The Second Messiah
Total War: Attila - Ostrogoths Challenge Campaign
The old empires are falling. Savages emerge from the growing shadows of Europe. For many it seems the end times are nigh.
The death of an old friend brings about the beginning of prophecy that the King of the Ostrogoths, Vithericus, must now fulfill. He is to take his people on a long journey to the source of all water, where he is set to meet the man who will bring salvation to the dying world.
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But not everyone in his clan believes the prophecy. His mentor Saphrax leads a splinter group who intend to seek a more practical escape from the apocalypse in the fertile lands of Italia. There they can carve a new world out of the husk of the Roman Empire, but the bringers of death, The Huns, are hot on the tail of their migrating horde.
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Both face a hard journey with many battles - which one will find salvation in the end?
Watch Episode One
Key Characters
Vithericus
The ambitious and 'princely' son of King Vithimiris, he was chosen to be heir over his elder brother Geilamir for his keen skills as a warrior and dedication to his people. A man of strong faith, his relationship with the priest Mercurinus leads him to start a pilgrimage to visit the rumoured 'Second Messiah' at the source of the river Nile.
Geilamir
Vithericus' older brother, who had previously been Vithimiris' heir but lacked the ambition to hold on to such a position. Although he does not place the same weight in the prophecy of the Second Messiah that Vithericus does, he puts family ties first; he will follow Vithericus if only to keep him alive.
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Egica
The bastard son of the royal family. Tries to emulate the bravado of Vithericus and the wit of Geilamir, but cannot match either. Despite being looked down upon for his mixed heritage, he is well liked enough to cope with the duties of being a de facto prince, when he is interested enough to do so.
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Saphrax
The Right-Hand and close friend of former king Vithimiris. Does not trust at all in the prophecy, and so leads those more concerned with a practical solution to the Ostrogoths' problems to migrate west into Roman lands. His extreme loyalty to Vithimiris does not carry over to Vithericus, who he regards as foolish for his crusade. He is a tactful speaker who easily wins the trust of his followers, especially due to his long track record of service and success. He regards himself as the regent of the Ostrogoth Kingdom since Vithericus is seemingly more concerned with Christ than his people.
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Fun Facts!
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I originally intended to make this a <10 episode series so that I would have something made in Attila, since people were clamouring for it. Despite not really liking Attila, I decided that I was enjoying the challenge campaign, which is why I extend the goals and story a fair bit once the initial goal is met early on.
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As noted in the series, an SSD crash caused me to lose most of my progress towards the end. Fortunately, through some insane cheating, I was able to quickly play back to a roughly similar point and continue the series without too much disruption. Infinite movement points and instant unit replenishment did the job nicely!
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The Second Messiah was the first series where I decided to consistently do the same voice for different characters - previously I had never 'assigned' a character a partcular voice and would just do whatever voice seemed appropriate.
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The voice of Geilamir is roughly based on the voice of Judge Gabranth in Dissidia 012 Duodecim, a Final Fantasy themed fighting game. Egica is 'generic Koei-dub style gruff voice'.
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Two episodes of the series are blocked in the United States due to me using obscure yet copyrighted songs. Alternate verions with no music in certain cutscenes are available, but since the cutscenes were made specifically to fit the music, it doesn't really work as well.
Related Patreon Treasure:
HD Title Card