Wild Walkers

A faction of creators and builders, the **Wild Walkers** strive to bind rocks and trees into great living monuments. Their relationship with Dust is intense and dangerous; under its influence they can suddenly explode into berserker rages. The Wild Walkers rely on forests, to get more Industry  and build faster, but also to gain advantage in battle. Masters of their environment, they can locate enemy armies near their cities, even through the fog of war.

## Lore

*The Wild Walkers were simple elves living as hunter-gathers in the forests. Their gift was to shape rocks and trees into great buildings; cities rose as green towers in the deep woods. This act, called The Sharing, let an elf experience the wild, untamed energy of their totem animal.*

*Elves who Shared often, however risked having the spirit of the beast burst out like a violent flame and take control during moments of stress. In spite of that, some sought increasingly savage beasts in order to experience Sharings of greater intensity.*

*With individuals embracing the savagery of the animals and vanishing forever into the woods, the nation had to choose between the wild spirits of nature and the civilization of their towers. Troubled but determined, they forswore the Sharing, renamed themselves the Wild Walkers, and set out to build their towers away from their dark past.*

*Only time will tell if the Sharing still has its hold on their souls.*

## Faction Traits

### The Sharing

The Sharing is a faction trait unique to the Wild Walkers that gives them the ability to detect the presence of armies without being able to see them. There are, however, a few rules that determine how this ability works. First, the army being detected must be on a tile of the map that has been revealed, but is not in the visible range of any friendly buildings or units. Second, the army being detected must be within a region that the Wild Walkers control, or a region directly adjacent to one they control. This also applies to oceanic regions, so it is possible to detect armies in an oceanic region if the Wild Walkers control a land region bordering it, or vice versa.

Additionally, while The Sharing allows the Wild Walkers to detect the presence of enemies that are controlled by other empires or roaming armies, it only indicates that an army is present; it does not provide any information about the army's faction, composition, status, or anything else. It is also worth noting that invisible armies cannot be detected by The Sharing; armies are made invisible by either having every unit in the army have the Stealth capacity - as is common with the Forgotten - or by having at least one unit in the army with the Ghost Force capacity, which can be achieved by equipping a hero leading the army with the Nwere accessory.

## Unique Technologies

  Focus:  |  Influence

  **Effects:**
+4  when a city improvement is built on Wild Walkers.+4  When a district is built on Wild Walkers.+4  when a region improvement is built on Wild Walkers.

  Focus:  |  Speed

  **Effects:**
+2 on movement  when starting a turn with an enemy army in vision range on Wild Walkers

  Focus:  |  Military

  **Effects:**
+25% Defense on units on Forest

  Focus:  |  Industry

  **Effects:**
+25% Building production cost reduction on cities

## Heroes

Note: *Base Attributes* reflect the unit's attributes before bonuses from equipment or capacities.

All Wild Walker heroes are able to wield Longbows, Magewands, Crossbows, and Shields as weapons.

### Quest Heroes

#### Ahote Zaltana

Ahote Zaltana is received as a reward for completing Chapter 5 of the Wild Walkers faction quest. Zaltana is received at Level 3, so his base attributes reflect this, but do not include bonuses from capacities or equipment.

## Faction Quest

*The forest has long been your home, but its wild spirits threaten to drown you. You believe that your future lies elsewhere, in great living towers you can build to reach the heavens. But not all share this vision...*

 Summary
 It is time to explore and learn. Search ancient sites for whatever treasures or knowledge they may contain.
 Reward

 Time and experience bring knowledge, though new knowledge is not always welcome.
Your dream of a great new tower to the stars, a symbol to Gaia, has been put off by strikes and riots at the building site. Achak Adahi, who leads the Sokwa, claims your dreams are foolish sacrilege. He, and many others, continue to insist on the old ways. There are those, however, who have seen what you have seen, and question the old ways as you do.
 Summary
 Your empire must grow, and you must have help to do this. Make contact with a neighboring Minor Faction and assimilate them into your Empire - peacefully or forcibly.
 Reward

 Time and experience bring knowledge, though new knowledge is not always welcome.
Your dream of a great new tower to the stars, a symbol to Gaia, has been put off by strikes and riots at the building site. Achak Adahi, who leads the Sokwa, claims your dreams are foolish sacrilege. He, and many others, continue to insist on the old ways. There are those, however, who have seen what you have seen, and question the old ways as you do.
 Summary
 Give your people optimism and new purpose by founding a city in a new region. Grow the city so it provides a solid source of Industry.
2. To sustain your dream you will need to produce 25  in your new city.
 Reward
2. Visions of Glory

 There are always those who bluntly refuse to accept reality. Achak and his followers are twisting their words in philosophical knots, trying to find some explanation for the things the patrols have discovered. The facts are clear: We are not alone, and we were not the first. One day their disagreements could turn violent; Truthseeker Jenoa is not the only one who warns you of this.
From these other peoples you have heard other tales and new histories; many of these myths and legends contain seeds of a similar story - a story that ends in tragedy. The farther you go, and the further you study, the grimmer and more perplexing the truth becomes.
 Summary
 You have certainly learned this: Auriga is dangerous. Develop your military by selecting a Hero and building a worthy army. Test the Hero and their army in battle and secure peace in your region.
 Reward

 The truth must be accepted, even when it is unpleasant. Achak seems to be silent, for the moment. But it is likely that things will flare up when you announce your latest idea: permitting beings of assimilated factions to rise up to high-level posts in your government. If allies can be trusted, why should they not be exploited to the fullest?
It is a time of consolidation and reflection, for the knowledge you have gained requires time and analysis before it can be acted upon. Bet your convictions remain clear on two points. First, that Auriga is a dangerous place that requires buildings of exceptional strength if your people are to survive whatever forces destroyed those who came before you. Second, that the Wild Walkers must be open and inclusive to any and all people's, ideas, and improvements that can help secure their future. Certainly those who built the ruins had knowledge of engineering far beyond what is known today.
 Summary
 Now that the region is safe, you turn your eyes back to the internal workings of your empire. Strength and progress will come by building and improving City Centers and building up Districts.
 Reward

 It has been a time of great learnings.
 Summary
 To bring your vision for the Wild Walkers into fruition, the mysterious Ahote Zaltana must be found. Track him by inspecting an ancient site where he is rumored to be.
 Reward

 Summary
 You must improve Zaltana's skills if you hope to stave off the oncoming cataclysm. Once his skills are improved, he must take an expedition to discover the secrets of the Endless.
 Reward

 Zaltana has emerged, holding designs for a thing whose complexity seems impossible. How can hands build something whose plans are incomprehensible?
 Summary
 Now that tools -- both magical and human -- are ready, the labor must be done.
 Reward

 Summary
 You will have the glory, but only Gaia knows if that will also bring success. Build the Ogmakwan in your Capital City, and hope that it is enough.
 Reward

## Trivia

* The Wild Walkers are referred to as "Mad Fairies" in the game files.