History in the real world (i.e. vanilla Civilization) is the progression from copper to iron to gunpowder to nuclear weapons. But in Fall from Heaven gunpowder is a quaint aside. Magic sort of reduces it to a parlor trick. So you have cannons? Whatever. I have fireballs, maelstroms, and shadowwalking.

However, there is an endgame resource not unlike nuclear weapons. It's mithril. And I've just discovered it. At least I would have if I could find any.

Read about the Great Mithril Rush that should have happened on turn 353.

In Fall from Heaven, metals upgrade your units. Discover a metal by researching the appropriate technology. Connect a source of that metal to your resource network. Then any unit that visits a city will get a permanent upgrade. Bronze gives units +1 to strength, iron replaces that with a +2, and mithril replaces that with a +4. +4 is pretty huge when you consider it's basically a global bonus to all your units. Furthermore, there's a +10% strength bonus against units with inferior weapons. It's like an idiot tax for showing up to a mithril fight with an iron weapon.

But then there's the tricky bit about actually getting the metal. I got lucky with bronze, which was near my starting position. Iron was even easier, as I conveniently found it inside my borders. On turn 353, I finish researching Mithril Working. I'd built my civic values around getting quickly to this point: an aristocratic government for the extra income from farms, a consumption-based culture, labor built on a caste system, and a mercantile economy. And now here I am, the first civilization to discover mithril. I quickly jump out to the global view and search for the little icon of silver bricks that indicates a mithril source. Nothing. Everyplace I've been so far is mithril-less.

Time to trade world maps around. I can't imagine the Svartalfar or Sheaim have done much exploration, busy as they've been border skirmishing each other. The Calabim and I have already traded maps, and they still haven't managed to break out of their little desert nook. They're certainly not going to know where the mithril's at. The self-righteous Bannor don't like me enough to trade maps (I'm going to remember that). But the Elohim, the most powerful civilization next to me, are willing to engage in a cartographic tête-à-tête: I'll show you my hemisphere if you'll show me yours. So we unfog each other's maps and I get to see almost the entirety of the southern continent (BTW, this is where I first get the full picture of how much the Svartalfar and Sheaim have intermingled their cultures by beating each other up).

There are only two sources of mithril visible, and -- wouldn't you know it? -- they're both on the southern continent. Not only that, they're each shut in behind the good civilizations who are the least friendly to me. In the west, the Bannor are very close to a supply of mithril, but it's across a mountain range tucked in by a few developed barbarian cities. In the east, at the back of a torturous maze of mountain passes, Odio's Prison commands a long valley. The Prison is a unique feature commemorating the spot where a rebellious archangel was dragged into the earth and imprisoned by the queen of gems. It gives units within three squares a substantial defensive bonus. Behind this landmark, deep in unclaimed territory and far from the Elohim border, lies the other source of mithril. It's a perfect place to dig in a well-defended city. Unfortunately, the only way in is through Elohim territory, which means the only way to get the mithril out is also through Elohim territory.

There's actually a third source of mithril, but it's just as impractical at this point. In the barbarian city of Kolocly, the red dragon Acheron has appeared. He'll remain parked there throughout the game until someone does something about him. And the incentive to do something about him is the dragon's hoard he guards. Anyone who transports this dragon's hoard back to a city gets a source of mithril.

Unfortunately, if you've ever tried to move a red dragon off his hoard, you know it's not easy. I tried once. It didn't go very well. I amassed a huge army that refused to fight thanks to Acheron's ability to inflict fear. So there I was, sitting outside a barbarian city, with some of my guys dead, but most of them too scared to do anything but pile back onto the ships and go home. It was pretty embarrassing. I just pretended we were on maneuvers. So at this point, with one failed dragon eviction under my belt, I have no idea how to scooch that guy off what he's guarding. I'm not about to blow my lead by trying again. And I might as well get my war on, so guess what Bannor dudes: I'm coming for that mithril in your territory.

Up next: blood for mithril, but first...would you like to play a game?
(Click here for the previous Fall from Heaven game diary.)