[AreaOfEffect]

The State of the World as Man Sees It:

These are indeed though times. There has been a lot of war since the beginning of this game, and aside from the annihilation of Atlantis, all of that warfare has been unresolved.

The evil empire of Ermor is falling at last. They have done well considering the odds. Though I must be honest. From what I've seen, and as Pangaea admits, the forest beings have not done well in stemming the Ermorian tide. They have suffered great defeat after great defeat. Only by the grace of their god, Hysteria, have they ever achieved significant victory. Bogarus entered very late in the struggle and has played the part of a poorly organized opportunist. Ermor is not falling because of either of these nations. Ermor is falling because of Ulm in my opinion. Ulm has grown stronger and stronger with every fight and Ermor has grown weaker and weaker. Superb battle placement, rare artifacts, high level evocation, and unique demons are all at their disposal. Ermor will fall.

To the East an equally epic battle has been waged. The forces of T'ien Ch'i and Jonom have been fighting Mictlan and Abysia for ages. I have seen many impressive battles. The defeat of the great Jonom calvary was interesting to me. One well placed fireball after the other decimated their army, one square at a time. If it were not for the forces of T'ien Ch'i, Jomon would fall.

T'ien Ch'i on the other hand has done well in their fight against their respective foe, Mictlan. So well that they have dispersed capitol only sacreds to aid their ally. They are by far the largest nation on the entire map. Both T'ien Ch'i and Mictlan have exercised a triple bless or greater. Both nations wielded their sacred armies battle after battle. It seemed like a fair match. Yet, at the end of the day, T'ien Ch'i has gained the most ground. That said, the most recent spectacle places Mictlan on top. While T'ien Ch'i has relied mostly on the brute effectiveness and survivability of their sacreds, Mictlan has turned to the powers of evocation. In a decisive battle just miles away from Mictlan's capitol, the main force of T'ien Ch'i have been broken and scattered. Unless T'ien Ch'i revises their tactics, they will fall. Fortunately for them, they have the luxury of time.

To the South-East lies the nation of Marignon and Pythium. Pythium has done their part to fend off Ermor and Argatha. I have seen their toxic sacred Hydras, and I am not impressed with how they have been used. Unless they are holding back a great deal of resource and tactical knowledge, the nation of Pythium will likely fall. Their ally on the other hand, Marignon, is a wildcard. They have never been tested and instead they have been allowed to stew and simmer. Only time will tell if they have prepared well for the doom that awaits them.

Argatha, the ally of Ermor, has not been talked about much at all this game. They started a war against Man, most likely out of boredom and the desire to expand. Argatha had beaten the small nation of Man back to their capitol, losing caster after caster along the way. Then Ry'leh approached and a retreat was in order. Since then the Argathians have held off their foes by employing a great deal of mid-level evocation. In front of their army lies a kill zone where everything dies. Though Argatha has taken losses and have lost small battles here and their, their primary force has never been broken. That said, the pressure of two nations leaning against them has taken their toll. Their empire resembles swiss cheese and like Ermor, Argatha will fall.

Bogarus, the only nation without an ally. From what I've seen, and from what Ulm has vocally observed, is likely to be the next nation eaten by the empire of vampiric lords. May fate have mercy upon them. They will likely fall.

I dare not speak of my fate, for it is grim. I also dare not speak of the fate of my Ally, for they are mad.

I dare not say that my predictions are prophecy. Their is much that hinges on what people have been doing in the background. I can only speak of what I see. I can only tell you the trends. I do not mean to insult anyone. It is the state of the world as I see it. I can not see it all, and so I may have sold some nations short, and given a few credit that is undeserved. That said, good luck to us all.