Humans

Titan - Sirian

Click Sirian to hear him speak

Sirian is the most ancient of Gods, often referred to as the First God. He created the Realms of Etheria to fill the Eternal void. He is wise and fair, but when angered his wrath is truly terrible to behold. Sirian is far too powerful to manifest his presence in the Realms, for such an earth-shattering event would surely destroy them. Instead, when his loyal followers beg for his aid against the tides of darkness, he sends his avatar in the form of a giant suit of armor, wielding a flaming sword.

Race

Despite this universally poor opinion, Humans manage to flourish in the hostile environment of Etheria, so they must have something going for them. In fact, Human power rests on four pillars. Peasants, Cavalry, Mages and Markets.

Peasants are so cheap that you can afford to produce them en masse, and stuff them into mines. Cavalry, in its various forms, is the only tough melee unit that the Humans have. Mages are the all purpose units that can finally give the Humans an edge over their opponents and Markets are the only way to deal with the voracious Human appetite for gold.

Opponents underestimate Humans at their peril. If they expect Humans to be mediocre and mundane they could be letting themselves in for a very nasty surprise.

Pros: Cheap builders, Mages can be game winners

Cons: Unlimited requirement for Gold, vulnerable to air attack

To taunt a Human: Ask them if it’s true that Humans can and will mate with anything.

To make friends with a Human: Give them your money and/or your wife.

Motto: Power to the people.

Real Motto: Power to the people in power

Peasants:

Strange though it is to relate, the existence of the Peasant illustrates the perfection of the Feudal system, which will surely never be surpassed or even replaced. For a handful of gold, you get a tireless and apparently willing worker, who can be sent into mines, or put to work building mighty cathedrals. As it has been ordained, these Peasants are useless at fighting.

Pikemen:

Pikemen are essentially peasants who can fight. They’re not particularly good at it, but they are cheap, and the fact that they don’t take any Gold to produce is a real bonus. They do triple damage against cavalry as well, a fact that keeps a few aristocrats awake at nights.

Squires:

Yes, you’re right, Squires are peasants who can use a bow. They’re not a formidable fighting unit, but they do get some nice upgrades, including fire arrows, and can be effective in large groups. They’re also the Humans only defense against air attacks for quite some time, so their presence is more or less mandatory.

Mercenary:

The rules of the Feudal system are quite clear. While it is permissible (in times of war) to use Peasants as infantry, it is simply not allowed to use them as cavalry, as this would completely upset the natural order of the world, and give Peasants ideas far above their station.
This causes problems when there is a shortage of real Knights, due to excessive casualties on the tourney field, or the frequent and debilitating outbreaks of Courtly Love. The solution is to allow other people to put Peasants on horseback, and to call these creations Mercenaries. Mercenaries fight well, (so long as they are paid), and are not expensive to buy in the first place.

Knights:

Knights are definitely not peasants. They are aristocrats, and see themselves as the natural rulers of all of Etheria, not just the Human provinces. Knights fight better than Mercenaries, but are significantly more expensive and also have ego problems that the humble Mercenary doesn’t.

Knight Lords:

Knight Lords see themselves as the natural rulers of the natural rulers of Etheria. Knight Lords are tough fighters, and are so impressive that their very presence boosts your Hero’s morale. Like all human cavalry, they disdain to fight opponents in the air, an honorable but often fatal attitude.

White Mages:

These amiable looking (and sounding) old buffers can be absolute game winners. Not only do they bring a much needed air attack to the human side, but they have group healing and cure poison spells. They are also a General, and crucially they are available at a Level Four Keep.

Red Mages:

Red Mages don’t turn up until Level Five, but when they do they bring Resist Fire and Ring of Fire with them. They make good guardians for your Hero, as they can fry anybody who has the temerity to get too close. They can also cast Resist Fire if Dragons or other incendiary types are sighted.

Black Mages:

Like their Red Mage cousins, Black Mages also don’t consider their attendance on the field of battle is necessary until a Level Five Keep has been constructed. This attitude leaves something to be desired, but there are no reports of anybody being foolish enough to raise the topic with a Black mage. When the Black mages do arrive, they’re very useful. The Drain Mana spell is one that makes enemy spellcasters very nervous and the Hand of Ice is a great close in defense weapon. Black Mages also regain 5 Mana per kill, which acts as a powerful incentive.

Eagles:

Eagles are a fairly standard flying unit, with one important exception. Possessed (somehow) of a craft surpassing almost all other units, they are also builders. This makes it very easy for the Human player to scatter towers in locations inconvenient to their enemies.

Pegasi:

Necessary for defense against other flyers, the Human Pegasi get no special upgrades, but are still useful in their limited role.

Dragons:

Dragons feature heavily in Human mythology, and it’s no wonder. Dragons supply the all round fighting punch that the Humans need. If the Humans can hang on long enough to get a Dragon and a bunch of Mages to back up their Knight Lords, then they are very hard to beat.

Catapult:

If there is one thing on which all the races of Etheria can agree, it’s the pleasure of destroying your enemy from a range at which he can’t fight back. Catapults have a range of 14, and so provide an excellent vehicle for this rare pleasure.

Sirian:

Sirian is the Human Titan who causes Terror and conveniently ignores armor for his massive Fire attacks. He himself is so massively armored that it hard to think of a weapon that could trouble him, though like all overachievers, he is vulnerable to swarming attacks by packs of his inferiors.