AoW4 Factions, 24

AoW4 has managed the odd feat, unequaled since City of Heroes, of inspiring me to not just write up a character bio but constantly create new factions and give them all more or less whimsical flavor text. So here they are, one by one:

________________________________________________________________________________

Another faction roleplaying against the usual stigma around death and necromancy.

I didn't check the fine print when selecting a Righteous Oathsworn faction (do-gooders) with shadow magic (which tends toward evil) but Cult of Personality's hero bonus made for cheaper early questing and the Silver-Tongued trait, though again picked haplessly, makes up the economic difference in trading with neutral towns, with Faithful Whispers' reputation gain bonus forming the lynchpin for my greater strategy. On the tactical level, at first this seemed an unworkable combo, but in between failed attempts just as I started playing it, Triumph introduced an actual shadow/order research option. The bottom-tier, melee-range zombies that shadow magic summons normally tend to be pretty useless in themselves, better at eating halberds or as living nukes. Here though, not only did order heal/buff spells turn them into a passable front line, but monkeys' agility (allowing them to pass through friendly units) prevented the swarm from tripping over itself. I ended up needing far fewer high-tier units because I could throw mid-tier units into fights to die valiantly for my noble cause, then zom-zerg my enemies to death with tier 2 spellcasters bringing up the rear. Highly satisfying.