I had a hero appear suddenly in the HoF in one of my games but I had a major part in his meteoric rise. He was an indie commander, Bogus, and my attempt to take his province nicely padded his totals.
Originally posted by magnate:
(1b. Are there any ways to acquire gems other than random events and magic sites?)
This isn't a way to acquire *more* gems, but it may help in your situation: you can use Alchemy to convert gems. Alchemy lets you convert from Astral to any other gem type at 2 for 1, and from any other gem type to astral, also at 2 for 1. (So you can go from any gem type to any other at a maximum of 4 for 1 cost). So if you have a big enough surplus of some other gem type, you can use that to boost your nature gems up to the amount you need to cast your spell.
Originally posted by Sindai: And he's one bad mutha. Especially if you're playing Ermor. I once had the Eternal Knights stop my offensive on Arcosephale dead in its tracks for several turns single-handedly. Then their contract ran out and I crushed Arco like a bug.
Truly Orion and his Knights are one of the best deals... if not the best.