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Dominions 3 Poetry

The Haiku thread got me thinking and I decided I might as well post a few poems inspired by Dominions 3. Three of these are the result of story ideas (coming from a couple of games I played), and since their seeds are back in teh days of Dom2, they assume my own preferred version of Dominions world history.

The fourth verse is, unsurprisingly, inspired by the name of the magic site "The Sea of the Tears of Men". That's just a phrase so awesome it was begging to have something written about it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy them. Feedback would also be nice.

These also serve as something of Dom3 Trivial Pursuit: See how many in-game references you can find... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

The Sea of the Tears of Men (February 15th, 2008)

Born of crystal drops people cannot help but spend,
Stretches to the horizon, an ocean without end,
Fed from unending streams, for always there are more
A great salt and bitter sea without a shore...

Not much a single raindrop, yet soon they make a trickle;
Becomes a bouncing stream, fast, turbulent and fickle;
Joins a larger river flowing strongly down a channel deep,
Down to the sea that gathers more from tears the clouds weep

They say it's born of evil, of suffering and pain,
Of hurt and death and hopelessness, of dreams that died in vain.
Through the ages so many have tried, yet there are none that ken
How to drain dry the Sea of the Tears of Men.

******

Children of the Flame (February 17th, 2008)

Children of the Flame, cast down in defeat,
Banished to the wastes of sand and stone,
Damped the heat of their fury, capped the Earthfire's glow,
Now only sullen smoke rises from the Smouldercone.

Weakened and corrupted, seduced by a False God,
Forgotten the days of old when they would sing
In temples unsullied by the stink of blood
Praises to the Lord of Magma, Earthfire's King.

Diluted the Earth's Blood, tainted with devils' touch
Joined too by magic to the blood of mortal men,
Cools the heat of lava running through their veins,
Comes doom from the dabbling of Warlocks in their den...

Their Flame by demon plots and plans smothered,
Lost the ways of Old Power, secrets cast out of mind,
The desert heat just a shadow of what used to be,
Yet not gone but only hidden, for the bold to find...

Forbidden, yet whispered, rumors have wings,
Give life to ambition in a dreaming heart;
Set in motion plots, intrigue and treason
Where murder, lies and poison play a part...

Stands tall above his peers, merciless and feared,
One of the Old Blood, called the Enemy of Man;
Advisor to the False God, Old Fire in his veins,
Plans downfall of his master, in any way he can...

Legends of the piece of Sun that fell from the sky
That burns forever in a great, Eternal Pyre,
Trapped and hidden far from prying mortal eyes
The kindling needed to relight a dying Fire...

Hard to reach the Sun's Anvil, Desert's Heart,
Across a waste of cracked and broken stones,
Strewn and scattered with gleaming white,
The barrens known as the Desert of Bones...

Heart of the desert, shimmers of rippling heat,
Rocks, sand and sky all one vision in the glow
Of the brightly burning rays of the Sun Above,
Yet just as fierce the Fire of the Sun Below...

Time of Prophecy for the Children of the Flame,
When the King of the Wastes, the Chosen One
Restores to them an age of blazing glory,
Opens up the Prison of the Desert Sun!

******

The Fall of the Iron Kingdom (February 17th, 2008)

In the wake of Death and Darkness,
In the aftermath of blood and pain,
A chance to cast aside their yoke,
To choke the slavers with their chain...

Yet they face a new threat, worse by far
Souls from beyond the Gates of Death,
Bony legions marching out to war
Till no living thing draws breath...

Seek solution in the old ways,
Songs of the smiths, men who could feel
The soul of the iron glowing red,
Turn base metal to the Enigma of Steel.

Their roots in the mountains,
The ancient forests of the wild,
A hard life of struggle in the cold,
Where survives only the strongest child...

Yet wisdom gleaned from former masters,
Replaced the trial of the Wheel of Pain,
Brought forth an army of steelclad men,
That struggle against Death not be in vain...

From a scattering of tribes,
Barbarians at the gates,
Rises now a mighty nation,
Proud men sole masters of their fates...

Great cities, castles of stone,
Mighty citadels to guard the border,
Peace and prosperity for all,
Watched over by the Black Order.

In its thews the Iron Kingdom's strength,
Disdainful of magic, tool of the frail,
Yet no good is brawn without wit,
And thus even great nations fail...

Grow fiercer the sermons of steel,
Grows the might of Black Priests,
Shifting power from the Guardians,
Smiths no longer seen at the feasts...

With their God falling silent,
The Great Keep filled with spies,
The Council riven by suspicion,
How to tell the truth from lies?

Secret plots, unholy rites,
Auguries that offer doom;
Corruption creeping in,
The land sinks into a gloom...

Comes then an unlikely quartet,
Witch, Demon, Master Smith and Knight;
Made pawns in the games of power,
On treason can they shed light?

Sent forth on a secret mission,
A journey to the Library of Time,
Answers in Acashic Records,
Where to find clues to the crime?

Yet not so easy their task,
For plans dark are coming nigh;
Foes sent in the guise of help,
With orders given from on high...

When discovered the Cavern of the Pool,
Secrets come out, hidden daggers drawn,
Friends scattered through the mists of Time,
Not one of them to see the next dawn...

Made false the chance of last hope
No one left to shine truth's light,
Traitors free to do their will at last,
Send the Kingdom forever into Night.

Path clear now for the Dark God,
The plots dismissed as fiction;
Plunged the nation into Civil War,
Leading to the Malediction!

Dark of the moon, unholy hunger!
Death rushing in, a red flood,
Men turning on their fellows,
Slaver at a feast of flesh and blood!

Comes the land to wrack and ruin,
Tumbles down the Great Keep;
Iron Inquisition burning people;
Wailing laments as the widows weep...

Prophecy of the Black Forest (February 17th, 2008)

High the wild mountains, dark the deep woods,
Once tame, in the days before the Curse...
Deadly now, only fools venture in,
Home to brigands, wolves and worse...

Castle, keep and city ruled by iron hand,
Folk preyed upon by man and beast;
Night a time of blood, death and terror,
Scant relief dawning light in the east

No hope in sight, yet it lives in secret:
"Some day..." the fearful whispers say,
"...we can dream again!", but quietly,
For otherwise there's hell to pay!

Whispered the secret, rumor in the wind,
Rantings of a madman they seem,
Yet they call it vision, a prophecy,
Words fever-born, a fool's dream:

"Damned those who swore, then betrayed,
Black Lord's men, each called a knight,
Join forces with the Demon Horseman,
Become spectral Riders in the Night...

The Witch, a sorceress of Death and Flame,
Imprisoned by the traitors' spell,
Caged with chains of Banefire
Trapped alone in a deathless hell...

Last of his kind, the Master Smith,
Cast adrift in Time's strands,
Exile from a forgotten age,
Keys to salvation in his hands...

The Seeress in return for her life
Reads a fortune from a deck of cards:
Opens the doors of Destiny,
Draws together Fate's shards...

Bloodhounds baying at their heels
Forced to flee into the night;
Guided by the Werewolf's help
Survival still a desperate fight...

Forced against the Dark God,
The Smith cannot find any sleep,
His task unfinished till again
Forgefires burn in the Ruined Keep..."

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

I don't think as many people can or will write longer poems, as they do haiku...

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

Well, I for one am thoroughly impressed. Bravo!

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

Edi,
Very impressive.
-SSJ

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

I was listening to this clip Korppi (mp3 file) from Finnish group Suden Aika's cd Unta. I wanted to try creating a poem so that Edi wouldn't feel all alone, and I liked the rhythm of the piece. So here we have:

Ascension

Signs and omens of - Destruction:
all is doomed for They are waking
gods are moving, giants walking
lesser beings' lives are nothing
highest Throne is all that matters
Tartarus waits for those who forfeit
(empty victory of the loneliest being)
I'm unmatched
my power peerless
the last great pretender

Long live the Pantokrator!

Why worship sun when darkness falls not?
I am god of fools and weaklings
the Loneliest being,
my last act
unmaking

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

Two guys from Finland with a mastery of the English language. The beers are on me if I ever get to Finland.
-SSJ

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

Here the poem of the most famous Markata poet known in Patala's lands:

Ugugug-kreek
yukyuk-squeek

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

They plagiarized that from Yeats! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/shock.gif
-SSJ

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

As I have said on many occasions, the Dominions world's thematics fascinate me and sometimes things insist on being written. Such as the following piece, which I tied to the Iron kingdom pieces I wrote before. Kristoffer really does come up with all too evocative names for things...

The Chasm of Black Roses (version 2, September 12th, 2008)

Leading deep into the mountains
Treacherous the secret trail,
Known by few among the living,
A terror to make courage fail...

At its end a hidden place,
An old storm-lashed keep,
Where dark, forbidding walls
Guard black secrets buried deep...

Forgotten fortress of old,
Last redoubt of a final stand
Of those who stayed true
Even with the end at hand...

One among their number no friend,
A priest whose benediction
Masked underneath a false heart,
His words in truth a Malediction!

Guarded the walls in death,
As they once were in life,
By spectral warriors undying,
Slain by a traitor's knife...

The fort a graveyard of the damned,
Cursed by servants of the Dark Lord,
Yet unbroken still the ancient oaths,
Serve the True God with their swords!

Past the postern gate of the castle,
Grove of evergreens on the brink
Of the gorge where their bones lie,
Where blood flowed for soil to drink...

Fed the thorny stems by streams from above,
Blooming strong and heady as the day closes,
Dark petals weeping tears of dew in tribute
For the dead in the Chasm of Black Roses...

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

Hi there Edi, you've written some fantastic stuff here, thanks! I like the epic tone of the poems, it really fits with the Dominions theme.

When I get a free moment I will try to add something myself, thanks for the inspiration mate :)

Now that there's a Kalevala themed mod for Dominions, can I quote the whole of Kalevala here? :D :p

This is a great thread. Thanks for creating more, and hopefully you'll get more people to participate.

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Endoperez (Post 585893)

Hi Endo,

In my haste with my last post I forgot to mention your poem, which I also really liked, particularly the final stanza ending in 'unmaking', really cool rhythm and vibe there, nice!

Yeah keep posting people!

Re: Dominions 3 Poetry

This is crossposted from another forum with permission of the author Dawkish.

Quote:

NewDawn

Just for ****s and giggles I thought I would post the remainder of my "turn limericks" that I wrote for the NewDawn LP when it started. If you were following the thread you may have noticed that my gimmick was a little ditty each turn. I was reading back through them today and realized that it is a pretty funny example of the emotions one goes through when they are being rushed by Niefelheim. Since they were already written, I thought I might as well post them.

These were each written during the turn, never after, so they capture pretty much exactly how I felt. You may have to do a bit of reading between the lines.

Arcoscephale – Turn 0

Greetings all from ancient Greece,
We used to be a land of peace,
Milk and honey flowed like wine,
Wine flowed like streams in summertime.

But now that the Ascension comes,
We must destroy these other bums,
And raise our god to number one,
The Nibbler is here for everyone!

He’ll eat your head and **** your brains,
He lives to inflict deadly pains,
He’s big and fast and leafy green,
When he gets hungry, he gets mean.

So up we take our ancient arms,
And leave our women at the farms,
We march to war and to prevail,
For the glory of Arcoscephale.

(Note: I pronounce Arcoscephale as “Ar-coh-sef-ail.” I have heard different pronunciations but I’m not sure if there is a right one.)

Arcoscephale – Turn 1

We begin the study of alteration,
To prepare for The Nibbler’s new vocation,
Scary though he is right now,
Wait till you see us pimp him out!

Slings and arrows just rustle his hair,
His heads protected by gusts of air,
And swords will find no flesh to tear,
His misty form is hardly there.

But illusions will be the trick most clever,
From reality their minds will sever,
As they watch one beast, a horrid sight,
Turn into six they have to fight!

Arcoscephale – Turn 2

The Nibbler is anxious to spread his fame,
To head into wilds yet untamed,
So off he goes to spread his light,
Can’t blame the guy, he loves to fight.

Our mortal force as well prepares,
No rest for us, no time to spare,
These Indies still call themselves free,
For The Nibbler we’ll make them take the knee.

Shields up front! Slings in back!
Get ready boys and let’s attack!
We do it for the greater good,
And to get laid as young men should.

Arcoscephale – Turn 3

Philosophers, angry old men,
Will help to find our spells so when,
The Nibbler finds another god,
He’ll crush him with a fang filled nod.

Our army has fought well this day,
The losses low, the celebrants gay,
We hear The Nibbler had a ball,
He ate one guy, shield, sword and all!

We decide to train some of the guys,
To ride on horses that can fly,
It takes some time to do it right,
But just a few can win a fight.

Arcoscephale – Turn 4

Oh no! Oh no! Our god is dead!
Hit by giants in both his heads!
Nasty cold makes a tired snake,
Our god is dead for goodness sake!

Plans of alteration done,
To evocation we must run,
A last ditch chance to save our lands,
Throwing lightning from our hands.

Now former plans are laid to rest,
For this will surely be a test,
Oreiads will be called to fight,
To kill the freezing giant blight.

Arcoscephale – Turn 5

We run with tails between our legs,
From frozen giants with chests like kegs,
We want to fight for glory and fame,
But against small people. This isn’t the same.

There is no counter to this rush,
Our game plan is a pot o’ mush,
And so we sit inside our walls,
And await foul enemy’s battle calls.

The only hope is evocation,
We study towards that destination,
When Oreiads with hands alight,
Can bring electricity to the fight.

Arcoscephale – Turn 6

Here I sit, broken hearted,
Went to expand but barely started,
Sitting in my castle thinking,
I may take up heavy drinking.

But drunk or not, I still must try,
To poke these *******s in the eye,
My little plan to go out well,
Seems a good way to go to hell.

But no despair will keep me down,
Still in my castle I wear the crown,
My one last try is very near,
For me, I ask you, shed no tears.

Arcoscephale – Turn 7

The giants take my final land,
For them it’s easy, just as planned,
I think that I’ll just keep this one short,
There’s very little to report.

Arcosephale – Turn 8

Seduce! You harlots, filthy ****s,
Caress your tits and waggle your butts,
Attempt to gain some giant affection,
By causing a raging giant erection.

But they go not with empty hands,
To show the spots where they lack tans,
We’ve made our goal in evocation,
For our juicy babes of incantation.

So just in case their wiles fail,
And flaccid giants they assail,
They will not die without a fight,
Sweet ‘lectric ladies of the night.

Arcoscephale – Turn 9

**** me I say,
**** me says I,
**** Oreiads
And seduce. Oh why
Did I not know
That they can’t go
And pick up dudes
With attitudes
And bring them back
Or just attack
Without a land
That’s free of bands
Of frozen guys,
Of unnatural size?
**** me that’s why.

Arcoscephale – Turn 10

Well there it is,
My time is done,
All I can do,
Is have some fun.

I really could not,
Have started much worse,
Than stuck in a corner,
That was the first curse.

Then finding my neighbors,
Were well blessed thugs,
I knew in my heart,
That I would get mugged.

So I sit in my castle,
And know I am dead,
I wish I could have shown,
All that was ahead.

My plans seemed so smart,
My build seemed divine,
My start seemed auspicious,
My Oreiads so fine.

What I could have done different,
There may be debate,
But it’s moot with the enemy,
Now at the gates.

Fin