The Curse of Cassandra refers to the phenomenon where a person predicts an event or foresees a future outcome, but their warnings or predictions are ignored or dismissed. It is named after the character Cassandra from Greek mythology, who was cursed by Apollo to have the power of prophecy but is never believed. In Greek mythology, Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo. However, when she rejected his advances, he cursed her so that no one would believe her prophecies. This meant that despite her accurate predictions, she was unable to prevent the Trojan War or warning others about the dangers and destruction that would follow. The curse of Cassandra is often used as a metaphor for situations in which someone has knowledge or insight that could prevent a disaster or negative outcome, but their warnings are disregarded.
T'ien Ch'i in the Early Ages is in a formative state, still immersed in somewhat-violent and macabre legends reflective of the Warring States Period. For an early nation, the army is more advanced than most, featuring three tiers of infantrymen based on their armor coverage, with Light Cavalry and overly-ambitious Nobles on chariots providing support. An ancient Magic tradition known as the Way of Five Elements (the four Elemental paths plus Nature) rises to the limelight between two other ancient traditions, one borne out of ancestral worship and another learned from Heaven itself. Practitioners of the Way can be found almost anywhere, but they generally have thinly-spread powers.
T ien Ch i in the Early Ages is in a formative state, still immersed in somewhat-violent and macabre legends reflective of the Warring States Period. Men and women are starting to build their culture s iconic Magic and religion, with the Priestesses learning from Mountain Nymphs while the Mystics learn from quiet study of the world around them.
The curse of Cassandra is often used as a metaphor for situations in which someone has knowledge or insight that could prevent a disaster or negative outcome, but their warnings are disregarded. It represents the frustration of knowing what is to come but being unable to change the course of events. In real life, the curse of Cassandra can be seen in various contexts.
The crafty pretender rune journey
Early age Rlyeh is a very hard nation to play, make sure your pretender has air paths to create the items that allow underwater commanders to go on land.
MA tipsMiddle Age rlyeh is very interesting and most of these tips also go for late era rlyeh (except they must deal with insanity and freespawn), I tend to treat it as a ww2-era army. Here are some general tips:
quick tips
1) The crab hybrids are good underwater units (useful for early expansion).
2) Don't recruit too much units, just recruit them the turn before you want your army to leave - this lowers upkeep significantly. This can be done due to the low resource cost of your main army units (lobo's / illithid)
3) Mind hunt and Vengeance of the dead are your friend for precision strikes.
4) Always keep a spare void summoner, this way when your void summoner dies/gets lost in space and time you can immediately replace him.
5) Your slow-to-recruit starspawn can (almost?) all cast teleport and quite a few of them can cast gateway as well. This means that you don't need an as large standing army as you would normally, this lowers upkeep further as well as opening up very interesting paratrooper possibilities. e.g. You teleport a few starspawn behind enemy lines and away from his armies to take an underdefended province (elemental summons can really help with this or you can try thugging them out). The moment you take the province you build a laboratory and then gateway in your army. Boom, second front.
6) Voice of Tiamat can be a very interesting research goal, provided there is enough water (you also hit other useful spells on the way). If there isn't enough water you shouldn't set it as a goal.
7) See your illithid (1 resource) as your artillery, see your lobo's as infantry to hold the line. Use thralls sparingly as flanking armored divisions. Use the net-wielding triton slaves as advanced forces ment to slow the enemy down. Use your armored illithid as rearguard tanks (this is mainly to protect the artillery)
8) Commanderwise there are some very important things to realise: Middle age the slave mages are useful whilst late age they are prone to insanity. The star children are cheap and effective astral 1 communion mages and if used correctly can assassinate most commander types. They are reasonable useful as scouts as well though generally I consider this a waste (and use independent scouts instead). The priest starspawn should mainly be used for entering the void and if upkeep starts to get high as a "cheaper" alternative. The expensive starspawn mage costs almost 20 gold per turn in upkeep but is very powerful when utilised correctly.
9) Prophet, do not prophetize your first commander, your commander is already useful with his mind blasts. Prophetizing your starting scout is a possibility as long as you are willing to sacrifice him around the middle of year 1. The reason you should be willing to sacrifice him is so that you can prophetize one of your starspawns that can teleport/gateway. This gives you a teleporting throne claimer which costs 0 upkeep. (always a nice surprise to be able to claim throne after throne) since you don't have an H3-recruitable, .
Pretender Design
For pretender design there are several possibilities. I usually prefer going for a mobile awake combat pretender with rlyeh to offset the problem of underwater nations getting on land (the sooner you get that second army up to take to the abovewater lands the better your chances at good provinces and staying on land. The chassis that can be used for this is either the ghost king or the void lord. the ghost king can - when given an armor - pretty much take over all land-based expansion duties but peters out in powerlevel soon. The void lord will need assistance but becomes a formidable Super Combatant in the late mid-game and early late-game. (after that he should be used as a high-path mage).
scales
Since Cold / Heat has barely any influence underwater I tend to go Cold 3 (because most nations prefer hot/neutral scales and should you come across lizard nations or agartha you hurt them for their cold bloodedness). Because you don't need a lot of resources it is quite advisable to get sloth 1 or 2, this frees up points. Growth 1 will - in the long run - allow your underwater provinces to grow in population as well as lock some nasty events away. Magic 1 lowers the magic resistance inside your dominion (by .5 rounded down per point) and increases the research speed you have. Which leaves us with luck/misfortune and Order/turmoil. Taking luck 3 will give you loads of events which will help you get more magic diversity when coupled with the magic scales. Because you don't need heaps of gold all the time this may be interesting to do. Stick with turmoil 1 or neutral if you want to take this option. The other option is Order 3 for consistent income which would help with upkeep. You can take this with either neutral luck or misfortune 1 depending on what your preferences are. This would leave you with enough points to take a dominion score of 9 (unlocking awe on the pretender as well as optimal dominion spread) on an awake pretender.
other chassis
an Immobile pretender opens up research options and higher-level spells as well as magic diversity as well as making your capital nearly untakeable for enemy troops (underwater missiles are very rare). Downsides are low equipment slots (so hard to boost paths) and the fact that they are immobile.
an underwater expansion chassis lets you focus on getting your troops on the land. Downside of this is that without air mages it will become very hard to get your pretender on land.
One more thing to remember: your starspawn have no feet so don't worry about getting them cold feet and just dive in!
E: cleaned it up slightly, added headers and a few new tips.
It can apply to scientists or researchers who warn about the negative consequences of certain actions, such as climate change or the dangers of smoking, but their warnings are ignored or disputed. It can also occur in personal relationships or workplaces, where individuals may have insights or concerns about future outcomes, but their concerns are dismissed or overlooked. The curse of Cassandra can lead to feelings of frustration, isolation, and helplessness. It can be incredibly challenging to watch events unfold knowing that they could have been prevented. The phenomenon serves as a reminder of the importance of listening to people who may have insights or knowledge that can benefit society or individuals. Overcoming the curse of Cassandra requires a shift in attitude and a willingness to listen to alternative perspectives. It is essential to recognize that the people who have knowledge or foresight may have valuable insights that can help us navigate the future more effectively. In conclusion, the curse of Cassandra is a metaphor for situations where predictions or warnings are ignored or dismissed. It represents the frustration of knowing what is to come but being unable to prevent it. It serves as a reminder to listen to those with insights or knowledge and to consider their viewpoints seriously..
Reviews for "Cassandra's Gift: Embracing the Curse's Hidden Blessings"
1. Mia Johnson - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with "Curse of Cassandra". The plot felt confusing and disjointed, making it hard for me to follow the story. The characters were also underdeveloped, and I didn't feel any connection to them. The dialogue was also weak, with unnatural and stilted conversations that took away from the overall experience. Overall, I found "Curse of Cassandra" to be a lackluster and unsatisfying read.
2. Patrick Simmons - 1/5 - "Curse of Cassandra" was a complete waste of time for me. The writing was sloppy and filled with grammatical errors that were distracting from the story. The pacing was off, with unnecessary and lengthy descriptions that didn't contribute to the plot. The constant shift in perspectives also added to the confusion and made it difficult to engage with the characters. I had high hopes for this book, but it failed to deliver a cohesive and enjoyable reading experience.
3. Emily Thompson - 2/5 - I found "Curse of Cassandra" to be a tedious read. The story lacked originality and felt like a cliché mix of other supernatural novels. The protagonist was unlikeable and had no growth throughout the book, making it hard to root for them. The pacing was slow, and the action scenes were underwhelming. I was hoping for a gripping and thrilling adventure, but this book fell short of my expectations.
4. Michael Anderson - 3/5 - While "Curse of Cassandra" had an intriguing premise, I felt that the execution was lacking. The writing style was mediocre, with repetitive phrases and excessive use of adjectives that became tiresome. The story had potential, but the plot twists were predictable, and the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying. I appreciated the effort put into the world-building, but it wasn't enough to redeem the overall disappointing reading experience.
5. Sarah Hernandez - 2/5 - I struggled to get through "Curse of Cassandra". The pacing was slow, and the story lacked a clear direction. The characters were one-dimensional, and I couldn't connect with any of them. The dialogue was forced and unrealistic, making it hard to believe in the interactions between the characters. I was hoping for a gripping and immersive read, but this book fell flat for me.