There is a large forest in the South of the Western Continent and a mountain range separates the Northern Kingdom from the Ilsamir lands. Stay tuned for a map (drawn by yours truly ).

The Factions & Cultures(descriptions and histories to follow)
The Ilsamiri - Ally of the Western and Southern Kingdoms, lands in the Western Continent

The Seaborne - Lands in the islands

The Mechathenain - Lands in the Eastern Continent

The Northern Kingdom - Lands in the Western Continent

The Southern Kingdom - Ally of the Ilsamiri, lands in the Western Continent

The Western Kingdom - Ally of the Ilsamiri, lands in the Western Continent

The Ocean Tribes - Lands in the islands

The Religions
The Path of the Weaver – Ilsamiri

Rain Worship – The Mechathenain

Sea Worship – The Ocean Tribes and the Seaborne

Sun Worship – The Western Kingdom

Moon Worship – The Southern Kingdom

Mountain Worship – The Northern Kingdom

The Path of Malice – The Ilsamiri and the Northern Kingdom

Unit lists will follow.

A question: would people prefer place names in English or the appropriate imagined language?

[Lonely Soldier]

How big is the map going to be? As big as RTR's?

[Bwian]

Hooray for originality

It's nice to see people using this game as abase for proper fantasy mods, rather than trying to search out ever more obscure fantasy novels or niche conflicts for inspiration. All the best ones got taken quite early on.

When you put all that aside, you are free to do what you want, build what you want, and end up with something much more satisfying.

Hope it goes well for you.

[Ilsamir Lord]

Thanks Bwian! I'm still relatively early on in the planning stages, but I have a few concept drawings done, and I'm finalising the map now.

Lonely Soldier - It'll be as big as we can get it! Lots of provinces to fight for and lots of smaller islands in the Dividing Sea.

The level of 'fantasy' is not particularly high, some units may be magically gifted (giving bonuses to speed, accuracy or stamina) but most will not be. I'd like the world to be believable but still unfamiliar.

I'm making the website at the moment as well, and when its up it'll be where you'll find all the information you want on every aspect of the world. I'm just happy I've got three months holiday to work on it!

So far each faction has a set of units about ten strong, nowhere near the model limit, which I'll be posting shortly - fear not, there will be more!

Recruitment
2d artists wanted for work on faction and religion icons, and menues. No obligation to do further work, but a uniform style would be ideal. I will provide references for basic forms and styles.

[Ilsamir Lord]

Early Unit Lists (more to follow)

The Ilsamiri
Infantry:
Peasants –
Armed with appropriated farming tools, these men are not brave, but they are stronger than other citizens, simply because they have had to hunt and farm to feed themselves.

Conscripts –
These men are forced into the military by random selection. They are usually young and inexperienced, and so are last resorts of desperate commanders. Because they are pressed into service, these soldiers are unreliable and have undergone minimal training.

Swordsmen –
These are sword armed professional soldiers. They are lightly armoured to facilitate rapid movement, but make up for their lack of armour with unmatched skill in defending themselves with their swords.

Spearmen –
These men carry spears and shields and can present an impenetrable wall of shields to a foe. They are not especially brave, but when placed in a tight formation with their flanks protected they are unlikely to waver.

Pikemen –
The natural progression of the spear is the pike, a massive pole-arm designed to hold the enemy at bay. Pikemen are very hardy, but when placed in their customary tight formation they are very vulnerable to flanking assaults.

Archers - with longbows
These archers are some of the finest in the world. They spend a lifetime training themselves to fire their powerful longbows, and are as a consequence extremely strong in a melee. These archers are armoured lightly and carry single-handed fighting swords.

Darineth Guardsmen
These are the finest men in the Ilsamiren army, armed with swords and shields, they wear the finest armour and undergo the most rigorous training, with the result that they are as fast as many light troops, but are infinitely hardier. They are chosen from among the guards of the fortress-city of Darineth, the capital of the Ilsamir lands. They fight in a relatively loose formation to facilitate the swinging of their longswords.

Warriors of Malice (?)
These men are shunned by the rest of Ilsamir society, but they are still respected as fine warriors. They are armed with two-handed swords and wear heavy armour. They have turned from the path of the Weaver, but not from loyalty to the Ilsamiri.

Warrior Priests (?)
These priests are followers of the Weaver and uphold his teachings. Though they are trained to be passive, when they are defending their people their wrath is terrible to behold.

Morchanin Scouts –
These are the finest warriors in the world. Armed with sabres and blowguns they are capable of taking enemies totally unawares and are particularly skilled in the killing of enemy captains and generals. They fight expertly at night, and hide easily in grass and forest.

[SvartH]

hi i have a big map made it for me could i give it to you for the mod i really would like to see the map in a mod for rtw is a 4 continent map im going to scan it if you like it use it ok???