The Nabata Desert

***Nabata led by Sophia or Igrene*** is a civilization by Mathetes tou Megalou Alexandrou. It is based on the Fire Emblem series, more specifically the Binding Blade (and to a lesser extent, Blazing Sword) game.

## The Nabata Desert

### Ratings

CComputer: Warlordz

Requires Gods and Kings and probably Brave New World as well.

## **Attributes**

### **Both**

Start bias: Desert

1. Arcadia
2. Petra
3. Eremos
4. Palmyra
5. Gerasa
6. Hippos
7. Skythopolis
8. Gadara
9. Pella
10. Raphana
11. Damaskos
12. Kapitolias
13. Phoinike
14. Eleutheros
15. Alexandroschene
16. Apheka
17. Meiron
18. Madaba
 **Spy List**

1. Igrene (Sophia Only)
2. Sophia (Igrene Only)
3. Fae
4. Hawkeye
5. Pent
6. Louise
7. Astolfo
8. Niime
9. Atalanta
10. Euandros
 **Other List**

* Other list, such as unique names for UUs, here

### **Sophia**

* When purchasing a Great Person with Faith, receive 40% of the cost back.
     **Desert Oracle** (Temple)
* +3 Faith instead of 2.
 **Dragonstone Monument**(Improvement)
* Unlocked at Philosophy.
* +1 Food, Science, Faith yields doubled at Education.
* Must be built in the Desert if not built on a resource, and cannot be built adjacent to each other.
* Can be used to develop any resources, and gains additional yield bonus from resources that it would have gotten from improving it with a base improvement would yield, ignoring the yield native to the improvement itself. (e.g. Developing Salt would give +1 Food, but not the +1 Production that comes from the Mine.)

#### **In Vox Populi**

* Faith purchase costs are reduced by -25%.
 **Shaman** (Composite Bowman)
* +3 Ranged Combat Strength and +2 Defensive Melee Strength
* Unlocked at Philosophy
 **Dragonstone Monument**(Improvement)
* Unlocked at Construction.
* +1 Science, +2 Faith, +1 Science/Faith at Education and at Archaeology
* Must be built in the Desert if not built on a resource, and cannot be built adjacent to each other.
* Can be used to develop any resources, and gains additional yield bonus from resources that it would have gotten from improving it with a base improvement would yield, ignoring the yield native to the improvement itself. (e.g. Developing Salt would give +1 Food, but not the +1 Production that comes from the Mine.)

### **Igrene**

     **Desert Guardian** (Swordsman)
* Starts with the Vision 1 Promotion.
     **Desert Sniper**(Crossbowman)
* Describe this civ's second unique here.
* This is line 2.
* This is line 3. Add on as necessary.

## **Strategy**

Nabata is a desert civilization, although the choice of leader will determine if it is a late blooming civilization or a defensive civilization with early growth advantages.

### **Sophia**

Sophia is the late-bloomer with among one of the weakest start in the game, a nod to the base game in which Sophia joins the party fairly late into the game as a level 1 character with poor stats. While Sophia does have a small advantage of being able to detect nearby ruins by planting cities, the Desert start and the lack of any military bonus will make Sophia very vulnerable in the early game especially when bordering warmongers. In addition, Sophia's bonuses to religion come late enough that Sophia may not be in a position to grab a religion, which can also be devastating to Sophia.

However, Sophia's unique improvement and building once unlocked will contribute significantly to her growth and faith game, which will translate into a Great People game post-Industrial Era at which Sophia is the strongest. Once Industrial Era dawns upon Sophia, the faith refund and the faith Sophia can accumulate through expending Great People generated by other means will grant Sophia a monster Great People game, giving her a strong late-game Science advantage if the player has either finished Rationalism or chosen To the Glory of God as a Reformation Belief. Not only that, the high faith output that the Desert Oracle and the Dragonstone Monument gives out will also translate into a strong food game thanks to Desert Oracle, making Sophia a leader with strong potential for a tall strategy. If Sophia managed to pick To the Glory of God, Sophia may spend the plentiful leftover faith to purchase Great Writers for culture and Great Artists for Golden Age, further accentuating Sophia's late-game strength.

#### **Sophia as an Opponent**

While Sophia is a god-tier leader in a player's hands, Sophia as an AI opponent proves to be far less fearsome. Sophia's lack of early game military bonus and Sophia's tendency to prioritize Philosophy means Sophia often gets bullied out or outright conquered by nearby warmongers, and while Sophia can have strong games, Sophia's primary bonus is underutilized by the AI if at all. While her Unique building and Unique Improvement grants Sophia a nice perk to growth and by extension science, production, and faith, Sophia does poorly in the science game in a majority of the games.

### **Igrene**

Igrene on the other hand gains meaningful bonuses much earlier on. The Food bonuses to Oases and Flood Plains that are available immediately will provide Igrene with much needed early bonuses, while removing the necessity of building farms on flood plains until Civil Service, allowing the workers to improve tiles elsewhere. In addition, Igrene has impressive UUs that are especially powerful in the Desert: her unique ability makes all ground units already more powerful in the desert, but the unique units even more so: the Desert Guardians heal in the desert, making them absolutely fantastic asset in defending desert territories or pushing against enemy outposts in the desert, while the Desert Snipers are very effective in dealing with enemies when the field is set up as to allow them to stand still. However, both the unique unit bonuses fade as the units are upgraded, making Igrene much less powerful in the later stages whereas Sophia gains power as the game progresses.

## **History**

### **Elibe**

Nabata Desert is the southwestern region in Elibe, the main setting in the games Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade and Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. It is a wasteland and thus not a region that is a part of a major state such as Bern or Lykia. However, it is where the settlement of Arcadia resides, where dragons and humans live peacefully together. Also, in the Nabata desert lies the divine weapon Forblaze which was used by the archsage Athos.

### **Sophia**

Sophia is a character that appears in the games Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade and Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, as an NPC in the former and as a playable character in the latter. Sophia plays a minor role, joining Roy's army in Binding Blades after being rescued alongside Cecilia. In the Binding Blade, Sophia is a mage character that starts at level 1 and have horrible base stats, although she boasts excellent growth in most fields except luck, speed, and physical defense. However, as a dark tome user, Sophia's low constitution proves to be a burden that can be rectified by things like the Body Ring. Sophia also appears in the mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes who has a fairly decent and balanced defensive stats, but low speed.

### **Igrene**

Igrene is a character that appears in the game Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade as a playable character. Igrene plays a minor role, joining Roy's army in Binding Blades after he aids in protecting Fa from the forces of Bern. Igrene's only appearance is in the said game unlike Sophia or Fa who makes another appearance in the mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes. Igrene game-wise is a strong immediate asset, having admirable starting stats, but the most abysmal growth of all sniper characters. However, even when taking into account the said abysmal growth, Igrene has such good starting stats that Igrene can still have some viability in the late game.

### **Dawn of Man**

#### **Sophia**

May Athos's vision of coexistence bear fruit under your guidance, Sophia! You are the Prophet of Nabata and one of the residents of the paradise of Arcadia. Arcadia has been the focus of peaceful coexistence, and here the archsage Athos and the once wise Nergal conducted magical research to expand their knowledge. However, Nergal's lust for power eventually became the seed of conflict in the Elibe continent, and by the time Zephiel took power in Bern, you have been imprisoned alongside Cecilia later to be bailed out by Roy and joined him in the fight against Bern. While you've been ill-trained to fight at the beginning, the experience that you've gained through the harsh trials served to quickly harden.[NEWLINE][NEWLINE]Beneficent Sophia, Athos's dream is still alive and awaits to be fulfilled. Will you take the helm and achieve a paradise where both humans and dragons can live peacefully? Will you do this through the force of culture, religion, or technology, or will you end up using force to deliver righteous fury upon those who misuse the powers as Nergal did? Are you ready to take a great stride unto the harsh world? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?

#### **Igrene**

May your aim ever be true, Guardian Igrene! You are the guardian of the Nabata Desert. You were the daughter of the previous Desert Guardian Hawkeye, and you were one of those who have joined with Roy to defeat Zephiel and later on Idoun. However, your life was not peaceful: you had a husband who was later estranged, and you've also lost your daughter and lost faith in the gods. Despite this, you've held on, and together with your fellow Nabataians such as Fa and Sophia ultimately saved not only Nabata but the entirety of Elibe from destruction.[NEWLINE][NEWLINE]Oh, steady Igrene, the people of Nabata look to you once again to protect the paradise that Athos and Nergal built. Will you answer their call and defend the deserts from the invaders? Will you defend the values of coexistence that Athos has instilled within the paradise of Arcadia? Can you uplift Nabata to greatness, Igrene? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time?

### **Unique Interactions**

Optional: Copypaste any greetings, defeat, etc. given to fellow FE Civs.

#### **Sophia**

* First Greetings (Sophia)
	+ He... Hello. I... My name is Sophia, the prophet of Nabata.
	+ Greetings... I am Sophia. Igrene is our Guardian, but... I serve as the prophet of Nabata.
	+ P... Pleased to meet you. I am Sophia, one of the caretakers of Arcadia... Here dragons and humans live in harmony... I hope we can do the same.
* Defeat (Sophia)
	+ The future is grim... There is no light ahead...
	+ My future... holds no light...
	+ A paradise forged through understanding... lost... to the darkness fueled by greed and anger...

#### **Igrene**

* First Greetings (Igrene)
	+ Well met, stranger. You are most welcome to the paradise of Arcadia. I am Igrene, its guardian.
	+ Hello. You seem to be new around here. I am Igrene, the guardian of Nabata Desert.
	+ Ah, a stranger in these desolate lands. You must be weary after the trek in the desert. I am Igrene, and I offer you the oasis water as a sign of goodwill.
* Defeat (Igrene)
	+ The fates have robbed me of my husband and daughter, and it conspires to rob me of my home...
	+ Fae... Sophia... I have failed Arcadia...
	+ Arcadia burns... Is the power of understanding truly no match for the darkness that is greed?

## **Music**

* Peace, Sophia- [placeholder Your link here]
* Peace, Igrene - [placeholder Your link here]

* War, Sophia- [placeholder Your link here]
* War, Igrene - [placeholder Your link here]

## **Mod Support**

Link to all compatible mods this civ supports. Commonly used mods have been included, but be sure to delete any that the civ in question isn't actually compatible with and add any that aren't covered.

* Civ IV Traits in Civ V -
	+ Sophia- Spiritual, Philosophical
	+ Igrene- Protective, Expansive
* Fire Emblem Leader Affinities
	+ Sophia -  Dark
	+ Igrene -  Ice
* Fire Emblem True Start Location - compatible maps here
	+ Sophia -
	+ Igrene -
* Kiang's Fire Emblem Religions
	+ Sophia - Uses Eastern Orthodoxy regardless
	+ Igrene - Uses Eastern Orthodoxy regardless
* Weapon Triangle
	+ Sophia -
	+ Igrene -
* OST
	+ Sophia -
	+ Igrene -

## **Screenshots**

You are not limited to the sample slots used in the below gallery; feel free to add more pics as necessary.

**PlaceholderSample's Dawn of Man ImagePlaceholderSample on the "Set-Up Game" screen.PlaceholderSample's Leader ScenePlaceholderSample In-Game along with their Unique Units.**
## **Trivia**

* Igrene gets an extra building if using the Pride of Nations compatible version of the mod.

* Village Council (Courthouse)

* +1 /, +2 .

## **Credits**

* Mathetes tou Alexandrou: LUA, XML
* Nintendo and Intelligent Systems: Intellectual Properties, Desert Guardian Icon
* Yuko Tsujiyoko: Music
* umiu geso: Sophia DOM/Leader Scene
* jiino: Igrene DOM
* Unknown: Igrene Scene, taken from an FE Artbook.
* JTitan and Civitar: Models for Igrene's Unique Units
* akru: Desert Sniper Icon